《Reborn To Become A Heavenly Serpent》 Chapter -1 - Basic world information/etc Strength differences... Lord class(3000 years) Demi King class(6000 years) King class(8000 years) Demi emperor class(10000 years) (Species varied) Emperor class(12000 years) Demi Ancient class(14000 years) Ancient class(16000 years) Demi Sky lord (18000 years) Sky lord(20000 years) -Etc (For now that''s all that dear readers need to know) As for humans and any other humanoid race. (Mortal path.) The cultivation manual was used by the humanoid race. (As in 5% of the whole population only) (Yes there are classes to choose from) For example Magician. Warrior. Blader. Archer. 4 of these are the basis of the basic but many humans prefer to choose magician. That doesn''t mean that there aren''t other classes out there. I just didn''t mention all of it yet. That''s it. 1 star(Life span doesn''t change. Remain 100-year cap) 2 star(Life span doesn''t change. Remain 100-year cap) 3 star(Life span began to change. A total of 300 years) 4 star(A total of 400 years) 6 star (A total of 600 years) 7 star (A total of 700 years) 8 star(A total of 800 years) 9 star. (A total of 900 years) 10 star(A total of 1000 years) 11 star(A soul sublimation level had occurred. Bodily detached) 12 star(A total of 2000 years) 13 star(A total of 3000 years) 14 star(A total of 4000 years) 16 star(A total of 6000 years) 17 star(A total of 7000 years) 18 star(A total of 8000 years) 19Star(A total of 9000 years) 20star(A total of 10000 years) Note: You might be wondering about the Founder''s existence since it had been mentioned to exist for hundreds of thousands of years. There''s a reason behind their long life span that exceeded the cultivation cap. Stay tuned. -Etc(For now these are the only arrangement that dear readers need to know for now) Note: There might be levels for the human cultivation realm and levels for the monster cultivation realm... but it is not the same. Here is the correct way to understand: (Note: For the monster to reach Lord class monster. He or she needed to awaken their intellectual first. Or you could say. can talk can speak and such.) 3-6 stars = Demi king class 6- 9stars = King class 9- 12 stars = Demi emperor class 12 - 15 stars = Emperor class 15- 18 stars = Demi Ancient class 18- 20 stars = Ancient class monster Equipment, innate talent, and additional attributes from permanent elixir. Grades for any skills/elixir/item/equipment, etc. Sky Spiritual Heavenly Earth spirit Etc(Only needs to know these for now) Innate ability(Only available for none humanoid race)AKA monster. (Only available for king level monsters and above) There are 3 known stages for Innate ability. The first one would be... 2. The second one would be the ability the change the terrain based on one''s attributes. 3. The third one would be the ability to create an immense amount of power... and transform the whole terrain under one''s will heavily be based on attribute. (Basically a stronger version of the second one)( but you can call it an abomination level attack) Current world. (Accessible one) Old continent and the human continent up above it. The human continent is ruled by the Emperotus empire. The system goes by... The 4 founders... have a nickname for each one of them. Will be mentioned soon. (Strength level: Ranging from 18 star-20) The 10 divines or sovereign. (Strength level: Ranging from 15-18) So far only Mildred had been identified. Known as Silver Wing. (16 star level of strength. He''s a shapeshifter class magician)(A very rare class) Below them is the current Emperor. The name and any information will be mentioned soon. Stay tuned. Below the emperor is the 10 princes. Each one of them is extremely talented but none of their faces or true name was made public. The reasons behind it will be mentioned soon. The scope of this world will be extremely large... and as such I''m planning to keep updating this book for a very long time. - Chapter 2 - #2(Evolution began!) After one night of hunting at the entrance of my small nest. I amassed a lot of harvests as I had killed numerous tiny bugs. I was extremely delighted with the number of evolution points that I had accumulated but since it''s already closing by the next sunrise. I decided to take a rest first before doing anything else. 9 hours departed by and inside a small nest situated within a lush majestic tree. A small 10cm snake could be seen culled up in the nucleus of the nest or to be called in the middle of it. The rain had already ceased hours before vacating behind the flooded panorama of the forest. The plane was filled with vitality as the water from before rejuvenates the plants across the grassy plane. Many droplets of the ocean-colored bead scattered around the leaves as they slowly fell onto the humid land. The sun shone its brilliant as a small creak of Light seeped through the gaps above the lush tree and finally drop onto a huddled-up snake. I slowly unfolded my eyes as my long forked tongue flickered in rhythm. "Huaaa!!... awww man I sure had a good sleep!... alright let''s check my points already. I think I have collected more than enough for my first evolution" I yawned with laziness as I sprawled my tiny flexible snake body with comfort. "System open my panel!" "Ding!" Name: Hiro Species: Normal snake size:10cm in length 0.5 cm in diameter. Points: 210 Skills: - Seeing the points that I had painstakingly accumulated last night. A disturbing sight occurred in this nest as a small snake attempted to smile. "Oh yeah, system! open the skills mall! I want to see what can I buy with these extra 110 points of mine." "ding" Seeing the number of skills that the system has shocked me as I stared at the translucent panel floating in front with a deep gaze. "Why is it only 5 skills?!!" Skills mall: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a slightly harder skin (Passive). price: 100 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 5%(passive) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): a weak poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) price: 60 points 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 5%(Permanent passive)(price: 100) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 5% (passive)price:50 "Ding replying to the host... the host is not powerful enough to utilize any stronger skills" "erkk... that''s true in a way and another but... I think the tail slam skill is a bit useless no?... and why are all of them passive?" "Ding... the system can''t adjust any changes to it... take it or leave it." "I-..." "..." "Fine!" Listening to this I was not disappointed in the subtlest all as I am conscious of my established circumstance. I can''t afford to gnaw on more than I could so I''m rather satisfied with what I can approach for now. I analyzed for a moment, as I glanced at the skills that are accessible for me presently. The first skill is relatively valuable as improving my protection early on would be a wise option but the poison skill enticed me even more!. Especially its effect which is very useful. But since I hardly possess sufficient points to buy these two skills together I shifted my gaze to the other skills. Finally, I concluded to buy the poison skill and the sprint skill. These two might be reasonable start-up skills. "Ding deducted 110 evolution points from host" "Ding transfer complete!" After the system voice plunged into the medium. I can sense that my body improved slightly especially my skin. Before it was a bit lighter green but now it''s darker. As for the sprint skill I''m not so clear yet as I still haven''t used it. Now that I''m done dealing with my recent skills I am determined to undergo my first evolution phase next. But before that, I will have to formulate some small preparation. I clasped some of the dried leaves scattered around me and plugged all of them inside the small entrance. With this, I can ensure my protection a bit more if my evolution phase is going to take a long time. After finishing the small preparation. I unhurriedly plop my body onto the dried leaf area in the middle of the nest. Doing so... I decided to memorize the last glance at my panel before initiating the advancement. "system brings out my panel" "Ding!" Name: Hiro size:10cm in length 0.5 cm in diameter. Points: 100 Skills: 1. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 5%(passive) 2. Poison skin (It means what it means): a weak poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) Evolution point required until the next phase: 100 points. (Host are ready for the evolution) After glimpsing this... I immediately notify the system to start my first evolution. "system began my evolution" "Ding... the host will have to expend 100 points." (Agreed) "Ding!" "100 points have been deducted" "Processing advancement" "Initiated" Unawares slight sleepiness swallowed my entire body as my pair of eyes slowly shut-in. And finally, I fell asleep...slumbering soundly as the noise of the wildlife went on outside of my shelter. At-End of this chapte Chapter 3 - #3(A Good hole?) When I fell asleep. I gave birth to a very bizarre dream as I was slithering an enormous serpent body in space. The size of my body was so vast that I could approximate it with the surrounding planets a bit distance absent from me. It was as if I was steering an enormous war stronghold. But that was not all of it as I was plunged into a huge clash with billion of enemies. I battled them with my vast body shuttling through their ant-like battleship. And as I stormed through their defenses line with ease. It felt so substantial that the emotion of absurdity consumed my consciousness. - Later one hour of sleeping, I gradually retrieved my vision as I slowly loosened my sleepy eyes with sloth. Sensing a little bit stuffy around my body. I slowly spanned them up to bring about myself more comfortable as I yawned with my mouth broad open. I hastily examined my new physique with enthusiasm as I''m rather anxious about how much improvement can my first evolution provide. And then I noticed... Before I was only 10 cm in length but now I have grown over 50 cm. My skin is now a bit firmer as my color deepens a bit darker but it still retains the greenish element. Wanting to inspect my panel next I quickly instructed the system. "System brings out my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro size:50 cm in length 2 cm in diameter. Points: 0 Skills: 1. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 6% (passive) 2. Poison skin (It means what it means): a slightly stronger poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 500 points. Seeing that even my skills reaped some advancement. I was utterly amazed and delighted!. "Hey, the system I never speculated even skills can be upgraded with my evolution... care to explain?" "Ding...replying to the host. This is of course logical. Host skills will be upgraded alongside the host body." "Wow, this is great!... with this I''m can ?ssure a continuous increase of strength. I don''t need to worry about how to improve my skills soon. As this function provided me such benefit. "Now I need to gain even more points for my next evolution and the remaining skills that had yet to be bought" I unhurriedly mumbled to myself while wriggling my tail behind my back. Slamming it against the dirt. "Talking about evolution... I will have to change my nest. The rate of my size improvement is far too fast to cope with my needs for shelter. Finding a new home is a must after this" After preparing my next plan. I slowly unclogged the entrance and quickly snaked my way outside for the very first time in my new life. I b?r?ly stayed for one day in this tree and now I''m leaving it already. Time sure does pass faster than I thought. As I finally passed through the small entrance. I was immediately bathed under the warm sunlight, as my skin shined with brilliance under the gaze of the morning star. I slowly flickered my gaze around... appreciating this new landscape that I''m currently in as my body slithered forward in an unhurried manner. Huge roots spread-eagled the ground, twisting like the great backs of sea dinosaurs. The foliage became thick and lush, forming an arch of fairytale-green above my head. Arthritic boughs, gnarled with age, dripped their bounty of nuts onto the path. Briars, brambles, and berry trees flanked the trail, making it impenetrable on either side. Shuffling noises came from deep in the interior, deadened by the cunningly woven web of leaves. - - - Hours departed as I had been moving about in this great forest. And yet I didn''t find a single animal while I was paving my way here. Are animals rare in this world?. "Why is there had not been single creature yet? it had been hours already... and it''s not like I was staying in one place. But still, there''s no sign of life except these trees" I asked in disbelief and doubt while my eyes wandered about into the surrounding thick bushes. I slithered forward under a slightly scarce bush. and continued complaining. But suddenly, *Rustles* *Rustles* I heard a little noise inside a bush that is 7 meters away from my location. Not too far and yet too close... an appropriate range that I''m currently in. I quickly lowered my head low as I eyed at the source of the sound intently. Wanting to see what would happen next if I stayed here patiently. "Rustles* *rustles* *squeak!* The commotions kept getting louder and louder added with a small squeaking sound of a certain type of animal. This unknown creature made itself visible with noises as it moved forward in this direction... seemingly the next moment it would exit the bush. My muscle tightened as my eyes narrowed slightly focusing on the bush ahead. ''My first fleshy animals! my first pray that is not a bug! I need to do this perfectly!'' I thought to myself as my head eyed its piercing gaze forward. Suddenly a juicy mouse jumped out from the thick bush as it landed perfectly within my attacking ranger. My body instantly sprinted forward at a tremendous speed with my mouth wide open ready to gnaw on this mice. Death sure is beautiful when it comes to benefit. The mice didn''t even have the time to react as he b?r?ly just came out from the thickets. My mouth immediately gobbled it down as I wrapped my body tightly around him. Shutting him with my brute force while my muscle tightened attempting to suffocate him. *Squeaked!!!* *Squeaked*!! The mouse shrieked in pain as its body won''t stop flinching around. Not even a minute passed. The mouse finally stopped trembling due to my poisonous skin. "Ding! gained 100 points" A brush of joy appeared inside my heart as I glanced at this newly emerged notification. "Oh wow, 100 points! this fat mouse sure does give a lot of points... but what was he doing inside that bush though?" Curious...I unhurriedly made my way into the thick bush. As for that mouse? I don''t want to eat it... wasting time isn''t necessary. Inside there I found a small hole in the ground. Seemingly to lead downwards. I continued slithering into the hole as my fork tongue flickered about to detect if there is any creature in this hole. Detecting the surrounding heat as it sends back a signal towards my brain. "Seems safe... and there''s a bunch of scents in the air similar with that mouse I killed just now. There might be even more of them down here!. hahaha lucky me!." After confirming that there might be even more prey downwards inside this cave. A flash of joy flickered my face as I slithered forward cheerfully. the further I pushed inside the wider the hole came to be. This also delivers me with a bit more space to maneuver around easily. Finally, deep down into the ground I entered a wide area, and in the middle of it, a group of closely huddled sleeping mice was slumbering soundly. "It''s time to feast!" Seeing this... I immediately muttered with joy!. a big smile arose on my scaly face as I slithered forward. end of this chapter + ? + Name: Hiro Species: Normal snake size:50 cm in length 2 cm in diameter. Points: 100 Skills: 1. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 6%(passive) 2. Poison skin (It means what it means): a slightly stronger poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 500 points. Chapter 4 - #4(Advancement) Hours flew by as the sky slowly turned dark. I had been inside this hole for quite a while after killing off the small group of mice inside here before. It was a relatively large gain for today. So I decided to sleep here for the time being since I am a little bit exhausted from all of the traveling. If day and night coexist with each other... surely sleep and being active would be the same. The same concept of Yin and Yang. With that being explained... this hole also fulfilled my requirements for a new shelter and thus I have determined to turn this place into a new temporary home. Since I''m pretty sure my size would increase far too fast and soon enough I will have to leave this place. - I lazily unwrapped my sloth eyes as I called for the system while plopping flat on the cold ground. The cold ground brings me a slight discomfort as I''m not used to sleeping like an animal in my previous life. I mean who would? and who had?. "System brings out my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Normal snake size:50 cm in length 2 cm in diameter. Points: 800 Skills: 1 . Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 6%(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: (host is ready for the next evolution) "Currently this is the number of points that I had gathered up till presently, 800... I already possess more than sufficient for my next advancement. but first I want to purchase all of the abilities left in the mall" I slowly collected my thoughts while ?ssessing my priority. "system open the skill Mall" "Ding" Skills mall: 1 . Hard skin: Grant the host with a slightly harder skin (Passive). price: 100 2 . Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 5%(Permanent passive)price: 100 "I guess purchasing these three skills would cost me 250 points, leaving behind 550 left. that''s still plenty of points for my next evolution" "But I''m relatively interested in what will occur next if I cleared the existing skills in the system mall?... and will my newly acquired skill also be promoted to the same status as my current evolution?" "Ding... answering back to host. A new set of abilities will be replenished in and yes if the host decided to purchase the skills. it will automatically be updated to the host''s current evolution level" "I see... that is incredibly convenient... anyway system I want to purchase the three skills," "Ding!... deducted 250 points?" (Agree)¡Á(disagree) (agree) " Ding! successfully deducted" Minutes after I acquired the skills. My skin thickened a little as my body muscles compressed. "My body changed slightly... especially my skin thickness... it felt firmer..." I slowly twisted my body around to ?ssess my newly acquired skills. And the results are extremely fulfilling to my expectations. I can feel it that day by day I''m getting stronger. Even if these little efforts are of naught in front of others but to me, this is already a relatively promising beginning. "Oh yeah, I wonder how the details of the skills look like presently... system open my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Normal snake Points: 550 Skills: 1 . Hard skin: Grant the host with a slightly harder skin (Passive). 2 . Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 6%(passive) 3 . Poison skin (It means what it means): a slightly stronger poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) 4 . Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 6%(Permanent passive) 5 . Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 6%(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: (host is ready for the next evolution) "Great! now I''m confident enough to even fight an anaconda! hahaha" "But first let me perfect my next evolution... I can''t wait to grow even bigger!... I wonder how big I will become next? 1m? 5m?..." With high excitement, I gradually made myself comfortable by spreading my body against the warm dirt wall. After feeling a bit more relaxed I immediately notify the system to begin my next evolution. Soon I might be able to reach the size of Godzilla... towering above skyscrapers. That is (soon)... "System commence my next evolution" "Ding 500 points will be deducted?" (Agree)¡Á(Disagree) (Agreed) "Ding!" "500 points have been successfully deducted" "Processing advancement" "Initiated" And such after listening to the system voice. An abrupt sense of sleepiness instantly crashed my whole entirety. I gradually sealed my eyes as I went into a deep slumber. At-end of this chapter. Chapter 5 - #5(The kind system) "Ding!" "Evolution completed." A motionless robotic voice trembled through the medium inside this nest of mine. To no wonder, I was awakened by the abrupt mechanical voice as I slowly unwrapped my scaly eyes. A surge of weariness immediately barraged my body that could be roughly interpreted as uncomfortable. It felt like I had been crammed inside a small box and finally been let out after 24 hours. I slowly drifted my gaze about as I veered it around and finally towards my body. To my surprise, a huge change had occurred from last night that my body is no longer the same as before!. I had grown larger!... this is such a welcomed surprise though it should have been expected. This directly brings to my muscle being squeezed in this tight corner that I was sleeping in yesterday. I hurriedly move away from there just to finally feel a bit better. Having a bit of room to sniff some fresh murky air inside this hole. "System how long have I been asleep?... " I hastily asked with interest. "Ding answering back to the host. The host had been asleep for 5 hours straight" "I see... so this means that my next evolution will take even longer... I can already see the pattern." I made this ?ssumption after careful thoughts were put into this. "Ding... yes host is correct." "Anyway... system I had constantly been wondering this one thing. why is it that even though I had not been eating for a very long time but my body still doesn''t feel hungry?..." "Ding replying to the host. The system had modified the host''s new body to not be influenced by hunger. Even if the host were not to eat for hundreds of years... the host still won''t feel hunger." "Well, that''s very useful!... with this I don''t have to expend my time searching for victims just to fulfill my starvation. Killing alone is enough... though having a taste of food here and there won''t hurt." After hearing from the system description. I unhurriedly sprawled my body as I investigated if there is any major difference rather than the size increase. "system open my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Mutated snake size: 5m in length 10 cm in width. Points: 50 Skills: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): a very lethal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 7% (Permanent passive) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 7% (Passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 10000 "This?? 10-10000 evolution points??!!!... system why did the required points suddenly leaped so high?" "Ding... answering back to the host. The next advancement will affect host essence and a big adjustment will be made as such the amount 10000 would only be logical." "I-I see... hahaha" "Host doesn''t need to feel demoralized. Over time host will be able to acquire enough points for the next evolution" "O-okay? thank you?" ''Since when did this system have an emotional support function '' I secretly guessed... Next, I drifted my attention towards my skill as I began to evaluate them. To no surprise, all of them had been upgraded. And I''m very surprised with the first skill development... But of course, this is merely my silly thoughts. " System what time is it now?..." "Ding... it''s 00:00 am" "midnight huh... I guess I will be sleeping for now and proceed on my hunting tomorrow." "Ding... if the host wishes to. The system can turn off host consciousness when the host is asleep. " "T-this?!!? you can do that?" I asked in disbelief since such function is otherworldly. It''s similar to an AFK farming game back in my previous life. "Yes, host. this system was constructed to support the host in every way possible. turning off host consciousness for some time is simply a breeze." "But won''t that indicates that I won''t feel the process of sleeping?" "No... the host body will still experience the sleeping process and nothing will be altered except that host will feel it pass in the blink of an eye" "Hiss??... that is simply otherworldly. then do that for me... the faster I can wake up tomorrow the faster I can continue with my hunting." "Ding instruction was utilized by the user... turning off host consciousness in 3..." Hearing the sudden metallic noise... Panic engulfed my mind as I tried to stop this foolish system from taking in the wrong instruction. "Huh, we-wait!" "2..." "at least let me find a good sleep-!" "1..." *Plopped* My body crashed softly onto the cold ground... As my tongue lingered about outside of my mouth... tasting the flavor of dirt as my saliva seeped about. "..." "Good night host..." - - - - end of this chapter. Chapter 6 - 6( A new home once again) The sun hung tall above the blue empty sky as the morning fogs had already vacated about their journeys to elsewhere. The peaks behind the mountains proceeded to enhance the scenery with a glimmer of sovereignty. As the beasts below such magnificent matters resume on with their customary commits. Somewhere inside an extended 10-meter wide hole. A long 5 meters snake could be observed dozing off soundly in the middle of this space. Seemingly to be awake... the snake''s pair of shiny eyes slowly unfolded itself as its long forked tongue flickered about in rhythm. Tasting the bitter air as there''s still a slight mark of drooling from before. "This?... system what time is it now?" As I opened my eyes I immediately consulted the system. The purpose for such a hastened inquiry in the early morning is because it felt so unusual. The feeling of an abrupt end... added with a touch of instant!. "Ding... answering back to the host... it is now 8 in the morning." "Hiss? but it felt like b?r?ly a second had passed... this is amazing... No this is ridiculously amazing." "Thank you for the praise host." The metallic voice sounded once again but this time with a touch of gratefulness. "Well now that I have discovered such a function. My journey to becoming a great serpent is on the right path!... as long as I worked hard enough anything is achievable.!" ''Yes stay positive!'' I yelled inside my heart with excitement!. "For now let''s stretch a little before doing anything else" - - - After performing my day-to-day morning exercise I quickly slithered forward towards the hole leading outside as the air of the newly refreshed morning downed its way into my lung... *Breathes!!* "Man what a great day! It is very hard to see such things in the city. Towering trees and beautiful forest." I mumbled to myself... as I breathed in a large gust of air. "Let''s go out for today... I wish to scout out a new area where numerous animals gathered. like a river or something..." Having decided that... I slowly slithered my way out from the nest through the tiny hole. Luckily I''m not that too wide that I managed to plop out safely without getting squeezed. "This nest also is a no-go anymore...sigh... I''m growing bigger far too quickly that I b?r?ly stayed in one nest for a day... " "When I found a river... I should just live there... it is more spacious after all. " While saying that... my body zigzagged away at an ordinary pace but this time behind my back. A lengthy gully could be discerned on the ground trailing from my tail... - ~5 hours passed by~ After hours of traveling eventually, I discovered a murky-yellow stream in the forest. It was seeping and dribbling as it swerved through the trees. It jumped for joy over the timeworn rocks. I heard once that rivers are the arteries of the forest. This one was sparkling like tinsel. The fluttering bu??erflies drifted over it lazily. I bent my head down to drink from it. It was very stimulating. The aroma of the forest was very powerful. I plucked a few berries and they were lush and fruity to the tongue. Though a snake wouldn''t normally consume berries... I drifted my gaze over only to glimpse the overgrown grasses on each side. Covering the river from the C-shaped soaring trees. "Finally, a proper river and it''s quite wide too!... This will be my new home from now on. There is also an island in the middle of this river. That can be my sleeping place for tonight." "Though... the water is a bit murky..." Noticing that the water was a bit murky and dark... I slowly gulped down my saliva. Worrying for the unknown. Even in my last life, I had never learned how to swim. And now in this life, I''m about to venture off into the unknown. The tea water. *Gulped* "There shouldn''t be anything dangerous inside the water right?... even if there is I''m pretty sure I can beat them all." A slight hesitation appeared on my face as I staggered whether to go in the water or not. But the longing for the unknown grows stronger and stronger and finally, I gave in. The needs of moving forward are far more crucial than being cowardly. "Well here I go" *Breathes!* *splashes!* I peeped my head down with caution just to see the depth of it but! the next scene that snatched the view was truly extraordinary. "This? how can it be so clear?... isn''t the water murky?" Confused, I had no option but to inquire about it with the system. "System what''s happening here?... why can I see so clearly inside the river?... " I asked with a puzzled look on my face as I attempted to flinch my gaze around. Perceiving the whole river floor with my eyes. "Ding... answering back to the host. This is one of the adjustments that had been carved to the host body when the first time the host evolved. The host also can breathe underwater" "Why didn''t you inform me of this adjustment?..." "Ding... host never asked" "W-well... that''s true. In a way..." "..." - The river was around 8 meters deep and ahead of me exist myriad of submerged plants towering in massive groups from top to the bottom of this river. I also saw numerous varieties of fish swimming about a bit ahead of me... My existing plan presently was to scout around in the river first. Identifying any possible dangers and eradicating them before turning this place into my new hunting ground. I''m rather confident with my current strength to face off against any enemy... and if I can''t win against them I still can run away with my skills. "This feels so calming. The feeling of water grasping my entirety makes me so comfortable for some reason. Like... at home..." I softly mumbled while I swam forward unhurriedly... "Well... for now I should focus on scouting the area. And next, I will be focusing on hunting." - - - - Inside this river. A long slender 5 meters shadow could be glimpsed moving about from the surface of the water. And somewhere else inside this river a 2 meters long, Threadfin fish could be discovered swimming towards the area where Hiro is. Whenever this creature passed by. The smaller fishes galloped away in terror fearing that the huge fish might target them. - Back at Hiro location... " Each of these fish gave me a lot of points... But still, it was quite a hassle to hunt them without using my skills." Realizing this problem I decided to ?ssert a plan in regards to my skills usage. " I should conserve my skills when I''m encountering a powerful enemy... spending it blindly might kill me in the end... a wise choice is better than a thousand trials... though passive is still passive huh" - - - - After finishing the three fish that I had hunted before. I immediately proceeded ahead towards a random direction hoping to find even more buckles. -End of this chapter. Chapter 7 - 7 ( Different world, Different species) The warm water temperature delivers me with comfort as I gradually pushed forward with composure. Following along where the water leads. I wandered my gaze around the area as I was moving. There the towering submerged plants fluttered their lengthy bodies around resulted in the ever-moving current. I also glimpsed many small fishes lingered about in the small gaps of the huge plant''s palace. Truth to be told. I was expecting to see a huge fish like one time I had watched in my past life. It was my father that captured it with his superb fishing abilities. I had always remembered the sight of my father holding it within his arm. The fish was almost 2 meters long... but till this day I never know what species of fish it was. All I know was that... it was enormous. Enormous enough to swallow me whole if it were to be given a chance. With my current length, I''m pretty sure I would be classified as a monster. A monster that still yearns for a place to call home. A home that doesn''t relate to others as my goal had always been different. Minutes after I slowly descended to the bottom for a short look. I had always wondered how it looks like down here. Is it the black ground? is it sand?... or could it be just a bottomless abyss?. the ocean had always been the biggest mystery in my past life... as for river would be the second one. Each year back in my past life there would be a discovery of ancient fossils. Unveiling the past while the present keeps moving on forward... I approached the bottom of the river with vigilance for I do not wish to get stormed out of the blue. Being cautious would be the best in this situation rather than being oblivious. Naivety kills good people... Monsters exist... and I had been holding onto these words strongly back when I was in school. - - - - As I descended slowly... *Slurshhhh!!* Suddenly, Gigantic ripples of noises could be heard moving about behind me with tremendous momentum. The water swirled around the space as the commotion caused by such a large movement immediately attracted my attention. With haste, I hastily prompted my muscles to tighten. Seeing this... A sense of urgency heightened inside my heart as I eventually discerned the whole view of this gradually enlarging figure from afar. A huge fish 2 Meters in length and especially those huge bulky teeth appeared to be extremely dangerous. Recklessly approaching me as if I''m just one of the other normal prey. "This?? what''s up with those steel-like teeth??!" I yelled in alarm... glancing towards those metal-like teeth seemingly capable of tearing houses apart. *Swoosh!* The rippling sound came from afar a second ago and now it is closing by at such an alarming rate. When the fish finally entered within 7 meters away from me. I rapidly blasted my tail down with great force. Reaching towards its head as I spun my body around following the movement of my tail. Adding in with the effect of my skill. I have the most ?ssurance to destroy this huge fish. If not heavily injuring it would be enough. *Slammed!* *boom* A muffled noise could be heard trembling underwater. The tail that I slammed was tanked by the fish!. Taking my tail slam attack with its head! just so you know this attack of mine had been enhanced with my skills. Surely it should have done more than that... but reality betrayed my expectations. It didn''t even force it back by an inch. A bad hunch instantly emerged inside my heart as my eyes widened in shock. This fish is unreal! ... After the fish took my tail slam with its body head-on. It quickly backed away 10 meters supposedly to possess intelligence??!!. What kind of world is this?!. So far the creature that I had killed before never exhibited any type of self intelligence. "I need to win this quick!." Having said that... I rapidly speeded up towards the fish with powerful acceleration. The fish also not to be outshined by seeing my move. It also shot ahead like a bullet in my direction. The water rampaged with rage as the surface of the water above splashed intensely. The water current and the kinetic energy that was produced by our huge activity forged huge water waves on the river surface. From a calm river now turned into a small tsunami. As this was occurring all around the river. The two behemoths finally collided!. *BOOMED!* Their body conflicted against each other creating a huge underwater eruption. The enormous forces generated by the collision impact shaped a massive water splash directly on the surface above. "This guy is not normal! It had been quite sometimes already but my poison still hasn''t taken effect on him" *Boom!* *Splashes!* The fish quickly slammed its huge tail to my long body but in return, I swung my massive tail to parry it. *BOOM!* Seeing that his attack was guarded by my tail. He immediately opened his mouth and chomped towards my face hastily. His mouth was too close for me to avoid in time. The only choice left was for me to direct its attack onto my body. "Arghh! that hurts you, bastard!" The fish mouth struggled to chomp into my flesh as I wailed in pain. A huge rage instantly took over my mind as I fastened the fish body with mine. Wrapping him tight as my muscles squeezed him with force!. While this the fish still kept holding onto grinding my flesh as its teeth had already been inserted deeply before. An even more severe pain flooded my body. This with no qualm infuriated me. "Arghh damn you!" I tightened my muscles even more!. Finally, the fish revealed a pained look on his scaly face. The pressure from my skills finally took effect!. *Cracks* *cracks* *cracks* The fish wriggled its body in agony as I crushed his bone with rage. Bloods splitters about into the water as my body slowly crushed his flesh into meat paste. "Die!! you damn bastard!" After a couple of minutes of trashing around finally, the fish stopped moving. "Ding congratulations to the host for gaining 5000 evolution points" "Finally!" I slowly unwrapped my long body as I panted heavily to breathe. The immense pain from my wound still lingered around as my face twitched in pain. "This fish is not normal! my defenses should be strong enough! and yet his teeth managed to pierce through??!!." " damn it! it hurts so bad. This guy torned a huge chunk of the flesh from my body..." "For now I should go to the island to rest... and find some way to quickly heal my injuries" At-end of this chapte Chapter 8 - #8(Good news?) "Hiss!... that hurts so bad. " I grumbled in pain as I slowly slithered onward onto the small grassy island in the middle of the river. The blood still keeps oozing out from my injuries into the water dyeing the nearby area with redness. The island is not big nor is it small but it is more than reasonable enough for my whole body to drop horizontal on it. Entering the middle of the small island. It was a b?r?ly empty area without grasses vacating behind a circle of sand. My body feels so vulnerable due to the battle before causing my body to slump flat onto the ground. As I was doing this my body still retained the immense pain, as it surged me with discomfort. "It hurts... argh... this is my first time to experience such pain. But somehow out of instinct I managed to kill the fish" "Anyway, what''s wrong with that fish?. even if you are a normal 2 meters long fish but still you shouldn''t be that strong. System care to explain?" "Ding... answering back to the host. As it had been stated before this world is no longer the same world that the host once understands. The species here are much more unique and powerful in comparison to the host''s world creatures. " "This??... " "Don''t worry host... the stronger species usually inhabited in deeper in the great continent." "Great continent?... is that the name of the place where I currently am?." "Ding... yes the host is correct. Presently host is in the outer ring of the area. The closest human civilization on this planet lived on the old continent a bit further up from this one." "How many continents are there on this planet?" "Ding... replying to the host. There are more than 7000+ continents within this domain." "D-domain?" "Yes host domain" "A-and 7000?!!!" "Yes, host... 7000+" The sudden input was too much for me as a slight headache flooded my tiny mind like a tsunami. This amount of information under one burst was extremely incomprehensible. "O-okay let''s talk about this later. I have a more serious problem now. The system is there a way for me to heal my injury quickly?." "Ding... yes...but the host doesn''t need any external help to quickly heal the injuries. Host regeneration capabilities are many times higher than any normal snake. Approximately it would be fully healed in 2 hours." "What!?... really?" "Yes host" Now I''m totally in surprise by this unexpected promising news. I had never thought my injury would be solved easily like that. I was ready to expend my point to exchange for it but now since it only took 2 hours I can just throw down the issue off. "Good... now I only need to wait for my injury to heal. While doing that I should check how many points I have now" "System open my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Mutated snake size: 5m in length 10 cm in width. Skills: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 7%(passive) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): a very lethal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 7% (Permanent passive) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 7%(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 10000 Seeing the number of points that I had obtained. "Halfway to go... but to gain a sudden 5k points burst would require me to hunt powerful creatures. Sigh... I should just focus on the normal fish. I don''t need to try chewing more than I could." "System wake me up after my injuries are fully healed and if there is any threat too" "Ding... yes host" I feel a bit weak from the battle that had occurred. Sleeping for a bit would be the best treatment for this. I gradually shut my eyes as my body loosened from the endless pain. And moments later my mind finally drifted off to sleep. -End of this chapter. Chapter 9 - #9(Hunting and more hunting) While Hiro is slumbering. Someplace a couple of thousand kilometers away from him. A huge open area stood there surrounded by dense forest. Countless tents were scattered about throughout the whole open space added with soldiers in uniforms marching around the perimeter. In the middle of these tent''s fortress, a huge metal-like structure sat there as heavily armored soldiers watched over it with vigilance. Minutes later... One of the soldiers gaped with laziness as he clasps his gun with relaxation. "Hey, Dred... do we need to guard this thing? it''s not like it can smash open the container anyway." The gaping guard asked his subordinates next to him with a teasing tone. "Well... I mean the creature inside is pretty clever. You know how much Dr. Lilith cherished this type of sample. She would do anything to research and conserve it for herself." "I know right... I don''t even know what those old founders think about this mission. What if we accidentally infuriated the Emperor class monster lurked deep in this forest. We all will be dead in seconds." "Don''t worry... the organization employed some awakened to prevent anything like that from occurring. I mean these guys are not humans anymore hahaha. Monster vs monster!" "Hahaha!" both of them laughed with enjoyment as the surrounding patrol simply ignored them. - "Human!!... kill!!!... revenge!!" The huge creature growled with resentment as the darkness gradually shrouded the whole perspective - "Ding... awakening the host in processing. Injuries 100% healed" "awakening in... 3...2...1... welcome back host" Suddenly a robotic male voice whistled inside my mind notifying me to wake up. Gradually my eyes unwrapped on their own as my consciousness came back to normal. I slowly raised my head while pulling my tail forward to scratch my scaly head. "Yeah... no matter how many times it is. I can''t get used to this sleeping function. It felt so unusual." "Ding... welcome back host. The injuries had been 100% healed and while the host was asleep there were no dangers detected 10km radius" "This?... you still have that kind of function? 10km? " "Ding... yes host. This system is equipped with various functions that can ?ssist the host in many situations." While hearing this... I slowly wandered my gaze around my body. Examining it particularly the injury area. To my surprise, the injury was no longer there. The flesh had regrown and the skin was the same as usual as if that place had never been torned. ''This is simply amazing '' I secretly thought. "Now that I''m fully rested and my injuries had been healed. It''s time for hunting. I can''t wait any longer. What if a stronger creature suddenly came down to my area. I''m boned then if that ever happened" With no time to waste. I plunged myself into the warm river as I drilled to the bottom of it. Gazing around I discerned numerous fishes that had returned to their home after the fight ended. Sadly none of them are big enough to provide enough points. But of course, hunting them in batches would be far more efficient. *Swoosh!* "Ding gained 250 points" "Okay? they are quite tasty huh." I tilted my gaze around and then I glimpsed another group of bluefish. And such I did a similar thing over and over again. While the announcement of the points reverberated inside my head numerous times. "Ding gained 100 points, " "Ding gained 170 points" "Ding gained 230 points" - Hours passed by and it''s already nighttime. The surface of the river remained the same as usual. The bu??erflies wavered about the tall lawns surrounding it while the animals committed their movements. The moon gradually uncovered itself as the clouds dispersed away to the following area. The mysterious light in contrast to the morning drenched the land with a visible shadow. The shadow that could effortlessly clasp the whole land with ease. Suddenly *Rustles* *Rustles* The tall yellowish grasses encircling the small island shifted. Seemingly to be shoved around as if something was moving inside it. The moonlight slowly lifted the area. Finally, if it was to be beheld from above. A huge dark green 5 meters snake could be recognized slithering forward to the middle of the small Island. Naturally, this is Hiro returning to his bed after a long hunt. "Huaaa, Damn... it''s Night already. I didn''t even notice it while I was at the bottom of the river." "Anyway let us look at my points hahaha. I''m sure I have more than enough to evolve... Also, I could purchase some new skills in the mall. If I''m not wrong the system once said that the mall skills stock had been refreshed. I should check out later." "System open my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Mutated snake size: 5m in length 10 cm in width. Points: 13800 Skills: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 7%(passive) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): a very lethal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact(Can be accumulated)(passive) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 7%(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: The host is ready for evolution. "That''s a lot of points hahaha!... now it''s time to evolve" Having decided that I finally entered the middle of the island as I plunged flat onto the ground with a bit of stretch here and there. "System begin evolution!" "Ding" "10000 points will be deducted" (AGREE) ¡Á (DISAGREE) (AGREED) "DING!" "Initiating... processing advancement." "begin evolution" At-End of this chapte Chapter 10 - #10(A total surprise) The next morning, About in the blue sky, an enormous Eagle reaching the wingspan of 6 meters drifted among the clouds as it overlooked the whole earth below with its piercing eye. Without a doubt, this Eagle appeared to be scanning for his snacks. After a couple of kilometers ahead of flying and searching. The eagle slowly drifted his gaze towards a small island as it flew above a river. Instantly a horrified expression appeared as it immediately fled away in different directions. Down on the small opening in the middle of the island. An enormous creature could be seen laying flat straight across. This creature is more than 20 meters long as some parts of its body are submerged in the water. The dark green color of it added with the rectangular head strengthens the meaning of true horror. Small bu??erflies lingered about on this huge body bathing themselves, under the morning sun. "Ding! evolution finalized. commencing orders. Awakening Host in 3...2...1" - I gradually unfolded my eyes after a succession of voices from the system reverberated inside my head. Instructing me to wake up. Though I feel a bit sluggish or heavy? to shift my head around but still out of impulse I hoisted my head in no hurry. A surge of unusual feelings unexpectedly arose throughout my body. The feelings of different?. I leaned my head around towards my body and my surrounding. Then I realized how great of a "new" it is. "Since when did those trees become tinier?... wait... why is my tail feels like it''s? underwater?...", A string of questions rapidly carved its path into my mind as I mumbled those words with a confused face. While doing so a slightly cold sensation had always been lingering about my lower body. I rapidly slanted my gaze to my tail. Seeing that my tail is underwater I quickly pulled it forward onto the land. Finally, an entire view of my body could be discerned. "20 meters long! this!!... no wonder the points required to evolve jumped so high. It improved my size so much. Even my view now is 5 meters tall. " I exclaimed in surprise... "Even if I were to face the same fish from before. I can instantly spike it in seconds. I can feel it... the surge of strength inside my body is far stronger than before. hahaha, what about Godzilla!? I can easily own him even if I want to! hahaha.!" "But now this area that I''m currently in greatly restricted my growth. I will have to go further downstream searching for a wider and deeper area. I''m 20 meters long! I can submerge part of my body while the other part hooking up above." "But let''s take a look at my panel first... " "System open my panel" Name: Hiro size: 20m in length 1.5 m in width. Points: 3800 Skills: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 8%(passive) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): an extremely fatal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact. (Additional poison fangs) (Can be accumulated)(passive) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 8%(passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 1000000 Seeing the developments in my skills. A pleased expression occurred on my face as I proceeded gliding my gaze downward the blue panel and finally entering the evolution points part. In a second my heart aches as I gazed dumbly at the 7 digit number on my panel. "1 million?... This???... " I tried swinging my gaze around and then back to the number once again just to verify that I was not dreaming. Doing so the number is still there!. "This jumped way so high!...sigh... I guess I will just have to swallow it down and live on. This probably would take me months to collect!... sigh... Anyway, let''s take a look at the skill mall first. I will have to improve my strength fast and the best way to do that would be through this." "System open the skill mall" "Ding" "Skill mall:" 1. Steel tail slash. (Passive) Price:1000 2. Aura of fear. Burst the aura of fear towards the surrounding by 1km radius rendering any weaker creature to feel utterly weak. (Passive) Price: 2000 3. Hyper regeneration. Giving the host the ability to heal any injuries at an extreme speed. (Passive) Price:3000 4. Body growth. Everyday host body will grow by one meter in length and width accordingly. This also increases the host''s body passive skill effect by each day. (Passive) Price:20000 5. Medium control. Allowing the host to talk through the medium. Price:10000 Analyzing the skills. I was surprised by the effect of these skills particularly the body growth skill. "Well, it''s not like I have enough points to buy it now. Let''s take a look at the affordable one first." "The first and the second skills both combined is roughly amount to 3000 points. that''s gonna leave me behind with 800 left. And for the rest... I can''t buy them just yet." Deciding that a determined look appeared on my face as I directly purchased the two skills. - Back in the middle of the vast opening where soldiers seemed to be marching around in discipline. In one of the many tents towards the north side of the campsite, a huge middle-aged man could be seen sitting on a modest wooden chair while holding a glass of red liquid. Oddly enough the liquid inside this glass seems to be glowing with a slightly bleak red light. " Blood of the golden ravager... a king-class beast that could easily slaughter millions of innocent civilians'' lives. A truly terrifying existence back in his heyday and yet now it had been refined and turned into drinking water for humanity. hahaha... with this I can improve my strength by an enormous amount " The old man slowly smiled as he twirled around the glass of red liquid inside his hand but then moments later he abruptly stopped as his smile solidified into a cold expression. "Sadly I still require the blood of another king-class beast to try the next plan. For my plan to succeed I don''t care even if I have to slaughter the whole camp. As long as my plan can be completed... everything is doable." A cold glint of light flickered inside his eyes as he muttered those words slowly. -End of this chapter. Chapter 11 - 11.(New area) Back on the small Island. Now, Hiro is attempting to get used to his recently changed body as he rolled around on the ground... wrecking the small island into a flat area. After a couple of seconds of shaking around eventually, he halted... leaving behind a ravaged island. "Going downstream... and then hunt for points along the way. I doubt there will be a stronger presence than me in this small river so I dont have to worry about that." After saying so... Hiro slowly snaked his body onward into the river as his enormous and lengthy body plowed down a lengthy gully on the small island as if the island was split in half. Due to Hiro''s size and weight, the gully is roughly 30-50 centimeters deep and 1.5 meters wide. Passing into the warm river Hiro slowly swims downstream into the unknown as he leaned his gaze around admiring the elegance of aquatic panorama. Knowing that in his past life he had never been able to glimpse such scenery so in this new life he decided to slowly do things that he was unable to do before. The magnificent submerged plant fortress whirled around its leafy greens as the small creature around it sheltered themselves. Little did he understand if the river of his present area were to be discerned from above... there a giant 20 meters long shadow could be distinguished zigzagging down the river. Such a horrifying monster... even in his past world such a serpent would be classified as an ancient fossil. - After 5 hours of never-ending swimming eventually, the river began to become wider and deeper. From 50 meters wide it becomes 200 meters and from 8 meters deep to a whopping 30-40 meters deep. The underwater view also differed... numerous rocks and plants could be sighted scattered around throughout the whole picture as each corner of the river is crammed with colorful submerged plant fortresses. Hiro gradually swam ahead as he descended toward the bottom. Doing so he glimpsed myriad quantities of fish, but a little bit distinct from what he had hunted before. "Woah... they are extremely bigger than the fish that I had hunted before, ... wait does that mean the further downstream I went the bigger the creature will become?... oh yeah the same rules apply to the forest as well. The deeper you went the stronger the beast becomes." "Anyway, I''m gonna try to kill this group of fish right in front of me... " While mumbling this Hiro gradually plop his body flat behind a slightly large rock as he peeped towards a group of fish in front of him. "The biggest of them are close up to 4 meters long... but this one doesn''t seem to have razors like teeth or anything. Just a normal fish that got a little bit fat I guess. As for the rest, they look none threatening at all. It seems like the fish that I had encountered before was a different breed. Anyway, there are only 30 of them... let''s just do it." While saying this... the group of fish is gradually getting closer and closer with each second towards the rock. Knowing this... Hiro instantly initiates the Aura of Fear. Out of nowhere, a vast red energy circle blasted forth... Crashing into the group of fish. Instantly... as if incapacitated, all of them plummeted to the bottom while trembling seemingly being incapable to move. Hiro examined for a little bit longer... wanting to see how long can this skill''s influence last. Roughly 30-40 minutes later none of the fish appeared to move as if they had been disabled forever. A simple meal had been served and now what''s await them is death. "This skill is surprisingly useful... no need to waste energy chasing around for victim. Now it''s time to reap my harvest and keep hunting for more" He mumbled to himself as he snaked forward... - - - - About in the vast wilderness... *Boom!* *Arghhh!!* *Arghhhh!!!* Noises of blast and horrified shouting vibrated throughout the thickets. There... about in the forest, a group of soldiers is sprinting in a certain path as if something is hunting them from behind. Their faces are crammed with horror as they are scattered about like ???kroaches. one of the soldiers ran straight across the slim gap of large trees... galloping forward with no pause as his gun kept on firing towards the back. The muzzles of his gun rippled with red flashes as he swung his arm around towards his back... aiming randomly... "Damn you monster! damn it! damn it! damn it!!!..." He screamed with horror while he sprinted forward with no hesitancy. as he was galloping... *Rumbles!* *rumbles* The ground began to tremble as an enormous shadow kept on broadening from behind him. Closing in at such an awful momentum. Each stride of this beast forged a large footprint on the ground.. trees were shoved aside like breeze. *Rumbles!* *cracks!* *Rumbles!* "Fuck!!" The soldier understood that the creature is chasing up to him closer and closer putting him with no alternative other than to... "DAMN IT!! I WON''T DIE LIKE THIS! DAMNN YOU MONSTER!!" He instantly swiveled his gaze behind towards the monster while snatching a round-shaped black object dangling on his waist. The gun had already run out of ammo leaving him behind with no other option. A firm look emerged on his face as he stood still like a solid rock. Staring the monster getting closer to him with each moment. *Stomp!* *Stomp* *Stomp!* Eventually, the colossal creature appeared before him... draping him with darkness as he gazed at the creature with ugliness and despair. Despite this... he clasped the oval-shaped object even harder than previously. "It''s either you or me you damn beast!. In the name of the great Founder! To the glory of the empire!" He rapidly propels the oval-shaped object towards the creature with no hesitancy. *BOOM!* - End of this chapte Chapter 12 - 12 (First encounter?) "That was a good yield... a total of more than 40000 points. The larger the fish the more point they will contribute me with." Currently, Hiro is sprawling his large body next to the river as he plops flat on the ground. Though because of his darkish green skin color... from afar, he melts in with the surrounding. It would take more than one look to discover his presence. But of course, that only applies to land creatures... as for flying ones they are 100% sure to catch sight of Hiro''s giant body from above. "Oh yeah... I never really tried exploring the forest area before. Now that I''m this big I don''t think there will be any problems for me to face off any stronger beast." Deciding that... he unhurriedly slithered his way into the wilderness as a lengthy gully was plowed behind him. Slowly leaving the trail that a massive monster was here before. At the height of 5 meters. Hiro''s head protruded tall above the small trees as he wormed onwards. Wrecking numerous trees and gravel along the way. Much smaller creatures saw the incoming looming dark green giant serpent as he pushed further and further. To no alarm each tempo, he snaked forward the surrounding smaller beast had already galloped away for their life. Who would be foolish enough to stay and see what possibly can a huge snake do to them?. - Deep inside the forest... a soldier covered in black heavy armor currently is leaning his back against a shady tree. A bit covered as the area is coated by tall and lush thickets. The remains of fallen armed soldiers were dispersed around the area as many of them had despair on their expression before death. Seemingly to be frightened of something... Though his circumstance doesn''t appear to be good. His left arms had already been torned apart as the blood keeps oozing out uncontrollably. He tightly wrapped the wounded area with his right arm as he tightened his face with pain. Enduring the immense discomfort as he b?r?ly could gasp. For one gasp of air feels like torment to him as beads of sweat slowly seeped down from his forehead. *Heavy breathing* "I... can''t make it... huh" *Heavy breathing* "Liana I can''t make it... I-..." The man slowly whispered those words as he stared dumbly at the dirt. Tears started to roll down from his cheeks as he gritted his teeth with grief. "I can''t... make it... if only I had listened to... you before..." A glimmer of sadness and despair occurred on his face as his tears trickled about onto the dry ground. The former glorious soldier of the great founder is now no more than an ordinary man. A man that wished undone his decision to take on this duty and a father that will never be able to see his daughter from now on. "I''m losing a lot of blood... and it''s getting hard to breathe...It seems I won''t be able to be with our daughter... Raising her together..." "I had already planned many things for us to do...hahaha... You see... I had already booked tickets for the capital. You had always told me how much you yearned to go there. Hahaha." "..." "In the name of the great founder... to the glory of the Empire..." He slowly mumbled those words as his sight started getting blurry. His breathing also begun to slow down as his heartbeat, deteriorating. Suddenly *Creaked* *Crack* Sounds of the tree being pushed apart trembled in front of him. This abrupt noise instantly startled him... though his existing conditions don''t enable him to flee if it''s were to be a beast. "Damn it... can''t you let me have a peaceful death... my current condition alone is painful enough. I can''t bear to be eaten by a wild beast!". He gritted his teeth even more realizing that a beast might be arriving towards him. Maybe due to the smell of blood and scattered corpse around him, that attracted this beast. " Damn it!... damn it! why! why can''t just this world let me die in peace!!" "Why?! cant-!" "Oh, I wonder why..." Suddenly out of the blue a thunderous vast voice interrupted him from completing his sentence. Listening to this a terrible hunch materialized inside his heart as anxiety started to flood his entirety. "Who! who''s there!" He screamed hysterically... as panic filled his face. He drifted his gaze around with vigilance seemingly to be scanning for the source of the voice. "Come out! show yourself,! do you think I''m scared of you?!." He once again yelled as he attempted to stand up while leaning his back against the tree. Though his vision is a bit blurry that still doesn''t restrict his view. Normal imperial soldiers under the great banner of the founder each one of them is 10 times powerful than ordinary humans. That only indicates that each part of his body had been enhanced tremendously far above any normal human. He had been through multiple wars and battles on the front line but this is the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon. A mysterious voice emerging out of nowhere?. His intuition warns him that something is watching him... but the horrible part is that he is unable to detect where or what it is. "Show yourself! do you think I''m afraid of you!... Trust me if you don''t show yourself I will find you and rip you apart!" Terror gripped his mind way too vastly vacating him behind with no more reasonable sense in the way of reasoning. Who would provoke a mysterious existence while they are in their vulnerable situations?. Surely imperial soldiers won''t be that inexperienced?. But to no surprise, his heart is too tightened with panic leading him to such situations. "Look above you... I had always been here. it''s just you who still haven''t noticed me." The strange voice once again hissed. Hearing this he instantly swiveled his gaze upward... but the picture that would appear next into his visions would permanently terrify him... until the afterlife. "What!!!??" -End of this chapter. Chapter 13 - #13(New creature?) Glancing upwards where the voice abruptly emerged from. There existed an enormous dark thin creature with two red glowing eyes staring back down towards him. Strengthening in with the height of over 6-7 meters tall and the eerie human-like smile on its face... such a picture would immediately horrify an ordinary human if it were to be glimpsed. The sky had already dimmed a bit furthermore the color of the greenish nature had altered into hazy black. Giving the view of such a creature a taste of ghastly. Though it had been a sheer second within his first glance. It instantly frightened him throughout his entirety. His scalp went senseless as his pupils broadened with a glimmer of fear!. Gazing back dumbly towards the creature as his body appeared to be petrified... incapable to move. If previously breathing was difficult enough... now it had land to a full halt as his back is drenched in cold sweat. ''Noooo!! I can''t move and speak! what''s happening!'' He shrieked internally as his body shivered in fear. The monster kept on staring down towards him as his smile widened more and more until it filled in the lower half of its face. The sluggish wind blew by as the tree''s coating fluttered... b?r?ly adding in the already frightening sight with an even more depressing atmosphere. "So... aren''t you gonna rip me apart in half?" The monster unexpectedly spoke as it was squatting down towards the man. The two red glowing eyes the size of a football gazed intensely towards the man as the eerie smile on it revealed a line of upsetting red teeth bathed with blood. "Come on... I''m waiting" The monster once again spoke in a heavy growled voice. Sadly the man was powerless to move nor can he talk. All he could do was to pray inside his heart. Pray that his demise would be beautiful enough that there will be no pain. 5 seconds passed... 30 second... and soon a full minute had departed by as the same picture still transpired. The ever-smiling monster and the small puppet. Waiting for death as he had already realized his fate was plugged from the minute this monster appeared. "A.. what a pitiful human. Bold words but with no backing" The monster slowly lamented as he unfolded his arm seemingly to be disappointed. While doing so... the monster slowly veered his gaze away from the human as he stood back up on his two sickle-like feet. "Oh well... have fun little ant" While the monster was speaking... he unhurriedly strode away as the man behind fell onto the cold ground... appeared to be ultimately unrestricted. Being able to move and such. plummeting onto the ground, the man instantly coughed for air as his eyes ogled intensely at the back of the terror. Fear, confusion, and several others feeling surged his mind as such abrupt actions made by the monster were too odd. Would a monster spare a human life just because it was boring?. Surely that would not be the case or could it be the final certainty?. But one thing for sure had happened and that was he is still alive. *Thump!* *thump!* *thump* Silence gradually engulfed the whole area as the only sound that could be heard was the monster''s heavy footsteps. Slowly leaving away without looking back as if those words from before were true. But deep down inside his heart... he knew that something is not right. ''I have to get out of here... but my injuries might not allow me to do so... even if I managed to escape from this forest. My condition won''t allow me to live longer. damn it!'' The man secretly thought inside his heart as he was still staring with alertness. As the monster was walking away... the man still hasn''t realized that the smile on the monster''s face... it''s still there. *Thump* *thump* thump!* The everlasting heavy footstep sounds rippled across the area as it slowly unfolded and dripped into the man''s pair of ears. Suddenly, the monster halted walking entirely as it stood still with its back overlooking the hopeless man. At the height of 7 meters with a thin line body. A horrible face added with the eerie, human-like smile covering the lower half of its face. A creature... of nightmare. Seeing this... panic clasped the man''s heart as his body began to shudder once again. Not knowing what would occur next... the fear of the unknown. Dots of sweat seeped about on his forehead as he slowly clamped his fist. ''I knew it! I knew it! this monster is a fraud! a fraud!'' Yelled inside his heart. ''Damn it! damn it! I can''t die like this! I can''t!-'' As he was nearly to mumble those words within... the monster''s head unhurriedly rotated 180 degrees facing him as the smile on it become wider and broader. One''s eyes could see that the blood basin mouth is filled with wriggling worms. A horrible sight indeed!. The moonlight shaded about onto the land vacating behind enormous darkness shrouding the whole forest. The gust flew by with no quickness enlarging in the calming death noise of the darkness. The man''s expression directly comes to be unsightly as it was filled with terror. "Noooo!!!!" -end of this chapter. Chapter 14 - #14(Toying with) The monster rapidly dived ahead towards the crippled man as he unraveled an extended dark sickle-like arm evidently prepared to grind that man in half. *Boom!* The earth shook as the soil beneath the monster burst shortly after it jumped forward with incredible force. Watching this... the crippled man directly fled with urgency. But to no avail... the degree at which he could accomplish in such circumstances don''t enable him to do so. if only he is presently in his best condition then fleeing won''t be a difficulty. Not even a second enacted the monster had already appeared before him as he hoisted his sickle-like arm upward with a large smile on its lower face. The piercing red glowing eyes gazed deeply into the man''s heart as it was filled with disdain and mischievousness. The high 7 meters physique overlooked above the tiny ant as the silhouette of such a figure shrouded the whole person. Understanding that the following moment he might potentially perish the man gritted his teeth as he attempted to back away. Believing that the smallest possibility of survival might be capable of his actions. He rapidly exhorted every strength in his body to function to the utmost while gritting his teeth. *Swoosh!* *Boom!* The monster without an indication slashed down with vast pressure resulting in an enormous blast occurring. Luckily the man avoided at the last juncture... inched away from the blade-like weapon from chopping his body from top to the bottom. However, next, he was blasted 10 meters away while his right arm clasped tightly onto the wounded area. "Arghh!!!" The man shrieked in discomfort as he withstood the continuous pain of his fleshy wound moving around. Similarly, as if a pig was being peeled alive. A terrifying sense of pain that could instantly knock out an ordinary human in a flash. Not wanting to allow the human to rest... the monster directly sprinted forward with a horrible momentum as the soil shivered due to its heavy footstep. "Hahaha, you better duck down! or else you might lose your head hahaha!" The monster cracked up crazily as he slashed horizontally towards the man. "Shit!" Glimpsing the incoming death from the right... His pupils rapidly enlarged as he urged his body frantically once again to duck down!. *Swooosh!* *Sizzles!* *boom!!* "Arghh!!..." Overcoming that he instantly galloped in the opposite direction where there existed a giant boulder roughly 10 meters in size. But unexpectedly! *swoosh!!* "You are very sluggish hahaha!!... enough fiddling around. it''s time to finish you off." The monster unawares emerged next to him in an instant!!! without a warning nor noise!. what''s there left to be determined would be the gust of dust that materialized around it. Implying that this monster had stridden here with abrupt physical force alone. A horrified look occurred on the man''s face as his eyes magnified in panic. While he was about to take the next step, the time appeared to be decompressed as the monster sliced down towards the man. But this time it is a lethal one. All of those that had transpired before were simply an act. An act of playfulness toying with one''s heart and sanity, while he was battling to stay alive. "It seems this is it" the man mumbled as he watched the ever coming of death with despair. "Now now... don''t die too quickly..." "Who?!!" *Boom!* By the immediate interval of a new unusual voice, an enormous eruption materialized as the monster was blasted a hundred meters away into the forest. The man also was propelled away by the large force produced against the wind as the area between the two from before had already been sunken into a large crater with dust all around it filling up the sky. "Hey, you ant... try to stay alive a little bit longer won''t ya?... I need to ask you some important questions." the mysterious voice once again sounded but this time the dust in the large crater was waved away by a huge tail and eventually moment later a large behemoth could be glimpsed existing there in the middle of it. The oddly patterned skin outline with the elegant darkish green color of it. Added with the rectangular-shaped head as the long-bladed-like tongue flickered about outside it. The emerald-colored slit pair of eyes giving off a sense of noble and sovereignty. "Now who might you be???" An arrogant voice filled with an authoritative tone suddenly came over as a dark shadow leaped up onto the sky from within the wilderness hundred of meters away. Plummeting back down next to the new behemoth that had appeared. *Boom!* *Dribbles!* the earth next to Hiro was caved in as a huge monster squatted there with dust all around him. The red glowing eyes stared towards Hiro''s face with curiosity and resentment as he slowly stood up and unbend his back. "Me?... I''m just an existence that is more exceptional than you..." Hiro unhurriedly answered back with a heavy tone as the smile on the monster''s face vanished. -End of this chapter. Chapter 15 - 15(Monster vs monster) "We are of the same kind... but I wonder, why are you defending that ant?..." The giant spoke with a questioning tone while his breath heightened. Evidently to be prepared for an ambush ?ssault. Surely he didn''t believe Hiro not even the slightest bit, but of course who would trust an abrupt visitor? such reasoning can''t be applied here in the forest. "Well... I have my reasons" "Care to tell me what it is?..." "No... you don''t deserve to." "Now I hope you may leave so that we can resolve this peacefully. Isn''t my idea the best of all outcomes?." Listening to this... a skeptical look arose on the thin monster''s face. What does a monster lack from a lowly ant?. Is there a mystery of some sort?. ''And also he''s quite a pretentious guy... bold enough to order me around?... hehe let me enlighten you a lesson.'' The monster secretly thought inside his heart. "Oh? I''m sorry but I wish to kill him. Uh oh, it seems that I might not be able to fulfill your so-called best outcome huh?" The monster smirked as he bridged his arm on his ?h?st. Showing the sight of superiority and arrogance. Sadly Hiro was not deterred in the smallest but rather, he confirmed that the monster in front of him have no motive of backing away. Surely arrogance is a fatal disorder even back in his past life it had become an ordinary thing in his society. Is a society so-called? or was it a damned mixture of hate?. Surely both are accurate. "Then you can disappear for me!" Since the monster in front of him possess no intention of backing away. Hiro instantly sentenced him to death as he was in a rush... because while he was wandering before. He had requested some knowledge respecting this continent. And surely what he had attained from such questions terrified him... He does not wish to lengthen the fight but rather, he preferred to end it hastily. At first, he speculated that the monster would agree with him suitably but the fact opposed his expectation. "Humph bold worm! let me teach you how to respect those who are stronger than you!" The monster thundered as he swung down his arm with no hesitation. In reply to such development... Hiro directly slammed his tail forth towards the incoming attack. The ground throbbed as the earth around them broke down into a cow-web-like image. Primarily directly in the middle of the clash as the ground beneath it had been curved meters below. "Hahaha! you are quite a powerful worm! no wonder you are bold enough to order me around! but sadly this is not my full strength! take this!" A burst of dark light materialized in front of the monster''s mouth as the aura in the surrounding area gathered into a ball of dark light. While both his arm and hero''s tail were still entangled. Confronted in a battle of pure physical strength. "Humph!" "Tail slam!" Hiro instantly withdrew his tail which directs to the monster falling off balance and suspending his attack as he had been focusing on gathering the dark energy light. "Damn it! you worm!" the monster bent forward as he tried to recover his balance once again. *boom!* The monster was blasted back as the tail had shoved his head propelling him to glide backward wrecking into many trees and boulders hundreds of meters away. A lengthy gully could be seen in the monster''s direction as it had devastated many trees flanking aside. "Arghhhh! you damn worm!" The monster was incredibly irritated as his dignity had been trampled from that attack previously. "You''re not that powerful... it felt like I am stepping on a bug." "You dare call me bug?!! I will rip you apart! I swear in the name of the great demon sovereign!" "Come then!" Exceptionally angry... the monster darted towards Hiro recklessly as he unsheathed his long sickle-like arm to his side. "Die!" "Humph bug!" *Boom!* *boom!* *Boom!* In mere seconds, both of them had traded many blasts towards each other. The monster''s face presently is incredibly hideous as he had understood that during all these times Hiro had prevented all of his attacks while injuring him at the same time. "I can''t believe this! I AM A GIFTED CREATION! I CAN''T BELIEVE THAT A MERE WORM LIKE YOU CAN DEFEAT ME! HARRGHHHH!" "Humph! what gifted creation! you a merely a bug!" "DAMN YOU!" Instantly the monster''s ?ssault rate comes to be faster and faster as he howled hysterically. Though his body is now badly mutilated all around... from top to the bottom with many bloody lengthy gashes. To no alarm... Hiro still blocked all of the storms with relaxation as a pinch of a smirk emerged on his face. Chapter 16 - 16(Killing off the loser) "Humph... you can die now!" While declaring this Hiro instantly lashed his tail towards the monster from the right as his head pushed straight for the monster''s neck. Noticing this... the monster rapidly attempted to prevent the tail with both of his arms while he began moving his body backward... A sense of urgency had already crammed his heart as he presently understood that the monster right in front of him hold the ability to kill him. but to his alarm, Hiro Instantly retracted the tail mid-air as his upper body vaulted forward to the vulnerable neck. He was incredibly thunderstruck and unprepared as he had already concentrated his defense on the decoy ?ssault. "Shit! you fooled me!" acknowledging that he had been cheated, terror flooded within his heart as he strived to obstruct the incoming sudden attack from the front. But to no avail... Hiro''s head flown through his vulnerable guard attempt and instants later his neck was chomped and fastened around him was a large dark green serpent. "Arghhh! get off me!" "Humph!... just so you know I''m exceptionally poisonous hahaha!" "And also I wonder how much can your body endure?... let''s test it out!" "DAMN YOU! HARGHHH!!!" Hiro without even the subtlest concern twisted his body around the monster as he slowly mashed his bone and internal organs into chunks. Feeling the sudden pressure covering his body... an explosion of fear soon flooded his mind as he proceeded to frantically flailed around his body onto the ground. Trying to get Hiro off of him... Hiro as not to be beaten... pierced the neck even deeper as he began injecting a large quantity of poison into the monster''s body. "Harghhhh!!!! stoppp!!!" The monster screeched in pain while wrecking on the ground. He can feel it! he can feel that his body is being crushed! he can feel that the poison is penetrating his body!... "ARGHHHH!!! Don''t! wait!! don''t kill me!!!... I''m willing to be your slaves! HARGHHH!??!" His body started to go numb as blood keeps on oozing out from his mouth... his eyes broadened in panic as this was his very first time experiencing fear. The fear of death... the only thing that he had been providing others all this time... and now... he will be receiving it on his own... the flavor of it. "NOOO!!! I curse..d you! to... deat..h..!" He wailed in despair and agony as his body gradually halted moving... instants later he entirely lost his breath as his eyes turned dark and lifeless. "Ding congratulations to the host for slaying (A demi Emperor class monster), gaining 70000 points" "Humph... finally!... and he also provided a lot of points for me. I had already bought all of the skills before as I was travelling here... leaving me behind with hardly less than 10000 points. Now that I had recovered this many points I can starts laying down lazily somewhere and let my body growth skills kick in. " "Wait isn''t there a term for such things?... was it passive income?... Anyways I don''t like to move around too much... and doing so might be confirmed as a big danger. I do not want to attract those stronger monsters'' attention hidden deep within this forest. The wisest choice for me now would be to lay down for a while and let the skills do their business... and after I attain a specific amount of strength then I will go out." "And I quote (Thou shall not waste any energy on the pointless), ~The great lazy master" "System brings out my panel" "Ding" Species: Mutated snake. size: 20m in length 1.5 m in width. Points: 78600 Skills: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 8%(Passive) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): an extremely fatal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact. (Additional poison fangs) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 8%(Permanent passive) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 8%(Passive) 6. Steel tail slash. (Passive) 7. Aura of fear. Burst the aura of fear towards the surrounding by 1km radius rendering any weaker creature to feel utterly weak. (Passive) 8. Hyper regeneration. Giving the host the ability to heal any injuries at an extreme speed. (Passive) 9. Body growth. Everyday host body will grow by one meter in length and width accordingly. This also increases the host''s body passive skill effect by each day. (Passive) 10. Medium control. Allowing the host to talk through the medium. (Passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 1000000 Looking at the panel... a pleased expression came upon his face as he ?ssessed each one of his skills with curiosity. "Wait... where did that ant go?" -end of this chapte Chapter 17 - 17(The great founder?l) "Haaa! Haa! Haaa!" *breathes* noises of heavy breathing could be heard trudging itself someplace inside the wilderness "A little bit more! just a little bit more!... and then I will be free from this nightmare! hahaha!" Soon the noise of a maniacal laugh throbbed... as if the possessor of this voice is crazy or desperate. "There it is! Hahaha, I''m back home! I''m home!" A glimmer of happiness soon shimmered on the man''s face as he limped forward with a poorly injured body towards the camp right in front of him. "Hey!!... it''s me! Heyy!!" "Heyy!! anyone there!!! Heyy!" The man once again yelled as he arrived at the camp territory... but the picture that appears next into his eyes was nothing more than utter sadness. "This??!! what happened here!! What the hell happened!!! Anyone!??!! hey!!!" The once open area that was crammed with tents is now no more than a space filled with scattered dead bodies. Numerous corpses stacked up against each other as the color red drenched the whole view. Some had lost their lower body while some had their head appears to be bitten off. Each one of them was a glorious and respected soldier of the great founder but now they are no more than a large mound of nutrition for wild creatures. "Arghhh!!! this can''t be happening! this was my only hope!!! argh!!" The man shouted hysterically as he plops down onto his knee with anguish. Tears started to drip about onto the ground as he clenched his ?h?st with a pained look. "Nooo!! noo... this can''t be happening... this can''t!..." the man murmured as he slowly closed his eyes in sorrow... attempting to hold onto the tears. "This was my only chance to return home... and now... it''s gone... " "There you are! " "Who?" Hearing this... But then he regretted doing so... he should have had suspected it already. That his expectation was simply too ignorant in this horrible world. There behind him... a 20 meters long snake slumped there silently while staring at him with those 2 Emerald-colored eyes. "Wa-wait!...don''t kill me!... please let me live!... I''m willing to do anything!" The man immediately plops down as he banged his forehead aggressively again and again onto the ground. Appearing to be pleading for his life. But, Hiro doesn''t care about such a silly topic. The main reason he had saved him from before was solely to gain some information regarding the human on the upper continent. "I do not care of your little life... now answer me... I want you to clarify the hierarchy of your humanity from the place you originated from." "I-.. ye- yes?... " ''Why would a monster like him ask such a question? ... and will he not kill me?... can I believe him?. No!... I don''t have any other alternative... if I don''t do what this monster told... I''m 100% dead!'' "My lord... the place that I originated from, are dominated by the great Emperotus empire... The highest power in charge of the whole empire is the 4 great founders." "Hoo an empire?... and great founder? is that a title?" "Ye-yes my Lord... the great founder is a title for the 4 great ancient lords. They are the oldest human being on our continent and they are also the most powerful existence." "How powerful is it? can you be more specific?" Hiro inquired with interest. How strong are those founders? are they stronger than him?. "I''m not exactly sure... but there was a history of their battle for the number one position on the continent. It had been portrayed as the most catastrophic event that had ever transpired for the last 200 thousand years. Some records stated that the continent was split apart while the other had stated differently. Since then none of them contended again... because the consequence of their battle had shattered the whole ecosystem that it took thousands of years to recover." "I see... " Hearing the human description... an understanding of concern arose within Hiro''s heart as he was utterly surprised at how the battle of those founders was recorded. ''Continent splitting apart? man what kind of world am I in?. Even Naruto can''t do that!! I''m boned! no, I''m toasted!...'' "M-my lord? can I go now?" The man begged politely as he was worried that the large behemoth in front of him would abruptly kill him. "Go now... you can leave" Since the human serve him no more purpose. Hiro simply let him leave... yes the likelihood of him revealing Hiro''s existence is nonetheless there but the possibility of him dying due to his injuries is more likely to happen. Added with the place that he is presently in... Hiro is 100% sure that this human will die. The small human instantly left the area with joy on his face... "What a pitiful human... But his fate resides on his shoulder alone. If the world had condemned him to death then who am I to interfere?... " Hiro slowly uttered those words as he glanced at the human... leaving into the forest. "Now I need to stay low-key and keep developing bigger... When I have reasonable strength I will go and try to visit the human continent if that is possible." "And I quote (Thou shall not bother others unless provoked first)~The greatest lazy man" Having determined that... He gradually slithered his way back to the forest. While doing so... he glimpsed that some of the bodies had a knife mark on them... appeared to be done by another human. ''Internal dispute huh? bet it was because of greed'' Hiro whispered to himself as he slowly exits the area. End of this chapte Chapter 18 - 18(Spacious enough?) 1 month departed by in a twinkling of one''s eyes. The gentle sunlight soaked the land with the usual as the wild creatures committed to their day-to-day routine. Someplace next to a river... a group of well-equipped human soldiers is traveling about along the slightly clear path next to it. Trekking down the river as if they were searching for something. Among the group of soldiers, a woman in red scarlet armor with long reddish hair stood proudly in the middle while fidgeting with a translucent screen in front of her. *Beep* *beep* *beep* "Hey, Keylon... are you sure this device is working?" Asked the woman towards a man standing next to her. Standing proudly at the height of 1.9 meters with a long and loose black robe. A huge metallic staff seems to be connected to his back added with the white smirking mask. Hearing the woman''s doubtful words, he answered back casually in politeness. "My lady, this device is 100% working. it just that we might still not be in the approximated area yet. We will have to venture a little bit longer... sooner or later it will tell us if any changes occurred" "Well... alright then. But I warn you this one time... if this plan failed because of this stupid device. I will send you to the purgatory land. Remember!..." "Of course My lady... your orders are at my command" The man bowed slightly as he clenched his arm onto his ?h?st. Seeing that her bodyguard doesn''t seem to be deterred. A sense of dissatisfaction thickened inside her heart. "Humph! let''s move on... I do not want to waste too much time here..." She snorted slightly while conveying Keylon a chilling stare. "Yes Milady" Soon they immediately walked about downwards the river. Following along the narrow path in between the large majestic trees next to it. - Hours departed by and it''s already getting dark... and yet they still haven''t found the thing that they had been searching for all this time. "Arghhh! damn it! You said sooner or later this device will pick up a signal from that place! now tell me what''s happening!. It had been a full day and not a single signal had been detected!" The woman shouted with anger as she glared at the tall man in front of her. "My lady... this forest is extremely large. It would be impossible to find that place in one day." The man responded politely... as he tried reasoning with the woman. "Are you trying to question me back! you slave trash! know your place! if not for my father you won''t even be here today!" The woman quickly retorted with harsh words, seemingly to be mocking him. "My lady... please calm down. This little one was simply trying to clear things up." The man bowed his head with utmost honesty as his words were filled with seriousness. Surely she would believe it. "This?... mhmm... well what you said does make sense. But I''m hoping to find this place before the tournament proceeded. I need to quickly increase my strength so that I can enter the Capital Academy." "Of course my lady. I promise you by the next day. We will be able to find it." "Then we will find a temporary shelter for tonight. I''m tired already." "Yes, my lady... " The men in guard and Keylon all replied in unison and quickly fled off to search for a satisfactory place for sleeping. Minutes later... luck was on their side as they had found a b?r?ly wide opening next to a river with a C-shaped large ring encircling it. It was exceptionally wide and spacious... added with its layer. "We will set up a camp here tonight... go set up my tent for me... as for you guys cook me some food." "Yes!" Oddly enough the C-shaped ring doesn''t seem to be "natural" as if it was purposely carved there by someone. But none of them noticed this tiny issue... since they are putting all of their efforts into setting up the tent. *Yawn* "Hey... is the food ready yet?" "Yes My lady... it is ready now" one of the soldiers replied as he hurriedly brought to her a plate filled with food. "Put it on the table now! I''m so hungry! hurry... hurry..." The woman said as her eyes brightened with happiness. A slight reddish color could be seen on her pale white cheek making her look extremely cute. "Hurry... hurry! I''m hungry!..." "Yes, my lady." Seeing the orderly arranged food plates on top of the table right in front of her... she immediately picked up a spoon and next dipped it into the taste. "Mhmm!!!... delicious as always!!!" Without her realizing it... Keylon is secretly admiring her looks with his silver-colored eyes. As he glanced towards her cheerful face with a loving expression. ''You have grown up into such a beautiful woman... though sometimes your words were a little bit harsh. But I don''t mind such things. We had already made a promise before... but sadly you had forgotten about it...'' He secretly mumbled inside his heart. As he appreciates her every movement with a doting expression. ''Even if I will have to destroy the whole world... if it''s for you then I''m willing'' A flash of silver light glittered inside his eyes. As a firm gaze appeared next. end of this chapte Chapter 19 - 19(Im simply watching) After hours departed by soon all of them went to slumber in their respective tents. And of course, the largest tent belongs to the woman. "Hey, Keylon..." She raised a question to him with a flat manner as she gazed dumbly at her pillow next to her. "What is it, my lady..." He answered back as he was standing guard outside of her tent. "Well... I had always been wondering this. You are a high-level Warlock, right?" Listening to this a subtle pause came out under the mask. "No my lady... I think you have the wrong opinion of me. " "You don''t have to lie... I already know the facts all along." She twirled her eyes around as an annoyed look appeared. "... yes... yes I am... " "See!... but why though?... why would you be my family servant?... with your strength you can easily attain an honorable title in the capital." "Well... I just feel like it... " Keylon responded casually as he conceals a small curl of a smile under the mask. "Huh?" she blurted with amazement at his response as if she was looking at an idiot. "That''s the dumbest thing that I had ever heard... Oh well, I won''t force you to spill it out. Everyone has their secrets." ''Even I have some secrets that even my father aren''t aware of'' she whispered inside. "Have a good sleep my lady..." "Alright, Good night!" ''...'' "Good night my lady..." He unhurriedly slipped those words softly as he veered around his gaze towards the flowing river. Reflecting the panorama of the nightlife within his crystal blue eyes hidden under the mask. ''Good night my dearest one... Evelyn'' - Without them realizing... a fan was watching all of the drama from up close. ''Woahh!! what the hell is this?... a hidden prince and a trouble maker lady?...'' Hiro cried out inside his heart as he had seen all of those dramas around them. ''But they are quite brave though?... to camp out here in the forest... especially during the night... and especially next to me?... hahaha'' ''And that guy... he''s quite strong for a human'' Hiro confidentially praised Keylon as he gazed towards the camp. ''Should I play a little bit of prank on them?...'' suddenly a ridiculous idea arose inside his mind as his eyes constricted into playfulness. ''Why not? hahaha'' - "she''s already asleep... now I should check this place properly. Because I can feel it... there''s another existence here. But it doesn''t seem to be hostile. It just... there..." Keylon slowly walked towards the C-shaped mound encircling this area. Arriving next to the mound Keylon analyzed the texture and the hardness of it as he brushed it with his staff. "This? doesn''t seem to be natural... and it seems to be manmade. But who would create such a thing here in the middle of nowhere? and for what reason?." He pondered for a moment and then proceeded to investigate. He strolled a bit straight ahead for a while and soon he arrived at the end of the "mound". " Hmmm? it''s oddly shaped over here... a bit rectangular... and... a bit too dark." "Will of light... " *Sizzles* Suddenly a burst of light materialized... floating next to him as he waved his staff guiding it towards the "weirdly shaped mound". " It''s quite tall... over 2 meters... and the width of it... also 2 meters? and a bit more added with the oddly shaped rectangular..." "Wait... this doesn''t seem to be right?..." A bad hunch came out inside his heart... as he began to reminisce some of the animal beast books that he had studied before. ''Oddly shaped is one of them... a demon below the creak as they slithered their way into our land. Ravaging the ground, the air... and every aspect that could be dominated. The serpent.'' He vaguely recalled some of the text lines that he had memorized before regarding a certain monster race. *gasped* remembering those text lines... his breathing suddenly halted as his eyes widened in panic. "This mound can''t be...it right?" Keylon slowly said as a sense of urgency engulfed his mind. "But that''s impossible... this is just a random mound or a manmade one. It couldn''t be..." as he was about to finalize his words... he unhurriedly guided the ball of light closer towards it. As the ball of light was about to reach it... suddenly... a pair of eyes unraveled itself in front of him... as it commenced gazing towards his entirety with those cold Emerald-colored eyes. Cold sweat soaked behind Keylon''s back as his eyes widened in fear looking back towards it. "no way..." he mumbled those words slowly... as he tried taking a step backward. -End of this chapter. Chapter 20 - 20 (Go now!) ''Keep calm! keep calm!'' Keylon cried out inside his heart as his body gradually backed away from the giant serpent. While doing so Hiro''s eyes still kept his eye fixed on him. Watching the tiny ant performance... *Steps* *steps* *steps* Keylon gradually backed away as he lessened his breathing rhythm. Trying to express that he''s not here to provoke the serpent. ''Steady... just a little bit more... and then I will have to warn the others without them panicking or else this serpent might attack.'' ''It''s in their nature... unless hungry or provoked they won''t bother attacking. And this one seems to be chilling meaning that it has no intention to attack. But we need to leave quietly...'' Keylon speculated silently as he made his way backward. Though his senses are extraordinarily intensified to the fullest since the pair of eyes is still watching him. He is extremely nervous presently but he must remain calm at all times. To him, these couple of seconds had been an eternity. His back was drenched in sweat as his hand clasped tightly onto the staff. Soon he finally arrived at the biggest tent as he was still facing the Giant serpent. His plan worked! this serpent doesn''t seem to be disturbed by his action just now. He needed to leave this area quickly. Judging by the size of this serpent. It could be an emperor class monster... If an emperor class monster were to make a move here... not only them but this whole forest area might be obliterated. He is aware that there are many other teams from various noble families that had been dispatched here. To find the hidden palace... that could change one''s life. They are the future of the empire... if anything were to happened to them. Then the future backing of the empire will be cut off!. The consequence would be unimaginable if such things were to happen. Arriving in front of the tent entrance. Keylon slowly put his staff away onto his back as he unzipped the tent quietly. While doing so... he secretly transmitted a voice message to Evelyn''s mind. Only she can hear it... "My lady... please wake up." "Mhmm whoshh there??" Evelyn replied sluggishly as she was still half awake and half asleep. She gently ??r?ssed her eyes as she slowly stabilized her gaze towards the unzipped entrance. "My lady it''s me, Keylon... " "Huhhh ughmm? Keylon? what''s the matter?..." Her voice is still a bit muffled and b?r?ly clear. Though it sounds cute with her current looks. The pitch pink pajamas enhanced with her long messy hair draped all over her shoulder. Added with her pale like pink skin color. But Keylon didn''t have any time for this... as he is now under tremendous pressure and urgency. "My lady we need to leave this place quickly!" He deepened his voice slightly this time. Showing that he''s extremely serious. "What''s the matter, Keylon? why do we need to leave now? it''s still nighttime..." Evelyn asked with a puzzled face. Seeing the ever unmoving mask. Evelyn thought that Keylon''s sudden intrusion into her tent is extremely rude. She doesn''t recognize just how serious the expression is under the mask... "My lady... there''s a serpent very close to us... and it''s still in passive mode." "Serpent?..." "Yes, my lady we need to leave... now!" She tried collecting her thoughts properly and analyzed Keylon''s words one by one... "Serpent... leave... wait?!" Suddenly a breathtaking hunch came to her mind as she finally realized what Keylon was trying to explain!. "wait, a serpe-!" "MFhmmm! Mhmm!" She was about to shout those words in surprise but Keylon quickly appeared to her side and locked her mouth with haste. "My lady... do not shout. The serpent is extremely s?ns?t?v? towards sound. If we were to enrage it... none of us will be able to survive. not even me" "So please don''t shout... I''m gonna let go of you and then tried to wake the other... " Evelyn nodded eagerly and then Keylon slowly let go of her. "Then you go alert the other... just pack the necessary things and then we will leave towards the south" "Yes"... " Make sure not to make any loud noise" "I know!" Keylon hurriedly made his way to the next tent while Evelyn started cleaning and packing her stuff up. 10 minutes later... all of them had completed loading their bag and quickly ?ssembled in the corner of the area close to the river. And they did all of this very quietly... not even a sound was made during all those times. "Keylon where is this serpent?... I see nothing except trees." Evelyn asked Keylon curiously. As when she tried finding the so-called serpent... she sees nothing but trees and a large mound. "My lady... the whole encircling mound... is the serpent.." *Gasped* All of the soldiers and Evelyn gasped in cold air while their backs frosted with fear. "So we had been in this serpent area all along... it''s just we didn''t notice it since he''s so big." one of the soldiers blurted in surprise while explaining these. "Quick! we need to leave this area... " "Yes!" Evelyn ordered for them to leave and soon they escape the area with haste and cautiousness. end of this chapter. Chapter 21 - 21(Size does matter) "Hahaha... I didn''t even do anything other than unwrapping my eyes and yet they got frightened so much. Hahaha. Am I that terrifying? and here I thought that a serpent was supposed to be good looking among any other monster" Hiro chuckled as he slowly raised his head upwards. The towering height of his head being lifted alone stands at 20 meters. The surrounding birds immediately flocked away from their respective nest as the smaller animals around the area escaped frantically after seeing the abrupt appearance of a gigantic serpent head. "I sure have grown so much during this one month. Though I had not evolved yet. It was all because of my body growth skills that I become like this." From above... one could easily discern a massive serpent 60 meters in length while its head protruded high above the small surrounding trees. The length alone could easily cross the entire river. "During this one month, I did gain a large number of points but all of them came from fish and small creatures. I had never bothered to hunt any other king class or emperor class monsters. Because that would be foolish and go against my principles" "And those humans just now... they are not the only group that appears here today. I can sense many other groups nearby. But for what exactly?... is there some type of an event?." Hiro mulled over for a moment as he rubbed his scaly head with his tail. "Should I go and check it out?... I mean they pose no threat to me in any way. Just a bunch of ants... even if they called out for even more backup it won''t change anything." After mumbling that... Hiro slowly slithered his way into the forest as his body smashed many trees along the way. Surely his movement can easily be obvious but he can''t help it due to his size. A lengthy gully could be seen trailing behind his tail as he slithered forward. With a width of 2 meters and roughly half a meter deep. Hiro is simply giving favor to nature... making an artificial stream for water. To reduce his presence... he dropped his head slightly down to 10 meters as he kept pushing forward. He thought of this plan as a masterpiece but clearly, even a toddler could think of something better. ''The greatest place to hide is in plain sight!'' he thought to himself. Around 200km ahead... a group of young men and women encircled by hundred of guards are strolling about. But this section of the forest is a bit different from the other. Not only the trees here are dull in color. These trees are also extremely thin with no leaves on them. The ground is dark murky gray with not even a single grass all around. The only living thing that could be seen there would be the small and dark wriggling worm. "Senior Weyn... are you this is the accurate path?" Inquired an Old man towards a woman that seems to be in her thirties. "I''m pretty sure this is the correct way... according to this map that is. We have no other lead other than this map" She answered back unhurriedly as she glanced towards the map that she''s currently holding. "But senior if we follow this direction... we will soon arrive into the death worm emperor territory. This map is a total fraud!" The old man responded once again... "I know... all we have to do is to evade the monster then." "B-but that''s an emperor class monster! senior!" "It''s fine... I can handle it though it will take time." Finally... since he can''t win the stubborn woman to follow his advice. He stopped... and just let fate take its course of the event. "Sigh... then we will have to rely on Senior when we will be facing the emperor." he sighed silently... "As for you youngsters... when I will be fighting. Make sure not to run around and stick close to Elder Li..." Turning back toward the group of young men and women she quickly announced all of these. "Yes, senior we will!" They respond in unison. "Good!" she nodded in satisfaction... and then she shifted his gaze towards the middle of the crowd. "Ren you lead and keep the group in touch. Make sure everyone follows as ordered." Suddenly in the middle of the crowd... a slightly handsome man with long black hair stood out as he smiled and bowed politely. "Yes, senior... I will make sure they follow the rules." While saying this... he slowly tossed a glance towards another boy at the edge of this group. This boy is a bit more handsome than him but his outfit implied either that he is poor or doesn''t like to spend money on clothes. ''Humph this trash... today will be the day!... I will get rid of you and enter Mei Mei sight. Do you think you are better than me?... you''re just a poor bumpkin that somehow managed to enter the academy.'' He swore loudly inside his heart as his eyes flickered with a touch of hatred and jealousy. end of this chapter. Chapter 22 - 22. (Encounters) "Up ahead there should be a massive river... and then we will have to bridge it to reach the Death Mountain." Announced the woman to her side. "B-but senior that is the death worm emperor nest!... " "I know... don''t worry about the small details. I can deal with the death worm emperor on my own" "This...? But its-" "I said it''s fine!" This time the woman tossed a serious glance towards Elder Li. "Hiik!" He shuddered in fear... "Y-yes of course!" *giggles* *giggles* the group of students behind them snickered slowly... as this leads to his face being embarrassed. "Ehem! what are you guys laughing at! trust me when we get back home I will punish you guys to stand in front of the ancestral hall for 2 years!" He immediately hurls a death stare towards his student. *gasp!* "Hahaha Elder Li... we were just coughing hahaha!" One of the students responded while clasping both of his palms together. Seeing this Elder Li ?r??n?d heavily as he shifted his gaze back to the front. Next, they proceeded to move onwards. *Fuh* "You idiot why did you laughed so loud!" one of the students spoke towards his friend. "I can''t help it... I''m sorry" "Yeah, you are such an idiot!" Suddenly one of the female students criticized him. "I said I''m sorry!" "Yeah sure..." while this drama is happening... at the back of the group. A young man that appears to be out of place quietly shuts his eyes as if he''s marveling at something inside his mind. "If I can find a corroded spiritual jewel on this trip... I can easily break through to the next level. And then using my cheat-like ability... I should be able to clone it many times." Inside his mind... there appears to be a large ancient stove. It is black while around it are carefully carved inscriptions. In front of this stove stood a young man sitting cross-legged seemingly to be connected to it. "When I was at the auction house last time... I managed to buy this spiritual pearl. It can increase my comprehension capacities by 1% for each pearl. " He slowly snatches out a blue looking pearl from his sleeves and holds it inside his palm. "I only have one currently... but with this stove inside my mind... I can clone 10 of them every week!" The boy whispered to himself as a small arc of smile spiraled on his face. "With this, my strength can be improved by leaps and bounds!." "I am a heavenly blessed genius.. with this stove, I can easily crush those geniuses in the capital... " "But it will take time... staying low key is important for now. Especially since that Ren guy... I''m pretty sure he is gonna make a move on me during this expedition." Suddenly a cold and vicious expression emerged on his face. "Since you wanted me to die so badly then don''t blame me for what comes next" He coldly muttered these words. - *Cracks* *crashes* *cracks* Currently, Hiro is traveling the forest with his large body. Crashing into many smaller trees and boulders... mashing them along the way. "Man!! what a lovely day!... the glittering sunlight bathing my whole body. The gust of wind occasionally passing against me. What a peaceful day!" Hiro cheerfully murmured inside. "If I''m not wrong up ahead should be the area of another emperor... I think I had seen this emperor one time. It was a wriggling worm ugh... at that time I was just strolling around my area... cleaning up the weak king class monster and claiming my territory..." "I just somehow stumbled onto that guy when he was about to eat... ugh he looks so ugly..." During the one month time... Hiro had not been idle all around. To guarantee the tranquility of the whole area. He decided to ?ssert the area as his territory since he was already a demi emperor class at that time... the Death Worm Emperor territory is directly next to his territory. It is so apparent to distinguish since Hiro''s area is filled with lush and greenish forest. While the opposite is a barren land filled with corpses and dead trees. "But what with those groups of humans? what are they doing there?... " Hiro curiously asked while his eyes pierced through the void seemingly being able to detect their movement. "Is there something in this area? I think I should check it out... if it''s something beneficial to them then why can''t it be beneficial to me too?... LOGIC!" Having decided that... he slowly paved his way onwards while crushing many trees along the way. -End of this chapter. Chapter 23 - 23(Why are you here?) Someplace in the vast barren land stood an enormous mountain that encircled the whole horizon. This Mountain alone spanned itself hundreds of kilometers around the barren land providing the view a sense of magnificent. The height alone is close up to 14km high while many of the peaks aren''t pointy nor uneven. Many of these peaks are drilled with scattered small holes... if one were to see what''s inside they could only discern a never-ending emptiness. Each one of these holes is directly connected constructing a large arrangement of passage drilling its way down into the mountain core. As the hole went further and further down it will soon arrive in a large chamber crammed with dark crystals inside it. Each one of these crystals is the one that had been spoken of by that young man from before. A corroded crystal. Even further deep down... positioned inside a large lair within the mountain directly connected to a large pool of lava. Sat there a large existence with half of its body drilled inside the ground. The size alone is up to 50 meters long with its head filled with many razor-like teeth. Suddenly as if to be awakened by something... this existence slowly unwrapped his eyes as the ground trembled due to the coercion that it was emitting. "Hmmm? this aura..." an ancient growly voice echoed inside the cave. "It''s him... what is he doing here!" "This is my territory! is he trying to declare war on me!" A furious roar detonated within the cave as the mountain shivered heavily. "I''m not one to be pushed around! I will give him a warning first... but if he still insists on intruding on my territory... then I will kill him!" "As for those ants... humph... only one of them could threaten me as for the rest I will leave it to my army" A vicious look emerged on this existence so-called face as it slowly slanted his head upwards. Suddenly! *ROARRRRR!!!!!* *boom!* The existence roared with rage as the sound traversed upwards the hole. The cave instantly began to tremble intensely as much debris of dirt started to fell. When the sound reached outside through the hole. The clouds above the mountain were instantly dispersed around and scattered. Shaping a vacated C-shaped sky without anything within it. - Outside of the area... a bit further away from the majestic mountain. The same group of young teenagers is still journeying their way towards the mountain. *Trembles* *trembles*... the ground started to shudder while the trees around them swiveled from left and right. "Ahhh what''s happening?" "Is there an earthquake!?" Instantly many of them fled to the closest open area while trying to balance themselves from the trembling Earth. "This isn''t an earthquake..." the woman said while she''s glaring directly towards the mountain. As she was staring... a noticeable ring of air was rapidly looming and storming everywhere. "Everyone stay down! and close your ears!" She shouted with haste. "Hurry!" "Yes!" Everyone followed her orders while squatting down onto the ground... Suddenly... the wall of air swept through the area while blasting away a terrifying wind... many trees were uprooted as the ground trembled heavily. "Arghhh!! hold on tight! do not stand up!" Elder Li hurriedly shouted... The next seconds... *boom!* a deafening roar broke out from the mountain blasting the cloud and rippling throughout the barren land. "No wonder such things occurred... that thing roared. " The woman mumbled with a serious face. "Senior I think that the Death Worm Emperor had detected us already... " Elder Li replied while squatting next to her. "No, that thing won''t roar because of us... it won''t even bother to come to us... the only explanation is that something else is provoking him." "B-but Senior... what else could provoke an emperor class monster?" Suddenly, one of the students behind them asked curiously... "It should be another emperor class monster... There is no feasible explanation other than that." She replied... "This?... another emperor class monster?... Se-senior doesn''t that mean we are on their battlefield?" The student that asked from before instantly said with fear. "Yes, Senior... if another emperor is here... then we will be affected by their battle. I think we should leave this area for now." Elder Li immediately put forth his idea. "Hmmm... let me rethink-" Without her being able to finish her sentence... Out of nowhere *ROARRRRR!!!!* Another deafening roar exploded from another area... directing towards the mountain. But this time the roar is even boisterous and more dominant than the previous one. "Everyone duck!" *trembles* *trembles* *Boom!* The roar swept out across the barren land carrying with it a large amount of dust and rubble. "Stand still! don''t move around!" "Yes!!" -End of this chapter. Chapter 24 - 24 (Killing off the weak again) The deafening roar rumbled everything that is within its path... overturning many trees and boulders as if nothing could resist it. Even though the whole Barren Land had been brushed through by its sheer momentum alone but the continuous consequence that It brings is still there... lingering about into the next area. Minutes departed by and eventually, the commotion gradually settles down as the group of students and teachers began to get back up on their feet. Some had collapsed due to the explosive amount of exposure from the roar and some are even bleeding from their eardrum. "Check those who are wounded and start counting for our number! make sure everyone is here! hurry!" After gaining her senses... Senior Weyn immediately ordered them to act and try to save those in need. If she''s alone then that''s fine... since she can defend herself from any danger. But now she''s currently escorting a group of talent from her academy... if anything were to happen then she won''t be able to explain to the headmaster. "Yes, Senior!... quick!" "Over here! someone is bleeding!" "There bring him up and patch his ear..." "Yes!" The noises of hurried footsteps could be heard tiptoed about in the area while the other teachers that had recouped began to protect the group. "Senior... so far we had confirmed over 2 students that went missing... " Elder Li slowly came to her side and whispered... "What!... who is it?" She asked with disbelief... If some students were to die under her watch... her reputation will surely blacken when they got back. She is a Noble 10-star Magician! Reputation is a part of her life!. "It is a young man named Eli and Ren" "You said what? Ren?!" "U-uH... yes senior..." "Quick! we need to find him... he''s a good talent for our academy! he''s one of the few that possess the talent to reach 8 stars and above!" Hearing Elder Li''s words... her eyes immediately magnified in alarm as she hurriedly fled the area trying to search for these two students'' whereabouts... mainly for Ren. As for the other one... she doesn''t care. - Somewhere near a cave entrance that is directly connected to the mountain. A frightening scene currently unfolds itself in front of it as a cold and handsome young man is wringing the neck of another person with his right arm and lifting him up. "C-curshe! you TRASH!!" Ren attempted to scream towards Eli while his face is coming to be more purple while getting suffocated. He gritted his teeth heavily as blood started to seep out from his mouth. "Ren..." "You see I never bothered to chase after that woman that you liked so much..." "I never bothered talking to others..." "I never even tried to shine myself within the class..." "I had been constantly and constantly... trying to stay invisible..." "But..." "You... you just don''t know when to stop... " Eli coldly whimpered these words as the gust of death began to inundate Ren perspective. "You were the only one that had been constantly... trying to stop me... from staying invisible..." "How about I tell you a secret?... the so-called (invisible)that I''m trying to reach... is the only path of the strong" "The path that guarantees calmness as I orchestrate a melody of death towards others from behind the line..." "Remember those 5 missing students? oh, I wonder what happened to them... " Eli slowly muttered as he started to screech a small arc of a smile. His eyes shined with killing intent. "Y-You!!! it- was you!!!" As if to come into a realization... Ren pair of pupils immediately dilated in shock!... It is him the one who had slaughtered those students!... "Haha yes, it''s me!... how about you joining them? I think they are having fun there in the underworld! hahaha" "N-Nooo!" *Cracked!* *plop* Without giving him a chance... Eli immediately tightened his grip and broke Ren''s neck... instantly sending him off to the afterlife. "I should continue on deeper into this cave..." Having said that... He slowly paced his path into the darkness as behind his back stood a motionless corpse with desperation on its face. *Steps* *steps* *steps* The sound of his footsteps was gradually engulfed into the darkness as the cave zoomed out from the perspective. -End of this chapter. Chapter 25 - 25 (The start of a new battle) *steps* *steps* *steps* He gradually made his way into the cave while his eyes shined with luminous light. Distinguishing the enclosing walls with his eyes... searching for the so-called Corroded crystals. "From now on it will depend on my luck.. or else I will need to go deeper and deeper and that will be too harmful... this whole Mountain is a nest of death worms." He whispered on his own... "As for that roar from before... I think that it came from another emperor... to challenge the death worm emperor?. This is a normal thing inside the old continent... emperor battling for territories. And This is a good chance for me since the death emperor would probably be using his army to fight out there." - - - "A small branch... but doesn''t seem to have any worm nearby... I should proceed onwards." He rapidly made his way into the next hole... but to his shock... the hole began to come to be tinier and packed... "Shit... I think I need to utilize my magic here. But that might alarm the emperor... what should I do now...?" He contemplated for a moment before making any premature decision. A wise man needed to take his time before continuing into any type of situation but a child will barge in without a second thought. Moment later... "I should use my magic and then sprint forward as fast as I could... I also have that suppressing stone that can help me to hide my aura for a while." He slowly snatched an apparent rectangle stone from his sleeve and then clenches it within his palm. "Let''s do it..." suddenly he grated the stone into powder and then in the next moment... a visible white energy started to envelop him... coating his entire body. "This should do it... but I won''t last long. Roughly 30 minutes only. But that only applies to normal people... I already bought a map that has a detailed route inside this large nest which can boost my progress tremendously. Though it was extremely expensive" "Mortal art... the art of transformation" *poof* After chanting the spell... a poof of fog promptly swallowed his entirety while his body began to alter smaller and smaller. In the next second, a small reptile appeared on the ground. ''Hurry... hurry" He thought hastily... The small reptile quickly crawled its way through the small hole as it proceeded into the darkness. - Meanwhile outside of the cave... a couple of hundred kilometers away from here. "Ohh? someone died..." Hiro said in surprise "Sigh no matter what world it is... betrayal, greed, and jealousy would always remain intact within humanity" "As for the Death emperor... did he think I would be intimidated by his childish roar? Hahaha... Since he''s so kind to give me a warning why not I try and compromise with him." "It would be the best if I could avoid conflict... and then just aim for the treasure that those humans are looking for..." Hiro quickly came up with this plan as he strode forward further and further. "Sounds good enough" - - - *Roarrr!* "He''s not backing up!!!" Roared the Death worm emperor angrily as he crushed the surrounding small worms into chunks. Venting his anger towards his slaves. "Fine then! If he wants to fight then fight!" "as for those humans... I will settle with them later." The Death Worm emperor rapidly plugged his way out onto the opening... and then in the next moment, he slowly drifted his gaze upwards once again. "Let''s consume the Serpent emperor with my army first and then I will kill him when he''s at his weakest." The death emperor once again let out an ear-piercing howl towards the hole upward. Shuddering the whole Mountain as the ground outside of the cave started to throb furiously. But this time the roar carries a distinct influence... Suddenly hundreds of thousands of worms wiggled their way out from each gap across the mountain. Just the juncture their head protruded out from the hole... shrieking noises fluttered from their mouth as their teeth ?r??n?d against each other creating a terrifying scene. *Screech* *Screech* *Screech* The rough noises of the thousands of worms instantly flooded the whole barren land... compressing the whole world with a sense of apocalypse... as if the end of the world is closing by. - - - "Senior! where are you!... " "Senior!" Currently, Elder Li is oblivious that the next moment a terrifying battle will happen on this land... and they are directly in the middle of it!. As he was shouting and attempting to search for Senior Weyn''s whereabouts.. suddenly... thousands of screeching noises reverberated throughout the whole Mountain. *Screeches* *screeches* *Screeches*! "Shit! these noises!" Heeding this... a sense of urgency immediately made its way into his heart as he directly issued an order. "You guys stand back quick! as for the rest of the teachers... put out your barrier quickly! protect the student! Now!" "Yes Elder!" "Hurry!" *Shuaaa!* "Over there... the barrier is weaker there!" *Shuaa!* "I''m doing it!" The other teachers similarly had discovered what''s happening based on those sounds and Elder Li''s decision. Though the group of youngsters behind them is still clueless and filled with an easy-going mood. In the next second... a series of perfect teamwork occurred right before his eyes... as he nodded in satisfaction. Next, he directly spread out his arm with his palm facing upward... while a large amount of white energy erupted from his palm enveloping the whole group. "Listen well!... currently we might be facing the biggest crisis that could happen here. And we do not have the protection of Senior Weyn. She''s currently out there trying to save the other 2 remaining students." Elder Li slowly recited these words as loud as possible so that everyone in the group can listen. "As for us... the option to escape is already gone... because we are way too deep inside this territory. We have no other choice but to defend ourselves from now on!" "I want every one of you to channel your energy into the barrier... 24/7 nonstop until the crisis is over! But be aware that the chance of us dying is still there! this is not a game or a silly peaceful illusion that you guys might have!!" "This is reality!" After the brief speech ended... the group of teenagers instantly were sent up into an uproar with terror and worry cramming their eyes. "Elder, what''s happening?" "Those noises just now... seems to come from the mountain!?" "Wait!! doesn''t that mean it come from those worms!" "Huaaa! I don''t wanna die!!" "El-elder is this true?" "Elder, we don''t have a better choice?" *murmurs* *murmurs* *murmurs* Many queries and voices gurgled from the group of naive youngsters... seemingly to be deaf towards reality... wishing that this current the situation is fake. "Silence!" *Boom!* a boisterous voice flared from the front... hushing the whole group from chatters to an immediate halt. *sigh* "I will repeat this one last time..." He slowly turned his gaze towards the group of youngsters with a severe mood. "Follow my orders... and then our chances to survive will be higher! Do you understand?" "..." "....." The group went silent as they gazed closely at Elder Li face After a couple of beats of instant... finally... "Y-yes!..." "Yes, senior we will..." "We will follow your orders senior... please lead us..." "Good!" -End of this chapter. Chapter 26 - 26 (The flood) Soon above the vast horizon slightly overlapping behind the tall and majestic mountain... floods down a large dark current that couldn''t be distinguished from afar. The earth began to quiver as the air rioted slightly all around the barren land. What could have caused this phenomenon?... surely such a scene could only be found in movies. The wave of darkness gradually plunged its way down from the mountain... crushing into many trees and boulders as if they were consumed into the darkness. Vacating nothing behind... This darkness stretched as far as one''s eyes could see from left to right... Far ahead and above as if there is an infinite amount of them. The cloud high up in the sky had already dwindled its way somewhere else, evidently to be frightened by the sudden ocean of darkness. As they flooded down onto the plane... thousand of inhumane noises began to rattle all around the territory adding with the already apocalypse-like view a touch of devastation. *Screech* *Screech* *Screech*! "Here they come!... quick strengthen the barrier!" An intense attitude emerged on Elder Li''s complexion as he issued his orders to everyone. *trembles* *trembles* *trembles* The footing started to tremble violently as the trees surrounding them began to wobble. Many of the students began to pray and lowered their breathing... while gazing at the incoming continuous flood... steering towards every direction... including them. "Please dear God! please let us live past this ordeal,! please! please!" "I don''t want to die... " *sobs* *sobs* "Hey stop that kid from crying... we need to stay focus. Do not let her demoralized us.!" "Uuhh- I''m sorry! she''s my friend... I will quickly tell her!" "Do it quick!" "Y-yes!" Sounds of depressing chattering murmured within the group as some of their moods are compressed with fear and despair. *Trembles* *trembles* *Trembles* "Elder Li... if I''m to die here. Please can you take this note and bring it to my wife." As the flood keeps getting closer and closer... unaware... a slightly muscular middle-aged man approached Elder Li with a smile on his face as they stared towards the front. "What are you talking about Elder Fu!... You keep that note to yourself and bring it to your wife on your own!. " "Well, I already have my copies... I just wanted to prepare a plan B..." "If something happened to me that is..." He flings a big smile towards Elder Li as he slowly grabbed a silver envelope from his bag. "Here... take this..." "I-..." "Please Elder Li... as a close friend of mine... please do me this one last favor. Out of all of us teachers. You are the strongest one except for Senior Weyn." "B-But I" "Please! Elder Li..." Elder Fu squeezed the silver envelop into Elder Li''s hand as he stared towards his face with a pleading gaze. "I beg of you..." "..." "Fine..." Hearing this... a happy smile broadened on Elder Fu''s face as he stared back to the front with his staff in his other hand. "Thank you..." "..." Elder Li could only sigh helplessly as he also began to glare towards the ever-coming flood. "Senior Weyn please be safe" He slowly whispered to himself - - - *Trembles* *Trembles* *Trembles* Moments had passed by in an instant as finally, the flood is directly ahead of them... *Thump* *thump* *thump* Their heartbeat throbbed violently as beads of sweat started to trickle about on their forehead. *Gulped* One of the young men in the slightly exterior side of the group swallowed down his saliva as he glances towards the incoming darkness... "This is it... 200 Meters..." " 150 meters..." He slowly counts down the distance as his voice traveled through the medium... reaching the other. Stillness jammed the whole space within the barrier as the only voice that could be listened to presently would be the young man''s voice. " 100 meters..." " 50 meters " *Gulped* *Shivers* Everyone paid close attention to his voice as their eyes locked in towards the front... not a single one of them is free from worries as their heart fluttered heavily. " 30 meters! " *trembles* *trembles* *trembles*! " 20 meters!!! " *Shakes* " 10 meters!.." " Ready for impact!!!" At the last moment... Elder Li hurriedly shouted as he spread out his palm to the front. " 3 meters! " "STAND TALL!!!" "Arghhh!!!!" *BOOM!* Finally, the flood of darkness collided with the barrier as the ground around them began to shudder and tear apart. *Trembles* *shakes!* "STAND TALL!!!!!..." Elder Li yelled once again as the view zoomed out from behind his back towards the sky. Showcasing the whole view of a small circle of light being slammed against the flood of darkness. -End of this chapter. Chapter 27 - 27(Despair) "Elder Li!!! We can''t hold on any longer! almost half of our available manpower had already depleted their energy.!" A man in a dark robe quickly approached Elder Li as he yelled in worries. Pointed both of his palms upwards facing the barrier as a gush of energies streamed out from it. Connected towards the barrier as seemingly by each second the brightness of it began to intensify. But!... *sizzles*! *sizzles!* *sizzles!* The dark flood kept on rioting against the barrier... slamming against it as the contest of willpower erupted between light and darkness. "Yes!, Elder Li! If we keep forcing ourselves here. All of us will perish!... we need to do something! Now!" Once again... another old man shouted from his sides as they kept on pouring their energy towards the shield. Safeguarding their very last chance of survival... knowing that they no longer possessed any better options. *trembles* *trembles* *trembles* The ground shook as the wind raged all around the plane. Dots of sweat dripped about from their forehead while gritting their teeth to give their best. Whether survival is an option from now on will depend on them. Protecting themselves from the darkness that is constantly lurking and rioting outside. That is waiting for any chances to strike them down and consume them into nothingness. Behind these brave warriors... stood there a group of young men and women. The soon-to-be (Daughters of heaven and son of the emperor)... the next pillars for the continuation of the empire. But currently, they are nothing more than a group of frail ants. A group of a child that couldn''t get their thoughts together as they had never encountered such things before. Being raised in the human continent and pampered for their whole life... shielded by numerous experts that guarded the whole world. Not knowing the true meaning of despair as fear was nothing more than a myth in their land. These children had grown soft... so soft that even a single gust of wind could blow them away. One''s empire future lies on the next generation... as for the next generation will be even worse than before. - - - *sobs* *Hikk* *Sob* One of the female students began to cry as she sat down on the ground with fear on her face... "I-I don''t want to die!" *Hik* "I dont-" She mumbled to herself as her words echoed throughout the whole group. Seemingly to be agitated... "Shut up already! you''re not the only one who didn''t want to die here!! we are all on the same boat but did u see any of us cry like you!" His voice rumbled inside this space as the others who had not been paying attention before began to cast their gaze towards here. "I-..B-but I?" Noticing those gazes... a panicked look emerged on her face as she tried to gulp out some words... but her words swelled inside her throat not being able to pass through. "But what?" The man yelled once again while clenching his fist... "I-" Her tears started to swell even more as her eyes reddened staring towards him. "Hey, that''s enough! let her be... everyone reacts differently towards certain situations..." Suddenly another young man came over as he tried to ease the stagnant mood within the group. "What!? don''t try to act like a knight in white armor here! If she won''t shut up her crap then I will do it!" Not to be outdone... the man from before retorted once again as he pointed his fingers towards the girl. "Hey don''t act like that? okay" "What do I care! she''s such a nuisance at the moment" The sounds of them quarreling against each other resounded within the group even though they are in a very tight situation. Naivety struck them once again. - - - - At the front of the group... Elder Li cast his gaze back to see what''s going on as he had heard those noises from before. "They are fighting?!" He asked in disbelief!... "Especially now?? what''s wrong with these kids. Had their brains been riddled with holes so much that their common sense had gone deaf?" He yelled inside his heart as he continued to fight for their lives... why can''t these children understand that at any moment the barrier could crack... ''Wait... why am I fighting for a group of idiots?'' Suddenly, an abrupt thought flashed within his mind... ''Throughout this journey... they had always been a problem. wait... they are the problem! and they are our solutions!'' "I will just pick some of the talented ones and leave the rest behind..." A cold glint flickered on his face as his decision had been made already... Strength always coexists with cruelty... the same goes for each empire. History can only be dictated by one side... that is the winner. " cut the rest of the group as our scapegoat!" -End of this chapte Chapter 28 - 28 (Sacrifice, everyone is a traitor) Elder Li hurriedly transmitted a series of orders towards his trusted ?ssociates as he faked on his attempt to consolidate the barrier. His subordinate is not of a similar academy but the same vicious criminal group. The dark order. It seems that an ever-larger conspiracy is slowly unveiling itself at this crucial moment. ''Everyone! we will soon quickly leave this group. Make sure to take the top 5 talented students. But don''t take too long! we will do it in a flash. As for the rest...let them perish!'' A cold glint of light twinkled across his face as he slowly mumbled those words within the transmission. ''Yes!'' As to be expected, more than 10 voice transmissions answered back as a creak of a smile came upon his face. Finally... a traitor unearthed himself but sadly no one realizes. And no one can prevent him from implementing his plan. The rest of the group is still battling for their life. Striving for the so-called last chance of survival. Not knowing that their strongest backer had already penalized them to death. ''I will count down up to 10 seconds! and you guys immediately go and grab as much as you can... just use the portable ring'' He once again ordered his subordinate with an even more detailed description. ''10''... ''5''... "What!" "Help!" "What''s the matter!" "What''s happening?!" Suddenly a series of screams originated from behind... as a group of students was su?k?d in into a ring on a black-cloaked person finger. Besides him stood more than 9 people wearing the same clothes. "Elder Kang? what''s happening? why are you taking those students into the ring?" To their surprise, Elder Fu had noticed everything that had transpired before his very eyes. But he is extremely uncertain and still didn''t put his guard up. Because he and Elder Kang had known each other for more than 50 years. The emotion of trust is still there... deeply embedded into his heart. "Hahaha Elder Fu... nothing! nothing!... we were doing nothing hahaha!" Elder Kang immediately said while scratching the back of his head with his right arm. A harmless smile emerged on his face as the look of a kind old man arose once again. "Really? but why were you taking those students into the ring?... " Elder Fu asked once again with a curious look... "Hahaha Elder Fu... they were merely following my orders!" Unawares... Elder Li rapidly flickered beside him while patting his shoulder slightly. The same harmless smile is on Elder Li''s face as he recited towards Elder Fu like a close friend. "Oh hahaha but for what?... " Discovering that the sudden arrival next to him was his very close friend. A large smile widened on his face as he patted back Elder Li''s shoulders. "For what?" "Hahaha Elder Li... there''s no need to be so secretive about it no? hahaha?" "Of course! of course! hahaha" "We were doing It so that you guys can die!" "..." "This? what do you mean by that? " Hearing such a sudden statement made by his close friend. A touch of skepticism materialized on his face as his eyes compressed slightly. Surely he would have caught on already... that his very close friend is no more but a cruel murderer. "Hahaha it simply means... that you guys will be sacrificed... oh yeah as for that letter of yours" "Here catch!" While saying these... Elder Li deliberately snatched a silver envelope from within his sleeves and in the next second, he tosses it to Elder Fu. "This?" Seemingly not being able to believe what is happening. "Don''t tell me!!" "Yes... have a good rest, Elder Fu..." "Anakku Jahat." Elder Li slowly spoke as his eyes glinted with violent killing intent. A slight red line could be detected materializing in front of his eyes as the air becomes still and stagnant. "Those words! You are from the da-!" *shing!* Not being able to finalize his word... a silver slash flashes by... passing his neck... *plops!* Right before his death... his face was jammed with despair and grief as he had ultimately discovered the whole truth of his so-called close friend. Elder Li motionlessly gazed towards the headless corpse as it slowly fell onto its back. The blood gushes out from the top like a fountain. Drizzling the ground with redness while some of it dripped itself on his cloak. "Look at them... even though someone had died here and yet they still haven''t noticed it. That just shows how pointless it is to continue protecting them. They are just a bunch of rubbish being piled up together." He slowly spoke as he glanced towards the surrounding. Mocking them of their worth. "let''s go!" "Yes!" *Shuang!* Suddenly a dark portal emerged in front of them as they eventually stepped through it. Disappearing like a shadow... imperceptible and efficient. Seconds later the portal gradually disappeared turning into dots of light. May God have mercy on them. Let their death be as peaceful as one could. Surely the mercy of heaven would descend upon them. At-End of this chapte Chapter 29 - 29 (One move) The moment Elder Li and his subordinate leave them behind... that was the very moment the barrier started to weaken and getting dull. The energy input is evolving more and more unbalanced as the dark flood of worms responded to it even more aggressively... Banging their body against the barrier while the flood kept on ravaging the whole land. "Wait where is Elder Li?!..." "What?" Noticing this... some of the remaining elders asked in doubt while they tried searching for Elder Li''s whereabouts. And to their surprise not only did Elder Li had vanished... there is also a dead body about in the barrier. "What happened!?" One of the elders asked. "Elder Li is gone! and elder Fu''s body is over there!" "You don''t have to dwindle the words too much... it''s so clear already! we were abandoned!!!" Suddenly one of the elders resolved their confusion with a breathtaking declaration. without Elder Li... they will lose the hope of surviving. Despair began overrunning their hearts as their eyes dilated in fear... realizing that their only hope had long been devastated. "..." Silence... utter silence... *sizzles* *sizzles* *sizzles*! No one could give any ideas for them to break through this situation... all they could do is kept on staring towards the slowly collapsing barrier with despair and unwillingness. Realize this... you will never understand someone''s true heart by noticing the outside of him. But when you set fear in front of someone and then in the next juncture... trust me you will see the complete contrary of him. The only defect of humanity is the contradiction of unity. "If I''m going to die here. at the very least... I want to do something that I had always wanted." Abruptly one of the male elders spoke while gazing towards an unconscious female student... "This?... " "..." The remaining elders were in shock but didn''t know what else to tell... since... it was pointless... none of them tried stopping him. No one... The ugliness of one''s heart... became so apparent after a serious unfortunate event. Especially... inevitable death. - - - 1 hour later... *sizzles* *sizzles* *sizzles* *cracks!* Finally... a sudden cracking sound echoed within the barrier as the noises of it began to widen at a disturbing rate. The barrier started to disperse into dots of light as the dark ocean of suffering eventually made its way into it. But to everyone''s surprise... there was no one within the barrier. Not a single (living thing)... All there was just a lonely giant hole originating from within the ground. Seemingly to be drilled by a large existence... and next to this hole is a large patch of blood-drenched around the circle... Evidently from that... a creature had already devoured them all to death. *screeches* *screeches* *screeches* The bizarre noises of the dark flood began to reverberate once again as it steered into the following land. Consuming everything that is within its path. The earth trembled as the sky began to darken... looming from the horizon as it was slowly coming down. The ocean of darkness swept forth across the barren land as they continued onward towards the next region. Suddenly... *Roarrrr!!!* *Boom!* An ear-piercing roar exploded from the front as the shockwave from it crazily blitzed the whole region... railing *against* the thousands of worms. In an instant, the whole mass movement was halted while the atmosphere seemed to be squeezed and sluggish at the same time. *Shakes!* *trembles* The ground shivered in panic as the trees began to swivel around crazily. Frightening coercion poured out from the front... toppling the whole land under its heaviness. None of the worms could run under this pressure... only death awaits them. "This is your plan to defeat me? How pitiful..." *boom!* A deafening voice vibrated throughout the land... Up ahead in front of the hordes... stood there a gigantic serpent with its head being lifted to 20 meters tall. Peeking towards the pitiful army of the death worm emperor. A taunting sneer could be observed emerging on its face... "Come out now Death worm emperor! I know you are underground!" His voice echoed once again as his eyes slightly leaned downward... supposedly being able to see through the soil. "Serpent emperor! How dare you came into my territory blatantly like this! You are evoking a war!!" Suddenly another boisterous voice throbbed from the ground... as the piece of land slightly forward of the serpent slowly distorted and ruptured... twirling into a hole. In the next second... a large behemoth gradually wriggled its way out from within as the very first thing that protruded out was its large dark teeth. Dark in color added with its worm-like form... "A worm like you don''t deserve to stand before me!... I''m a great serpent... a life form that stood above yours!" Hiro casually conveyed his words as his eyes were filled with disgust... looking at the lower life form in front of him. "You mere snake dare to degrade my honor! I will crush you into pieces!" Hearing such words... a tide of anger erupted from within as the death worm emperor scowled toward hiro with rage. One''s honor must be preserved... if not what''s the point of living. The air thumped slightly as the ground began to shudder... Terrible coercion bursts forth from one side to the other flanking and clashing in the nucleus of the barren land. Generating a clear contrast of white and darkness as the distinctive difference in both energies collided in between. Shaping a large torrent blasting forth the surrounding space into and the next area... Turning the whole land upside down as a circle of devastation gradually engraved its path straight across the land in all directions. Vacating behind a large crater where in the middle stood 2 giant figures facing off against each other. While the aura of them both kept on increasing and increasing even until the sky and clouds began to break apart. The serpent eyes glowed in Emerald noble while the dark crystalline purple glared back in response. "Bold! This is my turf and you dare to proclaim yourself above me! We both are an Emperor!" The death worm emperor shouted as his voice screeched into the dept of this crater. "I was willing to be kind from before but after the act of your slaves rapidly ravaging the land right before my eyes... I had changed my mind as such today shall be your demise." " You are an arrogant snake! I had been living in peace for over 2000 years! I had not bothered into your land but you still insisted on this?" "I wish to inspect your land... that was all there is to it..." "What! for such reason!? then die! I won''t allow you to lay a single touch upon my precious home!" The death worm emperor become more and more enraged as his eyes glistened intensely. "Then I also shall declare your death under one move of mine! " Hiro responded casually as his cold eyes darted slightly... The two behemoths facing off against each other while their earth-shattering aura toppled the whole land into nighttime and despair. Who of among the creature below them that retain the ability to move?. None of them deserve... Zooming out into the sky as the clouds gradually entered into the view making their way above the horizon... From afar, we could easily glimpse a large collision of different lights fiercely competing for sovereignty above the other. While the mountains below shook in between as a visible slight tremor arose on it. At-End of this chapter (Yes I''m prolonging the battle a bit: V) Hope dear readers won''t mind . Chapter 30 - 30(Emperor vs Emperor) The formerly blue sky that was filled with the ?uster of the morning had changed into a gloomy view from below. Shadow shrouded the whole land... as a large amount of vibration overcast the whole atmosphere. The ground throbbed everywhere seemingly a large temblor was unearthing itself upon this land. About in the middle of this large plain... Stood there 2 giant behemoths confronting each other, while enveloping them were filled with 2 powerful lights of different colors. The hue of Black and white collided in the middle of their gazes intertwined. Forming huge sparks as the ground beneath it had already hollow deep alongside the previous crater. Traces of seemingly conspicuous electrical charges flickered themselves across the whole battlefield. Adding in the touch of the apocalypse. *growls* "Serpent Emperor! Do not be delusional! this is my land for thousands of years! I won''t allow you to enter my house just because you want to inspect it!!" The Death Worm Emperor roared... "I do not care about your land nor your home. I can go anywhere I wanted to... no one can decide for me other than myself." Hiro responded casually... "Then die!" *Roarrr!* *Sizzles!* The death worm Emperor roared in anger as he quickly blasted a ball of dark light towards Hiro. The process that it took transpired in a flash... all of it happened in a twinkle of one''s eyes. This monster is stronger than the prior one that Hiro had faced before. But to one''s amazement... there''s no fear manifestation on his face. As if everything that had occurred before his very eyes were of naught towards him. (Introduction to the innate ability for monster: Well to sum it up every monster can do that... what ''that'', you ask? well, it''s the ''Take this ball of light of mine!'' You know... Yeah... keep on reading)(Only limited for king class and above) Note: for more information please do read the auxiliary chapters. Seeing the abrupt attack... A ball of light rapidly materialized from Hiro''s mouth as in the successive moment it was fired forward... in the identical path that the incoming attack would take. These two large energy bombs obliterated everything that was within their direction... as they twisted their trajectory towards each other. A long gash of an earthy scar shadowed behind them... amplified with the raging storm that raged the surrounding ground into shreds. *Boom!* *shines!* The two massive balls of light ultimately collided as the consequence of such a devastating attack engulfed forth the surrounding area with a fierce combination of light. A gigantic mushroom cloud sprouted upwards as the shockwave that the attack had produced accursed the whole surrounding region. The height alone stands over more than 5km... While the affected area is roughly up to 10-20km. Suddenly!, *Poof!* "Tail slam!" A bullet-like dots appeared from the giant mushroom clouds as the figure quickly plummeted down towards the Death worm Emperor. The surrounding fogs whirled around this existence while its body shot down like a bullet. "Serpent Emperor you are crazy!" *Roar!!* Seeing this crazy move made by the Serpent Emperor!... a sense of urgency arose from within... as he had not anticipated such enormous figures like them would be able to exert this much physical force. His eyes widened as he hastily drilled himself into the ground... knowing that if he were to be crashed against that attack. His whole body would instantly be shattered. Yes, this is his only weakness... retaining a fragile body. "Humph! as I expected... a common weakness among worms... no matter how big it is." *Boom!* *Trembles* *Trembles*! Hiro murmured to himself mid-air as his body finally shelled the area with his tail swiveling downward where the Death Emperor was once before. The ground below spiraled into C-shaped... f?r??b?? carved by sheer force of physical manifestation. *sizzles* *sizzles* *sizzles* *swoosh* Sounds of dirt and debris being thumped around rippled throughout the crater. As finally the dust was lifted away by a large tail. "He escaped quite deep under the ground... " "I am bold since I possess the strength to do so... and I already knew that he is a coward." "Escaping is one thing... but being an idiot is another. Leaving his drilled hole still accessible to me... what a fool... death is deserving upon him" *Shuashhhh* Hiro slowly unwrapped his mouth while an enormous amount of energy huddled in front of it... forming another ball of light with his head slowly tilted down into the drilled hole. "I wonder how can you escape this one..." Hiro''s eyes tightened and in the next second... the energy bomb was rumbled downward into the hole. *Swoosh!* *boom!* The earth trembled once again... - "That damn snake... he had already guessed my weakness. Damn it! if I were to go up and attack him... he will try to close off the distance... and that will put me at a huge disadvantage. No! even death is possible!" *trembles* *trembles* "What''s this trembling?" Suddenly, ... the ground above him began to throb intensely as a billow of heat traveled down into his hole. "This!!! That damn snake!! don''t tell-" Not being able to complete his words... His eyes broadened in fear as he rapidly lifted his head... There up above him along the hole... an astonishing white light is crashing its way down towards him as a large amount of heat glistened around it... "Bastard!" He quickly urged his innate ability to ?ssemble another energy bomb in front of his mouth as his heart shrunk in panic. *Shing!* After a few flashes... the light ultimately made its way right before his eyes... as his face was filled with despair and anger!... "Damn yyou!!!" *Boom!* *cracks!* *BOOM!* End of this chapte Chapter 31 - 31 (Full power) *BOOM!* The earth below shivered furiously as the dirt began to burst apart creating a vast jagged land. A large amount of dust squeezed the whole expanse... while in the middle of it stood there a large Serpent with its mouth wide open. Seemingly ready for another energy bomb... In the following instant, an intense light culled at a terrible momentum before his very mouth... "Second one...!" Hiro whispered slowly as in the next moment he rumbled yet again another energy bomb downwards the hole. *swoosh!* *ripples!* The shuddering noise of the energy bomb gliding downward against the whole wall rippled throughout the medium as the violent light that it carried illuminated the ever-moving path. but suddenly "SERPENT EMPEROR DO NOT LOOK DOWN ON ME!!!" "BURST!" A furious roar exploded from below as the ground under Hiro trembled greatly... *BOOM!* *SPIKES!* *SPIKES* Abruptly... thousand of earth-like spikes rose from the ground blasting upwards across the whole battlefield... vacating no place for Hiro''s giant body to shield away from. *boom!* An entire 10km area was riddled with spikes as the earth burst apart in the middle of the battlefield resulted from the previous energy bomb. "Humph! he''s using the second state of his innate ability!" (Note: Please refer to the auxiliary chapter regarding this innate ability and for other information. Thank you~Evertruth727) Hiro quickly snaked his path among the thousands of spikes... b?r?ly avoiding the attacks. *breathes* "Hahaha, this is getting fun!" Hiro snickered with excitement as he had been waiting for this day... The day where he can let loose and exert his full force to the maximum!. "Since he wants to play a large-scale attack then why not I do the same!" "Tremble before me! Let the earth rage with nature!" *BOOM!* *SHAKES!* *SHAKES!* Out of nowhere... the whole area was directly engulfed with large tree trunks and greenish forest. Bombarding the whole 10km land as the collision between it and the thousand of spike pillars devastated the surrounding area into pieces!. "Serpent Emperor!!!" The death Emperor yelled in rage as he noticed that his attack was huddled up against a large greenish area. "Hahaha Come out now! RAGE BEFORE ME! LET THE ANGER FLOODED THE WHOLE LAND!" Hearing the Death Emperor roar... Hiro let out a vociferous laugh as he continued to organize his next attack... *BOOM!* *SPROUTS!* *SPROUTS!* "Does he wants to die so badly! That attack will cost both of us!" The death worm Emperor screamed in alarm... as his eyes solidified in worries... but... "Arghhh!! Since he wants to die so badly then let it be! I won''t back away!" "BURST THE LAND! PILLAR OF HEAVEN!" He quickly urged his ability to perform... *BOOM!!!* *SHOOKS!* At this moment... the surface below proceeded to transform drastically... as soon it ?ssembled itself into one spot. Forming a large earthy spike with countless dark runes encircling all around it... facing its head against the giant tree above in the sky. The breath of terror unhurriedly engulfed the whole earth and the neighboring regions... resulting in large hurricanes ravaging everywhere. Countless smaller creatures fled in panic and fear as their region was barraged with chaos. If before the sky was already dark enough but now it''s no more but nothingness. This is a tournament of the strong... the battle among the emperors. There''s a reason why the human race didn''t dare to provoke the wild continents... "Serpent Emperor! Any last words before your death?" The death worm Emperor gradually shot his way out from within the ground as in the successive moment he boldly yelled those words. A mocking smile emerged on his... "Just before you ran around like a coward and now just because of one small attack like this you dare to be so bold?" Hiro responded sarcastically with his head up overlooking the whole land. Currently, he is being lifted way high up onto the sky with one of the giant''s trees platforming below him. "Then... Die!" "Hahaha come! Let me have a taste of death once again! hahaha" Both of the Emperor''s voices ricocheted against each other while their attacks finally cruised their trajectories in the identical pattern. *SWOOSH!!* *RUMBLES* *RUMBLES*!! The heaven-like gigantic tree plummeted down towards the ground as the air around it swirled in violence. The space rioted wildly as the ground trembled under the toppling coercion that these attacks were erupting. Not even a second passed... finally their last and most powerful attack conflicted in the sky. *BOOM!* A heavenly explosion erupted from the nucleus of this barren land. Vacuuming the whole plane with its immense light of destruction. Added with the scorching heat that it was emitting. Surely not a single living thing can survive under this explosion. Even for a hundred kilometers afar... one''s eyes could easily glimpse this earth-shaking event. End of this chapter.... Chapter 32 - 32(The truth part 1) *Steps* *steps* *steps* Noises of unhurried footsteps could be heard vibrating about within a dark and gloomy cave. The whistle of silence inundated the whole atmosphere within here. Though you might not be able to see it... but the whole cave is filled with lichen all around the wall. Added with the briny taste within the air. About another heap of footsteps... finally a dimly lit light emerged at the end of one''s sight. Giving in the view a sense of mysteries... "I''m getting closer to that place... I can feel it." Suddenly a young man''s voice could be heard... throbbing within this space. As he hurriedly hastened his pace towards the light. *steps* *steps* *steps* As he was about to reach the end of this path... finally the light swathed his whole entirely... disclosing who this mysterious person could be. And as to be guessed... it is him, Eli. "Fuh! what the hell that took so long! just how deep is it already? Probably 7-10km now." The young man breathed in relief as he had finally arrived at the very end of this path. But what comes next to greet his view would be a large and wide majestic cavern. "T-this!" To his surprise, the whole place is filled with corroded crystals deeply embedded within the cave walls. "C-corroded crystal! hahaha, and there are so many of them! " "With this many... I can easily break through the fourth star or even the fifth star!..." The youth laughed with joy while his face was brimming with happiness. "Quick... I need to gather all of them first and then return to the group... as for Ren... ugh... I will think of a way to solve it later." Having said that... the youth immediately pulled out a small bag from his sleeve. The bag is oddly weird as it had been engraved with conspicuous runes and mysterious gems all around it. And as to be guessed... this is a space bag similar to a space ring but to a bigger extent. A large amount of crystal was instantly su?k?d in into the bag... Minutes departed by and soon the whole cavern had been unloaded by him alone. "Hahaha, that''s a lot of yields!" Eli is currently filled with contentment as his journey had been paid generously. "Now... should I go deeper?" He pondered for a moment... "Maybe I should... the more dangerous it is... the better the reward" He muttered to himself as in the next second he strode off into the next tunnel with courage. After a couple more minutes he finally paved his way into an even larger cavern from before. Not only there are a vast amount of corroded crystals but in the middle of this place stood there a large altar with a giant crystal stuck in the middle of it. "Th-this place is?" His eyes widened in shock while discerning this newly found area. "That altar in the middle gives me a very dangerous vibe... " He slowly whispered his words as his eye wandered about In the middle of this cavern. The following moment... he unhurriedly made his way closer and closer to the altar. As he was about to reach within the vicinity of the altar... suddenly... A large dark oval-shaped portal emerged right before his very eyes as in the next second a group of people draped in dark cloaks step out from it. "This? a survivor from the group?" After getting out of the portal... the cloaked man in the lead immediately discovered Eli''s existence as he blurted out in a puzzled manner. "Captain... I think he is one of the students that went missing way earlier..." One of the cloaked men next to him whispered to his ears. "This?... it''s him?..." "Yes senior" Hearing the cloaked men murmurs... a surge of fear flickered across his face as his footsteps stagnated in one place. ''Shit! who are they!... no wait?... that person seems similar?... '' "E-Elder Li is that you?" Eli stuttered in his words as he asked towards the group of men. Hearing the youth words... a flash of killing intent radiated on his face but he quickly concealed it with a kind smile. "Hahaha yes it''s me... you are Eli, was it? if I remember correctly." "Yes, Senior it''s me!" Eli responded with a sigh of relief... "I see... " "Senior where is the other? " Eli inquired politely... "This... well they are still outside of the cave. " "Then senior what are you doing here?" "..." A brief silence crammed the whole situation for a couple of seconds... "Hahaha, we were searching for yo-" "Don''t lie" "..." Not being able to finish his words... Eli boldly hindered him. "Old man, you not very good at lying aren''t you?" Oddly enough the once inexperienced and innocent look on his face had a drastic difference from a cold and emotionless expression. "It seems you were prolonging your time..." Hearing the youth''s words... he immediately exploded his killing intent into the surrounding with his eyes tightly latched onto the youth. "What if I am?" Eli replied while casually glimpsing towards the group of men. "Then be prepared to die... " *swoosh!* Elder Li and his subordinate instantly emerged next to Eli''s sides while hacking their swords downwards... but suddenly! *SHING!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* An unexpected energy shield directly enveloped Eli''s entirety while obstructing all of the attacks. "Who!" "Shit he has a helper!" "Not good!" "Quick! we need to escape!" Noticing this oddity they quickly whirled their body around and drifted backward... "Humph, you guys dare to escape!?" Unexpectedly... a woman''s voice quivered next to them mid-air as a large fireball 10m in diameter emerged out of thin air and rapidly blitzed them out towards the wall. *Boom!* "Arghh!" "Urgkk!!" They shrieked in pain while their bodies were sunk deep into the wall. Forming a web-like tear... *thud!* -End of this chapter. Chapter 33 - 33(The truth part 2) Dust was riled up all around the corner of the wall. Shrouding the entire perspective with the sandy touch of the debris falling over. *Thuds!* *Thuds!* *Thuds!* *cough!* *cough!* *cough!* "Damn it! quick! get up!" Elder Li shouted with vigilance as he strumbled himself to stand up once again. Though his ?h?st had been buckled in quite slightly by the prior collision. Added with the dripping blood flowing away from the corner of his mouth. His subordinate also suffered the same fate. But with a distinction of the degree of injuries. Since Elder Li is stronger than them naturally they had been injured even more seriously. "Captain! I think it''s her!" One of the cloaked men shouted next to him. "I know..." He acknowledged with a pressing expression on his face as he wrapped his ?h?st with one of his arms. Slowly standing up as he heightened his senses once again. Attempting to perceive the hidden attacker from before. "Show yourself Senior Weyn... " "Elder Li... it seems you are that kind of a person after all!" Suddenly... the air in front warped before their very eyes as in the next instant a peerless figure walked out from it. The cold blue dress added with her long jet-black hair. Magnifying in with her graceful figure and her piercing red pair of eyes. A true beauty indeed. "Humph... you know nothing about kindness. Senior..." Elder Li worsened his tone as he slowly extend his left arm away from his ?h?st. "Kindness is the result, Elder Li... but you and your agenda focused more on the process." "And that process harms more than what was expected to be achieved." She continued with her words as the temperature suddenly plummeted considerably. "..." A brief silence permeated the whole atmosphere as Elder Li had no way to refute her words... The air appeared to be stagnant... but unawares *claps* *claps* *claps* Sounds of a hand-clapping together tingled behind her as this ultimately steer all of their gazes in that direction. Veering around their gazes back towards the origin of the sound... there stood a small figure with a proud and cold face. His mocking smile already confided them how much of a ruthless person he is. "Bravo! bravo! you guys sure love to create drama!" Eli spoke lightly as he paced onwards next to Senior Weyn. Reaching there... he slowly squeezed his arm against Senior Weyn''s waist... but to everyone''s surprise! She''s didn''t refuse!. "Master... " A tiny pink blush twinkles on her cheeks as she timidly put forth her innocent look. "You did a good job Weyn! " Eli said with a huge smile on his face. Tightly gripping his hand onto her slim waist. "Hahaha, I never thought that someone like you! Someone like you! to be hidden so deep inside that half-crippled academy!" Beholding the scene transpiring before his very eyes... Elder Li cackled with contempt and amazement as he had never foreseen this. He had known that within the academy there was this one child that had always been deserted... talentless and miserable. "Eli... was it?... hahaha... I had looked down upon you! No, I even didn''t take note of your existence before... But I had never expected you to be such a deeply hidden person" "Well... Then what are you going to do about it?... kill me?" "No... I won''t be able to kill you since Senior Weyn is protecting you" "Then how about I ordered her to kill all of you?... sounds like a fair trade right?" "Hahaha! yes, it does sounds like a fair trade! but...." "I beg to differ!" Suddenly his voice came to a pause. *swoosh!* In an instant, he dashed towards the giant crystal pillar in the inner of the altar while the rest of his subordinates shot towards Eli and Senior Weyn. "Stop her for me!" "Yes!" *Clang!* *boom!* *boom* Not to be outperformed... Senior Weyn quickly cast a spell wherein a large circle of runes materialized out of thin air obstructing all of the cloaked men''s paths. While this was transpiring... Elder Li eventually arrived before the giant crystal as in the next second he took out a weirdly odd dark dagger. *Stabs!* *crack!* Without hesitation... he impaled the dagger into the crystal. "Master! Please help us! " He screamed with eagerness as his face was filled with awe and admiration. *cracks* * crack* *cracks*! A blinding dark glow detonated from the crystal cracks as they circulate about throughout it. *Boom!* *steps* *steps* Finally, the giant crystal rumbled into pieces as in the next second a tall and burly figure wrapped in black twilight armor walked out from it. The height alone stands at 2.12 m added with the dark hair and his sharp eyes. Explosive muscles were protected under the heavy armor as he slowly crossed out his arm and peered towards his surrounding with ridicule. "What''s the matter?... you waking me up from my sleep must have a solid reason" The man conversed unhurriedly towards Elder Li. End of this chapter. Chapter 34 - 34(The truth part 3) "Young master! we need to leave now!" Noticing the sudden arrival of a new individual appearing from within the colossus "rotted" crystal. An uneasy expression broadened on her face as she directly fluttered her way back to Eli''s side. Flickering about her body across the battlefield. None of the cloaked men was able to respond in time... as she had already carved her retreat with such incredible momentum. The difference in strength between them was unmistakable. "Young master... I sense a horrifying amount of energy brewing inside that person. We need to leave now!" She once again urged her words to Eli... as she hurriedly gripped his wrist. The reason why she was so frightened was that the moment her pair of eyes rested their sight onto the man''s large figure. She discerned an unspeakable amount of "dark" energy within his body...as if there was an endless ocean of them. "This? alright, let''s go!" Heeding her pressing words... An abrupt unpleasant hunch arose within his heart as his eyes tightened in concern. Eli is an exceptionally intelligent person in terms of formulating a decision. Since a person at the level of her strength had insisted so... that could only mean that their circumstance is in a very dangerous spot. *swoosh*! Hearing that... Senior Weyn rapidly glided away at a terrible speed with Eli within her arms. Her acceleration was so fast that a noticeable flashing light could be distinguished lagging behind them. "Dare to run away under my watch! presumptuous!" *SUCKS!* *SWOOSH!* A guttural voice reverberated within this space as in the next instant a vast su?k?n? force dragged them over. "ARGHH! YOUNG MASTER HOLD ONTO ME!" Glancing back towards the voice. The large figure was presently edging his arm forward as in front if it exists there enormous twilight energy with a visible vortex in the nucleus of it. Pulling them back as the ground also shuddered and was su?k?d in along the way. "Take this!" *Boom!* *SWOOSH!* "Argh.. master save me!" In reaction to his action... She hastily discharged a massive Hurricane within this cavern. The wind simmered forward against the large twilight vortex as the cloaked men closer to the collisions were immediately shredded into pieces!. *sizzles!* *sizzles!* *Boom!* Elder Li watched as his subordinate disappeared before his very eyes but there was not single grief nor sadness within it. "Humph! child play!. Behold! the power of the dark path!" "Burst!" *Swoosh!* *screech!* *BOOM!* Out of the blue... a large arrow of twilight energy blasted forth from his sides. Blitzing towards Weyn and Eli''s direction. *Crack!* *boom!* Right before his foot took the next step. The ground below caved in as he b?r?ly bent his foot and body downward. In the next second, he shot forward while his armor sparkled with intense corroded twilight energy. "Here I come!..." "This energy!" Watching the ever-approaching attacks from the enemy side. A sense of urgency overran her body as she rapidly cast another spell to prevent it. *FLOOSHH* *RUMBLES* *RUMBLES!* A large flower made out of light materialized in front of them as it began to grow larger and larger to the degree that it shrouded the whole cavern. "Hahaha, you think that puny skill of yours can block my attack! PUNY ANT!" *SCREECH!!* "Then come and try!" "Young master stand close to me!" "Yes!" She instantly yelled back towards the ever-enlarging large figure and gestured Eli to stand close to her. "Rise!!!! argh!!" She shouted with courage as the massive white flower blossomed with intense light. Illuminating the whole cave with its blinding light... "DIE" *CRASH!* *BOOM!* An ear-piercing explosion howled within the cave as the shockwaves generated by it blasted forth against the cave fissures... scraping against it. "Arghh senior save m-!" *Crashes!* Elder Li as to be guessed was thrown away at a horrible momentum. Shoving his body against numerous spike-like corroded crystals and thus claiming his life in the next instant. "This is annoying... BREAK FOR ME!" Suddenly the large man jabbed the giant flower with his fist as in the next second small gashes began to emerge rapidly spreading all around the flower until it finally dispersed into dots of light. "Uh!" *Splurts!* *steps* *steps* A pained look ensued on her face as staggered back with her arm covering her mouth. Keeping the blood from oozing out. Seeing her condition... Eli immediately crumpled his hand against her waist while letting her body wobbled against him. "Hahaha, your control is extremely weak! Pitiful!" A boisterous voice throbbed slightly ahead of them. There... the large figure from before hovered in the air as ripples of dark energy spiraled all around him. Next to him stood there a large and scorching twilight arrow as it constantly whirled itself with terrific momentum. Evidently, ready to strike down at any given moment. "Die!" He swiveled his hand down as the twilight arrow heeded suit along with his movement shelling towards the couple. His eyes glistened in a dark color while a pair of horns jutted out itself on top of his head. -End of this chapter. Chapter 35 - 35(The truth part 4) The deadly aura penetrated the whole cave as the time seemed to be still and fixed. Eli''s eyes enlarged in fear as he glanced upon the rapidly blitzing twilight arrow towards them. He can feel it... though his strength doesn''t allow it. But his senses of innate perception order roared next to his ears as it wandered down into his spine. Telling him that death is approaching. What could he do other than wait for it?. The gap of strength between them was far too great to be interpreted. Even a 10-star magician next to him wasn''t able to do much other than obstructing the enemy action for a couple of seconds. ''Is he from the capital?... only those of 11 stars and above could completely crush a 10-star magician effortlessly.'' He thought to himself and in the next second... *BOOM!!* *TREMBLES* *TREMBLES* The twilight arrow rumbled forth against the ground. Raising the surrounding soil upward. An entire section within this cave was blown up into pieces... broadening it further. Though it appeared that even such a powerful blast wasn''t enough to destroy this whole cavern. Mainly because this whole cavern is an organism... a very large one or could it be a branch of giant roots?. "Humph... I got all riled up for nothing." The burly man spoke with arrogance on his face as he floated above the air with his arm spanned on his ?h?st. Ripples of twilight energy twisted around his body while a gaseous dark breath lingered about on his head. "It seems they weren''t here for me. Meaning that I still have time until those old bastards came down here." "Puny and... not knowing that a bigger war is silently erupting. Weakness is a sin and that''s why death is more deserving to people like you" "But..." "What''s that?... " He muttered to himself as his eyes penetrated through the thick soil... seemingly being able to detect something. Zooming in into his viewpoint... a large amount of energy was rapidly bombarding downward in his direction. But he can confirm it to be "Energy" only and not a living thing. "Since it''s coming down it means that someone had fired it from above." "The capital?" "But that doesn''t make any sense. it should take them more than half a year of preparation to come down here on this continent." His eyes bulged in doubt as he propped up his chin with his left hand. While he was contemplating... there in the niche of the cavern. An invisible shell-like barrier prevailed there firmly without any scars on it. As to be expected both of them had survived the attack with this extraordinary barrier. "Young master... thank God you bring that artifact together with you. Or else we might have already died." "Yeah... but now this artifact will remain dormant for a couple more years until it can be used again." "But it was worth it... our little lives were saved or else..." "I know..." "And all of this also went down as I had planned though there was some miscalculation within it. I had never expected there to be a dark practitioner hidden within this mountain. " His gaze roamed about towards the outside as he peeked towards the parched ground filled with scarcely visible corroded energy swaying about in thin lines. "So what should we do now young master?... If we were to go out from this barrier we would immediately be detected by him." "No... he will detect something else. Remember the roar from before?" Eli asked with a mischievous smile on his face... "This? don''t tell me..." "Yes... they should have already detected this burly guy''s energy deep down within the ground. At any moment now... they will come." "and at that moment would be our greatest chance to escape..." He slowly uttered his plans with his gaze leaning upwards onto the cavern ceiling. "... this corroded energy is extremely precious. Even I can do a lot of things with it... I think this should be the so-called hidden temple." - "It''s coming!" The burly man shouted with vigilance as in the next moment he abruptly shot upward slamming his body against the crystalline ceiling. *Boom!* A thundering noise evoked itself while his body blazed with intense twilight energy encircling him. With both of his palms fronting upward against the ceiling... holding it against as he rocketed up. "50 meters away..." "Now!" "Arghhhh!!!!" *Shakes* *shakes!* The cave started to vibrate intensely while above him. Seemingly visible floods of sizzling heat erupted straight across the soil with red. Something is coming down!. He instantly exhorted the energy within his body to construct a vast hemisphere shield tinted closely against the ceilings as it''s the upper layer. "Shit! it''s an energy bomb! I can feel it now! " After sensing the tremor added with the scorching heat that came from the soil above. He finally found out what it was... "I will have to hold on! only an emperor class energy bomb could be this terrifying! shit!" *Rumbles* *Rumbles!* The soil above began to shift in color turning into brightly lit red scorching lava as the ground below began to break down piece by piece. Driblet of sweat dripped about from his forehead while he gritted his teeth and continued to hold his shield against the ever-coming attack from above. "Heavy!! arghh" His body declined slightly... feeling the heaviness of the attack alone was unbearable for him. "Shit! this is not a normal emperor class monster! it''s a peak one!" He cried out in horror while f?r??b?? exploding his energy against the soil above. Finally after a couple of instants A deafening howl blasted above... rapidly destroying the whole ground as the shockwave produced from it wrecked downward in the cave direction. "Arghhh!... hold on! just a little bit more!!" A furious roar blustered through the soil as in the next second his whole body was slammed against the ground below. But he was still wielding on against the eruption from the blast with his shield up and both of his feet deeply rooted into the crystalline ground. "AARGHHH!! THIS IS TOO MUCH!..." "N-NO! I NEED TO HOLD ON! SO THAT I CAN MEET HER! OUR LORD!" "A LITTLE BIT LONGER!... JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE!" He continuously resisted against the impact while his eyes began to bleed. To describe the impact would be similar to a tiny meteorite slamming down onto a small mountain. - - - - End of this chapter.... Chapter 36 - 36 (The truth final part) *splurts!* The sound of blood sprinkling about could be heeded within a giant pit. Zooming in into the median section of the cavern... a large hole could be discerned from below. Hundreds of meters wide directly connected to the surface. Flanking about around it large rigid roots... crisscrossed against the wall. And directly at the very bottom of this hole, large crater kilometers in diameter could be observed existing there due to the previous blast. In the middle of this crater... in the extensively caved-in area. Sat there the large man from before with his back on the cold charred crystalline floor. His eyes appeared to be hollowed as if he was already dead but his breathing still implied that he was still alive. It''s just half alive that is... Blood oozing out from every corner of his body bathing the surrounding into a pool of red liquid added within it some black substances "Wh-what happened?... " The man mumbled in disbelief as he attempted himself... struggling to urge his body to move but minutes later. Not even a single inch of muscle managed to... "I had done it... hahaha..." "I failed... " The man unhurriedly enunciated with an aggrieved expression on his face. "Yes, you did fail Lord Delektus." An abrupt young and vigorous voice trembled ahead of him. There... Eli and Senior Weyn stood side by side with their eyes darted towards him. "You know me?" He asked in a hoarse voice... with his hollowed eyes b?r?ly peering up trying to see the youngster that somehow, had miraculously survived. "The mission objective had fled away... and you had heavily injured the hidden blade master... the last voice transmission of the survivor had been made. They will arrive sooner or later." Listening to the boy''s word... a stunning look arose on his deathly pale face. "H-how did you know all of this?" "Who are you?" "I''m simply a nobody with a lot of connection. That''s all." "Hahaha a nobody? hahaha... brat... I must admit it... your information.. all of them are correct. But... that''s not even half of it all hahaha!!" Unexpectedly he cackled... He laughed in contempt even though his life is nearing its end. "What do you mean by that?" Information is one thing that he didn''t lack... and misconceptions are his biggest fear. "They are waging war! no! not they... it''s her!! hahaha!... those freaks from the upper domain will come down here instead. It was never really about us! Hahaha!" "Care to explain?" "Why do you think I maddened for more power?" "Why?... isn''t it because of your greed?" "No!... it was because I''m afraid! I''m afraid of what''s to come! hahaha... I was utterly terrified when I had learned the truth behind the Chronicle. That''s why I was seeking strength with haste... even if I had to kill millions of lives" "You''re sick in the head... the chronicle had been proven for nothing... you are simply repeating the history" Eli suddenly muttered with a disgusted look on his face. "Si-sick? yes yes! hahaha, I am sick! Everyone is sick! Don''t you get it! Living in a world like this who else won''t get sick! hahaha. Just the fact that today I''m lucky enough to live and tomorrow only God knows whether I might live or die? Who can stand that??!!" "You focused too much on the dark parts of this world. That''s why you are sick in your head..." "Nooo... this whole world itself... is dark... " "You don''t understand... you had... never felt how it''s like to be... like me.." "Peasant... like me..." His voice smothered itself as it gradually echoed into the surrounding... Though his last message was something to be remembered for... His breath gradually dissipated while his body began to rot away at an alarming speed. Turning ashy black... Moments later... there was not a speck of dust remained other than the dark shadow deeply entrenched onto the crystalline ground. "Young master... it seems that-" "Let''s go do the next part first... he''s here already." "Yes, master..." Eli interrupted her words hastily while walking away with his hand on his back. Watching this... Senior Weyn obediently followed behind as she didn''t pursue the topic any longer. *Steps* *steps* *steps* - 30 minutes before... "Ding congratulations to the host for killing an emperor class monster. Gaining 1.5 million evolution points. An additional point will be added from the random creatures that the host''s previous battle had implicated. A total of 2.3 million points will be added" A metallic voice vibrated within Hiro''s mind while he slithered onward to the middle of the battlefield. "Not bad for a worm huh?" "Well... I must say that energy bomb sure does a lot of damage huh?" Eventually... he found himself in the middle of a large basin. Where in the middle of it an enormous hole could be discerned stretched over kilometers of width. Directly connected below to where The death worm emperor once escaped to. "Those humans should be down there... but" "There''s a disgusting scent around them... I don''t know what it is but one thing I can confirm is that... I hate it" "Hmmm..." "How about a little greeting gift?" *Sizzles!* *Sizzles!* *Sizzles!* Having said that... Hiro slowly unwrapped his mouth as in the next second a large white energy bomb gradually materialized in front of it. "Let''s see... how strong can these humans be?" Slowly lowering his mouth downward as the energy bomb rioted against the space... finally... "Good luck!" *Swooosh!* *BOOM!* He blasted it down inside the hole... - - - - Name: Hiro Species: Mutated snake. size: 60m in length 2.5 m in width. Points: 3 876 000 Skills: 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 10% (Passive) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): an extremely fatal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact. (Additional poison fangs) (Can be accumulated)(passive) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 10% (Permanent passive) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 10% permanently (Passive) 6. Steel tail slash. (Passive) 7. Aura of fear. Burst the aura of fear towards the surrounding by 5km radius rendering any weaker creature to feel utterly weak. (Passive) 8. Hyper regeneration. Giving the host the ability to heal any injuries at an extreme speed. (Passive) 9. Body growth. Everyday host body will grow by one meter in length and width accordingly. This also increases the host''s body passive skill effect by each day. (Passive) 10. Medium control. Allowing the host to talk through the medium. (Passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 1000000 ( Host is ready for the next evolution) Chapter 37 - 37 (Negotiations?) "That should do it... " "It seems someone tried holding the blast off down there. Quite a courage I must say... though I doubt he or she could survive the aftermath of it." Hiro murmured to himself while glancing down the hole. A bottomless abyss that had been carved out of pure energy manifestation. Energy bomb? more like an atomic bomb scaled down into day-to-day uses. "Going down for now. I need to know what that disgusting scent was." After saying that... Hiro gradually slinked his path to the verge of the hole. Darting his eyes into the darkness that sloped itself downwards. "It''s quite deep huh?... " "Let''s just use my innate ability to go down. It''s far more efficient that way..." *CREAKS* *CREAKS* *RUMBLES* Mumbling that... suddenly large tree trunks came out from within the ground all around him and soon wrapped him within. Acting as a protective coating outside. His eyes lanced from inside with its emerald glow through the small cracks in the front of it. "Now... let''s go down" *Boom!* *Swoosh!!* The large tree trunks began to grow more and more until it lengthened itself down into the hole with its root heavily implanted into the ground outside. Outlining itself with one after another membrane of hardening roots interconnected to each other. Constructing a large silhouette of bodily nature. *RUMBLES!* *RUMBLES!* Hiro gradually descended with his large platforming tree trunks enclosing him. Gazing outside it towards the ever-changing soil color. From pure dirt look-alike to a strange dark and murky darkness. Eventually after a couple more twinklings... he finally touched a point of crystalline soil all around him. Amplified with the glowing corroded energy that periodically seeped out from the tiny cracks. " no... it''s pure energy that had been hardened." Discerning this... Hiro instantly ?ssumed what it could be. Established on his knowledge of the natural energy that he had been discovering for the last one month that is. "The main attributes are the opposite of light... but there''s a different essence within it. Doesn''t seem to be a part of the main nature of this world." He slowly murmured to himself while analyzing the soil. "It''s odd... well this world is odd enough so this one doesn''t come off far from it. But... the nature of this energy itself is evil. " "System care to explain?" Possessing no more knowledge to deduct the nature of this odd energy. Hiro blurted for the system... as he was incredibly curious about this newly found energy. "Ding... the host is partially correct. This energy is based on negative emotions huddled up all around this continent. Leading to the new natural arrangement of this energy." "This?... are you trying to say that emotions can be collected and turn into energy?" "Well, that''s true..." Heeding the system''s description... suddenly an abrupt idea arose within his mind. "Since everything was made out of energy then in a sense I had been collecting energy for my evolution points didn''t I?" Hiro asked with involvement... "Ding yes the host is correct... living beings themselves are energy including the host." "Then can I absorb this energy and turn it into evolution points?" "No... the host can''t directly absorb it. As it had been stated this energy was formed from negative emotions. The host doesn''t have any protective means to deflect the side effects of this energy." What the system had been clarifying was all due to the reason why the death worm emperor had been half consolidated the lower part of his body. Added with the fact that once they died they will crumble and turn into dust. "This?... can you find a way for me to absorb it without getting the side effects?" "Ding... yes there''s a lot of solution for this question. But most of them required the host to change or mutate even further which is not doable for the time being." "Then find me the easiest solution... I''m willing to do it" "Please wait for a moment host... the system will formulate the easiest method" Unexpectedly the system went off for a couple of minutes of silence. Hiro doesn''t mind the waiting as long as he could absorb the energy contained within this crystalline soil. Then everything would be worth it. Also... according to his perception. This crystalline soil seemed to be a tiny portion of a large piece deeply entrenched within the ground. Maybe he could even gain hundreds of millions of points. That is "Maybe"... He continued off with his large enveloping tree trunks slowly gliding down into the hole as he mulled over within his mind on his next agenda. - - - Gradually as he went further and further down... an enormous opening area eventually widened into his perspective from above. Filled with wrecked corroded crystal shards circulated all around the cavern. " Now where is that disgusting scent coming from" Arriving there... he slowly wandered his gaze about the cavern as he attempted to locate the so-called "disgusting scent"... Finally, after a couple of moments... his vision laid its way directly in the middle of a giant crater. But there was nothing there... except for a patch of dust. " Odd... " "Remains of dust?... interesting..." Sounds of hissing leaked from his mouth while his forked tongue flickered about on the outside. Currently, Hiro is extremely surprised by glancing at the remain of dust. He can feel that it was once a living thing but somehow had turned into dust. "But... my attack doesn''t have that kind of effect. Turning people into dust?..." He grumbled silently while scattering his senses all around the cavern. Searching for any other clue... Suddenly... "Ooh??.." His eyes dilated in surprise... but a satisfactory one. He gradually dipped his gaze to the side with his cold Emerald gaze. " Since you had been waiting for me... why not show yourself now?. I don''t like ants... especially the rude one" Hiro''s voice thundered within the cave amplified with its heavy and vociferous tone. His eye peered towards a large group of fractured crystals. At first, there was a nonentity at all... but after his voice plummeted into the medium... "I''m sorry for the act of disrespect... but we are human beings. Naturally, we would be cautious against an existence like you" Eli''s fresh and courageous voice trickled from where Hiro''s gaze was gaping at. The space warped itself as in the next second two figures walk out from it. One has a proud and bold manner on his face while the other silently stood behind behaving like a guard. "Hoo?... you aren''t scared of me?" Hiro raised a question with playfulness as his eyes constricted into an oval-like shape with two sharp edges on both sides. "No... I''m not scared of you. I''m simply betting my chances." "Chances?" Hiro asked curiously... "Yes... chances that you are a very intelligent monster added with that you would be willing to converse with a human" Eli countered with a plain look on his face but deep down inside his heart, a storm of tension is constantly inundating his judgment. He knows that one single mistake could lead to an instant death... Similarly, Senior Weyn is undergoing the same emotion but they didn''t dare to reveal it. But what comes out next of Hiro''s mouth instantly frightened them. "But... I sense a large amount of fear within both of your hearts... I can see it. You are merely pretending... to be brave" Hiro whispered his words with a meaningful glance... though his football-size Emerald eyes proven to be more intimidating when he doesn''t speak the human language. Hearing this... Eli''s face abruptly went deathly ashen as his eyes swelled in fear... Just one sentence and then his composure was immediately thrown off the balance. Similarly, Senior Weyn''s heart shrank after listening to it... she is presently prepared to lay off her life to make time for her young master to flee. "This... I-" "No need to be alarmed... " Without him being nimble to finish his words. Hiro deliberately halted with his profound and growly voice. "How about a trade?... " "A trade?" Eli asked with unrest inside his heart. "Yess... let''s say it as a negotiation." End of this chapter. Chapter 38 - 38 (Know your place) "A-a negotiation?" Eli asked in disbelief. He was well aware of what kind of existence stood before him and he didn''t quite buy it... why would an emperor class monster lessened himself to negotiate with a human. Wouldn''t they usually be prideful and disdain for human existence?. Even though he was carrying a downpour of questions within... he wouldn''t dare to think differently with the Emperor''s suggestions. Having an opposite opinion is fine but don''t express it or else death is one walk away from his head. "Yes... a negotiation." Hiro''s eyes slightly dropped a bit while his head protruded way elevated up at the height of 25 meters. Obscuring over the small humans. He must accept that a sense of pride existed alongside him due to his size and strength. But there was an explanation for him to instigate the negotiation. Back when he was plummeting within the giant tree trunks enclosure. A system notification awakened him of an ''Heavenly treasure'' deep down within the cavern. - Previously... *Creaks* *Creaks* Sounds of the giant inflexible roots creaking about resounded within the giant hole. Hiro had nothing else to do other than gazing towards the soil in front of him while plummeting down slowly. Suddenly, "Ding... Host, there is a heavenly treasure deep down within this hole." The metallic voice tingled inside his head. Informing him of something unusual than the normal. "Heavenly treasure?" Hiro asked in surprise since he was too immersed in the wall outside. "Yes, host. A heavenly treasure is a bodily innate treasure forged under the blessing of this world''s consciousness." "Is it powerful?" "Yes, host... each one of these treasures can provide the user of it with many miraculous effects or even uses. And this one is hidden deep down within this cave is a giant ancient stove" Hearing this. Hiro was exceptionally amazed... but after interpreting the system explanation once again. A sudden thought came to his mind... "Wait... what do you mean by the user? isn''t it universal for all?" "No host... the heavenly treasure needed to be bound by a bodily creature. And the one within this cave is embedded inside a human mind and every one of the heavenly treasure could only be born inside a humanoid figure" "A human you say?" "Yes, host... it is a human and host doesn''t need to worry. His life presence is still down there. It seems he had survived from the host''s previous blast" Heeding this... Hiro gradually breathed in a sigh of relief. "Good... a human huh?... " "This should be fun... how about a little game" - - - - Back to the present time... Eli tried relieving himself down while peering his head up towards the giant Serpent in front of him. The cold ?uster of pitch dark green color streaked alongside it a visible glowing gaseous energy. The rectangular head filled with its front a pair of giant jutted out fang. And finally, the cold Emerald-colored eyes looking down on him as if his presence was insignificant. He can feel it... invisible oppression was faintly radiating from the giant Serpent. His heart pounded faster and faster with each second under this coercion that he couldn''t perceive. "I agree with your negotiation" After taking his breath in... Eli once again shouted his words with courage as if the one from before was merely a trial tryout. "Hmmm... I think you don''t get it don''t you human?" Unexpectedly... Hiro replied with a sneer on his face while looking down at the tiny ant. "Wh-what you mean by that? didn''t I already agree?" Eli stammered within his words as he tried making a reply. "It was never a choice... I don''t care whether you agree or not. If I say so...then it will happen... I gave you no choice so then..." A boisterous voice throbbed within the cave as the ground began to shiver furiously under the tremors of Hiro''s pressure. "I- Yes I will do anything you want... Please forgive my pointless existence!" Seeing that the atmosphere took a sudden abrupt change. Eli hurriedly shouted back in compliance with Hiro''s statement. His back was drenched ed in a cold sweat as his legs quivered a little. Similarly, Senior Weyn had already appeared in front of him. Seemingly ready to act at any time. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Both of them can feel it. Their heart-thumping rapidly... The fear of death prevailed in all living things... no matter how powerful that existence is. "Good... now that you ant know of your place. Then we can continue..." At- End of this chapte Chapter 39 - 39 (You have no choice) ".little ant... you have something that I d?s?r? within you" Hiro unhurriedly uttered as his voice vibrated against the cave fissures... echoing back in all directions. "I- I have something that you need?" Hearing such words... Eli couldn''t help but be flabbergasted... Within him?. It seemed that Eli still haven''t caught up yet on the circumstance. He is well conscious of that thing within his mind but he was too immersed in his survival that he overlooked it. "I- I don''t get it?... what possibly could I have within me that you need?... " Eli inquired in unrest while his heart crumpled wildly within. He just couldn''t get it... what thing did an emperor class monster needed from him. A lowly human that can easily be obliterated... "Since you do not know of it... then I will be taking it f?r??b??" Hiro unexpectedly paused his movement on the outside with his pair of eyes tightly latched onto the two ants. Though within his mind he began to consult with the system. ''Ding replying to the host... host only needs to consume the body. As for the rest of the process, this system will crack the heavenly treasure apart from within and then embed it into the host body'' The motionless voice quivered inside his mind. Informing him that the simplest way to seize the heavenly treasure would be through him consuming the ant. In other words... kill him. "Little ant... stay still and do not move. I will take the thing that I needed from within your body" Unawares Hiro ordered the small human with such odd instructions. Similarly, both Eli and Senior Weyn have numerous tiny suspicions lingering inside their hearts. But due to the gap in strength, they could only endure and obey as they had been instructed. "Y-yes" Eli answered back in a low voice... though his heart was incredibly uneasy at that moment. "Young master... I have a bad feeling about this." Suddenly Senior Weyn slowly arrived at his side and whispered into his ears. "B-but" "It''s fine... we can get through this. Let him take whatever he wanted and then we will leave. " "Can we trust him?" Senior weyn asked in worries... "We can''t..." Eli answered... "Which also means we have no other choice... but to accept whatever comes next." *Gulp* "..." Listening to this... Senior Weyn had no choice other than to stay silent beside him. All of these transpired before Hiro''s very eyes... but he didn''t mind. Let them talk all they want as long as he can get what he needs then everything else are meaningless before him. "Are you guys done chatting yet?" Hiro unhurriedly descended his head down... slightly ahead of them as the whiff of breeze blew by against them. "Y-yes... we have" *Shivers* *shivers* Eli faltered in his words while the cold emerald-colored eyes stared down towards his very soul. His body shivered in fear while peeping back towards the giant head in front of him. The distance was extremely tight... b?r?ly less than 5 meters away... "Good... " "Wh-?" Hearing such abrupt words... Eli''s heart halted beating completely... while his eyes magnified in fear... but his reaction was far too delayed of what''s coming from the front. "Young master!!!!" *swoosh!* Hiro in lightning velocity... unraveled his giant mouth as he sprang forward. Similarly, Senior Weyn was caught off guard by this abrupt action... but sadly she couldn''t get to Eli''s side in time as she yelled in panic hysterically. Everything appeared to slow down before his very eyes... as he peered towards the giant fleshy mouth that was coming towards him. His eyes wide opened aware but... his body had been frozen and deeply planted onto the ground. This is the chasm of strength... "Am I going to die?" *Boom!* *SWOOSH!!!* His body was instantly gobbled up into Hiro''s mouth passing by in front of Senior Weyn as she attempted to move forward towards him. "Ding congratulations to the host for consuming the Heavenly Treasure container" - Everything comes to pass in a flash... She had already taken one step ahead as she dropped her right arm to the front... supposedly aiming to grab Eli... but she was too late. She was directly frozen after Eli''s body was devoured by the giant mouth. The gust of wind crashed against her face... her hair fluttered about against it as her eyes broadened in despair and disbelief. "Yo-young... master??" Her voice squeaked in silence... Anger... Sadness... All of it came at once... surging into her mind. She was still frozen in place staring dumbly towards where he was previously standing at. She can''t close her eyes... she can''t lock her heart anymore. Her mouth loosened... Her eyes lid throbbed alongside her slowly thumping heart. Tears began to trickle about from her eyes... as they gradually drip down onto her cheeks. "Y-young master..." She murmured once again but this time... she had completely lost it. Her sanity... *Swoosh* "Hmmm, what''s with this human?... mannequin performances?" Hiro slowly tossed his gaze towards the woman frozen in place with his cold glowing eyes. "She''s crying?... did I just eat her boyfriend?" "Oh well, who cares..." Hiro wondered about it for a moment... Consuming a human for the very first time. But he doesn''t feel anything even though he was once a human too. And now seeing humans behaving like this... surely any normal person would already have tears in their eyes. "Hey, you ant... tell me your final wish. Do you want to perish by getting eaten by me or do you want an instant demise grated by my tail?" Hiro unhurriedly slanted his head downward directly in front of her as his breath thumped against her face. But she still didn''t move even the slightest... as if she had been petrified. "Hmm... since you didn''t say anything I will take it as (I want to get blasted by an energy bomb)..." *Sizzles!* *Sizzles!* Hiro unhurriedly unwrapped his mouth as in the next second a massive energy bomb gradually materialized in front of it. Flares of electric current could be seen shimmering here and there around the energy bomb as the rippling sound that it made resounded within the cave. ''What a pitiful ant... you can go die and rest now'' Hiro thought to himself while glancing down towards the heartbroken woman. *BOOM!* He rapidly roared it forward... crashing against the woman as she was directly consumed within the giant energy bomb. Plunged away at a horrible momentum straight across the cavern... And yet she didn''t even respond to it... Surely love had turned her deaf towards reality. *BOOM!* *TREMBLES* *TREMBLES* A vast eruption exploded on the other side of the cavern as the floor began to shiver furiously. Sounds of crystal fragments hitting against each other throbbed all around the place... "Ding congratulations to the host for killing a 10-star magician... Gaining 200 thousand points" "that should settle it" Hiro mumbled to himself while glimpsing towards where the explosion occurred. His cold emerald eyes reflected the big encircling red blast on the other end of this cavern. "System when will the method be ready?... it had been a while already." While doing so... he asked the system about the method. It''s not like he was in urgent need of it but the sooner he gets it the better. "Ding... It will take up to around 10 more days to complete. Currently, the system is breaking the heavenly treasure down inside the host body, and such the time that it will take to formulate the method will be longer" "This... mhmm... " Hiro considered for a minute before deciding on any decision. "Then do that... " "Staying here for 10 days more won''t hurt. Also, I can finish my next evolution in time." End of this chapter. Chapter 40 - 40 (A small hill?) About in a grand towering palace within the capital city of the great emperotus empire. An enormous silver statue standing at the height of 100m stood there silently in front of a vast entrance. An entrance that was all around it was carved in with numerous jewelry and diamond. Added with the glowing runic words inserted on each pillar. In front of the gate are nothing more but an open field. Filled with scattered swords of different types and shapes. But one thing to be taken notice of was that all of these swords were jabbed deeply into the dark shiny floor. Rhyming around it ripples of energy. The clouds above shaped a horrifying spiraling vortex with the colors red and dark intertwined in the middle. suddenly... *rumbles* *rumbles* *rumbles* The giant human-like statue emptied his silver eyes as the floor beneath it began to quiver uncontrollably. *GISHHH* *Boom!* The giant gradually took one step ahead with his right leg. The ground shuddered under the shock of his feet but the floor doesn''t seem to be affected by it. As if the weight that this giant foot held up couldn''t put even a tiny dent on it. *Gisss* "The seventh prince had died... I will have to make a trip towards the old continent to take his body back." The same gaseous sound sizzled once again from the giant mouth as in the next second the silver giant began to speak in an ancient heavy voice. He unhurriedly tilted his gaze towards the cloudy sky with his two glowing silver eyes. *Flaps!* *Flaps!* Abruptly... a giant pair of silver wings materialized on his back that doubled his size. Circulating its radiance apart all around the dark opening field. "What a pity... the only son of the second Emperor had died." The silver giant slowly drifted above as eventually, he faded away into the sky. Hidden away by the thick and murky clouds. - - - - Back to where Hiro was where 10 days had departed by... "Ding congratulations to the host for completing the next evolution lineage" The same motionless voice reverberated within Hiro''s mind as he was currently snoozing with his back flat on the cold crystalline floor. It was still the same as before. The massive crater in the middle and those scattered small holes all around the place. "Mhmm?... " "That''s good to hear... now that my evolution had been completed. I can move on to my next agenda" He muttered to himself while swirling his big tail around at the back. At first, he refrained from doing so... but after a while, he gradually got used to it since it felt comfortable. Though from other''s perspectives it would look extremely odd and horrifying. "System... bring out my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Mutated snake. size: 140m in length 5m in width. Points: 3 076 000 1. Hard skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 15% (Passive) (Maximum) 3. Poison skin (It means what it means): an extremely fatal poison skin that allows the host to paralyze the enemy when in contact. (Additional poison fangs) (Can be accumulated)(passive) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 15% (Permanent passive) (Maximum) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 15% permanently (Passive) (Maximum) 6. Steel tail slash. (Passive) 8. Hyper regeneration. Giving the host the ability to heal any injuries at an extreme speed. (Passive) 9. Body growth. Every day host body will grow by one meter in length and width accordingly. This also increases the host''s body passive skill effect by each day. (Passive) (Maximum) 10. Medium control. Allowing the host to talk through the medium. (Passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 10000000 "... As expected... the required amount of points for my next evolution raised 100 times from before. But the good thing is that I had grown larger now. 140 meters? tch tch not bad." "Oh well... It may take months to collect but who cares. I got time to spare..." He muttered to himself while mulling over something within his mind. "What''s with that maximum word at the end of these skills? Is it the limitations of how far can these skills go?" Hiro asked with curiosity as he had been pondering about it from the very first time his eyes laid their sight on those words. "I see... I think it''s fair enough to add with that 15%damage resistance. If it were to hit 100% wouldn''t I be immune to any attack then?" "Ding... no host. There will always be a stronger attack out there. This world is limitless. 100% is not the limit" Hearing this... Hiro was not in the subtlest intimidated. He had always maintained the status of being low-key for most all the time but when action was needed then he will act accordingly. That is of course if the rewards of his actions would be promising. He wouldn''t be foolish enough to go around offending those who are stronger than him just because he needed something from them. Only act upon those who are weaker than him. The strong prey on the weak. "Well... system is the method ready yet?." Hiro inquired in an unhurried manner while stretching about his body to lessen his muscle stress. His cold emerald eyes peeked around the devastated cavern... "Ding... yes host the method had been formulated. The easiest way would be for the host to ?ssimilate a large amount of innate energy while the system will help the host body to reconstruct from within. It will be extremely painful but this is the easiest way currently available." "This?... are you trying to say that I needed to break down my body and then reconstruct it again?" "Yes, host." Hearing that... Hiro complemented a little. Possessing the ability to absorb this crystalline soil would be extremely profitable for him as such he didn''t want to miss it. Imagine possessing tens of millions of points or even more. "Then do it... " "Ding... yes host, please endure the pain. This system will try to lessen the pain as much as possible. Please refrain from passing out or else the process might fail." "Yes yes... do it now. I''m not a weakling any longer." Hiro replied with confidence. He slowly laid his body back down onto the cold crystalline floor while waiting for the system to begin the process. "Ding... order received... Initiating transformation process from within. in 3..." "2..." *Breathes in* Hearing the countdown. Hiro quickly breathes in a gush of air while heightening his senses to the fullest. "It''s time" "1..." "0.." Finally, the countdown dropped down to 0... *SIZZLES!!* "Arghh.... " *Gritted teeth* A large flare of light erupted from Hiro''s body... glowing intensely from within his skin seemingly appearing to be translucent and clear from the outside due to the intense light. He screamed in pain and agony while blood began to seep out from the corner of his eyes. His distorted roar detonated about across the whole cavern and thus traversed its way up the hole. Booming the outside world with horrifying cries of agony. "Arghhh!.... COME ON!!!!"... HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST!!!!!" He asked in between the roar while beads of sweat began to drip about from his scaly forehead. Mixing with the flowing blood in the corner of his eyes. "Ding... 3 hours left... please hold onto the pain host. " "DANG IT! OKEY HURRY IT UP!!!" "ARGHHH!!!" Listening to the system response... His heart tightened in discomfort but his determination flooded it away. He slowly closed his eyes while enduring the immense pain that was constantly bombarding his body. Minutes after minutes passed by and soon a full 1 hour departed away. Currently, half of his body had been turned into energy while his remaining upper half remained in a solid-state. He couldn''t move his body nor anything else... other than his mind that was constantly battling to stay conscious. It was extremely hard as he had been occasionally giving in to despair... but what comes next was his determination that kicked his will back up. 2 hours passed by and now... every single part of his body had been altered into dots of light. One even could see the ever-moving energy particles all around his body forming a large serpent-like figure. 3 hours departed by... his body is no longer visible... *Cracks* *Cracks* *Cracks* *Sizzles* *Sizzles* Presently a large ball of light is constantly revolving in the air. Hovering about while the surrounding crystalline floor began to deform and turned into dots of light... steering their way directly into the ball of light. ... End of this chapter. Chapter 41 - 41 (She? Him? who knows!) "Bliss of all and shall he come..." "Rips by rips and shall he come..." "He the one... who forged this land..." "..." "And he the one... who forged her heart" A subduing hypnotizing voice echoed about. Looming its way as it sauntered all night long within this "room". A space in which no lights subsisted but still ocular under one''s sight. Quietly at the far end of this hazed space. A beautifully inscribed table perched there on the edge with numerous purple-colored flowers decorating all around it. Totter one gaze to the left... a blurry figure sat there beside it with multicolored shimmering light shrouding " him ". " Anakku baik" (Author notes: figure it out yourself) " So... a newcomer has appeared." The figure spoke... "A dazzling newcomer that will shake the world." The figure gradually grabbed the pendant into " his" palm as the flowers all around "Him/her" prospered in the full moon. "Mhmm...Hmmmmmm... hahaha!" Everything appeared to be so extraordinary as the voice of "him" humming began to inoculate the whole viewpoint. Soaring away from the table as it was gradually inundated by darkness. - - - Back at where Hiro was. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*! Currently, a giant ball of light was periodically thumping in a tempo while floating about in the air. The surrounding 1km crystalline soil had long gone been consumed and turned into nourishment for this giant entity. An entity that won''t stop pulsating as if a giant outburst would occur next. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* As time flew by... the beating began to expedite and thumped even more. The air around it was contorted with pure energy influence while seemingly noticeable strands of sphere energy drifted around. "Processing... 98%" "Processing... 99%" The tiny dot of consciousness slowly shined with powerful light as the darkness all around him began to wither. "It''s time... " "DING!... processing complete... Welcome host" Finally, the motionless voice plummeted to its last. *THUMP!* *THUMP!* *BOOM!* Abruptly the giant ball of light spiraled in a halo with enormous momentum while the air around it began to twirl and bend apart. The ground shook and tremble under the sudden coercion that was emitted from it. *RUMBLES* *RUMBLES* *RUMBLES* *SWOOSH!!* And then... Hiro screamed with a loud voice.... as the giant ball of light shrunken at a rapid pace. Curling into a small dot of light. "BURST!" *Boom!* In a moment... the tiny ball of light exploded like a massive star explosion... gradually forming itself into a long slender body with a dark and rockfish scale on it. A lengthy stripe of runic glow is deeply embedded on both sides all across this giant body. With an appalling rectangular head added with two giant energy fangs. At the end of his tail... flamed itself a corroded fire enveloping all around it. *GISSSSSS* The sound of shriveling gas gushed out from his mouth with visible red marks fluttering within it. "This new body of mine... " Hiro exclaimed in surprise since the changes that had occurred were simply extraordinary!. "My body had grown larger... approximately 200 meters. And my skin... " "It''s earthy and dark... and what''s with that flaming tail of mine? What is this? a customized tail?" He discovered the changes that had occurred on his tail but in the next second, a sudden thought came to his mind. "Wait... can I use this fire?" He mulled over for a moment... "Why not try it out huh" He slowly swiveled his tail to the left... vacating behind some distance. His breathing began to rise while his eyes deepened... Suddenly...! "CRUSH!" *Swoosh!* *BOOM!* *Swoosh* The tail was slammed against the crystalline wall. Chopping through it with ease as in the next second a large and long gash expanded after the dust was swept away. "Not bad..." Hiro muttered to himself with a ting of satisfaction inside his heart. "Now then..." "I should get moving" After affirming and testing his newly formed body. Hiro slowly zigzagged his way towards the middle where there existed the giant hole from before. Directly tying the surface with this cavern. Eyeing about the never-ending far end of his sights. Hiro pondered for a moment with his head slightly propped up. "Oh yes... the crystalline soil. I should absorb it" Luckily he remembered that very one thing he yearned for. The very reason why he had gone through the painful transformation process was all for this crystalline soil. For the millions of points... "System how do I absorb this energy?" Slithering his way to the closest wall he inquired about the system while tossing his gaze around with anticipation. "Ding... Eat it" The motionless voice responded... but after hearing those words. Hiro''s heart dropped a bit since it is unthinkable to eat all of them!. He might be huge but the amount of how much he can eat won''t even come close to 1% of this energy. Even if he won''t feel hungry but that doesn''t mean he can''t feel full. "Isn''t there a better way?... like not eating it? Since my body has a limit even though I won''t feel hungry." He asked with meanings since such a method is not efficient enough for him. Wouldn''t not having to eat be better. He thought to himself. "Ding... there are a lot of methods out there but currently, the host body won''t be able to sustain nor maintain those methods. The method that the host body presently have is to convert the crystalline soil within the host''s body directly to energy" "This..." "Host doesn''t need to worry. Based on host body energy absorption and processing limit. It should take around 17 days to consume every bit of energy within this crystalline soil." "How many are there? Can you tell me?" Hiro asked... "Ding... yes host. This cave crystalline medium is a part of a large 16km crystalline boulder deeply ingrain within the ground." "This? so huge..." Hiro gasped in surprise because his first estimation was around 2-5km in size. Now all he has to do is be patient and stay here silently while absorbing these energies for his point. "Oh yes... system open my panel. I want to see my true size at the moment" "Ding.." Name: Hiro Species: Corroded mutated serpent. size: 200m in length 7m in width. Points: 3 076 000 Skills: 1. Mutated earthy skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 15% (Passive) (Maximum) 3. Corroded flaming skin (It means what it means): an extremely fatal corroded poison skin that allows the host to paralyze and burn the enemy when in contact. (Additional poison fangs)(Additional corroded effect) (Can be accumulated)(passive) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 15% (Permanent passive) (Maximum) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 15% permanently (Passive) (Maximum) 6. Flaming corroded tail slash. (Passive)(Can be altered with the corroded energy) 7. Aura of fear. Burst the aura of fear towards the surrounding by 10km radius rendering any weaker creature to feel utterly weak. (Passive) (Corroding effect... slightly damaged enemy mind) 8. Hyper regeneration. Giving the host the ability to heal any injuries at an extreme speed. (Passive) 9. Body growth. Everyday host body will grow by one meter in length and width accordingly. This also increases the host''s body passive skill effect by each day. (Passive) (Maximum) 10. Medium control. Allowing the host to talk through the medium. (Passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 10000000 "This? corroded mutated serpent? Did I advance in the class? or what?" Hiro said in surprise after glancing through the panel. His eyes shined in surprise... "Ding yes host. Added with the immense amount of energy within the crystalline soil that was utilized to forge the host body. Now the host had acquired a lot of corroded energy characteristics with additional bonuses" "That''s amazing!" "I look so badass now.!" -End of this chapter. Chapter 42 - 42 (HOLES) "Host. Although the current method will allow the host body to be unaffected by the severe corrosion impact of the crystalline soil... but that doesn''t mean the host temperament might remain the same" "This?... what do you mean by that?" Hiro inquired back in concern with the system''s sudden warning. Knew it!... this system is a fraud!. "The nature of this corroded energy is evil emotions and such host temperament or even attitude might transform accordingly to the new energy essence." "But host doesn''t need to worry... the stronger host becomes... the lesser this effect can cause any changes to host mind. " The system continued and finally dropped off its sentence with the least supporting point. How is that even a "DONT WORRY"... Of course, he needed to be worried about that!... just how fast can he become stronger?... well... it is quite fast but not too fast either. *sigh* "Anyway system explain to me the function of the new heavenly treasure. How useful is it?" Hiro raised a question as he slithered away to the nearest chunk of large crystalline soil. Not giving a glimpse at the prior conversations anymore... future problems will be solved by his future self. "Ding... Material augmenting function, Material doubling function, and hidden space function." "Materials augmenting function will allow the host to increase the amount of energy within the targetted material" "Material doubling function(Replicating), Will allow the host to recreate the same material and replicate it. It will be the same one without any other defect" "Space function(Storage), Will allow the host to store a large amount of item, material, or anything inside the furnace space. The amount of space available is 100km in diameter" "That''s extremely cheating!... I mean yes!. Great!" Hiro screamed in excitement after listening to all of that explanations. *cough* *cough*... maybe?... Added on with one more thing which is he could do both of the first features without having any issues. Isn''t that cheating!... Augmenting certain object energy twice and then replicating it for his use. A total buzz off among buzz off!. Incredibly useful!... "System... can I use this on the crystalline soil? is it feasible?" He hastily asked while eyeing the wall with eagerness. Saliva drooped low from the corner of his mouth with the flame on his tail burning even more. Excitement!... that''s a lot of points if he could do that!. "Yes, host... " "Great!!!" Then... *munch!* *munch!* *munch!* Without even a second thought spared behind. Hiro plunged forward with his head on first and crashed in again the wall with his mouth wide open. Breaking through the bodily crystal as he munched away into his mouth. Also... at the same time... he augmented the energy inside his body and replicated it inside. And all it took was with just a thought of his. Extremely handy!... " Here we go! grinding time!" Hiro yelled with enthusiasm as the perspective slowly zoomed out from his back and directly followed along the large hole in the middle. Crammed with darkness seconds later... - - - 17 days later... Location... Barren land, *Flap!* *Flap!* *Flap!* *Gushes!!!* "The signal died off here... " Abruptly... up above the sky, a giant of light 100 meters in height with a pair of large white wings revealed himself as dazzling light circulated all around the area. His body halted above the air with his two glowing eyes staring below in complication. Gushes of thick white energy seeped out of his mouth with his wings continuously fluttering behind... The giant asked in puzzlement as he glimpsed over the devastated land filled with trees and jagged earth. "... " "A battle between two emperor-level monsters?.... interesting... " He muttered yet again after feeling the remaining energy on this land. But... it seemed he doesn''t care about it... well of course he wouldn''t take a note on it... he is after all a demi ancient expert. A shapeshifter class magician of the human continent. One of the 10 divines!. Mildred!... *Boom!* *Crashes!* He plummeted down onto the ground as the earth shook tremendously under the impact. Dust was riled up from it and seconds later it was blown away with a wave of a large hand... "The signal ended here... but there''s nothing. " "I had already scanned the whole area with my sense but there is a nonentity. No ashes or even the tiniest bit of energy left from the prince''s body?" "..." He pondered for a moment... and then. "... Below... " "There''s something under the ground" He muttered while peeking down. The large hole from before had already been crammed with thick and large vines. Naturally, he mistook it as the ground itself even though he had scouted the whole area with his senses. His intuition was telling him that he could find the answer below... "very well then... " "Burst!" *BOOM!* After determining his thoughts... he then rapidly slammed down his fist into the ground. The earth caved in under the result but a sight of miracle happened next!... *BOOM!* *CRASHED!!!* The earth below evaporated out of thin air as a large hole materialized itself seconds later. One could even notice that around his fist... revolved there was a weird pattern with a white halo on it... it should be a skill!... similar to earth digging one or such. - - - - Someplace deep within the earth. Situated inside a large cavern with jagged holes all around the place. Slumped there a large 217 meters long snake with his eyes closed peacefully. The breathing was there as the flaming corroded energy on its tail pulsated from time to time. Suddenly... *Shakes!* *Shakes!* *Debris!* *Debris!* The ceiling above throbbed slightly with a touch of tremor as some of the small rubble fell over from the top. "Hmmm??... what''s this?. Earthquake?" This without a doubt awakened Hiro from his deep slumber as he yawned with his mouth wide open seconds later. Gazing up to the ceiling with alert as he protruded up his large upper body in readiness. Though his mind wasn''t in the best shape since he just woke up. "Something is coming?" He whispered in a low voice... he could sense it... something is digging or crashing down from above. "Ding!... Alert! Host, please evacuate as fast as you could. A demi Ancient existence is coming down towards the host location!" Out of the blue... the system voice roared inside his mind in urgency as his eyes broadened in horror moments later after hearing it. "T-this!" "What!!!" He shouted... Then without even a single thought over it. He began to slither away at a terrifying speed along the large hole that he had created days before. Luckily he had already created many pathways inside this large cavern for himself to navigate around. Searching for the remainder of the large chunk. And now it comes in handy. But surely his heart was too preoccupied with worries and he won''t be able to think of anything else at this moment other than escaping. A demi Ancient existence is coming here!... Something that he can''t deal with!... Escape!... "System what the hell is happening here!?" He asked while slithering away... His eyes filled with anxiety as he went deeper and deeper into the hole. The tremor from before was still there but now it was lesser since he had already galloped far away... but he still kept on running away without a second glance back. "Ding... a demi ancient existence has appeared here. It seems to be searching for something. It is advised for the host to run as far away as possible." "This!... Okey!" "I will ask questions later... for now run!" having said that... he then continued slinking away into the many pathways. Holes after holes as he went deeper into the earth''s crust. He just remembered something at this moment. ''Maybe I can use that weird large hole that I found yesterday?'' ''Great!... that should be my escape route!'' He thought to himself with a serious complexion. Yesterday... as he was bombing around the area to create numerous holes for himself. Suddenly a large 1 kilometers slopes path emerged from one of his lucky bombings. He couldn''t see the end of it since it was extremely long and thus he tried venturing in. But even after hours of full-speed traveling... he still couldn''t touch the end of this path as if it was an endless road. And now this weird path might be his key way of escaping from here!. No matter what the danger is... - - - - Meanwhile... Up above... *Halted!* Mildred thwarted in movement abruptly as his eyes peeked downwards with a frown. He sensed something just now... "Something just moved... it seems to be running away!" *BOOM!* Then... as he was growling that... he immediately blasted his fist downward faster and faster and developed an even larger hole for him to go below. "I won''t let you escape!" *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *trembles* *trembles* He shouted as in the next moment he leaped downward and continued with the same method vigorously. But this time... the tremor becomes even more terrifying. Each punch carried the weight of a mountain behind his fist... as the earth below sunken in and vanished out of thin air. Horrible!... To be continued.... Chapter 43 - 43 (H-hidden world!!!) *Boom!* *BOOM!* *BOOOM!!!* "Holy hell! this guy is relentless!" Hiro shouted as he frantically galloped ahead in unrest. "The large hole from before should be around here!... I will have to be quick or else whoever is chasing me will catch up!" He then proceeded on with his slithering. Passing by numerous holes and caved in areas. All of these were the results of his previous excavating project before... but now it comes in handy by marking the way for his path. He still recalled all of these... naturally, he needed to grasp these chances to run away. 30 minutes before... Instead of lessening... the eruption and booming above become louder and louder. And that could only imply one thing which is... whoever was chasing him was getting closer and closer. He can''t even catch a breath for himself as he had been speeding up on his trail for a very long time. "Dam it!... I already have enough points to evolve but whoever this damned trash is coming too soon!." " I need to find a place secured for me and evolve and then this existence will pose no threat to me" Hiro coughed in exhaustion with his body zigzagged away at the same time. The hole might be small to him... but for normal-sized humans. This place is a giant labyrinth... Judging by the amount of distance he had ventured till this point... this whole cave is more like a whole county or even a region. But the permeating aura of death that still lingered from before would instantly kill any normal human that stumbled here by accident. accompanied behind him would be the periodically muffled sounds of booming above. Even though the distance had been spanned once again but the momentum was still there... no time to slack... "Hahaha! finally!... I finally reached this God damn hole!" Hiro yelled in excitement as he finally halted his large body next to a large slope with the never-ending darkness on its far end. Hiro is wagering his odds on this never-ending hole. Betting the possibilities of escaping through here. The hole is 1km wide and 600-800 meters tall. More than enough for his body size to pass through easily. "Whatever existed on the other side of this hole... I just hope it won''t be that hard to deal with... " Hiro prayed silently within and then... He impatiently slithered into the large slope without turning back. His head protruded up as his eyes glanced all over the place in wakefulness. He can never be too idle and careless. One never knows when a hidden danger would strike... The slope is slanting downward. It seemed that this hole is leading him deeper and deeper into the earth. Bye-bye, the surface world huh?... His very first plan was actually to go to the ocean... but with the sudden appearance of this new danger. All of his plans went into a flop. Better be safe than sorry... As he was slithering away inside this hole... A couple of kilometers above... *giss* "The consumption to drill inside here is too much!" *sigh* Mildred postponed his action as he contemplated for a minute. The mission was to seize any remains or even the smallest fraction of energy from the prince''s body but now... the plan is obstructed by this thick soil beneath him. The hardness of the old continent soil is 100 times stronger than the human continent. His normal excavating skill originated from the human side... naturally, it won''t have that much of an effect. "Whatever was running below just now... doesn''t appear to be related to the prince''s death. But the chances are still there" "Though... if I were to proceed on with this method. The target would have escaped thousand of kilometers away already by the next hour" *sigh* "There''s no way I could catch up... " He shook his head in disappointment while sighing. "Well... if my mission failed then there''s no reason for the other divine to blame me. " "I could only report in what I had seen and done... and maybe added in some fake moment?. Oh well... it''s not like they can tell whether I''m lying or not... " Explaining that... He then slowly fluttered his wings behind and floated away from the ground... up along the prior hole that he had created. It seemed that Mildred had given up on chasing Hiro... One would be that it required too much energy and his excavating skill is an extremely low-grade one. - - - - Back to where Hiro was... *Crashes* *Crashes* *Crashes* *cracks* "Urgh?... why is there suddenly so many stones and rubbles?. I think I had never reached here before... " He mumbled to himself while noticing the small stones scattered around on his path. Well... it is small to him but not to us. Along the way... he had been crushing against these stones with his rock-hard body. And it''s not like he was getting injured or anything. It just felt a bit uncomfortable... with the rubbing noises of it... Even though he doesn''t like it... but he can''t avoid these rocks either. There were too many of them scattered around. "This should be a new area that I had never explored before... " "But just what type of hole is this?... there''s no way this hole is a natural one. It''s too properly made in... " Hiro thought to himself... Looking over the polished ceiling up above and the completely squared hole slanting downward. There''s no way for this to be natural... After thinking about it for a while... he then decided to put it on hold for the time and continued on his journey. Even though the booming sounds had ceased away from his ears... but that doesn''t mean he is 100% safe now. No risk should be taken!... Move! move! ... Roughly 30 minutes later... "There''s light?" Hiro exclaimed in surprise as he gazed intently to the far end of his sight. There he saw it... a blinding square-shaped source of light coming from the so-called outside of this hole. "I should mark my moves slowly... it''s better to be careful here" He ?sserted while slithering ahead with his head lowered more than 30 meters below. Well... to him it is low... but obviously from afar it still looks like a giant hill. After that... He eventually entered on the edge of the end with his large body blended in with the ground color... and soon enough... "T-this place is?!?!?" He blurted out in surprise with his eyes shined in amazement. His words staggered but his heart trickled in excitement!... Looking around the whole area before him... The scene before him presently is astonishing!. "A hidden world!!!" He murmured to himself. There before him... an endless forest from above with large mountains and lakes scattered all around. And the strange thing would be for the earth ceiling up above. Tens of kilometers in height and for the size?.... he can''t see the end of it. "A-amazing!... it''s like an underground world! " "I need to explore this place first before going to the ocean then!" "B-but...How do I get down?" Unexpectedly... a problem occurred next. How should he get down from here?. Determining the height from above, this hole mouth should be more than 5 kilometers on the sky... which is in any normal means. It is too far up. If he were to jump down recklessly... certainly, an enormous consequence and explosion would occur next and thus lead to unwanted attention. Maybe there are many powerful creatures here that he is not aware of?. Then... that''s too risky... "Then... how about using my abilities?" "Oh yeah... like before." an idea emerged inside his mind which instantly ?ssured him to go down there. Even though it is still a large amount of movement with his size and all... but in the end, it is much safer. "Burst... " *Crashes!* *Boom!* *Crashes!* Abruptly... large tree trunks and veins sprouted up from the ground all around him. Enclosing him inside and platforming below him with a wooden touch. And then... The large ball of wooden-shaped colossus gradually entrenched away from the hole with the support of large roots deeply embedded on the wall and even on the back within the holes. Lowering down lower and lower from the sky as Hiro created a small peeking hole from his side to look around. "Woah!... this is Amazon forest?... N-no?... this is... MASSIVE forest. " He clamored from within the enclosure... "Ding... welcome host into the dungeon territory." The system voice rumbled inside his mind out of the blue as he was occupied with his sightseeing. "Huh?" "WHAT???!!" To be CON TE Guide. Chapter 44 - 44 (Dungeon?... then can I be the boss?) "D-Dungeon!?... system is this true?" He hurriedly asked back. His heart trembled slightly under this sudden news. A dungeon!... like from the game one?. For players to brush up their level and become stronger!... "Does that mean the concept of levels and players existed here?" "No host... " The system answered back. Destroying his thoughts of utter fantasy. Oh wait... he is one. "Then... explain to me about this place" "Ding... the dungeon. Existed for the sole purpose of gaining strength and experience. Usually, dungeons will be used by humanoid creatures to find rare materials and even treasures if lucky. " The system elucidated in a slow and automated manner as Hiro listened without leaving a single word unattended within his mind. Listening to that... "I see... so the structure of it still retained the same concept of what a dungeon is from my world. But instead of levels and such... it focused more on the accumulation of experiences. " "Then... the chances of me stumbling upon human would be rather high here. " He murmured to himself within the wooden cocoon as it went on to drop further and further below. While this was happening. Hiro then began to implement a new set of plans inside his mind. As for why is it dangerous?... (The chances of meeting humans)... Shivers!!!... *Creaks!* *Creaks!* *splashes!* half a minute later... The enormous bodily wooden cocoon eventually stopped as some of its lower parts were submerged inside the water below. Noises of splashes and squeaking wooden movement quivered about... with the wavering blue color on the outside of the peeking hole. "This?... water... it should be a river or even a lake... let''s explore the area a bit first for safety... and then" "find a hidden place to evolve" The wooden enclosure unexpectedly unrolled itself as Hiro slithered forward into the water next. *Creaked!* *Creaked!* *Splash!* The familiar touch of the dark blue liquid with the darkness of depth below. Home sweet home... but wait!... "Holy!... how deep is this lake!" He blurted in alarm as he veered his gaze around below. He couldn''t see the depth of it!... The giant wafting ball was still there on the surface as Hiro ventured a bit further from his prior location. His gaze swiveled left and right... and yet... he b?r?ly noticed the earth-sloped wall a couple of hundred meters in front. That should be the land. "This is a river?... or a connection to the ocean?.. " "Hmmm... oh well... might as well explore the water first. " *swoosh!* he embarked to swim downward... his head dived in first with his eyes glowing in the darkness of the depth. It''s like a pair of cold emerald eyes wandering around inside this seemingly infinite place. Hiro possessed the ability to discern everything as clear as the day within the water. But now he couldn''t even see the depth of it which means that this place is extremely deep... His size of over 217 meters long shuttling through here... surely he is a behemoth among behemoth. 1km... 2km... 4km... and suddenly... He stopped... "What''s that?" He uttered as he gaped intently to the side... there he saw it... a blurry shadow with the size of 50 meters or so swimming not far away from him. The shape is similar to that of a fish but the fin on top of it appeared to be rather jagged and long. After a couple more closer inspections... "A giant fish!... and I had never seen this type of fish before." The body is blue with a visible white stripe on both sides. The mouth is half opened with noticeable rows of sharp teeth protruding up and the most alarming feature would be the large horn on its head. Spiraling in the pattern. The fish doesn''t seem to discover Hiro''s presence yet as it swam leisurely at its own pace. Vacant of any worries... "Let''s just leave it for now and go back to the surface. I had explored enough for today... " "After all... I needed to find a hidden place first and then evolve to the next level. Demi ancient realm! I can''t wait to become stronger!" *swoosh!* Hiro then rapidly swam upward to the surface... the water swelled all around him as visible waves spiraled around his head like a tornado. Not even a minute passed and soon enough... *Boom!* An enormous behemoth emerged from the water below as the tranquility from before was disturbed on the surface. Surges of waves dispersed around in rhythm as Hiro slowly made his way to the land. From his perspective... the land was crammed with large trees and sandy beaches on this side. He also saw some small animals similar to that of a deer and boar. The size of these trees was not too sloppy in terms of height. An average of 30-40 Meters tall is extremely helpful for him to slide around in ?ssurance. "This place is great!... the size is totally on point for my size!" Hiro sighed in relief as he ultimately arrived on the shore. Slithering forward with his body entirely lowered to the ground. The earth was shoved apart as his body crushed through to make a path. His weight damped in the ground... leaving behind a giant trail connected from his tail. And somehow... the moment he landed there. The birds surrounding the area instantly flocked away in fear... the surrounding earth trembled under his slithering movement as some of the trees were pushed apart and fell over. 2 hours later... After a continuous journey through the forest. He finally stumbled himself next to a waterfall!. "Woahhh!!!!... " "So beautiful!" As he gazed towards the falling water with his emerald eyes. Though there''s only one problem... The size of it b?r?ly reached 70 meters tall as Hiro protruded his head up to inspect it from his eye level. The water below formed a large lake roughly 200 meters wide and 80-120 meters deep... "Well, this should do it... I can just curl my body around inside and there''s a lot of space with the streaming water downward for my lower body. " Hiro nodded in satisfaction. He wanted to turn this place into his temporary evolving shelter. Nobody should be able to come here and disturb him... I mean. Even if someone did... they won''t notice Hiro''s presence since he is deep underwater. - Hiro then crammed himself inside the lake below the waterfall as he curled his body around to spare as much space as he could. If before from above the water would look a bit clearer and not too dark... but now it looked extremely gray as if the bottom of it is endlessly deep. "System... open my panel" "Ding" Name: Hiro Species: Corroded mutated serpent. size: 200m in length 7m in width. Points: 37 066 000 Skills: 1. Mutated earthy skin: Grant the host with a harder skin (Passive). 2. Common sprint: Grant host the ability to increase max speed by 15% (Passive) (Maximum) 3. Corroded flaming skin (It means what it means): an extremely fatal corroded poison skin that allows the host to paralyze and burn the enemy when in contact. (Additional poison fangs)(Additional corroded effect) (Can be accumulated)(passive) 4. Damage resistance: reduce damage taken by 15% (Permanent passive) (Maximum) 5. Tail slam: increase the attack of the tail type attacks by 15% permanently (Passive) (Maximum) 6. Flaming corroded tail slash. (Passive)(Can be altered with the corroded energy) 7. Aura of fear. Burst the aura of fear towards the surrounding by 10km radius rendering any weaker creature to feel utterly weak. (Passive) (Corroding effect... slightly damaged enemy mind) 8. Hyper regeneration. Giving the host the ability to heal any injuries at an extreme speed. (Passive) 9. Body growth. Every day host body will grow by one meter in length and width accordingly. This also increases the host''s body passive skill effect by each day. (Passive) (Maximum) 10. Medium control. Allowing the host to talk through the medium. (Passive) Evolution points needed for the next evolution: 10000000. "More than enough for my next evolution... I think. " Hiro pondered for a moment... His points now were all of the accumulation from the crystalline soil from before. Spending over 10 million won''t hurt him anymore since he is a rich man now. "System... initiate the evolving function" He ordered but then... "Orders received... host please choose one of the two options to evolve next" But then a large blue panel materialized before his very eyes with the system voice clarifying it. "What''s this?... options for evolving?" Hiro asked... "Yes, host... from this point of out. Each evolution will be given two or more options for a lineage path. Please choose wisely" The system explained... 1. Corroded Serpent stage 2. (Retaining the same species but with a stronger development on the next stage) 2. Deviant World Serpent. (Would still retain some of the corroded nature but host overall essence will be thoroughly changed into a new species.) Looking over the two options... "I choose-" To be continued Chapter 45 - 45 (BEAR) "I select the second option" Hiro said with confirmation. One aspect would be that he wished to see this new species evolution cycle on himself. His intuition was telling him that this choice would give rise to a lot of surprises. Then... He didn''t need to wait for long for the system to take off as in the following instant... "Ding... orders received. Initiating the evolution process. " (Deducting 10 million points?) (Yes) x (No) (Yes) "Ding... deducted 10 million points" "The holder will be sent into a deep sleep state. Be prepared" Heeding that... His body instantly went sluggish in strength. His eyes lowered low and his breathing resumed in with the usual. He was settled to slumber in an instant... Not even a second to react. Though his heart wasn''t nervous at all since all of the preparations had been prepared. A slumbering behemoth under this waterfall. Surely there won''t be any people coming here right?... Wrong... - - - - 5 months later... Someplace deep within this forest. A blood-boiling battle was undergoing on its own pace as the clouds above resumed on with their daily path. *BOOM!* A huge claw was stabbed into the ground within this new perspective. Leaving away a surge of dust all around as a woman in a tight dark suit evaded quickly from the area. *swoosh!* "Jin!... tank it now!" She screamed while darting away into the woods... her breath was ragged but her eyes were fixed on the prey all the time. "Yeah!... leave it to me!" "Harghhhh!!!!!" In the successive moment... After listening to her shout... He then recklessly galloped ahead towards the large dark bear with courage. His shield up as his step was massive in momentum. *BOOM!* *gushes!* He railed his body against the beast as steamed white gasses spewed out of his mouth like a volcano. *Roar!!!* The bear was smashed a couple of steps behind from the shield collision. The eyes went red as its mouth gurgled with saliva... it appeared to be irritated by the man''s provoking action. Their distance was 1 meter apart with a height difference of 2 meters. " Come at me stupid furry!" Jin shouted while clenching his shield up with both of his hands. His heart pulled tautly but his body was deeply ingrained into the ground. Then... The bear swung both of its paws from the top as it stood tall on its 2 lower feet. *BOOM!* *CRASH!!!* Receiving the blast... Jin''s feet were directly curved into the ground as he gritted heavily in pain. His hand trembled while it was still brandishing on against the continuously pressing down giant paws... "ARGHH!!!... Saya! When are you going to do it! I can''t hold on THAT MUCH LONGER!!?" He cried out while twisting his gaze to the right. Then there we could glimpse... Her hair was pure red as she grasped out a wooden staff with both of her hands to the front. Vocalizing a spell silently as a large square-shaped energy diagram materialized below and above her. The wind blistered around under and her clothes thumped against. "Give me a couple more seconds!" She shouted as a drop of sweat gradually slipped down over. Even some visible blue veins popped out on her forehead as she concentrated all of her mana in this one final blow. "HARGH!! Alright!. Give me the cue when you are about to release it!" *Boom!* *BOOM!* *CLANK!* Jin yelled back in a boisterous voice... The bear didn''t even flinch over his victim as he continuously flooded the human with his large paws over and over again. The ground cracked and broke down into a large crater. With visible cow web-like cracks spreading like a circle ripples under them... Jin was pinned under a tight spot now... Every second his foot will be sunken in downward by each centimeter. His arm muscles began to wear off bit by bit as he persisted against the torrent of attacks from the giant dark bear. *BOOM!* *CLANK* *BOOM!* "Ready!!!... Run now!!!" "OKAY!!" Suddenly... Saya shouted from the side and Jin instantly responded to her words. "Hargghhhh!!!" *BOOM!* *ROARR!!* He thrust up his shield to the front and crashed the bear''s large body at a thunderous speed. The visible wind surges rioted from the impact as he used the propulsion generated from the collision to shell out his body backward. *swoosh!* "DO IT NOW!" He shouted while blitzing backward into the air. His eye tilted to Saya who was presently being encircled inside a large diagram formation. "Alright!.. take this!!!. Hail of flame! Burn!!!" *swoosh!* She rapidly swung her staff forward as in the succeeding moment an enormous tornado of blaze materialized itself out of the diagram that was encircling her body. The tornado then bulleted to the front as its trajectory was locked towards the giant bear''s direction. The trees swayed and simmered black under the heat as the ground shook against the storm. *BOOM!* Not even a second passed... An enormous detonation erupted forth as the ground shuddered under the tremor. The bear was slammed and engulfed within the flames as a large crater ensued itself in the middle of the area. The dust was rolling up onto the sky with the sizzling heat noises lingering around the scorched soil. "It''s dead... " *swoosh!* *steps!* The woman in the tight black dress from before appeared next to Saya as she whispered those words in certainty. Her body hovered above with an inch vacant below her feet... "Harghh!... since Lizy has confirmed it then it''s true!" *Plop!* Jin sighed in relief as he collapsed back onto the ground. His shield was thrown to the side with both of his palms connected to the ground surface. His face glanced upwards as he breathed in heavily his share of air from before... "I thought I was going to die!" he continued while swiping away those sweat from his forehead. His gloves wrapped and swiped against but to him it was normal. He can wash it later... "It''s fine now Jin. We can rest" Lizy said as she nodded slightly to both of her friends. Her dagger dangling on her waist... seemingly unwrapped from before. She was the one who attracted the dark bear for them... or else it was gonna be a hard day locating it inside this haystack of a forest. "At the very least we did the job. The contract should automatically be done. " "Yeah... " "Good work everyone... hahaha!" Jin congratulated with a loud laugh and a broad smile on his complexion. The bear just now was a normal Demi King-level monster. It took them quite a while to defeat it... though, in the end, they succeeded. "Let''s wash up first at the waterfall and then we will go back to the town" Lizy said as she began strolling away into the forest. Her eyes were sharp but her words transmitted affection and compassion towards her teammate. "Agreed... I''m so sticky now. I feel like a walking slime" "Mhmm... " Listening to her words. Both Jin and Saya hurriedly agreed. Since Lizy is the leader of this group... Having said that... they gradually got up and pursued behind. Venturing back into the forest with a tinge of accomplishment inside their heart. Being able to exterminate a demi king-level monster with a team of three!. They now have the capital to be proud of... it was not an easy task to defeat a demi king-level monster with only 3 people... - - - - Approximately around 30 minutes later... after a long period of continuous walking inside this forest. They finally stumbled upon a very huge waterfall. The crystal clear blue color of it fell from above with the whitish mist wavering below. The neatly arranged large rocks on the far end of the flowing water and the never-ending stream leading below... The flowers field on both sides with a scarce number of large greenish trees. The tall grass and the beautiful crooked tree on the side of the water from their perspective... Everything appeared to be extremely wonderful here... "Take your time to rest here. We got the rest of the week free with today''s task completed" Lizy muttered to them both with a small smile on her face. Her eyes refreshed under this beautiful scenery with a large puff of relief from her mouth. "Oh yeah... this area suppose to be a clear zone. So there''s no need to be so alert. " Saya added in... her face muscles loosened up as she slumped down onto the fluffy grass below. Her staff on one side with her legs wiggling free leisurely... Yes... This area was dubbed such a name started from 5 months ago. A total of 30km of the area... no monster dared to walk into this place. Many adventures had presumed for it to be the work of a powerful beast at first... but after a month of continuous searching for the so-called "beast". Nothing was found other than the extremely beautiful waterfall. " I''m going to swim! ahahaha!" Jin impatiently said as he took off his armor from his body. Revealing the rows of explosives muscles with his large lower pant below. "Alright... just be careful not to drown yourself. " Lizy giggled... "Humph! drown who!. I''m a great swimmer!" He retorted and then slowly walked away towards the water. To be continued.... Chapter 46 - 46(Too deep?) *splashes!* *splashes!* *splashes!* "Hahaha... Awww man!... it has been a while already since the last time I went swimming" Jin cackled in enjoyment as he swam around within the water leisurely. He was around 50 meters away from the shore... roughly 1/3 towards the middle of the water area. Meanwhile... Saya and Lizy sat there on the side as they chatted with each other happily. The wind gently shuttled by against them as the warm feeling cruised through the land peacefully. Everything appeared to be so pleasant to one''s eyes. Nothing would ever go wrong, no?. "Lizy... is it possible for people like us to do this type of thing?" Saya inquired in a soft and fragile voice. Her words were a bit sad accompanied by her expression.... as Lizy listened to her attentively. "You don''t have to worry... with strength, our past imprints can easily be rewritten into a new one." "B-but... we are slaves Lizy. Our status is even lower than those normal people" Saya ?r??n?d as she lifted her arm upwards. Pulling her right-hand sleeves a bit and there... we could glimpse a burnt mark on her wrist. Shaped into a circle with the word slave in the middle... " Have faith... hope is for those who preserved. And we shall preserve and eventually escape from this hell of a world into a peaceful one." Lizy countered back in with a profound look in her eyes. Saya saw it... the determination... the strength and beliefs within those gazes. "Mhmm... " She nodded as her eyes flickered back under the shine. "How about we join Jin with his swimming?... " Saya suddenly proposed... For 20 years of her life... she had been kept inside a cage. Used as a tool for p???sur? and fed with remains of rotten food for her to eat her fill every day. She had no hope back then... not even a crack of light through the cement walls for her to see. Every day was like endless torture for her. No clothes, no proper food, and no honor as a human being. But one day... all of her curses changed. It was a storm during the night that she saw her. A woman dressed in a tight leather suit. Brandishing her dagger against those Guard''s necks and killing them off. And that moment was the time that she had finally found hope. The hope of being free for herself. - "Alright... let''s go. It has been a while already" Lizy smiled at Saya. And then both of them went to the water excitedly. Saya only took off her outer robe... revealing those milk-like skin below. She was wearing her und?rw??r though she doesn''t seem to care about it. Well, Jin isn''t a stranger to her. He also was a slave that had been treated even worse than she could imagine. After years of getting to know him, it felt like a stupid big brother that would always smile in every situation. As for Lizy... she still retained that tight suit on with a plain look on her face. She doesn''t care about others'' opinions... "Let''s go!!!" "Hahaha!" After all of that preparation then they immediately leaped into the water while holding each other hands. *splashes!* *splashes!* "Hahaha! it''s so warm!" Saya exclaimed cheerfully. "Mhmm... this water is a bit warm. Hemm? a bit too warm..." she had been here before... but the water had never been this warm like this before. "I think too much... " She shrugged it off. For now, it is time for them to enjoy this small vocation. A joyous smile was plastered on her face as she swam behind Saya and teased her back with her finger. What a sight!... But... her though from before should have been mulled again within. Because deep under the water... existed there something horrible. An existence that no one could think of to be there. - Back to where Jin was... Now he had already swum a bit more further than before. He was very close to the middle of the lake with below the endless darkness within the depth. "Hemm?... is it just me or is the color a bit too darker from before?" "... This... why am suddenly feeling uneasy?" He muttered... and a scowl emerged on his face seconds later... His heart... was telling him something. But....he couldn''t quite grasp what it was. *splashes!* *splashes!* "Hey what''s the matter Jin?" "Yeah, Jin?... are you alright?" Saya and Lizy swam closer to him. Around 4 meters away as they looked at his nervous expression. "Lizy... I think. There''s something wrong with this waterfall" He blurted out with uncertainty... but his intuition was warning him off like an alarm within. He needed to tell them... or else he won''t be able to sleep well tonight. "Huh?... something wrong?" Lizy muttered his words again... Thinking back to the weird temperature of this water. "Isn''t the water also a bit warmer from before?" She added in as her chin propped against. "Yeah... I noticed that too. " Saya nodded. Even though she has no clue what they were talking about. In her ears, she only heard blah blah blah warmer. "... Lizy... " Jin suddenly whispered... but this time his gaze was fixed downwards into the water. His face was cramped with horror as his eyes were wide open. "What is it?" Lizy asked as she stared at his expression. A touch of uneasiness slowly penetrated her heart as Jin slowly slanted his gaze back up... Intertwined with her''s sight. She could see it... the dignified look on his face. An expression that he had never shown before... " I saw... something very large under us" He gulped down but the fear on his face wasn''t even concealed in the slightest. His words send chills to both of the women. Their heat thumped wildly with a huge frown on all of their complexion. "You might have mistaken something... " Lizy hurriedly bu??ed in with those words of ?ssurance. Trying to ease the situation down... though within... she 100% believed in Jin''s words. "Let''s get out of the water first... " She said in a calm voice. Although... a large lump of uncertainty was slowly brewing itself... making her heart heavier and heavier in the decision. "Alright... " "Mhmm... I don''t like it here too..." Saya and Jin Nodded back. And they quickly swam off towards the shore. Dressing themselves up once again and gathering in a group far away from the waterfall. "Should we report this to the guildhall?" Jin asked fearfully. "... " "I-i think we should get people here to check once again... " Lizy stayed silent for a while but Saya hurriedly acknowledged Jin''s proposal. All three of them felt it... as they were swimming back just now. The water suddenly got warmer and warmer. As if... something was erupting below. But the worst part of it... that they couldn''t see it. Surely something that could produce such a large amount of heat could easily be detected. No... it appeared to be in the opposite... "Would they believe us?" Lizy suddenly said... her face was cold but her words thundered the other 2 out of their fantasy. Yeah... who would believe them? They were slaves that somehow managed to escape from those noble. Their words carried no weight to those people. "..." "...." *sigh* Lizy sighed while frowning to herself. It''s not like she was trying to bring down their mood or anything. But... that was the reality of their situation. "Then what should we do?" Jin asked again... "Alright, I think we-" "How about a talk little one" *swoosh!* "Who''s there!" Abruptly... As Lizy was about to respond to Jin''s question. An ancient voice unexpectedly rumbled about within the medium as this without a doubt horrified the group of three. The dagger was out on her hand with her stance ready to fight at any moment. Jin held his giant shield on the front as his eyes gawked around nervously. And Saya standing at the back of the group with her silent chanting. Ready and set. Though their heart plummeted down the moment the voice dropped before. Their orifices widened in panic as the wind around the area shuttled unevenly. Fear, confusion, and also horror. They couldn''t see the other person''s whereabouts but. He or she should be close... far closer than they think... "No need to be alarmed little ones" The voice sounded again... bringing no evil tone within those words. The three trembled slightly after hearing it. their heart thumping wildly with beads of sweat sliding over their forehead. "Show yourself instead of concealing like this?... how are we to feel safe if you are the one hiding like this?" Lizy retorted with a loud voice. Her dagger lifted and grasped tightly within her palm. "Hahaha! If I were to show myself. You would flee away then!" *rumbles* *rumbles* *rumbles* The voice laughed as loud as heaven. The earth shivered under the tremor as some of the rocks on top of the waterfall fell over from the sky. *splashes* *crashes!* *splashes* TO BE CLIFF HANGER. Chapter 47 - 47 (Birth of the destroyer part 1) *gulped* She swallowed down her fears. Her eyes peered around the area with their backs facing each other. Establishing a complete circle viewpoint for them... though such an effort won''t sell off that well. One holding a staff, one holding a dagger, and one holding a giant shield. A combination of balanced firepower... but truly... such power amounted to nothing before the existence behind the voice. "No need to be alarmed... I mean no harm" The voice resounded yet again... the trees trembled with the leaves rustling scarcely. but their previous experiences of life won''t allow it. One thing that they had learned after being a slave was that not to believe in anyone other than themselves. A blind trust weighed over a temporary shelter. An unknown voice within the woods?... the answer is no. "H-how can we trust you on that?" Lizy asked in a low voice. Her hands crossed with the dagger on the front... Jin and Saya said no more but left it all on Lizy''s shoulders. She is their leader... and in terms of decision making... it would be best for her to handle this situation. " Strength... " The voice responded... but this time... such a word puzzled the group of three. Strength?... what could it possibly mean?. Doubts started to float about above their head but truly... fear also accompanied the parade. " What do you mean by that?" A grim look appeared on her face... as she slowly signaled the other two to get ready to run with her finger crossed behind. clasped tightly against the shield that was Jin. Gripped against the staff closer to her ?h?st and that was Saya. " I can grant you strength..." "T-this?" "What?..." Hearing this... Their breath ceased with a bewildered look on their complexions. Her finger stiffened within the move as the trees stopped still and stagnant from the prior noises. Nothing moved afterward other than their slowly accelerating thumping heart inside. The blood flowed through their vein and soon enough one of them responded with a vigorous tone. "C-can you really?... give us strength?!..." Her past of torturous voyage... incapable of defying fate other than sitting still behind the cage. Powerless... weak and desperate to change things. "S-saya... what are you talking about?!" Jin hurriedly bu??ed in with an anxious look on his face. Knowing Saya''s thoughts within her words seconds before. Lizy heard it too... but could only curl her lower lip and remained still under... One thing that she had never been able to control was Saya''s obsession with strength. Obsession with freedom would be more appropriate to put it .. but still... in this world freedom is strength. And strength is what everyone craved for. Any price including life could be exchanged for it... And this... for those people that had experienced despair in their lives... sounded extremely appealing to them. Like the whisper of the demons... " Indeed I can... " The voice responded in a proud tone. Even a tinge of arrogance could be heard within it... but to Saya''s ears. It sounded like a cannonball... breaking through the last shreds of glass before her eyes. The last stand of her relief... crumbling away... with her eyes glistening in madness... she screamed back to heed the call... "Then... give me strength, please!! .. I will do anything for it!. My body, my soul... anything!" "S-saya Stop!" "Saya!" She frantically shouted with a frenzy look on her face... as the other two attempted to hold her down from moving forward. But can they stop her from craving freedom against injustice?... A ticking bomb disguised under the word "emotion" They can''t... *Boom!* "Argh!!! Saya Dont!" "Crap!" She swung her staff recklessly. Blasting away the other two from the impact of the explosion as the ground below cracked a small crater the size of 3 meters in diameter. Jin had been plunged away into the forest... slamming against 4 trees until his body stopped before a large rock. Instantly knocking him out... As for Lizy... blessed under her agility. She immediately regained her balance after 10 meters of distance. Though small dot of blood began to flow over from the corner of her mouth. The blast was too close... injuries were unavoidable. Her tight clothes were rendered fragile under the burnt marks... and even her th??hs were exposed from the shredded part below. "Hahaha!... Power! Give me power!" Before Lizy could even regain her view after recovering her balance. Saya instantly ran towards the lake like a crazy person. Her voice shouted out hysterically as if her mind had been gobbled up into the abyss. And one could even discern that her eyes appeared to be red. Something was wrong... As if a cloud of invisible smoke lingered about in the middle of her eyebrows. ''What''s that?'' Lizy gasped her breath as she glared towards Saya that was running ahead frantically. She saw it... the invisible strand of smoke on Saya''s face as she supported her injured body against a tree. But her thoughts cycle was too slow to react. Her body failed to comply with her brain. and shout as loud as she could... "Saya! Stop!!!" But to no avail... It was such a fragile attempt. The distance was short as Saya finally arrived before the lake. Squatted down next to it as in the successive moment she bowed down against the ground. *slammed!* "I will do anything!... please!" Her forehead went red under the bang. Bruises and scars... she had been controlled from the moment the voice appeared. No... it was a whisper of d?s?r?. And her deepest hidden emotion was guided... streamed through her veins and finally exploded into her current state. She wasn''t aware of it yet... but maybe she would never return. " Since you have shown such an effort then I shall grant you strength" The voice trembled yet again after the short moment of temporary silence. But this time... A large shadow outline could be seen slowly creeping out from the depth of the lake.... bigger and bigger. At the same time... the sky was instantly colored in pale darkness. This sudden gloomy atmosphere expanded at such a terrific speed... visible to the n?k?d eyes. Tens of kilometers of the area were shrouded under this darkness as in the next moment... *BOOM!* *DRIPS* *DRIPS* *DRIPS* A loud heavenly bang struck down from above as the clouds began to shed their sadness from the sky. Everything happened under the emergence of the shadow in the middle of the lake... as the rain gradually engulfed the whole peaceful forest with its presence. "T-this is???... rain??" *cough!* *cough!* *spurts!* "... the internal damage is too severe. Damn it! .. but still... I need to bring Saya back. Something is not right with this place... especially that voice. " Lizy coughed out blood as she shifted her eyes all around the horizon. Her mood as of now was extremely huddled and confused. From the moment Saya''s emotions exploded and to the suddenly raining weather. " Saya!!!... come back here!. Do not be fooled! Whatever that thing is we can''t trust it!" She shouted... slowly moving forward as she struggled to endure the pain from the pushing collision of her fleshy wounds. Every inch of her movements felt like a dagger stabbing into her skin... but still... she kept on moving forward. She needed to grab Saya out of this mess. As for Jin... she had already seen it... he should be a bit further away from their location. Saving Saya first would be the best choice... Despite her shout... Saya nevertheless remained under the same posture... as there right before her... deep into the lake. The shadow became more visible and substantial to the surface of the water. And the most horrifying part of it would be that the shadow covered the whole lake surface!. Something was coming up... "What is that!!!... hurry! I need to bring her away from there!!" Lizy''s eyes widened after glancing a bit ahead from Saya''s location. Noticing the darkness that was slowly emerging from the abyss. Her back broke out in cold sweat as she gritted her teeth and burst out with every little bit of her strength left. *swoosh!* Her figure shuttled away from the distance and instantly appeared next to Saya. Though her injuries were pushed further and further inside... Pushed her limit of endurance to the peak as she hurriedly grabbed Saya''s cloak from behind. Suddenly!... *BOOM!* *SPLASHES!* " Arghh!! Saya!!!" "Hahaha!" Enormous coercion erupted forth from the lake as in the next second a large Serpent head covered in red darkness emerged from the loud splash. Accompanied by it were Saya''s hysterical laughter and Lizy''s body being slammed away by an invisible force. Slamming against a large tree as she spurted out blood from her mouth. Her vision was slowly decaying with the final picture of Saya standing before the large Serpent head. Her arm spread apart like a fanatic believer with that crazed look filled with intoxication. And soon enough... she lost consciousness. She lost too much blood. ''Dam-n it... '' Those were her last words before entering the deep darkness. I''m still alive -Evertruth. Chapter 48 - 48 ( Birth of the destroyer part 2) '' Now then... since those unqualified people had been brushed aside. Let''s put the corroded energy away from her mind'' Hiro secretly thought to himself while glancing downward. Looming over the tiny human the size of an ant with the head alone. The fine cold ?uster of his eyes radiated power... with the rectangular-shaped head of horror. The enormous tongue flickered on the outside from time to time. Forming a periodically timed puff of wind... generated from the movement of it alone. Before this... The second the head protruded up from the lake surface... a large amount of water surged all around. Flooding the lakeside within the crystal blue color with the swaying watery noises that it made. But for this... Hiro doesn''t care. For now... he wanted to focus on this potential errand girl. To explain this... 12 hours ago. Hiro had been woken up from the system. And by saying that we could already ?ssume the routine that he took. Checking the panel... asking some characteristic changes that had occurred and so on. His size had increased exceptionally. A 600 meters serpent in length with the width and height of 20-30 meters while laying fully flat down. A horror of an existence. Though he would call himself a magnificent creature instead. Also... a peculiar conversation had been made with the system. One of the reasons he had decided to use the corroded energy to influence this tiny human was from that conversation. " System... Can I practice the skill that originated from this world or is it impossible?" Hiro asked slowly as he began to feel the transformations of his newly shaped body. The water within this depth rumbled all around with his sliding movement. From above it would look like curling darkness twisting and fidgeting. "Ding... Yes, host. But there will be some modifications in terms of features and orders. Would the host like to hear it?" The cold mechanical voice responded. The message within it made him happy... well. That was on the first half only while the remaining half froze his smile. " What is it?" He asked curiously. The body was long and slender with many of the corroded appearances intact. His species should have been changed and adopted alongside the prior one... He felt a little bit different. But then he quickly shifted his thoughts to the matter on call... "Ding... The host will be given two options. Choose wisely" (Option 1) Potential: Limited based on the race, energy type, and also energy essence. (Option 2) Self-learning/ creating skills. Potential: Limitless. Though the start will be hard to grasp. A blue panel appeared before his eyes. It was square-shaped in light blue color with those words embedded on it. Hiro was rather surprised by these options that he needed to make. Since he can only choose one of them... risky but in the end, it might be extremely worthwhile. " Limited based on energy essence... or limitless but a rough start... " He contemplated for a while. The system skills mall provided him with powerful skills right off the back... but all of it will be driven by his race, energy essence, and so on. Limiting him from the other type of skills that might be available. The growth potential of the second option was even more appealing to his eyes. No doubt about it... " Then... I chose the second one" He muttered. Risks co-exist with opportunities... and since this option gave him the chances of unlimited growth then why not walk upon it?. Surely a stumble won''t be that bad... "Ding... processing order. System mall skills function eliminated. The previous skills will still be available as permanent. From now on the host will be able to develop skills freely without limitations" "Naturally... " He smiled back. - Back to the present time. *coughs!* *coughs!* *coughs!* Saya finally dropped onto her knees as she held her hand against her throat. Coughing out dark blood with her eyes flooded in tears. Red veins arose all over her pale white skin with her body went limping downward. Her eyes were fuzzy... but still, she gritted her teeth to shift her gaze upwards. Meeting those large pair of eyes with anger within. "Y-You!!?? " A puzzled voice filled with outrage... Her body trembled but was not of fear but instead in resentment. Even some visible red lines emerged on her pure reflective orifices surface. choked up throat with one hand holding against it... and her feet feeling like noodles under. " You have regained your thoughts. Congratulations!" Hiro said... " Damn you!!!!!" She screamed hysterically while grabbing some tiny stones next to her. Throwing away towards the large serpent head with all of her pitiful strength. *plop!* *splashes!* *splashes!* And as to be expected. None hit the target with the plopping sound that it made the next second. " Are you angry? " Hiro asked in a playful tone... Knowing of what he had done...turning her into such a disheveled state. He wanted to see... her anger. How far can she fuel it up?. " ... My friend was injured!!! not because of me but it was because of you!!!" " You hurt them!!!!" Her red gazes shifted up with her fist clenched on both sides. The grasses were plucked up with some of the dirt-covered over her tiny hand... She knew what happened... Hiro used her to hurt her friends... but that was it. Only the topping of the cake... What she didn''t know was... " I didn''t use you... " He chuckled with a devilish tone... Licking his tongue on the top with the plain taste of what had lingered before. The cloudy sky draped over both of them with the large rectangular shadow bathing over her location. Shuttled the wind in between where their eyes met. Her face went pale after hearing the hoarse and deep chilling voice. Realizing that she was simply a weak human... Standing before a very large serpent that radiated the aura of death all around it. Sweats and shivers on her back... with her orifices wide opened. " You was simply using your d?s?r?s... and that was how you hurt them... It was all because of your greed for power" Hiro smiled seemingly... with the huge mouth opened. Unwrapped from below and what it could be seen was as a hideous hole of flesh... lines of saliva and some weird remains inside. "N-No! I didn''t! It-" "It was your own doing" Hiro cut her words off short... Dazing her with the significance of it as her memories began to plummet inside her heart. Distrust and also confusion... swirling inside like a whirlpool of chaos. Maybe it was her emotions all along?... She didn''t quite remember other than the crazy d?s?r? for power at that time. Yes... it was her? or was it... " Greed is truly laughable no?. It can cause some unwanted suffering to others... " He kept going... And her lips curled under the teary eyes... " You look pitiful little one... " "Shut up!... I know that my words were true!" " There''s no meaning in your words. " "It does!!! " " The same goes for your heart... pitiful girl. " "Shut uppp!!!" She cried out for one final time... depleting her strength and her throat felt like it had been withered all over again. As if some dried leaves had been scrubbed over from the inside... Hiro''s words penetrated deep inside her heart... and also her beliefs. It was like the whispers of the devil... crawling up her mind even without her consent. After the final shout of her struggle. Hiro simply stayed put and observed for a while. He got so much time to spare while checking the changes in his body. He also needed to make some plans for this errand girl. As for her emotions? hahaha... no one cares for the weak. As for Saya... Her current state could only be described as extremely miserable. Her hair was messy with her clothes swathed with dirt and mud. Staring over the unconscious Lizy not far away from her with a disturbed mind. Chaotic one could say... Telling herself over and over again that it was not her fault that all of these happened. The briny taste within the air traveled about passing her nose... Felling a lot more bitter than before, no?. Especially the weather today... " Have you decided?" His voice resounded next to her ears. But it seemed she wasn''t scared of it this time... only a hateful look was tossed against his gaze with her teeth gritted. " Kill me... " She said... "... hahahahah!" Hearing this... Hiro simply laughed out loud as his voice thundered into the space like an earthquake. The peak of the cliff trembled under the tremor with the lake surface rippling waves in all directions. *Splashes!* *plops!* *plops!* Some of the rubble from the top of the cliff fell over this time. Coated behind while at the same time Hiro''s gaze went sharp and eerie. " I said kill me!!!" She struggled to stand up while holding her body against the cracked wooden staff. Her legs trembled under as she tried to balance her footing. At- End of this chapter. Chapter 49 - 49( The birth of the destroyer final) "Very well then... " *swoosh!* "Don''t you dare!!!" She suddenly shouted after noticing Hiro''s movement. It was the total opposite of what she had expected to happen. A large tail emerged from behind the giant head. Protruded up and stretched towards Lizy''s location at such a horrendous speed. The wind blistered all around the area as Saya''s body swayed under the inertia force alone. But then her eyes widened in horror and also desperation. Glimpsing the unflinching force of what we can call a large rock-like tail slamming from above towards Lizy''s body. "Stopp!!!! I take that back!!!!!" She hysterically yelled as she limped towards Lizy with difficulty. The time seemed to be still with the tail''s movement slowed down in front of her eyes. Slamming downward inch by inch and her eyes filled with dread. She regretted it... challenging the Hiro words. If she didn''t act like such a nova then Lizy''s life might not be in danger at all!. All of these happened in the twinkling of one''s eyes... Her emotions were up and down like a roller coaster. And to the point that she might even become crazy if she were to be pushed even more. And then *BOOM!* The stagnant of time was ceased after. With the billowing wind thundering by right in front of her. The dust was lifted and the trees were sunken into the ground. Cracked after and even reached her feet. Her whole view was shrouded from the dust all around the place. "NOOOO!!!!" Tears gushed out from her eyes as she crawled forward into the dust. Storming her eyes here and there with her hand grasping forward into the unknown. "This can''t be happening... Lizy! Lizy!!??" She murmured on her own. And to our ears, it sounded like a maniacal whisper. Her heart was desperate this time as she urged her weak body to crawl forward. The dirt swathed her clothes from below... She finally reached the tree area. "It seemed that your heart had deceived you once again little one" Hiro''s voice sounded from behind as Saya intently stared towards the intact body of Lizy there right in front of her. Lying motionless without any injuries. He had fooled her yet again. And also told her off of her high horse. Time by time again. Using her heart to manipulate her emotions and also outcomes in life. Now she finally understood it. "Thank God... your still alive." She slowly crawled closer to Lizy''s body. Hugged the unconscious friend of her as she grasped her arm tightly around. *drips* *drips* "It was my fault yet again... " "I- I''m sorry... " Her voice squeaked with her eyes teary. The water dripped from her face and finally trickled down onto Lizy''s forehead. " Now then... we should get to business quickly" Hiro gradually said... And Saya. Twisting her gaze in anger... but then she quickly calmed herself down seconds after. Getting mad won''t get her anything other than unnecessary problems. She had already realized Hiro''s ways of dealing with her. All of it was an emotional thrust... and that was one of the scariest things in this world. Destroying a person mentally... "What is it that you want... " She asked... Even though her heart was reluctant to do so but then she needed to consider her friend''s safety. Hiro''s existence was like a walking catastrophe... don''t take a chance!. Just comply for now... "Simple... how do you learn magic spells for yourself?" He asked in a curious tone. Surveying the surface level information first before proceeding to the next phase. " We recorded it inside the scrolls for universal uses. But then there will be prices for it to be bought. Only alchemists can attach skills into scrolls" " I see... well then give me all of your skills scrolls to me" "This!?... alright" She then directly snatched something from her bag that was dangling on her waist. Pulling out 3 rolls of scrolls that didn''t seem to be fitting in size inside it. It should be a space bag. Seemed useful!. "I only have 3 scrolls on me. I''m not rich enough to buy more and these three " "Laid it in front of me. I wish to see... " He ordered. Hearing this. Saya then began to walk forward sluggishly. It took some time for her to finally arrive there on the lakeside since she had been tossed around too much before. Spreading up the scrolls one by one and slowly retreated to the side after the task had been done. "Hooo??" Hiro''s giant head lowered itself from above. Closing in towards the scrolls that had been laid on the ground with the cold emerald eyes glancing all over it. " A fireball spell, a wind blade spell, and an earth spike spell. Interesting. " ''This should be the best start-up spells for me to learn and also as the base knowledge for me to comprehend. '' ''System can these skills be integrated into my mind directly?'' Hiro asked expectantly. ''Ding, Yes host. Would the host like to integrate the skills?'' ''Yes do it for me'' Having said that. The scrolls on the ground instantly shone with a dazzling light on each one of them. Hovering up from the ground and then they began to dissolve into dots of light all around. Disappearing from their point of view... vanished completely. "This... " Saya exclaimed in horror. To learn a certain spell from the scrolls. One needed to research it inch by inch first before performing it on a true scale chanting. After doing so then the process will be a successful effect in the scrolls being dissolved into dots of light similar to what had happened with Hiro''s occurrence. But then again!?. He didn''t even learn it by the process. It was a thunder flash directly into his mind. Fully merged as if he had been experimenting with these spells for many years. "Too horrible. Monsters are monsters after all" She whispered secretly. Envying such talent for being able to grasp the skills method in a short period. - After the skills had been packed inside his mind. He then began to feel it and study it inside first. And to his surprise! It felt as if he can easily chant these spells into a large-scale magic attack with his large amount of energy tank. Just so you know. After Hiro had evolved into the corroded snake before. His strength was one step away from the Demi ancient level strength. But then... in addition to the corroded energy nature and the new choice of species of evolution. His strength ascended tremendously. Directly stepping into the realm of Ancient. "Not bad... " He said... and then slowly shifted his gaze to the small human below.. It was time to test a new thing. Chapter 50 - 50( Boom!) Overlooking the small human below. The eyes glanced slightly and thus he lifted his head higher and higher. Attaining over 100 meters tall as the water gushed all over the lake surfaces below. Engulfing the lakeside as if a cup had been overfilled with water. Layered behind him would be the dark sky clouded in the gloom. The sky then slowly began to cast off its precipitation below... as the watery sound that it made gradually revolved into a very heavy trickling one. *Drip* *Drip* *Drip* "It''s raining?... " Saya softly uttered to herself with her right palm stretched open to the front. Feeling the touch of water falling from above onto her hand as she gazed back towards the dark sky with those exhausted eyes on her face. Her hair swirled and eventually drenched under. Feeling the cold touch of the crystal blue beads from heaven... as it flowed down on her pale skin. "It is indeed raining... " The energy from before was still there inside her body. The results that he wanted will happen soon once she returned to the human settlement in this dungeon place. As for the so-called "human settlement". Well, he just speculated it since the human continent should be extremely far away from this place. Surely the human side will set up a foothold somewhere inside this dungeon. "Now then... you may go. " He said in a condescending tone. Swiveling his back towards her as he slowly slithered forwards into the forest. Crushing against the trees and shoving under a large trail below onto the soil. *cracked* *cracked* *cracked* The tremendous slender body of over 600 meters long slowly revealed itself into her line of sight. The thunder flickered about up above... illuminating the giant behemoth movement from flash to flash. It was like a horror movie... as she heard those scraping noises against the rock on the side of the waterfall. A touch of dread in her eyes with her body numb and senseless under the influence of fear. "A Serpent this huge is at least an ancient level strength monster... " She murmured on her own as she slumped back down onto the ground. Gripping the dirt below as she attempted to ease the rioting emotions inside. Horrible!... why would such a powerful monster come down here into this low-level dungeon?. And then she suddenly thought of the human city not too far away from here. *Hiss* She swallowed down a cold breath with her back soaked in sweat. "I need to go back now!... and inform the city lord to request for evacuation!!" - Hiro heard her words surely. But he doesn''t care since he won''t stay here for too long. As for the idea of slaughtering the whole city for points?. No, he won''t wager the unknown yet. Attracting the main firepower from the human side just for a little number of points was not worth it in his eyes. He then slowly slithered his enormous body across the plain. the trees were scarce in this area and such it was quite visible for his body to be noticed from far away. Kilometers in less than 10 seconds. Each zig-zag around had already spanned over half a kilometer... in no time he should be able to run around the whole dungeon. - 30 minutes later. Roughly after hundreds of kilometers of the voyage. He finally reached a very large valley. Tore across the earth below with a large number of cow-like animals in groups after groups inside it. Munching away onto the grasses without even catching sight of the protruded head up above them. A herd for him to slaughter... " What type of animal is this. " Hiro muttered slowly as he glanced all over the valley below. It was quite a wide one of over 3-4 kilometers in width and over 300 meters in depth. Presently he was peeping behind a slightly large hill next to the valley. His body plopped flat behind with his head settled on the peak of the hill. Overlooking the whole plain before his very eyes. Though the moment he arrived there. Numerous smaller animals had already fled away after noticing the large serpent. It was like an instinct for them... just a glace and then directly galloped away in a flash. "Hooo... that one is quite a big fella" A grin appeared on the corner of his mouth. There in his point of view. He could see a very large cow in the middle of the herd. Standing at the height of 40 meters tall and over 100 meters long. The two large horns and the muscular figure of it. Just a glance one could easily tell how powerful this creature was... "it''s an emperor class... " Hiro instantly specified the level of strength of this monster. Not much of a threat to him... "Instill fear" *Zoom!!!* Without even giving himself a second thought on this matter. He used the "instill fear" skill as in the following moment a large halo of red energy erupted forth from his location. Sprinting towards the herd in a flash and directly slammed against them. Not even a second passed. *drop* *drop* *drop* One by one... those cows fell over onto the ground motionlessly as if they had lost the capabilities to stand up. Their mouths were foaming and their bodies twitched here and there. One skill alone had rendered them into a weak chicken ready to be massacred. Even the Emperor class one fell over onto the ground with its giant body crashing into some of the smaller ones. The ground trembled as it wailed in pain with the large mooing of its mouth. Seeing this. Then Hiro instantly climbed down the hill. Slithered his way into the valley with his mouth curled in satisfaction. A feast for sure... since this skill was pretty much a bug one in every way. Every monster that was weaker than him will be incapacitated into ready-made food. Since the valley was only over 300 meters in depth. His 150 meters tall head directly coated over half of it. Giving off a sense as if this place was in a normal size to him. " There sure are a lot of them... " He said... As he glimpsed all over the place. There were over hundreds of thousands of them till the end of his sight. This without a doubt was a very huge amount of points in terms of quality. Though he doesn''t want to eat them. But instead, he will eradicate this whole place with his newly found skills. Like what he had found out before. He can directly turn the little skills from the human side into a large-scale attack since his energy was pretty much endless. "Alright then... let''s see how much destruction can this fireball skill do!" *Sizzles!* *Sizzles!* *Sizzles!* The words dropped low and suddenly three successive sizzling sounds throbbed themselves up above the sky. The world was suddenly tinted in red as the earth below started to shake tremendously. *trembles* *trembles* *trembles* up there... 3 extremely large fireballs materialized out of nowhere. Continuously Increasing in size as it constantly pulsated all around. The fire appeared to be twirling and trembling like water. Dancing around the sphere like a barrier and thus the heat proceeded to wander down below towards the ground. The trees in the 1km area were shriveled and turned into dust. The soil went red and all of the greeneries from before vaporized into nothingness. The ground began to melt into lava... shaping curved earth below from the center of the three large fireballs up above. " Not bad... " Hiro smiled as he looked towards his creations. The red light reflected into his scaly eyes as the cow''s herd all around him began to wail in anguish from the unimaginable heat. One by one... Their body dissolved from the flesh, the bones, and finally into dust. Even the biggest one of them couldn''t escape this fate of death. His heart was filled with resentment and also desperation. All of these happened in a flash and he didn''t even get the chance to say something. An instant passed by... And None of them persisted as the valley began to crack all over the place. Signaling the end of it... well it was more like the end of the world. "Explode!" *BOOOM!!* An earth-shaking explosion detonated itself like a nuclear bomb. And in a flash. The whole world was enveloped in light. The first 10 kilometers of the area was instantly engulfed inside a large ball of red energy. Scorching of heat as the clouds above were scattered around from the middle. It was like a ripple on the water... the way how the clouds moved. The earth trembled as the ground was hollow into the blast. Mountains were crushed into powder. Rivers were turned upside down. Everything was destroyed from that 10-kilometer blast alone. For the second 100 kilometers of diameter. The trees were slammed against the shockwave carried by the wind. The earth began to break down from the middle of the explosion similar to that of a plate. Curved in... and crushed all over the plain. Formulating a large ring of devastation. Cruising through the 100km worth of area as everything inside it was turned into nothingness. The horror of an ancient class monster. One move alone but the power that it demonstrated was simply terrifying. This scene of destruction could be seen from thousands of kilometers away. The peculiar ball of red energy and the shockwave that sailed throughout the whole dungeon. Every monster and even the human side was alarmed by it. This without a doubt.... marked the beginning of the new confrontation. Chapter 51 - 51(Dr. Lilith and the masked man) *slam!* "What did you say!!!" An angry voice... accompanied by it was a huge slamming thud. Thumping the conference table on the front with a busty woman stood tall angrily. Her face twisted and curled as she glared towards the other end of the room. It was a man in a black suit. White hair with those 2 scary scars line on his left eye. Looking back calmly without even flinching. "Dr. Lilith, please understand... The contact team had been dispatched and the results are apparent. The containment had escaped... and the whole camp expedition had been eradicated" He slowly said with his eyes locked on the woman''s expression. Sometimes it was in anger and sometimes deluded in confusion. ''A hard woman indeed... well. She is after all from the capital'' He closed his eyes with those thoughts running. "Then what''s with your team''s progress on catching that containment monster!... it had been months already and yet there are still no results!. Trust me, Sir Vince... I will make you regret it to live if you don''t bring me any satisfactory results in the next few weeks." *steps* *steps* *steps* *Thud!* She urged and directly stepped off towards the door. Walking out proudly as she shifted her glasses up. An arrogant character but also a vital one in the Empire. ''Dr. Lilith. The head of the scientific chamber in the empire.'' "This will be a tough one to deal with... and I still got a lot of tasks left to do." He sighed to himself with his eyes halt squinted. Seemingly to be lazy in his act as he leaned his back against the chair. Pulling out a comb from his pocket and thus he began to straighten his hair from the front. Shaping a C-shaped hair with that mighty look of his. *ring* *ring* *ring* "Huh, a call?" He said in doubt as he glanced towards the phone on the table. Tapping it with his finger and thus the light was on in the next second. Unveiling the caller''s name of "The masked" and such. "It''s him... " *tut!* He picked it up with a cigarette in his left hand. Looking over the glass covering on the side with ease. The scenery of the city was reflected then into his eyes. "What is it Mask?" He said... *poof* With a poof of smoke from his mouth. " Did you tell her about my actions on the expedition camp?" A deep male voice came over from the other side. "No... don''t worry. I''m not that dumb" Vince replied with composure. Knowing that if such words were to be circulated... then he will surely be on the death''s door the day later. though not many can do that on this continent. He is a special case... "Good" "Well... you''ve got any other information for me mask?" "..." "An ancient class monster has appeared here in the lower dungeon... " *poof* *sizzles* "Hoo? An ancient class one?... in the dungeon huh?..." He slowly pulled off the cigarette from his mouth. Dipping it inside a metal holder as the sizzling sounds of it rippled inside this room. A huge frown on his face as his heart was a little bit heavy. " Is-?" "Don''t worry... your daughter Evelyn is still in the city with her bodyguard. " Without even him being able to finish his words. Mask directly answered his uneasiness with those words. His back lessened down slightly. With the tensed muscles from before losing their grasp. " So then... do expect the call for the divines to go there. You are after all ranked number 1, Vince... " "Hahaha!... of course I will. My daughter is still there for lord sake" *thud!* He hurriedly walked away from the chair. Strengthening his back up with his tall body stepping away proudly. "See you there mask... ancient or not. If more than 5 demi ancient were to come together it will still die" He muttered in a heavy voice. His body began to radiate green energy all over his body as he pulled his tie away menacingly. In a dark hall filled with black energy floating around the place. Crammed with skeletons remains all over the floor and even the horror of its size one by one. Painting the whole picture into a very vivid one to the frightening illustrator. Horrible!... "Your Highness... shall we send someone there to the dungeon?" A voice echoed inside this hall from the darkness. As eventually, a throne of black fog began to appear in the middle. Sat there a figure shrouded in shadow with the two glowing eyes staring back to the side. Seemingly to be amused... this figure said... " Send 4 of the dark lord there... let them bring havoc in the name of the dark order. " "Yes your Highness" "Anakku Jahat" - The beginning of it had been initiated. 5 of the divines sovereign had heeded the call for action. Coming from all over the continent towards the dungeon location. Somewhere on the top of a tall Mountain. A man in white could be seen holding out a phone to his ear. (Mildred, Ranked 7th on the divine list, makeup artist) Somewhere inside a restaurant. A thin figure with sunglasses was presently eating away his share of food. (Kai, Ranked 4th of the divine list. drunk swordsman) In a corner of an abandoned street. A beggar appeared to be sleeping with a phone next to his face. (Zerof, Ranked 3th of the divine list. The lazy emperor) And the other two would be Vince that was on his way to the dungeon. And the masked man, that was sleeping on top of a building inside the dungeon city. (Vince, ranked 1th of the divine list. Father of all) (Redacted, ranked 2nd of the divine list. Average enjoyed) - "Hemm... why do I feel a bit uneasy today?" About inside a very large lake somewhere within the dungeon area. A giant serpent could be glimpsed to be swimming around in the depth of it. As it hunted away those small kings class monsters with ease. (Ding, Gained 1000 points) (Ding, Gained 500 points) (Ding... ) "Hemm... " *swoosh* He stopped for a while as the water gushed past him due to the inertia created by his large movement. Bubbles of air rippling around and even large waves cruising around on the top of the surface. " Meh... just my thoughts... " He shrugged it off after thinking about it for a while. Maybe it was his body feeling a bit too sluggish today. After all... he was directly in the middle of the blast explosion from before. It was a stupid decision he must admit it. He was turned into a black charcoal serpent after he got out from the ground. And now by him coming here was to wash off the scraps over his body.. And also to look around for small monsters. Chapter 52 - 52( Heave Ho!) The sky was blue as the clouds scattered about all over the horizon. The hue of the evening bathed under the land with the animals going on with their lives. And somewhere situated inside a large lake. An enormous serpent could be glimpsed plopping flat on the depth floor. The eyes were half squinted with the tail wriggling around on the back. Such a Serpent was simply a monster among monsters. The size of over 600 meters long added in with the dark red color mixed with the earthy pale. The double horns on the head and the tail were shaped like a large blade. An ancient class monster. A terrifying being that is equivalent to nuclear bombs. - "The hunt here was worth it... though I had pretty much depleted the whole ecosystem inside this lake." He murmured on his own with a tiny smile creaked next. The water flowed furiously with his tail wriggling around on the back. The area here appeared to be empty... not of sound nor was it solid. But instead, it was empty of beings. As he was plopping flat lazily there. Suddenly... *sizzles!* "This?... " A string of shock fluttered through his mind. His eyes opened a bit with a wonderful feeling inside. "The test subject is about to get her gift. Hahaha... let''s see what she is currently doing now " He laughed... It only took a second before his vision altered into a very different one. It was a white room with wide opened windows on the far end of it. 2 large beds with Lizy and Jin laying on them. Their faces were deathly pale with tubes and even breathers applied on. Naturally, Saya had rescued them and brought them back to the City. Though their condition doesn''t seem to be very "well". "This is her vision... using the remaining corroded earth energy inside her body to layered the image into my eyes." "The energy is about to act up... and soon enough she will no longer be a human. She will become a part of me. Hahaha!... I can''t wait!" He chuckled with a large grin. Now then... Seeing his temperament changing into a very sickening one. No one can suggest his idea as a bad one nor a good one either. Hiro is no longer a human. Compassion had long been abandoned... Only a small amount of emotions still prevailed inside him. He wanted to see what example of outcomes can his energy accomplish inside a human body other than eroding. Surely there might be some happy surprises. - *click* *click* *click* Inside the brightly lit room situated in a hospital. The clicking noises of the clock filled in the gap of silence within here... with Saya''s leaning her back against the wall not too far away from her friends. Her expression varied from time to time. The look of guilt... grief... pain and also satisfaction. A weird feeling was slowly creeping out from inside her throat. Inch by inch towards her brain... as if something was about to burst out from her body. "... I''m sorry Lizy... " Her eyes swelled in tears with her lips curled under. " That bastard words doubted me of my actions before... I-i don''t know whether I''m in the wrong or not. " She slowly spoke with a stuttering voice. Lamenting into her words with a touch of flashes from before. Was it her or was it Hiro that forced her to hurt her friends?. She didn''t know which one was the truth. How will she face them after this?. She sent them to the death door and now they were in a coma. The room was quiet with her bead of tears dripping below. The torn clothes from before still lingered since she had sprinted her first before any other place. *clicked* *pushed!* "Miss Saya?" A woman in white walked in with the door opened to the side. A paper in her right hand as she stepped in unhurriedly. "Yes... " Saya hurriedly urged her mood back to normal. Looking towards the woman with concerns as she waited for the results of her friends. "Don''t worry Miss Saya... your friend''s condition is fine. Though it will take a very long time for them to wake up" The woman responded to Saya''s worries. And the meaning of those words petrified Saya''s body. "Is there any way for them to recover quickly?" Saya asked. Her hand gripped tightly as she slanted her gaze to the beds. The wind blew gently from the outside with the curtain flapping away against it. "I''m sorry Miss Saya... but their bodies are heavily influenced with energy. Their energy vessels had suffered a serious blow... it will take a very long time to heal... at most half a decade" "... " "I see... " - She didn''t wait long inside the hospital. Knowing that her tears won''t help much in the current situation. The best idea that she could think of at that time was to log in to the black market. And maybe have the opportunity to buy a healing prop... Though such an idea might cost too much for the present self. "Damn it!!!" *smack!* *crash!* *crash!* *crash!* She slammed the desk with her hand as she flung away the computer towards the floor. A surge of rage drilled inside her lungs as she screamed in anger inside her little home. The reason for such a behavior?... The screen on the computer depicted the picture of a page. A page that listed all of the healing props that were on sale presently... though each one of them cost trillion gold coins. An amount that she could never reach for hundreds of years. Minutes after... her anger finally subsided. The room had been tarnished and thrown around. The bed was broken in half with everything inside the room smashed to pieces. She had never been like this before but somehow today her mood seemed a little different. As if... something had fueled her emotions to be like this. *breaths* *breathes* *breaths* Her breathes were heavy as she limped backward against the wall. Her eyes filled with unwillingness and also despair... knowing that her current situation was actually in a very bad predicament. " One problem after another... just how many problems must I endure...." She muttered... Grasping her hand against the wall behind with her head lowered. Her hair covered her eyes as some of her tears trickled onto the carpet below. One time after another... Problems after problems that seemed to be against her life. From her village being burned down by looters, to being a slave that had been deprived of rights, and finally into this situation of helplessness. Not being able to help her 2 only friends. Her heart shuddered under the pressure of her emotions. Not knowing what to do... no guidance, no money, and no hope one must say. Even the cost of her friend''s treatment had depleted their whole team saving for years. "What should I do!... I don''t know!!!" Her words swelled inside her throat as she slumped down onto her knees. Crying away her heartache inside this room of memories. The tarnished clock of time... a torn flower one must say. Hours after hours. Her cries inundated the whole house with a sense of pain and suffering. The moon hung tall above the sky with the clouds layering below it. All of us welcomed the night lord. With the blue color of sadness creaking through the window inside her room. And all of these... Hiro had glimpsed all of it with an indifferent look. " Something is preventing my energy from consuming her... weird. Is it her will? or is it something else." He opened his eyes inside this dark space of the depth. Glowing silently with a touch of might as the water gushed around slightly with his body movements. " Hahaha don''t let me down little one... this power of mine will be the key for your salvation" He smiled with a sinister laugh. And once again should we debate on his nature?. How much do we know about Hiro other than a small amount of "brief past" illustration?. The answer is none... so then our judgment is a fraud when it comes to this issue. Evil or not.... strength is the answer. Chapter 53 - 53(Chaos!) Days by days. Her condition worsened with each second. Her moods and even her emotions... surged like a hurricane inside her heart. With the touch of redness from Hiro''s prior deeds. Shutting herself up inside her room. The curtain was closed as she huddled up in a blanket. Shivering... and shivering... Trembling of what she couldn''t control as if she had lost the sense of humanity inside her body. And added in with those whispers of darkness next to her ears. Every time... and everywhere. She can''t escape it... " You are a monster... " " You killed your friends... " " You lived inside your lies... " " Kill... that is all you are capable of" These words... Crushed her sanity to the lowest point of what a person could handle. Bitting her fingers as she shuddered away on the corner. Her eyes shifted around at a rapid pace with her body trembling at all times. Rough breathing and sweaty palms. "N-no... I-i didn''t kill my friends... I am not a monster... " "I am a human... I-i don''t kill. I''m a good person" She murmured on her own with a crazy look on her face. Denying those whispers of darkness with her very last stand of sanity. Her clothes were drenched in sweat as she mumbled on her own from time to time. " You are lying to yourself... lies lies lies lies lies" "No! I am not a liar... I''m a good person!. I am a human!" "Lies... lies... lies... lies... lies... " "No! I''m a human... please stop!... please stop!!!!" "Lies... lies... lies... lies..." "STOPP!!!!!!" *cracked* Her words finally halted with the sudden noise. "Huh?" Shifted her gaze with a thunderstruck look. There she saw it... her friend''s head lying around right in front of her. The moment her eyes met with the other. *Dum!* Her heart stretched in like a ball. Seemingly to be grasped and clenched by a large hand... Her mouth was wide unwrapped as she clasped her head with both hands on the side. "Nooo... this can''t be happening... I-I am not a killer... I... I don''t kill my friends" " Lies... lies... lies... lies... " "No... please stop.... " "Lies... lies... you are a liar... " "Please.... save me!!. Someone!." Her tears flowed down like a river as her sanity was slowly rusting away into dust. The room was quiet other than her grasp of despair. The blurry vision of illusion as the sun shone through the tiny gaps of the window. Everything doesn''t seem to be right... Everything... " is calling me a monster...?" "B-but I''m a human... I''m still... me... " She mumbled... *clap!* The perspective was suddenly cut off with a clap. Shrouded in darkness as the fire had finally accepted death. - *creaked* The door was finally pushed open as a figure walked out of it. Draped in torn clothing of the past with her long hair of redness swaying behind. The eyes hollowed out of humanity with the touch of gloom... and even an "X" symbol inside it. Though... she doesn''t seem to notice it yet... "I''m hungry... " She mumbled in a hoarse voice. Slowly stepped away towards the street as she passed by the garden of her house on both sides. The fence and finally to the opened abandoned world... "... It''s hot?" She said... as she flung her hand up against the sun. Blocking the heat from her face. But the moment she stepped her presence upon the wide street. Gazes of worries and also fears were tossed about by those onlookers. From walking around of their matter to noticing her strange appearance that doesn''t seem to be "human". " Mom... look at that sister... she looks sick" "D-dont point at her!. Let''s go now... hurry." "Look at her... is she sick?. " "I don''t know... but her hair is so red. Is she even a human?. and what''s with that weird symbol in her eyes?. " "Let''s report it first to the authorities... maybe this is something that we shouldn''t mess with... " "I agree... b-but maybe she needs our help?. " "What are you talking about... if you want to help her then go for it. I don''t want to get in any unnecessary trouble" The mindset had been set. If a weird person emerged among the populace then our first reaction would be "what should we do?" "should we interfere?" and such. Though... We can''t blame them for such thoughts. Her appearance was too odd to be among the normal. The hair appeared to be dyed in blood with her eyes devoid of any human-like characteristics. Walking past those people as she eventually reached a large intersection area in the middle. Tall buildings all around with crowded humans in the middle walking about. Sadly enough... "Run!!... a monster!" " What a monster!!!" "Run!!!" Chaos and disorder movement. People swarmed away with her presence as eventual groups of armed men with guns appeared one after another. Creating a blockage of C shaped in front of her with their large shield. "Halt!!!... do not move!" "Do not move monster!" "Stay your foot!" One by one... they shouted in vigilance as the crowds behind them stared upon this occurrence in fear. Fear of the unknown... As for Saya?. Her eyes appeared to be tired of those words... " ... I''m not a monster... " She muttered with a rough voice... "W-what?... " " Don''t listen to that thing" Those armed men responded... Some doubted those words while some thought of them as possibilities. Though would they dare to gamble on it?. It''s like a person holding up a gun to your head with those words of "I don''t have any bullet". Anyone?... is there any human who would be daring enough to test that theory?. None... " Please... I need help. " "Please save me... it hurts. It hurts so bad... " "I don''t know what to do... " She screamed in agony as she walked slowly towards them. Her eyes bleed red with her hair swaying behind unevenly. Extending and even her body appeared to be coated in red energy. " S-stop there first!... we will help you soon. Please stay there for a moment" One of the officers couldn''t help but shout first. His face was crammed in fear since Saya''s current appearance differed extremely from before. " Please... help. It hurts... It hurt so much. I''m not a monster. I''m a human... please. " "Please... " *drips* A bead of teary blood finally trickled itself onto the ground. With the gulping sound of their throats in dismay and also worries. Not knowing what will happen next... As for the reason why she was in such an agony?. Her body felt like burning from the inside... as if her organs and even fleshes were being cooked alive next to a sun. Every movement and every second. It was an endless torment physically and mentally. Added in with those whispers that periodically appeared from time to time. What a life one could say... - "Host... multiple powerful energy is constantly approaching the human girl at a fast speed. It is advised for the host to cut off the energy connection with the human body to avoid any unwanted circumstances " Suddenly Back inside the lake. The system voice trembled inside Hiro''s mind. Warning him of an upcoming danger in the human city. This without a doubt piqued his curiosity. " Powerful energy?... are they ancient level strength or?" "Ding... All of them are demi Ancient experts. " The system responded. " I see... transfer their information to me. " "Ding... require 100k thousand points" "Do it... " With a surge of thought. A string of information instantly carved its way into his mind. All of the information regarding these so-called "demi ancient level experts" that were coming for the little toy that he adored. It was simply a brief second for him to comprehend all of it. "Hoo?... the dark order lackeys and a few of the 10 divine seats of the human empire?. Interesting." He slowly said with a playful tone. Knowing that these humans initial purpose by coming here was to hunt him down. But instead, fate had resulted in a different path. The sudden appearance of Saya''s energy in the middle of the city immediately attracted all of them. Rushing to the intersection from before at a rapid speed. " Since they have come for me... why not give them a little gift as hello?. Hahaha!. System transfer all of my energy inside that toy of mine" "Ding... alert!. Host energy will instantly destroy the human body. It is advice-" "Use points then... " "..." Hearing the command. The system ceased in motion for a second as eventually. "Deduct 10 million points to change the human body to sustain host energy?" "Do it... hahaha... " "This will be a wonderful experience!" Hiro smiled... as his eyes glowed in sacred emerald light inside this depth of darkness. A battle shall happen and it will be quite a glorious one. Chapter 54 - 54 ( Emergence of the first divine) Back to the scene... With the system operation. An outrageous amount of energy suddenly erupted from Saya''s body as she limped downward onto the ground. Her eyes appeared to be bulging on the outside with her mouth coughing out blood and also lines of saliva. this without a doubt horrified those humans that were watching her vigilantly. One step behind as they stared in fear... "W-what horrible amount of energy!!!" "A monster!... a monster surely!" One of the guards shouted as he b?r?ly was able to stand on his ground. The air stormed around furiously with Saya in the center. Pushing away towards the surroundings as everything was thumped away under the majestic wind. The people behind screamed and shouted out of fear. Galloped away from the location as the guards preserved their position in bravery. Not knowing that a horrible existence had descended itself before their very eyes. "Y-you! it''s you!!" Saya shouted with her eyes wide open. Inside her body... she felt it. " Hello there!" A voice rippled inside her ears as she gritted her teeth in anger!. The same voice from before... but this time with a sense of aliveness. The same whispers tone... a familiar or acquaintance one must say. "Damnnn you!!!!!" *Boom!* She screamed with a loud voice. Accompanied by it was a wave of red energy circles exploding from her body due to her immense anger. The whole sky darkened with a sense of gloom as the earth began to tremble under the abrupt momentum from her body. *trembles* *trembles* *trembles* The symbols inside her eyes rotated slowly from the right to the left as a hideous expression was slowly creeping out from her face. "What?... a- a monster!" " Hold your g-ground we need to defend this place before the higher up came!" *gulped!* "Y-yes captain!" The guards remained clear with their intentions. Not budging away even under the tremendous pressure... But for Saya... Her mood was extremely heavy at that moment. Knowing that Hiro had entered her body... somehow that is. " Are you angry?..." Hiro asked with a playful tone. Touching the hard spot inside her heart. " You!!! I WILL KILL YOU!!!" Saya shrieked with cold eyes. Glaring outward seemingly being able to see Hiro''s giant head within her vision. " Hahaha! Good!.. hate me! fuel your anger for my cause!" " Die!" She slashed her hand towards her heart. Though the moment her hand moved... the trajectory was totally in the opposite thoughts of her. *Slash!* The hand waved to the front effortlessly as in the next moment a huge red crescent light emerged out of thin air. Slamming against those guards out of the blue as they were flung away under the impact. *BOOM!* "Arghhh!!!" "Noo!" "ARGHH!!!" " My body?!.. " A dumbfounded look emerged on her face with those two eyes wide open. Seemingly to be perplexed... " Let me control your body for a while. This is a great opportunity to test something" Hiro voiced responded. Throwing away her confusion with those words and also a sense of loss... since the moment Hiro responded. She had directly lost her ability to speak... Leaving behind her sight and thoughts. Madly cursing towards him inside her mind. " Well... well. A human body. It''s been a long time hasn''t it?" Saya''s body suddenly moved forward. With those hand-stretched about from top to bottom. No... to be more precise. Hiro''s body now. " It is a bit sluggish but this will do it for now... " She smiled... " Now then... why don''t you show yourself already. It''s no fun standing there in the dark, no?" She twirled her gaze slightly to the side. From the corner of this perspective... a shadow hidden beside the building could be seen there. This shadow appeared to be foggy and yet illusory at the same time. Shaped into a humanoid figure as it stood there on the corner. Watching all of this transpiring before its own very eyes. "You can see me?... " The shadowy figure spoke in a magnetic male voice. And soon enough... *swoosh!* He took one step ahead with a vigilant look under the mask as he stared in doubt towards the figure before him. '' What happened to her?... her body essence is 100% human but somehow the energy belongs to the monster race. '' ''And what''s with the changes of attitude from before... '' He secretly thought inside as he stood not far away from Saya. That Saya... was smiling throughout the process. Eerie and also a sense of darkness... " I presume you are one of the divines, no?" Saya asked with a smile... Stretched one hand to the front with the palm facing upwards. A gesture one must say while asking... " You know me?" The masked man asked back in surprise. " Of course... aren''t you here to hunt me down?" "What?..." And by those words... A few moments of stillness appeared seconds after between them. With a pondering look hidden under. A sense of realization finally came inside his mind... under the smiling gaze of Saya and also his doubtful look from before. " You are the ancient class monster... aren''t you?" He slowly said... With a sharp gaze penetrating through the two holes on the mask. He had already confirmed it through the seconds of pondering from before. The question was merely to buy some time for others to arrive. Facing an ancient class monster on his own?... no chance for it. He''s not confident enough to go one on one. " Why bother asking since you have realized it? Come!. Let me feel the strength of your human empire! Hahaha!" Saya laughed with a proud look. The eyes were filled with battle spirit as the energy rioted all around her. Coated in red with her hair swaying behind. *Boom!* The earth cracked to pieces under her feet as she stared towards the masked man in a playful gaze. " So then... are you going to attack me first or what?" She said in an unhurried tone. Bridging her arm on the ?h?st as she took two steps ahead with strength. '' This is bad... I can''t take her on my own '' Shifted back to the masked man''s face. His thoughts ran wildly inside as he stood there seemingly to be petrified into a stone. Though at the same time... *BOOM!* *SWOOSH!* His energy finally broke up furiously on the outside. Coated in a white energy curtain all around as he doesn''t want to lose momentum on the start. "Hahaha! that''s more like it... " Saya laughed... with even more steps further. "... Can we wait for a little longer?" He suddenly asked... wanting to prolong the time for a little bit longer. But then... As he slowly shifted his gaze back towards Saya. It was not a welcoming one with the same standing figure from before... But instead, it was a slowly enlarging fist wrapped in fiery red flame. Thrusting away at such a powerful momentum towards his face as he gazed dumbly towards it. Reflected the first image inside his eyes with his hair being blown behind even before the impact. The time seemed to be slowdown by a large margin as the air rocketed all around the moving fist. The street plowed under along the way as Saya smiled with a mocking expression. *BOOM!* *CRACK!* *CRACK!* *CRACK!* *SWOOSH!* The fist ultimately connected to his face. And with that one hit. His whole body flew back at a terrible speed. The ground broke down into pieces along the way as his body bulleted backward following the straight street. The street was caved in the middle in a straight line as an instant later... *BOOM!* *CRASHED* *CRASHED* *CRASHED* His body crashed against multiple buildings and finally stopped before a stadium. Hitting against the wall as in the next moment he fell onto his knees. *Thud* He kneeled with his face covered below. Though his mask was still intact from before. Blood oozing out from the corner of his mouth hidden under the mask. As he slowly drifted his gaze back upward. There... A couple of kilometers away in a straight line. Saya figure could be seen walking ahead towards his direction with an innocent smile on her face. Wrapped in a large red energy coating all around her... And by each step that she took. The ground broke down into pieces. Forming a straight cracked masterpiece behind her trails. "... " No words could describe his emotions at this moment. Being caught off guard and flung away like that. And also losing his momentum under that one simple fist. " That one blow alone had caused me some internal injuries. What a monster!. " He cursed silently as he slowly stood back up. Facing the slowly increasing size of Saya''s tiny figure from afar from within his perspective. A battle has begun!. - Chapter 55 - 55 (Stalemate?) *steps* *steps* *steps* The noises of footsteps reverberating about on the front. Added in with the crisp sounds of the dirt below. Footed on with those slender legs of hers. White like a jade... long and also curvy at the same time. The fine ?uster of the bright illumination from above. Bathing the land with its vitality. Power and might... what comes next before this planetary existence?. *steps* *steps* *steps* *Halted!* The noises finally receded with a full halt. At that... it was a loud and yet silent thud on the ground below. Zooming about towards the peerless face of a woman. Swaying red hair on the back and an enormous amount of whirling energy encircling her. Smiles of forbearance and also playfulness on her face. As she glanced indifferently towards the individual in front of her. Her arms crossed with her hair growing longer and longer... accompanied with the sizzling noises of the red energy. Similar to that of electric sparks noises. " Your mask is quite a special one huh?... it didn''t break under my punch. Interesting... " She slowly said... And with that... The figure before her could only remain silent under the invisible oppression emitted by her. Not knowing what will happen next. As for escape? No. He doubted it as a feasible idea. '' A strong physical power and also a corroding energy effect?... what type of spell is this?'' He silently thought inside with his eyes peering forward. He noticed it already. His energy was slowly eroding into nothingness even though it was still a little amount of it. Though over time it might be a very huge problem. Since he b?r?ly could suppress 50% of this corroding effect. '' Can''t do it with a simple means... I need to play the big card already '' His thoughts were running inside. Like a missile rotating around his brain. And it didn''t take long since his thoughts ran at such an incredible speed. *tick!* *BOOM!* His energy directly rampaged on the outside as the ground below caved under into a crater. Dust flying around with his hair swaying under the influence of the gust. "Hoo?... you finally want to play it seriously?" Saya smiled as she was glancing at him. The symbols inside her eyes gradually fluctuated from side to side as eventually, it altered into a blade-like one from above. Similar to that of a snake. " I am no fool in terms of strategy. Judging by your energy. You are not the owner of that body... " "You are a monster inside the human body... and I am quite surprised that your physical strength was brought over to the human body alongside your energy... " *swoosh!* *swoosh!* And suddenly... The wind raged above his palm as two ball-like energy finally appeared. On both sides with two different colors. Floating an inch away from touching his skin below. One of blue and the other of purple. Twirling and rotating at such a terrific speed as the wind generated by it whacked around the area like a hurricane. Rubbles and dirt drifted about into the surrounding with both of their clothes fluttering against it. The earth began to tremble as the buildings all around them started to sway uncontrollably. " So then... what will you do about it, human?" Saya asked curiously. Seemingly to be interested in his so-called "plan". Just so you know. Hiro himself doesn''t know how the system operated his energy into Saya''s body. All he knows was that the system are meant to serve every purpose that he asked for. For example. If Hiro asked for an energy replacement after he had depleted all of his energy. Naturally, the system will comply though it will cost evolution points in exchange for it. Back to the scene... The dark fluttering hair and the cold-looking mask with a bloodstain on the edges. Looking over to the woman before him as he stood still under the raging wind. Hearing her words... "Naturally to defeat you in your advantage... Your strength is your weakness" The masked man responded. Though within Saya ears, It sounded a bit ridiculous... " Hahahaha!... defeat me in my advantage?. hahahahah!. Is this a joke?" Defeating her of her advantage?. What kind of logic is that?. But what Hiro doesn''t know was that this logic has its power concept. Namely (Law sovereignty concept). A concept of power that could rival the existing law of this world. Time, space, essence, and even creation. Though what the masked man was currently using was a weaker version of it. A weaker version of a thousand times from the original one. *clicked* "Enough talking crap. Come at me already... " She finally stepped forth to the front with one step ahead. Cracking her neck slightly with those bones clicking noises... as she swung around her arms effortlessly. Seemingly to exercise her arms by doing so, that is... "Humph! arrogant!" *Boom!* The masked man snorted as his figure flickered from the spot. Leaving behind a group of afterimages as he bulleted forward... The spot where he was standing before cracked to pieces as the dust blew around from his terrible speed. Rushing ahead towards Saya with those two energy balls inside his palm. Glimpsing this... "Hahaha come!" *Swoosh!* Saya chopped her left hand to the side as in the next moments the masked man figure could be seen emerging out of thin air before her very eyes. And visible enough to her visions. Behind him, there could be discerned a group of after images trailing from his prior spot. " Hahaha, such speed!" *swoosh!* She snickered yet again with her hands pivoted forward like a blade. And with those two hands of his..., the masked man thrusted down those two energy balls towards her. The time seemed to be decompressed a thousand times slower... With the dust and rubbles flying around. Their gazes greeted each other as their hair crazily fluttered behind. And finally... Their attack connected... *BOOM!* A heavenly roar exploded from the clash. The wind blistered from behind as the buildings and also the whole 10km area was rolled upside down. Layered against each other with those sizzling noises echoing about all over the medium. " Wonderful!... I can feel that you are using a different power from energy spells!" Saya said with her gaze peering forward. And his face under the mask filled with panic after hearing her remarks. '' Bad... her energy essence can compete with law sovereignty?. That could only mean her energy is based on law already!'' He secretly thought with their hands conflicting against each other in between. Grazing against the texture of those energies as Saya grinned mockingly under the battle. " It seems this new plan of yours has a little flaw, no?" *Sizzles* *Sizzles* *Sizzles* *Clash!* He retracted his hand as he jumped back a couple of meters away. Saya was still standing there without even budging... stretched her hand to the side with the visible smokes lingering from it. " Flaws coexist in everything inside this world. Naturally, it isn''t much of a thought behind it" he retorted... "But then... your flaws and my flaws are different... " He continued with a confident look. "How so?... " Saya asked back with an expressionless expression. Bridging her arm as she played along with the masked man''s plan. " You are inside a human body that possessed conflicting energy. No matter how hard you tried to squeeze a mountain inside a cup. It will naturally break no matter how flexible it is... " " And Your point is?... " "My point is that... I will push that human body of yours!!! to its limit!" *SWOOSH!* Zapped. His body shot forward like a cannonball. Both hands wrapped in a large twirling disk with his mask filled with green lines covering it. His body flashed before her... Punching downward with his right fist as his muscles tightened in blue veins. *BOOM!* Saya parried with her arms crossed. Pushed downward into the ground with her face crammed with smiles of joy. "Hahaha, how long has it been! the feelings of being able to perceive adrenaline as a human!!!..." *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *Trembles* *Trembles* *Trembles* Both of them traded fist after fist towards each other. And by each clash of their collision... the earth quivered tremendously with their footing below caved in inch by inch. Rocks and stones were being flung around like toys. Added in with the cracked earth all-around their battle area. The streets were plowed down into the ground, Building destroyed under the raging wind and trees being uprooted one by one towards the surrounding. A horrible fight indeed. Chapter 56 - 56 ( 5 on 1?) *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* Three successive roars erupted all over the sky. Amplified in with those two flickering lights streaming across the battlefield. Clashing against each other at such a terrific speed. And by each collision. A rough deafening blast occurred from time to time. *BOOM!* *ZAP!* *BOOM!* " Take this! Spiral slash!!" The masked man roared as he slammed his fist towards Saya. And by his words. A large spiral blade hundreds of meters long emerged from the tip of his finger. *SWOOOSH!* The blade flashed across the land... Tearing everything inside its path as it bulleted onward with such an enormous momentum. " Fireball... " Discerning this... Saya simply muttered back a simple spell that she had learned before. A calm face as she floated peacefully above a large rock. Stretched both of her hands to the front with a large fiery red diagram appearing before her figure. Kilometers in size!... a large scorching fireball materialized from the spell diagram!. The land under it was sunken into a large crater. The building remains all-around the area melted as eventually, the fireball shot forward. *BOOM!* Their attack clashed in the middle. And it didn''t take long for the results to come out. Surges of wind waves rippled from the middle as the giant fireball absorbed the whole giant blade inside it. The earth trembled as the fireball proceeded again to the masked man''s direction. "Tch!... The quantity of her energy is a problem" The masked man snorted... The ground melted as the scorching heat flooded the whole area there... *BOOM!* As if it was a nuclear bomb that had been dropped. A large circular energy dome appeared above the blast. Spreading from the center as it consumed everything within 50km worth of area. The clouds above were blasted away as the sky was dyed in red. Luckily enough for the people in the city. They had already been evacuated or else the number of casualties will be disastrous. *Flashes!* His figure flickered back not too far away from Saya''s location. His legs spread wide below with his hand ready to attack. " You can''t beat me... accept the fact and then we will move on to the next stage with your friends. " She muttered as she shifted her gaze towards him. " Humph... this is the weirdest battle in my life. Not only are you letting me attack first. But it seems you have no intention to kill me?. Do you think I am that weak?" He asked back... "Yes... and the weak such as you have very little right to argue with my actions. " "Then you are arrogant indeed. And like I said... your hubris will be your greatest weakness. " He responded... Slowly taking his mask off as in the next moment... An awful face filled with green energy lines emerged. The cold green eyes and the scars on his forehead. A horrible and also powerful sight one must say... " And by you revealing your face was to?" " It''s for the honor since I am not arrogant. And another thing is that... I am not alone anymore... " As he was slowly saying those words. *SWOOSH!??* *SWOOSH* *SWOOSH* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* 4 shadowy figures landed from above. Blasting a hole under them with the dust flying around. And oddly enough... all of them seemed to be centered around the masked man figure. *BOOM!* *SWOOSH!* Not even a second passed... All of the dust was blasted away as a group of enormous energy finally unveiled itself behind the curtain. " Hahaha! Sorry for being late, mask" The black cloak swayed glamorously added in with the tall figure of a person. His hair was combed to the back with those scary scars on his face. Who else could it be... other than the first ranked Divine, Vince. " You weird guy... you are still alive huh?" To his left... A sudden lazy voice gradually carved its way into his ears. Added in with the emergence of another presence. Simple clothing similar to that of a next-door old man. The conspicuous yellow sunglass and also the incredible height of over 2.4 meters tall. One of the great divine, Kai. " You calling him weird doesn''t change the fact that he''s older than you Kai... " "Yes, senior Kai, senior mask is still older than us. So please show some respect for him" *steps* *steps* *steps* Another two voices came into the conversation. As all of them shifted their gazes to each other. The elegant white robe and the peerless look of what a woman should have. One of the divine, Mildred. The tattered clothing of an old man. Wrinkled old face and also a small pouch in his grasp. One of the divine, Zerof. " It seems we all have gathered now... hahaha!" Vince smiled with a loud laugh. No manner whatsoever as he stomped his feet below happily like a child. " Well... now we can finish the job and go home... heyy heyy... I am so lazy today" Kai said in an easy-going attitude as he was slowly drawing out his sword from the scabbard. Dangling on his waist with a length of over 3 meters long. Tinted in pure black with a rum bottle tied next to it. *gripped* He clenched the handle of his sword as he bent down his upper body. His eyes went sharp as his breath deepened into an abyss. " Slash!" With a slash of his. Simple and also meager to one eye. But then... *SHING!!!* A large silver arc streamed across the sky. Galloping ahead towards Saya in a very open manner. The sound of it was loud and also ringing inside one''s ear. As the path that it traversed was cut in half along the way that it goes. Seeing his attack... Like always. The indifferent look on her face as she stretched her hand forward. " Your mere attack won''t hurt me... pitiful little one" She slowly said as the giant blade arc was speeding up towards her like a shell. Everything was destroyed under its momentum as the ground was split apart into a huge ravine from Kai''s location. *SHING!* *BOOM!* Finally... The blade arc landed on her finger. Swirling crazily as it shredded the earth below into pieces as it was drilling forward. Though... Saya''s finger was like a mountain. Unflinching and also powerful with no traces of being pushed against before this powerful blow. She shifted her gaze again... "As I said... it is-" "Useful" *BOOM!* Not even able to finish her words. Vince unexpectedly appeared on her side as he slammed his fist towards her face. Shoving her body against the ground as in the moment Zerof appeared timely accurate to kick her stomach from the side. *BOOM!* *SWOOOSH!* Her body was propelled away under the excellent teamwork. Scraping against the ground below as her body crashed against rubble and dirt kilometers away. Her body flew upside down for a couple of seconds as in the next instant. *BOOM!* Her body struck down against a small mountain. Trees were lifted around under the impact as she plopped down inside the large crater. Her face was filled with bewilderment and also excitement. " Such teamwork... " *CRACK* *THUD!* She muttered with a delighted face... Pushing her body out of the hole as she stood tall yet again with her clothes shriveled from the prior attack. " Now... that''s more like it. " - Somewhere inside a shadow of a tilted building. " That monster is very powerful... even after a full blow from 3 of the divine. There are hardly any scratches on her body... terrible!" "Kekeke... isn''t that a good thing for us?. The stronger the monster the better it will be. So that those foolish divine will focus there instead of the human evacuation center below. " "Hoo, that sounds good. Everything is good... my life is good... hoo... I am good." "Kekeke.. look. Even Long is excited!" This conversation was hidden inside this small shadow. It was from the 4 of the dark lord... the servant of the dark order owner. It seemed that something terrible will happen to the human population here... - Back to the battlefield. *BOOM* *BOOM!* *BOOM* One explosion after another. Slashes of the blade and also energy bullets being flung around. All of these were directed towards Saya''s location... as she evaded all of them. Similar to that of a dancer as she paraded around those attacks like streaming water. " Humph... take this!" She instantly appeared before Mildred. Punching his ?h?st with both of her hands forward. The palm touched his ?h?st like a comet as his body flew out in the next seconds. *BOOM!* But then... " Don''t let your guard down little miss!" A lazy voice emerged next to her ears as she hurriedly shifted her gaze towards it. But what comes next into her view was a large sword energy meters away from her face. *BOOM!* Her body was plowed into the ground alongside the blade. Inserted into the earth as a loud explosion occurred next. " Haa... what a crazy level of defense little miss. " "This won''t go anywhere if we keep on doing this... hhaish... " Kai scratched his head as he floated up above. There where the explosion had occurred. The dust was blown away with a wave of a hand. And her figure emerged from the dust curtain unscathed yet again... " You can''t hurt me... though I do feel the suppression feeling from the five of you?. Weird.... " Chapter 57 - 57 ( How annoying) " Hey Hey... her defense is quite a problem. We need to break through or else this is going nowhere" Kai floated down with his sword stretched to the side. As for Mildred?. He was blasted several kilometers away... slamming across multiple buildings as he finally landed against a giant fountain. Upside down that is... *tap* Vince emerged next to Kai as he crossed his arm on his ?h?st. His cloak swayed in power from behind with his ?h?st puffed up. " A strong defense... and a ridiculous physical strength. How can that body withstand such a burden?" " Do not know... but there should be a limit to it. Or else we will be the one drained from this battle" Kai nodded back with his grip clenched tightly against the sword handle. Looking over the approaching woman with his eyes turning sharp. " Well... this is annoying. Flies after flies coming towards me. Aren''t you guys afraid of death?" Saya muttered as she walked towards them. Her steps weren''t slow as by each stride... hundreds of meters were spanned across the land. " Naturally no... since we are confident enough to deal with you, little miss... " Abruptly, Zerof''s hoarse voice came over from her right... as his figure could be glimpsed approaching steadily like a humble mountain. His hands were behind his back as he unhurriedly walked forward. The old look and the dirty-looking clothing... With a glance... he appeared to be a random old man. " Be careful... her energy has corroding effects. she might be related to the dark order... " The masked man appeared not too far away from her back. The fierce look on his face with his hand swirling in green energies all around. His hair was dyed in green with his cloak shining under. *spurts!* " Her physical strength is no joke... I think my ribs are broken... " Mildred finally appeared on her left... covering his ?h?st with his hand as he coughed out blood from time to time. Zooming in towards his ?h?st... it seemed to be sunken in like a bowl. Deformed one must say... The situation suddenly changed its trend... and it seemed Saya won''t be able to get out of this fight... unscathed. - - - Shifted her gaze around the encirclement... as her energy gradually rampaged from the inside. Covering her entirety with the red energy coating with her hair wildly fluttering on the back. A fierce look and also a doubtful one at that... " What is this weird feeling?" She whispered to herself with a look of suspicion. She felt something... unnatural. As if her whole essence was being suppressed under a giant Mountain. Though there were only 5 of them... the gap should be quite enormous enough for such a feeling to arise, no?. Wrong... it is another concept of law sovereignty. A form out of it which is called " Suppression from numbers... " " Did you feel it, little miss?..." His eyes were sharp as he had noticed Saya''s troubled look from afar. " ... What?" "Hey hey... what do you mean with what?... I think you can feel it already... " "..." Saya went silent after hearing it. She had guessed it already. A new power concept like the masked man had used before. It was hard to detect but this time... the feeling was pressing on her body like a giant mountain. '' System... send me the information regarding this new power concept... '' ''Ding... deduct 10 thousand points?'' ''Do it... '' With a flash... A surge of information flowed into Hiro''s mind. Filling him up with every bit of the "Law sovereignty" concept. A concept that he had never seen before. '' Law from the upper progenitor? ... for balance among the race.?'' '' I see... it seems this matter is on the level of an unknown being... '' She pondered for a moment as in reality... b?r?ly less than 3 seconds had passed on the outside. With those divine looking over her expression that didn''t even change from the beginning of Kai''s words. " Is she not afraid of death?... even if her true body isn''t here... that doesn''t mean we can''t kill her through energy alone.. energy is the essence of life!" Kai muttered with a surprised look. Seemingly to be confused with Saya''s course of action. " This one is quite a proud monster... though her energy is on par with law concept... be careful" " Hey hey... being on par with the law concept isn''t that rare... it''s just a little bit hard to deal with. That is all.... " - To explain this law sovereignty concept of number suppression. It is a concept to deter any powerful being from behaving unscrupulously. For example... With the present situation of Saya confronting the divines group. Her energy is on the ancient level of strength. This means that the volume is hundreds of times bigger than all of them combined. But with this law sovereignty concept of number suppression. Which is "If 5 or more lower-level being that didn''t exceed more than one level gap were to confront her. They can suppress and even compete with her." This number suppression concept was created from the original law sovereignty concept. Driven by the same essence... and its purpose was to promote balance among the powerhouse existence in this world. That''s why the founder didn''t dare to move the divine positions from the empire structure. Which created this harmonious system of them working together. Underground evacuation center. Roughly 20km deep into the earth... The space was large and crammed with people... as they huddled up against each other. Fears, worries, and also uncertainties... Every emotion could be found here at this moment. Somewhere on the corner of this space. A group of guards and also a woman with fiery red hair could be seen standing there conspicuously. Well... it was their lavish outfit that made them "out of place" A proud look but also a childish one from afar. With a tall male figure draped in a blue robe next to her... Who else could it be other than Evelyn and Keylon?. The couple from before!... " It''s quite sudden for a monster to attack this city?. Isn''t this city one of the safest ones within the empire?. How can suddenly a monster manage to sneak in and wreak havoc?" " Calm down Evelyn... for now we are required to stay here. Let us wait for now... it won''t be long" She angrily complained as she stomped her feet downward. Added in with Keylon soothing and yet magnetic voice... as he tried to calm her down. " Pah!... it won''t be long where?. Can''t you feel the intense vibration coming from above?!. It''s like a nuclear blast up there... " She curled her lower lip with a dagger-like stare towards him. " Y-yes... " And in return for her childish behavior... he could only agree as he rubbed his head with a helpless look. " Keylon... you are a king-level expert right?" She suddenly asked with her eyes brimming in light. An idea was slowly brewing inside her half-baked brain... as she gazed at Keylon with enthusiasm. Listening to this... "Yes, I am?... " He nodded back. It wasn''t a secret anymore. Though... a trace of bad premonition was slowly creeping its way out of his mind after hearing her words. " Hey... I have a plan to get out of this place. Want to hear it?" She muttered with sparkly eyes. Grabbing his right hand with both of hers as her hair wiggled happily on the back. " E-Evelyn... I don''t think it would be a good idea to sneak out of this place at such a time like this... " He responded with a reasonable meaning. Scratched his head as he pondered million of methods to stop her crazy idea. "What... so boring!... " She pouted as she shook his hand from the prior posture. Puffed her cheeks like a steamed bun as she backed away one step behind. Seeing this... *sigh* He sighed with a weak look. But then... his eyes turned deep with his expression radiating solemnity. "Listen, Evelyn... this time is not a good time to fool around like before. People died just now... and you acting like a child is not appropriate at this moment... Do you understand?" "I-I am sorry... " " Good... for now let''s wait here until-" *BOOM!!* *Trembles!* *Trembles!* *Trembles!* As he was about to finish his words... The ceiling above suddenly trembled and shook tremendously with a loud bang accompanying it. Tears of debris fell over from the top as the guards below began to run around in discipline with their expressions filled in panic. Children screamed about hysterically as the people below looked up at the same time in horror. Doubts, fears, and also pressures. No one knows what was going on up there... " What was that?..." Evelyn asked with her neck shrunk in... Looking towards the ceiling in fear as the bang from before was extremely loud and shocking. "... I-I think we need to go. " Keylon suddenly said... With his orifices dilated in panic. He sensed something from above... different from the vibration from before. This time... the bang felt as if it was directed towards this location. " R-really?... " "Yes... Something bad is coming down towards this place... " He shifted his gaze towards her as he was saying those words. Chapter 58 - 58 ( Festival of death) *BOOM!* *Trembles* *Trembles* *Trembles* " Shit!... Evelyn let''s go now!" "O-okay!?" Keylon shouted as he directly covered his body in an energy coat. Grabbed her hand with a firm grasp as they galloped away from this area. Naturally, her guards followed behind... The people below were horrified by the previous explosion up above. The ceiling trembled as their footing below started to swivel uncontrollably. Shouts and screams of horror erupted about in all directions. As some of these people started to run away from their prior position in a frantic way. And thus it finally commenced... " Run!!! The ceiling is about to fall!" " What!? " " Son!!! Where are you!! Son!!!???" " Arghhh!!!... Damn it!!!" Their screams were loud as one by one. They departed away like a swarm of snakes towards the exit. Packed in like an ocean tide as many of them were trampled under. Deaths were meant to be alongside them as many unfortunate children were left behind under the chaos. " Halt!! Do not move!... stay in your position!" " Everything is fine!!!... Do not move! Go back now!!!" " Don''t move!!! everything is going to be fine!!!!" Armed themselves with guns and also heavy armor... as they shouted towards the crowd in helplessness. It seemed their deterrence as soldiers amounted to nothing before this pressing predicament. There were roughly 100 thousand guards in charge to protect this place. But then... how can they possibly stop the march of fear coming from millions of people?. Shoot them down??... And again... The same occurrence repeated itself secretly among the large movement. Deaths... People getting stomped against others'' feet. A horrible way to end one''s life no?. Just imagine... the feeling of helplessness as their eyes closed under others'' feet. Gasping for air but none... Gasping for help but none... Everyone cared for themselves more than others. Why would they even bother to save the unfortunate?. Their lives mattered more, no?... selfish, and yet who can blame them?. The ground above rumbled again with another bang. And this without a doubt... fueled the crowd to be even more hazardous. Look at them... as they ran with their eyes filled with desperation. Fogged into the darkness as if they had been blinded by their heart. And by each second that had passed within this place. More and more unfortunate people were stomped to death miserably. The guard''s voices mixed in with their swarm-like cries. A scene that usually existed inside an apocalypse movie. *BOOM!* *CRASHED!* Abruptly... Another loud bang occurred. Though... it would seem that a fraction of the ceiling above had fallen over onto some unlucky groups below. Smashing those people into meat paste as the dust was tossed around the area like a tall curtain. Everyone held their breath as they stopped moving. Their eyelids trembled as their body shivered uncontrollably. And oddly enough... all of their gazes were locked onto the "fallen ceiling" area from before. As if something was about to come out from the dust curtain. Everyone kept their senses tight to the fullest... None of the people spoke a single word with those guards marching about towards the middle. Their guns were loaded with large caliber bullets with their suits puffing up some steamed gas from the tank on their back. Keylon and Evelyn were on the other end of this space. Hidden behind a group of tall structures as they stared towards this location. " Life is good... everything is good" Out of nowhere... An eerie voice rippled about from the dust. And with that sudden drop... the temperature of the whole area plummeted to deathly cold. " Go to the exit now!!!!... this place is not safe anymore!!!" "Guards!! arm yourself to protect the civilian!!!" A tall figure shouted from the front. His armor seemed to be rather beefy compared to the rest of the guards. The double tank on his back with the long plasma blade dangling on his wait. A large gun in his right hand as he brandished his other hand to the side. " Yes, Captain!!" " Evacuate to the level 2 B!... Dispatch!! Dispatch!!" The guards started to move accordingly. Their helmet transmitted the orders from here and there as they marched towards the exit. Guiding the swarm of people away as the remaining 50 thousand guards still retained their position in front of the rubbles area that was filled with dust. No one moved under the invisible oppression as they gawked forward with their gun muzzles aimed forward. " Armed steady!!!" The commander shouted with his right hand lifted. Seemingly to act as a signal for his soldiers. Their muzzles shifted slightly to the front as they encircled the dust area in lines after lines. One finger was close to the trigger with the other holding the main body. Gulped down their saliva as they peered forward with uncertainty. Their eyes were on the target circle with their eyes fixed on it. *Steps* *Steps* *Steps* Suddenly... Noises of steps could be heard reverberating about from the front as the dust was pushed outward. Seemingly as if a huge figure was walking out from it... And seconds later... All of the guard''s eyes went wide in horror as they stared towards the figure that had appeared. Draped in a black cloak covering his entirety with the rough twitchy eyes hidden under the hood. The two claws like hands and the 5 large swirling tails on the back. And especially the height of over 5 meters tall overlooking the soldiers on the front. A terrible being had emerged... " Life is so good when death is alongside it... " The hoarse voice whispered again as he slowly lifted his leg to the front. Though his actions brought no fear towards the human commander... " Blast that bastard to death!!!!" The commander shouted as he swung his arm downward. His words echoed like a chain reaction towards his soldiers. Gripping those triggers with power as they released relentlessly towards the monster. *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* The light flashed continuously as a round of explosions rumbled about on the front. Bombarding the large figure with those missile-like bullets as the ground was shriveled with holes. These bullets are far more powerful than any average missile on the earth''s back then. With the velocity of 15km per sec and the destructive power that it carried... surely it will be able to kill the monster on the front right?. Wrong... "ROAR!!!!" *Trembles* *Trembles* *Trembles* The giant monster roared with his hand stretched to both sides. The ground shook and quivered under the tremor as in the next moment the giant behemoth galloped forward with his claws readied. " Switch to heavy bombardment!!!" The commander shouted as he was holding his giant gun. Aimed the muzzle towards the monster and continuously gripped the trigger. *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* Shells after shells flying forward. Bombing the moving monster as his cloak swayed immensely under the raging wind. The target was so apparent in their view and such... a torrent of shells kept raining down towards the monster. Though... Seconds after, their action was proven to be ineffective. Not even single a scratch could be seen on the giant body as it kept on running forward. " Distance!!! and keep on firing! " The commander ordered as he kept on firing with his giant gun. " Life is good... " *swoosh!* The monster grumbled as he arrived before a group of unprepared soldiers. Slashed his right claw forward... as it clashed against numerous missile-like shells along the way. *Boom!* "Arghh!!!" "Distance! Distance now!!!" " No!!!" With a slash... More than 30-40 unfortunate soldiers were ripped in half across their bodies. Blood splattered about as some of their body parts were scattered around randomly. " Damn it!... It is at least a demi emperor class being. Even a full heavy bombardment causes nothing to its skin... " The commander frowned as he glimpsed away towards the massacre that was happening right before his very eyes. Though his responsibility tied him down onto his knee. Unflinching even at the death door... " Men! Full bombardment till death! Carry on until the citizens could evacuate away to the lower floor!" He shouted... " Yes, Commander!!!" "Arghh die you punk!!!" " Grenade!!!" *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* The red flashes of those... and added in with those splattering blood here and there. The battle took off as a one-sided massacre. One side of playfulness while the other filled with obligation. The shriek of pain and also those cries of horror... Their deeds shall be remembered. The battle didn''t take long for it to come to an end... as the last standing person was the commander in charge. Kneeling in front of the giant with both of his arms ripped apart. His gaze faced down towards the floor and yet his expression still retained the firm look from before. Until death for his duty... Focusing back to the edge of this large space. " Do not move... this artifact can keep us hidden for a while. " Keylon muttered in a low voice. Glancing over the group with a serious complexion as he was holding a golden pendant. " K-Keylon!... those people died! all of them died!!" Evelyn shrieked in dread with her eyes wide open. She had seen it all... from the moment the monster appeared... and till the final drop of the commander''s blood. As the daughter of Vince. Being born inside a noble family and such. She had never seen such a bloody scene like this before. This without a doubt horrified her through and through.... Chapter 59 - 59 (What?) " W-what should we do now?!" She stuttered within her words with her face crammed in panic. Gripped her ?h?st tight as her breath staggered from time to time. The cold floor below with their breath hidden under... not daring to move a single step as they prayed for their safety. The monster tilted his head slightly towards their location... but then that was it. Was it an act... was it truly happening?. A demi ancient being tricked by an item?. It seemed the item that Keylon had used has proven its worth. The monster did not notice them. For now, they were safe... " Life is good... what a childish method... " The monster grumbled on its own. Slowly walking away towards the exit with his claws dripping in blood. Stepping over those corpses and finally exited away from Evelyn''s group line of sight. *gasped!* Their body limped downward... Gasped for air as they panted heavily from the lack of oxygen. They had been holding their breath all this time. Especially when the monster tilted his gaze towards their location. All of them felt it... The feelings of being crushed under a mountain for a brief second. It was extremely suffocating to the extreme. Sweats drenched about on their back with their spine dropped low. " We should leave now... " Keylon said as he peeked from the corner. Looking over the exit area vigilantly with his eyes shining in a mysterious light. " M-maybe we should wait here a bit longer, Keylon... " Evelyn hurriedly grabbed his hand. With a pleading look of fear... she stared at him. Not daring enough to step out from the same exit that the monster had used. What if the monster was still there?... or even not too far away from the exit area?. Keylon naturally understood her thoughts. But she had missed a lot of information from the previous battle. It was too... deliberate. " Evelyn... That monster was playing around. it''s not what you think it was" He muttered with a serious look. Shifted his robe as he leaned his back against the wall. "W-what do you mean?" " It means what it means. He was toying around with those soldiers. He could easily wipe them out in an instant if he wishes so... but then... " He halted for a while as he shifted his gaze towards her face. " But then... why didn''t he do it?. And you guys also saw it didn''t you?" He twisted his gaze to the rest of the silent guards. Asked for their opinion on this matter while the pendant was slowly losing its effect. *gulped* "Y-yes Sir Keylon. We did notice it but... maybe it was unintentional?" One of the guards responded in a stammering voice. " No... It was too obvious and also... deliberate. That''s the problem. It''s like a child looking over a small toy. Pretending that he didn''t see us but then... it was too obvious" Keylon shook his head. He was no fool to believe that the monster''s action was unintentional. Judging by the battle before... he roughly estimated the monster strength to be at least on the Emperor level. An emperor level could easily kill those soldiers in seconds. But that was the weird part about it... " B-but we can''t leave through that path! what if we stumble against that monster again!" Evelyn added in. " No... we will directly punch our way up... " "Huh? punch our way?" "Yes... " Keylon nodded as he pointed his finger towards the ceiling above. The rest of them followed their gazes towards the ceiling. Pondering and pondering with a puzzled look. "Sir Keylon... that is impossible to be accomplished. It is 50 kilometers deep from the surface area to this evacuation center. Even a normal demi emperor expert might not be able to do it. " Since such an idea was simply an air talk rather than action. They were simply a normal lord-level expert. And the strongest would be Keylon at the King level expert. Just how in the world would they be able to accomplish such a feat that even an ordinary Demi-Emperor couldn''t?. Dreaming!... " Don''t worry... I have a plan. " He smiled mysteriously. - *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* Back on the surface area. Vince and Zerof were suppressing Saya with hand-to-hand combat. Fist against fist... legs swiped all around and with those shockwaves that their punches radiated. *BOOM!* *TREMBLES!* *TREMBLES!* *TREMBLES!* Saya parried both of their punches with her arm crossed on the front. The earth shook and caved in under her feet with her eyes shining in red. "Humph!" *BOOM!* She stomped her feet downward. Bombing the whole area with the immense power of her physical strength. "She''s quite tricky... " " A monster having such a high battle iq like this is extremely rare... " Both Vince and Zerof backed away from the area. Tapping lightly on the ground as they glanced towards the crater on the front. Her eyes peered from left to right with her hair swirling elegantly on the back. Being watchful against the other 3 hiding divine with their weird attacking method. " What a hassle... this law concept is such a problem. " She complained secretly. The suppression not only hindered her movement. It also made her energy appear to be extremely sluggish. Who created this law?. What a problematic concept. Well, she understood the meaning behind this concept. Which was to formulate balance among the powerful beings inside this world. Just because you can destroy hundreds of kilometers worth of area easily. That doesn''t mean you can''t be killed by those who are weaker than you. But luckily, This was not his true body. Or else it will be such a huge problem. ''System is there an auto-battle mod?'' She asked within. (Ding, yes host. Would the host like to turn it on?.) (Note: host can deactivate it at will) "Do it... " Her eyes were brimming in fighting spirit. Hiro b?r?ly possessed any fighting experiences. All he did before was simply a deterrence of high-level physical strength and energy. It was simple and yet still overwhelmingly powerful that he managed to compete against those experienced divine. They are veterans among veterans when it comes to this matter. Physical skill, spells, and years of fighting instinct. Hiro''s fighting instinct of 1 year old can''t be compared to years or even hundreds of years of constant sharpening. Though his physical skill, spells, and even high level of energy toppled all of that with a large gap. *ziss!* *ziss!* *ziss!* Her body suddenly steamed out hot gasses. Erupted like a flare as the surrounding area was quickly filled up with fog. Right now, Hiro and Saya were in the same situation. They can feel their body but they can''t control it at all. It was like a movie but seated tightly. With the screen flashing away scenes after scenes for them to watch. " What''s happening?... what''s with this fog?" Vince frowned a bit as he changed his posture. His fist readied on the side with his eyes peering forward vigilantly. Zerof was standing next to him. He also was feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment. " She''s changing her battle tactic. This is bad" Zerof said with a serious voice. A monster that will fight them head-on is better compared to those monsters that fought with tricks and tactics. Especially when it comes to a situation like this. They know that they can''t do much damage to Saya in a short period. It was pretty much a balanced fight before, but now if the monster finally decided to play on the same book. Then, it will be much harder. Luckily, the suppression was still there, or else they might have been pummeled to the ground already. The fog soon covered all of the places. The sky was blocked with its presence and even the sunlight couldn''t pass through it. Naturally, they won''t be on the defensive too much. All of them hurriedly attempted to clear off the fog with all of their might. A slash that could cut a mountain, a fist that could blast the moon, and even a giant that could sweep the continent. But none of those attacks prevail. But instead, the fog kept on getting thicker. Blurring their line of sight as they were forced to use their energy to look around. This without a doubt restrained them by a large amount. "Tch... this monster is playing tricks now?. This is bad... " Mildred couldn''t help but cursed silently. Standing behind a large rock with his eyes looking around in concern. It was a mistake to distance themselves from one to another. Now they don''t even know where the rest were lurking. Divided in a flash... and all it took was a simple move. " My energy sense is extremely limited. If I were to use it on a large scale then my location will be exposed to that monster. What a troublesome method!" He gritted his teeth. Slowly walking in the dark fog in readiness. Not knowing what will happen next. Somewhere on the corner. Kai was currently standing on top of a building with his glasses reflecting those thick fog within it. " Hey hey... what a horrible method. She divided us in a flash and we can''t even do anything to stop it" *swooosh!* He slashed with his sword. Suddenly!. A giant energy blade bulleted through. But then it disappeared into the fog... as if it had been consumed with no traces behind. "Hey... horrible!. " He patted his head. Chapter 60 - 60(The fall of the first divine) *swoosh* *Tang* *Tang* *Tang!!!* Soft wind noises and accompanied with it was a plastic pole being flung around. Hitting against the ground as it was blown away within this perspective. A lone building with a swaying flag stretched on the side. Standing in the middle with no other structures all around. Well, it''s not that you can see it within this foggy area. Nevertheless, it was quite a sturdy building since it was able to survive after all of those attacks. Though, it did leave some marks and scratches all around. Tattered to be more precise. *Tap!* *Clang!* A muffled noise was heard. Zooming about to the top of the building. An old man in a simple jacket could be seen sitting there with his legs crossed. A jug of wine in his right hand with a long sword on the other hand. His eyes were hidden under the yellow glasses with his shabby grey pant signaling the look of simplicity below. Not that rich nor not that poor. *Puha!* " Hahaha! It tasted so good!" He laughed... Though hidden under that glasses was a pair of eyes that scanned throughout the area like a saber. Shifted about continuously without stopping... Moments later... He took another sip and with another pat to his th??h again. "Puha!!! " He breathed out like a drunkard. " Hey hey, little miss. It''s not fun if I am the one being targeted first. How about you dispel this fog for me? and then we can have a fair fight?" He grinned as he shifted his gaze to his right side. The V line collar shape on her neck... revealing some of the plums and added in with a motionless look on her face. Alluring one must say and yet cold. " ... " *swoosh* But what responded was nothing more but the wind. A gush of dust rippled in between with his heart tensed. ''Somethings not right... '' He secretly thought as a bead of sweat slowly slid down from his forehead. *Grip!* His sword was clasped tightly with his eyes glaring towards her. '' What''s with her... she seems a bit different from before. '' What was he talking about?. Something different about Saya?. Well, to be more precise. It was not Saya nor Hiro that was controlling that body. It was something else... an entity that shouldn''t exist within this realm of creation. '' This aura is different?... she''s not the one from before?! just what is happening here!'' His eyes tightened in worries. But then... " Hahaha!... Little miss! You sure do have a lot of secrets, don''t you?. " He laughed yet again. Standing up from sitting, he carelessly took another sip of the wine in an easy-going manner. His tall figure draped over with the slender black coat behind. Added in with his sharp aura enveloping his whole body like a peerless blade. A sword without a cover... standing still like a mountain that can slash the world. *chug!* *chug!* *chug!* "Hahaha... you sure gave me a lot of face by letting me finish my drink" He said as he tossed the jug towards the ground. And with that... *BOOM!* His breath deepened in a flash!. Holding his sword with one hand as he held it horizontally. *swoosh!* Saya suddenly appeared in front of him. Punching away with her right fist as the air rioted all around. "Humph!" He swung down his sword in response. Though deep within, he was aware of the physical gap between them. *BOOM!* "Tch shit!... " He hurriedly tried stabilizing himself in mid-air as in the next instant he leaned his sword to the side. *BOOM!* Surprisingly it collided with a fist yet again. It was Saya''s fist! as her figure appeared like an illusion beside him. " Hahaha, little miss. This is not such a smart move. Our fight will attract my compatriots to react and we can easily suppress you when all of us are gathered together... " Kai grinned happily as he continuously slashed his sword. Seeing his attack, Saya simply blasted back a storm of fists coated in red energy. Colliding against the sharp sword without any hesitation. *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* '' This is bad... she is trying to get rid of me first!!!'' His thoughts were running fast as he continued to swing his sword like a madman. Each stroke was extremely deadly where all of them were directed to her weak point. One wrong mistake then a body riddled with holes might come off as the result. Though, it was pretty much useless. He alone can do nothing towards her. Suddenly! ''shit!!'' He was caught off guard with his eyes widened in shock. *BOOM!* His body was blasted back with a punch. Propelled away like a bullet as he hit the ground and slid across the area. Rubbles and dust were tossed upward along the way. " Damn it hey!!!... one punch alone almost crippled me in half!" His body stopped. With a long gully on the front... *splurts* He coughed out a mouthful of blood as he struggled to stand up once again. This might be it for him. A visible dent could be seen on his left shoulder with bloody marks all around it. The clothes were torn in lines. Revealing the scary wound with those open flesh dangling below. " Hey, you guys!!! come quick!!!!! I can''t deal with her alone!!!!" "Come now or else I will die!!!!" He hurriedly shouted as he got back into a fighting stance. Not much vigor from before. His face was deathly pale with his breathing ragged. Not even an instant was spared. Saya''s figure abruptly emerged yet again in front of him. *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* Blasting those torrent of punches without holding back as the earth below his foot was caved in like a bowl. His half-broken body was slammed downward. Mercilessly pounded like tofu being smashed against a moving truck. Though, his very last bit of will persisted arrogantly. Parrying those punches with his sword gripped tightly. Such immovable will!... the title divine was worthy of him to take upon. His act of helplessness didn''t last long as soon enough his body was blasted away like a flying kite. *BOOM* "Arghh!!! " Shoved into the earth with his body fully covered in blood. He plopped flat with his gaze facing upward. One glance, some might even guess of him as a corpse already. Luckily enough, his ?h?st was still moving. Gasping those air with his broken ribs. " Hahaha, what a pity!... Though dying in your hand doesn''t sound that bad. " *cough* *cough* *cough* He coughed out blood like a fountain. He couldn''t feel his body any longer. All he could do now was use his mouth to speak away from imminent demise. " It was short but I think I had put up quite a good fight, no?" He smiled. The glasses were no longer there. Revealing those hollowed-out eyes. Yes, his vision was starting to fade away bit by bit. " A pity one must say... " Saya smiled as Hiro finally regained control of the body. Some of you might be wondering. Where were the other divines?. The fight was more than long enough for them to arrive in time. Where were they?. Well, this fog wasn''t that simple. This fog was meant to divide them. And the word divide was pressed the most as its main effect. '' The system sure is powerful. Creating a method right off the back and the effect was simply outrages'' Hiro couldn''t help but exclaim secretly inside his heart. The system figured out a loophole inside the law concept. Which was "distance" among the combatants that were participating inside the suppression concept. And thus, a simple method was used in a way that no one could think of. Area separation added in with the ever-changing direction inside this fog. Only the caster can move freely inside here... Though this didn''t come off without any flaws on its own. The simplest way to solve this fog was to use an illusion breaker. But this also was taken into consideration from the system side. The system had analyzed all of the divines to possess zero illusion-related skills. All of them only possessed physical skills. Yes, this was a low-level illusion spell from Saya''s mind. And yet when it came into the system operation... it turned out into a horrifying large-scale spell. Horrible!... The auto-battle mod was simply overpowered with its computing capability. " Now then... You will be the first to die here" She smiled... as she stabbed her hand into his ?h?st. Grabbing against the beating lump of meat with his gaze calmly glancing back at her. "It was my weakness that cause this... " He muttered back in a hoarse voice. "Indeed... " She chuckled. " Farewell, little one. it was quite a joyful fight" *Skragh!* She crushed his heart. And with that... his eyes finally fell into a deep sleep. The fall of the first divine.. Will this be the end of this fight? or will Hiro continue to hunt the rest of them?.