Jason remembered that in the original book, Iwatani Naofumi relied on Filo to lead the Tyrannosaurus rex out of the town.
After all, the relationship between the Filo bird and the dragon clan isn't very good—they tend to fight as soon as they meet.
But can Filo really attract the T-Rex's attention?
Thinking it was unlikely, Jason suddenly recalled that it seemed Filo had attracted the Tyrannosaurus rex in the original story because she ate fragments of the Dragon Emperor.
In other words, the fragments of the Dragon Emperor are irresistibly attractive to the Tyrannosaurus rex.
With that in mind, Jason immediately took out a Dragon Emperor fragment from the storage shield and shouted at the T-Rex, "Hey, big lizard, look here!"
As soon as the Dragon Emperor fragment appeared, the Tyrannosaurus rex roared and charged straight toward him.
"It really works!"
"Shave!!!"
Jason's eyes lit up. He vanished from his spot, bolting out of the town, and yelled to Raphtalia and the others, "Don't follow too closely, keep some distance."
Jason swiftly led the rampaging T-Rex out of the town and onto the plains. Once far enough, he finally stopped and stored the Dragon Emperor fragment.
"Roar~~~"
Even though the fragment was no longer visible, the Tyrannosaurus rex knew Jason still had it. The massive beast charged forward, not slowing at all, like a hill in motion.
"Shave!!!"
Jason flashed again, creating a gap of over 10 meters between him and the T-Rex.
With a loud crash, the Tyrannosaurus rex bit down where Jason had stood moments ago, tearing into the ground as if it were a soft cake.
Before the T-Rex could raise its head, Jason appeared atop its skull, fist raised high.
"Iron Body! Crush!!!"
Channeling all his strength, Jason brought his fist down on the Tyrannosaurus rex's head, expanding his use of the Six Powers technique.
Boom!
Cracks radiated from the spot where Jason's fist struck the T-Rex's head, splitting the ground and spreading wildly around them.
The head of the T-Rex sunk into the earth under the force of Jason's blow.
"Iron Body! Wheel!!!"
Not done yet, Jason shifted his entire body into his 'Iron Body' state. Leaping high into the air, he spun rapidly before delivering a powerful kick to the T-Rex's head.
The giant beast's head sunk deeper.
But just as quickly, the Tyrannosaurus rex seemed provoked. It violently swung its head and tail, thrashing around madly.
Mud and debris flew everywhere.
"Is it because of that tough skin? It's like I'm not doing much damage."
Jason backed off, contemplating.
Since the system had given him the option of defeating the Tyrannosaurus rex within half an hour in exchange for rich rewards, it indicated just how formidable the creature was. Unlike the previous battles, this wasn't an opponent he could simply overpower quickly—it wasn't in the same league as the Zombie Dragon he'd faced before.
Jason was fully aware of the challenge, but there was something bothering him.
Whenever his attack landed on the T-Rex's head, it felt like he couldn't put his full strength into the blows, as if he were striking a thick blanket.
The T-Rex's tough outer skin was absorbing some of the impact, while its thick subcutaneous tissue was further cushioning the force, reducing the damage to a minimum.
"Its physical defense is unbelievably high. Even that attack didn't do much."
Jason now understood why the previous Hero hadn't killed the Tyrannosaurus rex but had instead sealed it.
The creature's defenses were likely so strong that it was nearly impossible to kill, forcing them to resort to sealing it instead.
Still, Jason wasn't ready to give up. A monster this durable excited him even more. He continued to dart around, carefully observing the Tyrannosaurus rex, searching for a weak point.
There were a few ways to deal with a monster like this, one with such high defense.
The first way would be to increase his attack power enough to break through its defense and cause damage. However, for Jason at his current level, this wasn't realistic—unless he mastered Armament Haki or improved his Garp template's strength.
The second way would be to find the beast's weak point. Striking that would multiply the damage.
The third way was to wear it down slowly. Although his fists didn't deal a lot of damage, they were still effective, and as long as the hits accumulated, it would eventually fall.
"Master Jason, we're here!"
At that moment, Raphtalia and the others finally arrived.
Without hesitation, Filo charged straight at the Tyrannosaurus rex. She leapt into the air and aimed a powerful kick at its chest.
However, despite Filo's effort, the Tyrannosaurus rex didn't even flinch. Its tough skin had nullified the attack completely.
In response, the T-Rex turned its head and bit at Filo, catching her in midair where she had no escape. The two rows of razor-sharp teeth were about to tear her apart.
But just then, Jason appeared midair and once again smashed his fist into the T-Rex's head.
The force of his punch sent Filo flying back, and the Tyrannosaurus rex staggered sideways.
"Filo, don't attack recklessly. This guy is unlike any of the monsters we've fought before—he's not so easy to deal with!"
"Sorry, master!" Filo apologized.
Filo landed on the ground, his head lowered slightly in regret, realizing his mistake—she had acted too impulsively.
"Everyone, focus on cooperating and attacking the Tyrannosaurus rex's lower body. Don't get too fixated on landing big hits. Even a bit of damage adds up to 920 points," Jason called out loudly after landing himself.
"Yes!" Raphtalia and the others responded in unison.
"Then... let's go!" With a wave of Jason's hand, Raphtalia, Filo, Jack, and the rest drew their weapons and charged toward the Tyrannosaurus rex.
Following Jason's orders, they worked together to attack the T-Rex's feet, each of them playing their part while remaining cautious. Though the Tyrannosaurus rex had incredibly high defense and health, its major flaw was clear—its attack patterns were predictable, and its movements weren't fast. As long as they kept an eye on its powerful tail and stomping feet, they could avoid the worst.
Raphtalia and the others moved swiftly around the T-Rex's legs, their coordination perfect, not overextending with their strikes. For now, the Tyrannosaurus rex could only roar in frustration, unable to hit them.
Watching the scene unfold, Jason couldn't help but reminisce about the days when he and his friends had joked about doing "online pedicures" for monsters during their adventures. But he quickly refocused on the task at hand.
It had been half an hour now, with just 10 minutes remaining.
Although Raphtalia and the others were handling the situation well for the moment, it was clear that defeating the Tyrannosaurus rex within 10 minutes was going to be impossible at this rate.
"Where is its weak spot?" Jason thought, his eyes locked on the massive creature. He knew that unless he identified the T-Rex's weakness soon, he would fail this selection mission.
Suddenly, the Tyrannosaurus rex raised its head, and a flicker of flames ignited in its blood-red maw.