—You must be joking... —said Aric as his face turned pale.

  Conejín looked at him with concern; it took him a long time to accept his fate and come back to his senses.

  —I suppose the idea that I can't defeat him is something I need to get out of my head —Aric said thoughtfully.

  Aric spent most of the day clearing his mind of the great terror that the Lizard Lord had sown. In a meditative, almost trance-like state, Aric brushed against clarity with his fingertips, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of the little window.

  —I can feel it. That Great Lizard Lord is not an invincible being. It’s probably quite intelligent, but it must have some weakness, —he began to think. The passive ability Clarity was a great help in facing this challenge.

  Aric began his preparations. He hunted other wild beasts to level up and piled the meat in one place to lure the lizard, mixing it with poisonous plants that he placed among the corpses. With this effort, Aric gained several levels and managed to summon the Solar Bear and the Four-Armed Gorilla.

  With that addition to his strength, Aric began to see the confrontation with the Lizard Lord as achievable, but before that, he decided to use the learning orbs he had available.

  —Use learning orbs —said Aric, waiting for the little window to appear.

  Aric selected the Bone Armor and Withered Bite for Conejín, and for the Monkey, he chose the Necrotic Fist. The last two abilities inflict the "Necrosis" status on those hit, gradually draining their life over time.

  —It's a shame that the gorilla and the bear don’t have learning orbs. For now, the four-armed gorilla will be Octis, and the solar bear will be Lumen. Now that I have a slightly more balanced team, I need to get used to the combinations —he said, calmly assessing the situation—. I have about 8 hours left before the time limit expires.

  Aric tested various combinations until he found the best setup. Once he was ready and fully recovered, he began tracking the Great Lizard Lord. When he got close to it, he shuddered again, but the Clarity passive ability helped him stay calm. They placed all the poisoned corpses they had found on the ground and waited for the Lizard Lord to sniff them out and devour them. Hidden, they observed the creature.

  Standing before the imposing figure of the Great Lizard Lord, Aric felt the overwhelming weight of the beast. Its size—five times larger than any of his summons—made it seem invincible. However, there was no room for doubt.

  Once the monster finished devouring the corpses, Aric sprang into action.

  —Octis, Lumen, get ready to keep it busy. Conejín, Monkey, you’ll weaken it from the flanks. I... will do my part.

  Aric took a deep breath as his summons advanced according to his orders. Lumen, the Solar Bear, charged first, allowing his Solar Blessing to cover his body with a dim but protective glow. Beside him, Octis, the Four-Armed Gorilla, roared furiously, his fists clenching tightly, preparing to unleash his Myriad of Fists.

  The Lizard Lord let out a deafening roar with its two heads, shaking the ground beneath them. Its eyes, filled with primal rage, locked onto the approaching summons, dividing its attention.

  —Now! Conejín, to the flanks. Monkey, attack when you see an opening! —he commanded.

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  Conejín, with his Bone Armor, moved with surprising speed, searching for vulnerable points while dodging the lizard’s massive strikes. His Withered Bite connected with the monster’s side, leaving a black mark that began to slowly spread across its scales.

  The Brawling Monkey wasted no time jumping into action. He leaped onto the lizard’s tail, using his Necrotic Fist to strike hard at the base of its spine. The combination of necrotic attacks started draining the beast’s vitality, but it was still far from giving up.

  Lumen and Octis kept up the pressure at the front. Octis launched a barrage of punches; his Face-to-Face Combat allowed him to match the creature’s strength, though only for brief moments. Lumen, on the other hand, activated Black Sun, a dark flash that struck the Lizard Lord, momentarily blinding it. Forced into a defensive move, the beast used a mind-control ability, inducing the "Blindness" status on the entire team.

  Aric saw his opportunity. Using his Clarity ability, he nullified the illusions and mind-control effects that the Great Lizard Lord was attempting to unleash, leaving it completely defenseless.

  Trusting his Temporary Elemental Weapon Enchantment, he imbued his dagger with fire and, with an agile motion, lunged toward a weak spot on the lizard’s neck.

  The battle dragged on, but the strategy was working. The Necrosis effect weakened the Lizard Lord with every passing second. Its once swift and precise movements were becoming slower and more clumsy.

  Finally, after a devastating blow from Octis and a second Withered Bite from Conejín, the Lizard Lord collapsed to the ground. Aric, panting and with trembling hands, delivered the final strike with his dagger, ending the creature’s life.

  Silence filled the forest. The summons gathered around Aric, exhausted but filled with euphoria.

  —We did it... We did it... —Aric murmured, feeling that he was beginning to master the power of the dark seed.

  —Incredible, this is a huge power boost! —exclaimed Aric, tired but pleased—. Alright, it's time to register the Great Lord Lizard.

  Aric proceeded to register the creature.

  Error: Entity several levels above the summoner

  Retrying: Requesting authorization from the World Authority

  Error: Authorization denied

  Retrying: The World Authority requests a trade

  Consume 20 storage spaces to register?

  —Holy shit! —Aric exclaimed in shock—. The 20 spaces I just got… I have to use them all just to register this lizard?

  Aric considered his options, tempted by the idea. The sheer magnitude of the creature's power was undeniable, and the cost seemed justified.

  —I guess it's worth it. Consume! —he declared firmly.

  And so, Aric obtained the Great Lord Lizard as a new summon.

  —So that's how it works, huh? —Aric seemed frustrated—. Fine, I still got plenty of great rewards. Let's see what skills I can acquire.

  Aric was about to check the rest of his rewards when a teleportation circle appeared beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, he found himself back in Thandor's office.

  —Aric! My boy! —Thandor exclaimed with a satisfied expression—. You've exceeded my expectations by far!

  —Masteeeeeer! —Aric shouted—. Give me food, pleaaaase!

  Aric had been so focused on leveling up and completing missions that he had completely neglected his own nourishment. Laughing heartily, Thandor ordered one of his assistants to prepare some food for him.

  —You did a great job out there, kid —Thandor praised him—. Now, let me see your summons.

  —Of course, Master —Aric replied obediently—. Come out, guys!

  And so, he summoned Conejín and the rest of the gang.

  —Oh, this rabbit —Thandor remarked in surprise—. You might not have noticed because its horn hadn't grown yet, but this is a narwhal rabbit. They're quite rare here in Naas. Let's see the others... A Warrior Monkey, huh? This bad boy is an excellent tank. I wonder why it's split between the tank and assassin paths.

  —I wonder that too, Master. When I defeated it, it already had most of the skills you see now —Aric said, realizing he had made a fatal mistake. But it seemed like Thandor overlooked it, confirming Aric’s suspicions—he could also see the status window. That meant the World Authority must be keeping an eye on him as well.

  —And these two colossals… They have impressive strength for being only level 6. As they level up, their skill paths will become more specialized. Try to avoid giving them abilities that stray from what you want them to become —Thandor advised.

  —Thank you, Master. I have one more summon, but it's several levels stronger than me, so I can't summon it yet —Aric admitted apologetically.

  —No worries, kid —Thandor reassured him—. Anyway, it's about time you head out for your class specialization. You were an elemental warrior before, right? Using swords, axes, elemental contracts, and reinforcement skills for weapons and your body.

  —That's right, Master —Aric said as he sat down and was attended to by one of Thandor's assistants—. I’ll specialize as a necromancer, and please continue to share your knowledge with me.

  —Ha ha ha! You have a good eye, kid —Thandor said, relaxed as Aric ate—. Once you finish your meal, you'll head to the specialization center and choose that path. After that, you’ll meet up with the rest of your team outside the labyrinth. By the time you arrive, I’ll be there. Eat at ease; I have some matters to attend to. I recommend preparing everything you need for the stay in the labyrinth ahead.

  A bit of Fictional Taxonomy!

  Clade Placentalia, predating the separation of the Leporidae and Monodontidae families. This common ancestor of the Placentalia Clade continued evolving over time, moving between water and land. Its specimens are extremely difficult to find and are born with abilities related to water, tracking, and exploration. These abilities manifest during their youth, which begins with the growth of a large ivory horn on their forehead.