A Level 10 versus a Level 55.

Me, someone who had just obtained their Class yesterday, against this Bearowl — a newly 1st Ascension monster.

By all accounts, it was an uneven match, a hopeless battle even.

But common sense didn’t account for a World Walker with a limited-time cheat.

With my body growing more attuned to my martial arts, I unleashed a new technique.

[Four Directional Protectors Arts – Piercing technique – Breathe of the Blue Dragon]

The Qi gathered around my palm, rotating like a drill. Unlike Black Turtle, which delivered blunt force, I designed Blue Dragon to pierce even the toughest armor and inflict internal damage by directing swirling Qi to a single point. This technique bypassed layers of protection to devastate vital organs directly.

*Ding

[Four Directional Protectors Arts: Level 1 –> 2]

As my palm connected with the Bearowl’s snout, the concentrated Qi tore through flesh and muscle, spraying blood in every direction. Yet, despite the damage, the monster didn’t falter. It slammed its massive head forward, aiming to overpower me. I reacted quickly, dodging to the side and narrowly avoiding a follow-up attack.

The Bearowl roared in agony, thrashing violently as its nose was destroyed and its eyes wounded. However, the damage I inflicted was far from fatal. That strike had drained nearly all my Qi, and the monster’s body — fortified by Demonic Qi — was far tougher than any normal Bearowl. If I wanted to end this fight, I had to target its brain or heart.

Without hesitation, I snapped my wrist to trigger another heal, feeling the burst of power return to my body.

*Ding

[Full body restoration activated]

With my Qi restored, I charged forward.

[Four Directional Protectors Arts – Movement technique – Tail of the White Tiger]

I moved like a ghost, my steps so light they didn’t break the snow beneath my feet. In an instant, I appeared behind the Bearowl. Its ears twitched, sensing my presence, and it swung a massive claw toward me with feral speed.

Anticipating the attack, I used the same movement technique to skate across the snow, evading the strike. At the same time, I gathered Qi into my palm once more.

The Bearowl, now disoriented from missing its target, turned to face me again, but I had already repositioned myself for the next attack.

[Four Directional Protectors Arts – Piercing technique – Breathe of the Blue Dragon]

When my palm struck the monster’s belly, its steel-like muscles halted the physical force of my attack, but they couldn’t stop the Qi spiraling from my hand. The energy surged inward, bypassing its defenses and ravaging its organs from within. The Bearowl let out an earsplitting roar, its massive body trembling as internal damage spread like wildfire.

A piercing strike targeting vital organs was far more effective than a blunt impact against an enemy empowered by Demonic Qi.

Before the monster could retaliate, I leaped backward, avoiding its wild swipe. Landing smoothly on the snow, I snapped my left arm once again.

*Ding

[Full body restoration]

My Qi Core refilled itself, channeling fresh energy into my body.

The monster stumbled but quickly steadied itself, its crimson eyes locked onto me with renewed fury. Blood dripped from its mouth, but the Demonic Qi sustaining it refused to let it fall. It was going to take more than a few well-placed strikes to bring it down.

Dashed toward the monster, attacked its organs, backed up, healed, and repeated.

The cycle repeated itself so many times that I lost count. Again and again, I struck the Bearowl, chipping away at it. Blood poured from its wounds, staining the snow, and each growl came with a fresh gush of blood from its mouth. Yet, even in its maddened state, the creature refused to fall.

But that was only a matter of time.

Sensing its impending doom, the Bearowl lunged at me with a desperate ferocity - a useless attempt.

I sidestepped its charge and delivered a palm strike directly to its temple. The sensation of bones cracking beneath my palm and the squishy crushed brain was a feeling I could never grow accustomed to.

The Bearowl’s eyes rolled back as its massive frame wobbled, unsteady on its feet.

That should have been the end. But before I could use White Tiger to create distance, the beast made one last instinctive move. Faster than I could react, it locked its massive arms around me in a bone-crushing bear hug and drove me to the ground with all its weight. Pain erupted across my body as the impact knocked the wind from my lungs.

Pinned beneath it, the Bearowl’s gnashing teeth snapped dangerously close to my head. I twisted at the last second, offering my shoulder as a sacrifice instead. Agonizing pain tore through me as the beast bit down, its jaws clamping like a vice. The Demonic Qi swirling within the Bearowl surged into me, attempting to devour my life force. I countered with my own Demonic Qi, forcing it to stay at bay.

“Let him go!” Elfina’s voice rang out as she charged forward. She drove her throwing knife into the Bearowl’s head repeatedly. Each strike glanced off the beast’s reinforced skull, barely leaving a mark. Her efforts were in vain, but she kept at it with desperate determination.

[Full body restoration] failed to activate. Even the most overpowered blessings had their limits. As long as the Bearowl’s massive weight pressed against me, keeping me pinned, the cheat couldn’t work.

My Qi Core was drained, and my trump card was rendered useless.

The situation was dire.

I had one more trick up my sleeves, but using it meant exposing myself as a Demonic Arts user. Would Elfina treat me the same as this monster — the thing that killed her cherished companion — once she found out?

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There was also my clan's reputation to consider. Having a monster that devoured life force like eating candy wasn’t exactly the kind of PR we needed.

But dying here wasn’t an option. I had sacrificed too much to let it end like this. This was the final world, the final quest, the final obstacle. I refused to give up now.

Even so, I hoped Elfina wouldn’t see me as an enemy because of this. She had been through enough. Besides, how was I supposed to explain my existence to her?

But now wasn’t the time for doubt. It was time for action.

I sank my teeth into the Bearowl’s neck and activated the Skill that had devoured many of my friends in the previous world — [Plundering Qi].

A navy-blue vortex, nearly black, formed in my mouth. Tendrils of Demonic Qi surged out like ravenous parasites, latching onto the Bearowl’s Qi, Mana, and life force. They tore into the beast, ripping away everything it had and channeling it into me. My core filled rapidly, my wounds knitting themselves back together as raw energy surged through my body.

The Bearowl thrashed and convulsed like it had been struck by lightning. Its roar died in its throat as its body deflated, collapsing in on itself. The once-massive beast shrank into a skeletal husk, its stretched skin clinging to brittle bones.

In mere seconds, the monster dissolved into navy-blue fog. All that remained were its dried-out remains.

*Ding

[You have plundered Qi from another living being. Level up: Level 10 –> 11]

[Plundering Qi Level up: Level 1 –> 2]

[Full body restoration activated]

I threw the empty drape of a monster to the side and sat up, every muscle in my body screaming for rest. The only sound around us was the rustling of leaves, a quiet reminder of the danger that had just passed.

My breath fogged the cold air as I braced myself for something far worse than the battle with the Bearowl — Elfina’s reaction.

I turned toward her, mind racing to find an explanation for what just happened. But before I could say a word, she closed the distance between us and wrapped her arms around me. Warmth replaced the icy air as she trembled.

“Thank the Guardians,” she whispered, her voice quivering with grief and relief.

I was surprised by her reaction, then let out a deep sigh as an invisible weight lifted from my chest. I raised a hand and gently patted her shivering back.

She doesn’t know, or maybe she doesn’t care right now.

Either way, I would take it. The girl had been through enough. If all she needed was comfort, then I would provide it.

“It’s okay. We’re fine now. We survived,” I said softly, continuing to pat her back. Her trembling lessened, but we stayed like that for a few minutes longer, letting the silence stretch out between us.

For once, the silence wasn’t heavy, it was healing.

Finally, Elfina let go and wiped at her tear-streaked face with the sleeve of her robe. “I’m fine now, thank you,” she said with a weak smile

She leaned heavily on her staff, using it as a makeshift crutch. Without another word, she turned and dragged herself toward where Abby lay.

I pushed myself to my feet and followed her. The sight that greeted me was heartbreaking.

Elfina knelt beside Abby, the giant husky barely clinging to life. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths, his blood staining the snow beneath him. Elfina wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his thick fur.

“Thank you, Abby,” she whispered, her voice cracking as she held him close. “I’ll bring you home now.”

But she didn’t move. Instead, she stayed there, cradling her treasured companion for what felt like an eternity. The only sounds were the quiet whimpers escaping her throat and the faint howling of the wind.

I stood there, giving her space. There was nothing I could say, no words could lessen her pain.

The silence stretched on. It was the silence of grief, one I understood all too well. The dull, unrelenting ache would set in soon enough, once reality crashed down on her.

The adrenaline that had kept me moving faded, and the bitter cold returned in full force. The wind cut through me like a blade, sinking deep into my bones. But even as I shivered, I couldn’t imagine the pain Elfina was feeling — watching her loyal companion, the one who had carried her burdens both physical and emotional, fading away before her eyes. The ache in her heart must have been unbearable, a rhythm now out of sync with Abby’s struggling breaths.

Yet, no matter what, we must move on eventually. That was why someone had to bear the burden of being the monster when no one else could.

“Do you need me to do it?” I asked, knowing full well the cruelty of leaving the decision to her. The weight of that choice would be something she carried forever.

Elfina shivered, her arms tightening around Abby. She didn’t answer, didn’t look at me. She simply hugged him closer as his warm body turned cold and limp in her embrace. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the snow deep red.

Neither of us was strong enough to end his suffering.

“We need to go.” I placed a hand on her snow-drenched shoulder.

At first, she didn’t respond, lost in her grief. But eventually, she nodded. “Yeah,” she murmured, her voice hollow. “I need to bring the Bleeding Berries back to the village. We need more medicine. I need to bring Abby home too.”

I removed my bloodied and torn jacket, wrapping it carefully around Abby’s remains. Once secured, I tied it into a makeshift sling and hoisted it onto my back. The weight of her companion was nothing compared to the heaviness she must be feeling.

“Let me carry Abby,” Elfina said, her dull, lightless eyes meeting mine. “Please.”

It wasn’t logical. She didn’t even have the strength to walk, and we were still dangerously close to the Bearowls’ territory. Staying here any longer increased the risk of another attack.

Yet, against all reasoning, I handed him to her. This wasn’t about logic. This was about her resolve, her way of saying goodbye.

Abby’s lower body dragged behind her, leaving a crimson trail in the snow as she shouldered him, step by painful step. I stayed close, ready to catch her if she fell.

We followed my minimap, gathering as many Bleeding Berries as possible before turning back toward my village.

Elfina collapsed countless times along the way, and each time I lent her my shoulder. She leaned heavily on me, but her gaze never wavered. She refused to stop, refused to break, even as the snow clung to her hair and the cold seeped into her bones.

The silence between us was suffocating yet comforting at the same time. Snow continued to fall from the sky, indifferent to the pain beneath it. A gust of wind howled through the forest, and a single leaf fluttered down, landing softly in the snow before being buried underneath.

I glanced at Elfina as she hobbled forward beside me, her steadfast eyes locked on the ground ahead. The snow piled up on her shoulders and in her hair, but she didn’t seem to notice. Occasionally, I brushed it off, and she gave me a small thank-you nod.

We pressed on through the endless white, a monster and a wounded heart carrying the weight of loss, with only each other to lean on.

After what felt like an eternal march, we finally saw my village. Blurry smoke columns flickered beyond the dense wall of trees, their presence a silent call to safety and warmth. They beckoned us closer, and we trudged on.

As we neared the village, voices reached my ears. Faint at first, but they grew louder as we approached. Breaking through nature's imposing walls, we stepped into a clearing where a group of people stood in a heated discussion.

To my left were villagers dressed in simple leather and fur clothing, their faces hardened by years of enduring harsh winters and empty stomachs. Leading them was the only elder of our village, his hunched back and weathered face a testament to the years he had lived here.

To my right was a mixed group of outsiders, their postures casual as if the cold was their only real concern. They wore thick, pristine winter clothing, their slightly plump faces and clear eyes betraying lives untouched by starvation or hardship. They were the fifteen members of this year’s NorthStar expedition team.

The man leading the expedition stood out immediately. Like me, he bore the white hair of the Xanderson Clan. His neatly styled hair was marred only by a single rebellious lock swaying in the wind. Deep black eyes, sharp and calculating, swept across the gathering before landing on us. His pale, angular face betrayed no emotion, save for a brief gleam in his eyes that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

The village elder noticed the man's gaze shift and turned toward us. When our eyes met, he nodded and beckoned some villagers forward. Three men hurried to take Abby's body, laying him gently to the side and wrapping him in a thick, black quilt. Elfina hesitated as her gaze lingered on Abby for a moment before a woman from the village gently guided her toward the medicine storehouse, which doubled as a makeshift clinic.

The elder addressed the expedition's leader. “We can only help you get to the Frost Elf's village tomorrow. We need to send a message to our friend first.”

The leader’s black eyes narrowed slightly, the faintest glimmer of something unreadable flashing through them. Then he smiled in a thin, practiced way.

“It can’t be helped. We will wait here for the day. If the village needs anything, please let me know.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned back to his group.

I watched him closely, my suspicion gnawing at the edges of my mind. His face was foreign to me.

I searched through my memories, trying to find some connection to him. Despite the shared hair color marking him as a member of my clan, I was certain of one thing.

I had never seen this man in the village before. Not even once.