New World with Four Husbands

The sound of a metallic gate creaking open drew Coco's attention, the noise cutting through the air with a grating screech.

A loud thump echoed from within the gates, making Coco instinctively place her hand on the unbreakable hoe at her hip, her fingers gripping the handle tightly.

"What the hell is causing the ground to shake this much?" Coco mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing.

As the cause of the loud thump finally emerged, Coco's eyes widened in surprise as she laid eyes upon the monster that stepped forward— a large tough crocodile, easily twice the size of the ones she was accustomed to catching.

The armor of the monster was shining despite the sky having barely any sunlight left and its size? Its height has reached Coco's hip, the mere sight of it causing Coco to tense up.

It wasn't just her who was caught off guard.

Murmurs of disbelief rippled through the arena, the air charged with astonishment.

Then, all of a sudden, the oversized crocodile moved with surprising speed, its body lunging forward as it ran towards its target.

Thankfully, Coco reacted swiftly.

Upon recognizing the danger, Coco pushed herself into action, her feet propelling her in the opposite direction with all her strength.

Running for her life, she darted away from the charging crocodile, adrenaline pumping through her veins, her heart pounding as she raced across the arena, desperately evading the monster that pursued her with a terrifying speed.

"I can use the gloves." Coco hissed, her eyebrows furrowing in realization, her hand quickly slipping through her pockets— swiftly and discreetly withdrawing the gloves from her inventory, her fingers trembling slightly.

She brought the gloves out of her pocket and slipped the gloves onto her hands, the leather gripping her fingers snugly, her focus split into two as she prioritized her speed in wearing the gloves.

[Passive skill, (Strength), has increased!]

With the gloves giving her a power up, Coco sprinted towards the wall faster, her fingers grasping the unbreakable hoe secured on her hip.

"Come here!" Coco called out to the crocodile, taunting it, "I'm right here!"

Coco quickly pushed off against the wall once she reached it, launching herself into the air in a backwards flip, just in time for the crocodile to barrel forward.

Coco tucked herself into a somersault, narrowly avoiding the monster's path.

In the blink of an eye, the rampaging crocodile slammed headfirst into the wall with a loud thud, its momentum abruptly halted.

The spectators seated on the near side of the wall scrambled frantically as the impact reverberated through the stones, fear flashed across their faces as they hurriedly moved to put some distance between them and the wall.

The force of the collision sent vibrations through the stones, causing some to lose their footing in hurry to evade any potential collapse.

With the crocodile momentarily stunned, Coco landed on its back, her grip on her weapon tightening as she took advantage of this opportunity to retaliate against the monster.

She raised the hoe in her hand and brought it down forcefully, delivering a powerful blow to the monster's head— the impact immediately sending a shudder through the monster's thick armor, the force of the blow leaving a clear indentation.

Upon feeling the hit, the crocodile writhed and shook its body in retaliation, its powerful motions causing Coco to lose her footing.

She leaped off the monster's back, her feet touching the ground once more before she started running away, her path now shifted to the other side of the arena, her feet carrying her away from the rampaging creature at top speed.

"That's right, big boy!" Coco called, glancing at the crocodile over her shoulder, "That's good! Just follow me!"

The crocodile continued to pursue Coco, the weight of its massive frame causing the ground to shake as it thundered after her.

With each step the monster took, the earth shook beneath its weight, causing the very ground to shudder and ripple beneath Coco's feet as she raced ahead, but she didn't mind.

"Just one more hit, big guy!" Coco said and repeated the same maneuver she had used just earlier, her body moving with fluid grace.

She sprinted towards the nearest wall and leaped into a powerful backflip, her feet hitting the wall and using it as a springboard to propel herself up into the air, soaring over the giant crocodile that charged after her.

The crocodile, as expectedly, slammed against the wall, its body slamming against the solid structure with a strong impact that shook the entire wall.

Coco used that moment to her advantage again, landing on the beast's back once more.

Bracing herself against the creature's armor, she gripped the hoe tightly and, with all her might, brought the blade crashing down onto the crocodile's head where she had previously landed a hit.

The hoe's sharp edge made contact with the monster's thick helmet, the blade biting into the tough hide.

Crack.

The impact caused a crackling sound to come out from the monster's tough exterior, the armour showing visible signs of damage where the hoe had struck.

ROAAAAAAAAR!

The monster let out a pained cry as Coco pulled the hoe free from its armor, the action leaving behind a visible crack.

Just as the monster began to thrash, the crocodile started convulsing, its powerful muscles tensing as it shook its body violently, and with a violent lunge, it managed to throw her off its back.

Coco's feet hit the ground with a thud, her grip on the hoe wavering slightly as she rolled to cushion her fall.

Coco scrambled to gather her bearings, her heart racing and adrenaline coursing through her veins then, she leapt to her feet, ignoring the pain on her body from the fall and onto the crocodile's back again.

To everyone's surprise, Coco forced her hand through the crack caused by the impact of her blows and with a powerful yank, she ripped the broken armour apart.

The action sent droplets of crimson flying in the air.