The positions of the squad members and the petrifying slimes made the scenario akin to a battlefield, and the battle had already begun.

With six slimes overall, three were lined up a little ahead of the others, their claws glistening under the rising moonlight and the faded sun. Low groans and twisted grunts echoed within the area, both from the bizarre creatures as well as the group of tattooed people hiding within the shadows, all the while pouring out their energy.

It didn’t take too long for the delayed trio of monsters to align with the ones at the front, as a powerful whirlwind stirred up the dust at the back, pushing the slimes to the front. Just as the tet formed a single row, it presented an opportunity for a large pillar of ice to horizontally pierce through the gooey bodies and have them trapped altogether.

Yuqi let out a soft chuckle at the sight of the creatures already struggling. “That’s what I’m talking about! Nice move, Jisu!”

Kai saw their progress, and he felt the fire within him sizzle with thrill. He yelled out, “Jungeun-noona, it’s our turn!”

At once, spiky thorns and vines wrapped around the slimes, restricting their movement even further. Subsequently, flaming spheres were catapulted towards each of the slimes, burning away holes within the jelly-like substance.

There was a sense of clarity and understanding within the team, one that enabled them to carefully aim their shots all over the surface of the towering creatures. It was like they had the key to success, and all that was left was pushing down the doors to unveil the treasure chest.

“Yeosang-hyung, now!” Taehyun’s voice was somehow distinctly clear even within the roaring cacophony of sounds.

Yeosang smirked as he pointed two of his fingers at a tangled group of claws, separating his fingers to create vibrations against the surface of the sharp hooks. He didn’t need a pair of binoculars to know that there were visible cracks on the claws, and he knew that those fractures would morph into large fissures.

The team’s crucial point was to be precise, not overriding. Therefore, Yeosang couldn’t waste all his powers on one group of claws, which pulled Soobin into play. The latter used his telekinesis to manipulate a hammer mid-air, striking the tool against the ruptured claws, shattering them almost instantly.

“Keep them coming!”, Soobin screamed out as he temporarily moved away the heavy tool, ready to use them to break the next set of claws.

“Water, water, water! It’s time for you obnoxious things to feel my wrath!” Beomgyu was as loud as he could be, his arms moving in swift motions as his eyes solely focused on his target. He waited for Kai’s fire to fade away, before he released a large orb of boiling water that was hovering over the monsters. He couldn’t drown out the ecstatic feeling of adrenaline coursing through his blood as he watched puffs of steam escaping into the air, the sludge beginning to dissolve away with the sheer heat of the liquid.

As the slimes began to wither with every passing second, Taehyun, who held a torch and stood behind a wooden wall with Yeonjun, saw another group of slimes crawl out of the river, just as tall as the ones still on the verge of death.

Realising that the others were preoccupied with regaining their breath, he knew that he had to somehow hold back the new arrival of danger. He signalled a parade of police officers to step forward from the shadows, their arms carrying rifles and revolvers, waiting for a command to fire away.

He knew that this was going to be a long night, but the lack of light made the creatures’ attacks futile, allowing the squad to easily manoeuvre themselves and utilise their powers. Despite that, he felt his fingers tremble with fear.

Meanwhile, just as the six slimes crumbled down into a pool of goo, Soobin pushed the viscid substance to one side, creating a path for the team to walk on. Only then did he notice the additional group of slimes, approaching slowly with their formidable height.

“You’ve got to be kidding me… More?!?” Soobin instinctively shifted away and stood behind Kai, knowing that the younger’s reflexive powers would protect both of them in case of danger.

Further behind, near the wooden wall made just for Taehyun, Yeonjun and the troop of armed officers, a small conversation took place in the form of aggressive whispers of some sort, forgetting that their voices couldn’t be heard by the creatures anyway.

“What the hell is happening? Why are there more slimes coming?” Yeonjun was the first to speak, his voice laced with a bitter tone of utter distaste and irritation. He placed a foot forward, trying to get closer to the others and make a move.

“Don’t even think about it, kid!”, an officer advised with his rifle against the blond’s chest, stopping the latter from moving away from his position. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

Yeonjun groaned at the cold sensation of the metal against his shirt, the feeling passing through to his skin. He argued back, “What about them? They could die too!”

“Oh, can you guys just be quiet?” Taehyun’s clear voice finally halted the other two. He pointed towards the slimes by the river, gesturing Yeonjun and the officers to listen carefully. “The team’s stronger than you think. Don’t underestimate them. Instead, believe in them. While they try and weaken those creatures, we’re going to move swiftly forward and make sure the slimes don’t spot us. Wait for an opening, a chance to shoot those glands at the back of the slimes, and then fire away.”

He looked over his shoulder, and upon receiving a series of nods from the others, he in a deep breath and returned his gaze to the front. Stepping away from the protection of the wall, he whispered: “Let’s move.”

Yeonjun quickly stepped in front of Taehyun, taking the lead with his fingers steady and firm around his pistol pointed to the ground. As he and the others crept forward at a slow pace and positioned themselves just a little distance away the edge of the river, he turned around to face the rear of the slimes a few metres ahead of them.

“That thing over there,” He pointed at an illuminated part of the creature closest to him, before continuing: “that’s what we should attack. Let’s wait for the call.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the team continued to plan their imminent moves through loud screams and shouts, trying to utilise their strength wisely, knowing that they couldn’t be reckless; after all, they were only seven desperate fighters, and they couldn’t afford to lose a life.

“Jisu-noona, back me up here!”, Beomgyu yelled out as he bravely created a wave of water at the bottom of the slimes, the liquid swirling around them. He raised his hands slightly, and the water matched his gesture.

Jisu understood the message immediately, running forward to stand next to the younger. She inspected her surroundings, making sure that none of the squad members were standing too close. Convinced she was making the right choice, she put out an arm and dragged her hand from the right to the left, instantly freezing the water into ice, sharp edges poking out.

Kai smiled at the way they efficiently worked together. Feeling riled up, he charged forward with his hands spreading out, a rod of fire protruding out from between his two palms like a levitating sword – except it wasn’t sharp at the end. “Alright, we’ll handle the rest!”

He didn’t know where the sudden boost of energy came from, but he relished in the fascinating feeling within his core, the fire inside dancing around fiercely. He used that strength to raise the flaming rod and push it diagonally through two of the slimes, slashing through and burning away the substance.

The others couldn’t help but stare in awe at the ineffable aura the younger radiated, appearing to be the greatest hero on the battlefield, but they couldn’t waste another minute simply staring at the ferocious fire.

What they didn’t notice was the aggrieved expression that Kai wore a few seconds later, his brows furrowing in discomfort and his hands reaching up to feel around his neck, a suffocating feeling disturbing him.

As if on cue, some of the claws began to crack and splinter into tiny pieces – thanks to Yeosang – that dropped to the ground after bouncing off the icy structure that held the slimes in place.

“Guys, save your powers for later! We’ll take it from here!”, Taehyun suddenly screamed out, gaining everyone’s attention. He then gestured the officers to jump into action.

Yeonjun was the first to step forward, his fingers gently resting on the pistol’s trigger as he aimed at one of the slimes, not wanting to accidentally shoot one of his comrades. He waited for the rest of the cops to form a straight line just behind the slimes.

Like setting off a bunch of fireworks, a range of bullets flew across the air and pierced through the jelly-like bodies, slowing down slightly but managing to penetrate through the glands; that reduced the immobility of the claws.

A distorted mixture of groans and snarls echoed within the barrier.

While the two slimes that Kai firstly attacked were already a pool of sludge on the eroded ground, the rest of the creatures gradually began to deteriorate. However, the opponents were not so easy-going as the ones they tackled earlier. Despite seconds away from diminishing into a harmless puddle, the limbs reached out one last time, the claws striking against anything they encountered.

That happened to be Soobin, who tried to move himself away from the dangerous spot, but the claw approaching him was far too quick for him to make up his mind.

Tripping over and crashing onto the ground, he let out an excruciating scream as he felt a sharp claw thrash against his right leg, tearing away his skin and flesh as blood trickled down to his socks.

“Soobin!” Yuqi tried to use her wind to move away the claw clutching the other’s leg, but she first had to blow away a set of claws coming towards herself. Knowing that Yeosang was right behind, she had to protect him too.

“Damn it, Soobin! , !” Yeonjun began to panic even from behind the slimes, recognising the loud cry immediately. He peeked through the gaps between the creatures, then looked to his side, spotting an empty area that he could walk through in order to get to his best friend, but he was held back at once.

A female officer pulled Yeonjun by his shoulder and forced him to stand still. She pointed at the slimes and said, “Hey, don’t! Stay put and keep shooting if you can!”

Yeonjun glanced to his side to see Taehyun unresponsive. Before he could utter a word, he flinched at the sound of a gunshot. He looked to the other side and saw one of the officers firing his pistol; he knew that he had to use his pistol at a close range, aware of the fact that the rifles were to be used for greater distances.

He mustered up the courage to shoot again, aiming at one of the glands that was still left untouched, all the while praying that his best friend would be okay.

In the meantime, Soobin began to pant heavily, whimpering at the indescribable pain surging through his leg. He pointed a finger at the claw, hoping that he could manipulate it to release his limb – but the claw was a part of a living creature, and that was his limit.

He then looked around him and hastily pointed towards the hammer lying on the ground, causing it to soar across the tense atmosphere and hit against the claw repeatedly. Albeit he made a good effort, the hammer was far too weak against the robust structure. There were no slabs of concrete nearby for him to use either.

It was all happening far too quickly, leaving no room for the others to act accordingly.

Thankfully, Jungeun put up a wall in front of her to shield herself from any claws, before she diverted her attention to the figure writhing on the ground. She quickly created a plant that wrapped around Soobin’s leg – the one that wasn’t gruesome and bleeding – and pulled the boy away.

She winced as the other screamed out again, but she couldn’t retract her creation so soon.

Yeosang saw the concentration on Jungeun’s face, so he pointed his fingers towards the claw near Soobin, shutting his eyes to focus on creating an ultrasonic vibration. He drowned out the loud cries booming against his ear, and only relaxed after he felt the claw crack and drop to the ground harshly.

At last, Soobin was free from the tight grasp.

Beomgyu rushed towards the older, trying not to panic or cry as he carried him on his back, swiftly moving to the side. As he walked past Kai, who still had anguish written all over his face, he felt an agonising heat in the air.

“Kai?” He reached out for the other’s arm, only to hiss and step away. He stared at the tip of his fingers in shock, blisters forming already. “! Kai, you’re heating up!”

In the split of a second, a thriving fire rose from the ground, towering over Kai l