[Congratulations! You received: wood x 100.]
Leo winced. That was a loss. He tried a few more single draws, only to get more common items like iron, flowers, and a few Madou coin. Sighing, he chanted “Void Bone Wing” under his breath and went for a ten-draw pull, closing his eyes as the wheel start spinning. When the sound stopped, he opened his eyes to see only one C-grade item shining on the screen.
“Another loss! Where’s my grand prize?” he muttered, disappointed.
Before he could dwell too much on it, a friend request popped up on his interface, despite his settings.
“Are you interested in joining our team? Want to know the real secrets of this game? Has anyone given you a shelter blueprint?”
Leo frowned, intrigued but cautious. This player seemed to know a lot about his situation. ‘It seem I am not wrong either someone have better cheat than me, or there really is veteran player in this world.’
Frowning, Leo typed back, “Who are you?”
Leo rarely sent messages to anyone. The only time his ID might have been noticed was when the system announced he was the first player to reach level 10. Since then, random people had tried adding him as a friend, but he usually ignored them.
But now, when he checked his friend list, he saw someone new: “Milla Miller.” Other than that, his only friend was “Madou Helper,” an NPC added automatically by the system, whom he had already deleted.
To his surprise, Milla Miller replied almost immediately.
“You must be curious how I found you. Don’t worry; we mean no harm. We’d like to invite you to join us. It’s dangerous to go solo in this world. Even a lone tiger runs when facing a pack of hyenas.”
Leo rolled his eyes, finding this Milla Miller person to be dangerous. She doesn’t introduce herself but instead try to manipulate him to accept without giving any information. Leo hated this type the most.
‘Do you think I am that gullible?’ he thought while replying, “What if I’m not a tiger?”
It seemed Milla Miller took the remark personally, as he shot back with frustration.
“You think being announced as the first in the system makes you special? There are always people stronger than you. Finding you wasn’t hard, so don’t get too cocky!”
Leo shrugged off the anger, his irritation fading as he found the “block” button and tapped it without hesitation. He agree being along is filled with danger bur rather than teaming up with unknown person he better off working alone. Better to just team up with his madou.
As he closed the chat, Leo checked his pet’s progress. The panel showed that his pet, Sunny, was 30% through a Evolution process. Moonie, on the other hand, had not been so fortunate. The failed Evolution had left him visibly dejected, sitting by the wall like a lifeless, oversized plush.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Is this what happens when the Evolution fails?” Leo muttered as he approached Moonie. His bear let out a low, mournful sound, its heavy breaths filling the space like the rhythm of a giant bellows.
“It’s okay,” Leo reassured him, climbing onto Moonie’s massive shoulders. “Failure is just part of learning.”
As they watched the night sky, a notification popped up. Sunny, had successfully completed its Evolution, gaining a skill called Feral which temporarily boosted its strength and speed. Combined with its Umbra Veil skill, Sunny could now potentially take down most Madou at chamption rank with ease.
Leo doesn’t know yet what kind of rank exist in this world, he only know after evolution they are assigned champion. As for Moonie it already evolved once but failed it second one as he interrupted the process.
Morning arrived with a pale light breaking across the landscape, and Leo set out, riding Moonie toward a high vantage point he’d spotted earlier. This would be a perfect place to build a shelter. As Sunny flew above, scouting the path ahead, Leo enjoyed the feeling of freedom, even stopping occasionally to gather supplies along the way.
Around midday, he reached a wide, green plain, cut through by a winding river that stretched to a distant mountain range. He noticed a large tree fallen by the stream, splashing water in its wake. The air hummed with faint roars and the distant growl of strange beasts.
A rumbling sound drew his attention. Leo squinted and saw what looked like a dark wave moving across the plain, stretching across several kilometers.
“Let’s get a closer look,” he said, urging Moonie forward.
As they approached, the wave resolved into a stampede of wild creatures—black, Unibeast-like beasts with single horns on their heads. Each one was massive, and their horns glinted dangerously in the sunlight. They seemed to be in a frenzy, charging with relentless speed.
[Madou: Dark Unibeast
Skills: Strong (Passive), Unique Weapon(Passive)
Strong: Boost stats by 10%
Unique Weapon: Horns with piercing power, strength bonus of 10%]
The system flashed the information briefly, recognizing the sheer size of the herd but not providing specific details on each one. Suddenly, amidst the thunder of hooves, Leo heard a faint, desperate call. It was a human voice.
He narrowed his eyes, spotting a lone figure struggling to keep up with the fleeing Unibeast. He could hardly believe someone would be reckless enough to provoke these beasts.
Facing a herd of crazed Dark Unibeast, Leo knew that even with his current level, it would be unwise to charge into such chaos. The sheer number of animals rushing toward him was overwhelming. Although Moonie, could crush a few easily, taking on thousands of these frenzied beasts was a different story.
As Leo scanned the scene, he heard faint cries for help. In the distance, a group of four people was running for their lives, blending almost seamlessly with the unibeast that look like just a horse. Strangely, they were outrunning them, their speed surpassing the galloping herd.
Leo sighed, deciding to intervene. “Moonie, let’s pick up the pace!” He urged.
The great bear responded with a powerful roar, charging forward. Moonie swatted several of them aside with one swipe, their bodies flung like ragdolls. Leo leaped off his shoulder, sword in hand, charging into the fray as a dark shadow suddenly covered the sky—a giant eagle swooping down to help.
The four strangers clutched their weapons, faces filled with terror at the sight of the eagle. Just as panic was about to set in, they heard a shout.
“Come on! Get up here if you don’t want to be trampled!”
They snapped out of their shock to see Leo urging them on, while Moonie continued his rampage through the herd, every hit turning them into mince meat.
One of the men, in his early twenties, yelled, “Run, it’s a giant eagle! Are you crazy?!”
But Leo ignored him, focused on the task at hand. Just then, a piercing roar echoed across the plains, grabbing everyone’s attention.