The turtle just glared at him.

At least, he thought it was a turtle with that shell and all, but he could be wrong as the face and rest of its body looked nothing like one. That, however, was something he could ponder later.

Hans picked up a boulder and threw it at the turtle. The monster closed its eyes as the boulder smashed upon its head, shattering the boulder into pieces. The monster shook its head and opened its eyes to see that Hans had disappeared.

The ground below it erupted as Hans exploded out and slammed his right claw into its face, delivering an uppercut, and then followed that up with a punch from his left claw.

The monster's head snapped upward as he inwardly grinned before he felt a sense of danger wash over him as he noticed something.

There weren't any scratches, bruises, or any signs that his attacks had even harmed it as its eyes stared directly down at him. It then proceeds to drop its head straight down toward him at an alarming speed.

Hans felt himself being sent back down the hole he made with a crash. The inside of the hole was enlarged and when the dust settled, revealed him groaning in pain as he got up. Small cracks and dents scattered across his exoskeleton as the turtle just stood there, watching him.

"...Well...It seems that I may have gotten a bit too cocky," He said, picking up a rock.

He then tossed the rock at the monster and it responded by snatching the rock with its mouth before crushing it into clouds of dust. Another one was thrown in return, and this one missed as the turtle retracted itself into its shell.

Hans launched himself out of the hole and hit the monster's shell with his claws along with the occasional jabs of his tail. He then with some struggle picked the lizard turtle up and threw it across the cave and into the wall.

The monster hit the wall with a thud, sliding down as Hans rushed toward it as fast as he could. However, due to his pitiful speed, it had already gotten up by the time he got to the monster, with a few scratches and dents along its shell.

He landed a meaty right hook to its face, to which it shrugged off and latched its jaws onto the limb before Hans could pull it back.

It tried to chomp the limb off but only managed to cause cracks to appear before his limb could be removed, Hans slammed his other claw into the turtle's face, this time causing it to wince and loosen its grip which was just enough for him to wrench his arm free.

His tail moved in to stab it, but the thing was fast enough to shove its head back into its shell seconds before the blade could go through it.

The blade hit the ground, missing, and as Hans tried to pull it out, the lizard turtle took a step back and launched itself at him.

It tucks in its legs mid-air and slammed into Hans, then it starts spinning.

Hans found himself in a whirlwind of pain as he felt his exoskeletons cracking and crumpling as the turtle kept spinning. He then was slammed into a boulder and finally, the turtle stopped spinning and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet while Hans slumped to the ground groaning in pain.

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The pain was currently all he could feel right now. He got up, hissing at the pain from moving his body, blood pouring down his face, and one of his eyes was crushed. Wiping the blood from his face, he glared at the turtle with a smug glint in its eyes.

A white aura covered it as it leaps toward him. Hans panics and jumps to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. A tingling sensation went down his spine and he moved, dodging another attack from the turtle as it blitzed past him. Hans once again glared at the lizard turtle, who was breathing heavily with a smug glint still in its eyes.

Hans strikes the ground, launching sand and dust everywhere and obscuring the lizard turtle's vision. Using it to his advantage, he went underground.

He plowed through dirt and rocks, the footsteps of the monster helping him navigate through the darkness. Erupting out of the ground, Hans stretched his arm out to grab the monster by its neck.

Caught off guard, it went and tried to bite off the arm but was met with his stinger burying itself in its face, right below its right eye. The monster growls with pain, which only worsens when he activates [Venom Slash] flooding the wound with toxic venom.

Hans' claw clamps around its neck and he proceeds to squeeze, cutting off the monster's airway. These two factors cause the turtle to thrash around and try to retract its head. White aura starts to slowly gather around it, flickering.

Then...Hans found himself being slammed into a boulder, he found himself loosening his grip on the turtle's neck. It wrenches its head free, from both his claw and stinger.

The turtle was then met with a punch from him.

He heard a sickening crunch as he saw the turtle's lower jaw hanging loosely making it to let some strange noises. Hans skitters onto its shell and slams its head to the ground. He then began punching and stabbing it with all his might.

The sound of skull cracking and flesh parting echoes across the carven until it stops.

[You have slain Scuta - Lv. 20!]

You Have Leveled Up! [Venomous Desert Scorpion - Lv. 18 —> 19 —> 20]!

[Crushing Blows - Lv. 1] Leveled Up!

[Crushing Blows - Lv. 2] Leveled Up!

[Venom Slash - Lv. 6] Leveled Up!

[Sneak - Lv—

Hans tuned out the notifications as he stood there, panting, greedily gulping for air. He got off the turtle, Scuta, skittering away from it.

You have obtained the max level, please choose a path.

Path of the Swift: Speed will be increased, reflex enhanced, and time will be slowed for you.

Path of the Wall: Defense increased, iron will not pierce through, and you will endure.

"...Finally..."