A jade-green body, two eyes glowing like light bulbs, and a massive belly that expanded and contracted with each breath.
This was a frog.
A frog the size of an elephant.
And the red strip of flesh Zayen had seen earlier was actually the frog's tongue.
He had just entered into the Advanced Magic Beast Zone, and first he encountered a swarm of Emerald Gale Sparrows and now a faint frog.
Zayen didn't know if his luck was good or bad.
"Pfft!"
Just as Zayen was momentarily stunned, the frog's red tongue attacked him again.
Hearing the sharp sound of the tongue cutting through the air, Zayen's expression hardened, and he immediately dared not be negligent.
He tilted his head to the left, and the red tongue brushed past Zayen's ear.
Golden light gathered around his hands, forming sharp golden claws, and Zayen directly grabbed the frog's tongue.
Although the frog's tongue was extremely tough, under Zayen's sharp claws, several deep grooves were quickly gouged into it.
In pain, the frog immediately tried to retract its tongue.
However, it was easy to extend but difficult to retract. With the tongue tightly held by Zayen, not only did it fail to pull back, but it instead dragged the frog's massive body toward him.
Watching the frog's actions, Zayen almost laughed out loud.
Amid the frog's terrified expression, countless golden chains emerged from around Zayen's body, rapidly wrapping the frog tightly.
The restrained frog thrashed its legs, still trying to resist, but under the overwhelming force of the golden chains, it quickly lost the ability to move.
Then, with a thought, five golden swords appeared out of thin air and shot forward, piercing straight through the frog's massive body.
The five golden swords pierced through the frog's body almost simultaneously.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Dark green blood erupted like fountains, splashing across the ground. The frog's enormous body trembled violently, its eyes bulging as it let out a hoarse, broken croak.
"Graa—!"
The sound was cut short.
The golden chains tightened, and the swords exploded with radiant light from within its body.
Boom!
The massive frog convulsed once, then went completely still. Its swollen belly deflated rapidly, and its jade-green skin lost all luster, turning dull and gray.
The red tongue, still gripped in Zayen's hand, went limp and fell heavily to the ground.
Zayen slowly released his grip, the golden claws fading away.
The familiar system notification quietly appeared before his eyes.
[System Notification: Congratulations, Host. You have killed a Level 5 Magic Beast: Jadebell Abyss Toad.
[Experience +20]
[ Congratulations, Player! You have leveled up to Level 8!
Attack +10 | Speed +10 | Defense +10
[System Notification: Level increased to Level 8]
[The Legion of Light skill has been enhanced: currently able to resurrect magic beasts and other races not more than five levels higher than the host.]
....
Seeing this system notification, Zayen's whole body trembled, and he nearly dropped the Blacksteel Katana in his hand.
He could directly resurrect magic beasts and other races that were not more than five levels higher than him now?
This… this was too abnormal.
With the enhanced Legion of Light, it wasn't just other players anymore.
He could now resurrect magic beasts, turning them into redeemed holy angels too under his command.
And even more terrifying—
He could resurrect other races as well.
As long as their level did not exceed his by more than five, death was no longer the end for them… It was merely a transformation.
Thinking of this, Zayen became excited.
He then took the opportunity to glance at his panel attributes:
....
[Name]: Zayne
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 8
[EXP]: 303/3000
[Chosen By]: Archangel Michael—The Supreme Archangel of Judgement, Order, and War.
[Title]: Apostle Of Judgement, Order, and War.
[Talent]: Divine Paragon (Eternal grade).
[Affiliation]: Light, Fire, Lightning, Space, Time, Energy, Creation, Fire.
[Skills]: Seraphic Ascension (Eternal grade), Legion of Light (Eternal grade), Divine Manifestation (Eternal grade), Aura Release, Voidbound Flash Step (S-grade)
[Attack]: 145
[Defense]: 135
[Speed]: 150
.....
Not bad; Zayen could clearly feel that he had become much stronger than before.
Combined with his equipment and powerful skills, Zayen's overall combat strength had increased by more than ten times.
Then, Zayen looked at the corpse of the Jadebell Abyss Toad on the ground.
Its massive elephant-sized body lay collapsed in the clearing, dark green blood soaking into the cracked earth. The once-glowing bulb-like eyes were now dull and lifeless.
He wanted to give it a try and see if it would really work, but he suddenly heard the sound of someone calling for help coming from not far away.
"Help! Help..."
A faint, intermittent voice echoed through the forest. Zayen's expression changed instantly as he swiftly moved toward the direction from which the sound came.
His speed was extremely fast, traversing the winding terrain as if it were flat ground, often covering more than ten meters in a single stride.
His figure was agile—astonishingly fast.
Soon, Zayen arrived at an open area and saw what was happening before his eyes.
Four young men and two young women were frantically fleeing in disarray.
They were panting heavily, their faces filled with terror.
Some of their clothes were already torn, and their bodies were covered in bloodstains.
Behind them, a huge black lion moved on all fours, relentlessly chasing them.
...
[ System Identification – Magic Beast]
[Name]: Blazemane Crimson Lion
[Talent]: Mountain Tyrant
[Level]: 7
[Attack]: 185
[Defense]: 140
[Speed]: 180
[Skills]:Molten Claws(D grade),Blazing Vitality(D grade),Crimson Solar Breath(C grade)
.....
This was a Level 7 Magic Beast, but its combat power far exceeded that of an ordinary Level 8 Magic Beast.
Under normal circumstances, even two Level 7 players working together might not be its match.
Of course, exceptional individuals like Zayen were a different story.
"Ah! Help! Help!"
"Big Brother, save me! Save me!"
Just as Zayen saw those people, they also noticed him.
Immediately, their eyes lit up with excitement.
They shouted desperately for help, hope flooding their faces as they looked toward Zayen.
It was as if drowning people on the verge of death had finally grasped their last straw.
"ROAR!"
At that moment, the black-maned lion suddenly let out a furious roar.
It glared at Zayen and roared twice in warning, its flaming mane surging violently. Then, with a powerful burst of speed, it lunged toward the female player who had fallen behind.
The girl sensed the approaching danger.
Her already pale face turned completely bloodless, her pupils shrinking as despair filled her eyes.
"Ah—!"
She screamed in terror.
In her panic, she stumbled over a stone and fell heavily to the ground.
The other players, who had been running ahead, turned their heads and saw the scene unfold.
Their expressions twisted with fear.
But instead of turning back to save her, they ran even faster—more desperately—afraid that slowing down would drag them into the same fate.
The fallen girl turned her head back in despair, tears streaming down her face.
What greeted her sight was a crimson maw stained with flesh and blood.
The lion's flaming breath scorched the air.
Its jaws were opening wide.
The Blazemane Crimson Lion's mouth was terrifyingly close to her…
Close enough that she could feel the heat of its breath against her skin.
Death was less than a second away.
However, just as the Blazemane Crimson Lion's blood-red maw was about to swallow her—
Bang!
A thunderous explosion suddenly rang out.
In the next second, she saw a young man appear behind the Blazemane Crimson Lion as if he had torn through space itself.
He had a handsome face, but his eyes were incredibly sharp and cold—like blades drawn from their sheaths.
Without hesitation, he struck.
Appearing behind the Blazemane Crimson Lion, he threw a fierce punch straight into its flank.
A faint golden glow wrapped around his fist, and the air itself let out a piercing explosive screech as it was torn apart.
Bang!
With a deafening crash, his fist slammed heavily into the lion's body.
The Blazemane Crimson Lion opened its mouth and released a miserable howl as its massive frame was sent flying like a cannonball.
As it flew past her, its razor-sharp fangs were less than five centimeters from her face.
A drop of saliva mixed with blood splattered onto her cheek.
Her entire body stiffened.
Her mind went blank.
Before the lion could even hit the ground—
Zayen moved again.
He gave it no chance to recover.
The moment its body crashed into the earth and sent dirt and stones bursting into the air, Zayen shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
His speed was terrifying.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each impact sounded like a bomb detonating.
With every strike, the ground trembled.
The Blazemane Crimson Lion tried to rise, flames surging wildly from its mane, but it was completely suppressed.
Another punch landed.
Bones cracked.
Followed by another strike.
Its flaming aura flickered violently.
A final explosive blow descended—
BOOM!
The earth caved in slightly beneath the impact.
The Blazemane Crimson Lion let out one last broken howl before its massive body collapsed heavily to the ground.
The Level 7 Magic Beast, whose combat power surpassed even ordinary Level 8 beasts, now lay in a bloody heap—its body crushed and torn, with no signs of life remaining.
The female player, still sitting on the ground, stared at the scene in disbelief.
Her hands slowly rose to cover her mouth.
It was as if fear itself had been replaced by pure shock.
As for the other players—
They had long since disappeared into the forest without even looking back.