The Iron-Biting Rat noticed them and let out a sharp screech, revealing its jagged teeth. Its small red eyes glowed with hostility. Without hesitation, it kicked off the ground and lunged toward the three youths.
"Watch out!" one of the thin youths shouted.
Brother Lu didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward. Behind him, the Iron Boar martial soul released a heavy aura. At the same time, the white spirit ring around him began to glow.
"First Spirit Ability: Iron Skin!"
A gray metallic glow suddenly covered Brother Lu's body, as if his skin had turned into iron.
The Iron-Biting Rat slammed directly into him.
Bang!
Brother Lu slid back a step from the impact, but he didn't fall. Instead, the rat staggered slightly.
"Now!"
The youth with the Shadow Spear martial soul dashed forward. His white spirit ring shone brightly.
"First Spirit Ability: Piercing Spear!"
The energy spear shot forward and pierced into the rat's shoulder.
The rat shrieked in pain and swung its tail in fury. The thin youth quickly jumped back, though the strike still grazed his shoulder.
At that moment, the third youth moved as well.
The Wind Sparrow martial soul behind him spread its wings as the white spirit ring glowed again.
"First Spirit Ability: Wind Speed!"
The young man suddenly accelerated. Moving almost like the wind, he circled the rat and slashed toward its neck with a short blade.
The rat screeched again.
It was clearly injured now.
Hidden within the grass, Aethryon silently observed the battle.
He made a quick internal evaluation.
"Nice…"
He paused for a moment.
"The menu is slowly tenderizing itself."
The injured Iron-Biting Rat suddenly went berserk. Its small red eyes turned bloodshot as it let out a furious screech. Its sharp teeth ground together while it slammed its claws against the ground.
The next moment, the rat shot forward like a gray arrow.
Its target was Brother Lu.
Brother Lu tried to activate his spirit ability again, but his spiritual energy was already running low. Still, he gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Iron Skin!"
A metallic glow once again covered his body, but this time the aura was far weaker.
Bang!
The Iron-Biting Rat crashed into him with full force. Brother Lu was thrown several meters backward and slammed into the ground.
"Brother Lu!"
The other two youths shouted in panic.
The youth with the Shadow Spear martial soul attacked again.
"Piercing Spear!"
However, the attack was far weaker than before. The energy spear struck the rat's back but only caused a shallow wound.
The rat screeched in pain and spun around violently, swinging its tail.
Wham!
The thin youth was struck directly in the chest and rolled across the ground.
The last remaining youth clenched his teeth. The Wind Sparrow martial soul flapped its wings again.
"Wind Speed!"
But this time the speed boost lasted only briefly. His spiritual energy was nearly exhausted. Still, he made one final strike, slashing his dagger toward the rat's neck.
The blade hit its target, but the wound wasn't deep.
Now all three youths were panting heavily.
Their spiritual energy was almost completely depleted.
The Iron-Biting Rat, although injured, was still standing and gnashing its teeth in fury.
Hidden within the grass, Aethryon watched the scene unfold.
He calmly evaluated the situation.
"Yes… now the menu is perfectly prepared."
Aethryon decided there was no reason to wait any longer.
In an instant, he shot out of the grass like lightning. His small body slid across the ground almost without making a sound.
His first target was obvious.
The Iron-Biting Rat.
It was already injured, and its attention was still divided from fighting the three humans. This was exactly the moment Aethryon had been waiting for.
The moment he reached the rat, Aethryon opened his mouth.
"Weak Poison Breath!"
A cloud of venom sprayed directly toward the rat's face. Without wasting a moment, he lunged forward and sank his fangs into the rat's neck.
The poison quickly spread through the already injured rat's body.
The Iron-Biting Rat began thrashing wildly, whipping its tail and clawing at the ground. But Aethryon had wrapped himself tightly around it.
After a few seconds, the rat's movements began to slow.
In the grass nearby, the three youths stared at the scene in shock.
One of them whispered while panting.
"…A snake?"
Brother Lu had more knowledge about spirit beasts due to his family background. Narrowing his eyes, he looked down at the snake and immediately shook his head.
"No… this isn't an ordinary snake."
He paused for a moment.
"This is a Datura Snake."
The faces of the other two youths immediately turned pale when they heard that.
But Aethryon didn't give them any time to think.
The moment the Iron-Biting Rat's body went completely still, the small snake lifted his head.
His next targets were obvious.
The three Spirit Masters.
Aethryon shot out of the grass once again.
His first target was the nearest thin youth. His tail lashed out quickly.
Smack!
The small spikes on his tail struck the young man's leg, and poison immediately seeped into the wound.
The youth jumped back, but it was already too late.
"Ah—!"
Within seconds, his leg began trembling as the poison spread rapidly.
"P-poison…!"
Their spiritual energy was nearly exhausted, so they had almost no resistance against the venom.
Aethryon didn't stop.
He lunged toward the second youth and sank his fangs directly into his neck.
The young man collapsed to the ground.
Now only Brother Lu remained.
Brother Lu tried to react at first. Gritting his teeth, he stepped back and attempted to summon his martial soul again with trembling hands.
"...Iron Boar!"
However, his spiritual energy was almost completely exhausted. The martial soul behind him only flickered faintly like a shadow before disappearing.
Brother Lu's face instantly turned pale.
"H-how is this possible…"
He tried to step back, but his legs trembled as if they didn't belong to him anymore. The poison had already begun spreading through his body.
Meanwhile, Aethryon slowly slithered toward him.
Brother Lu froze for a moment… then suddenly panicked.
"W-wait! Wait!"
He raised both hands.
"I… I'm not very tasty!"
He paused for a second before quickly adding,
"I'm too fatty! Very unhealthy!"
Aethryon knew that was clearly a lie.
After all, how could someone that fatty possibly taste bad?
The small snake reached a very logical conclusion in his mind.
"This is definitely a deception tactic."
Brother Lu was still trying to crawl backward.
"W-wait! Forget what I said earlier! I'm actually very delicious! No wait, I mean"
But it was already too late.
Aethryon suddenly lunged forward.
His sharp fangs sank into Brother Lu's neck, and the poison spread through his body within seconds.
Brother Lu's words abruptly stopped.
A few seconds later, he became completely motionless.
Aethryon calmly pulled back.
He made a short internal assessment.
"Yep… he was definitely lying."