98. Are you the one who reminds the teacher every day, after class, that they forgot to assign homework?

Shells and machine-gun fire kept hammering the gate at the plaza entrance, blasting the charging beasts into bloody pulp.

When the last monster howled and collapsed, the second wave of the beast tide came to an end, and a five-minute countdown appeared in the sky once more.

The hooded assassin let go of the cannon controls with trembling hands and drew a long breath. “Damn... that was terrifying.”

In the fight just now, they had slain nearly a hundred monsters, every one of them a ferocious beast bristling with fangs and claws.

Some of the monsters were even cunning enough to slip into dead angles where the turrets could not hit them, trying to ambush the two contestants.

Fortunately, Greatsword had laid explosive traps in those blind spots in advance, blasting every one of them sky-high.

“Young man, you still haven’t seen enough of the world.” Greatsword showed no sign of fatigue at all, even taking a hearty puff from his cigar. “Who are you, anyway? And why do you talk so big? Why not go act in movies instead?”

Though his voice carried a weathered edge, the man was wrapped head to toe in armor and built broad and tall. Anyone would instinctively assume he was a middle-aged man in his thirties rather than some old-timer from a bygone age.

“My story is long, and I do not wish to tell it.” Greatsword lifted his chin toward the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and spoke vaguely. “Catch your breath. The final beast tide should be even more dangerous than the last.”

“Fine, fine. Like I wanted to hear it anyway.” The hooded assassin waved a hand, too lazy to keep talking.

The countdown in the sky soon dropped to zero, and the final beast tide was about to strike.

Yet after waiting nearly ten seconds, the two still saw no beasts charging in through the gate.

“Up above!” Greatsword suddenly grabbed an assault rifle and fired several shots into the sky.

In the flare of muzzle fire, the hooded assassin finally caught sight of the enemy.

Six black-furred flying wyverns, each like an oversized bat, with wingspans nearly four meters long.

Spittle flying from their mouths, they were swooping down toward the two below.

“Damn it... flying monsters too?!” the hooded assassin cursed, then snatched up a submachine gun and sprayed wildly into the sky.

Those wyverns looked fearsome, but their wings were extremely fragile. Under Greatsword’s command, the two men riddled their wing membranes with bullets, forcing them to crash to the ground.

Once they landed, Greatsword swiftly switched to the cannon and sent shells exploding into their heads.

After a short bout of processing them, the black-furred wyverns were all slain. But there was no chance for either of them to relax, because another assault had already begun.

With a roar sharp enough to nearly burst their eardrums, a five-meter-tall mammoth smashed through the barricade at the gate and charged straight into the plaza.

A dozen smaller beasts followed behind it.

In an instant, the plaza barrier was breached. The beasts surged at them like a tide, and trying to pick them off one by one with cannon fire was no longer realistic.

“Tch. They call it a hundred-dragon night parade, and in the end they send in an elephant to pad the numbers.” Greatsword snorted in disappointment, not the least bit panicked. “So halfhearted.”

No sooner had he spoken than a new voice came from the sky and explained, “Sorry, contestants, our tournament budget has already been exhausted. Otherwise, we would have loved to send in a boss-tier dinosaur for you too~ But if you insist, we’re happy to increase the difficulty temporarily~”

“Hell no! No, no, no!” The hooded assassin broke out in a cold sweat. In a fit of anger, he smacked Greatsword’s helmet. “What nonsense are you spouting? Were you the kind of brat who reminded the teacher about homework every day after school?”

“Oh ho~ Since you two can’t agree, then I won’t raise the difficulty.” The announcer laughed. “Wishing you both an enjoyable hunt!”

“I never expected this challenge to be easier than I thought. Young man, get up there and take them on!” Greatsword commanded like a seasoned general, then hoisted his mechanical greatsword and leapt down from the platform.

“Unbelievable. What kind of teammate is this...” The hooded assassin had no choice but to take up his usual kukri and pistol and jump down after him into the mêlée.

Greatsword charged into the swarm and began hacking his way through them. The huge blade seemed designed specifically for hunting monsters, cleaving their bodies and bones alike into pieces.

By comparison, the hooded assassin looked utterly miserable. He was equipped with light weapons meant for assassination, which were far less effective against monsters with thick hides and tough flesh.

After finally managing to slit the throat of a giant black panther, he was rammed and sent flying by a wild boar charging straight at him.

“Damn it!” The assassin spat blood. His hood was knocked back, revealing a gleaming bald scalp.

Before he could even steady himself, a quadrupedal dinosaur opened its maw and lunged at him.

“It’s too late...” The assassin struggled to rise and counterattack, but the dinosaur was far too fast. In the blink of an eye, it was already right in front of him.

“Get lost!” Just then, Greatsword noticed what was happening and came rushing over with his weapon on his shoulder.

With a single sweeping strike, he flicked the quadrupedal dinosaur up into the air, where it crashed to the ground half-dead.

Greatsword planted his weapon into the earth and extended a hand toward the hooded assassin. “Get up, young man! This isn’t the time for weak knees!”

“Oh... oh!” The hooded assassin took Greatsword’s hand and stood, his heart beginning to race of its own accord.

The battle in the plaza still raged on. With the beasts now fully invading from every direction, the two could only fight back-to-back, coordinating their attacks.

Before long, the smaller monsters in the plaza had all been cut down under their combined assault. Only the massive mammoth remained at a distance, scraping its foot against the ground as it gathered itself for another charge.

“Roar—!”

Once the lesser beasts had been cleared away, the mammoth lifted its trunk and roared, then thundered toward them, making the ground itself tremble.

Greatsword decisively leapt onto a turret and fired cannon shells at the mammoth’s head.

The force of the explosions was not enough to pierce its thick fur. They only left several charred marks on its body.

Still, the mammoth was enraged by the shells. It turned and roared toward the turret where Greatsword stood, baring its sharp tusks as if to drive them straight through him.

“Look out!” the assassin shouted in alarm.

Just as the mammoth was about to smash into the turret, Greatsword sprang from it and leapt down.

Bang!

The mammoth smashed the turret to pieces. Along with it shattered a fuel barrel and several incendiary rounds hidden on the platform.

The splashing fuel soaked into the mammoth’s fur, and the incendiaries ignited the flames on its body. In an instant, fire engulfed the beast from head to toe.

“Its weakness is fire,” Greatsword said with complete composure, glancing at the hooded assassin. “Don’t be fooled by its size. Once you find the weakness, it’s still easy enough to deal with.”

The hooded assassin stared blankly at Greatsword, unable to speak for a long while.

At last, he understood. This temporary teammate had not asked for a higher difficulty because he was insane, but because opponents of this caliber truly did not interest him.

The mammoth, its whole body aflame, seemed unable to endure the agony of being burned and collapsed with a wretched scream. Greatsword stepped forward at once and brought his sword down again and again on its skull.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several blows, the mammoth’s skull twisted and shattered, and it completely lost the strength to struggle.

At the same time, a giant “Congratulations!” appeared on the screen projected in the sky, announcing that the two had completed the mission.

A large gate on the side of the plaza swung open, indicating that they should leave through there.

“So weak. Still, it makes for a decent warm-up...” Greatsword loosened his joints a little, then shouldered his massive sword and walked toward the gate.

Following behind him, the hooded assassin was seized by an unprecedented fear.

Only now did he truly realize what kind of monster he had been competing against. Even though Greatsword had saved his life, this was the grand arena, and in the end, one of them would have to die.

That fear overpowered the gratitude he had felt for having been saved, and it drove him to make an utterly rational choice.

“Brother, I’m sorry... I’ll repay you in my next life...” the hooded assassin murmured under his breath, a cruel smile spreading across his cold face.

Bang, bang, bang!

He drew his pistol and fired straight into Greatsword’s back.

But Greatsword was already prepared. He brought his sword up behind him and deflected the bullets.

Then he whirled and charged back at him.

The hooded assassin sneered and tried to dodge, but Greatsword suddenly drew a battered old pistol from his waist and pulled the trigger at him.

“What...” To be fair, the assassin had noticed the pistol at Greatsword’s waist. But the weapon was so antiquated, it looked like a relic from the previous age, something that would not have seemed out of place in a museum. Because of that, he had assumed it was merely decorative and could not actually fire.

That moment of carelessness cost him dearly. A lead slug from the old pistol struck his abdomen, bringing his movement to a halt.

Seizing the opening, Greatsword swung his weapon. The great blade came down from the assassin’s left shoulder and cleaved his body cleanly in two.

“I saved you before because it was part of my professional code.” Greatsword said coldly, his helmet hiding any trace of feeling. “I have been a hunter for twenty years, and the one thing I do not want to see is anyone dying at the hands of a monster...”

“But if you want to kill me, then you must be prepared to be killed in return.”

With that, Greatsword yanked the blade free. Blood gushed from the hooded assassin’s wound.

The hooded assassin fell, but a look of relief appeared on his face.

Greatsword hung the outdated pistol back at his waist, shouldered his weapon, and left the arena.