“So, you’re telling me that you made this mess with the new sword you created?” Hen asked, his flabbergasted expression fixed on me as I scrubbed the floor.
“Do you think I’m a fool?” he added, swinging the sword I had made. The blade left a deep mark on the forge wall, and I winced as the remnants of spiritual energy surged outward. I had gone overboard when channeling spiritual energy into it.
“…Okay, after you finish cleaning up this mess, go home. You’ve done enough for today,” Hen finally said, though his eyes lingered on the sword with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
With the sword in hand, he left the forge while I continued cleaning up the disaster I’d caused.
"Sigh... I’ll never finish this mess in my lifetime,” I muttered, blaming myself for going overboard.
“Ugh, it hurts so much,” I groaned, stepping out of the forge. I rushed out quickly, trying to avoid Hen, who undoubtedly had questions about the sword. Questions I wasn’t in the mood to answer.
Wandering the streets, I noticed more and more organizations cropping up, clashing with the city’s soldiers. Day after day, the soldiers and these organizations fought as the city lord struggled to maintain control.
The city lord had recently fallen out with his old backer, choosing instead to ally with a new one. But distrust poisoned that alliance and it quickly collapsed into conflict. The old backer, eager to reclaim control, tried to subjugate the city lord once more. But after tasting freedom, the city lord refused to yield.
This defiance led to the city lord being besieged by the organizations, who saw an opportunity to exploit the chaos. New factions emerged daily, all vying for power amidst the turmoil.
This city is never calm, no matter where I go. Will it be destroyed too?
I hoped not. I didn’t want to leave—just the thought of walking all day again made my legs ache.
Why do I even stay in the city? You might wonder. Well, cities offer safety. If danger arises, or if a beast wave approaches, the city walls are the best protection. They’re also the only places where one can travel back to Earth or wait for new gates to appear that lead to the First Realm.
But the ongoing chaos was pushing many normal people to their limits. As the clashes between the factions escalated, countless civilians left the city, seeking refuge in the wilderness—close enough to return for supplies, but far enough to avoid the constant fighting.
Before leaving, Hen told me he’d be gone from the smithy for two days, leaving me free to do whatever I wanted.
With time to spare, I wandered the streets, looking for something to catch my eye, but nothing did. Frustrated, I decided to leave the city and make the most of my temporary freedom.
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A few hours had passed since I left the city. Following a map, I made my way toward a nearby forest.
This forest was known for harboring strong monsters, but its real appeal lay elsewhere. The creatures here didn’t form packs. They hunted alone, which made the risks more manageable for someone like me.
Entering the forest with caution, I reminded myself that many had met their end here due to carelessness.
I activated my spiritual eye to scan for any monsters nearby. I found nothing threatening—only an unsettling number of spider webs stretched across the trees.
With a swing of my sword, I sliced through the webs blocking my path. What I didn’t notice, however, was how the vibrations from my actions caused the surrounding webs to tremble slightly.
As I delved deeper, I found the webs growing denser and far stickier.
I sighed, frustrated. I wish I had the sword I forged. Too bad it was confiscated in the name of science.
Suddenly, I felt something enter the edges of my spiritual field. It was coming from above.
Instinctively, I dodged to the side just as a massive leg slammed into the ground where I had stood. The leg was as large as I was.
Turning to look, I felt an ancient, predatory presence watching me. My gaze met a monstrous spider—half as big as the crystal tortoise but still towering over me.
I quickly circulated my spiritual energy, breaking free from its oppressive spiritual attack.
The spider didn’t give me any time to recover. It lashed out with another of its enormous legs, aiming for me.
I jumped back, narrowly avoiding the attack, and countered with a strike to its leg. To my dismay, the backlash left my arm numb, and my attack left only a faint white scratch on its exoskeleton.
“Damn it! Why are all these monsters so ridiculously tough?” I cursed aloud, shaking off the pain in my arm.
The spider moved fast—too fast—and launched another attack. I sidestepped, leaping to the side, and began strategizing. Its legs are too tough to pierce. My only chance is to go for its abdomen.
I couldn’t run. The webs around me would trap me if I tried to escape. I had no choice but to face it head-on.
Seeing me close in, the spider lunged with its venomous fangs, but I retaliated with a concentrated burst of sword energy, striking one of its eyes.
“Kriiek!” It shrieked in pain, recoiling.
I didn’t give it a chance to recover. Using its momentary distraction, I slid beneath its belly. Channeling my spiritual energy into my blade, I drove it deep into its abdomen and sliced through its underside as I dashed out from beneath the beast.
The spider screeched again, staggering back. One of its eyes was blinded, and its abdomen had been severely injured.
Sensing its life was in danger, it began retreating instead of continuing its relentless attack.
Before fleeing, it spat a stream of silk at me. I dodged swiftly, watching as the creature disappeared into the woods.
A trail of yellow blood marked its path, but I didn’t bother following. The idea of eating spider meat disgusted me, and even if I killed it, the effort wasn’t worth a measly gold coin.
Just looking at the spider’s hairy leg left me feeling nauseous.
Without hesitation, I walked in the opposite direction of where the spider had fled.
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I encountered two other Elite creatures along the way. I have to say, they weren’t as strong as I expected. However, their spiritual attacks were intimidating enough to scare most people off. This seemed to be their primary method of gaining the upper hand.
I understand how to use intimidation myself, but I prefer not to rely on it. What if it fails? Besides, I’d rather let a creature think it has a chance against me. That way, I can slay it and sell its corpse for money. If all the monsters fled the moment they sensed my presence, I’d waste weeks without finding a target.
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Curiously, all the Elite monsters I encountered fled as soon as they realized I was stronger than them. It baffled me. Is this the fearsome place everyone warned me about?
Shaking my head, I thought, I need something that prevents these monsters from running away.
As I continued walking through the forest, a pleasant scent reached my nose. Following the aroma, I stumbled upon a field where a flower with white petals the size of my fist grew.
What shocked me wasn’t the flower itself but the number of monsters gathered around it. Each one of them was on the level of an Elite.
In the middle of the field was a giant python radiating the strongest spiritual energy among them. Its aura was oppressive enough to keep the other creatures at bay, though I could easily shrug off its influence. Its control over spiritual energy was crude and lacked refinement.
The python had clearly noticed me, as had the other monsters. They regarded me as just another potential foe, maintaining vigilance toward me and, more importantly, each other.
Among the gathered creatures, I recognized the giant spider. It seemed particularly wary of me and positioned itself in a way that allowed it to react to either me or the python. Interestingly, it didn’t treat the other monsters as threats, focusing its attention solely on the two of us.
At first, I considered backing away. But seeing so many high-level monsters gathered here, I changed my mind. They weren’t banding together to attack me, which meant I could exploit the situation.
Just as I was formulating a plan, the flower began releasing an even stronger scent. The beasts grew agitated, their desire to consume the flower reaching a frenzy. The python lunged for the flower, trying to swallow it whole. But before it could, it collapsed.
From beneath the ground, a massive mole surfaced, aiming to devour the flower. The python, despite its condition, managed to slow the mole down. More and more monsters entered the fray, including the giant spider, which moved like a walking tank. No monster could penetrate its legs or abdomen.
The battlefield descended into chaos as the creatures fought each other relentlessly. Strangely, the flower remained unharmed, despite the carnage.
I decided against diving into the middle of the fight. Instead, I targeted the monsters that turned to flee the battle. Attacking from behind, I managed to slay two giant wolves and a three-tailed fox.
I sold their corpses immediately and earned five gold and two silver coins.
What a lucky day!
Instead of seeing monsters, what I saw were walking bags of money.
But I couldn’t catch all of them or sell them for a good price, as most of their corpses were destroyed in the chaos of the other monsters fighting.
The central area became a deadlock between the giant python, the mole, and the giant spider. The mole and spider seemed to be working together to take down the python, but it wasn’t easy—each of them was heavily injured.
The python appeared to be in the worst condition, its body battered and bleeding, but it refused to flee. It was as if the flower held the key to its evolution, driving it to fight with relentless determination.
As the battle raged on, the python eventually emerged victorious, though it was gravely wounded. It swallowed the flower whole.
The moment the flower disappeared into the python’s maw, a cold wind swept across the battlefield. The temperature dropped rapidly, and I could see my breath forming in the frigid air.
The remaining monsters, sensing the change, fled in panic. I stayed behind to collect the corpses, but as I lingered, a chilling sense of danger washed over me. The python turned its gaze toward me, its body beginning to transform.
Its brown scales started to shift and shimmer, turning an icy blue.
In that instant, I knew I had made a grave mistake.
The spiritual power radiating from the python was overwhelming, far greater than mine. Thankfully, it still didn’t seem to know how to fully control its newfound strength.
Before I could plan my escape, the python moved with terrifying speed.
I couldn’t dodge in time. Its massive tail struck me, sending me flying. I rolled several meters across the ground, sharp pain flaring in my chest and arm where the tail had hit.
This isn’t an Elite monster... Could it be a Champion? Damn, my greed.
The python prepared to attack again, but before it could, the skies darkened. A powerful force descended upon it, filling the air with a crushing, otherworldly pressure.
I realized what was happening the realm itself was rejecting the python. Its transformation had pushed it beyond the limits of what this realm could house.
The python fought back against the realm’s will, refusing to ascend. Though its strength and speed were greatly reduced, the will of the realm couldn’t fully expel it either, leaving the two forces locked in a stalemate.
Seeing my chance, I channeled all my energy into my legs and launched myself at the python with full force.
Its focus remained entirely on resisting the realm, giving me the opening I needed.
I poured spiritual energy into my sword and swung it at the python’s icy-blue body. However, instead of cutting through it as I had expected, I encountered immense resistance.
For the first time, my blade failed to slice cleanly through a target. Even with spiritual energy, the sword slowed and finally stopped.
The python roared in pain, thrashing violently in response to my attack.
Realizing I couldn’t finish it in one blow, I pulled my sword free and retreated before its rampage could reach me.
With my attack successfully injuring the python, its condition worsened further as it continued fighting against the realm’s will. It seemed to realize its dire situation—it could not ascend. If it entered the upper realms in its current state, it would die.
Here, it might have been a king, but in the upper realms, it would be prey.
Even monsters could ascend, but the natives of those realms were like evolvers—stronger, smarter, and far more dangerous.
The python was now caught between focusing on me and resisting the realm’s suppression. It was clear it was struggling its recent upgrade from Elite to Champion had not left it enough time to adjust.
Desperation overtook it. Ignoring its wounds, it lunged at me, its massive jaws open wide, aiming to swallow me in a single bite.
I quickly released an energy wave toward it as it closed the distance and dodged to the side. Taking advantage of the opening, I swung my sword, leaving another mark on its massive body.
Its condition was deteriorating rapidly. The wounds it had sustained from the mole and the spider earlier hadn’t fully healed, and now, with my repeated strikes, its injuries worsened. Yet, its upgraded life realm offered it an edge—the frost covering its scales acted as a natural barrier, slowing the bleeding and stalling further damage.
Still, this came at a cost. The frost defense slowed the python’s movements, making it easier for me to land additional strikes.
It turned toward me, blood oozing from its mouth, and swung its tail with force, attempting to knock me away. I evaded the attack, ducking under its swing, and countered with another blow.
In mere seconds, I had struck its body over 30 times.
The python, determined to survive, refused to give in. Its massive mouth opened again, and I watched as the elements began converging within. Water materialized, swirling rapidly, freezing into jagged shards of ice as it prepared a devastating attack.
I could feel its power rising—a true Champion’s strike.
Gathering all the energy I had left, I sent a powerful wave directly at the python, hoping to disrupt its buildup.
It partially worked. The python’s charge faltered, and the massive icy blast it had been preparing erupted prematurely. Even so, the remnants of its attack tore through my energy wave and surged toward me.
The speed was staggering. In a blink, the freezing energy was upon me.
I kicked off the ground, propelling myself sideways, but the frost still grazed me. A biting chill swept over my body as the impact sent me crashing through trees, leaving a trail of frozen devastation in its wake.
I landed hard, unable to feel any part of my body. My limbs were stiff and unresponsive, encased in ice. All I could do was lift my head slightly to see the aftermath.
The giant python was thrashing wildly on the ground, its movements growing weaker by the second. The realm, sensing its defiance, unleashed an even greater force upon it.
The python’s time was up. It had two choices ascend or die.
As its strength faded, it attempted to submit to the realm’s will and ascend. But it was too late. The strain on its body was too great, and the final blow came.
With one last, shuddering gasp, the python collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The python had exhausted all its elemental energy, leaving it unable to staunch the bleeding from its wounds. Without its icy defense, every injury reopened, and blood poured out in a torrential flood.
Regret was evident in its fading eyes. Why hadn’t it chosen to ascend instead of wasting its final moments fighting that persistent little rat?
Meanwhile, I was still frozen—quite literally—pinned to a tree and unable to move.
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It took me several agonizing hours before I could finally regain control of my body. Thankfully, no other creatures had dared approach, likely frightened away by the sheer intensity of the fight and the python’s overwhelming aura.
Even so, my body wouldn’t stop shaking from the frostbite.
“Achoo!” I sneezed loudly, wiping my runny nose with a sleeve.
“D-Damn s-s-snake... I w-won’t f-forget t-this!” I muttered through chattering teeth, my entire body trembling uncontrollably, my teeth clicking together like castanets.
Stumbling toward the python’s massive corpse, I pressed a hand to its cold, lifeless body.
“C-Cash O-Out!” I exclaimed, shivering so hard the words barely came out.
A message appeared before me.
[You sold a Frost Python for 33 gold, 73 silver, and 94 copper.]
A weak grin spread across my frozen face. “A-choo!” Another sneeze rocked me as I swiped at my nose again.
“D-Damn it, snake... I sh-should’ve made soup out of you!” I grumbled, half in frustration and half in relief, while my teeth clattered in protest.