The sky was ablaze with the fire of the slowly setting sun, creating a rich tapestry of pink.

Unlike Earth, in this realm's sky, there was no Moon or shimmering distant stars. Instead, a strange foreboding black star equivalent to the sun in diameter stood in solitude, surrounded by a thin diagonal ring of utter blackness, unmoving.

Below, in a dense forest filled with bizarre creatures, where sunlight barely breaks through the dense trees, a cold breeze played with the hair of a particularly frustrated green-eyed young man.

The deafening silence that raged throughout the ancient woodland was broken by a gushing stream of blood hitting the rough stone.

'Before this Cursed Terror shows up, I just might die from the blood loss…!'

Dale was standing alone somberly, clutching his slowly opening wound. Emery was nowhere in sight, claiming he had to give the center stage to Dale for now.

Besides cursing Emery's parents thoroughly, Dale had nothing much to do. He thus summoned the runes representing his information, staring in annoyance at the floating sentences describing his incapabilities.

Name: Dale

Rank: Candidate

Soul Class: Hidden

Treasures: -

Affinity: [Blood Blessed]

Full of questions, he tried focusing on the runes to further explain the various stats, and to his surprise, he succeeded.

Soul Class description: [Every living being possesses a soul, and each soul has a class. Creating a delicate balance in one's body, the higher your soul class elevates, the more formidable you become]

'The more formidable I become? In what way? So my soul class can be raised…interesting.'

Dale continued focusing on the runes.

Treasures description: [A remnant of power left from your slain enemies can be gained if fate wills it]

Snapping him from his thoughts was a low humming sound, and it kept getting stronger and stronger. Dale scoured his surroundings calmly, trying to determine where the sound came from. He had no intention of being this Cursed Terror's today's meal.

In a lightning-fast movement, a long spiked massive tail from his left swiped at the place where Dale's head was, missing the frail-looking human by a hair's breadth. The tail's momentum carried on to chopping two trees in half; luckily, Dale was fast enough to duck on time. A rotten stench of foul, decomposed corpses permeated the air. A few moments passed, and the Cursed Terror finally showed itself, stepping slowly from the dense cover of trees.

He thought Emery had returned for a moment, but the similarities between the two giant beings ended there. It was a colossal and nameless blasphemy, with glaring red eyes gazing at the world with an insect-like indifference ,peaking from the creaks in its black chitin armor. It was standing on four relatively thin short legs connecting to a big broad, twisted torso. The torso was covered in tough, shiny black chitin that Dale guessed no ordinary weapons or firearms could penetrate.

From the torso, four arms spread, each ending with a wide thick, powerful pincer. What terrified Dale the most was its long black razor-sharp mandibles, gnawing on something - probably an unfortunate creature nearby. Its spiked tail trailed behind it like a dark omen of death to all.

The ground shook at every step the thing took.

'This…this is too much!'

The Cursed Terror lunged for Dale with its two pincers, aiming to grab and squeeze him to death. Although Dale could hardly see with the lack of light from the dense trees and the color of the Terror that made for a perfect camouflage, he managed to read the Terror's intentions on time. Jumping sideways and rolling on the ground a few times, collecting several scratches along the way, Dale got up clumsily and sprinted in a mad dash away from the Cursed Terror, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"EMERY ANYTIME NOW, YOU BIG HEADED PEBBLE BRAINED BASTARD!"

Dale didn't look back, but he could hear the thundering steps of the Terror chasing madly after him, crushing every obstacle in its path in an ear-splitting racket.

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Losing ground, Dale tried to maneuver between giant tree trunks and boulders, trying to hinder the huge Cursed Terror's path for precious seconds. With an enraged shriek, the creature just kept pummeling through, clearing all obstacles with little to no effort.

The Cursed Terror rotated its torso sharply, swiping with its long spiked tail forward. Dale could hear the change in the creature's steps behind him, already having a bad feeling, but he could not react in time. A sickening crunch was heard - he was sent flying from a direct hit from the spiked tail to his side. Falling heavily to the moist ground ungracefully, clutching his side and wheezing, Dale realized in a dark dread he was unable to breathe.

The pain was so intense and all-consuming that he no longer knew where he was… white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his abdomen, radiating throughout his entire body to the tips of his fingers. Convulsing in fits of pain he had never felt before, coughing and spurting blood, with a dark pool of blood slowly filling under him, Dale could feel his life slipping away slowly. With a slight tilt of madness in his wide green eyes, he whispered through his gritted teeth:

"Is that…all you've got…you glorified shitty…wanna-be crab?"

The Cursed Terror, driven by its insatiable hunger for Dale's blood, seemed unaffected by his torment. It continued its frenzied feeding, repeatedly scooping up soil drenched in Dale's life essence and greedily devouring it with its monstrous mouth-like opening.

Dale's vision blurred as darkness encroached upon his consciousness. He could feel his strength fading away, his body growing colder by the second, pace utterly blue. Amidst the agony and despair, a new sound could be heard throughout the forest, a rumbling laughter.

"You are quite resourceful, little one; I didn't think you had it in you to stall this long. My preparation is now complete. I'm all charged up now!"

The unhinged giant raised his right arm. Open hand in the air in concentration. Emery released a deep roar and closed his giant fist; a vibration could be felt even from where Dale was sprawled.

'Is the bastard actually a capable individual? Capable or not, he's still a crazy idiot.'

His right hand glowed with an intense, fiery silver light, casting long shadows on the forest's surroundings.

With thunderous footsteps, Emery charged. His massive frame almost dwarfed the surrounding trees. His powerful arm, glowing with the strange silver light, swung forward in a lightning-quick movement, delivering a devastating blow to the Cursed Terror's side.

The impact sent the creature sprawling, its armored chitin cracked in numerous places. under the force of Emery's attack purple liquid oozed from the openings in the cracked Terror's armor.

Screeching in pain and fury, the Cursed Terror attempted to stand once again, but Emery didn't let up, his giant fist kept pummeling the gigantic Cursed Terror while Emery's left hand was used mainly for defense, either redirecting the creature's giant pincers or stopping an incoming swipe from its dreadful spiked tail.

Dale couldn't believe his eyes; it was the first time he had seen a battle of this scope, seeing a true warrior in his element; he was astounded by Emery's swift decisions making and intellect during the fierce fight. Although Emery's most significant advantage is his brute strength, he uses his battle intellect to apply the best result, as if engaged in a bloody fascinating barbaric dance.

Seizing an opportunity, Emery aimed for a critical blow. His hand glowed with an intense silver light as he channeled his unique power. He struck the Cursed Terror's vulnerable head with a mighty swing, unleashing a surge of energy that pierced through its chitin armor.

A bone-rattling screech echoed through the forest as the Cursed Terror collapsed, twitching gruesomely, bleeding from so many creaks in its armor and hands; his once black pristine chitin was covered in purple with tinges of red. Emery stood tall, his breath heavy, as he surveyed the mortally wounded creature before turning his attention to Dale, tauntingly.

"Will you make me heal you every day? How selfish."

With a flick of the wrist, A radiant silver light enveloped his massive fingers, emanating a soothing warmth and healing energy. Emery directed the ethereal light with gentle precision towards Dale's broken and battered body, mending wounds and knitting flesh together. Gradually, as the silver light worked its magic, color returned to Dale's face, his breathing steadied, and the grip of darkness receded. Emery's healing touch brought Dale back from the brink of death again.

As the Cursed Terror lay on the forest floor, its grotesque form gradually succumbing to the mortal wounds inflicted upon it.

In a final act of defiance, Dale's blood, which had been consumed by the Cursed Terror, sought its way out from within the dying creature. With a surge of unnatural energy, the blood surged through the Terror's veins, tracing a path toward the surface. In its desperate escape, the blood tore open the creature's wounds even further, causing dark rivulets of Dale's blood to seep from its body.

The Cursed Terror convulsed in its death throes, its chitinous armor cracking and splintering further under the strain. It writhed in a macabre dance of agony, its demise hastened by the very essence it had sought to claim.

Its monstrous form gradually stilled. The once fearsome Cursed Terror lay motionless, its body marred by the scars of battle and the escape of Dale's blood.

Emery raised an eyebrow, smiling wickedly.

"Damn, how'd you do that?"

'I'm just cursed with that horrible affinity, is all.'

Dale kept silent, not trying to explain further to Emery about his Affinity . Interrupting him, he heard a strange dark voice whispering in his ear.

[You have slain a Cursed Terror, Forest Guardian.]

[Your soul grows stronger.]

'Is that how I can elevate my soul eventually?'

Interrupting Dale's thoughts, the strange dark voice continued.

[You have received a Treasure...]