《Where A Metal Rules》


 A Metals Origin

    // In an unknown dark abyss //


    On the ground that was void of life, a small creature awakens...


    ''Ugh...'' I felt my head throbbing a little but it wasn''t something too serious.


    ''It seems I have finally been able to regain my consciousness and memory, though only some bits of it.'' I sighed


    I was only able to recover a few of my memories, most of it was shown as basic knowledge and how I lived a normal life. Unfortunately, my other memories seem to be inaccessible, only leaving vague and cloudy images in my head.


    However, that didn''t stop me from attempting to recover those memories.


    ...


    Which was possibly the worst decision I''ve ever made...


    ''AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!''


    I screamed as waves of unimaginable pain rushed through my head. My mind was constantly being stricken by an unknown force. It was too much. Every second felt like an eternity as it continued assaulting my mind with an even much greater force.


    ''This is hopeless...''


    My consciousness started fading away at a startling rate. I was striving to try and keep my mind intact. I convinced myself to continue and push on against the unnamed force. The state of my mind was chaotic, nothing was in the right place. Everything was disordered. Memories were moving everywhere but few of those that were inaccessible before began to show clearer images and bombarded me with past memories and some new information of my past life. It continued for a long time until the waves ended all of a sudden, also bringing away the pain with it.


    I sighed with relief as my mind began to recover and restructuring itself. Calming tides moving in a rhythmic yet pleasing pattern overwhelms my mind. Everything was perfect. A sense of tranquility overtook me, when...


    Ding!


    ''..hm?'' A small screen appeared out of thin...air? does my mind even have air in it? Oh well.


    [ You''ve gained the ''Pacified Mind'' Skill ]


    ''That''s...quite interesting'' I thought to myself, raising my non-existent eyebrow. Though that made me aware of something instead. ''What am I? I don''t seem to be human''


    I was able to perceive anything in my mind, despite the fact that beyond it was a silent and blank space. It was impossible for me to see or hear but I''m fully aware of the surface I''m on. My sense of touch looks to be accessible, as I am able to sense the solid and rough textures of the floor.


    ''Next is movement'' I tried moving for the first time for it only to be a complete SUCCESS!.*Ting*...Ah, it seems like my ''Pacified Mind'' Skill negated my celebration, calming me down in an instant. I''m grateful that movement is possible for me, albeit I was rather slow. It may also take quite a while for me to get accustomed to these as I don''t seem to have any legs. However, that problem was solved as I adapted to my current situation and started slithering around seeing as it was a much quicker method than the previous. As I resumed my blind movements, I also gathered information regarding my surroundings to know where the hell I am.


    ''Rocks? more rocks? dragon egg?''...


    ''Wait...DRAGON EGG?!''*Ting*Ah, losing all those emotions really made me feel empty inside afterward... well, at least I got myself something astonishing. Though something that amazes me more was how I was able to identify a foreign object that quick.


    Ding!


    [ ''Informative Touch'' Skill has reached Level 2 ]


    A new skill? No...does that mean I already had this before? I don''t remember obtaining a new skill recently though, its even level 2. Doesn''t that mean I have other existing skills that I have yet to know about?


    ''Well, isn''t that interesting...'' As I started pondering over the number of possible skills that I may have with me. Thinking about it excites me, for a while at least, as a certain skill of mine keeps negating it...Regarding the skill, it seems to be an automatic type of skill. A passive skill perhaps? Hmm, I''ll think more about it later.


    Rummaging through a few of my recovered memories, I appear to have seen a similar concept from the games I used to play. They may work the same way, I hope... ''Well, nothing works unless I try.''


    ''So..status?'' Nothing seems to be appearing. Maybe being more specific might do the trick.


    ''Open...status?? ... WO-ah?!''*Ting*... I really should find a way to turn that skill off, getting some parts of me stripped away really ruins the moment.


    <blockquote>


    [ STATUS ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Name: ???


    Age: --


    Level: 1


    Experience ( Next Lv ) : 0 %Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Species: Proto Living Metal (Type 1)


    Class:- --


    Health: 120/120


    Stamina: 89/100


    Mana: 100/100


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    [ATTRIBUTES]


    STR: 1(11)


    VIT: 10(20)


    FOR: 3(13)


    DEX: 3(13)


    INT: 10


    WIS: 3


    CHR: 0


    LCK: 1


    [ Statpoints left : 0 ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles:-


    ''The One & Only''


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Effects:


    Enhanced Awareness, Enhanced Survival Instincts, Enhanced Adaptability


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    </blockquote>


    ''Ah, I don''t seem to have a name nor do I remember it anyway, though what interested me more is that I''m...a living metal? Without a doubt, I''m definitely not a human but...what''s a ''living metal''. Moreover, the ''Proto'' and ''Type'' accompanying it? When suddenly another screen popped up in front me, startling me in the process but was nullified without delay.


    <blockquote>


    [ Species: Living Metal ]


    [ Description: A species closely related to slimes that are capable of an unusual process called Self-Upgrade. ]


    [ Proto (Type 1): The first stage of a Living Metal, only capable of replicating a few skills of other beings with slight modifications made to it through the use of a unique skill ]


    </blockquote>


    ...


    I''m a self-upgrading ability-copying metal slime. THAT''S FUCKING AWE-*Ting*...I''m not a narcissist but damn I love myself. Anyway, next is ''The One & Only''


    <blockquote>


    [ The One & Only ]


    [ Description: Being the only one of your kind, your death would mean the end of an entire species. To survive, you gained highly adaptive abilities ]


    [ Bonus Stats: +10 for STR, VIT, FOR, DEX ]


    [ Additional Effects: Enhance Awareness , Enhanced Survival Instinct ]


    </blockquote>


    ...Oh shit.


    I was left a little speechless there.


    Snapping back to reality, I began to look at my attributes.


    Damn..without that title I would''ve been pretty weak. Though it''s hard to know how strong I currently am as I don''t even know the average for whatever this place is. Looking at it again, I appear to be lacking charisma the most, then again I don''t really think a metal slime would be that charming, except for blacksmiths... wait, do dwarves exist here? Oh, I''m getting off topic.


    Realizing that my skills weren''t shown, I concluded that it was probably a separate screen and command. Time to see my skills!


    ''Ah, let''s try, Open Skills!'' ...


    hm, not it?


    ''Open Skill? Skills? Skill Window? Access Skills? Show me my skills.......Skill...List?'' Please be the o-Ding!WOOO-*Ting*


    ...


    <blockquote>


    [ SKILLS ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    General Skills:-


    Identify Lv.1


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ''Living Metal'' Skills:-


    Pacified Mind (ON), Acidic Metal Lv.1, Body Storage(Type 1),


    High Regeneration Lv.1, Informative Touch Lv.2, Devour (Modification) Lv.1


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Resistance Skills:-


    Acid (10%), Water (10%)


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Bonus Skills:- --


    </blockquote>


    Most of these are quite self-explanatory through their names but it doesn''t actually tell if it is an active or passive skill. For the time being, I took the chance to turned ''Pacified Mind'' off. One skill that I''m not quite understanding was ''Devour''. I mean, I do know it has to do with devouring something but what''s with the Modification part of the name? ''Uhh, Check Devour Skill ''


    <blockquote>


    [ Devour (Modification) Lv.1 ]


    [ Description: A skill that enables the user to devour the target whole and gain skills relating to it ]


    [ Modification: This allows the user to gain a skill that is slightly different from the original, though the modification may be both advantageous and disadvantageous ]


    [ Species Bonus: Other than gaining skills, the user will also be able to increase a few of their attributes, which will be dependent on what attribute the target specializes in ]


    [ Cost: Mana free, user will not gain any experience from the target ]


    </blockquote>


    ''I already can see myself using this..''


    Remembering the Dragon egg beneath me, I thought of something. Could I use this on the Dragon Egg? Obtaining the skills and the attributes of a dragon is quite intriguing, though I''ll not gain any experience from it. Still gonna do it anyway, I''m not gonna neglect an opportunity that''s right in front of me. '' Let''s try identifying it first though. Identify ''


    <blockquote>


    [ Abyss Ancient Dragon God Egg ]


    [ Description: One of the Ancient Dragon Gods belonging to the powerful and ferocious Dragon Empire, mainly specializing in void, dark and space skills. It has yet to be awakened. ]


    </blockquote>


    Hmm, the description seems to be quite accurate to the hard egg under me as I was able to sense a powerful aura surrounding it, this is definitely an opportunity of a lifetime. I wouldn''t mind getting my hands on new skills especially from three different types, plus it''s even from a goddamn dragon god. I also doubt I''d be able to control it after it hatches or awakens from the egg so it''s a much safer method for me to devour it. Let''s do that.


    To my surprise, wrapping myself around the egg wasn''t difficult at all, I was expecting it to be a much laborious task as it is a dragon god egg we''re talking about here. Oh well, it''s time to eat! ''Devour''


    The dragon egg that was previously under me vanished into thin air along with the powerful aura surrounding it before. I was able to sense the huge rise in my power and what was once a silent and blank space around me was now echoing with the sound of dripping water and the display of small rocks scattered on the ground that seems to be barren of any other living creatures.


    [ You have devoured the ''Abyss Ancient Dragon God Egg'' ]


    [ You have gained the target''s skills and a few of its attributes ]


    [ You''ve earned the title of ''The Ancient Devourer'' ]


    [ ''Devour'' Skill has reached Level 2 ]


    [ ''Devour'' Skill has reached Level 3 ]


    [ ''Devour'' Skill has reached Level 4 ]


    . . .


    [ ''Devour'' Skill has reached Level 7 ]


    '' Hehehe... I can''t wait to find out what skills I''ve gained and how stro- '' When all of a sudden I was interrupted by a powerful earthquake that was followed by a blaring roar causing the rocks from the ceiling of the cave to fall. Without delaying anything, I evaded the rocks with swift movements that I never had before. Must have been the work of the Dragon God''s Skills or something... '' Nice..hehehe ''


    Searching through the cave with my new hidden eyes, I saw it...


    I can feel myself trembling as a pair of yellow glowing eyes with absolute killing intent stared straight at me...

 The Dragon God vs The Silver..Slime?

    The Age of Ancient Gods, it was the most ruthless era to live in. Assmall wars for territory between various different species ranging from the agile and intelligent Elves to the powerful and mighty Dragons occurred often in every continent in the world.


    Problems arose as more of these wars continued, losing family members, lovers and friends could happen any moment, which also forced the beings of this era to become much more stronger physically and mentally. For those who weren''t able to adapt were normally driven into madness, either killing themselves or becoming mindless slaves to stronger beings.


    Nevertheless, the lands of this era were full of variety. From Mystical Purple Swamps that are filled with secrets to the Deathly Foggy Mountains, known to be unsafe even to the gods, as unknown forcesinhabit the area. These lands were made to be beautiful and were full of wonders, yet they were too dangerous for most.


    Due to the abundant amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, plant life in this era was also flourishing as beautiful blooming flowers and tall sturdy trees of all kinds spread through the lands. Some species that were closely related to plants like the Dryads and Treants also grew stronger and some even became greater beings. They may not be as powerful as the gods but they are still quite strong and poses a threat to those below them.


    Also, a diversity of different types ofanimals and monsters can be foundroaming the lands with each having different unique characteristics to them. From dinosaur-headed plants to giant herbivorous spiders, these creatures were everywhere, even enormous whales flying through the skies carrying loads were a common sight. A spectacle that soon will fade away...


    As the era went on, Higher Beings like Ancient gods would continue to rule a large area of land and constantly trying to expand it. Some would share and some wouldn''t, which caused the creation of several different groups. Those who would sharewere commonly known as the ''Peacekeepers'', under them were multiple sub-groups that consist of different beings with the same goal...peace and harmony. Places where inside wars were almost to none and where discrimination between species was an absolute crime, as these beings would continue to live a serene and friendly lifestyle.


    While for those who wouldn''t, wereseparated into two groups which were known as the ''Aggressors'' or the ''Impartials''. Aggressors were alsocalled as the ''Warmongers'', as they advocated wars between other beings and wereoften recognized as psychotic battle maniacs. They live to fight, pillage and take over new territories by force. Impartials, on the other hand, had a neutral stance as they were more focused on business and trading resources with othernations or empires. They may fight but they weren''t addicted to it andthese places weren''t exactlypeaceful either.


    There were also other groups that don''t match with either as some would share and some wouldn''t at times, which depends heavily on their culture and how their species works. These places ranged from small villages to large cities, located far away from other groups except for the ''Impartials'' due to the benefits of being near one.


    ...


    A truce was made between the three large groups to prevent an all-out war from occurring as it would only cause more unnecessary harm and damage, even the Aggressors of that time knew that it would be a bad idea for them.


    However, as time went on, the new generations of Aggressors grew too impatient and greedy.Neglecting the truce, they began creating silent agreements with the intention of making an enormous army that could rival against the Peacekeepers and obtaining more land for themselves to control. A hidden contract that would finally start after years of preparation...


    It was almost at the end of the age where the Aggressors commenced the plan, invading and attacking any reachable towns, villages, and cities, which caught the attention of the Peacekeepers. Angered by the situation, the Peacekeepers were forced to create proper defensive measures and also sent additional support and reinforcements to other groups in the nearest vicinity.


    This was also when the war began, the Peacekeepers didn''t waste time and had to take their enemies head-on as a means to prevent the Aggressors from conquering and enslaving more unfortunate victims. Forces of both of these groups continued waging war on each other while the others had to fight for their lives from the invading Aggressors.Something that went on for years to come...


    While the war was proceeding, the ''Impartials'' took advantage of the whole situation as they begun to make several large trades with both sides and other groups,making tons of profit for themselves and using them on their cities. Also improving their defenses that were already quite impenetrable in general, since they were even able to withstand huge invasions and attacks from traitorous Aggressors. Making them the most prosperous out of the groups in this era.


    ...


    It had been exactly a thousand years when the agreement was broken, the war persisted on and nothing too important happened. However, this was also the time when the Aggressors made a move that would forever leave a huge impression on their opponents.


    The Dragon Empire, Ruuste was finally persuaded to the Aggressors'' side after many failed attempts and began wreaking havoc that would seem to be fatal due to their powerful strengths and abilities. Mountains were obliterated and forest were burnt down, many of the wildlife that once described the beauty of the era were also affected due to the loss of many habitats or outright getting killed for resources, the land that was once a colorful paradise with flying whales, large gentle spiders and several others were now gone as the dragons that flew through the skies continuedcausingdestruction to the land. Many ancients gods and higher beings of other groups especially the ones associated with the Peacekeepers were getting slaughtered left and right, this rate only continued to increase as the Ancient Dragon Gods began partaking in the wars.


    However, that was not all, as these Dragon Gods were anticipating for the awakening of their dear little brother, who was the strongest dragon god among the group of siblings that were already filled with tremendous power. When all of them are united, they could destroy anything in their path. With that power, they could demolish the Peacekeepers whole and gain a very large amount of land. A plan that was going smoothly for them.


    It was until an unusual problem occurred...


    -


    // Dragon Empire, Ruuste <Aarde Sector> //


    Aarde Sector, one of Ruuste''s largest defense sectors. Specializing in the security of the Dragon Empire''s favorable treasures and wealth acquired through participated wars. Created from the powers of one of the Ancient Dragon Gods.


    Resting in an underground chamber at the center of the Aarde Sector was an enormous bulky dragon with scales that seem to have been made out of rocks and a long sturdy tail that''s wide enough to cause small earthquakes with a single whip to the ground. Peacefully lying down on the floor, as energy continued to gather into its body.


    It was until the aura of its sibling that could be felt throughout the empire all of a sudden vanished, which made its large yellow glowing eyes wide open in confusion. Looking at a certain direction while narrowing its eyes, it then tried sensing the aura of its sibling but was unsuccessful in doing so. A trace of worry appeared in Vodr''s heart...This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    That''s when a Red Dragon with an air of superiority and elegance surrounding it appeared behind him, seemingly out of nowhere.


    "Krvena... something must''ve happened," Vodr said, turning his head towards his elder sister with a worried face.


    "Indeed, but what are you doing here?... Shouldn''t you be guarding our dear little brother? You are in charge of it after all, aren''t you?... While our siblings are protecting the empire from enemies, here you are, just lazily resting in this small and pitiful chamber of yours while our little brother may be endangered." She said while glaring at him with her white glowing eyes but Vodr remained still.


    "Forgive me for my actions elder sister, I''ll get right into it. I''ll report to you once I''m done... I shall take my leave." Vodr declared, before leaving his chamber immediately afterward.


    Left alone in the chamber, Krvena smiled thinking about the declaration her little brother made while hoping he''d be back safely before disappearing into thin air, only leaving an empty chamber.


    ----


    ( Vodr''s POV )


    ''It seems I have overestimated my abilities... I''ll have to get to the bottom of this quickly'' Ireflected while flying towards the cave my youngest brother resides in.


    My little brother, Myrkur, also known as the Abyss Dragon God was acknowledged to be the strongest out of all us Dragon Gods. It was a long time ago when we found him suddenly took in the form of an egg in his residence,which we soon realized that he was actually in the process of awakening into a much stronger form than before. When the time comes, the war against those troublesome Peacekeepers would become a much simpler task.


    Myrkur''s powerful aura could be felt even outside of the empire, which made preventing and intimidating incoming invaders quite easy and was also able to cause paralysis, few even wetted their pants before becoming a disembodied head or a burnt corpse. However, that aura had unexpectedly vanished and it seems Krvena, my elder sister who is the leader of both the empire''s offensive and defensive sectors was the first one to notice it. Our enemies seem to have used this opportunity to strike our sturdy walls but I doubt anyone of them could defeat my elder sister, as she is one of the strongest among us, only second to Myrkur after all.


    Considering my current situation again, what could''ve stop such a powerful aura...? Has Myrkur already awaken from his slumber? He could control his aura very easily, so is he playing with us? No...he was often shy around us, which I''ll admit is kinda cute in some way or another but if that''s not possible then what made the aura disappear...


    Was it such a strong enemy that was able to escape my ''Great Detection'' so easily? Someone that could be hidden from my detection skills would mean he is either on par with me or even stronger than me.... ''I need to be careful of whatever my opponent might be, it obviously shouldn''t be underestimated...''


    // Abyssal Dragon God''s Cavern ( Myrkur''s Lair ) //


    ''I finally made it..'' I was currently in front of the cave where Myrkur resided in.


    Using my full potential, I used one of my skills and made a deafening roar that would make any enemies paralyzed due to the immense shock and also prepared my ''Petrifying Eyes'' skill that could immobilize my enemies with a single look.


    Activating most of my skills, I entered the cavern. I looked around the place to only see fallen rocks and the absence of Myrkur. How could it be!? A dragon eggshell couldn''t just evaporate into thin air, as it was normally made into a part of our armor that was deemed to be almost indestructible but mybrother''swere all gone... No pieces of him remained. Was he taken? eaten? That''s almost impossible...unless that thing is strong enough to do it.


    Worried,I instantly tried to look for the perpetrator, I scanned through every nook and cranny in the cave with my enhanced eyes, when I finally saw it.


    A small silver slime? It appears to be quite weak, however, looks can be deceiving... I can also sense it looking directly at me as well.I took this opportunity to glare back at it and made use of my skill to confirm whether or not it was the one responsible for my brother''s disappearance, since something stronger or on par with me would not have much trouble with it, even with a skill that could negate it, my skill would still affect the enemy for a few seconds.


    However, the end result surprised me, as the slime didn''t seem to be affected by my skill at all, which made me take a defensive stance immediately and concluded that the slime has a really high chance of being the one that caused Myrkur''s disappearance, Its even a slime, which are well known for digesting animals and objects. Though my skill would''ve at least caused it to flinch for a split second but it did nothing to the silver slime, which only Krvena and a few of my other elder siblings could do. Though compared to them, a small weak-looking slime can do it too!?


    ''Don''t tell me its strong as elder sister...'' I wished that wasn''t the case.


    This was the first time I felt hesitant to fight something seemingly stronger than me but I managed to convince myself to continue as my brother was probably killed or stolen by it. Killing it was now an absolute order, I''m an Imperial Dragon God for a reason and I have the strength to support that.


    ''Little Myrkur, I shall avenge you...''


    After a long standoff between me and the slime, I was the first one to make the move. Using the advantage of the area around me, I summoned five large spikes made of rocks out of the ground, impaling the slime in an instant. However, I wasn''t going to let my guard down so easily. With my tail directed at the enemy, when ten floating smaller spikes that were glowing an orange light appeared from thin air and shot itself at the impaled slime, piercing into it and exploding immediately afterwards.


    However, the slime only regenerated parts of its body that were destroyed due to my attacks, seemingly unfazed by it or was it because it had no face at all...but before I could even react, It appeared right front of me.


    " H-how!? " I said, startling with widen eyes. Superior speed? No, Teleportation?!


    As it appeared in front of me, I slashed at it with the intent of trying to push it back but the slime dodged it with a swift reflects and went under it, wrapping itself on my right arm. It was a weird sensation, weren''t slimes suppose to be... well, slimy as the name says it to be? Feels more like I''m wearing armor than anything else but unlike armor, it was dangerous.


    It was when I felt my arm burning from where the slime was when I began thrashing about and used my other claw to try and get it off my right arm. It doesn''t seem to be anything too serious but I knew leaving it alone won''t help, it could only cause heavy injury over time as I''ve experienced something similar before. However, when I was successful in peeling it off my arm, it also managed to rip a large chunk of my flesh including my scales as blood continued to gush out of it.


    "RAAAAAAAAAH!!!" I roared in pain and activated my regeneration skill but the damage was too heavy for it to instantly heal my wound.


    ''This is bad... I need to do something quickly... Call my siblings? Wouldn''t I look like an idiot in front of them... needing help against a slime... Erk, I won''t fail a second time today. For my little brother...Myrkur... ''


    With my new profound motivation, I roared again, boosting every part of me. My scales becamea lot more harder than before and my tail became wideras larger sharp spikes began protruding out of it. Strengtheningmy limbs as my muscles became stronger and bulkier. My once deformed arm has recovered only a portion of it also stopping the bleeding in the process. My once yellow glowing eyes were now much more brighter than before as I felt the power in me increasing from my boost. I stood on all fours with a dignified posture looking down at the silver puddle that was regenerating itself after crashing into the cave''s wall.


    "I''ll admit, You''re quite strong for something so small. In my whole life, I didn''t expect today will be the third time I would use my boost, especially on a slime. However, today shall be your end... With my brother''s disappearance and your presence in his cave, I have concluded that you were the one responsible for killing my little brother, Myrkur...Also, injuring an Imperial Dragon God is a sin in these lands. With all of that settled, I, Vodr the Earth Imperial Dragon God, sentences You. To. Death." I declared with a deep threatening voiceat the slime.


    Roaring the fourth time, which successfully immobilized the regenerating slime.I closed my enormous mouth and began accumulating waves of energies from my body into my mouth. My throat enlarged asI continued to gather my power while a yellow light can be seen passing through my skin as more energy continued to pour into it. ''It''s time.'' I thought, ready to end the seemingly weakened slime in front of me.


    Opening my mouth at the direction of the immobilized slime, a huge yellow beam came from my mouth and destroyed everything in its path. Reaching the slime immediately, the area around it was completely obliterated and nothing was left. A large hole was created at the other end of the cave which probably caught the attention of my siblings but that didn''t matter, I was finally able to avenge my missing brother. Looking at the destruction in front of me, I produced a wide smile. ''I have done my job...''


    ...


    However, that wasn''t exactly the end of it...

 The Start of a Mischievous Metal

    It was pitch black, nothing seems to be present except for me. I''m currently using a skill that I obtained after devouring the dragon egg. It is quite a useful skill I must say, good for escaping at the right moments. It was something called Void space, literally makes a new dimension for me, I could rest here and everything! However, it does take lots of my mana over time but it''s still pretty good.


    [ ''Void Space'' has reached lv.2 ]


    I continued regenerating my health as it was too worryingly low for my taste, that spiky thing the dragon used on me took lots of my health but fortunately for me, my high regeneration skill was able to keep up with the damage.


    ''Thank God!... Well, one did try to kill me. And I ateanother too... ''


    I began thinking over strategies to go against the enemy I just challenged. One thing for sure is that dragon god really does lives up to its name. From its raw power and that boost or whatever it was, it could''ve killed me but I was fortunate enough to escape into my own space. Though, kinda sucks I have such low health points. But, I''m more surprised at how I even managed on surviving the first few seconds against it. I guess I was lucky that it only threw those exploding rock thingies and flinging me onto a wall with some clawing action here and there.


    I''ll be honest, Ihave just only realized the consequences of devouring the dragon god''s eggliterally after devouring it. It also said something about it being its little brother too which actually made me feel like absolute shit, and dragons are definitely gonna hate me forever now.


    ''First day and I''m already fighting a God. And dragons apparently hate me now too. Great.''


    I guess having a devour as a skill really makes you power ''hungry'', even now, I just can''t wait to devour the other dragon... If I''m able to, that is.


    And from the looks of things and my current situation, I''ll be taking on god level beings from now on...


    Note that most of them are most probably way out of my league, though looking at the bright side, this might also help me gain more power in the quickest and riskiest way possible ever. I grinned, well, in my mind at least. Thinking again about my previous actions, being able to tear apart the flesh of a god was indeed a miraculous accident but that only made it enraged and unleashed thatray of light to attack me.


    Well, whatever, at least I was able to level up both my teleportation and acidic metal skill to really high levels. So both should be much more effective than before. Next was the two new skills I used, ''Intimidating Touch'' and ''Hidden'', I was able to level up both a little but that will be enough to help contribute in the next fight against the dragon.


    After a few minutes, an idea finally popped into my head, it may or may not be effective but I''ll just have to go with this. It worked for the arm, so it should work there too.


    After I fully recovered my health, I deactivated the skill and went out of the void. It looks like I''m at the same place before I left, though everything around it was completely obliterated whichstartled me while thinking of the awful alternate outcome. ''Damn, I''m lucky...''


    Looking at the direction where I remembered seeing the dragon before escaping, I saw the enormous creature, smiling? It does look a little creepy with its sharp teeth visible but whatever, time to kick some dragon god''s ass. I activated ''Hidden'' and began moving towards the clueless dragon to start my winning plan. It''s a blessing that ''Hidden'' was somehow able to bypass the dragon god''s detection.


    Immediately after teleporting right in front of its face, I wrapped my silver slime-like body around it before the surprised dragon could even react to it. I heard it gasp before the wailing dragon began thrashing around vigorously but due to how my body works, I continued to be firmly attached to its face.


    Activating a skill, my metallic body began oozing out acids that soon touched the surface of the dragon''s face as I heard it sizzling immediately afterwards. After leveling up ''Acidic Metal'', the acids I produced became a lot more lethal than before, eating away the dragon''s flesh faster than before. I was also able to feel myself sinking further into its head and through its skull, as a gush of crimson liquid rushed against me. Dyed in red, I continued with my actions as I heard muffled roars from the struggling dragon''s mouth that had parts of its lower jaw bone exposed to the air.


    It also started to panic even more as I activated ''Intimidating Touch'', using its left claw it tried to slash at me like how it did previously but I quickly removed the left part of my metal body away before it could hit my body, making its claws sink into its own flesh tearing through some parts of its face while also adding a paint of red to it''s already burned and grotesque face.


    "RAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!," It roared in agony while I enveloped myself around its bloodied deformed head that has already shown signs of deteriorating flesh, capturing its left hand in the process.


    ''Well, that''s gotta hurt.'' I thought to myself as I continued my attacks.


    I even started inching into its eyes and nostrils. As my body made contact with both of the dragon''s eyes, the acid around me started to melt both eyes at an alarming rate. Going through the new passageway given to me, I entered the dragon''s head.


    As I was flowing through the dragon''s head while continuously producing acids which disintegrated anything in my way, I heard the muffled roars of the suffering dragon but when time went on and I continued my destructive expedition through its head, the roars lessened as it started to only whimper a few times. That was also when I finally arrived at my destination, the brain.


    [ ''Acidic Metal'' has reached lv.11 ]


    ''Well, isn''t that convenient.''


    I rushed directly to its brain proceeding to wrap parts of my body around it and started producing an abundant amount of lethal corrosives from my body, dissolving the brain in the process. While the other parts of me that went through the nostrils has finally reached the lungs and got to the point immediately, burning the lungs.It also went through the fleshy walls of the dragon''s body, mutilating several other parts inside of its body.


    THUD!


    The whimpering Dragon God that went through a world of pain and torment fell to the ground with lifeless eyes causing a mini earthquake on the surrounding area. The tremendous yellow aura that once filled the cave had vanished without a trace. Silence invaded the cave as I began to encase the whole body of the massive dragon before it disappears, devouring it whole.


    I slowly began to shrink back to my normal size as the dragon''s body vanished inside of me.


    [ You have devoured the ''Earth Imperial Ancient Dragon God, Vodr'' ]


    [ You have gained new skills and few of its attributes ]


    [ ''Devour'' has reached lv 8 ]


    [ ''Devour'' has reached lv 9 ]


    [ ''Fast Teleportation'' has reached lv 9 ]


    [ ''Acidic Metal'' has reached lv 12 ]


    [ ''Intimidating Touch'' has reached lv 5 ]


    [ ''Intimidating Touch'' has reached lv 7 ]


    [ ''Hidden'' has reached lv 3 ]


    [ ''Hidden'' has reached lv 6 ]


    ...


    [ You have been upgraded into ''Proto (Type 2)'' ]


    [ You have gained a new skill for ''Living Metal'' ]


    [ ''Upgrades Window'',''Upgrade Points'' and ''Upgrade Quest'' have been added ]


    [ You have gained 5 Upgrade Points for your achievements ]


    ''Oooh, something new!''


    Upgrades...Well, I am a Living Metal, so it does fit together, maybe I can make myself harder. No wait, that sounded wrong. I meant my skin, making it harder will hopefully prevent most impaling attacks. I''ll check em later, for now, I should get a look on my stats since I didn''t have any time to do so previously. ''Open Status''


    <blockquote>


    [ STATUS ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Name: ???


    Age: --


    Level: 1


    Experience ( Next Lv ) : 0 %


    Species:


    Proto Living Metal (Type 2)


    Class:- --


    Health: 48/280 (2.0 per minute)


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Stamina: 43/150


    Mana: 38/220 (1.0 per minute)


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    [ATTRIBUTES]


    STR: 21(71)


    VIT: 60(80)


    FOR: 103(153)


    DEX: 103(123)


    INT: 60


    WIS: 3(13)


    CHR: 0


    LCK: 1


    [ Statpoints left : 0 ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles:-


    ''The One & Only''


    ''The Ancient Devourer''


    ''Dragon-Eater''


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Effects:


    Enhanced Awareness, Enhanced Survival Instincts, Enhanced Adaptability, Enhanced Sight, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Body Hardness


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Devoured:


    Abyssal Ancient Dragon God


    Earth Imperial Ancient Dragon God


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    </blockquote>


    ''Umm, the layout changed and there are some new sections in here. I guess I''ll unlock more in the future and WOAH!? My attributes are high as fuck! Well, probably not the same level as the gods but I think I''m quite strong for a metal!'' I shouted in mind, sadly it seems like my charisma and luck has not increased at all. I''ll probably need charisma or charm more than luck. I''ve beenunusually lucky lately, so I''m okay with it.


    My attributes may be high but I don''t know if these were the norm or not in the current world I''m in, so I still need to be cautious and probably stop devouring random eggs wherever I go. I guess the pacified mind skill would''ve been useful in stopping my desires... Okay, let''s see the others. ''Skill List''


    <blockquote>


    [ SKILLS ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    General Skills:-


    Identify Lv.1


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ''Living Metal'' Skills:-


    Pacified Mind (OFF)


    Acidic Metal Lv.12


    Body Storage(Type 2)


    High Regeneration Lv.3


    Informative Touch Lv.2


    Devour (Modification) Lv.9


    Transmutation Lv.1


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Devoured Skills:- (Modified)


    Intimidating Touch Lv.7


    Fast Teleportation Lv.9


    Hidden Lv.6


    Void Space Lv.2


    Impaling Silver Spikes Lv.1


    Directory Needles Lv.1


    Hardened State Lv.1


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Resistance Skills:-


    Acid (30%), Water (10%),


    Dark (10%), Void (20%),


    Spatial (10%), Earth (40%),


    Light (10%)


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Bonus Skills:- --


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    </blockquote>


    ''Okay this is some good stuff, I got lots of new skills and there are some new sections here too. Oooh! Those spike attacks would definitely help me, thank you Earth Dragon God!'' This was really good. Most of the devoured skills seem to be somewhat adjusted to fit my species but it still should work almost the same way.


    My resistances seem to be sufficient but I''ll have to increase it somehow, probably from either training or just devouring other species. I''ll work on that soon but now... Transmutation.


    Perhaps I''d be able to take the form of other beings but since its level one, I doubt I could take the form of a dragon god. Maybe parts of it? Or a smaller version of it? Let''s try it.


    Activating transmutation, a screen popped up in front of me.


    <blockquote>


    [ TRANSMUTATION ]


    [ Earth Dragon Registered ]


    ...


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    [ What form do you wish to take? ]


    Earth Dragon


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    </blockquote>


    ''...I mean, this is cool and all but only one!? Where did the Abyss Dragon go and it''s not even the same as the Earth Imperial Dragon God. Well, technically it is but this does not seem to be an imperial but oh well, better than none,'' I said as I picked the only option on the screen.


    My bodyfelt a tingling sensation and began takinga silver color form of a quadrupedal dragon similar to the Earth Dragon God with a pair of silverskeletal wings protruding out from my body and four mechanical limbs growing while producing weird metal-like claws that does not seem to be from a dragon. My size grew taller and larger, while I did become a much smaller dragon when compared to the Dragon God but at least it is bigger than my original form. Though, instead of looking scaly like a real dragon, I looked more like arobot with the design of a dragon, not even a scale can be seen. I''m also shiny and metallic, just pointing that out. I also had a horn on the tip of my nostrils which was connected to a crest-like structure that went on until the back of my head. I looked like a metallic dragon skeleton though... I don''t even look like a living creature.


    Not only that, it feels somewhat weird as I now can walk and open my hollow mouth since I was rather used to being a slithering mute metal slime but I still rather have legs and a mouth. I also have a tail, a wide one like the Dragon God just a tinier version of it. Enough of that, next is the one I''m excited about the most! ''Upgrades!''


    <blockquote>


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    [ UPGRADES ]


    Upgrade Points: 5


    Upgrades:-


    Exoskeleton: 0


    Protected Eyes: 0


    Verbal Tongue: 0


    Form Shaping: 0


    Night Vision: 0


    Glowing Eyes: 0


    Scavenger: 0


    Auto-Counter: 0


    Predatory Genes: 0


    Self-Repair: 0


    Adaptable Machine: 0


    Ranged Weaponry: 0


    Melee Weaponry: 0


    Upgrade Quest:-


    None


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    </blockquote>


    ''Oh damn son! Heheh'' I was getting too excited, so I had to turn Pacified Mind on to calm me down. I swear I kinda like that skill now.


    These are all pretty straightforward stuff and since I only have five points I should be really careful with my decision. Well, I hope. After looking at the choices for a few minutes, I then put a point each for Exoskeleton, Verbal Tongue, Auto-Counter, Predatory Genes, and Ranged weaponry. I was considering Form Shaping but I think Transmutation would work, for now, I''ll try the rest next time.


    After confirming my selections, my body began changing again. My body started producing armor around my skeletal-like body. Though some parts remained armorless, I didn''t really mind much of it since I''m just happy to not look like a silver skeleton. My metal teeth becamethicker and sharper while my body became bulkier with the support of metallic armor on my body, I looked even bigger than before. I had another layer of thick metal covering my head like a helmet, this is when I also realized I had four eyes. I had two pairs of eyes that now enables me to have a wider view of my surroundings. At the end of my tail was a...gun? It was probably from the ranged weaponry upgrade. I guess I can shoot from my tail now.


    After the transformation was done, I literally became an Armored Silver Dragon. No wait, that sounds kinda cool, I''ll take that. This should be good as a disguise for the other dragons and probably for other beings, though I''ll need to register other beings into my transmutation as well. I''ll have to test some stuff out with the skill as I do not know if I have to devour them first or not. Now, I should name thisdisguise of mine.


    ''Silfur? Maybe Ezust? I need to make it like a Dragon''s name. They had names like Vodr and Myrkur so maybe...Vyr? I think that''s good enough, its just a name after all.'' I shrugged after naming my form. Though, it''s funny that I don''t even have a name for myself. Well, I''ll do that soon enough.


    [ Transmutation: Vyr has been Registered ]


    [ Vyr registered as ''Armored Silver Dragon'' ]


    ''Ooo that''s cool! I can name my form and species. I''ll have fun messing with people...hehehe''


    With all of that done...What should I do next?


    After pondering over what to do next, the first thingthat came into my mind was getting out of the dragon''s territory. Since the dragon god I killed probably had other siblings, I need to get out of here fast. Just one of them was hard enough, I don''t know if I could take more than two.


    As Vyr, I flew out of the dark cave. It was actually weird using my wings but I got the hang of it quiteeasily and is also fun to use. Flying out of the cave, I then met with the bright light of the warm Sun. My eyes widened as I saw many wonders even from here. I actually saw a flying Purple Whale and a city? It seems to be really far from here but I knew for a fact that it has huge walls surrounding it and there were moresimilar to it further away from me.


    "Hello, World! A new dragon has appeared for ya!" I excitedly shouted out, hovering over the destroyed cave I was previously in. While looking around, I saw a forest that was near the cave. I was also able to sense some life in it, which meant new prey for me to potentially devour..hehe *Ting* Yeah, I think I needed that.


    [ New Upgrade Quest! ]


    <blockquote>


    [ The Hunter and The Brute ]


    Main Objective:


    A rogue Batrian has found its way into the Moon Dragon''s Forest and due to the power it could gain from eating the Moon Plants, it could become a huge threat in the future. Kill it or help it before it does.


    Reward:


    2 Upgrade Points


    +10 Strength


    Reward for killing it:


    +2 Predatory Genes


    -100 affinity with Batrians (Vyr)


    Reward for helping it:


    ???


    +100 affinity with Batrians (Vyr)


    Friendship with the Batrian Beast God


    </blockquote>


    ...and I''ll gladly accept that. Time to find this ''Batrian''. Though, I do not know what the hell a Batrian is. It should''ve at least explain the species even a little would be enough but whatever and I may also get my hands on those Moon Plants.


    "Rogue Batrian, here I come!" I yelled as I flew towards the purple forest ahead of me.

 The Dragon and The Worm

    Flying through the air, I was thinking over the quest I just received.


    Looking at it again. Why the hell would killing it decrease the affinity instead of increasing it? Something fishy going on.


    Maybe a radar-like skill would be useful. I should also make a bounty hunter identity to gain some information from nobles or employers if there were any. Wait, I''m getting off topic.


    For now, my enhanced sight would be enough but what the hell is a Batrian?


    ...


    No sudden window pop up? Oh well, I''ll probably know one when I see one. It probably looks like a bat, it does have ''bat'' in its name. Okay, I know that was a stupidassumption but itstill has a chance of being true.


    I gotta say, the Moon Dragon''s Forest looks really beautiful. All the purple leaves on the thin trees and the blue grass swaying to the wind. I''d live here if I had a chance but I also don''t seem to see any kind of life besides the colorful flora.


    Just show up goddamn Batrian! I wanna get my sweet, sweet points.


    Maybe I should upgrade myself into Type 3 but I still do not know how it works. Is there like some type of points for it as well? It couldn''t be ''upgrade points''. Evolution? I don''t thi-


    <blockquote>


    -------


    [ EVOLUTION ]


    Next Evolution: 1.2% ( Proto ''Type 3'' )


    -------


    </blockquote>


    Well, isn''t that convenient?


    Though, it doesn''t really tell me what to do to increase those percentages.


    Also, since I am made out of metal. Can I improve my properties? Metal Property? My properties? Properties?


    ...


    No?


    I''ll leave that for next time, I should worry about something else instead...hehehe


    From my point of view, a large worm-like creature was out in the open snacking on a dead corpse of a monster with the features of a panther. The worm had huge brown mandibles that were similar to an ant''s but had one on top near where its eye would''ve been and the other was placed directly below it. Half of its body seems to be underground, so I have to be either quick in killing and devouring it or pull it off the ground.


    The latter might be possible if it wasn''t so big. Or long. I might also get two transmutations including the dead corpse lying on the floor.


    Alright, let''s get on with this.


    I looked through my skills for a minute before preparing to go against the worm when I realized I had the Identify skill.


    How could''ve I forgotten about that skill? As I Facepalmed with my dragon hands. I guess the Batrian will be easier to find with this.


    Okay then, ''Identify''


    <blockquote>


    [ Species: Muun Scavenger ]


    [ Element: ??? ]


    [ Rarity: Rare ]


    [ Rank: ?? ]


    [ Description: A large blind worm with huge mandibles that seem to be an enormous apex predator. Despite its looks, it is more known to be a scavenger that blindly burrows through the ground trying to find acarcass to feast on. It has a thick layer of skin that could even rival ''Argenite'' Armor. It is unknown how large these creatures can get due to how nearly impossible it is to catch one alive to its fullest extent as their bodies would disintegratedust after being killed and are very untamable monsters. ]


    </blockquote>


    This must be my luck!


    Though I see some few new additions to identify and the description seems to be longer than before. Does my Type have an effect on this? Last I remembered, I didn''t have these before evolving to Type 2.


    I guess evolving will be crucial for information gathering as well.


    This also explains the changes in the layout of the windows and the addition of the newer ones.


    Next on the list is the panther thing.


    <blockquote>


    [ Species: Muun Hunter ]


    [ Element: ??? ]


    [ Rarity: Rare ]


    [ Rank: ??? ]


    [ Description: ??? ]


    </blockquote>


    Goddamnit! I knew this was gonna happen!


    I guess identify isn''t gonna work on dead creatures or maybe my level is too low for that.


    Now. Let''s try devouring them...


    Activating Hidden, I flew towards my future meals.


    As I was approaching the worm, my head transformed into a Gatling gun with the top half of my dragon head attached on top of it.


    Having a gun as a head probably looks weird and cool at the same time, especially one that could rapidly fire bullets but it feels heavy as fuck. Doesn''t help that I''m flying in the air too.


    When I got close to the Scavenger, I stuck my tail through its fleshy body. Its skin that appears tobe almost impenetrable from the outside was pierced so easily by my tail.


    I''ll take that! No complaints here. I laughed


    I heard a deep sounding whimper coming from the oversized worm. Sticking my head directly into its mouth that was between the two large mandibles, I began rapidly firing bullets into its body. My claws firmly attached to the sides of the scavenger, penetrating its flesh in the process.


    It did try crunching my head several times but was fortunately unsuccessful.


    I then started transitioning into a slime, wrapping myself around the worm''s upper half before going underground to devour the whole thing.


    The whole process took a really long time, hell, I don''t even know how time works in this world. One thing to take note is how long that worm was. Its head was already as big as a school bus from my previous world. Imagine the length on that thing...


    [ Muun Scavenger registered! ]


    [ Discover new Muun Scavenger knowledge! ]


    [ You have gained new skills and few of its attributes ]


    Hmm, so devour also helps me in knowledge too. I don''t remember seeing that in the skill screen before...


    Oh well, it was probably because of the high level it has now.


    Now, time fo-


    I was cut off when six colorful creatures similar to the Scavenger appeared from the ground and surrounded me.


    This would''ve been much more threatening if they were as big as it. These guys were small as a normal house cat from my world. I wouldn''t have thought much about them if they didn''t take my second meal though.


    One of the six dragged the corpse into the ground while the others rushed at me with their small mandibles, ready to ''crunch'' me.


    Well, aren''t these a scary bunch~


    Identify.


    <blockquote>


    [ Muun Striker ]


    [ Element: ??? ]


    [ Rarity: Common ]


    [ Rank: ?? ]


    [ Description: A relative to the Muun Scavenger, these creatures are similar in looks to it as well. However, that''s where the similarities stop. Strikers are pack hunters and are very small compared to a Scavenger. They travel the Muun Grounds in groups searching for prey weaker or stronger than them. They are also found in several different colors instead of only being stuck in a single color. They are also known to be tameable creatures, widely used in determining ranks for the people in the Muungarr Empire. ]The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    </blockquote>


    [ ''Identify'' has reached lv 2 ]


    Ooh, I''ll really need to level that up more.


    Back to the smaller Scavengers, I don''t really find them interesting to transform into. I can act as a pet or whatever those people use these guys for information but I rather not be a small worm. Though, I could act as a Tameable Scavenger. People would want a giant worm to be their guardian to increase their status rather than using some small weaker worms. Now, one question...


    Can I change my color? That would be useful in the whole Tameable Scavenger scheme.


    Hehehe... I''m gonna have lots of fun.


    I looked at the surrounding enemies with my gun for a head.


    "Make sure to stay quiet fellow wormies. I''ll gun down all of you first." As the barrel of my head began spinning, ready to fire the bullets into the surroundingStrikers.


    [====]


    ( Krav''s Pov )


    It had been days outside of my village. It was entirely due to the glowing plants of the Muun Forest I was able to spot it so easily at night.


    Those scums. I''ll kill them when I''m done with the Moon Plants. I gritted my teeth.


    I hung my head as I recollected the faces of my family and the times we spent with each other.


    Especially my wife. Zera. God damn it, I miss her. I had so little time with her that I finally made a decision to spend months just to be with her. It went really well until those bastards came along.


    Taking whatever they wanted just because they were rich enough to hire those guys...


    I groaned while clenching my furry hands after remembering what they did.


    Bringing my hand near my face, tears rained down my eyes. My heart, unbalanced between the anger and sadness I was enduring.


    Using my clenched paw, I punched a nearby tree for it to only do a scratch. I instead broke fragments of my hand as blood spilled out of it.


    These thin trees were abnormally hard compared to their appearance. Such a lie.


    I shouldn''t let my feelings get me off my goal... I tried convincing myself.


    I need to get stronger. The Moon Plant will do just that. I might probably become an unwanted variant but I wouldn''t care as long as I''m able to get my family back.


    Filled with my new profound determination, I continued walking through thesilent forest. When the ground around me shook violently, as a blue creature rushed out of the ground while giving out an earsplitting screech towards me.


    Identify.


    A damned Muun Striker. I''ve heard of em.


    Didn''t know these ground parrots even lived here. Sucks for it to be alone though, as I grinned showing my white fangs.


    I roared at the monster, boosting my physical body while my claws brought a faint orange glow and now ready to tear apart the blue bastard.


    I rushed towards it, thinking the others were probably hiding. When a much larger creature came out of the ground, directly under the blue worm which was now devoured in an instant.


    The aura around it caused me to stop my actions immediately. I was already paralyzed due to the creature''s appearance alone.


    It was identical to the blue striker but was extremely large compared to it. Silver in color, it had red eyes that were lined through the sides of its long body that were currently looking directly at me. It had a pair of large black mandibles that could probably cut through Staerk steel.


    Turning its head towards me, it produced a thundering roar that blew me away in a matter of seconds and made me crash onto the hard but thin trees behind me. I heard my bones cracking from the impact.


    As I laid there, my consciousness started waning away and darkness began to take over my vision.


    Memories and images of my life flashed through me. I saw my family with smiles on there faces. I saw my children running around playing and sparring with each other. And, Zera sitting on a chair brightly smiling at me, a beautiful smile I''ll never forget.


    I guess I''ll die here...sorry...


    ...


    "Shit....Don''t. Die" said a mysterious deep voice as my mind finally faded away.


    [====]


    ( Mc''s POV )


    Was that roar too powerful?


    Nah! It should''ve only pushed him away though. Well, unless if there were harmful obstacles behind him. Are these trees harmful? Venomous perhaps?


    Ah whatever, at least the guy''s still alive. Identify is truly a godsend.


    Though, I don''t have any healing skills that could work on others.


    I guess waiting for em to wake up will be the only way. Are there healing herbs or potions here? There''s probably an alchemist skill. Ah, I just thought of a new identity for my list.


    I''ll try finding some herbs while I''m hunting.


    Now, time to hunt for more of these delicious worms...


    I began digging through the ground as the giant silver worm.


    This action may or may not caused the grounds of the lands near my area to shake vigorously as well as producing mini-earthquakes everywhere else. Unknowingly becoming a myth in legends for years.


    The Imperial Ground Serpent, Death Lurker.


    ...


    Come here you damn rascals!


    Using my huge body, I smacked the tiny worms'' bodies that were trying to run from me. Crushing all of them in the process.


    [ You have gained 100 Exp ]


    [ You have gained 100 Exp ]


    [ You have gained 100 Exp ]


    ...


    [ You have gained 100 Exp ]


    [ You have reached Lv.3 ]


    [ 5 Statpoints added ]


    [ Extra points on STR due to Muun Strikers ]


    [ ''Iron Rush'' has reached Lv.7 ]


    [ ''Hardened State'' has reached Lv.4 ]


    I''m having too much fun slamming into these small fries. I thought grinding experiences would be boring but this is hella fun. Though, I probably just look like a psycho right now.


    While hunting for more of these worms, I detected three life forces slowly nearing me in the forest.


    More Batrians? Should I scare them?


    I should give them a fake warning of some sort, hehehehe


    I directed all of my eyes towards the direction of the three which instantly stunned them. It was like a signal for territorial monsters, I''ve seen lots doing the same thing to me in the forest before but nothing was left of them especially if they were the first ones to attack.


    Turning my head, I moved to where I can look at them directly.However, I was surprised as it wasn''t something I actually expected.


    Humans?!


    A group consisted of a man and two children, a boy and a girl. All three had widened eyes and sweat was visibly dripping down their faces especially the shaking man who was covered with mediocre-looking armor. He was probably tasked in protecting these guys but ran into me instead. The boy seems to be only seven while the girl looks older than him by two years or so. Both had blonde hair, the boy had them shorter while the girl had long hair that surpassed her shoulders.


    Well, isn''t that just bad luck.


    It was a silent staring contest betweena giant worm with multiple eyes and the man. It went for a long time until I broke the silence...


    "Humans.....Why? Here?" I asked the man through a deep voice. Due to the origins of the Muun Scavenger, my way of communication wasn''t particularly that good.


    This made the three humans jump in an instant looking frightfully at me.


    Hey! I''m not that scary. I''m just a giant worm anyway... Well, I guess it is a little bit creepy.


    "A-are you t-t-the one that''s c-causing the earthquakes?" The mancried.He was shaking vigorously from fear and probably my aura too. The boy was crying while the girl tried comforting him, well, isn''t that sweet. They''re probably siblings?


    He said some about earthquakes...Well, I have been digging through the ground for some quite of time but other Muun Scavengers do the same. I may be a little bit larger than a normal one but would that really cause earthquakes?


    Did it give some effects or something? A passive ability maybe?


    I should check the effects first then. Effects.


    <blockquote>


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Effects:


    Enhanced Awareness, Enhanced Survival Instincts, Enhanced Adaptability, Enhanced Sight, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Body Hardness, Underground Maneuver, Underground Sense, Life Force Detection


    Effects ( Death Lurker ):


    Tremoring Earth, Territorial Aura, King Of Muun


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    </blockquote>


    Ah, yea, that answers the question. Wait, I''m also the king of Muun!? When have I been one anyway? I''ll look at that later, for now, I have others to focus on.


    "Yes...." I answered the man who was still shaking. Though, my answer didn''t really help them in this situation. They jumped once again from my answer but now more so.


    The man immediately bowed at me and with a respectful tone told me.


    "Please. T-take these children as a sacrifice from our villages, i-if this is not sufficient. Do please tell us. We do not wish for your wrath, almighty one. These earthquakes have been affecting our resources and structures of our villages. This message is from all ninesector leaders from the south of the Moon Dragon''s Forest including other villages who also experienced the same phenomena."


    With this, the two children from before came forward with hesitant steps. They were holding each other''s hands while looking down at the ground. I can feel the sadness emitted from them and how scared they were as they continued their steps towards me.


    I must say they''re quite brave but why use these two? Plus, why would I want sacrifices?!


    These kids got more balls than me from my previous world, maybe a gift should be fine. Now, can I perhaps manipulate my own metal? It should be possible. This is such a last minute thought. No wonder I was bad with homeworks.


    "Children....I do not need. Sacrifices....but. Because of your actions...I''ll instead. Bestow you a gift that...you shall. Never forget..." I declared towards thescared children. A chunk of my metal flew out of my enormous serpentine body, slowly drifting itself towards the two small figures and soonsplit it into two weapons that only they can hold. A black Halberd and a white Greatsword.


    [ You''ve gained the ''High Metal Manipulation'' Skill ]


    My action made the man looked at me with a wide opened jaw while the childrenhad tears on their widened eyes. The small boy who held the blackHalberd that was thrice his height continued crying while kneeling down on the ground in front of me. The girl who easily took hold of the heavy white sword gazed at me with starry blue eyes as tears flowed down her rosy cheeks. As the other two were awed, the blonde girl was grinning widely as she continued to look at me.


    To be honest. Please stop looking at me. This feels too embarrassing.


    As I turned my head away to look at another direction trying to hide my blushed face.


    ...


    They continued speaking to me about how thankful they were and how they would repay me in the future, especially the two kids. Those things didn''t really matter to me but I''m glad I could help them. I was also able to learn their names, Syde was the man who apparently works as an elite guard for one of thelower villages while Farlan and Iana Gold who were siblings resided in that said village. This small information actually gave me some clues on how their villages worked. Well, I don''t really mind the hierarchical system but sometimes you really feel bad for those people that you know who are below in the hierarchy.


    Soon I saw them off as they went back through the path they came in. Though, I''m still questioning over something theIana did before leaving.


    "W-will I ever meet you again? If we do. C-can I show you my skills with this s-sword?" She asked me with a blush on her face while she fiddled with her fingers. She had put the Greatsword on her back since the weight meant nothing for her.


    To be honest, I don''t really get why she''s blushing like this if she only wants to show me her sword skills. Well, It''s probable that she is actually just shy but I would love to see some sword action with my own eyes. I only nodded at her question which immediately made a smile on her reddened face.


    How did me hunting for monsters go to meeting with some humans anyway?


    I should check on theBatrian, it should''ve already woken up by now.


    [====]

 The Brass and The Bronze (Part 1)

    [ Current form: Vyr ]


    "Are you alright?" I heard a voice asked from thepitch black space that surrounded me.


    Wait. I''m not dead? Didn''t that thing eat me?


    It was almost impossible for me to even be alive right now. That thing was undoubtedly stronger than me in any way, it was probably on par with Igorr. Escaping wasn''t an option.


    I''ve seen the Beast God''s power before. They''re definitely not a joke and wasn''t something you would want to mess with.


    And, that thing was very similar.


    Was it a Monster God? Did I just encounter one?


    A shiver ran down my spine just from thinking about it.


    However, my thoughts were suddenly cut off when I felt something strong hit me.


    Iinstantly opened my eyes to only see a silver face looking directly back at me.


    A D-D-D-DRAGOON!? WHAT THE FUCK!


    Was that Monster God still not enough for me?


    It then lowered its neck towards me.


    "Stay calm..." The silver dragon spoke to me with a soothing but uncanny voice.


    "U-uh, sorry. I will" I replied back to it apologetically while I lowered my own head.


    "No worries, I have found you in such sorry state. Now, may I ask why you were roaming around here?" It asked me as the two pair of red glowing eyes continued staring me down.


    I had no choice but to explain everything to it. It''s not like I had a chance against it anyway. This dragon and the Monster God probably knew each other, there''s also a chance that these two were rivals for land and I''m definitely not going to be in the middle of that.


    It simply nodded from my explanation and gave me an immediate solution to my problem.


    I was skeptical at first as the Moon Plants would be much more useful than any kind of rare herbs ever found. If what it said is true then it would mean that this solution of it was probably as effective as the plant.


    I need it...


    I can''t help but think of the result. I thanked the silver dragon but before I could ask what the solution was, it spoke again.


    "This solution will have you go through incredible pain but in return will make you stronger than even your own species. However, you will have to follow a few sets of rules before accepting this offer of mine."


    I nodded to the dragon and awaited for the rules. It''s normal for deals like these to have a high price to pay and I''m willing to do it for the sake of my family as well as the others who are trapped by those guys.


    The dragon paused for a second before continuing after seeing me nod. Unlike its previous soothing tone, the dragon now produced a stern and deep voice.


    "If you ever tried using this power against me and this includes those of your blood and the future generations, well... ''Fatal'' consequences will be met. Remember, with this power, the future of your species will be in your hands." The dragon explained to me as the intensityof its glowing red eyes were getting stronger.


    The silver dragon had a domineering aura that was constantly surrounding it. It was impossible for me to go against the dragon in front of me. I only moved my head to agree with its given conditions.


    "Good. Now, prepare yourself to endure the pain."


    I readied myself as I sat myself down and started meditating.


    I''ve endured much pain throughout my life. I''m not backing down that easily.


    "The process shall begin." The dragon spoke again before closing my eyes to overcome the trialahead of me.


    [====]


    ( Mc''s Pov )


    This ''blessing'' of mine is taking a long ass time to finish.


    The unusual looking humanoid bear with wings who is currently sitting in front of me is still going through the process. I gotta say, I''m quite impressed with how he is still able to endure the pain this long.


    Poor guy probably had a rough childhood...


    I sighed as I continued the manipulating my metal around the Batrian''s bones. This is quite a troublesome process that I''d probably wouldn''t ever do but when a quest just appears out of nowhere with rewards, I definitely ain''t missing out on that.


    <blockquote>


    [ Metal''s Underling ]


    Main Objective:


    Gain an underling through your powers in any way possible.


    Reward:


    1 Upgrade Point


    +5 Charisma


    Additional:


    Increase Bonds with Krav


    +10 Affinity with Batrians(Vyr)


    </blockquote>


    Well, at least I know ''CHR'' stands for Charisma now. Oh, I should just put my stat points on charisma for now too. My other stats are really high compared to it. Also, I''ll definitely need it to gain some sort of trust to those who I talk to especially for my other forms.


    Hehehe, This is gonna fun!


    [ ''High Metal Manipulation'' has reached Lv.2 ]


    Ah, It''s almost done!


    This is absolutely tiring, I''m also losing my mana faster than ever. Like acting all high and mighty wasn''t enough... I''ll have to improve my acting skills as well.Stolen novel; please report.


    My thoughts were then abruptly stopped when I heard a small groan coming from the beast in front of me.


    Ah, the metal has reached the skull. From its reaction, that''s probably the most painful spot. I''ll take note of that.


    It is almost done, hang on there winged Bear-man!


    ...


    It took a while for the Batrian to finally open his eyes. His bear-like face showed quite a happy expression as a wide smile began appearing on it.


    "I-I can feel it!" He yelled as he started making poses while also punching the air around him.


    Ain''t he a lively one?...


    The Batrian then looked at me after being done with feeling his new gained strength. He then bowed down at me and praised me multiples times.


    Ah shit. I gotta control this feeling of mine. I''ve seen people getting too full of themselves for them to only crumble in society. Though, I don''t really know why I even remember this instead of my name or my....


    family.


    I looked down to the ground after the sudden realization. I don''t remember them at all...


    Ah fuck. What the hell is this feeling? Am I really feeling sad right now of all times? I''ve been fighting dragons and trying to survive that I''ve forgotten about them...


    Damn it! Why don''t I remember their faces!?


    ...Huh?


    I looked up at the Batrian who had lightly tapped my shoulder which successfully snapped me back to reality. Well, He also had a face full of terror as he hurried back a few meters away with trembling legs.


    Damn, I gotta thank em. It really scared me when even Pacified Mind didn''t work... I didn''t even realize that it was ''On'' in the first place.


    It took some time for me to finally stabilize myself. I was about to speak to the Batrian when a screen popped up in front of me.


    <blockquote>


    [ Metal''s Underling ] ( Completed! )


    Main Objective:


    Gain an underling through your powers in any way possible.


    Reward:


    1 Upgrade Point


    +5 Charisma


    Additional:


    Increase Bonds with Krav


    +10 Affinity with Batrians(Vyr)


    </blockquote>


    After I quickly scanned through the completed quest, I asked Krav about where his village was. At first, he was shocked at how I was even able to know his name but didn''t question my intelligence of it immediately afterwards.


    He soon explained to me about the location and situation of his village. From the description he has given me, it looks to be really far from here. I''m surprised at how he even managed coming here.


    Damn, that''s some dedication. I can''t help but be impressed.


    Now, Its time to introduce myself since I already ''bestowed'' him my power.


    "You may call me Vyr from now on and from what I recalled, you said something about encountering a giant worm-like monster, am I correct?" I asked him with the intention of trying to somehow connect these two identities of mine through other means rather than making it obvious that they were basically the same person before anybody could find out about it.


    "Yes my lord, I''ve seen the monster that has an aura that could even rival the Beast God of my species... W-Why is it do you ask, my lord?" He seemed to be a little hesitant in asking that question.


    Being indirectly called a God is one thing but ''my lord''? This is hella weird.


    "I shall tell you something about my...species. And I want you too spread this information as far as you can, since some of my species aren''t as... understanding as I am." I paused momentarily and looked at the Batrian who now held a serious face as he continued staring at me anticipating for my next words.


    I hope this works.


    "I am actually known as a Lost Species. I and the others were hidden within a realm that would be indescribable and unimaginable to the people of this world. One of my so-called siblings was the Worm monster that you''ve previously described. You Krav, are indeed lucky that he had sensed my aura before he could even devour you. If you see a monster or a person that almost resembles me in any way, DO NOT ever be hostile in front of them! Only fight them when you are ready. Even an army wouldn''t stand a chance against one of them... I''ll tell you more about us soon but for now, that''s all you''ll get."


    Krav only stood there for a few minutes before he noddedas he planted his clenched fist onto his broad chest.


    I turned my reptilian head around to look at the direction of where Krav''s village was located. It doesn''t seem to be that far since I had wings that allow me to fly at high speeds but the problem lies on the beast behind me. He may have wings but it most probably won''thave the same speed as mine.


    I tried telling him to ride on my back but he declined that offer immediately as he wouldn''t have the honor of riding my ''majestic'' back. I insisted that it would be fine but he just wouldn''t give in.


    I guess it could also harm him if I go too fast and it would be weird for someone to ride the back of their so-called ''Lord''. Looks like we have to go to the village through other means.


    I turned to look at the silent Bactrian and told him.


    "You may head back to your village. We undoubtedly will meet again when you arrive there.I shall declare you as the Grandmaster of Brass and Bronze of my league, good luck on your journey Krav."


    To this, Krav kneeled down in front of me with tears forming in his eyes looking at me like I was the best thing he ever saw.


    "T-thank you, my lord! I will indeed do it with the best of my efforts to make sure that everything goes smoothly! I will not bring shame to your name and the title you have bestowed upon me." He yelled as tears continued to rain down his face.


    With all of that done, I soon lifted myself up onto the air as the movement of my metal wings caused the debris on the forest floor to scatter as I took off flying towards the sky above me, before vanishing into it.


    [====]


    Krav stood there looking at the ground where his Lord once stood on. It was an eventful day for him, many things had unexpectedly happened before him. Never in his life would he ever thought of being chosen by a dragon that was apparently a being of another realm, a powerful one at that.


    He now has a mission given to him by his Lord and a title that he would forever be grateful of.


    With his newly gained strength, he now can take revenge on those people and get back his family. He also has some other plans for his village as well.


    However, now that he knew of these beings of another realm that could potentially pose a threat towards the world he and his family lives in, he now has gained a new goal in life.


    It is to protectit from these rogue beings that unlike his Lord, may be aggressive and merciless towards them.


    This was the beginning of Krav, The Grandmaster of the Zalvaas...


    <hr>


    [ STATUS ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Name: ???


    Age: --


    Level: 3


    Experience ( Next Lv ) : 0%


    Species:


    Proto Living Metal (Type 2)


    Class:- --


    Health: 540/540 (2.0 per minute)


    Stamina: 185/210


    Mana: 97/280 (1.0 per minute)


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    [ATTRIBUTES]


    STR: 21(75)


    VIT: 70(90)


    FOR: 113(163)


    DEX: 103(123)


    INT: 60


    WIS: 3(13)


    CHR: 5


    LCK: 1


    [ Statpoints left : 10 ]


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles:-


    ''The One & Only''


    ''The Ancient Devourer''


    ''Dragon-Eater''


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Effects:


    Enhanced Awareness, Enhanced Survival Instincts, Enhanced Adaptability, Enhanced Sight, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Body Hardness, Underground Maneuver, Underground Sense, Life Force Detection


    Effects ( Death Lurker ):


    Tremoring Earth, Territorial Aura, King Of Muun


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Devoured:


    Abyssal Ancient Dragon God


    Earth Imperial Ancient Dragon God


    Muun Scavenger


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    [ UPGRADES ]


    Upgrade Points: 1


    Upgrades:-


    Exoskeleton: 1


    Protected Eyes: 0


    Verbal Tongue: 1


    Form Shaping: 0


    Night Vision: 0


    Glowing Eyes: 0


    Scavenger: 0


    Auto-Counter: 1


    Predatory Genes: 1


    Self-Repair: 0


    Adaptable Machine: 0


    Ranged Weaponry: 1


    Melee Weaponry: 0


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The Brass and The Bronze (Part 2) - The Mocking Wolf

    The sun had already settled down as the bright white moon has taken its place onto the beautiful night sky. The stars that were scattered throughout the wide black space above continued blinking in a hypnotizing pattern.


    It was such a mesmerizing sight that could even calm down the usually raging berserkers.


    This was the land known as Mysta, one of the two largest continents in the world.


    The night was progressing through silently as the cool breeze made the flora in the area to sway in such a mesmeric way. The lakes and rivers of Mysta remained calmed as the image of the night sky could be seen in the still blue waters.


    This peaceful night would continue to go on until a loud boom sounded across through the forest.


    Running through the woods, a blur can be seen passing through trees as an enormous red hog was chasing directly behind it.


    The blurry figure then made an unexpecting turn to the left. Before the hog could turn to follow the figure, a huge gaping mouth with razor-sharp teeth came out of theshadows and bit into the surprised hog. The creature''s body was covered in grey fur and had a long bushy tail. A snout that could sense from miles away and bright yellow eyes that were now looking at the direction of the blurred figure. The giant grey wolf made its move and chased the figure through the forest.


    "Finally got that canine out of its hiding place..." The figure murmured before turning back to look at the giant wolf. The figure''s fingernails elongated into 9 inches long claws that could rip even through metal. With a sudden dash, the figure closed the distance between it and the wolf in a matter of seconds.


    The wolf made an abrupt stop as it was not at all expecting for its prey to be right up on its face like that. However, before it could even react, the claws of the figure dug deep into the wolf''s left cheek and ripped through its jaw in the process.


    The giant wolf made a small whimper but that slash wasn''t enough to put it down. The enormous hunter then made a swift move towards the figure, inviting it into its wide open canine mouth.


    The figure was trapped within the jaws of the wolf with its teeth piercing through the figure''s stomach. Despite the obvious advantage of the wolf, the figure shot out 2 large silver spikes from its body and shot it inside the wolf''s throat.


    This caused the wolf to slightly open its mouth, giving the figure a way to escape. The wolf backed off and tried to run away but was stopped by a strong force that impacted its neck, killing the large beast in an instant.


    "Fuck, I almost died." the figure groaned while looking at the dead wolf beside him.


    ''The lord would have probably killed that beast in a matter of seconds. I''m nowhere near my lord''s power but I can still train before reaching my destination.'' Krav thought to himself before continuing his journey through the forest.


    -


    A few days ago after Vyr left, Krav has been training himself by fighting powerful monsters and meditating immediately after.


    He wanted to get stronger to make himself feel worthy of the title he has received and the goal of protecting his family from the new threats he was told of.


    He too has been keeping an eye on his surroundings for these Lost species. He first thought the wolf he fought was one of them due to its grey fur that somewhat resembles his Lord but seems to be quite weak compared to the things he was told.


    If armies aren''t able to beat one of them, then imagine an army...no, a group of them.


    Krav''s face darkened after thinking about the tragedy that could befall onto his family and the world.


    This was also another reason why he wanted to grow stronger.


    ...


    Krav soon reached the edge of a huge chasm that separated him from his village''s area. The wings on his back that resembled a bat''s expanded and lifted Krav off the ground. Crossing the chasm wasn''t a hard task for him easily due to his wings.


    Reaching the other side of the chasm, Krav landed onto the ground with a thud. He didn''t think he would come back here so quick, he thought it would be years for him to finally act on his revenge but that was avoided thanks to his encounter with his Lord.


    Taking a deep breath, Krav looked at the direction ahead of him before moving forward and continuing his walk towards his village.


    [====]


    In a large forest near a huge chasm was where a village of lizardmen lived.


    They all had huge bodies that were covered with hard scales and long sturdy tails that could dent steel.


    A colorful bunch of these lizardmen were grouped in the center of the village with a smaller one being in the center, on top of a wooden stage guarded by two larger ones.


    "I understand the current situation we are now in, it was undoubtedly my fault for raising such rude and foolish men... However, I will continue to make us thrive forward and correct these faults!" Shouted the smaller lizardmen towards the group of lizardmen that surrounded him.


    The surrounding lizardmen roared as they kept throwing their fist and weapons up onto the air.


    Some even began preparing papers on wooden tables and started making ideas on how to deal with these ''new'' species their former companions had told them about before being killed the night after.


    They never in their lifetime heard of these species, not even their all-knowing chief knew about them. However, from what their dead brothers told them, these beings were from another realm and could cause horrible destruction.


    At first, no one believed these two as they were already famous troublemakers that would lie and steal but what they didn''t expect was that the two of them would turn out dead in such a gruesome way.


    Their heads and spines were ripped out of bodies leaving only headless bodies hanging on top of the flag of village.


    This horrifying event made a huge shift in the opinions of the villagers. They were frightened and were in a panic state as they''re enemy was potentially a strong outsider.


    ...


    "Do you guys really believe about these ''Lost Species''?" Said a large Lizardmen who wore an intimidating set of grey armor with scratches all over it.


    "Vale, this is no time to think of such thoughts! Lost species or not, if these beings were true, imagine what they could do to us! Our species will be wiped out unless we win or get acknowledge by one of them!" Yelled the smaller Lizardmen towards Vale.


    "Chief...No, but why are we trying to get acknowledged by them? We are the kings of these forests, why would we need outsiders or other get control of us? Even an army can''t beat one of them? Hah! What a joke! They probably couldn''t even fight one on one with me! Those two were nothing compared to me, they died because they were weak!" Vale declared with a strong and stern voice that echoed throughout the village.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    This stunned the chief and the others who were now thinking over what Vale said.


    Vale''s speech made many of the Lizardmen to switch sides.


    Only a few remained with the chief which included his mate, children and loyal guards.


    "Everyone! Remained calm, this is wrong! We-" the chief was then cut off by a loud howl that echoed through the forest.


    It even made the ground around them and the usual tough rooted trees to shake violently. This occurrence immediately made the weaker lizardmen to flee...


    ...but this only caused a huge beheading massacre that would haunt the lizardmen forever.


    The village was now painted in deep red, sprayed by the blood of their dead brothers and sisters.


    This made the surviving lizardmen to adopt darkened expression as they continued to look at the carnage in front of them.


    "Well, well, well...." Said a rough and deep voice, who soon laughed maniacally over the dead carcasses of their kin.


    Stepping out of the shadows, a silver werewolf walkedonto the fields while it stepped on a dead lizardmen''s head, crushing it in the process as it popped like a bubble.


    Vale scanned the supposed outsider in front of him, the enemy had silver skeletal arms and shoulders while gauntlets coveredits hands, a helmet that resembles a male deer''s skull with long and harmful-looking silver antlers. It also had an incredibly large body than a normal werewolf, almost taller than himself.


    Looking straight into the outsider''s glowing red eyes, Vale shouted at the silver being.


    "Are you perhaps the outsider we have been told about? Proof your identity foolish stranger!"


    "...Love that enthusiasm you got there. Lizard brain, Hahahaha!" Thewolf laughedwhich made many of the villagers to tremble out of fear.


    Soon a black swirling portal appeared behind the silver beast, sucking up everything around it except for the outsider itself.


    This forced the Lizardmen to grip onto the ground or objects around them trying not to get sucked into the portal.


    "...Ah, You know... I could just bring y''all back to my realm, quite a nice place there. Well, if you don''t mind some huge ass flying monsters, big ocean leviathans and the grey landscape you all would probably...appreciate..." Said thewolf as it growled at the lizardmen.


    The portal soon faded away, leaving only a destroyed area.


    Everything remained quiet as the Lizardmen continued to stare at the creature in front of them.


    "Y''all alright?... Hahahaha, look at your dumbstruck faces! This is quite amusing...Also! What happened to the big lizard guy over there?"


    Vale was in shock after the sudden appearance of the portal, he wasn''t expecting to see any of it. However, in his mind, he was happy. A challenger from a completely different realm? He''ll become someone to be known of defeating one that''s also supposedly could go against armies.


    It was his moment to shine and he will not lose this amazing opportunity.


    "I am Vale Sh''krash, I''m the strongest out of my village and you outsider, are indeed a worthy looking opponent, worthy to fight me!" He yelled out at his opponent.


    "Well.... Vale Sh''Trash, you''ve got a good name. Hahaha, I''ll take this stupid ''duel'' of yours. If you''re the strongest here....then make sure to give me a good impression, I wouldn''t want to fight more weaklings...pfft, hahaha, your faces are fucking priceless! Hahaha" Said the werewolf.


    The wolf''s words made Vale incredibly mad but he had to restrain his anger as it wouldn''t be helpful against the laughing wolf.


    "So, haha, so do you wanna have this fight here or are you gonna do this another time?...cause I''m really impatient right now... the others might catch up and have fun taking over more places than me..." Said the now quiet werewolf.


    "..Others? W-what do you mean by that?" The small chief asked.


    "Hmm, smally finally brave to speak huh?... Well, there are more of us who came here. Though we''re not exactly the same, just came from the same...realm? I guess... They were probably the ones who told those two lizard dudes about us...seriously, fuck whoever it was..." The werewolf growled again.


    "Enough of this talking! Let''s get down to business! I am Vale and you are?" Shouted Vale.


    "Vigor...nice to meet yah!... Now, Let''s have...fun." Said the werewolf in a low voice as three long sharp claws came out of his silver gauntlets.


    Vale took out both of his swords and made a stance, ready to fight an opponent he would never think of fighting.


    [====]


    It had been days after passing through the chasm and would take a few more before he would reach his village.


    Krav has been walking through the forest and trained by fighting against feral lizardmen and some carnivorous plants.


    It wasn''t until when his fur started standing when he felt a strong feeling of fear pressuring him to the ground.


    This only happened once to him, it only did when he was confronted by his Lord, which immediately gave him an idea of what was happening...


    There was probably one of the Lost species in the forest he was in. Could it be his Lord? Or is it a different one?


    The second thought scared him. Was he ready to fight one? He just had trouble fighting against a humanoid fungus, how can he possibly beat one of the Lost species, who are extremely stronger than him...


    Sniffing the air, he followed a weird scent, one so weird that it was impossible for it to be from this world. A similar scent to his Lord...


    Silently walking through the forest, he stumbled upon a sight he didn''t want to see.


    Carnage... A massacre... Blood was coloring the forest floor as dead bodies of headless lizardmen scattered throughout.


    He also saw something he didn''t wish to see at all.


    A Silver Werewolf with a helmet that had huge antlers which reminds him of his Lord in an instant.


    One of them was indeed here and was about to fight against a huge dual sword wielding Lizardman.


    ''This isn''t gonna go well for you, buddy'' Krav thought to himself as he looked at the smiling face of the Lizard. Even he, who was given this new profound strength would probably lose against the silver wolf.


    But, this also gave him an idea. It may be an unworthy way to fight but if he were to somehow find something that could weaken the wolf then he could probably have a chance to kill it before it could cause more destruction.


    He looked back at the two as he could sense that the fight was about to start.


    [====]


    Both fighters were ready, while a lizardman from the group came in between of the two.


    With a rock in hand, the lizard threw it up in the air.


    The intensity made many of the lizard people sweat while some even fainted.


    It was silence, nothing was heard with the exception of the whistling wind and the shaking of leaves.


    The face of the wolf was covered by the helmet but a smile can be felt through it. It was the same for Vale as he focused his mind while looking directly at the red eyes of his foe.


    The silence was then killed when a small thud was heard.


    Vale immediately made a move with his swords, dashing forward with an incredible speed which stunned the others as they never saw him use it before.


    Vale was only inches away from slashing the wolf before it suddenly disappeared into thin air.


    His swords only hit the air where his opponent previously stood.


    Using his tongue, he sensed the beast immediately and blocked his foe''s claws with his swords but was unsuccessful in it.


    Both of his swords were destroyed, only leaving the hilts he was holding.


    This surprised Vale and forced him to use his arms to block the attacks while using a hardened scale skill.


    The claws pierced through the lizard''s skin while the Vale''s tail turned towards the wolf''s abdomen and stabbed through it, locking both of them.


    Vale didn''t think the battle would end so fast but he at least was able to damage the beast. A beast who could fight entire countries alone! He was happy but it would soon also be the end of him.


    "Woah, woah, there...you got me haha, Iguess it was a goodidea to give you that handicap, Hahaha!" The laughing wolf said at the now surprised Vale.


    "A HANDICAP!? YOU CO-" He was then cut off when a shadow came out of the trees and dragged him and the wolf away from their original spot.


    All three disappearing into the surrounding woods.


    ...


    This only left a quiet area with dead bodies lying around and red tainting the floor.


    "W-what just happened?" One of the lizardmen asked, surprised by the sudden turn of events.


    "That was a Batrian...It seems to be normal looking, unlike the silver werewolf... Let''s go back and figure out about all of this..." Said the Chief. Who then turned around going back to one of the none destroyed tent with some others.


    The Chief''s Son stood there looking at the carcasses in front of him. He had a darkened expression on his face as he saw the faces of the people who were friends and family to him...


    "I swear to the gods, That I...Warren Sh''krash, will destroy and kill. these. BEAST!" Yelled Warren as he looked up to the skies. Tears running down his cheeks, tightening his clenched fist.


    He then felt something touch his shoulder, it was his father.


    "Stay calm Warren, you''re not the only one who wants to get revenge for all of our dead brothers and sisters but...the monster who did it was not a simple one. He has the power to kill all of us, look at what he did. We need to gather more information and strength, I also hope that Batrian is going to help us.." Said the old man before turning around, Warren wanted to ask on how he knew who the shadow was but before he could, the old man turned his head back at Warren and said.


    "Trust me, son, I am no weaker than Vale... Or that Batrian. Let''s just hope that they both survive the mocking wolf because he''s indeed in a different level than me..."


    Warren a little shocked reluctantly followed his father''s orders and went back to his tent, not before looking back at the bloody field.


    "Mocking wolf..."