Kai and Ria picked up their pace again. According to Kai, they were going toward the boss, or that was what he could perceive with the sound. The one that controlled the roar was in this place, and they needed to quickly kill it, hoping the magical beasts would be scattered to make it easier to kill.

"We need to pass another room after this. The boss will be in the room after that," Kai informed.

Ria nodded and halted her step before turning back to the group behind them. "Thirty of you are going with us to clear the other magical beasts around the mastermind. I want you a few more groups to stand by behind us while the rest will spread around the area. Make it a chain signal."

"Understood." The captain from the first group nodded his head before ordering one of his subordinates. The chain signal in her mouth was more to the military way of message relay. It was similar to a relay race where the one person in the first group waited for the second group. He/she would relay the message to the second group and move together. At the same time, one person from the second group did the same and waited for the third group. It would continue until there was no more group behind them.

Kai and Ria nodded at each other before moving forward once again.

Storming around the enemy rank for another minute, they arrived at the last tunnel to reach the spacious room that hosted the boss.

"Go!" With the magical beasts causing a ruckus around, the enemy inside the next room should already know about it. There was no point in sneaking, so they blasted their way and stopped right after entering the room.

"!!!" Kai opened his eyes wide as this was the first time he had seen something like this. On the other hand, Ria lifted her eyebrows as she clenched her hands.

In this room stood thirty magical beasts, but the one that stood out the most was a big bear in the middle. Kai asked himself, 'Is that a bear or a human?'

It was no surprise for him to get astounded. In front of them was a huge brown bear, but with a human head. The body, starting from its feet to its shoulder, was huge like a Bear and filled with fur. However, this one had a small neck and head, unfit with the situation. The head was completely like a human head as if it was two beings combined into one.

"To think there are two moles that manage to get here. As expected from the Protector… They have truly used me, but when I don't think I regret it." The half-human half-bear said with human speech. His eyes locked at Ria before sending his killing intent. "After all, I can see the one that created this cursed power!"

"Teacher, is this it?" Kai looked at this monster with a cold gaze. He couldn't help but shudder at the possibility of his children later. If they had such an appearance, he might not be able to say he loves them… Luckily, Ria's medicine prevented this from happening.

"He is indeed one of the SS rank magical beasts. I have read his information, and it seems he fused with a Grizzly Bear." Ria nodded before she turned to the monster again after realizing something wrong. "What do you mean by the Protector?"

"Of course, he means me!"

Suddenly, a voice resounded through the room before a sea magical beast that wasn't supposed to be here made its appearance.

"!!!" Kai and Ria clenched their swords, staring at this new magical beast. It looked like a seahorse, but with two hands and two feet as if it were a human. The pointed mouth let out a human voice that made them alarmed.

At the same time, the bear person stared at this sea horse with a cold gaze, recalling a certain matter a few months ago.

…

Two months ago, he was lazing in this place since outside would be cold soon. However, everything suddenly changed when this so-called Protector stormed inside this nest.

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

No magical beasts attacked him as they considered them as an ally. However, the one that guarded his room outside was hostile according to this bear person instruction. Yet, they were brutally killed by the seahorse. Even one of them was squashed to death by water spurted from that pointed mouth.

"Who are you?" The bear person looked at the magical beast that instantly died before glaring at the Protector. "What the heck are you doing in my place?"

"Your place? I don't think so?" The seahorse snorted. "I know everything about you, Human. Eric is your name, and you have failed in assimilating with Bear Blood and become a monster!"

"Shut up!" The moment he turned into something like this, his family quickly abandoned him, and those people from the laboratory treated him as a monster instead of a human being. Fed up by their treatment, all those failed subjects gathered together and escaped from the laboratory. They were then separated as to prevent being locked up by the government.

All those treatments made him sick to be called a monster.

"I don't say anything wrong. A human being? Or a magical beast? You are neither of them. What are you other than a monster?" The seahorse snorted.

"You Bastard!" He leaped toward the seahorse and slapped it with his powerful arm. Suddenly, his view changed into the cave ceiling as if he was lying on the ground and stared up. "Eh?"

"You are no match against me. You may have power, but you can't control it. That's why you won't be able to defeat me!"

"Shut up!" The bear person, Eric, roared as he charged at him again. Yet, a moment later, he was in the same position, lying on the floor while looking at the ceiling.

"If you are not convinced, you can try again. But I think it's better to listen to what I want to say first."

Eric clenched his fists. Although he wanted to beat this person, he knew he didn't have the power to do so. "Who are you?"

"My name can't be pronounced by human speech. Though having a name makes this easier…" The seahorse thought for a moment. "All right. You may call me Ra. I'm known as the Earth Protector, or if you are going with the scaling of a magical beast, you are an SS rank magical beast while I'm SSS rank magical beast!"

"Ra? The Protector? SSS rank magical beast." Eric furrowed his eyebrows. He knew about the scaling up to SS rank magical beast since it was him. There were many questions in his mind, but there was one important question he needed to ask first. "What is your purpose coming here? There shouldn't be anyone who knows about me being here!"

The seahorse shook his head. "There is someone who knows your location and sent me here. As for my purpose… You can say I want to kill an individual."

"Kill an individual?"

"Yes. Approximately two months from now, those humans will launch an attack on this place. I want to use this opportunity to kill an individual that I'm sure will come to this place."

"Who is this individual?"

"We don't know his name." The sea horse shook his head. "However, we know that he has extraordinary hearing. If I am a human, I will make use of his ability to control the entire strategy. The one who sent me here has been defeated by him in a strategic battle. It's because we don't know such a person actually exists."

"Has been defeated? Then if you have been defeated, why will I trust you? I will also be defeated."

"As I said, we have no prior information about such a person. That's why we want to use the same strategy against him. He realized our presence because we talked. This time, I want none of us to talk like with a human speech. We will lure them to the middle region of this base and surround him from every direction. If a person like him were the head of their operation, he would surely target the mastermind first. That will be the time I kill him," said Ra with a cold tone.

"That doesn't mean I want to cooperate with you."

"That's why I'm going to give you something! I will teach you to use your power, and if we finish this mission, the one who sent me here will accept you as one of the Protectors. At that time, you will evolve to a higher being. You might even be able to defeat me and destroy the facility that has turned you into something like this."

"…" Eric couldn't help but gulp down, tempted by the offer. He wanted to take revenge on those people who abandoned him and turned him into a monster. "What do you want me to do?"

"It's simple. You…" Ra began explaining about his plan that would lead Kai into such a situation. He might hear the sound in the cave, but as long as no one actually created something special that could be recognized by those ears, Kai could only proceed blindly, assuming there was no plan against him.

This place created a good trap to kill him.

After hearing everything from Ra, Eric thought the plan would only benefit him. Hence, he agreed to cooperate with him.

…

Outside, Eric retracted his gaze before looking at the teacher and student duo.

Ra smiled at Ria and Kai. "This is the first time I have seen the Sword Maiden… Oh, it's how we call you, so no need to think about it. And of course, you, who are able to hear something that shouldn't be heard, o' Truth Seeker. Our world is screaming, have you heard it yet?"

"!!!"