Xavier spent more time than he would like to admit staring at the different beasts on the notice boards. Though the notices had information on the beasts, they didn’t actually say what level they were, only what grade they were. That made it difficult for him to decide what an “easy” monster for him to go after would be.

This feels more than a little humiliating. On the lower floors, I would be able to waltz out there and face anything I came across.

He wondered if that was still the case—if he would be able to face anything on the board and come out of the encounter alive.

Except for maybe the C Grade monsters.

Gimble had walked back off to his other party members to leave Xavier to his contemplations. For a moment, he wondered if he would be able to team up with another party. That would be the safest way to go about all of this. But Xavier knew that the System didn’t want him to take the safe route—it wouldn’t have sent him here if it did. Every single big reward Xavier had gained from the System had come when he had taken life-threatening risks, not when he’d gone down the safest path possible for himself.

So, he needed to do that again. Take a risk.

This looks like it can’t be too bad.

Xavier snagged a notice from the wall and looked at the beast it depicted. The beast was called a Magma Bull. The bull’s skin was red and looked as though it was made from molten rock—which, given its name, it likely was.

I think I can take on one bull.

He walked away from the board with the notice in hand. A notification popped up.

Do you wish to accept the Hunt Quest for the Magma Bull?

One must be on a hunt for at least two days before going back on a quest and choosing another hunt. No Champion can be on two hunts at the same time.

Interesting.

Two of these days—in real time—wasn’t very long. But here, on the hundredth floor, he could see how that might become a problem. He needed to slay at least one beast per week from the board. If he had trouble with this one, and then a few more…

No need to worry about things that have yet to come to pass.

He accepted the Hunt Quest. The moment he did, his mini-map automatically opened up, which was something he’d been half-expecting. He was hoping the mini-map would have a little flag or dot on it somewhere, or maybe an arrow pointing him in the right direction for the Hunt Quest. If it did, he would be able to go straight to the beast.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

There was, however, an area on the mini-map that was now illuminated, with a little exclamation mark bobbing up and down. Xavier narrowed his eyes as he stared at the exclamation mark. He mentally clicked on it.

This is the area in which the Magma Bull was last seen. The Magma Bull is a ferocious animal that has been killing local farmers’ livestock.

Though the Magma Bull hunts alone, there are more threats within its territory than the monster itself.

Be on your guard, Champion.

Killing local farmers’ livestock, really?

Xavier couldn’t imagine being a farmer in the Greater Universe, with all the threats out there. Maybe if he were a battle mage of some sort and a farmer, then he could properly defend his farm, though he didn’t know why he would bother farming if he were a battle mage…

He strode straight out of the Hunter’s Home tavern, his new robes billowing behind him as he walked. Some of the other Champions in the room looked over at him, others gave small nods.

Gimble gave an excited wave. “Careful out there on yer own, big man.”

Xavier nodded at the little dwarf. “I can’t promise I’ll stay out of trouble.”

As he opened the door and stepped out, snow was falling around him. He stopped and just looked around, admiring where he was.

Hunter’s Home was in the middle of a large forest in the middle of the winter of whatever world he was currently on. The trees were all capped with snow, and it must have been packed two feet high on the ground.

Xavier hadn’t seen much snow in his life, so this was a complete novelty to him. The little space around the tavern itself had been shovelled, and there was a clear, stone path that spread out into… seemingly the middle of nowhere.

Shame I don’t have any fire related powers. I could melt the snow as I walked.

The path was only clear of snow for a short distance. His first step in the snow made his foot sink straight down.

How is anyone supposed to fight in this?

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But it turned out it was just the immediate area that had been hit this hard with the snow. Everywhere else, it was much thinner and more densely packed.

A part of him wanted to sprint straight through the forest and find this monster he was supposed to be hunting and get this over with as quickly as he could. But he couldn’t help but wonder about the nature of… well, everything.

Like why couldn’t the System stop the universe from ending when it was strong enough to slow down time in an entire universe? Multiple universes, actually? It had so much power—and yet it couldn’t stop whatever it was that was coming?

And if the System was that powerful, and it couldn’t do this… how was Xavier ever supposed to manage it?

He had been feeling far more confident about saving the universe from its end a mere few hours ago than he was now, even if it had been incredibly overwhelming—he’d known he was special, different, strong.

But here, on the hundredth floor, suddenly his confidence was being tested.

Maybe that’s what the System was trying to show me, that I shouldn’t be so confident.

It was tyring to humble him, and there wasn’t anything he could really do about it.

Xavier tried not to spend too long in this introspective state. He was a man of action, and there was plenty to be done. After a few miles of walking and taking in the scenery of this new planet, he hadn’t sensed a single beast’s aura. Either the area was deserted, or the beasts here were much better at hiding their presence than any he’d encountered before.

Something tells me it’s the latter and not the former.

He was about to finally start sprinting toward his destination when he heard a rustling in some bushes nearby, then the crunch, crunch, crunch of something walking through the snow—he knew the noise well enough, after he’d been walking through the snow for the last little while himself.

A roar sounded. He turned and found a massive wolf running toward him—not just any wolf, this was a wolven. Or, at least, it bore a striking resemblance to one. He’d encountered wolven before—they had been a part of the ranks of the Endless Horde’s massive army.

Xavier tried to Identify the wolf on its approach, but something blocked him.

Really? I’m not strong enough to identify this beast?

It wasn’t even one of the beasts from the board!

Xavier readied himself for combat as he watched how fast the thing could move. When it had started loping toward him, it hadn’t been running all that fast. Xavier thought the beast would be fairly weak compared to him. But then the thing began to move even faster, faster than Xavier had expected it to be able to move. Had it been lulling him into a false sense of security at first?

The wolven wasn’t as massive as some he’d seen, but its muscles were incredibly densely packed on its body. He could see them shifting beneath the skin.

Xavier felt a hint of fear at the sight of the beast, something he hadn’t expected. The kraken he’d faced on the last floor had been far larger and looked far more intimidating—but this beast? He wasn’t even able to identify it.

He swiftly went through his abilities. It wasn’t that long ago when he was last fighting D Grades. He should be able to manage this.

God, I hate the lack of confidence I’m feeling. I’m Xavier Collins! I can take on anything!

Xavier cast Willpower Infusion—his ace in the hole. Purple mist shot forth from his Midnight Scythe, straight toward the beast.

The beast popped out of existence a split second before the purple mist reached it. Xavier frowned. Blinked.

That had… never happened before. The beast had somehow managed to dodge his Willpower Infusion spell! He’d had times when the spell hadn’t worked, or an item had disabled it, but for it to be dodged completely?

There was a shift in the air behind him. Not that Xavier needed the shift in the air to know where the beast was. He could see it clearly with his Farscope. Xavier sidestepped and whirled around at the same time. The sidestep didn’t do him any good as the beast changed direction easily. Its jaw clamped onto his arm before he’d even realised the beast was this close.

Damn, it’s fast.

Xavier’s mind moved even more swiftly than his body, and with as much Speed as he had, it had been a little while since he’d been caught unawares. Even being able to see where the beast was hadn’t helped him.

Xavier didn’t panic. Panic was for fools and dead men. He wasn’t about to become either of them. Instead, he knew exactly what to do. He cast Otherworldly Phase. It had a cooldown of ten minutes, and only lasted for two seconds, but it worked for him instantly. The beast fell through him. And two seconds was a long time for entities that could move as fast as them.

Spirit Infusion was already strengthening his muscles, his mind, his magic, offering a slight silver glow to him that was practically permanent, as he always recast the spell whenever it finished, its cooldown being shorter than its duration. Xavier cast Heavy Telekinesis, pushing the wolven back. The beast yelped in pain as it was launched into the air.

Good. I can hurt it.

Xavier followed that up with a Spirit Break, a Soul Shatter, and a Core Burn.

The Spirit Break caused the beast even more pain—physical, mental, spiritual. It was a torturous spell.

Soul Shatter bore directly into the beast, causing the wolven soul damage that was almost impossible to block.

Then Core Burn did its work, now that the beast’s will had been softened by the other spells.

Xavier was glad to see that his spells were actually working. He’d been a little worried when he realised how fast the beast was that there was a chance it was too powerful for him. The very thought was alien after all he had done in the last few weeks. After all he’d accomplished.

That thought wasn’t the only thing that was alien to him. If he’d hit any of the enemies he’d been facing lately with a Soul Shatter or a Core Burn, they would be dead already.

The wolven had been hit by both and it was still standing.

The Heavy Telekinesis spell had flung it into the air. Xavier had expected it to teleport again, but it hadn’t yet. The three following spells had hit the beast while it was still being thrown.

Now, it landed hard on the ground and writhed, making pained yelps. Xavier stepped forward, ready to put it out of its misery. The Core Burn should have finished it off, but Xavier could see that the damned beast was somehow fighting it. The beast’s veil about its core dropped the moment it had been hit with Core Burn, and waves of energy crashed out around it.

Xavier could finally get a sense of the beast’s level of power.

D Grade. Strong. And this isn’t even one of the beasts from the board. Killing this won’t count toward a Hunt Quest.

The wolven made it back to its feet swiftly and shook off the core burn. It was breathing heavily, its chest rising and falling. It stood in a hunched position, growling, fangs exposed, saliva dripping from them, eyes wide and set on him.

It shook off Core Burn. How in the hell did it manage something like that?

Xavier didn’t know, and he figured it didn’t matter. He slashed his scythe-staff down at the beast. Normally, he wouldn’t have gone for a melee attack—it wouldn’t have been necessary. But he felt an irrational anger at this beast for resisting his power. A rage at it for being as strong as it was. He wanted to exert his will.

He wanted to see it bleed, like it had already made him bleed—his arm stung where the thing had clamed its jaws into him.

Xavier’s scythe-staff came down, striking for the wolven’s head. It was a perfect strike, one that would hit it directly in its brain.

But the Midnight Scythe did not get bloodied. The blade hit only air.

The beast had teleported again. Xavier saw it, with his Farscope item’s ability, a little ways behind him, hiding behind a tree.

Then he heard a howl, coming from his left. And another from his right.

Then a third.

This wolven wasn’t alone—it had a pack.