"Ahhhhh."


    A stale breath filled the air as a figure slowly stepped out from the darkness of the cage.


    Its eyes squinted from the sunlight as it raised a hand to its head, blocking the remaining rays.


    CLANG!


    The sound of chains nking together rang out as it finally regted its eyes to the intense light.


    Slowly, it turned to look at the massive chains that bound both arms and, worst of all, its neck.


    They trailed loosely on the ground, showing to him that they had just been severed and the creature breathed out another massive puff of smoke as it gazed at its hand, watching the chains dangling behind it.


    Slowly, it turned its gaze forward, noticing Nn.


    Its face scrunched up in displeasure before it turned its attention away from him, looking down at the arena ground where various alien races could be seen cheering loudly.


    "How strange. It feels so unreal..." It mused to itself as one of its hands moved to the chains, and immediately—


    CLINK!


    The sound of the chain being loosened rang out, shattering in the creature''s hands.


    Then, the chains binding its body fell to the ground with a loud bang.


    Nn''s eyes narrowed as he felt the immense heaviness.


    The chains were so heavy that the ground itself shook from their weight.


    Nn could only wonder how the creature had been able to walk forward with those chains all over its body.


    CRACK!


    CRACK!


    The sound of bones cracking echoed as the creature stretched its body, saying,


    "I''ve been trapped in the darkness for so long, I don''t even have any idea how much time has passed."


    "But then, I suddenly wake up to find a Celestial kid standing in front of me, in an arena that seems too unreal..."


    "It must be one of the sick jokes of you Celestials. How amusing..." It mused out loud, finishing its bone-cracking stretch.


    It then rose upright, finally giving Nn a full look, from his legs to his head, before a brutal smile appeared on its face.


    "Is this some kind of ridicule? Asking me, Urago, to fight a kid who can barely stand on both feet!"


    "Well, I guess a little fun and bone-breaking wouldn''t hurt anyone..." Urago said as he slowly cracked his fists and calmly walked toward Nn, his two muscr arms folded across his chest, a grin on his face.


    But the way he walked didn''t look like he wasing to fight at all—it was almost as if he was taking a casual stroll.


    Still, Nn felt his blood screaming within him, urging him to flee.


    Finally, Urago came to stand just ten meters away from Nn before stopping, and Nn finally caught sight of him properly.


    He was a being of mythic proportions, towering at a staggering 15 feet tall, with a body sculpted like a monument to war.


    His physique resembled that of a divine warrior, muscles bulging like mountains beneath skin seemingly as hard as bronze.


    On his body, as if tattooed, strange ancient runes were etched.


    Nn could see the scars that lingered on his body, reflecting countless battles he had fought.


    Urago''s flesh glowed softly, as though molten power surged beneath his skin, each rune on his body shimmering with a fiery red light that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.


    His face was chiseled and stern, even though it currently had a faint smirk.


    His eyes were immensely dark, with crimson-red veins in the whites, radiating an aura of madness and instability.


    His hair was like his eyes—a dark color shifting in the air like mes in the wind.


    ---


    [Main Quest!]


    [Host hase into contact with a Titan Champion. Defeat the champion!]


    [Rewards: +3 Level Up Cards!]


    [+15,000 EXP!]


    [+50 Fragments!]


    The system''s voice echoed as Nn''s eyes narrowed at the name of the titan.


    "A Titan Champion, huh?" he mused.


    ording to what Nn knew about titans, they had the same number of cultivation stages as Celestial Heirs—ten in total.


    The first stage of a titan was the Titan Initiate Stage, corresponding to the Celestial Heirs'' Celestial Initiate Stage.


    The second stage of a titan was the Titan Adept Stage, which corresponded to the Heavenly Disciple Stage that Nn was currently in.


    Then the titan''s third stage was the Titan Champion Stage—a level above the Celestial Heirs'' Heavenly Disciple Stage.


    This told Nn, without the titan making a move yet, that it was superior to him in terms of cultivation base.


    Therefore, Urago wouldn''t be an easy foe. But in all honesty, the titan before him didn''t seem like a foe that would be taken down easily.


    Just the confidence that he was radiating as well as the pure arrogance revealed that to Nn.


    "You''ve never seen a titan before, have you?" Urago spoke up with a grin.


    It seemed to Nn that he didn''t care much for the battle.


    It was safe to say that Urago most likely didn''t think of Nn as a worthy opponent at all. His pure arrogance shed in his eyes, and Nn could see it clearly.


    "Or else, if you had seen a titan before or witnessed them in action, you would''ve known the Celestials'' favorite words about us..." Urago said with a grin as Nn''s dagger appeared in his hands.


    "Never let a titan get close to you at all!" The titan smirked, and in the next instant, Nn burst forward with unparalleled momentum.


    The ground beneath him shook as he stepped forward, aiming the dagger at the titan''s neck with incredible speed.


    "Tch, you talk too much..." Nn muttered, the dagger appearing an inch from Urago''s glowing thick neck.


    But in the next moment, Nn''s dagger hung in the air as he felt a hand grab onto his wrist.


    He raised his face to meet the titan''s gaze and noticed a mocking look in Urago''s eyes.


    "If there''s one thing Celestialsck, it would be closebat ability, and you''re trying to fight me in closebat?"


    "Are you stupid?"