the cat drew near, Liam noticed long, orange claws emerging from its paws, glowing with a golden light that resembled sunlight.
That light also radiated from its fur.
The heat wasn't extreme, but it was the kind that made Liam feel his stamina decreasing on its own even before he moved.
If he moved, his stamina would drain even faster.
He had already anticipated this. As a Boss Monster, the Orange Cat clearly had unique traits in its attacks—unlike the other cats, which didn't seem to have any special abilities aside from fighting like regular feral cats.
Liam didn't care that his stamina was dropping. He transformed his right hand into an ice dragon hand, releasing a chilling aura that countered the heat from the cat.
With that cold aura, he immediately felt more comfortable, and the stamina drain abruptly stopped.
It was indeed the proper solution to counter heat—fight it with cold.
Clang!
He used his spear to block the cat's claws.
The spear didn't shake or get pushed back, but Liam could see small scratches appearing on it.
He couldn't rely on the spear alone to keep blocking those claws.
The cat landed in front of him and then tried to slash again.
This time, the golden light from its claws expanded, engulfing everything around it in a flash.
Liam quickly released more of the cold aura from his ice dragon hand as being swallowed by that light made him overheat.
Whoosh!
He leapt back to create distance, then froze the water beneath the cat's feet.
However, this orange cat wasn't just agile—it had massive muscles.
As soon as it tried to jump, it easily shattered the ice holding its legs.
That made Liam realize how tough this fight would be.
Moreover, he figured that this Orange Cat didn't have any significant weaknesses. As a monster, it didn't seem to fear water at all.
Shua!
Alice's figure appeared in front of Liam just as the cat reached him again.
Alice then threw her spear at the cat's head as it attempted to slash forward.
However, the cat only needed to tilt its head to dodge the attack.
Clang! Clang!
Alice blocked the cat's claws with her own, but was flung backward due to the cat's superior strength.
Unfortunately, she was still only Level 6—one level below the cat.
But then, Liam saw something that surprised him.
The spear Alice had thrown suddenly reversed direction and flew back even faster, as if something was forcefully pulling it.
The cat didn't notice, thinking the spear had flown far away.
By the time it sensed danger from behind, it was too late—the spear stabbed hard into its neck and emerged in front of Alice.
When Alice pulled it back, the cat's neck was dragged as well.
Liam narrowed his eyes and focused more closely before realizing that a very thin red thread connected Alice's fingers to the spear.
Now, those threads wrapped around the cat's neck and looped into the hole the spear had made.
BANG!
Alice's pull slammed the cat's head hard into the ground.
"Master, finish it," Alice said.
Of course, Liam didn't waste the chance. He hadn't expected such an opportunity after thinking he'd be stuck in a long battle with the Orange Cat.
Tied up like that, the cat couldn't dodge for the moment—at least not until it broke free from Alice's pull.
Liam didn't try anything complicated. He turned the surrounding water into dozens of long, sharp ice spears, lifted them into the air, and launched them all at the cat.
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
With their speed, they pierced the cat's massive body from all sides—though not very deeply due to its tough skin.
Liam wasn't satisfied with that.
He then formed a massive ice hammer.
BANG! BANG!
He used the hammer to strike the backs of the ice spears like he was hammering nails, driving them deeper into the cat's body.
They didn't just penetrate its body—they were embedded into the ground.
The Orange Cat's eyes widened and trembled in disbelief.
It may have accepted defeat, but it couldn't believe it had lost this fast.
It didn't take long before the light faded from its eyes.
DING!
(You have killed a Level 7 Boss Monster. You gained 140 Battle Points and 140 System Points!)
(Because you killed a monster two levels above you, you gained a bonus of 140 Battle Points!)
(Level: 5)
(Battle Points: 610/600)
(System Points: 780)
(You have leveled up to Level 6. You gained 6 Attribute Points!)
(Notice: Excess Battle Points will carry over to the next level!)
Liam hadn't expected to level up again so soon after just reaching Level 5.
Happily, he distributed the 6 Attribute Points he had earned.
(Level: 6)
(Battle Points: 10/700)
(System Points: 780)
(Strength: 3.7)
(Defense: 3.2) +1.5
(Agility: 3.8) +1
(Stamina: 4.7) +1
(Vitality: 3) +1.5
(Mana: 5.3) +1
"Amazing," Liam thought, in awe at how much stronger he felt after reaching Level 6.
As soon as the Orange Cat died, the other cats that had been chasing his rat suddenly froze in fear.
Then, one by one, they started leaping away in different directions—choosing to flee.
Liam didn't bother chasing them.
He looked at the corpse of the Orange Cat, which suddenly turned into a ball of light.
Buzz!
It revealed a crystal orb once the light faded—a skill orb.
(A Tier Skill "Cat's Feet" — A skill that gives you the ability to move with cat-like agility, enhancing your jumping and running capabilities!)
Seeing the description, Liam didn't hesitate and swallowed the crystal orb.
DING!
(You have acquired the A Tier Skill "Cat's Feet!")
Skills:
[Right Hand Transformation
[Wind Blade
[Dead March ]
[Earthquake ]
[Cat's Feet ]