’I got careless.’

Allen cursed under his breath.

’The Magic Power fluctuations from calibrating the refining equipment must have attracted it.’

To a Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion, a creature drawn to sources of Magic Power, this was like a cannon salute announcing a buffet’s grand opening.

"Stop operations! All units, prepare for battle!"

Allen snapped his spatial briefcase shut and issued the command through his mental link.

This battle had to be quick.

Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions were social Magical Beasts. If this one escaped, his brand-new mining operation would be as good as finished.

RUMBLE—

The two Pacifists moved without hesitation. Taking heavy steps, their treads shrieked against the ground as they flanked Allen, one to his left and one to his right. The sixteen Spider Slayers scattered like a disturbed nest of black ants, fanning out to the high ground on both sides to find the best firing angles.

For a Magical Beast of this size, a distance of four kilometers was only a matter of five or six minutes.

Soon, the enormous figure came into view.

It was a true land tank.

It was nearly four meters long, its two massive pincers held high. Its body was covered in a translucent, crystalline carapace.

In the sunlight, the carapace refracted a bizarre, rainbow-hued light.

It didn’t even bother to go around rocks as it ran, simply smashing through them or crushing them with its massive pincers. It looked utterly tyrannical.

[Target tracked. Current distance: 800 meters]

[Magic Power peak: 997 (approaching the critical point for a First-level Wizard), adult specimen]

"Spider Slayers, open fire! Suppressive fire!"

At Allen’s command, the sixteen Spider Slayer Mk. IIs opened fire simultaneously.

Dozens of crimson, high-energy rays formed a dense web of fire, blanketing the scorpion’s path with precision.

However, what happened next made Allen’s eye twitch.

ZAP—!

The rays all struck the giant scorpion’s crystalline carapace, but there was no penetration or explosion as he had expected.

The mirror-smooth surface of the carapace was almost undamaged, and most of the searing rays were directly refracted or scattered onto the surrounding ground.

The rocks were scorched black and shattered, while the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion at the center of the barrage only had a few white spots on its body, its speed not even slowing in the slightest.

’High armor is one thing, but it also has energy reflection and magic resistance?’

Allen felt a headache coming on.

His current force composition was entirely reliant on energy rays for ranged attacks. This thing was a hard counter to his entire setup!

Seemingly angered by these tickling attacks, the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion let out a hoarse roar, its compound eyes flaring with vicious light.

It ignored the annoying "little spiders" around it, its gaze locking onto the two big guys standing in the middle of the path.

In its perception, the High-Tier Magic Stone inside the Pacifists’ chests exuded a delicious aroma that drove it mad.

The giant scorpion’s legs suddenly pushed off with great force, its speed surging, and it instantly charged over like a black meteor.

’Trying to hog the prize for yourself? Hope you don’t bite off more than you can chew.’

Allen snorted coldly, "PX-0, PX-1, main cannons, charge! Blast it to a halt!"

VMMM—

The chests of the two Steel Giants lit up simultaneously with a blinding light.

PX-0’s "Divine Punishment" main cannon was a high-spec version with biological materials, while PX-1’s was a standard mass-produced version. But at this moment, the two thick beams of destruction converged into one, carrying enough heat to melt steel, and slammed viciously into the giant scorpion’s head!

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion echoed through the mining area, its intense flash forcing Allen to squint.

The smoke and dust cleared.

"HIIISSS—!!!"

A pained screech rang out.

This time, it hadn’t managed to block the attack completely.

Although most of the energy was still refracted, the intense heat at the core of the blast melted through its facial carapace. A plume of acrid green smoke rose as half of its head was scorched black, one of its compound eyes burned blind.

But the blow didn’t make it retreat. Instead, it fully unleashed its savagery.

It charged through the lingering heat, breaking through the fiery blockade, its massive pincer whistling through the air as it smashed down on PX-0’s leg joint.

CLANG!

Sparks flew.

Although PX-0 had heavy leg armor, the blow still made its four-meter-tall body shudder violently, and alarms blared.

[Warning: Left leg system damaged. Balance reduced by 15%.]

’The strength of this Magical Beast is ridiculous!’

Close-quarters combat erupted instantly.

PX-1 tried to move in to support but was whipped across the chest by the scorpion’s incredibly agile tail, directly caving in a large section of its chest plate.

’So this is the real deal when it comes to a Plane Dominator-class Magical Beast.’

No flashy spell-like abilities, just relying on its insane defense and brute force was enough to give even his mentor a headache.

"DSeek, what’s the analysis?"

[Analysis complete. Target’s carapace has a 75% resistance effect against energy attacks. Recommended action: Switch to melee combat mode.]

"I knew it."

Allen took a deep breath, a vicious glint in his eyes.

’If Witchcraft won’t work, then it’s time for some physical salvation.’

"Xiong Da!"

He disconnected his fine-tuned control over PX-0, maintaining only the basic link. "Stop messing with those flashy rays! Use your weapon and smash it to pieces!"

"ROAR!"

PX-0’s two giant eyes suddenly lit up with a furious red glow.

The soul of the Volcano Tyrant Ape Leader had been growing frantic, cooped up in the core.

It had long wanted to toss aside those sissy water guns and have a real man’s brawl.

KRA-CHUNK!

PX-0 stopped retreating and instead stepped forward to meet the giant scorpion’s pincer. The hardpoint on its back sprang open, and it snatched the three-meter-long ancient Magic-guided Long Spear into its hand.

The tip of the spear glinted with a cold, faint blue light.

This was an armor-piercing weapon designed by an ancient civilization to combat giant creatures. The hardness of the material itself far surpassed any of the materials in Allen’s Golems.

The giant scorpion seemed to sense the threat and instinctively tried to back away. At the same time, its tail stinger shot out like a striking viper, aiming for PX-0’s Energy Storage.

But Xiong Da, having activated "Berserk Mode," had reflexes a full half-step faster than before.

It swung the light shield on its left arm sideways.

BANG!

The stinger struck the light shield, sending out a ripple of energy.

At the same time, PX-0’s right arm shot forward. The long spear in its hand, like a sea dragon emerging from the ocean, whistled shrilly through the air and stabbed viciously toward the wound on the scorpion’s head, which had already been softened by the main cannon!

SQUELCH—!

The sickening sound of flesh being pierced.

No energy refraction, no resistance saves.

The sharp spear tip easily tore through the damaged carapace and plunged deep into the giant scorpion’s brain, piercing straight through!

"Hss..."

The giant scorpion’s body convulsed violently. Its legs scrabbled madly at the ground as it struggled.

’Just die!’

Allen could almost hear the roar from the depths of Xiong Da’s soul.

PX-0 gripped the spear shaft with both hands, twisted with immense force, and then flicked it upward!

SPLASH!

Green bodily fluids gushed out like a shower of acid rain.

This armored behemoth that had terrorized the Three-way Canyon, its massive body slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust before falling silent.

[Target’s vital signs have disappeared.]

[Combat concluded.]

The red light in PX-0’s eyes gradually faded, returning to the faint blue of its standby mode.

It withdrew the long spear, flicked off the blood, and slung it back onto its mount. The movements were fluid, imbued with the solitary air of an expert.

"Nice work."

Allen let out a long breath. It felt like he’d just watched a monster movie.

Although the battle was brief, it exposed quite a few problems.

If PX-0 hadn’t been equipped with the ancient weapon, and they had relied solely on energy rays, even if they could have eventually worn the creature down, half of his Golem force would likely have been scrapped.

’Relying on a single attack method is a huge mistake.’

He walked quickly to the side of the giant scorpion’s corpse. Ignoring the pungent, foul smell, he reached out and knocked on the black carapace.

The sound was crisp, the texture excellent.

"DSeek, give me an appraisal."

[High-purity crystallized chitin. Possesses excellent physical and energy resistance. A top-tier material for crafting ’Reflective Armor’ and ’Anti-Magic Shields’.]

[Estimated value of entire corpse: 3,500 Low-Level Magic Stones.]

Allen’s eyes lit up instantly.

The shock from moments before vanished, replaced by the joy of a bountiful harvest.

This wasn’t a monster; it was clearly a gift-wrapped package of raw materials delivered right to his door!

With this, he could give PX-1 a complete armor upgrade. He could even consider developing a specialized "Wizard Killer" model.

"Quick! While it’s fresh!"

Allen immediately commanded the Factory Servants, "Dismantle this thing! The carapace, poison sac, tail stinger—don’t waste a single bit of it! Pack it all up and take it away!"

After collecting the soul, Allen stood in the middle of the chaotic battlefield. Watching the sun gradually sink below the distant horizon, the last of his joy faded, replaced by an intensifying sense of urgency.

This was just a scout. Sooner or later, the rest of the swarm would discover this place.

’I can’t just sit here and wait to die. I have to think of something else.’