《Dark Berserker: Rise of the Forgotten Progenitor》


 Chapter 1: Strange constitution

    <h4>Chapter 1: Strange constitution</h4>


    July 8, 2124


    7:30 AM


    NEW YORK


    RINGGG!!


    RINGGG!!


    "Setting up this rm has just joined the list of the worst choices I''ve ever made," a sleepy voice muttered as his thick, muscr arms fumbled for the ring rm while his eyes remained closed.


    After struggling with it for a while, he couldn''t shut off the annoying timer as it continued ring as if taunting him. Finally, after a battle between both sides, the man conceded and opened his eyes.


    A pair of attractive green eyes shone in the dimly lit room, revealing their brilliance to the world.


    "Wow, another beautiful morning," his sarcastic voice echoed, as the roomcked all other necessities except a bed and a stool beside it.


    With a reluctant groan escaping his lips, Cristian removed the bedsheet and grabbed the silver-colored, ancient-looking timer. The urge to m it down grew within him, but the thought of his extremely tight budget shed before his eyes, and he calmly ced the timer back on the stool.


    He got out of bed and moved towards the wall-to-ceiling window while scratching his curly brown hair. As he opened the curtain, his eyelids quickly went to work as he squinted; the piercing sunlight almost blinded him.


    He lived in a skyscraper, with his t at an astonishing height that not even the best technology in this world could save him if he fell. But while he suffered, it was a different matter for his room, which bathed in the warmth and glow of the sun.


    "The sun, finally! It''s been raining for two days," Cristian eximed in exhration. The strange weather phenomenon had been going on for two years now, and both the inte and media were flooded with news about an uing apocalypse a few days after it began.


    Heck, he even did what those protagonists in novels and movies do: spending money on food and other necessities. However, that turned out to be people creating rumors and providing false facts.


    However, the scientists did say that things would be back to normal in about five years'' time, which calmed the hearts of many.


    Well, Cristian couldn''t be angrier; an apocalypse might have been a good chance to escape this reality.


    The bustling cityscape made him sigh. "They must be enjoying their life," he mused and went to the bathroom.


    Minutester, Cristian walked into the kitchen/dining area. He took almost two minutes staring at the items in the refrigerator. After scanning through the numerous brands of bottled water, he finally chose one with an orangebel.


    Pouring the chilled water into a sizable ss cup big enough to be called a beaker, he discarded the emptied bottle and lifted the ss.


    In a matter of a few gulps, 50cl of water vanished into his mouth. "Wow, I''ve never had a better breakfast," he said with a satisfied nod and made his way towards the living room.


    He picked up the remote and switched on the 32-inch sma TV, and the first thing disyed made him snort. Cristian, erged and somehow beautified, was proudly ced behind the anchor; a cardboard form of him was much more famous and morous than he was.


    "When have I ever done such a hairstyle? These people are pping lies on my face at this point."


    Cristian was already famous worldwide, and the health organization would not stop advertising him to showcase the fruit of their effort.


    The doctor in charge of his case was even given an award and sent to the next stage, being able to work with the best in the capital while he was left here to rot.


    He wasn''t proud of his ''sickness,'' despite it making him famous because no one knew the effort he put in to keep this shape.


    His ''sickness,'' or as the health workers call it, his constitution, continuously developed muscles, not just any muscles, but he couldn''t stop growing thicker and fatter.


    At a point, the bones and organs couldn''t support the load anymore, leading to failure and death. There were extremely few with this ''cursed'' constitution, and to this day, only one survived. The same person was always on screen and being titled the only sess.


    People had almost mistaken his name for sess! How annoying is that? The effort they put in couldn''t match what he had and would always do for the rest of his short, miserable virgin life.


    Cristian reduced his diet to the bare minimum and made sure he spent three hours at the gym every day. In his short twenty-four years of living, he had gone through six surgeries, all to remove the growing fat.


    Standing before therge mirror, Cristian stared at himself. Brown hair, a sharp jawline, and enchanting eyes, but it became different from his neck. While he wasn''t too bulky or fat, Christian loved a lean body, the same one he had growing up.


    But now, the man before him looked bulky and ripped, with muscles in all the right ces. Had he been thinner then, there wasn''t a doubt that he would have taken a spot amongst the top models.


    PING~


    The notification sound from his phone made him turn and reach out for it. [You arete, WHERE ARE YOU!!????]


    "Heh," a small chuckle left his lips, and he texted back. [Tone it down with the question marks.] ''I''m pretty sure that old man would make me clean the storage,'' Christian mused inwardly and came out of his t.


    Pressing his palm on the panel, a green glow shed, and the door locked.


    The elevator made its usual sound and opened. Letting out five individuals, including Cristian, who happened to be the biggest, which wasn''t surprising, as it had be amon thing, like the weather.


    The burning heat from the sun weed him as he stepped out of the skyscraper.


    Prompting him to raise his head. If there was one thing that never got boring or lost its elegance, it was the beautiful vast skies littered with hovering white clouds.


    Boarding a SkyTrain, Cristian quickly arrived at the restaurant. Yes, he worked as a waiter, a really famous one.


    "Hey, sess, how are you, man?" someone yelled from the crowd.


    "I''m good, and my name is Cristian," he replied, knowing it would be hopeless. He was preparing for his next surgery, for his fat would make him extremely overweight in the next three months.


    And the doctor said that if he didn''t do the surgery, he had only two years to live, and Cristian abhorred death, at least while alive there was hope.


    He followed a different door and entered the restaurant from the kitchen. Therge kitchen had numerous bots and chefs preparing meals with such appealing aromas it formed a cloud on the kitchen''s ceiling, causing the room to smell amazing.


    "Hey boss, you called," Cristian said to the aged man withrge sses. The man ignored him and continued reading the thick book ced on the sleek desk. He had been swiftly asked to head to the owner''s office, which led to this scene.


    Cristian couldn''t believe this man had a paper book! He thought these things had gone extinct, everything had entered the era of electronics, even schools! However, students had to go to the building to make sure everyone moved along. As many would love to ditch.


    "Umm, boss," Cristian called out again, knowing the man would surely send him to clean the main storage, which they always kept filthy for a good cleaner like him. He didn''t see any good reason for the old man to keep him standing.


    "Go clean the storage!" the man faced him and spoke, and to his shock, Cristian bowed and said, "I will, boss."


    "How many times will I tell you don''t call me boss, I''m not the leader of any thug group!" the man yelled and mmed his palm on the book, causing two pages to rip off and this only served to increase the old man''s rage.


    ''But I''m not the one who tore your book,'' Cristian mused inwardly, but he maintained the smile on his face despite being tired of it.


    "Get out!" the old man barked, his voice quite loud for a man in his seventies.


    Cristian left the office and made his way to the storage; on his way, a waitress appeared, her hair tied in a bun, and she threw a mild punch to his stomach. "I told you not toete; you''re gonna get yourself fired."


    "I know, I know," Cristian shrugged it off and walked away. He only had the waitress as a friend, as when the result of his constitution reached his hands, he distanced himself from people, and now he did the same for the waitress.


    Fifteen minutester, a dirt-covered Cristian stared at the dazzling room, nothing like its former self. "How do they always get this room dirty? Wait, do-"


    He abruptly stopped talking as his face hit the wall, and he let out a groan. "What just-" and once again, the same tremor urred, and this one was much worse than thest.


    Cristian''s eyes widened as the walls cracked. "What''s going."

 Chapter 2: Death

    <h4>Chapter 2: Death</h4>


    The cracks multiplied, and the tiles on the walls fell and shattered, the sound piercing his ears.


    Cristian decided to leave the hidden spot he hadn''t cleaned; while it bothered him, he needed to know what was going on.


    As Cristian made his way through the narrow corridor, he began to hear screams the closer he got to the end. His slow pace became hurried as cracks suddenly appeared on the walls, and both the ceiling and the floor began to split.


    <strong>Boom! </strong>


    A deafening sound struck his ears, and he turned. The storage room had copsed! That room had reinforced beams and solid concrete bricks, but it had copsed. What about the rest of the building?


    Without needing to be told, he knew this was an earthquake. It had almost been fifty years since an earthquake hadst urred, and Cristian didn''t have the luxury to ponder its cause; his life came first.


    He bolted out of the corridor, only for a quarter of the ceiling to fall. He wiped off an invisible sweat from his face, his eyes filled with determination as he had narrowly escaped death.


    Slipping his thick palms into his pocket and cing the phone at his ear, Cristian heard a scream. "CRIST, AN EARTHQUAKE, IT''S EVERYWHERE, IT ¡­ ." he couldn''t hear her voice anymore, no matter how he screamed.


    Fear began to cloud his mind, and his thoughts focused on getting out of this restaurant.


    He sprinted past the old man''s office, taking a nce inside, and as he thought; They had evacuated the old man. No one bothered to call and warn him, which cut deep into Cristian''s heart. It was as if his ''illness'' could be contagious, and it stabbed him even deeper.


    He arrived at the ce where the customers ate and drank, sleek round red tables with silver linings and chairs were arranged to an aesthetic taste. The entire design, including the food, was like an excellent artwork.


    Cristian began to pant, and his speed reduced, a result of his constitution, poor stamina, which hepensated for with sheer tenacity. But tenacity couldn''t make a man run faster.


    Arge gap appeared in the middle, splitting the ce into two parts. The sounds of the shaking tables and chairs were deafening, but Cristian steeled his heart and made a leap.


    The moment hended, his eyes, which he had closed in anticipation, opened.


    "Wow, I crossed," he said with joy and ran towards the door.


    "Cristian, thank God, hey, he''s here, he made it!" Cristian saw the waitress outside the door shouting, and the look of relief in her eyes made him chuckle. He began to feel guilty for ignoring hertely.


    He could see towering buildings in the distance copsing, some destroyed, others sinking into the ground.


    "No! No! Shit, No!" Cristian yelled with red eyes and began pounding the transparent ss door that was as dense as hard steel!


    The chefs, waiters, and waitresses, along with some customers, who had managed to stand outside, watched as the 190cm tall bulky man d in a white t-shirt that clung to his muscr arms punched the ss furiously. His eyes were clouded with rage and the will to live.


    The children of some customers began crying as they were more sensitive to emotions. The scene gripped the small group of almost thirty.


    The damage had made the automatic door stop functioning, and it couldn''t be opened manually. Technology had reached such a stage that even a power outage would be considered an apocalypse of the highest order.


    Their dependence on Autobots, androids, and smart bots had resulted in some minor things being overlooked, and that hidden part came to light at this moment.


    "OPEN, YOU, FUCKING DOOR, AHHH!!" Cristian screamed, his voice loud and reverberating, but the crowd outside only saw his mouth open wide; they heard no sound.


    Blood was trailing down the ss door from Christian''s fists, but he couldn''t feel the pain.


    His muscr arms tightened as he threw several punches at the door, which didn''t even show the slightest crack.


    At this point, even someone like Cristian, who believed in nothing, began to pray for any being toe to his aid.


    Finally, Cristian stopped, thest shred of hope leaving him, leaving behind a shell that had epted his fate.


    "I did say this was a beautiful morning," he said with a mild chuckle while tears trailed from his cheeks and dropped to the floor.


    At that exact moment ¡­


    The floor ripped apart, and along with the restaurant, Cristian fell to his demise, his enchanting eyes flooding with tears as he fell deeper into darkness.


    "CRISTIAN!!"


    The waitress yelled, but there was nothing they could do. Cristian''s ''death'' was one of the many for the numbers counted to billions.


    Christian, whomented his fate, had no idea that the earthquake was urring in every part of the world, on every continent, in every body of water. Oceans, seas, rivers, and other water bodies rumbled. The fierce instability of their surfaces spoke volumes of the turmoil deep within.


    Submarines imploded, and ships capsized. The entire world was cloaked in mourning and fear. Screams filled the air, piercing the clouds due to the countless numbers.


    [I AM MOTHER]


    A soothing voice brought a wave of peace that gushed into the air, but Cristian had fallen so deep, he heard nothing.


    As he fell, memories of his childhood shed. He once had a loving family. Well, until his parents divorced, both leaving a child of seven all to himself. It was like they shoved the hatred for each other onto him. After three years, neither his mother nor father called to check up on him as they both had new families.


    He became a thing of the past, left and forgotten, as always. "Heh, at least you have the ability to cheat on each other," he scoffed. Because of his constitution, a major part of his identity as a man couldn''t function as it got too heavy, dooming him to never experience what many had.


    Boom! Boom! He heard sounds from beneath and knew the end had approached, the heavy objects had made that noise as they hit the ground and it would soon be his turn.


    The moment Cristian was about to make contact with the floor, he burst into white particles and vanished.


    _


    _


    "W.. what happened ¡­ Am I dead?" He mumbled as his eyes slowly opened. Cristian could only see fog, and he couldn''t make out where he stood but posed a question, '' Is this the afterlife?''


    A short whileter, his body began working, and he felt cold seeping into his body from his back. It was so cold that he abruptly sat up.


    His eyes sharpened when he noticed he was bare. "Where the hell are my clothes?!" Cristian yelled and quickly stood up, wiping off the dust from his rear.


    "This is an embarrassment," he mused, for the size of his genitals almost made it look like a b. Cristian wasn''t proud of his body despite possessing a muscr frame.


    He hated this fat, his entire body had this thickness that gave him lots of stress walking, but he had gotten used to it.


    However, he still chose not to nce at this failure, which some called little brother, and if so, his little brother had rebelled since the beginning, dubbing it a disgrace.


    Looking around, Cristian couldn''t see anything because of the fog. The thickness made it impossible to see far, but strangely; it kept a gap of five meters, like it was sentient and avoiding him.


    [Wee, human, to the world of Eternity]


    A screen popped up, and it made Cristian frown. "What the ¡­" he turned his head and still saw the screen. The transparent screen had blue-colored words written boldly, and the golden mist leaving its edges added a touch of mystery.


    [Human, you should be happy that THE MOTHER saw your race as one with potential and brought you here.]


    "What! You destroyed the city and killed thousands. How am I supposed ¡­ wait, what ¡­ I''m in another world!" It was at this moment that the information sunk in.


    How many wished for this opportunity, and he always dreamt about this but had to wake up to the cruel reality every single day! '' Em ¡­ ummm, what do I do?'' he thought inwardly and began to pinch his fingers. How could he be nervous at this point?


    Cristian couldn''t even speak when another text appeared. [You are now a native and will be given the required privileges ¡­] [choose your path ¡­ .]


    [Warrior: gain the ability to possess a formidable body, be a master of weapons andbat ¡­patibility: 97%... Rating: Excellent]


    [Mage: possess the power of arcane, summon and delve into the mysteries of magic ¡­patibility: 52%... Rating: super high]


    [Knight: be a formidable shield, an imprable fortress, and a solid mountain ¡­patibility: 98. .. Rating: perfect]


    [Priest: be a beacon of hope to the injured, cursed, and ill, possess the power and


    connection to the holy race and gain their blessing ¡­patibility: 35.. Rating: good]


    Several sses were also listed, but Cristian''s attention couldn''t leave the first four shining in golden light.

 Chapter 3: Cristian/ Vladimir Athelstone

    <h4>Chapter 3: Cristian/ dimir Athelstone</h4>


    As the prospect of bing a mage beckoned, Cristian found himself wrestling with the question ofpatibility. ording to the system, the knight ss was his best fit.


    However, even in his wildest dreams, Cristian couldn''t picture himself wielding a shield. He harbored no animosity toward shields, but his belief firmly stood on the side that dered, "Attack is the best defense." Regardless of his potential skill, he was certain he would falter at some point.


    The thought of brandishing a hefty shield and bing a target for attacks didn''t sit well with him.


    "Besides, thepatibility difference is just one percent; it''s practically negligible," he mused, his resolve unwavering. But the next message sent shockwaves through him.


    [Ignorant... A single number from 90 and up carries substantial weight.]


    "Wait, can you read my thoughts?!" Cristian eximed, his eyes widening, but the system remained silent.


    "I choose the Warrior ss," he dered aloud, determination ringing in his voice. However, nothing happened. The screen vanished, leaving Cristian dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes as if to erase this bizarre twist, but it was all too real.


    After waiting in vain for a response, Cristian''s heart sank. He desperately implored, "System... Status, something, anything!... THIS CAN''T BE!" His voice echoed into what should have been the sky, but the pervasive fog concealed everything.


    "No, no, no, I refuse to believe my luck could be this terrible," his inner voice cried out in panic and fear. Cristian couldn''te to terms with what had just transpired.


    [I, THE MOTHER, HAVE GRANTED YOUR DESIRE, VLADIMIR; YOU HAVE BEEN REBORN]


    "What?!" Cristian couldn''tprehend. He stared at the text in bewilderment. "Not again," he inwardlymented. He had chosen ''Sess on Earth'' as his answer, and now another name had been thrust upon him. "I''m not dimir, and all I wanted was a ss, thank you."


    Cristian couldn''t fathom the significance of a being like THE MOTHER acknowledging him. If the natives of Eternity were to learn of this, Cristian''s fate would remain uncertain.


    ```


    [Status]


    [Name: Cristian/dimir Athelstone]


    [Level: 0]


    [Race: Human]


    [ss: None]


    [Title: None]


    [Affinity: None]


    >Stats<


    [Health: 100 ( 100)]


    [Strength: 17 ( 10)]


    [Agility: 9 ( 10)]


    [Dexterity: 5 ( 10)]


    [Intelligence: 10 ( 10)]


    [Stamina: 6 ( 10)]


    ```


    The name puzzled him; he had never responded to Athelstone, but he decided to let it slide. He didn''t anticipate needing to reveal his status screen to anyone for them to know his name. What came out of his mouth would be how people addressed him.


    "Stamina 6! Impressive, my ''illness'' served me well." As Cristian perused the statistics, he couldn''t deny the system''s precision in its measurements. A cursory nce at his body would mark him as a bodybuilder. Years of dedication to the gym had sculpted an impressive physique, far from rotund or obese.


    He wasn''t displeased with his agility stat, which stood at 9. Cristian had diligently incorporated the treadmill into his life, progressively increasing his speed from an initial low level. However, his dexterity left much to be desired. One look at his thick fingers and robust arms affirmed the obvious.


    "But really, no affinity. How many individuals in this world have none?" Cristian grumbled, not expecting an answer, but one came.


    [None.]


    "Oh," he uttered, momentarily nk, then shrugged. "Well, I''ve had my share of bad luck, so perhaps some good fortune will follow," he muttered, ncing around and realizing he was still talking to himself. "I should stop talking to myself," he chided himself, shaking his head.


    "I have no weapon. I don''t know what''s out there, but I''m certain it won''t wee me with open arms. How am I supposed to survive?!" He yelled, rationality slipping away.


    [Obtain your ss]


    Another text materialized. "But I don''t see any options-"


    He paused and turned; the fog was dissipating, revealing a passage. Cristian reviewed the text to be sure, then ventured through the surprisingly lengthy passage. It felt surreal as his eyes traced the dense fog, which seemed as thick as a cloud, turning into a wall-like structure.


    After a brief internal struggle, curiosity triumphed. He inserted his arm into the fog and withdrew it swiftly. The chill that crept from his arm to his entire body made him shiver, and he blinked rapidly in response to the sudden cold.


    A whileter, he emerged into a ten-meter-wide clearing adorned with towering ck grass. The peculiar grass beneath his bare feet emitted faint sounds, but they were drowned out by the dominating structure at the center.


    The fog still enveloped the area, akin to a protective shroud, but Cristian remained oblivious to any potential dangers. He stood still, fixating on the raised tform constructed from pitch-dark bricks. It bore strange carvings adorned with cryptic symbols.


    ''Is this an altar?'' he pondered inwardly, his thoughts divided between approaching it or maintaining a safe distance. ''If I''m this wary from the outset, I won''t get far,'' he reasoned, opting for cautious steps toward the altar.


    However, just a few meters from the altar, an inky ck mist, imbued with an enigmatic affinity, oozed from the structure. The runes etched onto the bricks ignited with a subdued, eerie glow, casting an ominous hue over the fog.


    The fog took on a sinister appearance under the dull, ghostly radiance, but despite the eerie surroundings, Cristian found himself inexorably drawn toward the altar. It was as if an unseen force was beckoning him, and his mind grew hazy.


    He took two steps backward, as if fighting an internal battle, but the allure of the altar proved too strong.


    His mind gave contradictory instructions, and his body responded to its own ord. It wasn''t solely his doing, though; the frigid, ebony mist that permeated the entire ten-meter space yed a role.


    The grasses withered, and the earth beneath them turned gray and cracked as more mist enveloped the area, solidifying the ground. This soil would forever lose its fertility.


    His bare feet touched the cold, grimy bricks, and with measured steps, he ascended the short staircase and seated himself in the center of the altar.


    [Cristian/dimir Athelstone, you have chosen your ss]


    Cristian hardly reacted to the text, his mind still reeling from the transformation that had begun.


    "Ahhhhh!" His scream pierced through the fog, a signal drawing beings from outside toward his location. But even if he had been aware, he couldn''t have stopped. It felt as though minuscule creatures were devouring the deepest recesses of his being. Cristian experienced excruciating pain, a sensation that clouded his mind.


    Blood flowed from his eyes, and his skin rapidly decayed. The metamorphosismenced from his scalp as his hair disintegrated into dust, followed by his skin.


    It felt like hours, even days, of torment, until the pain abated, reced by a refreshing, cool stream coursing through his body, revitalizing his exhausted mind.


    "W ¡­ what happened?" Cristian inquired, the silence of the fog answering with more silence.


    His eyes opened, and the excruciating pain rushed back to his memory. Just the recollection made him shudder. When Cristian trembled, the ashen skin around him crumbled into heaps of dust.


    "What the?" His focus quickly shifted to his body. He stood abruptly, only to find himself a few meters above the ground. Landing posed another challenge, as he nearly demolished the brick altar. The pain from his rough descent forced him to adopt a more delicate approach to every subsequent movement.


    "My body," he marveled as he scrutinized his arms. His skin had transitioned from white to an unsettling pallor, almost to the point where his veins threatened to burst. His physique had undergone a profound change, transforming from a burly bodybuilder into a lean, athletic figure.


    [Congrattions, Cristian/dimir Athelstone, for bing the first human to change your race. Intelligence +5, soul point +10!]


    "Status," he intoned, his voice resonating deeply. He desired to understand the extent of the changes he had undergone and how they had affected his race. And, most importantly, he yearned toprehend the significance of the soul point.

 Chapter 4: Blessing of the Undead

    <h4>Chapter 4: Blessing of the Undead</h4>


    [Status]


    [Name: Christian/dimir Athelstone]


    [Level: 0]


    [Race: Dark Huma]


    [ss: Dark Berserker]


    [Title: Lord of the Night Castle]


    [Affinity: Unknown]


    >Stats<


    [Health: 100 ( 100)]


    [Strength: 79 ( 10)]


    [Agility: 42 ( 10)]


    [Dexterity: 24 ( 10)]


    [Intelligence: 30 ( 10)]


    [Stamina: 40 ( 10)]


    [Mana pool: 150]


    ss skills: Locked (Gain a level to unlock)


    [Your physique has transformed to its original form. Cristian/ dimir Athelstone, you have been reborn. THE MOTHER has fulfilled her promise.


    ss: Dark berserker: skills unknown, path; unknown¡­ Rating: Transcendent!: 100%]


    "What the..." Cristian blinked repeatedly to confirm his eyes weren''t ying tricks on him.


    The shock came from every side - race, ss, and stats. It felt like he had shed his previous form and emerged from ash dust. That seemed to be the case.


    This revtion meant his constitution wasn''t an illness. Perhaps that''s why his case was so different from others. But "Dark Huma"? What kind of race was that? His strength stat made him suck in a good amount of cold air.


    "THE MOTHER''s promise... I wonder what that was," he mused, folding his palms abruptly, the speed making the air around his palm distort. The power coursing through his veins was strange. He felt powerful but something deep inside him hadn''t been released.


    He found that something when he read the text, stating his locked abilities because a level 0 could not utilize any skills or abilities. Hispatibility had ascended, making him a perfect fit for a ss. Unknown to Cristian, no one had this ss, and there wasn''t any existing race called the Dark Huma.


    Suddenly, moans and growls pierced his eardrums. His eyes shed with caution as something he woulde to abhor urred.


    [The safe zone has reached its end. THE MOTHER''sst gift is gone. Hope you survive, Dark Huma, and be ready to meet the Aboriginals from your world.]


    "Other people? So, I wasn''t the only one to transmigrate. This is kind of good," Cristian said with a smile. However, he spotted a scroll near the altar. It was well-hidden, but the blueglow from the seal revealed its position.


    He grabbed the scroll with amazement. The seal shone brightly and shattered. Now that nothing stopped him, Cristian opened the scroll, and two bold words appeared.


    VLAD, RUN!


    He frowned, but those words struck his mind hard when the fog cleared, revealing people from Earth.


    "It can''t be." Cristian muttered in disbelief, his wide eyes taking in the scene.


    Hundreds of zombies, mindless, made their way toward him. Their skin was paler than his, and their eyes were also white. Most of them had blood-coated mouths with missing flesh or bite marks. Cristian even spotted some crawling towards him as they had lost their legs.


    With the fog gone, he realized he stood in a lush forest. Tall trees with generous spacing and lustrous grasses covered the ground, creating a picture of perfection. The beautiful moon added to the scene''s charm, but it was marred by bloodstains on the trees and grass.


    His eyes widened as he surveyed the environment. A massive battle had urred here, and the result was the zombies before him. This meant he wasn''t the only one to appear here, and he had been protected, but others hadn''t been so fortunate.


    The air in Eternity flowed with mana, and many humans couldn''t adjust, forcing their race to change to the infamous undead. The few who had turned into zombies jumped on the others, who were still stunned as they sat in their homes moments ago.


    The powerless crowd panicked, and a feast began. Each bitten victim awakened as an undead and quickly joined the attack. In a matter of minutes, chaos erupted, and men, women, and children ran for their lives.


    However, they faced a race with unlimited stamina, and thousands perished, only to be blessed by ''a being'' that gave them another chance at life as the undead.


    Cristian''s scream attracted them. The cleared fog made him more vulnerable as hundreds, even thousands of undead, who harbored a deep hatred for the living, made their way toward him.


    "This is an apocalypse." His voice cracked, and his pale face turned paler. Cristian had just realized how ruthless this new world was. There was no mercy, not even for new races.


    They would have to fight their way out, and he doubted many survived.


    [Dark Huma, the map option has been unlocked]


    Another text appeared on his retina. He quickly entered the map option, and his location erged, providing a clear view of the forest''s size. But the name drew his attention.


    "Sacrifice Forest?" Cristian mused with raised brows, and suddenly it hit him.


    The people here had all suffered terrible luck by being sent to such an unfavorable location. This also meant that some had appeared in more favorable spots, where they got a good start, while others met their death moments after arrival. Some might have even faced dangerous beasts.


    He turned toward the south; it was the only safe path leading somewhere.


    While he considered ways to escape the slow-moving horde of undead, he squeezed the animal skin, and the scroll glowed for a split second before the words changed.


    "Head to the portal, Lia should know of our presence by now." The scroll swiftly decayed and, in shock, he left it. Before the animal skin reached the brown soil, it turned to dust.


    ''A portal, nice nning. Lia, who''s she?'' Hemended his former self''s thoughts, but the name of the female confused him. Cristian had already realized that he must have died here and reincarnated on Earth. The clues were ring, but he had no memories of his past life, and his death remained a mystery.


    Did he die of old age, or was he killed? He couldn''t figure it out. But one thing was certain: dimir, his former self, knew he was going to be back and even knew where.


    But why the Sacrifice Forest? Wouldn''t it be better for him to do it at his castle? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. The direction to the portal had appeared, and it alsoy in the south.


    Suddenly, he heard a growl and instinctively bolted forward. His speed made the cold breeze pick up, and the dead grasses rose. He made an abrupt stop and turned. "Damn, I almost got bitten," he cursed himself for his carelessness.


    This wasn''t the time to dwell on dimir''s actions. Evading the trees, he ran in the opposite direction - south. The horde came from the north, and thebined sounds of their spine-tingling growls made his muscles tense.


    He almost vomited from the disgusting smell of dried blood and gut revealed by the zombies'' damaged bodies. "I thought there was supposed to be a vige or something," he hollered internally, feeling like hitting his head against a thick tree for taking everything lightly. He couldn''t be med for a situation that was supposed to ur only in novels.


    The wind sting against his face made him feel alive. It had been a long time since he felt this light. His longing for such flexibility had eroded with time, but now, he was even more dexterous than he had ever been.


    He turned and saw the gap he had created. The slow-walking zombies stood no chance against him, who could run four times faster than an average human.


    A smile graced his lips, but just as he was about to ignore the horde, six thin zombies shot out and bolted toward him. Their speed was even faster than his.


    "Are you kidding me?" Cristian yelled and decided to save his energy for running. More thin zombies emerged, their bones almost sticking out, hollow,pletely ck eyes, and feet like steel. ws, five inches long, tore the air as they waved their arms.


    "Shit, I can''t outrun these things!" he cursed but kept running. He had considered climbing the trees, but what if the horde had climbers too?


    He scanned his status, but there was nothing that offered sce or help. The deep thuds of their feet rang in his ears as the zombies closed the gap.


    [Lord Athelstone, you are advised not to level up until you reach your castle.]


    "Bullshit, I will not be killed, not by zombies or anyone," Cristian yelled and took a step to the side. He grabbed the zombie behind him and mmed it into a tree trunk. BAM!


    [You have killed a level 3 undead +2 agility; you have leveled up.]


    Along with the text, a tremor urred.

 Chapter 5: Gathering to seek THE MOTHER

    <h4>Chapter 5: Gathering to seek THE MOTHER</h4>


    He felt something crack within him, the sound loud enough to reach his ears. Yet, the approaching zombies demanded his immediate attention.


    With the dead zombie''s head, he had created a hole in therge tree trunk, and he had killed it. A crisp, attention-drawing pain shot from the very same limb that had been dangling as he ran.


    The abrupt force had made it collide against his toned thighs. His distorted face told the story of his agony.


    Then, an unsettling sensation took hold of him. His breath halted, and his heart seized,


    causing his emerald eyes to widen as he struggled to draw air. But the situation only grew worse; it felt like his body was rejecting the air.


    THUD!


    His knees mmed into the brown soil, covered with fallen leaves and broken branches. Gasping, he felt his heart failing him.


    He could see hundreds of zombies closing in, but he couldn''t even take a step, fearing that he might not be alive by the time the slow-moving zombies reached him.


    While the slow zombies were still some distance away, the runners had arrived. The first two sank their teeth into the soft flesh of his neck, and the others positioned themselves around his body.


    Cristian could feel his vision clouding as their venom spread rapidly. But these zombies were not content with mere bites; they tore into his flesh, causing blood to spill.


    The pain ran deep,pounding the agony radiating from his heart. He couldn''t bear it any longer, and his eyes closed.


    [Prerequisite aplished... ss innate abilities unlocked.]


    With that text, his eyes shot open, and a bright emerald light emanated from him. Rune-like tattoos appeared on his skin, primarily on his back.


    Deep ck symbols etched themselves onto his pale skin, and when they wereplete, they glowed for a split moment.


    A thick, sinister ck mist oozed from his pores, and the zombies were the first victims.


    Cristian watched as they wed at their mouths in agony, but no physical efforts could halt the decay.


    In a matter of seconds, five runners crumbled to dust, their remains scattered into the unknown distance by the breeze.


    Cristian panted heavily, transparent droplets of sweat running down his chin and falling to the ground. He rested his palms on the soil to regain his bearings, but to his shock, thend beneath him turned gray.


    The lush grasses, bathed in the silvery rays of an abnormallyrge moon, withered and crumbled to dust in an instant.


    The deathly transformation continued to spread. From his vantage point, destruction began, wiping out all life. Even the undead were not spared.


    Cristian''s eyes widened, and a gasp of disbelief and apprehension escaped his lips. He watched as the skin of the zombies turned ck, cracked, and crumbled, leaving nothing but dust. Even their bones weren''t spared.


    [You have killed fifteen level 3 zombies; +20 agility; you have leveled up four times.]


    "What!" Cristian eximed.


    ****


    A pair of burning red eyes, resembling the surface ofva, opened and exhaled fromrge nostrils. A steaming rush of white air shot tens of meters before evaporating. The very awakening of this being shook the surroundings.


    "He''s back!" The being dered internally, his tone reverberating with thunderous shock.


    In a vast expanse filled with ice, a lean man with long white hair that flowed down to his feet sensed a sudden chill. For a being like him to feel cold, there was only one man capable of it.


    "Much earlier than expected, as always," he said in a voice that could mesmerize millions, both men and women alike.


    WHOOSH!


    A ripple spread through the air, creating immense pressure that could send a human flying for miles. The disruption emanated from a mighty pair of lustrous golden wings.


    With each p, the being covered hundreds of miles,nding after a short while.


    Before him stood hundreds of golden pirs that stretched into infinity. The white cloud beneath his feet was immacte.


    Taking two steps, he covered a vast distance, space itself wrapping around him until he appeared in a grand pce.


    The immense hall seemed to have no end, and he turned his head to find others had also arrived.


    He wasn''t alone in sensing the awakening.


    "Hump, I never imagined the aloof Elven Queen advisor would be so generous as to leave her seat ande here," the being scowled as he faced a woman of such exquisite beauty that her mere presence could leave a man drooling endlessly.


    "This is important, but I never expected to see you here. I don''t suppose the war against the demonkind has ended, so your presence is not required here," she retorted with a tiny smirk on her enchanting lips.


    "I should have expected you both to always quarrel. We are not here for your petty disputes, so I rmend you both remain silent," an enormous man standing at a towering nine feet bellowed. His voice rumbled like a drum, drawing the attention of every being in the hall.


    "Hump!" They both snorted and went their separate ways.


    Every being in the room possessed powers beyond normal limits, having transcended the boundaries of stages and entered the world of titles.


    Among them were paragons, high and low-ranking gods, masters, emperors - each exuded unique and impable auras.


    Whispers and chatter filled the hall until the massive door in the distance swung open. A woman dressed in white emerged.


    Upon seeing her, gasps filled the hall, and expressions of shock appeared on the faces of even these extraordinary beings. Rarely stunned, for beings of their caliber, their jaws would have reached the ground if physically possible.


    They had witnessed something exceptional: the being with golden wings walked out.


    "Is he really back?" he asked bluntly, staring at the exceptional beauty whose silky ck hair flowed down to her feet, her white gown seemingly endless.


    But before she could reply, an echoing voice reverberated, and the winged being transformed into a hulking man with cow horns protruding from his ash-colored skin and pitch-ck eyes.


    "I don''t heed Demons," the winged being scowled and turned his attention back to the woman, who watched the proceedings with an unchanged expression.


    "Go, there''s no need to rm everyone," her soothing, motherly voice whispered into the ears of the crowd. Beings immune to almost any mental attack or allure nodded with dazed eyes and left the hall.


    The angel cast ast nce at the woman and spread his wings, but before he could depart, four individuals with auras reaching the sky burst through the clouds andnded a few metres from him.


    BOOM!


    With a rush of wind, they vanished and reappeared near the woman.


    "He did it again, he wiped out one of my domains... what have I done to that bastard!" a refined man in a sleek suit yelled, grabbing his hair and dragging it in rage and anguish.


    Why must that damned bastard always do this to him? First, he wiped out an entire continent when he died, and now, a portion of his powers reacted and wiped out arge forest, a zone where he recruited talents. Many of his children, talented ones, were lost.


    Out of the three beside him, two were extremely short with brownish skin, their beards cascading down to their robust stomachs.


    "I told you to stop drinking, look what he''s done now that he''s back," the first one berated the other, who couldn''t bear to be med before THE MOTHER.


    "What? You were the one who gave me your wife''s favorite brew. You know I can''t resist its aroma," the red-faced man responded with a blush, though he knew that THE MOTHER''s gaze was fixed upon him.


    "It''s alright, I''ll handle it," her motherly tone soothed the man who had been tugging at his hair, his eyes lighting up with a bright smile. He disappeared with that blissful smile.


    "If we had known he wasing for this, I wouldn''t have left the barrel half-full," the younger dwarf grumbled with a grievance.


    "So he''s truly back. Otherwise, why would a relic containing his wretched affinity react? Is that why you have features on your face?" the golden-winged man inquired. His authoritative tone gave way to a question as he addressed THE MOTHER.


    THE MOTHER never revealed her features. She had shown her face only once, on the day a man known as death itself touched her featureless face. But that had stopped after his death. Why, then, was she revealing her face now, when he wasn''t alive?


    "Go and fight your battles, all of you," the elder dwarf retorted furiously, sensing how sensitive THE MOTHER was about the topic.


    "Speak not a word of d," her voice echoed. "For he is gone."

 Chapter 6: Affinity :Decay!

    <h4>Chapter 6: Affinity :Decay!</h4>


    The third figure had dragonfly wings and features so perfect that it became hard to determine his gender.


    His eyes flickered with unknown thoughts as he watched THE MOTHER disappear. "If you know anything, this would be the right time to speak!"


    The angel''s tone reimed its authority, but the individuals he spoke to weren''t pushovers.


    "What are you trying to insinuate, and why does this bug you so much? You should know that if d is reborn, he would be a paragon right away. He would have already been here before we arrived." the fairy''s melodious tone rang within the hall.


    Even he shivered at the name of d, the man ''cursed'' to kill every living being he touched, the only being he had touched that still lived was the most powerful.


    THE MOTHER.


    "A touch, that''s all it took, and he conquered THE MOTHER. We need her focused on vanquishing the beings of the underworld." the angel shot forward with extraordinary speed and appeared before the fairy.


    They both stood, their eyes shing with spiked auras.


    "I don''t see what''s wrong with her developing feelings, despite the man it''s for. She has lived for an unknown amount of time, and what you want is for her to give more! And mind you, THE MOTHER cannot be conquered. She isn''t a mere woman."


    "It''s her duty, and I don''t need some stupid talk about feelings from a fairy!" the angel barked. His eyes burned with a golden luster.


    "Fine then, force her if you can," the fairy scoffed and flipped his coat embroidered with flowers of different colors.


    He stepped aside and walked toward the door.


    "No one can force her, her existence does just that," the angel spoke and vanished. His abrupt speed caused a sonic boom.


    The speed of the winged race had already been branded in the minds of other races.


    "What would they do if they find out he has already awoken but is as weak as my pinky," the younger dwarf whispered to the older.


    "Hump, your pinky is much stronger than him. I just hope he gets to his castle fast before he causes another nationwide crisis." the beady eyes of the older one shed and he caressed his thick braided beard.


    "He owes us for that," the younger one snorted, aggrieved that d died before he could pay up.


    Along with a loud pping sound, they both shot out of the pce and the door closed with a boom.


    _


    In a matter of minutes, he had gone from level o to level 5, but his fast leveling speed brought no pleasant emotion from Cristian as he could only watch as the ck gas leaking from his body brought death to thend.


    This time, he wasn''t running because of the zombies, rather he ran because of his strange affinity.


    ''I would have been fine with no affinity,'' he grumbled internally. Each step he took caused decay.


    He couldn''t control this ability despite his efforts. He had even hoped there was a switch off on his status screen.


    But to his dismay, there was nothing of that sort.


    Trees kept dying and falling, making his path much more troublesome, for he had to jump over therge trees so big that it would take six men to wrap their arms around them.


    ~thwack~


    A loud sound pierced his eardrums, and arge tree fell. Both the width and length made the tree a kingpared to the rest of the trees.


    He nced forward and countless trees had already blocked his path. While his decay aura had reduced to the bare minimum, only spreading through his feet.


    His first outburst had spread far, he even saw notifications about the deaths of level-one zombies that hardly gave him anything of worth.


    His level made it impossible for him to receive much from them and although his EXP rose, it was like a trickle from a tap.


    Before the impending crisis, Cristian raised both hands and instantly conjured a ck ball that rumbled. The gas-like structure made it hard to control.


    But he had gotten instructions from his ability. Each of his abilities came with instructions that had been branded to his brain.


    His arms trembled, but he persisted. His mana pool kept reducing as he poured more mana into the ball, making it bigger.


    All this while, the tree made its way towards him.


    Boom!


    He lost control and the ball shot forward, urately hitting the massive tree. To his amazement, therge tree decayed swiftly and by the time it reached his head, it had be dust.


    His entire body became covered with dust, but it was nothingpared to escaping, being squashed to death.


    Visible white breaths left his lips as he panted. He felt relieved, but a moan shattered that feeling of relief.


    Cristian turned his head and caught a female zombie, her hands outstretched and her steps awkward, but there was one bugging fact.


    How did she get here when he had left the horde at the back?


    He shot forward and smacked her head with his bare feet. The impact spun the zombie''s head clockwise and flung it into the distance.


    Cristian ignored the zombie whose soft skull would have been crushed and stared at his perfect little brother, which had been disturbing him from the beginning.


    Running and fighting with his little brother, all exposed and dangling, made him ufortable.


    ''There''s no way she''s faster than the rest, I''m pretty sure they have lost my scent, it can''t be that this woman reached here and turned or¡­'' his eyes snapped wide open and he gazed at the distance, and to his dismay...


    He wasn''t wrong.


    Another horde came from the south! Their number is even higher than the one he outran.


    Cristian turned to the north he came from, then back to the south. ''Is this ce a zombie-infested forest?'' he queried.


    He had no idea that these grotesque undeads were someone''s ''children''.


    "Okay, it''s pretty obvious that the system is biased here. I mean, I have no clothes, but zombies get to have one." Heined and grabbed a branch, ready to smack any zombie in his path.


    Since he realized he was immune to their bites, there wasn''t any need to be cautious.


    However, reality pped him in the face as the branch turned to dust. A stone or iron would have been appropriate, but he had neither.


    "Pounding it is," he shrugged. Without the fear of their venom, Christian saw nothing else about the zombies that could make him cautious.


    Bam!


    He kicked the first one; the force threw it back into the horde, hitting others in the process.


    With extra points added to his agility, it reached an amazing sum of 64. This made him much faster.


    And coupled with his freakish strength, Cristian became a walking bulldozer, his blows packed lots of impact and the spot he hit would decay and spread to the other parts of the body.


    The moans and growls of the countless zombies quaked his eardrums, but the gleam in his eyes stated his thoughts weren''t sane.


    Cristian enjoyed this. The feeling of possessing such power felt like being thrown into the third heaven.


    Although he also received bites, w marks ripping his skin, they were nothingpared to the damage heunched out continuously.


    From the sky, a single man could be seen in the midst of countless zombies. They all mindlessly swarmed him, ignoring the obvious fact that a bite at his flesh or even a cut that had his drop could erase their existence.


    At that moment, the undead met their bane, a man they couldn''t corrupt. Cristian directly became the bane of all the undead, for even their unlimited stamina and resistance to some physical attacks stood no chance before him.


    Even his punches went along with a cloud of decay.


    The yellow leaves on the ground made sounds as the battle raged on. Trees broke, skulls shattered, ck blood spilled and shouts filled with excitement and slight impatience filled the battlefield.


    Christian lifted a zombie and used it as a weapon to smack the surrounding others. He spun around, and the zombie kept hitting the others.


    After a while, the zombie''s legs decayed and crumbled, but he had already smashed the head of fifteen zombies using one!


    The tactics brought a significant result, so he decided to use it again, but a loud growl stopped him in his tracks as a huge zombie appeared behind him and grabbed his right arm.


    Before Cristian could react, his back collided with a tree trunk. "Ahh," he yelped as he thought his spine would snap.


    "Got lucky," he mused and struggled to stand.


    The ground vibrated and the huge zombie, standing at a height of 7 ft coiled its thick hands around his neck and lifted him up.


    "Foolish!" Cristian spat and grabbed the zombie''s massive pale arms. His finger dug in and he channeled his mana into his fingers, and ck mists seeped into the zombie''s arm.


    It roared, and he smiled. His bare feet hit the ground as the zombie left him and stared at its thick arms drying up.


    "Now give me a level!" Cristian yelled and shot forward.

 Chapter 7: Her mere presence

    <h4>Chapter 7: Her mere presence</h4>


    BAM!


    His knees collided with the zombie''s bare, bloated stomach, and the flesh rippled, the impact quickly dispersed but he had spent 5 mana points to coat his kneecap with the dreaded decay.


    However, the next scene caused his stomach to churn as bile rose up and his cheeks inted. The sight of the zombie digging out the decaying flesh spun his entire world as the smell from its rotten insides filled his nostrils.


    Wet sounds rang as blood gushed from the wound to the ground. ''I wish I could wield fire. I would have turned this disgusting bastard to ash,'' Cristian hollered internally, and his knuckles popped.


    His feet dug into the moist soil as he stomped and leaped into the air. The sound of his fist connecting with the thick cheek flesh of the zombie rang loudly, followed by its growl.


    The zombie swung its thick hands, and he grabbed it; the impact pushed him back and his feet dug deeper into the brown soil.


    "Ahh!" Cristian yelled and veins popped on both arms up to his neck, he lifted therge zombie and mmed it to the ground.


    He could hear its neck crack but the undying monster found its way back to its feet and twisted its neck back to the normal position.


    Cristian''s eyes dted, his breathing rough and unsteady for even with his enormous power up, it became a bit of a stretch to lift a monster of this size.


    "What level is this thing?" he spoke in between his rough breath. A thought shed through his mind and his eyes lit up.


    "Inspect," he said, hoping there would be results.


    [...]


    [Race: undead {zombie}


    Human name: Zuko


    Level: 12


    Innate skills: massive strength, impervious to pain, thick skin.]


    "Zuko? Unusual name and thick skin! So I''ve been tickling this thing all this while." Cristian yelled and leaped backward as the zombie lunged toward him.


    His blows should produce an attack reaching hundreds since both strength and speed stats produce the final result.


    He made a curve and appeared behind the zombie, channeling the remaining ten mana points, a ck ball of gas sped to the zombie''s head and engulfed it.


    In a matter of seconds, a loud thud echoed as the zombie''s head had decayed and the ck gas crept to its body and continued its feast.


    [You have killed a level 12 zombie, strength+2 level + 2]


    "It''s even harder from level 5," he muttered, his chest undting heavily and his mouth open as he gasped.


    His path to level 10 had risen to another level, he had expected it to be like when he killed those level 3 runners, but once again. Reality proved him wrong.


    Awoo! Awoo!


    The loud howls of wolves rang in the distance, prompting Cristian to bolt. Though his energy ran low, his eyes zed with the urge to survive.


    Unknown to him, no earthling in the Sacrifice forest survived. Their corpse would forever remain here to be meals for the beasts and those who awakened as undead will forever roam.


    The wind sted his face, and his hair fluttered. The harsh howls of the wind quaked his eardrums, but it had no worth before the growls and howls of beasts in the distance.


    The scent of blood had gone far, luring hidden beasts out of their caves and slumber. Such a thick smell of blood meant one thing; meat.


    He knew that the zombies aren''t the top predator anymore. With the beasts awakened, Zombies as well as him became prey.


    He had emptied his mana pool in the battle with Zuko. Cristian quickly recalled he got two free stats points with each level up and he had leveled up eight times. This meant he had 16 free stat points.


    A casual nce at his status told him his strongest point that would aid him in getting out of this ce alive.


    And his magic happened to be the best option since he had no weapon to channel his strength. Cristian threw ten points to intelligence.


    Each point in intelligence added five points to his mana pool. From the six remaining points, he brought up his dexterity from 24 to 30.


    He could feel tingles throughout his body and his speed had a minor upgrade as he could utilize parts he couldn''t before.


    Adding ten points to his intelligence did the trick for the mana pool now had a good amount of mana he could use should he encounter a beast.


    However, the cool refreshing feeling that somehow made the world seem more colorful and the wriggling of his muscles made him rethink adding points recklessly.


    Bam!


    His face connected to the ground as his body felt foreign but after a split second, he suddenly gained control.


    ''So I don''t need to train every time I increase my stats, nice.'' Cristian couldn''t feel more pleased as it seemed exhausting to always feel foreign in your own body after a good power-up.


    And it made adding stats in battle a dangerous move.


    Wiping the dirt off his face, he spat out the few that entered his mouth, his thoughts revolved around getting a good bath the moment he got to his said castle.


    Cristian couldn''t recall whenst he got this dirty, he turned to check if he was being followed but to his relief, there wasn''t any zombie or beast on his trail.


    The light fog made the forest look mystical and coupled with the silvery light of the moon, it became a heavenly forest for those who did not know of the horrors within.


    Unknown to Cristian, a snake coiled around a branch and made its way towards him. All this while, he forgot to look up when an attack could beunched from the trees.


    He got up and took two steps when a fierce hiss quaked his eardrums and he shot into action. He dived forward narrowly escaping the venomous fangs of the huge snake.


    ~swoosh~ thwark~


    The tail of the snake hit his back and the impact flung him towards a tree. He couldn''t let out a cry of pain as he found himself on the ground.


    His body trembled in pain and his eyes lit up in fury. Cristian had prepared to empty his mana to turn everything around him to dust.


    But even after waiting for the snake to take the first move, nothing happened.


    He raised his head and the snake had vanished, along with the howls and growls. The forest suddenly regained its peace. The abrupt change sent chills down his spine.


    "It can''t be that the boss is out," he muttered with trembling eyes. Only the entrance of a stronger being could make others go into hiding.


    ''But then, how can that snake be this fast?''


    Cristian couldn''t wrap his head around the question. He couldn''t even sight a trail as it seemed like it vanished into thin air.


    With the size, that snake should be closing twenties in level, he had no chance against such a beast except using magic.


    He could feel the stinging paining from his back, the tail of the snake must have left a mark and it made him more furious.


    Killing that snake might have taken him to level ten. Cristian could somehow tell not everyone had this opportunity to level up in such a blessed environment.


    As several thoughts ran through Cristian''s mind, he had no idea of the presence of a woman whose appearance had made the forest which had been set on the track for a bloody night turn peaceful.


    Her every gesture drew the gazes of not only sentient but even nts bent to have a feel of her palm.


    The part destroyed by Cristian''s affinity gained vitality and in mere seconds the ce became lush.


    The trees that had fallen grew back, and every harm in the forest fixed itself, all this happened while the woman approached Christian.


    Her foot couldn''t touch the ground as she walked on air, and even then, the nts seemed to be fed boosters as they grew bigger and greener.


    Her slender finger rested on the tree Cristian leaned on and she gazed at his long green hair that fell to his shoulders.


    Unknown to Cristian, a woman who possessed a beauty beyond human imagination stood behind him, her beauty brought no indecent thoughts rather those who gazed at her would feel the urge to fall on their knees.


    Her white gown stretched without end and its lustrous glow illuminated the surroundings and fireflies danced around the vicinity but Cristian couldn''t see any of these changes.


    He had no clue that the tree he leaned on grew. It grew taller and thicker but he felt nothing.


    She sat next to him and turned to him, her peerless face merely inches away from his. He turned because he felt a deep gaze.


    Cristian''s movement caused their eyes to meet as only a mere inch separated their lips.

 Chapter 8: Lia... A succubus?

    <h4>Chapter 8: Lia... A subus?</h4>


    She saw him, but he saw nothing. She could see his eyes searching for her.


    He could feel her gaze, but couldn''t see the owner.


    She stretched out her hands and touched his face, her slender fingers trailing from his forehead down to his chin.


    "Handsome as ever." Her voice surpassed the song of the best bard in thend. The melodious tone could keep anyone entertained for the rest of their lives.


    In terms of looks, Cristian couldn''tpare to races built to look good. The elves and fairies had both peerless beauties and handsome men, but in her eyes, he has outshone all.


    "Also reckless," she giggled and covered her mouth.


    "Your brother still hasn''t forgotten his grudge and the hate towards you digs deep into the hearts of many, but I couldn''t watch you live miserably in that world for much longer."


    Her eyes, more brilliant than the rarest gem in the world, gushed with emotions as she gazed into Cristian''s dazzling green eyes.


    The man kept searching, and he had thought of leaving this spot, but for some reason, he never thought past that point.


    "A new life as you wanted, but be warned, a hundred years is too short to change anything. I''m sorry for being impatient and please don''t forget me¡­" She stopped and gazed at his hands that emitted invisible ck mist.


    Even Cristian couldn''t see those mists and when her palms touched his, the mist vanished and his hands regained their vitality and it glowed like that of a healthy human.


    "Wee home Cristian." as she said those words, she burst into fireflies. This time Cristian heard her and the sudden appearance of countless fireflies stunned him.


    Their white glow brightened the forest as swarms of fireflies flew out of the forest and vanished.


    She knew how Cristian disliked being called another name. She had watched the world [Earth] rename him due to the fame of his physique and even though his name was dimir.


    He reincarnated as Cristian and she respected his choices and used his new name.


    Though it remained a question of the name, he would agree to when he regained his memories.


    If he regained his memories.


    Cristian quickly shot off and sped toward the location of his escape. He had no clue of what happened but it nerved him greatly.


    After running for a while, he appeared before a circr structure. The moment he appeared, the nts began glowing.


    Their vibrant green glow matched the ghastly glow from the runes engraved on the portal. Christian stopped and gazed at the strange structure. Its glow got brighter and brighter until it reached an intensity that made his eyes close.


    Voom!


    His body felt weird as he seemed to have an abrupt discement to an unknown distance. His eyes opened and a magnificent castle made from ck stones stood in the distance.


    It stood on high ground as a paved path came from the gates down into the forest behind him.


    The sudden change from night to day stunned him as he had to protect his eyes from the zing radiance of the two orange balls high in the sky.


    "Two suns, really," heined as the chill from the forest dried off and the scorching heat seeped right in.


    He suddenly felt awkward as he stood out in the open without clothes, his nakedness for all to see.


    But with a nce at his now-capable junior brother, Cristian regained his confidence. Had the waitress who always teased him been here, he would have shown her who''s boss.


    Withrge strides, he made his way toward the tall ck gates, and when he arrived, the enormous gate swung wide open.


    His hands froze mid-air as he was about to knock. "Well, it''s my castle. A grand entrance is expected."


    A smile graced his lips, but the sight of the destepound dampened his uplifted mood. His supposed grand entrance vanished before it even began.


    The moment Cristian took a step and entered thepound, the breeze picked up and became a harsh gust of wind.


    It became so fierce that his feet almost left the ground. "What''s this, a test in my castle!" Cristian yelled and his eyes scanned for an object he could use for support.


    "Masterrrrrrr!!."


    A scream pierced his eardrums, causing his head to raise. And he sighted a tiny figure getting bigger and bigger as it got closer.


    "What th-"


    Boom!


    Cristian couldn''tplete his words as a sonic boom rang, and he felt like he was being thrown into a cloud.


    The mountains he found his face inside were so deep and soft that he couldn''t breathe, but it felt so pleasant that he could leave his face there for a long while.


    But he needed to know who this person was and when he tried to free himself from her grasp, Cristian found out the strength he was so proud of couldn''t even make her budge.


    He was quite sure that his level should be at the top amongst the rest of the humans who came to Eternity with him and when his abnormal stats were brought into the picture, then he stood at the top but before thisdy.


    Being the top amongst earthlings amounted to nothing.


    "You''re finally back. After so long, I''ve missed you sooo much!" she drew her words and he could feel her pressing her body tighter.


    If possible, she would have merged with him.


    Cristian couldn''t wrap his head around the current situation, but a certain part of his body rubbed against her soft thighs and it instantly got hard, causing his face to turn red.


    ''It can''t get any embarrassing,'' he said, shame coating his entire being.


    "Oh, my Lord, I''ve caused a reaction."


    Her words made his red face gain a darker shade. He felt like erupting, but the girl finally gave him breathing space and he could see her features.


    Two curved dark red horns protruded from both sides of her head and her soft silky ck hair cascaded down to her fat round buttocks that couldn''t be hidden by the one-piece ck gown that hugged her curves.


    Herrge gem-like eyes, supple lips, and oval face carried a wave of fatality. The deep cleverage that he had taken his head out of made him gulp.


    ''A subus?''


    That name shed through his mind, but his thoughts shattered when he felt something moist graze the cap of his throbbing di**.


    His eyes shot down and he saw her tongue, which was a bit longer than normal, coil around the cap of his di**.


    An intense jolt of pressure shot through his entire body, and his pupils erged. He leaped back.


    His heart kept thumping with a powerful beat and the urge to drill his di** deep inside her throat gnawed at his sanity.


    Her gem-like eyes twinkled with strange lights, and his mind got more jumbled.


    "LIA STOPP!" Cristian yelled. His loud voice rippled in the air, and Lia quickly regained herself from her overexcited state.


    The lights in her eyes died out, and she got up and ced both palms on her t tummy. Cristian watched as this otherworldly beauty bowed deeply and her voice, like a luby, slithered into his ears.


    "Wee home Lord Athelstone."


    He gazed at her with flickering eyes, the image of her tongue giving his dick a lick kept appearing and with great effort, he brushed it off.


    "You are Lia," he said again and her expression changed as her delicate brows furrowed. "My Lord¡­ don''t you remember Lia." herrge eyes watered and Cristian became stuck in an awkward spot.


    "Umm¡­" he tried to lie but couldn''t formte anything, so it became even more awkward.


    "Your memories are still in a blur so Lia isn''t hurt and I can tell you everything you want to know, but how about I attend to a more demanding matter first?"


    Cristian looked down and stared at his hard di** which Lia couldn''t remove her eyes from. As a half subus, it took great willpower to keep herself all this while, and it became easier, as she always stayed within the premises of the castle, but seeing her master''s throbbing stick made her feel itchy.


    Her demon bloodline urged her to have a taste of that delicious-looking stick that faced the heavens.


    His looks weren''t one bit different, the same hair, the same eye, height, and frame. Everything remained the same, but his aura changed. Her master had this lonely aura around him, despite being the progenitor of a powerful race.


    A race he built with his blood, but even then, he felt deste and she wouldn''t even cross his ten meters barrier, for his affinity would erase her.


    She could feel his caring gaze from afar, but he was doomed never to touch and for some reason, he didn''t bless her to be chosen.


    And now he had appeared again, but his affinity couldn''t harm her as she had grown a lot during this century and he went back to tier 0.


    But this worked in her favor, for she could now touch her master and do all sorts of naughty stuff that had been brewing over this century.


    "My Lord, don''t you need this loyal maid to release you from your pain?" She faked a pitiful expression and approached him.

 Chapter 9: Lovely maid Lia

    <h4>Chapter 9: Lovely maid Lia</h4>


    Her skin had a red tinge and the allure in herrge watery eyes shattered the meager resistance Cristian tried to put up.


    It had been a long time since he experienced this. He couldn''t even remember when his member stood and with his memories still blurred. Cristian could not resist the allure of the unparalleled beauty before him.


    In his defense, she was a subus and his maid. Besides, it hurt.


    "I don''t think it''s appropia-"


    Whoosh!


    He found himself inside the castle and sitting on an enormous throne. Burning candles illuminated the walls of the hall.


    The runes engraved on the candles gave them a mystical aura of strange holiness, a stark contrast to the dark hall.


    Two chandeliers mounted the ceiling, one in the middle of the hall and the other just over the throne he sat on.


    He couldn''t see the wax on the candles melting, but Cristian couldn''t think straight as an immense jolt of pleasure ran through his spine, causing his eyes to widen and he looked down.


    His impressive member had begun to reduce as the interior view and thick sense of mystery coating the castle drew his attention.


    But someone wasn''t happy with this oue and took the first step to gulp his limp shaft and the dragon about to sleep shot up with raging brilliance.


    "Mmn~" he faced the ceiling and moaned as her tongue coiled around his shaft, sucking it with exquisite skill and deft knowledge.


    Though she had not done this before, Lia somehow became a pro just from the first gulp, or maybe it was his inexperience speaking.


    But something told him that it wasn''t just his inexperience messing with his judgments.


    Her twinkling eyes gazed into his emerald ones and the view of his little brother being sucked like a lollipop blew his mind.


    He couldn''t stop releasing moans of ecstasy and bliss, and it shot to another level as she went to his balls.


    nting kisses on his balls and giving them a sticky lick, Cristian trembled and almost released his load but held it at thest moment. His face was blood red and his mouth was wide open.


    He stood on the brink of losing his mind.


    Lia went back to the cap and focused on it, her tongue wrapped around the sensitive pink part, and she kept on until Cristian could no longer keep his sanity. And grabbed her head with veins bulging in his arms.


    Butpared to Lia''s strength, his meager strength couldn''t make her budge but she let herself go giving him to opportunity to thrust deep into her throat.


    She kept gagging, but his speed got even faster until he shot his load, which she swallowed with glee.


    After ten minutes, Lia drank two loads from her Lord and he finally felt his sanity return.


    Before his eyes, Lia stood up. Her voluptuous boobs jiggled, and she nted a kiss on his forehead, and with a gush of wind, she vanished.


    Cristian began processing what had just happened. He finally arrived at his castle and the first thing he got was a blowj*b from his maid.


    The pleasure he felt still lingered, but he had gotten a taste of how heartless this world was on the weak.


    Pleasure should be pushed to the sidepared to the main course of things, which was finding more about this world and getting stronger.


    If he had really lived in this world before and owned such an enormous castle, then he would have both friends and enemies.


    "Where are others?" he asked Lia, who opened the door and walked in. Each step made her bountiful assets call for attention, and his hands itched to have a feel of her slender waist, which was exposed by the opening of her gown.


    "Umm, my Lord, these are the only clothes you can wear for the others are too high for your level." Lia dogged the question and brought out a transparent white top, a pair of brown pants, and brown boots.


    "Lia," he whispered, and she raised her head and stared at him. After she pleased him, her head remained facing the ground, and it felt weird to be treated with such respect.


    "You can call me by my name; Cristian." his voice echoed in the hall.


    "No! No! I can''t. It''s my duty to make sure the Lord is satisfied, but I am not to call you by your name. I''m just a servant." Lia said hurriedly and took two steps back as if afraid of the topic.


    "But that''s in the past." Cristian''s tone turned hollow as he couldn''t imagine that only Lia remained in this castle.


    She didn''t speak for him to know that no other person remained. For they would have arrived by now.


    Cristian couldn''t imagine how his past self had died, but from the looks of things, it wasn''t from old age.


    At least then, he would have left descendants and not a lonely ce seeking its past glory.


    Little did he know that this castle was just an insignificant and forgotten propertypared to the vast things owned by his past self [dimir]


    But all were destroyed.


    "You''re still Lord Athelstone, you built everything from nothing before, and now you have THE MOTHER''s grace and the advantages ofing from a new world. You can do better. By first collecting the tributes offered by the races."


    Lia''s words caught Cristian''s rapt attention, and he shot up from his sloppy position and sat straight.


    His eyes burned with shock, surprise, and curiosity. "My tributes?" He gestured to Lia, and she climbed onto the tform and when she arrived, she bowed, but Cristian''s orders made her smile and proceed to sit on hisp.


    Her firm round buttocks pressed against his erect length, but he was so focused on the topic that he felt nothing.


    "What are you talking about?"


    A sensual smile formed on her plump lips. "You were given the best and most talented female to marry from the Emerald Queen, mother of the elves, the Amazonian Queen, and the emperor of the Ivory Empire.


    "This doesn''t make any sense," Cristian said, bewildered. He couldn''t understand why powerful races would give him women. It didn''t make any sense.


    "It doesn''t unless a man desperate to leave descendants, march up to their doorsteps and hollers loud enough for the entire empire to hear his voice, dering his chosen brides and walking away"


    "What!" he hollered.


    "Who did such an absurd thing?" Cristian couldn''t believe there existed a man who could be so desperate and shameless. It seems like this world just got crazier.


    However, when he saw Lia covering her mouth as she shot him nces, it dawned on Cristian. His face turned red as a wave of embarrassment enveloped him.


    "It was me¡­ fascinating," he said with a cough and averted his eyes as Lia''s gaze made him more embarrassed and the more baffling fact was that each of them abided by his demands, and even the women he asked for didn''t resist.


    "Why would I do that when¡­" Cristian raised both hands. He knew his affinity wasn''t that overpowered, that it could cross massive levels, which was why he had topress it to kill higher leveled beings.


    But he knew he had to be strong in his previous life, so why would he do that when those women would die from his touch?


    "Why aren''t you even a bit affected?" he asked Lia, whose response came rather quickly, "Because I''m at tier five, my stats are in tens of thousands, but I might get affected once you get to tier three. Luckily, we have a long time until then"


    Her sultry tone exploded within his eardrums as she licked her lower lips seductively. Her actions stirred a special part of his body.


    "My clothes. " He stretched his hands as he had many questions to ask. While Cristian felt it would be amazing to finally lose his virginity since it even drove his past self to be a shameless man.


    But others would be leveling up and he knew many of his gaming friends who he ditched would be doing lots to get stronger.


    And despite changing his race, Cristian was still a human at heart and he knew how disadvantageous they would be in a world with other races who would take advantage of this situation.


    Like many hot-blooded men, Cristian wanted to adventure and for those promised women, he would surely get them back but he couldn''t walk in there with such miserable strength.


    They would erase him swiftly.


    But there was one thing Cristian knew: those women were his!


    Subconsciously, he used Inspect, and Lia''s status appeared.


    [>status<]


    [Name: Lia Athelstone st name given by dimir Athelstone due to his love for the kid who refused to remove her eyes from him from the first moment they met.}


    [Level:??? Tier: 5]


    [Race: half demon/half-dragon.]


    [ss: ???]


    [Title: dimir''s cherished {made herself his maid}]


    [Affinity: dragon mes]


    >stats<


    Health: ???


    Strength: ???


    Agility: ???


    Dexterity: ???


    Intelligence: ???


    Stamina: ???

 Chapter 10: The forgotten prince

    <h4>Chapter 10: The forgotten prince</h4>


    Whoosh!


    He felt the world turn, and he found himself back on the throne, but he wasn''t naked anymore. But he still couldn''t forget what he saw.


    He thought she belonged to the demon race, but never imagined a mix of two super races. This maid before him would be insanely talented. However, there was another bugging factor.


    "K..kid?" he muttered with shock written on his face.


    Lia had let him ess her status window as she didn''t feel any need to hide anything from her Lord, to whom she wants to one day be more than a maid. It was a distant dream, but she had that dream from the very first day she saw him.


    As he walked through the forest, they were both shocked to see each other. She was a kid ying where her parents told her not to and he was an extremely powerful man who gathered hate despite trying to gain the people''s favor.


    His brother did nothing. Still, he had the love and adoration of people throughout the realm. Her Lord has lost many things to that man.


    He had not remembered his imprisoned mother which resulted to his aggressive reaction and in turn, granted his banishment. His mother also bore the punishments for his reckless actions.


    As she gazed at the man she admired and loved more than anything in this world, she found his innocent and na?ve personality really cute, but she knew memories or not. The moment he heard about his mother, Cristian, would change.


    Despite his memories missing, he would still feel that connection to his mother. It had gotten him killed before and will probably do the same now.


    And THE MOTHER had already set barriers for her restricting her aid or else she would have gathered the entire beasts in the vicinity for him to level up.


    "Lia, no offense, but how old are you?" she heard him ask with trembling shoulders. He acted like something really bad just happened and it made her confused.


    "Nothing you do will be offensive to me, my Lord. And if you want to know, I''m 120," she said and when she saw his reaction, it dawned on her why he acted like that but Lia did not see anything wrong there since she was just a little smaller when she was twelve.


    At the age of fifteen, demons were already fully grown and many of them got married at that age; they weren''t like the slow-growing humans or the elves that grew painfully slow.


    "You were gone for a hundred years, my Lord. Lia had to stay all by herself." Her eyes watered and her shoulders trembled, but all she sought was her Lord''s touch.


    And the na?ve Cristian fell for her tricks and embraced her. A cunning smile formed on her lips as she felt his toned skin against hers.


    She knew this warmth wouldn''tst, for as his powers grew, his touch would get colder.


    "I''m here now," he said softly and stroked her back. His fingers trailed from her shoulders, down to her waist, and back again.


    Her delicate brows furrowed, and she began devising ns on how to corrupt this innocent Lord of hers. She needed more of his intimate touch, but the man made sure he never crossed that boundary, and that irked her.


    It felt like rubbing a delicious bread baked by the best in the city and rubbing on her lips, the sweet crust leaving her wanting, but the bread would never enter her mouth.


    That feeling was too painful.


    "How would you like a tour around the castle? It might rekindle some parts of your memories," Lia suggested, for she never forgot her position as his most loyal maid.


    "That would be nice," Cristian answered, and Lia pouted.


    She felt ufortable when he used such a polite tone, and when he saw it, a wry smile crept on his face.


    If it disturbed her, then he had no other choice than to speak like some ancient Lord.


    As they walked, Lia filled him with knowledge about the world and how few races had two different parts. The life elves and the dark elves, the blessed orcs and the cursed.


    It sounded surreal to Cristian when he heard about orcs that weren''t green and were actually as resourceful as humans.


    This world got more mystical and intriguing.


    The dragon race was rarely seen, but their strength had spread to the corners of the world and Lia''s father happened to be a dragon who was one of his trusted generals.


    However, like the rest, he died. Cristian was stumped when he heard it and he asked more, but Lia couldn''t answer as she was restricted.


    "I''m sorry, my Lord, but you''ll have to find out about your past without my help." Lia''s voice dripped with reluctance, but it was also firm.


    To Lia, THE MOTHER like the rest hated Cristian and had her eyes on him to make sure he didn''t cause any harm this time around.


    He didn''t push any further because of her past behavior. Cristian knew she would have told him if she could.


    His room had marveled him and at first, he thought they had robbed it clean when he died, but Lia told him that no one had entered his room since his death, not even her.


    She only went in today to clean up as she felt his presence. His roomcked everything except a super king-sized bed.


    The entire ce, including the ceiling, curtains, and tiles, was ck. A lingering chill blew against him and goosebumps appeared on his exposed skin. The feeling he got from the room made him shiver.


    And it turned out Lia downyed things for he couldn''t wear anything in his wardrobe, for they were meant for high tier beings and they were custom made as each of them fitted his frame perfectly and the style made him sigh.


    He handed it to his past self, for the style emanated a presence that gave room for his arrival, but to even put on the underwear he would have to reach Tier 3!


    ''I got all the eggs but can''t use any. Amazing, really great,'' he scowled internally.


    After a while they stopped before a circr lobby. Arge mural hung on the wall, its length reached the ceiling and the width ran from both edges of the wall.


    A 190cm tall man with the same frame as him stood before a cliff. His ck curly hair fell down to his back and his battered body spoke of the battle he had been through. His emerald eyes pierced into the distance and a pair of raven wings spread from his back.


    The raging sea painted a background filled with turmoil, the mural brought a wrecking emotion of desteness but a firm heart, a heart forged through myriad experiences and bent on one path.


    A sword, 1.5 meters long and five fingers wide dripped with golden ck blood that ran down his injured arm.


    The chains that attached the hilt of the sword to his hand spoke of promises that had stood for an unknown time.


    Cristian felt drawn to the mural, and he subconsciously made his way towards it and stared at it with flickering eyes.


    As he read the title, his eyes moistened, and he touched the exquisitely carved words [THE FORGOTTEN PRINCE.]


    "Nice picture," he mused and turned. The emotions he got made him feel strange, and keeping his distance from that mural would be the right thing to do.


    "My Lord, do you-" Lia stopped when she saw him raise his hand. She pressed her plump lips together and bowed.


    Even before her Lord died, he always got emotional when he saw that picture, he would then caress the title and walk away. No one made the mistake of talking to him for the moment he loses control of his powers, then even his chosen ones might be wiped out.


    They had taken hours touring the castle, and both suns had set. Seeing that mural had dampened his mood and he told Lia to take him to his room.


    "Lord, I was told to make sure you get this the very day you arrive," Lia said. Her melodious voice slithered into Cristian''s ears like soothing music and he turned to her.


    "What is it?"


    "It''s the artifact you asked the runesmith paragon and the cksmith god to create as you nned your marriage with your three fiancees."


    Cristian''s eyes lit up, ''an artifact created by a paragon and a god. Shit! It''s gonna be good.'' while internally he had gone insane with joy, he kept a cool front before Lia.


    From the moment he saw her race, her position in his heart had increased. Heck dragons were powerful and he could see how she loved and adored him.


    While he had no emotion of love right now, Cristian had already appreciated her care and loyalty.


    Waiting for a hundred years! How many could do that?!

 Chapter 11: Infinite Touch

    <h4>Chapter 11: Infinite Touch</h4>


    Lia led Cristian deep into the castle and they went down. He passed through a ce that looked like a dungeon, but it had no smell as Lia said she had thrown all the smelly stuff decades ago.


    They went down again and pitch darkness weed him. Suddenly, a tiny ball of scarlet mes appeared on Lia''s palms. It hovered a few inches away from her flesh and it moved to her will.


    She flicked it and it jumped from one candle to another. Cristian watched with fascination as the darkness dispersed and in its ce, the radiance of the candles.


    "Nice." he praised with pure admiration and a crimson tinge appeared on Lia''s glossy cheeks, her longshes fluttering.


    The allure that billowed off her at this moment made him gulp, and he averted his gaze. What Lia did was just a minor skill that took a negligible amount of her mana and no native of Eternity would be amazed by this, but for Cristian, who had not experienced magic throughout his life on earth, it was still new and refreshing.


    At the end of the room, a small treasure box sat on a stone tform which reached his waist when he arrived.


    There wasn''t any padlock or manual, so he turned to Lia and while she could tell him, she took this to her advantage. Guiding his arm while enjoying the feeling of her palm on his, she gently grazed his palm and a tiny gash appeared.


    Cristian hissed, but Lia calmed him by sucking his earlobe. The sensation of her wet tongue sucking his earlobe made him shiver and at that moment she pressed his palm on the box.


    His eyes shot wide open, and it shed with a green glow. A strange feeling shot through his arms and the boisterousughs and hammering bounced within his head for a while and the box opened.


    Within the boxy a pair of ck gloves with golden engravings. They both had green exotic gems. Cristian''s eyes couldn''t leave the beautiful gloves.


    "They''re beautiful," his voice sounded hypnotic, and Lia distanced herself to give him some alone time.


    He touched the gem on the left-handed glove and called out, "Inspect"


    [Infinite Touch: A pair of gloves that took a few centuries to create. A work done by the brothers; Runesmith paragon Trirbac and cksmith god Treldem, who created the first and only equipment able to contain the affinity: Decay]


    [Bound to the blood of dimir Athelstone]


    [Rank: Ancient!]


    [Character: Indestructible. Level 40 to unlock the next ability.]


    "An equipment that can make me touch without fear, with this I don''t have to be afraid of killing anything!'''' The joy in Cristian''s tone bathed the entire ce, making Lia smile.


    He had grown scared of his powers, as it wasn''t something he could just deactivate, but now with this glove, he could actually touch without a trembling heart.


    "Lia, what rank is Ancient?" he heard no reply and turned only to see Lia in shock, her eyes wide open and her cute lips parted.


    "T¡­ That''s the highest rank, weapons, and equipment of this caliber are only made by gods or paragons and it takes time, you didn''t have any item of Ancient rank before your death," Lia''s tone made him know the value of the glove in his hands but it also made him scowl.


    "It doesn''t even give any additional stats, those wicked dwarfs"


    "My Lord, how did you know who made your gloves?" Lia''s eyes glowed. She pinched her thumb and trembled like a little girl excited, for her parents were taking her to a ce she yearned for.


    "I don''t know, it just came to me," he muttered with furrowed brows and turned to the beauty he couldn''t even dream about on Earth. "And I knew that the drunkard Treldem and the gruff Trirbac made it." He said their names as though he had known them for years.


    "This is good news, my Lord. This means you might remember sooner than expected," Lia jubted and asked if he would love to take wine, but Cristian refused.


    "Then would you like a bath?" she made sure she swayed her waist while walking toward him. Her allure soothed his eyes and mind and her eyes began to twinkle with strange lights.


    "A bath and a massage would soothe both your body and soul. Don''t you think so Lord Athelstone?" Her hot breath rushed like a wave into his ears and he subconsciously nodded.


    His eyes shed, and he regained himself. A bulge had already formed on his pants and his brows furrowed. "Do not do that again. '''' The authority in his tone reverberated and Lia shivered.


    "It just happens," she exined with pitiful eyes, causing Cristian''s heart to melt ''and because I lose myself around you,'' shepleted internally and led her Lord out while making sure he feasted his eyes on her swaying juicy buttocks.


    After a while, they appeared in a room that had arge pool in the middle. The crystal clear water shimmered and the white steam rising off it raised the room''s temperature.


    Lia pushed the curtain aside and he walked in. The sudden change in temperature made him wiggle his fingers.


    Even the bathroom looked luxurious due to the chandelier, plush sofas ced before the wall, and the tray of blood-colored wine skillfully kept at a spot he could easily reach while in the pool.


    "When did you prepare all this?" Cristian couldn''t control his shock and queried, being served by such a beautiful maid couldn''t be more surreal to him.


    "A good personal maid must be one step ahead in making sure their Lord is never left waiting," her mellifluous voice slithered into his ears and her long, slender fingers trailed from his broad back to his chest.


    Her actions were seductive, but Cristian remained silent as her palms loosened the ropes and he cooperated as she slid his top off.


    He turned and stared deep into her eyes, her height just 10 cm shorter than his. Cristian saw her pause and take in the view of his sculpted body. Runes ran from both chests down his muscr arms and covered his entire back.


    "Exactly the same," he heard her whisper. Probably to herself.


    He felt her soft palms caressing his abs and trailing along his deep contours. It felt quite good, and a grunt left his lips.


    Lia looked up and saw her Lord staring down at her while biting his lower lips. His current expression almost made her flip to her demon side. However, she wanted to bathe her Lord and make him feel her love through her touch.


    She bent, unbuckled his belt, and his pants dropped to the ground, leaving Cristian exposed in all glory.


    His muscr frame was a sight to behold, and a ck boxer hid his private part. She reached out to his boxers.


    Cristian could not bear it anymore and stopped her. "I think that''s far enough. I''ll take it from here."


    He had bathed himself from when he was seven, so it felt strange when another wanted to do it.


    Lia stood up, her gaze firm, and she caressed his face. "You are no longer the man you were back in your previous world and you are no longer of that race. You are the Lord of this castle, Lord Vl-"


    She paused and took one step. The space between them vanished as their bodies connected. "You are Lord Cristian Athelstone, first of your kind, of your nature, race, affinity, and status. You are the first of everything¡­ and also the man who controls my heart."


    Along with those words, her lips made contact with his cheeks and she gazed into his emerald eyes.


    "This is who you are."


    Cristian gazed down at her and his eyes flickered. "Your presence beats that of a thousand servants. I''m lucky you stayed." his deep tone dripped with gratitude and praise.


    Once Lia removed his boxer, he walked into the water. The heat seeped into his pores and he let out a moan offort.


    "This is good," Cristian couldn''t help but speak out, his attention on the mesmerizing glows of the chandelier candles dispersed when he heard a ssh.


    Before him stood a seductive woman with a head full of silky ck hair that fell down to her shapely, plump buttocks.


    Her bra could barely contain her jiggling white mountains. Her thick fleshy thighs tugged his heartstrings and her fingers made ripples on the surface of the water, for she kept on poking it.


    Her skin was creamy white, and her horns were gone. He finally noticed her pointed ears, and it reminded him of a certain race to whom one of his betrothed belonged¡­ the elves.

 Chapter 12: Class: Flame Princess

    <h4>Chapter 12: ss: me Princess</h4>


    Cristian had no idea when he slept due to Lia''s super good massage. At first, his body gave the wrong signals and his cock rose, but he ignored it with a deadpan face.


    He could see the frustration on Lia''s face when she asked to satisfy him and he rejected. Cristian could feel his barrier falling the more he stayed close to Lia. Her allure ate up his measly defense, and the thought of getting intimate flooded his mind.


    But his dignity as a man held him back. This wasn''t just about pleasure, it was about keeping your face up when you walk in public.


    How the hell was he supposed to have sex with Lia whose stamina was in the thousands? He would have long fainted before she even broke a sweat.


    How humiliating was it that his betrothed women were also included? They all had high levels and possessed powerful affinities. They were much more powerful than Lia, who wasted most of her time fantasizing instead of training.


    With her racial talent, Lia''s level should have been more than double of what she had but she barely trained and only got this much while his fiancees all had their names on the tongues of countless bards.


    One of them had even gotten the title, THE WAR GODDESS. How was he supposed to conquer such a woman and if he surprisingly did, then he might not make it out of their room?


    He could imagine his name spreading throughout the realm and every bard telling his story of how he conquered prominent women, but they dominated him in bed.


    ''It just can''t work at this level,'' he grumbled and took a ss cup filled halfway and sipped it. '' can''t believe I need a good tier just to have s**.'' he mused inwardly.


    This was the disadvantage of having exceptional women.


    The door opened and Lia walked in. She woke up and found out her Lord wasn''t in the bed with her.


    They had slept together. Well, Cristian slept. She took him to his room and slept on the same bed while making sure he warped his arms around her waist.


    It felt so good that she couldn''t recall thest time she had such a blissful rest.


    Her eyes erged as his current poise, sitting on the throne, sipping wine with crossed legs almost made her think he had gotten his memories.


    But she calmed because had he gotten his memories, then she wouldn''t be seeing her Lord looking like someone deprived of something. Rather, she would meet a furious man enveloped in a sinister cloud of ck mist.


    The gems on his gloves gleamed softly, the same as his dazzling eyes and runes. Apart from his pants and boots, Cristian wore nothing else.


    In her ck silk gown that perfectly hugged her voluptuous curves, she made her way towards him; the slit revealing her white, thick fleshy thighs and smooth leg.


    The sound of her heels hitting the ground echoed in the silent hall and a smile that could enchant hundreds graced her lips when she saw his gaze fixated on her.


    "How was your rest, my Lord?" She stopped before the tform on which the throne stood and bowed.


    Lia made no effort to hide her true form as two curved dark crimson horns, resembling that of a dragon''s extended from the sides of her head. A pair of scaly wings on her back and a dragon-like tail just above her buttocks.


    Lia leaned towards the dragon bloodline rather than that of her mother''s bloodline.


    Her lord kept silent for a while and Lia shivered, for his silence made her panic and after a while, his soft voice rang.


    "Come closer"


    She raised her head and climbed the steps. After the sixth step, she made her way to him with an elegant gait and stood before him, her soothing scent gushing into his nostrils.


    She heard him gulp and close his eyes. Clearly trying to subdue his urge.


    However, Lia made it worse as she sat on hisp, her tail curled around his waist and she stared deep into her Lord''s emerald eyes filled with shock at her abrupt action.


    "You don''t need to go through this pain. I am yours, body, mind, and soul," she leaned closer and whispered in his ears, "Yours alone."


    Along with those words, she nted a peck on his cheeks and a brilliant smile appeared on his face.


    "It''s the wine in action," Cristian said in a raspy tone, and Lia''s brows rose in confusion. ~Mmn~ her lips parted, and he caught it.


    The feeling of her soft lips made him feel addicted, and their passionate kiss began. Taking breaks to catch their breaths, they continued to exchange saliva.


    Cristian wrapped his thick arms around her waist and lifted her up and her legs went around his waist.


    He sucked her lower lip and pry open her mouth, whilst their tongues began another battle. She moaned into his mouth as they ground their intimate parts.


    Her cute moans drove him to the edge and Cristian began losing his resolve that he just made a few minutes ago.


    He had severely underestimated the beauty of the extraordinary beings of Eternity. Lia was the epitome of seductiveness. Both her beauty andnguage drilled into the deepest part and evoked that primal desire.


    The same desire clouded Cristian''s eyes.


    Bam!


    A dull thud ran as he pressed her against the wall and their grinding got faster and so did her moans.


    Their kiss broke, and Lia went towards his neck. Her soft kisses left traces of saliva and he returned the feeling by grinding harder.


    They both stopped and stared into each other''s eyes for a moment and resumed their passionate kiss.


    Their passionate section ended after eight minutes of gulping each other''s saliva. Cristian felt like he was going crazy as it took his entire willpower to stop himself from going further.


    It felt so good, but what would be his expression when he was dead exhausted and she was staring at him without a drop of sweat on her body?


    At this moment, he stood outside staring at Lia who kept demonstrating mana cirction to him. Her control was so smooth and refreshing to watch.


    "Now try it," she said with an encouraging smile. It was fun to watch her Lord learn like a child.


    Boom!


    Cristian shot a few meters into the air and when hended, Lia''s nose had wrinkled and she snorted. "Not like those warrior brutes. All they know is to strengthen their bodies with mana. It''s stupid and they waste lots from their pool for a move that would kill just one man or beast."


    "This prejudice, you are a mage." Cristian had no idea when he walked up to Lia, and when he recovered.


    He proceeds to distance himself and coughs.


    ''Think with your head,'' he recited internally.


    "I am. I got a rare ss on the day of my awakening. You were there. Your smile was so brilliant, the same as my father''s."


    As his mood dropped, the air picked up, Lia appeared and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don''t feel bad. It''s been a century already. And my me Princess ss makes my affinity to mes just a bit below purebloods."


    "Purebloods?"


    "They''re the true dragons with a 100% ancestor bloodline. Their affinity for mes is just like yours. It affects the surroundings without their will."


    "Your ss is the me Princess and my affinity is as strong as true dragons?!"

 Chapter 13: A honey cake encounter

    <h4>Chapter 13: A honey cake encounter</h4>


    Two days with Lia had both been addicting and frustrating and it had alsoid a solid foundation, for he had learned lots.


    In those two days, he had gotten a blowj*b twice after the first time, learned meditation and how to use mana to control his surroundings to aid him in a battle.


    "I''ll make sure I hit tier two in the fastest way possible ande get you," Cristian said. His deep tone was a mix of care and affection.


    His thumb rubbed her cheeks, and her gaze made his heartache. He sealed their parting with a kiss and d in a white silk shirt, brown pants, and leather boots. He made his way into the forest.


    A path made with paved blocks stretched deep into the depths of the forest and he had no idea if it led towards the town which ording to Lia is a three hours walk.


    Even when he had gone far, her piercing gaze still bore into him. Cristian stopped and turned. He raised his hands into the air and waved.


    And the breeze intensified, his hair fluttered, and he smiled. This was Lia''s way of replying to him, but affecting the surrounding environment despite being restricted spoke heavily of her powers.


    "I''m gonna miss that naughty maid," He chuckled and bolted forward. His stats were super good for a level 7.


    Well, this was his view, but to others, his stats were unbelievable. Many were struggling to reach their twenties and his highest stats had surpassed eighty!


    Strolling through the forest path, Cristian took in the breathtaking view. Sunlight shone through the gaps from the canopies of trees and the chirping of birds painted a refreshing background, with the beautiful butterflies perched on petals of varying colors.


    "Wow," he gasped at the mesmerizing sight. But didn''t reduce his speed. A short whileter, a man leaned against a tree, panting.


    It had kept at a moderate speed for tens of minutes and as he got deeper, the paved road stopped and the forest lost its warmth.


    He couldn''t even see the sun due to the thickness of tall trees shading the ground with their branches.


    He opened the pouch Lia gave him and brought out the honey cake. The scent triggered a reaction and his stomach rumbled.


    The sight of a round brownish cake with a lighter shade, when split, made him savagely munch on the cake.


    The undying desire to first explore this world before he decides on what his life goal was going to be burned bright, but it would have been better had his perfect loving maid been beside him.


    A tiny part of him yearned to go back, but Cristian knew how stupid that would be. As a man who wanted to be in control of his life and not get tossed around, depending on someone else, even if it was Lia, could noty a firm foundation in his heart.


    He wanted to be powerful. Not for some bullshit goal of ruling the world, as that would be stupid. Why would he put such a heavy burden on himself? Spending a lifetime to train and grow only toter be shackled with the sense that you have the world beneath your feet.


    That was definitely not him. His ambition was to be truly free. To be powerful enough that nothing could hold him back. Not even the gods and paragons of this world.


    True, it couldn''t be more stupid as he aimed to be stronger than people who had long acquired their undeniable positions.


    But there wasn''t anything bad about having a dream. Besides, it''s always good to aim higher.


    "Ooo '''' he let out a loud noise and faced the skies, "This is so good, too bad Lia doesn''t have the chef ss. I''m pretty sure this cake would have given me lots of boosters."


    The moment he was done eating two honey cakes, he closed the pouch and hung it back at his waist.


    "No inventory, bummer," he mused and wiggled his fingers. He couldn''t be more satisfied with the gloves, as he could feel like they weren''t there.


    Sometimes he forgot that he had a pair of gloves that were amongst the highest-ranking artifacts in the entire realm.


    Except it doesn''t aid him in anything and for this. Cristian would forever dub those dwarfs as wicked men.


    "It shouldn''t take much time if I maintain my previous speed and follow the path," heid down his next moves in his mind and got up.


    Wiping off the sand from his butt, a rustleing from behind made him pause. He balled his hands into fists and slowly turned his head.


    His breathing got louder and he could sense a presence behind him. The reverberating roar of the brown bear that stood on its two feet made his hair flutter.


    He could hear the pping sounds of fleeing birds and other smaller animals. They all scampered with trembling hearts.


    "Honey cake¡­ honey! I should have known," Cristian sighed in regret as Lia had told him the honey came from tier 2 bees.


    The allure of their honey could draw bears from miles away. The system had stated this after Lia spoke, but it fled his mind because of the nightly services generously given by his loving maid.


    He saw the bear roar again, this time much louder, and his ears almost bled. The beast must have gotten angry since he just stared back at it.


    ''Inspect,'' he called out internally.


    [...]


    [scarlet-eyed Bear]


    [Name: Angry Eater { a name bestowed by an elf who saw a cute bear and fed it an entire basket of honey cakes.}


    [Level: 14]


    [Innate skills: mighty roar, thick skin, massive strength, swipe]


    "You gotta be kidding me. An elf saw this hideous-looking monster and called it cute! And it''s after me because the elf made it addicted to honey cakes!" Cristian couldn''t wrap his head around how that certain elf thought.


    And Angry Eater, what sort of name was that?


    His pupils dted, and he leaped back. The moment he did so, he thanked his stars as the bear lunged forward and made a swipe, its sharp ws making a deep cut on the tree Cristian had leaned on.


    "That must be the swipe skill," he mused, and his Adam''s apple moved up and down. He felt the air pick up as it made that move, signaling the use of the mana in the surroundings and thus a skill.


    ''The name certainly doesn''t do justice to the skill,''


    Bam!


    Despite its savage and fear-inducing looks, Cristian couldn''t pass up a free power-up. Each level took him closer to the first tier.


    Tier 0 had no worth anywhere. Should anyone see his tier, then an unending surge ofughter would follow.


    And his desire to find where earthlings had transmigrated to was because of his ambition. He wanted to find the only woman he almost got into a rtionship with; his gym instructor.


    At least make sure she wasn''t dead and if she would join him in his adventures, then it''s even better.


    "Oh yeah, I can''t forget Delh," he muttered, applied pressure to his legs, and leaped high enough to grab a thick branch and sit on it.


    His emotions about Delh wereplex. On one hand, he felt guilty for ignoring her, even when she was so caring. He had once gathered the courage to ask if she had feelings for him and she rejected it tly.


    Her firm expression made him know she only cared as a friend and their discussion got awkward for a while.


    It became normal when he met the gym instructor whom he had also lost faith in, even though she confessed her feelings for him.


    "I guess I''m lucky after all," he mused and slid off his gloves. The gym instructor already had an arranged fiancee, nned by both her family and his. Their marriage was supposed to ur in two weeks.


    Bam! He leaped from the branch andnded a straight punch to the bear''s jaws. The beast roared, but his affinity had apanied that punch, and his love for his affinity grew with each passing day.


    He ducked andnded another punch, and the bear fell to the ground. His high-strength stats hurt the beast, but his affinity did the major work.


    In a matter of sixty seconds, Cristian watched as the aging process of the bear fastened by a million times, and all that remained was ash.


    Beings without Affinities were much easier to kill as those that had could fight back whilst some could purge out the decay but that part of their body would forever remain dead.


    Except they visited the church and got the rare holy water.


    [You have killed a level 14 scarlet-eyed bear. Strength of 1, level +1]


    "Status," he called out in a rxed tone.

 Chapter 14: Forbidden domain

    <h4>Chapter 14: Forbidden domain</h4>


    [>status<]


    [Name: Cristian/ dimir Athelstone.]


    [level: 8]


    [Race: Dark Huma]


    [ss: Dark Berserker]


    [Title: Lord of the Night Castle]


    [Affinity: Decay {Bane of all life}]


    [ss abilities: Decay {opened}, heavy weapon mastery {opened}, regeneration {opened}, unknown {locked}, unknown, {locked}, unknown {locked}.]


    >stats<


    [Health: 100 {100}]


    [Strength: 82{10}]


    [Agility: 64{10}]


    [Dexterity: 30{10}]


    [Intelligence: 45{10}]


    [Stamina: 40{10}]


    [Mana pool: 225]


    His mana pool had refilled since he spent two days doing nothing except learning how to control the mana in his surroundings. There weren''t any training weapons, so he could not gain some knowledge of how to handle weapons.


    "Bane of all life. That''s new, and doesn''t sound nice at all." Cristian didn''t need to guess an outsider''s expression when he/she spots his status.


    ''Regeneration, huh? Does this mean my arms can regrow or just a wound?'' his thoughts ran wildly but dispersed when a mild glow caught his eyes.


    A treasure box hovered above the ashes of the bear. "Finally, the fruit of mybor," his cheeky voice rang and as he touched the wooden box, it burst into particles and a coat fell on the ground.


    The brown fur matched the one the bear had, and while exquisitely made, it emanates a wild vibe and a dominating presence like that of a bear.


    ''Inspect''


    [...]


    [Scarlet coat: made from the soft fur of a bear, resistant to cold. Strength +5]


    [Rank: Common]


    [character: wild aura]


    ''Common? I didn''t expect better. Too bad it''s not snowing, but it''sfortable though,'' he wore the thick coat that reached his knees and snuggled himself. "Soft," he moaned and resumed his journey.


    Equipment ofmon rank was the lowest, for boxes, after Common came Rare, Epic, Diamond, Mythical, and Ancient.


    Higher-ranked items came from high-ranked treasure boxes and were gained from the corpses of powerful beasts.


    Cristian had questioned Lia about this and she told him that the beings at the Sacrifice forest belong to someone, so in exchange, he would level up faster but there won''t be any drops.


    Awoo! Awoo!


    The howls of a wolf pack quaked his eardrums. The leaves rustled, and the ground vibrated as countless prey ran toward their hiding ce.


    "Shit! Just when I spoke about Luck." Cristian cursed, for the growls of a nearby wolf had drilled into his ears.


    The dried leaves made rustling sounds as the soles of his boots made contact. His speed made his hair flutter, and the pouch bounced, but he tied it well so he wasn''t worried about losing it.


    The guttural growl of a wolf slithered into his ears, and he halted. He almost fell, but stopped his face from kissing the ground with his palms.


    The growls got louder, and he raised his head. His hair covered his face, but he could see from the gaps.


    Three dire wolves came out. Their towering height and piercing blue eyes made his spine tingle. They were even bigger than thergest tiger he had ever seen. The biggest one lunged at him and he quickly rolled to his right.


    The path he stood on had no grass, and it also made it a lot harder to get lost, but now that three wolves stood before him, he had no way forward.


    Cristian clenched his hands and got ready to pummel these oversized dogs. Even when hungry, they still stared at him cautiously and crept forward in sync.


    ''Inspect''


    [...]


    [Wind wolf]


    [Name: soldier 234]


    [level: 20]


    [Innate skills: swipe, lunge, wind st, great speed, pack call]


    His eyes widened. '' level twenty!''


    Bam!


    His boot made a small dent in the soil and he bolted into the thick forest, leaving the cleared path.


    It was a matter of survival here and there were three level twenty elemental wolves after him. One, he might fight a bloody battle and maybee out on top, but three!


    Cristian couldn''t see any oue that he survived.


    Awoo! Awoo!


    He quickly scratched that number. The number of wolves was definitely higher than three. The howls from the distance made sure he didn''t forget that.


    Whoosh!~thwark!


    As he ran, apressed, transparent arc mmed into a thick tree and it fell. Cristian''s eyes nearly popped out because that tree stood just a meter away from him. To run in a straight line wasn''t a good idea.


    The thick grasses that came up to his thighs made it hard for him to run at full speed. He could hear the growls of the wolves as they closed the gap.


    They were rulers of this domain and had hunted here for years. The grasses aided them in sneak attacks againstrger prey. They had long adapted and now ruled.


    A thick vine caught his leg, and he fell, his top became stained by the moist soil. "Ahh!" Cristian yelled with furious eyes.


    His fingers wrapped around the snake like a vine that coiled around his leg and ripped it off. In that same motion, he twisted his waist and used the thick vine like a whip to smack the wolf that had lunged toward him with its sharp teeth exposed.


    The force of 82 strength stat, coupled with the swinging motion, made the vine a deadly whip, and a loud sound rang as it hit the wolf''s face.


    Cristian dropped the vine, which wiggled like a cut-off tail, and ran. He could hear the wolf whispering and suddenly, with a piercing sound, it stopped.


    And he could hear the sound of something big being dragged. It did not take long for him to recognize that a different beast, or maybe whatever was attached to that vine, had killed the wolf.


    But he didn''t rx as more howls echoed and a good number of wolves made their way toward this path.


    Both he and the beast that killed a pack member were in danger. And Cristian did not stupidly think of meeting up with that disgusting vine beast.


    The grass got taller the deeper he went. Cristian could not see a shred of sunlight, as the trees had sealed it off with their canopies.


    The soil was so soft that every step he took caused his feet to sink and his linen top clung to his body, revealing his skin.


    He could hear the powerful beat of his heart and with each thump, he marched forward, some leaves stuck to his hair, face, and body, but Cristian didn''t care.


    ''I will not be a meal for any beast!'' he hollered internally. His eyes burned with a steadfast will to survive.


    After moving for an unknown amount of time, he fell to the ground panting, his wet hair stuck to his face and with each exhale, he yearned to find a suitable spot and rest his weary body.


    Suddenly, he finds out there were no more howls or growls. The wolves had given up for a while, but Cristian didn''t realize it and kept on moving deeper.


    Strangely, he had not encountered anyrge beast. And rarely saw the small ones. He guessed the tyranny of the wolves must have driven off other predators to find a better and more forgiving hunting ground.


    And most of the prey might have gone to a safer ce.


    But right now, he couldn''t hear any sound. Not even the sound of a cricket or a frog taking a nap. Cristian summoned the screen and zoomed in on the map. "Fuck, I''m lost," he cursed whilst panic rose and his breath got more rapid.


    However, he noticed a tiny red line and found out it was the path to the town. He just needed to find his way back to the red line.


    The eerie silence of this ce heightened his vignce. The fog covered the distance, but the short, weird-looking trees with vines coiled around their trunks and branches made Cristian quickly turn back.


    He knew one thing; this ce was not normal, and he would not stay long enough to find out why. Not at this level.


    Unknown to Cristian, he had entered a forbidden domain. He took five steps backward, turned back, and got ready to bolt, but what he saw made his jaw drop.

 Chapter 15: Medusa, the ice gem snake

    <h4>Chapter 15: Medusa, the ice gem snake</h4>


    Voluptuous women swayed their bodies to the rhythm of strange music. A transparent white cloth hid their boobs and waists.


    And it made them even more tempting. Their lustrous locks of hair cascaded down their slender backs and their skin possessed a glow that yearned for attention.


    Precious jewels hung around their necks. A bright blue pendant rested between their maic white mountains.


    Their cleavage was so deep that he could get lost inside.


    An internal battle erupted in his mind as a seductive whisper corrupted his thoughts. Urging him to go to the beauties.


    At the same time, it felt so strange. His memories blurred as he doubted if he was really in a forest moments ago.


    He turned and several women and men scantily dressed filled therge hall. Countless beauties swarm in a massive pool that dominates the middle of the hall.


    He could hear moans,ughter, and tempting giggles. The luxurious nature of the people confused him. They made tes and cups from gold and silver.


    Their jewelry was authentic gold. A dream for countless men and women.


    A heavenly ce to rx, eat sumptuous dishes meant for kings, bed first-ss beauties exclusively kept for royalty, wear the beast jewelry, and live a life without worry.


    A voluptuous beauty, with a massive chest, wide hips, and fat buttocks, that the linen cloth that could be ripped with a mere tug couldn''t hide. Her elegant gait swirled with a seductive purpose.


    Her slender waist became more pronounced, for the glimmering essory to her waist drew attention to her t tummy and cute navel.


    She stuck out her tongue andthered her plump lips. The saliva made her red lips more inviting. Yearning for a passionate kiss.


    He shook his head and blinked, but the seductive woman did not vanish. ''Is she real?'' he queried internally.


    And a whisper answered him, urging him to embrace his carnal desires and indulge in the pleasures of the flesh.


    Cristian''s will slowly crumble as the voluptuous woman began dancing before him while pressing her softness against his pants.


    The other side gained more ground as two more women arrived. Their electric touches made his spine tingle, and he gulped.


    "I''m real, Lord Athelstone," the first woman spoke, leaned closer, and licked his neck. Cristian''s eyes shot open, and he created a respectful distance.


    Separating himself from the women. Their eyes shone with bewilderment and one giggled and whispered to the other.


    Strangely, her words rang in her ears. "He''s shy."


    Those words riled him up. Every fiber of his being urged pounding this woman till she lost the ability to walk.


    From an unknown source, rage seeped into his mind, corrupting his thoughts and molding them toward filling these women up.


    His eyes became clouded, and withrge strides, he arrived before the first woman and ripped off the cloth that covered her chest.


    Her massive white mountains jiggled and the other voice pushed him to stuff these delicious-looking boobs into his mouth.


    He grabbed her boobs roughly, and the woman moaned. Her seductive moan fueled his desire and his lips etched toward her mounds.


    "Lord Athelstone"


    Another woman purred as she nted kisses on his neck. Along with those words, Lia''s voice echoed and his eyes widened.


    His expression changed as green mes burned in his emerald eyes and the lustful desires and whispers vanished.


    [New ss skill unlocked: Eyes of Truth and Mind.]


    [Eyes of truth and mind: see through any deceptions and facade. All inner thoughts will beid bare before thine eyes, manipting the hearts.]


    The hall and everything within burned like wallpaper, and he found himself back in the forest, but he wasn''t alone.


    Hiss~


    He raised his head and almost fainted from an enormous snake with a head sorge that it could match the size of apact car gazed at him.


    Its bucket-sized attractive blue eyes bore deep into him. He marveled at the ivory white rhombus-shaped scales that matched its eyes.


    The remaining length disappeared in the fog, but from what he could see, its length would be impossible to imagine


    An angry hiss left its lips, the exposed fangs dripped with an icy liquid. A single droplet froze a good portion of the grasses and sent chills down his spine.


    Goosebumps popped all over his body as a scalding feeling of being powerless enveloped him. The fog must have been because of the ice affinity of the snake, and he couldn''t figure out how such an enormous creature would consider a tiny human like him.


    He couldn''t even fill the gaps in its teeth.


    His fingers felt cold, not due to the snake''s affinity but because of fear. ''Inspect,'' he muttered inwardly, to see if he had any chance of survival.


    [...]


    [Ice gem snake]


    [Name: Medusa]


    [level:?? Tier: ??]


    [Innate skills: illusion, ice, ???]


    ''There''s no hope then. Why didn''t you go with that!'' Cristian screamed inwardly. His muscr frame trembled, and he slowly lowered his torso.


    "I won''t eat you, Human," a seductive voice left Medusa''s mouth and her forked tongue flickered. The hiss that left her lips seemed to resonate with the forest.


    Her voice was enough to melt other thoughts in her prey''s mind and make them submit themselves. The allure drilled deep and reformed the thoughts, making them trust her words.


    "I know," he said with a positive nod, and the next moment, Cristian bolted, like a hunting cheetah, and he vanished into the depths.


    Medusa''s eyes shed with fury. Cristian''s actions seemed stupid and annoying to her.


    No one had met her and escaped, and this prey had a special scent. One that could guarantee her sess to the next tier.


    She had been searching for a way to bypass the harsh evolution mission given by the system and eating this human could solve her problems.


    However, she got curious when he broke her illusion. A mere tier 0 human with no bloodline to speak of. It sparked her intuition to know more, but when he ran, fury clouded her eyes.


    He could hear the snake closing the distance and despite pouring everything he had into his legs, the oue remained the same.


    Suddenly, he felt a biting cold creep up his back and he fell to the ground. That action saved his life as the trees and grasses ahead became ice sculptures.


    Everything, even the ground, was included.


    Whirring sounds drilled into his ears and he shot off the ground and bolted in another direction. Spinning ice petals sliced everything in their path as they followed him like homing missiles.


    ''You have got to be kidding me!'' he yelled internally, grabbed a branch, and spun around.


    His abrupt change of direction made an ice petal pierce into the trunk of a thick tree and it melted after a while.


    The trees made it hard for Medusa to catch up with Cristian and he knew that, which was why he moved deep into the forest.


    Running back to the red line would be a stupid thing as the trees there were sparse and he would be a cornered prey.


    And as he said, he wasn''t prepared to die, not now, not ever!


    He could hear trees being uprooted due to the snake''s massive size. And as he moved further away, Medusa couldn''t control her fury and her magic went out of control.


    An ice st shattered everything in its path, coating them in ice and also enveloping the ce in fog.


    Cristian couldn''t rest after dealing with the ice petals because the rming presence of the ice st made his mind spin into action.


    He kept running, for it got weaker, but Cristian found out he could not outrun the st and while it approached, he hid behind a tall tree.


    Bam! The ice st finally died, but it had hit the tree and the impact uprooted the tree and froze it. The impact had sent Cristian into the air, which was a good thing, for he would have frozen, but another problem arose.


    He rolled on the ground. The roughnding made groans leave his lips, and his face became ruddy.


    [Health: 80 {100} - 20]


    He sighed while gazing at his life bar. Blood stained his teeth as that impact had broken four ribs.


    But he didn''t lose hope, as the gushing sound of a waterfall gave him a method of escaping.

 Chapter 16: I AM A LORD!

    <h4>Chapter 16: I AM A LORD!</h4>


    He pressed his palm against his abdomen and shot to his feet. With heavy steps, he dashed forward.


    Medusa''s skills; illusion and ice were visible because she had used them.


    Cristian knew ice petals and ice st would certainly appear should he cast inspect on her again.


    He had few ideas on how things worked and the appearance of tier meant she could be a tier one, two, or even three!


    Her angry hiss echoed from the distance, and the fog had covered a good part of the forest.


    The chill alone had killed many beasts.


    He halted and took in the unique but chilling sight before him. Behind him; a thick foggy forest and before him a cliff!


    The solid ground beneath his feet and the sharp rocks that upied the distance down to the dark depths made him uncertain about taking this route.


    The powerful sounds of water pping against the rocky terrain from the depths of the cliff quaked his eardrums.


    He could either take a leap of faith and jump, hoping he won''t meet his demise by mming into the rock instead of the water.


    Or turn back and seek a much safer path.


    Still unable to decide, he went to the edge and looked down.


    The depths were so dark that he couldn''t spot anything, but the sshing sounds confirmed his guess about the waterfall.


    The eerie sight did not match what he pictured.


    Bam! Thud!


    Cristian turned and saw trees falling. Her iconic fog had already covered his legs and her sonorous whisper battled with his inner thoughts.


    "Medusa," he sighed with defeat, her presence blocking other paths, leaving only one. "I guess you''ve won¡­ for now."


    He fell with his back. As she watched the foolish human fall down the cliff, her eyes widened. "NO!"


    Cracking sounds rang along with groans that spoke heavily of the pains Medusa went through. After a few minutes, she stood at the edge of the cliff.


    Lustrous silver hair flowed down to her bare buttocks, her fair skin exposed to the world. She stood on the edge, her slender frame and magnificent aura painted a serene picture.


    The white scales on her forearms, cheeks, and boobs ruined her exotic beauty. A pair of bright blue eyes burned with fury as she gazed down.


    There wasn''t any sight of the foolish human, and it served to fuel her anger. That ''tonic'' could have aided her in reaching the next tier and gaining a perfect body.


    She couldn''t enter the cities of sentient races with her current looks. All races abhorred monsters, for they were beings of frightening strength, had sentient thoughts, and could hide amongst them.


    Monsters weren''t beasts. Beasts could not gain human form even if they reached the highest tier.


    "I will find you Athelstone, I will find you and relish the horror on your face before I eat you." Medusa''s seductive voice spread into the distance. Her forked tongue made a circr motion, and she closed her mouth.


    As she vanished into the forest, the fog slowly dispersed and the forest regained its serenity.


    _


    _


    A green-haired man crept to the shores, his drenched clothes stuck to his body, and his chest rose and fell whilst he sucked in the fresh air.


    He had moved along with the flow of the surprisingly deep stream. Taking deep breaths and going back into the water had been his routine for almost three hours!


    Death had shed before his eyes a couple of times, but he held on. His stamina had reached zero and even breathing became a hard task.


    His arms trembled, and he fainted on the shore.


    Time flew by and the moon reced the two suns. Its refreshing silvery glow illuminated the forest and a pair of emerald eyes opened.


    "A¡­ alive, I see," he mused, turned, and faced the skies. His encounter still made his spine tingle, for he had been extremely lucky. He removed his right boot, turned it upside down, and a small amount of water came out.


    Cristian did the same to the left boot and stood up. He groaned as his body ached. Removing both his shirt and pants and squeezing them, Cristian took off a rope from his shirt and tied his hair.


    With his clothes and undergarments gone, Cristian stood buck naked. Yet it did not embarrass him in the slightest.


    "Looks okay, I hope the cakes are not soaked, '''' he said to himself, squatting and opening the pouch. To his relief, both the cakes and other wrapped preserved food were in good shape.


    he didn''t ponder about how the pouch could stop water from soaking its content for he gazed at the map on his retina.


    "I''m close to a town," his jubnt tone expressed his emotions, but it soon faded as he read the name.


    "Darkston? I thought it was Grayston."


    Lia had filled him in on the details, what to expect, and how to gain the town head''s favor so he could be granted a teleportation spot to the city.


    He scanned the map thoroughly and, to his dismay, the current had moved him far away from his destination. His information about Grayston went down the drain.


    With a reluctant sigh, he wore his clothes and entered the forest. ording to the map, it should not be long before he arrives at Darkston.


    Once he got there, then he would n his next move. There was no gain inining, especially when he stood in a forest.


    After a while, Cristian''s eyes were wide open as a beautiful sceney before him. A glow of silvery light from the moon cascaded down onto the surface of the dazzling pond.


    It sparkled like silver. The resting rabbits and other cute creatures elevated the impact, and a sighced with awe and admiration left his lips.


    "Such beauty," he praised and squatted. A replica of his image appeared on the mirror-like surface.


    Suddenly, the calm surface rippled. He raised his head and his eyes widened. A woman came out of the water!


    Her sky-blue hair clung to her slender back, and the transparent droplets made her milky white skin more tantalizing.


    She did not know a man stood behind her. Cristian squinted further as her firm, round white buttocks appeared while she left the water.


    "Who are you?" her calm voice slithered into his ears and brought him back to his senses. He stood up and watched how the beauty elegantly wore her panties and then her bra.


    The moment she finished, Cristian was taken aback, for she turned to face him and her oval face, azure eyes, and sharp willowy brows affirmed his guess that a woman with such an appealing behind would surely be an extraordinary beauty.


    While her beauty could notpare to Lia, the blue-haired woman stood proudly above every model he had ever seen.


    She squeezed her hair, and their gaze met. "You are not from my town." Her firm tone stated that this wasn''t a question, but a realization.


    "I''m that obvious. '''' He leaned against a tree, folded his arms, and scrutinized the woman who had notshed out at him since he had seen her naked.


    "And youck the training of a gentleman," she scowled, and Cristian burst intoughter. His boisterous voice rippled through the air and the woman frowned.


    "I was never one to begin with," he replied and to his shock, a circr diagram appeared around the pond and he was included in its reach.


    Voom!


    Bam!


    His knees hit the ground with a loud sound, a heavy pressure bore down on him, causing his bones to hurt.


    "I don''t like shameless men for a start, and you look like one of the lecherous scouts from the Wolf Dark Lord."


    With great struggle, he lifted his head and saw her eyes glowing, the tattoos on her arms and thighs glowed and as she moved her fingers, a strange diagram formed.


    ''Arcane mage,'' that name clicked with the sight before him. Mages skilled in formations, summons, and diagram spells.


    Her feet left the ground, and she began mumbling. His eyes shed "I AM NOT A SCOUT!"


    "I AM A LORD."

 Chapter 17: Step sisters; Anna and Shelia

    <h4>Chapter 17: Step sisters; Anna and Shelia</h4>


    His bones quaked, but his persistence was unending. "So you admit to being a Dark Lord, then." Her sonorous tone echoed. To Cristian''s dismay, she did not stop her spell and in a matter of seconds, it would bepleted.


    He gritted his teeth and touched his gloves, even though he might not be able to kill her. He had faith his affinity would leave permanent damage.


    The tension rose drastically as they were both ready to collide. However, a melodious voice broke the tension.


    Causing both Cristian and the blue-haired woman to turn. A golden-haireddy, d in a pristine white robe, walked into the scene.


    Her golden eyes shone with innocence, a woman who stood away from the impurities of the world. Her braided golden hair had a flower at the end.


    The peaceful allure in her voice soothed Cristian''s heart. She waved her hands. The diagram dispersed, and he felt free.


    She bowed and sped her palms. "I apologize for my sister''s actions¡­ but it''s not proper to stare at a nakeddy who is not your wife."


    Cristian''s eyes shed, and his lips rose. Her delicate face and slender frame would drive countless warriors on a mission to stay by her side and protect her until theirst breath.


    "I apologize," he said, not to the blue-haired woman but to the golden-haired woman. An enchanting smile graced her red lips and cute dimples appeared on her cheeks.


    "But this pervert had the audacity to stare even when I caught him. His lecherous thoughts knew no bounds!" the blue-haired woman retorted.


    "Shelia, stop it! He''s the warrior that was sent to help us." Anna; the golden-haired girl scolded the blue-haired woman with a reproachful tone.


    Cristian felt both amused and bewildered. The golden-haired girl looked much younger than She. Both their faces and their assets said it all. And how did he end up as some proimed warrior?


    She stared at him with shocked eyes. Her gaze flickered and lit up. Seeing that light, Cristian knew she had found something to use against him.


    "This pervert is no warrior. Have you ever seen a warrior without his armor and, most importantly, his weapon?!"


    Her words made Anna frown and Cristian, who was about to use this to his advantage, felt furious. ''When have I offended thisdy?'' he queried internally and the image of her nice, round buttocks shed before his eyes.


    It turned out she wasn''t as calm as he thought. "I lost my equipment because I had to escape from a monster. My amour would have made me drown. Besides, I don''t think you can do any better against Medusa."


    The moment they heard that name, both girls became stunned. "Y.. you met Medusa and survived!" She eximed with wide eyes.


    "I did, and I sustained injuries," Cristian added before She would find something else that might be asking for evidence.


    Ten minutester, Cristian came out of the forest along with two beauties. He enjoyed chatting with the innocent Anna and Ignored Shelia, who still kept an eye on him.


    Her robe hugged her soft curves, highlighting the tempting softness underneath. Shelia''s voluptuous shape could draw the primal desire of many men. "Your gloves look beautiful, an exquisite work. The enchanter must be a rare talent." Anna''s voice brought his attention back to her.


    "He is and thanks for thepliment, I would assure that he knows a beautymends his work."


    Her flushed cheeks almost prompted him to have a pinch, but he resisted the urge and admired her refined elegance.


    He could hear She snort and he turned, his emerald eyes glowed [Eyes of truth and mind, activated.]


    "A beauty who has an equally refined and gorgeous sister." His ss skill made those words which should have aggravated her cause a different reaction.


    Her cheeks became ruddy whilst she pouted. Her cute looks had no semnce to the woman who aimed to kill him ten minutes ago.


    He wanted to try inspecting them, but he feared they could notice it. That would throw the image he had built in these ten minutes.


    Cristian did not know he could speak in such a way and it was quite smooth. Hisnguage back on earth might rub the girls the wrong way, so he took the safer route.


    While he felt a blockage when he tried to manipte her thoughts, to gain such a reaction made him feel giddy.


    Such an ability, it felt so overpowered, but his level limited its capability. However, while it worked on She, he couldn''t get past the barrier around Anna.


    She turned out to be a powerhouse. "Hump, I''ve met men like you. All you seek is to bed me." Shelia came back to her senses and scoffed. She had no idea Cristian had tampered with her thoughts.


    "Then would you love to be treated with disgust and contempt?" he shot her a nce and saw her expression change.


    Anna covered her mouth and giggled. She had never seen her sister this flustered and speechless before.


    Usually, she trashed men with none being able to stand up to her. Cristian had sessfully woven his way into both girls'' hearts and left a good image. Although he wasn''t sure about She.


    He felt troubled because the girls wanted him to fight something that they couldn''t handle. He must have been mistaken to be some warrior because he possessed the weakest aura and Cristian was also bewildered as both girls had not cast inspection on him.


    ''Maybe people find it disrespectful,'' he mused. Well, an individual''s identity would be revealed in the status so many would not like the feeling of being seen through by strangers.


    "We''re here," Anna''s bubbly tone snapped his thoughts. A tall wooden wall made of thick trunks stood in the distance.


    He could see mes burning at the light post and the silhouettes of soldiers patrolling. Few people dressed in dirty clothes with farming tools made their way through the gates.


    "This is Darkston. It''s much smaller than I expected," Cristian said out loud, causing both Anna and Shelia to stare at his sculpted face.


    "You''re from a far-away city, it seems. The Dark Wolf Lord has been terrorizing us for two years now. Many have fled, but those whose livelihood is here, stayed." Anna exined in a troubled tone.


    "Then why did you stay? It should not be a problem for both of you to leave."


    "It''s not, but this is our birthnd. We can''t just run away and let a dark lord ravage it." She''s firm tone rang, and Cristian exhaled.


    "Then why haven''t you sought help from neighboring towns?" as those words left his lips, the air stilled.


    Hatred shed in both girls'' eyes. "Our chief has done all he could, but none of them agreed to help. Those cruel bastards want both sides to suffer harm and they would swoop in to pick the spoils."


    She''s words dripped with anger and hatred.


    In all this, Cristian realized something. If they could invite a warrior from far away then, there must be an alluring reward.


    A warrior would not do charity work. He could see lots of gains from this. This dark lord must be some kind of dungeon lord and dungeons have rewards.


    This might be a chance to get a suitable weapon since Lia warned him against using his powers in public.


    "The priestess is back!" a booming voice, probably from a guard, echoed.

 Chapter 18: Heirloom

    <h4>Chapter 18: Heirloom</h4>


    ''Priestess?'' he said inwardly, his gaze towards Anna changed as he realized why she looked this young.


    Priests or priestesses were blessed by the holy race through the church and the pure light affinity vitalizes their bodies, making them revert to their younger looks.


    "What?" she queried in a shy tone. Her cheeks became ruddy because Cristian had been staring for a while.


    "I''m short of words. I could never imagine walking beside such a beautiful priestess." The red hue on her cheeks became more pronounced. She quickened her steps and created a gap between them.


    Cristian chuckled as her innocent and shy nature made her extremely cute. She snorted and went after her sister.


    The soldiers gazed at the sisters with respect and at him with curiosity. His inspection revealed that there weren''t any guests, merchants, or travelers that had entered this small town for years!


    This would have been a huge dilemma without the current protection of being some warrior. "How did you know I''m the one you''re looking for?" he tuned his question in such a way that Anna had no suspicion.


    "Well, I was told by the seer that I would find you at the Nile stream, and fret not. The chief shall grant you a suitable weapon."


    She shed a heartwarming smile and, together with She; they went straight to the stone manor that dominated the center of the town.


    "Halt!" a guard d in brown leather armor hollered whilst his grip on the wooden shaft of his long spear tightened.


    The other guard grabbed the touch, hung on the square pir, and raised it. His irises dted when he spotted Anna''s iconic white robe. It had golden embroidery at the helm and sides.


    He kicked the ground, dust rose, and the sand made the first guard turn. "The priestess," he whispered, but his dumb partner frowned.


    "It''s the priestess you oaf!" With clenched teeth and saliva spilling out, he spoke in a higher tone.


    "Hehe," Anna, who had arrived at this point, giggled "It''s nothing, h, you are just performing your duty." her warm tone diffused the guard''s tension.


    They were quite stunned to see a stranger with such a charming face that they feared he would corrupt the minds of their wives.


    They opened the thick wooden door, and the trio walked in. A few momentster, Derek found himself before the chief of Darkston.


    The gray-haired man sat on a wooden throne. His cloudy eyes peered into the void, whilst a dark, deste aura hovered above him.


    A thick bear''s fur coat, much thicker than Cristian''s, gave him an air of authority. The wrinkles on his face doubled as a wry smile appeared on his lips.


    "Don''t trouble yourself, priestess Anna. Go back to the city because we are doomed." His deep aged tone wasced with a thick sense of destion, echoed in the spacious room.


    The candles ced at calcted positions illuminated the room, and Cristian could see different stuffed animal heads.


    "We have found the warrior I spoke about. With his help, we can kill the Dark Wolf Lord." Anna said with fervor. Cristian felt stunned due to the amount of trust she had in him.


    "A warrior? Heh. how can a single warrior help us?" The chief lost hope long ago. From the moment he found out they wouldn''t receive help from other towns, his hope went up in smoke.


    "CHIEF! He can help us. He''s the only one that has survived against Medusa!" Shelia, who kept silent all this while, yelled.


    Her overbearing gait revealed she had little respect for the chief, who had been nothing but a coward when the reality of being left alone to face the Dark Wolf Lord hit him.


    "He fought Medusa? Is she dead?" his murky eyes glowed as he queried about Medusa''s possible demise. It would be one good news that would apany him to his grave.


    "Sadly, she''s not." the blue-haired beauty shot a nce at Cristian and sighed. "The highest level we have is just 37, and it''s you, Shelia. You have gone against him a couple of times and you know he would never allow you to get close enough to cast a spell. If a mage of your caliber can''t stop him, then what makes you think he will?"


    A sigh echoed, and they turned to Cristian, who had swallowed enough of this miserable drama. He wasn''t here to stand and watch this bag of bones spout rubbish about their doom.


    The chief is no longer young, so death might be less scary for him, but he had an unknown but probably bright adventurous life ahead of him.


    He had figured out his role in all this. The warrior who didn''t arrive, and they mistook him for the same person, was meant to take She close enough for her to kill the dungeon lord.


    None of their warriors were strong enough, so they needed a capable shield, but the warrior did not consider their offer and ignored it. And he might do the same.


    Cristian would lend a hand to save people in need, especially with their lives at stake, but only when he had the capacity.


    The moment he heard the highest level, Cristian no longer took himself as being weak and he suspected Anna had the protection of a powerful being, which was why he couldn''t manipte or see her thoughts.


    She''s shoulders trembled. She could not imagine that they came back here to help the town, but this spineless old man just sat on hisfy chair and wallowed in despair. She had thrown herself into danger for this town while both he and his equally spineless son hid behind the sturdy stones of their manor.


    Suddenly, Cristian ced his palm on her shoulder, causing her to turn. A smile graced his lips and his eyes glowed with ghastly green mes.


    [Eyes of truth and mind, activated.]


    "I''ve got this."


    His reassuring tone stunned her. And She stood to the side. She wanted to see how Cristian would either make a fool of himself and get thrown out by the guards or turn the situation around, which was almost impossible.


    "Hey, old man. Give me a weapon and tonight to get some things done, then I would make sure your mage gets the head of that dungeon lord." the ghastly mes in his eyes shed in the chief''s murky eyes and his irises lost their glow.


    ''Give him your best weapon and the town will live. He can do it, not many can survive from Medusa.''


    While these thoughts sounded like him, the chief had no idea. It was Cristian manipting his weak-willed mind.


    Cristian couldn''t be happier when he realized manipting the thoughts of those with lower stats did not consume mana.


    The chief was indeed higher than him in level, but Cristian had the advantage of his new race, which boosted his stats to rival those ranging from level 20 to level 30!


    But to utilize his stats, which had a mix of both mage and warrior but leaned more toward the warrior path, he needed a weapon.


    Cristian''snguage surprised Anna and She, for he previously talked like a noble and now, his tone and aura reminded them of his identity as a warrior.


    They watched in shock as the stubborn chief agreed, called his son, and told him to get their heirloom.


    Both girls had no idea that the chief''s family had an heirloom, and he never bothered telling them about it when it might have been of help.


    They patiently waited for a few minutes, and distant footsteps rang. Soon the chief''s son, d in a thick furry coat, head warmer, loose brown pants, and thick leather boots, walked into the hall with a weapon.


    He presented it to his father, who caressed the scabbard with a passionate gaze. His murky eyes cleared and memories of his family''s glory days shed through them.


    With a grunt, he stood up, each step deep and filled with purpose; both girls and the chief''s son watched as the chief stood before Cristian.


    "This is your payment, brave warrior. I hope you treat it with love and care, for it will also protect you from the Thorn''s touch."


    Cristian''s eyes shed when he heard that unfamiliar name, but he shrugged it off and took the great sword.


    The strange design of the crossguard made him feel awe, for it resembled those weapons owned by game characters, which made him drool.


    The hilt looked thinpared to the broad de hidden by the scabbard. ''Inspect,'' he said inwardly, but nothing happened.


    Cristian feared the sort of thing. He shot a nce at the old man, who stared at him with eager eyes. Waiting for him to draw the de.


    ~Shing!~


    The sound of metal sliding against metal rang loudly as he pulled out the de. The silvery surface shone mildly, whilst Cristian and the sisters admired the craftsmanship.


    At that moment, texts appeared on his retina.


    [...]

 Chapter 19: Burning Fury

    <h4>Chapter 19: Burning Fury</h4>


    [...]


    [Burning Fury: A great sword forged and sworn to protect Darkston. Its power is enough to pierce through lower species below the Mortal tier{ Ist tier}. Strength + 35]


    [Rank: Rare.]


    [Character: mes.]


    [Requirements: strength; 70.]


    ''Tsk, devious old man,'' he scowled internally. The chief must have thought he would not meet the requirements, which meant he could not wield it.


    Lia had already told him how to use weapons, and he did exactly that by channeling his mana into the hilt.


    It still felt surreal as the cold gush of mana ran through him. He had a long way before he could create his mana heart, for only then would he be able to cast wide-ranged spells or draw the mana in the air to boost his physical attacks to the level of popr superheroes like Superman.


    Whoosh!


    Reddish orange mes coated the de, the heat made the stunned chief stumble. The reflection of the mes on Cristian''s face made him look devious.


    His warm smile became twisted and his eyes glowed ghastly green. The mes made swooshing sounds. It licked the oxygen in the air, increasing its intensity as Cristian swung the great sword.


    His eyes twinkled, and he shed vertically. The tip of the de almost split the chief''s nose, and the mes burnt a good portion of his hair.


    The other people in the hall felt awe because they saw outstanding skill and precision. They had no idea a few droplets of sweat appeared on Cristian''s forehead.


    He had lost himself to the invigorating feeling and almost chopped off the chief''s head. "I never meant to scare you." he ced the sword back in the scabbard and bowed lightly.


    Cristian didn''t bow because he felt sorry for the spineless old man. He bowed because the old man had granted him a magnificent weapon that might apany him on his journey to the first tier; known as the Mortal tier.


    The moment the old man nodded, Cristian shamelessly followed up with his other requirements "I would need a belt, for the exquisite de you kindly handed to me and a room." the chief frowned but reluctantly nodded.


    From the moment he figured out this green-haired stupidly charming warrior who left the upation of a gigolo could wield Burning Fury. hatred grew in his heart.


    That de belonged to his family. It had been passed down from the very first chiefs of Darkston, and now it was about to be desecrated in the hands of a brute warrior who might sell it just to get a harlot to hump.


    "Take him to the guest room," he said to his son, but someone else volunteered. "I''ll do it." Shelia''s lovely voice rang as she took two steps forward. Her gait made the chief''s son back out.


    Cristian''s right brow arched. He could not understand why Shelia, who was supposed to be against him at every turn, decide to do this.


    ''Maybe she has something important to tell me.'' he ced his cards on this thought as the vengeful beauty would always see him in a bad light.


    "I have matters to discuss with the chief. Please be a patient, brave warrior. I''ll get rid of your injuries before you head to the woods." Anna spoke in a light tone. Unlike her sister, she gave respect to the Chief.


    He nodded and followed She. They walked through the silent corridors, which had candles at extreme ends, making the ce dark.


    She did not even nce at him. He respected her choice and kept silent. After walking for a short while, they arrived at a well-lit corridor.


    The orange glow from the candles illuminated the rocky walls and wooden door at the end. He expected She to stop there, but she walked him to the door and also opened it.


    Stunned, Cristian had no choice but to go in. A dark room weed him, the air much colder than the other rooms as the window was left wide open.


    She walked in with a candle she took from the corridor and lit the ones in the room, causing the darkness to disperse.


    "We''ll go after the Dark Wolf Lord tomorrow and you''ll have to lure him out¡­" she paused and closed the windows.


    "He has almost a hundred wolves and hardly leaves his disgusting castle, so we have to think of a way to get into the castle without alerting the scouting wolves." She turned. Cristian had not spoken since she started and while she appreciated that, it also felt like he wasn''t concentrating.


    "Only two of us?" Cristian queried. And for some reason, it sounded strange to She.


    "Yes, the two of us," she answered firmly.


    "So we are going to be all alone, together¡­ hmm" he rubbed his chin and gazed at her with a cheeky smirk.


    He watched as she battled with her thoughts. Her body trembled, and he guessed she wanted to m his head with something.


    "YOU PERVERT!" she screamed to let it out of her system and the moment she stared at him, her eyes became dazed.


    ''Go to him''


    A voice that sounded like hers endlessly echoed in her consciousness. Cristian eyes shone with intrigue as She seductively made her way toward him, leaned down, and puffed out.


    Her hot breath brushed against his face, and he gulped.


    ~Mmmn~


    His eyes widened as her lips connected with his. Cristian felt his entire body freeze. He just wanted to experiment on his skill and it worked perfectly on someone 19 levels ahead, but he never manipted her to kiss him.


    She sucked on his lower lips with fervor but got herself in the next moment and her eyes widened.


    Her face glowed like a ripe tomato and she whispered in a mosquito''s tone, "I''m sorry.'''' Along with that, the sound of the door mming shut echoed as she fled.


    Cristian stood in that same position with flickering eyes. He tried to figure out what made her kiss him. Was there an after-effect when he manipted someone?


    Or maybe She had been attracted to his looks, but his attitude changed her views. But when he manipted her thoughts, that distaste vanished for a second and she acted of her own ord.


    "Odd, but much weed," he said, satisfied with this new development.


    He licked off her sweet saliva and hummed. She''s beauty was indeed one of a kind, and her fierce personality made her more alluring.


    It painted a contrast to the book-reading mages of which Arcane mages were poprly known for.


    He shook his head as images of her naked body dripping with transparent droplets of water re-emerged.


    Lying on the bed made it worse as it seemed like the image was about to get branded into his brain for life! "What is this? You''re better than this Cristian," he boosted himself, but it only made it worse.


    Maybe one life he could handle, but the virginity of his past self, who had probably lived a few hundred years, became too much for him.


    Staying away from women would be the right choice but Cristian wasn''t one to back out from a fight especially when it came to his right as a man.


    ''At least, she''ll see me in a better light now that she knows we''re both perverts,'' he chuckled internally.


    The rectangr wooden table caught his attention. He stood up, removed his gloves, and touched the smooth surface.


    After a few seconds, nothing happened. The table did not decay, so he tried other objects and got the same result.


    "Interesting," he mused while rubbing his chin and searching for anything with life. His search led him to peek out of the window and an olive tree branch was within his reach.


    Christian did not stop to think about the consequences of his actions to the tree and he touched a leaf.


    His eyes shone with excitement and fear as both the leaf and the entire branch decayed and became dust.


    Grabbing a stool, he channeled his affinity, and ck, sinister smoke covered his hands. The stool became dust in a matter of seconds, causing him to open his hands, and dust from the decayed leg of the stool poured out.


    "Bane of all life," he muttered. The system couldn''t be more correct. Without channeling his affinity, it would act automatically when he touches any life, but once it had no life, he had to manually channel his mana.


    ''I should be really careful about removing these gloves.''


    Your support would be much appreciated, thanks!


    PS: Hump means s*x

 Chapter 20: Anna is betrothed?!

    <h4>Chapter 20: Anna is betrothed?!</h4>


    He sat on the bed and pondered about his abilities. Overall, each of them had superseded his expectations. His affinity had so much potential that he couldn''t determine its borders. The second one helped him escape the Ice Gem snake and he could even manipte the thoughts of others.


    Although it had restrictions like his affinity, the pros outweigh the single con. His regeneration was still in the dark and his health worried him.


    It had not even increased by a single point since the beginning! And he forgot to question Lia about it.


    The moment he wore Infinite Touch, the door made a creaking sound and opened. He raised his head and sighted the individual who entered his room.


    Her innocent and calm gaze scanned through him as she slowly closed the gap between them. The belt at the waist highlighted her slender waist and wide hips. Her cute face did not do justice to her seductive body hidden behind her robe.


    A brilliant smile graced her alluring lips that begged to be kissed, and the silvery glow of the moon painted an air of elegance and mystery to her presence.


    "I''m sorry if I wasted any of your precious time," her soft calm tone rang and Cristian shrugged. He had gotten a good idea of his ss skills from that spare time, so there were no losses.


    As she came closer, her palms glowed. Her lips moved, and Cristian guessed it was a spell. "Three broken ribs and some internal injuries. I''ll deal with it right away." Cristian''s brows furrowed as he knew that five ribs were broken and an organ had been ruptured due to the blood that came out of his mouth.


    ''Regeneration. strangely I did not feel any pain.'' he mused inwardly.


    His bones pulling out of the pierced organs and fixing themselves would have been a painful experience that might scar him for a while. Cristian had forgotten that when his regeneration went into action, he struggled to survive in the Nile stream.


    The hard current had pulled him into its depths and it took lots of strength, stamina, and focus to survive.


    His struggle to survive overwhelmed the pain.


    He felt mild pain, but it was tolerable. Anna watched his face distort for a split moment but her expression did not change.


    As a tier 0 priestess, she treated few and none had died, but she was now used to the pain on their faces.


    "Be careful, the woods are dangerous at night," Anna said, her soft tone ringing like that of a woman worried about her lover.


    Cristian replied with a nod, "I will, and¡­" he paused to gain her attention, and like a charm, it worked.


    Their eyes met, his emerald irises staring deep into her golden ones. While his mind had been clouded with ambition to journey to the unknown peak, hers were clear. She had no other thoughts apart from fulfilling her duty of her ss and there lurked a strange sense of submission that puzzled Cristian.


    That submission wasn''t to him and as much as he would love to know who would be cruel enough to do this to an innocent beauty like Anna, a bigger question upied his mind.


    "Forgive me, but who or what is this Thorn the Chief spoke about?" he was dying to know, as that name couldn''t leave his mind.


    Anna''s eyes trembled. Shock, confusion, and fear shed in her eyes. "My betrothed abhors that name, so I urge you not to speak of it again. It''s for your own good." he could feel Anna''s genuine concern in her eyes but a word made his ear ring.


    "Betrothed?" Cristian gasped with wide eyes.


    "Unfortunately so. Others envy me because I would be among the lower concubines of the grandson of the Great Sun; Emperor Raguel Athelstone, but I don''t want it. If he really had anything for me, then he would have squashed this Dark Wolf Lord¡­ I''m sorry, I spoke too much." Anna regained herself after her subconscious outburst.


    The corners of her eyes were red and her chest undted heavily, showing how much she tried to conceal those negative emotions.


    Her golden eyes dted as Cristian stood up and embraced her. He made sure there was some space between them and his gentle stroke calmed her.


    Subconsciously, Anna closed the gap, pressed her softness against him, and tightly clutched his fur coat.


    The feeling of her alluring softness drew no attention from him as Cristian''s thoughts revolved around that name; Raguel Athelstone.


    ''There''s no way I''m rted to royalty, so we must have the same surname. Odd but still possible, he pondered inwardly.


    Anna lost herself to the warmth of a man and the pleasures of his tingling strokes. "You could easily run away." Cristian gave an idea as he enjoyed hervender scent.


    "That is the worst idea¡­" she chuckled and pressed her finger against his back. As if punishing him for his diabolic advice.


    Cristian smiled. He knew why she paused. "Cristian," he said to the innocent beauty who did not know what outsiders would say if they saw her now. They were hugging intimately, yet there were no lustful thoughts.


    It might be Anna''s innocent aura changing Cristian, or he just wasn''t prepared to face the enormous problem behind her. And while Cristian enjoyed her presence, he was more focused on She.


    While both he and the blue-haired beauty were at odds, it only made things more interesting for Cristian.


    "Nost name?" Anna queried with flickering eyes. "None," Cristian answered firmly.


    "Hmm, you have a nice name. It''s a perfect fit with your looks and your advice is horrible," Anna said bluntly and they bothughed.


    Suddenly, Cristian shivered and broke into the hug. "why did you do that?" he queried with raised brows.


    "Because I anticipated your reaction. The way you shivered, it''s amusing." The innocence in her voice almost made Cristian facepalm himself.


    She had puffed out a breath of hot air that brushed against his neck and triggered a violent reaction from his body.


    That was a seductive suggestion by somedies, but to Anna, it was something she conjured up and thought it would amuse her to see his reaction.


    They chatted without realizing their intimacy. While Cristian warned her, the golden-haired beauty stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.


    RING!~RING!


    The loud sound of a bell quaked their eardrums. Anna''s demeanor changed, her yful attitude vanished, and her face became solemn.


    "What is going on?" Cristian queried. He nned on going out, killing some beast, and leveling up before heading to the dungeon, but that n now had a shaky foundation.


    "The bell means the town is under attack. The Dark Lord, he''s here!"


    He picked up Burning Fury and ran after Anna, whose speed made him gasp, but he remembered her ss.


    Most of her stats would be in intelligence and agility.


    In a matter of seconds, they came out of the manor. The chief and his son were nowhere to be found. They might have rushed out or found a secure spot to hide.


    Cristian frowned when he saw the chaos. People were running in different directions. Mothers looking for their kids, men looking for their wives, and the list continued.


    It was a small town, and the evening was still early, so many stayed outside. "We''re doomed. The Dark Lord is here to eat our children!" a man hollered in despair.


    "I should have run when I had the chance!"


    "Mother!!"


    Shouts, curses, and screams filled the ce, and the Dark Lord''s unknown army had not even approached the gates.


    "Go to your homes and calm down. The Dark Lord will be dealt with. I swear on my name and that of this warrior" The chief appeared from nowhere and bellowed.


    The crowd calmed with only whispers of the stubborn ones echoing. Cristian''s lips twitched as the Chief had just dragged him into the mud.


    If the chief falls, Cristian also falls. He knew a bit of thew of this world. A brand would be ced on him if he escaped.


    ''Smart, you dry bones,'' hemented in a sarcastic tone. This was one reason he wanted to go to where his fellow transmigrators were. He could easily level up without facing opposition from an established force and if he had been stronger, he could have broken the bind of the old coot''s words.


    Yet, the chief''sck of hope could be felt by the people and it made them rowdy. Themotion became worse than before, and Cristian frowned.


    "SHUT UP!" his voice boomed. He drew his de and plunged it deep into the paved ground. mes swirled around the de and thebustion illuminated the ce gaining the attention of the crowd.


    They shut their mouths due to fear as there were reckless and evil adventurers who were known to have gone rogue and massacred people.


    "Get back to your homes this instant!" he barked, his tone dripping with sinister depths of unknown consequences.

 Chapter 21: The mage and the adventurer [part-1]

    <h4>Chapter 21: The mage and the adventurer [part-1]</h4>


    From the top of the wall, She watched as the scared crowd dispersed. Cristian''s aggressive move solved the situation.


    Her brows raised as she gazed at the man, whose face currentlycked his usual smile. "They''re here," a soldier called out to her.


    Pulling out his de, Cristian sheathed it while ring at the Chief. He wanted to ensure the old man knew they were not on good terms.


    The old man gulped. Hecked any definition of a leader and it made Cristian scowl. "Let''s go."


    "I need to get my staff." Anna rejected. He followed her gaze and sighted a church with a roughly made statue of an angel.


    Cristian nodded and dashed forward. His boots made deep thuds that echoed in the deserted street. The sound of themps creaking as the wind blew slithered into his ears.


    The chilling wind was like an oracle that had foretold of a bloody night. Cristian was baffled. The Dark Lord had notunched an attack on the town, he just threaten their borders.


    So why now? What gave him the confidence that he could sweep through the town and still retain enough forces to defend against the opportunists?


    "Hi,'' She shivered as his voice ran from behind. "There are other spots. Why are you here?" she queried in a distant tone.


    The pink hue on her cheeks told Cristian she had not forgotten the kiss and tried to keep a distance between them.


    "Hehe, you forgot we were supposed to be together. I remember someone saying we were going to be together... alone." He stressed out and watched She bite her lower lips.


    She met his mischievous gaze with flickering eyes and felt like pping that cocky but handsome smirk away from his face.


    "This is serious. We are to protect this town, not flirt." Facing the forest in the distance, her lovely voice rang in the air. Her solemn tone made Cristian chuckle.


    "So you agree that we are flirting" his breath tickled her neck as he came dangerously close. It baffled the soldiers. They kept throwing nces at the duo.


    Some felt furious. How could a hired adventurer woo their mage before their eyes? A brave few would have moved, but the moment they remembered Cristian''s show of force, their bodies froze.


    "We? Don''t tter yourself," She scoffed. She could see his beautiful green hair and cocky smile, and it riled her up. Despite feeling like bashing him countless times, she maintained her demeanor in front of the soldiers.


    "Hmm." Cristian hummed and distanced himself. A smile yed on his lips and he stared at the distance.


    Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!


    Wolf''s howls rang in a fear-inducing symphony, and even from the top of the walls, they felt a thunderous vibration.


    "They''re here" She muttered. A strange diagram appeared in her eyes and the tattoos on her arms and thighs glowed, but no one could see it because of her clothes.


    Cristian turned. He expected a good number of archers with their bows fully drawn. But there was nothing. In Fact, many of the soldierscked armor and weapons.


    And this was leather armor he talked about. This small town could not afford iron armor. Even the lowest bronze-made armor was out of their reach.


    He threw respect away and cast inspection on a soldier who stood with others at the gate.


    [...]


    [Name: Rodney Stone]


    [Level: 13]


    [Race: Human]


    [ss: warrior]


    [Title: patrol guard]


    [Affinity: Earth]


    >status<


    [Health: 150 {10} Vitality: 10]


    [Strength: 25 {10}]


    [Agility: 16 {10}]


    [Dexterity: 12 {10}]


    [Intelligence: 4 {10}]


    [Stamina: 13]


    [Mana pool: 20]


    Cristian''s brows lowered ''No skill and equipment, that''s a relief.'' he said inwardly. If both weapons and equipment were listed, then no one would have secrets. Everything will beid bare, ruining any surprise attack and alerting your enemy.


    ''He''s health increased. What is this vitality stat?'' Cristian rubbed his chin and pondered. There was nothing like vitality in his status screen, and he was much better than that soldier.


    His eyes shone as he realized something. ''Level ten,'' he mused inwardly. The soldier only surpassed him in level. So what gave him the stats must be his higher level.


    And to confirm his guess, he checked others and his guess became a reality. To increase his health. He must reach level ten.


    "What''s your name? It will be hard tomunicate when we don''t know each other''s names." She''s lovely voice woke him from his thoughts.


    A diagram small diagram hovered at her chest level, the runes in her eyes made her beauty soar to that of an ethereal beauty.


    "I''m Shelia Banning, daughter of Luke Banning and Anna''s elder step-sister." Her fluent words and tone stunned Cristian.


    "Cristian," he said softly.


    "Just Cristian? But you said you were a Lord thrown from his abode." Her brows rose, making the bluish runes in her eyes more visible. Cristian could see it matched the same one hovering outside the wall.


    "I never told you that," he retorted. When did he say he was thrown away?!


    "If you were not, then what is a Lord doing here? I did not take you for the type to lie, Cristian, but it turns out you are more despicable than I thought." She''s cold judgment made the surrounding soldiers feel giddy.


    She took a step closer and leaned. "It''s cute though." Cristian''s eyes widened. He felt the urge to stroke her silky blue hair, but that might be a wrong move.


    Voom! The diagram glowed brighter and a light beam illuminated the forest, revealing huge, gray dire wolves. Their numbers made some soldiers stiff.


    "Don''t underestimate me," she whispered, for she had won against him since Cristian was the speechless one.


    "I won''t flirt or do anything with men like you who only seek the pleasures of a woman." her alluring whisper made him smile.


    Little did the blue-haired beauty know that she was flirting with him at this moment. Maybe to her, it wasn''t, but to the soldiers.


    They had considered her gone. Some had begun to curse Cristian to disgrace himself in bed, for their mage was gone.


    "I know," Cristian replied and walked away. She suddenly felt strange, but that feeling vanished as the wolves bolted toward the walls.


    [Copy clones: create several copies of a particr skill and they will act ording to the original. Does not function in all skills]


    [Mortal tier skill {primary level}]


    The moment Shelia activated the skill, the diagram became three and shot fireballs. Boom! Boom!


    Explosions rang, but only a few wolves were harmed, but it slowed them down, giving the soldiers time to prepare themselves for impact.


    The few with bows did what they could to reduce the number, but their measly strength was nothing before the huge, muscr wolves.


    She frowned. At the primary level, she could only make two copies of the original skill. If she could summon ten, then these wolves would have no choice but to lose a massive number.


    "BRACE YOURSELVES!" a man with an average physique and thick beard hollered. His grip on his axe tightened, and he got ready to engage.


    Like mindless puppets, the wolves braced the fireballs and the measly number of arrows. Some were hit at critical spots and died, but more covered the space.


    In a matter of minutes, the wolves had reached the five-meter wall and each of them was two meters tall.


    Cristian stared down and sighted a wolf growling. Saliva poured from its mouth and its piercing blood-red eyes met with his.


    Grra!


    Another wolf stepped on the first wolf and leaped. Cristian could hear the whimpers of the first wolf as its spinal cord might have snapped.


    He leaned back, and the gleaming ws of the gray wolf swooshed past his face. He had forgotten to draw his sword because of his inexperience.


    The wolf dug its ws into the wood and climbed up. Its towering height and dripping mouth painted a sight that brought both excitement and chill.


    "What are you doing!" a soldier shouted. He lifted his sword and swung down, but the agile wolf dogged it and bit the soldier''s arm.


    "Argh!! My arm!" he screamed with red eyes.


    Suddenly, the air got warm as a ming de had been drawn.


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 Chapter 22: The mage and the adventurer [part 2]

    <h4>Chapter 22: The mage and the adventurer [part 2]</h4>


    Cristian raised the de, aimed for the neck, and swung it down. mes trailed its path, but the wolf released the soldier and leaped back.


    Using his momentum, he made a vertical sh and a deep gash appeared on the wolf''s chest. Awoo! It howled. Its pain alerted many of its kind and they rushed towards Cristian''s position.


    A ruthless glint shed in the wolf''s eyes and it lunged forward. Cristian parried but the force he used wasn''t enough causing him to stumble.


    Graa!


    The beast did not miss the opportunity and pounced on him. Its weight made him fall, and he stopped the razor-sharp fangs from ripping his face apart with his great sword.


    Salvia sttered on his face, causing Cristian to frown. His green brows knitted, and his eyes shed with disgust and annoyance.


    "GET OFF ME!" he barked, raised his legs, and hit the wolf''s soft belly. The beast whimpered and Cristian channeled 82+5+35= 122 strength and pushed the weakened beast off him.


    As he stood up, a growl quaked his ears. He spun and shed. The ming de split the head of a wolf, nning to attack him from behind.


    [you have killed a level 18 dire wolf. Agility + 2]


    [you have reached level 9, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    [you have reached level 10, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    He couldn''t celebrate yet as the first wolf had gained itself and lunged. Cristian ducked, gripped the hilt with both hands and raised it.


    A deep gash ran from the wolf''s chest, down its abdomen to its rear. Spluttering sounds rang as its bloodied internal organs spilled and drenched the wooden floor.


    [you have killed a level 20 dire wolf. Agility+2]


    "Put every free stats point to vitality," Cristian ordered and dashed forward. The tip of the sword trailed on the wooden floor and he arrived before a wounded soldier whose partners had perished. Their remains filled the scene, along with the retching smell.


    The soldier held a rake and his sloppy moves were many levels below Cristian, who could hide it because of his abnormal stats.


    "Hey!" he bellowed and the wolf''s ears perked. It turned to him and growled. Two other wolves pounced at him, yet he evaded their ws and arrived at their backs. Coiling his fingers around the thick fluffy tail of the first wolf.


    He bnced his weight on his left leg and with slight force, the wolf, which was already at the edge of this three meters embrasures on the five meters tall wall, fell. The troop down quickly surrounded it and pierced it to death.


    Cristian was about to split the second wolf into two when he felt a tingle. His eyes widened. He had forgotten something important. Some wolves were called wind wolves for a reason.


    With no other choice, Cristian ced Burning Fury behind him. The broad part covered a good portion of his back and it was the exact spot the wind st from the head wolf''s mouth hit.


    Bam!


    The impact threw Cristian into the air. Mid-air, he shed, cleanly beheading the second wolf. The pitiful level 13 wolf died instantly.


    Bam! He roughly mmed into the hard wooden floor and his entire body ached. The moment the wind st hit him, he almost felt his skin shred.


    However, with the addition of vitality, his health increased and, in turn, his physique strengthen. Health increased muscle strength and regeneration speed and improves organs. Anyone with cancer would be healed if they had enough vitality!


    Ding!


    The sound of his de and sharp ws colliding rang loudly. Cristian grunted, grabbed the wolf''s lower jaw, and pierced Burning Fury right through the heart of the beast.


    The ming sword came out from the other end. The blood boiled and dried and he pushed the beast away from his body.


    [you have killed a level 24 wind wolf, Agility +4]


    [you have reached level 11, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    [you have reached level 12, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    [you have reached level 13, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    ''Fighting is the way. Level 13 already!'' he eximed internally. His current aim would be to get his vitality to level ten and then push his strength to 100!


    Pouring all his stats points into vitality, it came up to ten, and his health now possessed 150 points.


    Screams, yells and growls snapped away his joyous thoughts, and he realized he stood on a battlefield. It was lethal to lose concentration.


    More wolves had made it up and ughtered soldiers. The soldiers without armor were meat for the taking.


    The bloodied scene made Cristian frown. His pupils dted when he saw the soldiers around She falling. The Dark Lord must have ordered his wolves to target her.


    ''Stubborn,'' he scoffed and dashed toward her location. He swung his massive de, sending wolves away from the wall.


    "Thanks, sir" Cristian turned to a young warrior. From his looks, he was still a kid in histe teens. "Go!" he barked, turned, and stabbed forward.


    The de pierced through the skull of a wolf, about tounch a sneak attack. "Join your dead kind," Cristian scowled and kicked the wolf off the wall.


    With sloppy control, he manipted the air and leaped high. Two wolves jammed their heads and got dizzy.


    Bam!


    The heads of both wolves rolled as he shed them off the moment hended. Blood gushed, painting the wood red.


    The level of both wolves was too low to give him any additional stats or even increase his EXP significantly.


    With fierce speed, he bolted toward She''s location. The blue-haired beauty had been surrounded, and the defending soldiers sumbed to the fangs and ws of the ruthless beasts.


    Yet, the gruesome scene around didn''t faze her. Her job was to stop the wolves from breaking the defense line despite their numbers, and she would do that to the best of her abilities.


    But the screams and cries of the dying men shattered her resolve. She joined her hands and mumbled, "Mirage swords." Another diagram formed in her eyes and the one shooting fireballs slowly turned translucent.


    She wasn''t strong enough to use two Mortal tier skills at the same time. Her mana pool drained rapidly and her face became a little pale.


    A circr diagram appeared on both sides, and two transparent swords shot out. Their sharp edges gleamed as the silvery glow of the moon shone on them.


    The thick fur of the wolves stood no chance. In a split second, no wolf around her remained. Their divided parts shone as a result of the deadly skill She used.


    "Yes!"


    "Kill them all!"


    Her shocking feat served as a booster, as the rest of the troop were riled up. The sounds of spears, swords, and farming tools piercing the bodies of beasts filled the air, along with the howls of dying wolves.


    "Are you okay?" she heard the voice of the lecherous, lying, but undeniably handsome warrior. The concern in his tone sounded genuine, but she was not so sure.


    Cristian stared at She, who knelt on the floor. She did not answer his question, but that wasn''t important. The main issue was if Shelia was exhausted, how was he supposed to deal with the Dark Wolf Lord?


    He could see that the defense on the walls won''t hold for long as the wolves used their deadrades as steps and as the bodies heaped, it became easier to reach the top of the wall.


    "Sorry," he whispered, and She frowned. She felt perplexed, but that feeling vanished when Cristian''s muscr arms wrapped around her waist.


    "What are y-"


    She couldn''t finish her words as he spun her, raised Burning Fury, and pierced the throat of a wolf. Her blue eyes flickered, and she felt strange and ufortable.


    "Can you still fight or are you useless?" Cristian asked the beauty whose face was a few inches away from him.


    Their eyes met, and he could feel her squirm. Her heart pounded and panic shot past her eyes. ''It can''t be possible!'' she screamed inwardly as her mind dubbed him as despicable, but her body reacted differently.


    She freed herself and brought out a vial from the small pouch at her exquisite dark blue belt that hugged her slender waist.


    She uncorked it and gulp the content. "I''m not useless, you brute!"


    "You should have said that earlier. These people can''t hold for much longer, so we have to find this Dark Lord."


    He massaged his right arm as it ached. Using a great sword like Burning Fury with one hand wasn''t a good idea, but that was the only option at that time, so he bore the consequences without grumbling.


    "No need to find him, he''s right there." he turned to where she pointed and his emerald eyes shed.

 Chapter 23: Her warm gaze

    <h4>Chapter 23: Her warm gaze</h4>


    His grip around the hilt of his great sword tightened, and he hummed deeply. A couple of meters away at the edge of the forest stood a figure clothed in ck and identity, hidden behind a hood.


    "A man or woman?" Cristian ced his right palm on the wall and squinted his eyes to get a clear picture.


    "It''s a man. Compared to you, he''s more despicable," She''s mesmerizing voice slithered into his ears and he smirked.


    She''s eyes dted as Cristian shot her a side nce and his current expression, coupled with his looks, struck her heart. "You identified me as one of his scouts, so where are they?" as those words left his lips, he raised Burning Fury and plunged.


    The de sank into the mouth of a wolf, making its way up. The beast tumbled down, hitting others in its path.


    "I don''t know," her ck brows knitted as she scanned the in field crowded with wolves. "I guess what you took is a mana potion, so let''s go kill him,"


    "Uh¡­ what!" Shelia''s brows raised. ''Can''t he see the field?'' she questioned, as her eyes shone with an incredulous gaze.


    The field was filled with huge wolves, and Cristian spoke about killing their Lord who stood far away.


    "We should reduce their numbers first," she reasoned, but Cristian shook his head. "We will exhaust ourselves and more will die. If we kill him, then the wolves would lose their will and retreat. He''s the only reason their together. And I feel a lot restricted here."


    He couldn''t bring out his full potential fighting in this small area. Every fiber in his body itched to be drenched in blood.


    As a berserker, he was meant to unleash carnage, not fight like a foot soldier. "You''re right, but let''s-... and he''s gone." She pressed her lips, but deep inside, his reckless, brave attitude impressed her.


    A mild thud rang as Cristian stepped on a thick trunk and leaped, his thick fingers coiled around the long hilt and he channeled mana into it, causing mes to swirl around the de.


    sh! ~Bam!


    Swinging his sword down, a wolf was split into two equal parts. A loud thud rang as he hit the ground and a tremor ran through his body, causing him to groan.


    ''Okay, I might have overstepped a little,'' he said internally. Jumping from a five-meter-tall building had done some damage. Luckily, a warm sensation coursed through his body, and the [-3] in his health disappeared.


    Cristian wanted to check if Anna had arrived, but as the sole non-wolf on the in, he became a target for dozens of wolves.


    "Come!" he barked and dashed toward the ones before him. Since he made the first move, the wolves dly pounced on him.


    Yet their numbers did no justice to the battle, as their dead count surpassed the ones alive in a matter of minutes. Cristian swung his sword endlessly. His movements were horrible and lots of strength were wasted due to his inexperience, but every sh left critical wounds on the wolves, causing them to howl.


    From the top of the wall, She and Anna watched him battle against mindless wolves who, despite seeing a good number of their kind dead, still attacked with fervor.


    His burning sword shone brightly, and the smell of burnt flesh made them wrinkle their nose.


    Despite their numbers, Cristian kept pushing forwards. Most of these wolves were below level 20 and apart from EXP, they gave nothing else, which greatly disappointed him.


    And it also fueled his resolve to kill the Dark Lord, whose corpse should present good loot. A wind wolf appeared from the horde, opened its mouth, and shot outpressed air.


    Cristian managed to dodge on time but it left a slight cut on his cheeks. The beast growled and bolted forward at him with its fangs exposed.


    Cristian red at the iing wolf and dashed toward it while the tip of Burning Fury burnt the grass, leaving a trail of mes and smoke.


    Both man and beast sped toward each other. The wolf ran with extraordinary speed while each of Cristian''s steps went deep.


    He didn''t unleash his full speed, but calcted his next move, and it was a move he came to love.


    "Ahh!" he bellowed with bulging veins, leaped into the air, and raised his sword. A lethal heavy chop was delivered, but the wolf quickly moved to the side. Yet Cristian wasn''t done.


    His eyes shed, for he had also put such a reaction into consideration. The air tore as he swung his sword like he threw a.


    The beast couldn''t even react and he sliced off half its head. With boiling emotions, he watched blood gush from its head, paint the lush grass and soak the soil.


    His eyes shone with glee as Cristian realized his love for battle. The thrill was so stimting and it was only second to the text on his retina.


    [You have killed a level 26 wind wolf. Agility +2]


    [you have reached level 14, and gained two free stats points¡­]


    [you have reached level 15, and gained two free stats points¡­]


    The EXP from the wind wolf had pushed his bar, which was close to level 14, straight to level 15! ''Five more to reach twenty,'' he muttered inwardly. While level twenty looked close, Cristian knew that the higher he got, the harder it was to get to the next level.


    Now that he finally had time to turn, he took the opportunity and saw the innocent priestess beaming at him.


    The golden glow in her eyes made a soothing aura billow off her as she healed those close. However, her presence alone and glowing aura gave an overall boost to the struggling soldiers.


    While Cristian gazed at refreshing and soothing beauty, a ck figure crept towards him. His movements were so deft and gentle that not even a rustle emanated from his movements.


    Cristian''s brows arched when he saw both She''s and Anna''s eyes widen. The blue-haired beauty screamed, "Behind you!!"


    His eyes widened, but the man had already arrived. Cristian leaned to his right before the man stabbed him with a dagger.


    The excruciating pain of being stabbed evoked a primordial fury and all Cristian''s thoughts revolved around erasing his attacker from this world, but something told him showing his abilities before these people would be the worst decision he ever took in his life.


    Luckily, the dagger did not pierce any organ and his attacker had no magic, or Cristian''s death would have been assured.


    He slowly turned. His attacker had long brown hair and a crooked nose. There was no doubt this scrawny man was the lecherous scout She identified him as.


    The man stared at him with shock, for that dagger was a one-time attack weapon his Lord gave him. It had the dreaded power of decay and would eat every organ, giving the victim a slow death filled with excruciating pain.


    "H¡­ how''s this possible?" he stuttered, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Cristian''s eyes burned with rage, gritting his teeth to bear the pain. His muscr arm shot out and his finger coiled around the man''s neck.


    "Uh.. w¡­ who the heck are you?" the man struggled to speak as Cristian slowly strangled him. The cruel light shing in Cristian''s eyes would have shocked She and Anna. they had only seen him smiling warmly, never did they expect a distinct part exited in this seemingly bubbly warrior.


    "Your killer." His deep, grating tone drilled deep into the scrawny man''s eardrums and Cristian plunged Burning Fury through the man''s body.


    This time he didn''t activate the mes as he wanted the man to feel the pain as he left this world and secondly; not to reduce his mana pool any further.


    "Cristian! Are you okay?!" her lc scent gushed into his nostrils as she hurriedly pushed his coat aside and gasped at the sight of the dagger''s hilt. The rest of the de inside his body!


    Cristian''s brows arched as it stunned him to see She showing such emotions. "Got stabbed with a dagger, but I''m still standing, right?" his joke wasn''t taken lightly as the blue-haired beauty would have smacked him if he wasn''t injured.


    "Really. It hurts, but I''m fine," his deep voice rang. He held her chin and raised her head. Her bright blue eyes met his and time seemed to freeze for Cristian, but this beautiful moment shattered when Anna arrived.


    Those capable of wielding weapons together with the few soldiers streamed out of the opened gates and met the wolves in a bloody battle. And their interference had given Cristian a break, which was why he wasn''t attacked.


    "Let me take care of it," Anna offered, and he nodded. Turning to She, Cristian sighed as the part of her he saw just now seemed to be an illusion as she returned to being distant.


    His eyes flickered, and just as he was about to speak, a scorching heat erupted from the distance.


    "Impossible!!" Anna eximed, and he turned.


    [Support with ps,ment, and enjoy!]


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 Chapter 24: Battle of flames

    <h4>Chapter 24: Battle of mes</h4>


    Awoo! Awoo!


    The wolves howled like they weed their king as the temperature rose drastically. From the forest, a ming wolf emerged, reddish-orange mes burned on its back and even from the distance Cristian could feel its piercing ming eyes.


    "How is this possible?" Anna eximed whilst she trembled, the mes burning on the mighty beasts shining in her golden eyes, causing them to dte.


    Gasps filled the air as fear crept into the hearts of the soldiers, and She spotted it in time. "Cristian, can you handle the fire wolf?" worryced her tone, and her blue eyes gazed at him with hope for a positive answer.


    "What level?" Cristian grit his teeth and pulled the dagger, causing blood to gush out, yet he steadied his gaze on She.


    At this moment, Cristian understood why he had this ss. It was because he could feel his blood boil, the thrill of a battle, the blood. It made him both excited and focused. Cristian slowly prepped his mind on the battle against that mighty beast and at this moment, he paid no heed to She''s looks, for he had all the time in the world to conquer this beauty.


    However, his actions alone made She stunned. The man before her turned out to be more than a yboy.


    Her eyes glowed as she looked at the beast. "Level 32," she gasped. Beasts were naturally stronger than humans and, despite being five levels ahead, their stats barely had any difference.


    "Shit! I''m way lower than that." At this point, Cristian didn''t see any point in hiding any longer when no one was really stronger than him with She being equal in strength, but only when she had distance.


    "Don''t jest Cristian. Stop it from causing a massacre and I''ll provide a tform to reduce its speed."


    The moment Anna healed his wounds, she quickly retreated back to the walls and Cristian walked toward She.


    As she watched him approach, her heart rate sped up, and she shivered. "A tform? Why does this seem like-"


    "It is!" She lost control of her emotions and yelled. Her cheeks flushed, and she took deep breaths to calm down and her ample chest moved ordingly. Cristian felt baffled and took a step closer since he had no idea he caused her emotional disturbance.


    He gave a light pat on her shoulder, causing her eyes to snap open. "She, listen¡­" he paused as the Dark Lord sent the fire wolf towards them.


    "I need you to concentrate. Our lives depend on this. Believe me when I say I''m still new to this kind of thing and I thought you were always better."


    A tant provocation. He decided not to use his ss skill, especially when it concerned a woman he wanted to make his. "Go!" she pressed her palm on his coat and pushed him, causing him to take two steps back.


    The runes on her body glowed brighter, and a diagram appeared in her eyes. But it still wasn''t enough and She knew that.


    She folded her hand, leaving her index finger, and the tip glowed bright blue. As her finger trailed in the air, a diagram slowly formed.


    "It''s my turn then," Cristian stared at the ethereal beauty whose feet slowly left the ground and mused.


    Dumping all his free stats points to strength. It shot up to a staggering number; 86! For his level, this was a massive sum.


    Pushing his agility to the limits, Cristian bolted forwards with a speed, seven times faster than an average human!


    Flickering through the battlefield, he left wolf corpses in his trial and the fire wolf left burnt human corpses.


    However, when they were just ten meters away from shing, Shepleted the spell and a diagram epassed the in field. It glowed sky blue and two words left her lips "sky fall!"


    Boom!


    Many wolves and soldiers mmed to the ground as they felt an invisible beam pressing down on them. Cristian''s knees trembled, but he was a lot stronger because of Burning Fury. The Rare sword gave him an extra 35+ strength, which was a massive upgrade.


    This was the same skill She used back then, but that one was a miniature one and she hadid it with a mana stone. It had been there long before Cristian arrived. This showed her level of vignce.


    Going as far as using a low-grade mana stone!


    She made sure she focused on the fire wolf and Cristian could see it struggle, but in a matter of a few seconds, the fire wolf adjusted and sped towards him though with a speed painfully slow to it.


    Cristian shot a nce at She and easily saw through her strong facade. She was drained and this spell would soon dissipate!


    The tip of his great sword dug into the soil as he tookrge strides. Each step was deep and filled with purpose. The powerful beat of his heart resonated with his feet and his fingers tightened further around the hilt of Burning Fury.


    The billowing heat from the iing wolf made his fur coat wrinkle and his eyes dte. As the gap got smaller and smaller, Cristian got faster.


    And when they were close enough, his bearing changed. He bolted forward and leaped high. Mid-air, mes appeared on the de and he shed down.


    The fire wolf struggled to dodge as it had also lunged, but Cristian''s unpredicted move caught it off guard and a massive gash appeared on its face.


    In their first sh, Cristian took an eye, and that made the fire beast furious. It opened its jaws and mes spurted out. The intense heat made Cristian sweat and his sweat dried up as the mes became intense.


    The beast got more violent, causing him to dodge with his pitiful dodging skills. He swung his sword when a chance appeared, but the wolf easily evaded and it did so elegantlypared to his pitiful way of dodging.


    Graa! Fwoosh!


    The grass burned, turning the surroundings into a ming zone, and the fire kept on spreading. He tilted his head and his eyes followed the gleaming ws of the violent beast that swooshed past his cheeks. In that same motion, he spun abruptly, and a gash appeared on the wolf''s muscr foreleg.


    Awoo!


    It howled in pain and mmed against Cristian, sending him into the air. His roughnding was just the beginning as his coat instantly lit up in mes and it burned wildly due to the fur.


    "So much for a Common ranked item," Cristian grumbled, stood up, and shed upwards, taking the head of a dire wolf into the air.


    Blood drenched his white top, but he was already dirty, so Cristian didn''t care. All that mattered was survival.


    Suddenly, two more ck-cloaked figures emerged from the mes and lunged forward with daggers. They assumed he would be clumsy since he used a great sword but this was a grave mistake.


    Cristian held his sword close to his chest and when they arrived, he deflected the right man and whipped a deadly kick that connected to the neck of the left man.


    The sound of bones snapping rang loudly, but Cristian had no time to waste, so he bore the punch from the man at his right and made a clean horizontal sh that took off the man''s head.


    The sight made him ufortable and in that moment, the fire wolf hiding in the mes emerged.


    [A/N: Support,ment, and enjoy!]

 Chapter 25: Shadow Merge

    <h4>Chapter 25: Shadow Merge</h4>


    Liay on a queen-sized bed with her raven hair spread haphazardly. She wore her usual ck gown, but this one was transparent, revealing her maic milky white skin that glistened with a tantalizing allure of sexuality.


    Lia''s gem-like eyes flickered as she thought about her master. He did not make her his maid but to cling onto him and make sure she sees his face every day, Lia assumed the position of his personal maid.


    ''I wonder what he''s doing?'' she queried inwardly. Pressing her plump pink lips, her exquisitely carved brows knitted and her creases formed on her wless forehead.


    "Ugh! I can''t bear this torture!" she screamed and vanished. The next moment, she appeared in the throne room and gazed at the throne with a boiling surge of longing.


    It became much harder now that she had seen her Lord again, only for him to leave. A decade meant nothing to her, but now a second seemed to burn her skin.


    ''I want him,'' she whispered, her voice drifting through the air until it dispersed. It was an unimaginable sight to some for a woman; exceptionally beautiful and also of a supreme race yearned for a man who had barely reached the mortal tier (Ist).


    Suddenly, her eyes dted for a text to appear on her retina.


    [your extreme passion for your Lord has touched THE MOTHER, and you have been granted the skill: Shadow merge!]


    [Shadow merge: your confinement to the Night castle would be removed for thirty minutes every day and you will be teleported to the shadow of your lord]


    [A special gift custom-made for Lia Hecate Athelstone. Prerequisite: your tier will be suppressed to the Esteemed Tier (Tier 3)]


    "Do not mention my mother''s name, for I have long rejected it." Lia''s brows furrowed and her icy tone matched her frosty gaze.


    [your name has been boldly written with her origin blood and THE MOTHER only recognizes this name.]


    Due to her tier, Lia could sometimes receive answers from the system and, as usual, the system was blunt, which always made her furious.


    "Ahh! I hate that woman!" Lia yelled with burning eyes. Her eye literally burned with red mes and a powerful aura billowed off her, causing the candles to flicker.


    "Lia, go fast, for his life is in danger," a pleasant motherly voice rang in the delicate walls of her eardrums and Lia''s thought quickly restructured from boiling hatred and anger to unimaginable worry and fear.


    _


    _


    Bam! Cristian rolled for a respectful distance. He blocked the fire wolf''s sneak attack, but his unstable position put him in this current situation.


    "Shit!" he cursed when he saw She''s wobbly figure. The diagram faded as She finally lost thest drop of her mana and fell to the ground.


    Graa!!


    A loud howl rang, and the wolves howled in response. Cristian turned and saw the Dark Lord erge, his clothes ripped as his muscles got bigger and hairs rapidly grew out.


    His mouth protruded, and his teeth became thick and sharp. Even from the distance, Cristian could hear his bones cracking as his knees bent backward and two furry ears came out from the top of his head.


    The man turned into a full-fledged lycanthrope, and his roars made his ears quake. The Lycan shot forward with extreme speed, its ghastly red eyes zeroed on She, and Cristian sighted it.


    Swinging his sword without skill or determined movements, the fire wolf had no choice but to back away from this mad berserker.


    Graa!


    mes spurted from its mouth toward him. The heat alone made his skin tingle, but he was determined to damage this irritating wolf! From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Lycan approaching.


    But its eyes weren''t on him. Cristian knew the Dark Lord wanted nothing more than to tear She apart because she had been the major cause of his problem.


    If there was no She, then this town would have be a feeding den, and a good number of his wolves might evolve.


    The scene of Cristian running towards the burning mes shone in She''s blurry eyes and she raised her hands, only to realize not even a shred of mana remained.


    Powerlessly, she watched him recklessly head toward the mes, but before he met with it; he leaped, stretched his hands, and grabbed the arm of the Lycan, which She just saw for the first time.


    In the same motion, his de left opened arge gash on the fire wolf''s back and the beast whimpered.


    Bam!


    Both Cristian and the Lycan fell to the ground, and as they rolled, a contest of strength erupted. Cristian''s eyes glowed with burning green mes, for he activated eyes of truth and mind.


    But all he could hear was ''KILL!!''


    Instead of manipting his thoughts, it became the opposite, for the insane mantra clouded his mind.


    With no other choice, his eyes stopped glowing, both man and beast separated, and he reached out for Burning Fury a few meters away.


    However, the Dark Lord lunged toward him. A bloody w mark appeared on Cristian''s hard abs, and ckish-red blood seeped out, ruining his white top.


    Fueled with pain and unshackled fury, he balled his hands andunched a devastating punch that sent the Dark Lord to the ground.


    He grunted deeply and dragged his feet to his sword. As his fingers wrapped around the hilt, Cristian felt strength return to his exhausted body, but he forgot about the wolf that sought vengeance.


    Emerging from the mes, a two-meter-tall fire wolf took his weary state to its advantage and opened its massive jaws.


    "Ahh!"


    His loud voice dripping with both agony and volcanic fury pierced through the night as the fire wolf bit his shoulder.


    Its fangs sunk into his flesh, almost touching his bones. "You''ve doomed yourself." His tone sounded demonic, causing the wolf''s eyes to widen, but it was toote.


    It tapped into the source of decay itself and there was only one result.


    The Dark Lord''s smile vanish when he saw his treasured wolf leave the warrior and stagger, its mes reduced and kept on reducing as the beast whimpered.


    An internal war between affinities raged inside its body, butpared to its inferior mes, Decay belonged to a ss of its own. A rank not even paragons could determine.


    "Firestorm!!" the Dark wolf screamed when the warrior who should be dead got up from his knees and shed off his beast''s head.


    mes raged in the background, illuminating Cristian''s haggard looks as he breathed roughly. His green eyes stared at the beast, which gradually decayed. The moment he killed it, Decay took over and devoured its meal.


    [Congrattions Cristian/ dimir Athelstone for you have yed a rare beast! Strength + 5, Agility + 5, Stamina +5]


    [You have reached level 16, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    [You have reached level 17, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    [You have reached level 18, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    [You have reached level 19, and you have gained two free stats points¡­]


    "AHH!... MEDUSA!" the Dark Lord screamed like a deranged man. His eyes gleamed with insanity, for that was the only wolf that had gained ess to evolution for over a decade!


    Along with his voice, an icy chill spread through the battlefield, quenching the mes, and a maic hiss echoed from the depths of the forest.


    [A/N: Don''t forget to votement and drop a review!]

 Chapter 26: Athelstone or not

    <h4>Chapter 26: Athelstone or not</h4>


    The moment Cristian heard that name, his pupils shook, his muscles tightened and goosebumps appeared due to the icy wind billowing off the forest from which a loud hiss echoed.


    Most of the wolves were dead and the remaining few protected the Dark Lord, who red at him with hate and extreme bliss, for he awaited Cristian''s swift death.


    "Kill her," he ordered, and ten wolves dashed toward the powerless arcane mage.


    The soles of his boot dug into the soil as he dashed toward She. With a grunt, he leaped over the wolves the Dark Lord sent to obstruct him andnded behind them.


    Cristian ignored them and sped toward She, struggling to reach her before the wolves.


    Slowly, Cristian''s mentality changed. From an ordinary earthling to that of a berserker!


    A fabled ss that had gone extinct!


    Berserkers were meat grinders, breakers of stalemates and horrors to all. Their presence on a battlefield meant a bloodbath!


    Cristian knew none of this but he would soon remind the world of that era, one dominated by the unranked ss; Berserkers.


    "GET BACK TO THE WALL!" his booming voice resonated in the heads of the soldiers and they regained themselves. Cristian knew how powerful Medusa''s illusions could be and it would be a disaster if she entraps the soldiers, for they would be ripped apart.


    The silvery glow of the moon reflected on his de as he raised it and shed a wolf''s head off.


    Had he been a second toote, She would have been a corpse. "Why!..." he bellowed, marched forward, and kicked another wolf, taking its head to the ground. "Is!" he hollered again and drilled through the fallen wolf.


    As he pulled his sword out, a good portion of its length was coated in red. It formed droplets at the tip and slowly fell.


    "She!" the air tore, as the blunt part of his sword mmed another wolf causing its legs to buckle and it fell. Blood spilled from its mouth as Cristian literally pped it with a sword!


    "So!" he pierced his sword into the ground, held the hilt tightly, and spun. His foot hit another wolf and the pitiful level 16 wolf fainted instantly. "...So determined to kill me!"


    "Ugh!" Cristian groaned as a wind wolf shotpressed air at his back, tearing his flesh, causing him to grunt.


    The wolf shot another toward She and Cristian blocked it with Burning Fury. it had been a few minutes and she regained a little strength.


    Seeing him amid wolves protecting her made She feel warm and disappointed in herself, for he took the leading role where she had failed.


    No adventurer would do this. Fighting a lost battle was akin to death, and they weren''t Knights or a household soldier.


    His tattered transparent top hug to his battered blood-covered body, his state looked really bad, but the man fought with increasing fervor.


    Seven wolvesy on the ground and out of the standing, three, two were injured. "Cristian," her soft tone rang as for the first time she reached out to him but when her fingers almost touched his back.


    Cristian leaped away like she was something disgusting and it made her eyes tremble. However, the gaze made her baffled. It was filled with fear, relief, and caution.


    Cristian''s heart almost left his rib cage when She almost touched him. She would have turned to dust due to his blood.


    While it would take longer due to her strong neutral affinity, She would surely fall and Cristian didn''t want to bear that feeling, for it would eat him up.


    "W-..." She couldn''t speak as she raised her head and her irises dted. Cristian followed her sight and the same snake that made him deviate from his path to Grayston slithered out of the forest.


    Her massive size was unfathomable as the other part hid in the forest, her hiss resonated and even the people hiding inside their homes could hear it and their eyes dted.


    The entire town became still, as many were lost in illusions. The soldiers weren''t exempted, and the sounds of weapons hitting the ground echoed like a sweet melody to the Dark Lord.


    Her iconic, thick, chilling fog covered the ins and crept into the town. The wolves retreated and so did their Lord.


    Cristian''s eyes burned with green mes, and the sounds of a woman sobbing made him turn. She knelt on the ground. Her mesmerizing eyes that shone with steadfast determination were lost, as the woman before him was like a young girl that had lost her mother.


    "Hiss~ You can''t escape from me, Athelstone," a charming voice echoed behind him and Cristian chuckled.


    ''I never knew this world wanted my death this much,'' he mused inwardly. Cristian would be shocked to know how true those words were in the future.


    "Medusa," he muttered and turned, both eyes, small andrge, shed. Herrge blue ones against his ghastly green ones.


    Both eyes were charming and exuded a strange attraction. Naivety had long since left him for these few days, thought him how much strength mattered.


    Everyone sought strength and they would go at any length to gain it. It was a matter of if you were strong enough to be removed from their target list.


    Be feared or be the one to fear.


    To live or die.


    There were only two choices at every corner, and Cristian would always embrace life. And if Medusa wanted him that much, she would have to work hard for it.


    His current regeneration was too slow to heal his injuries, so he had to bear the pain and the icy chill.


    "You chose the hard way, then." Medusa''s voice reverberated as she gazed at this human weakling putting up an utterly pitiful show.


    ''Too bad I''m alone,'' Cristian sighed and his de lit up. The me shadow danced on his face and the madness of his origin took over.


    "I will plunge this de right through you even if it''s thest thing I do!" Cristian yelled and twirled his de.


    Medusa opened her massive jaws and whitish smoke that turned to frost shot towards him. A smirk yed on Cristian''s lips and his eyes zed. He raised his de and plunged deep into the ground whilst he pumped his mana into the great sword, causing the mes to increase.


    Boom!


    Ice and fire collided, and Cristian''s surroundings turned to ice. Some appeared on his skin, but as he kept on fueling his de, they melted.


    More frost left Medusa''s mouth, causing the fog to thicken and a good part of Cristian to freeze. ''I wish I had mes with my decay,'' the freezing man muttered inwardly and raised his sword.


    Even as his body froze and his health dropped, Cristian marched forward. Suddenly, a golden beam fell on him, restoring his life and wiping off the chill along with his blood.


    Back at the wall, a golden-haired beauty shone resplendent gold. The image of an angel appeared behind her and alongside the phantom. She raised her staff and hit the ground with its bottom.


    Boom!


    A golden barrier covered the town, and people slowly regained themselves. Some felt ashamed, for they found themselves in unthinkable positions.


    "You''re not alone¡­ Athelstone," Anna muttered, her golden eyes shing with questions for she knew something Cristian didn''t. No other being dared answer that name Athelstone, for it would bring death to them and their household.


    To be called Athelstone meant Cristian was an angel, but where were his wings? Or perhaps he hid it?


    Numerous thoughts shed through Anna''s head but she locked it for the time, for questions woulde only if they survive.


    Medusa''s eyes shed but her focus on Anna vanished when Cristian leaped, poured a staggering 50 points from his pool into the de and an arc made of mes moved toward her.


    An ice wall rapidly formed and negated the attack without much damage. "Time to end this," she scowled and herrge head went higher as she prepared to unleash a devastating attack.


    A golden barrier appeared, demarcating him and Medusa. "CRISTIAN BACK TO THE WALL!" Anna screamed and even from his far distance, Cristian heard it but before he took three steps, the barrier shattered and a beam of frost shot from Medusa towards him.


    "He''s gone," She, who had been brought to the wall, sighed as her eyes clouded. She didn''t know why she felt this emotional. Even as she pondered, translucent liquid coated her eyes.


    ''Damn, I made a promise to Lia.'' Cristian sighed, and both gloves fell to the ground. He was prepared to unleash his affinity.


    "You hurt him," the voice was barely a whisper, but it changed the situation as a being stepped out of Cristian''s shadow.

 Chapter 27: Return to the domain; Earth!

    <h4>Chapter 27: Return to the domain; Earth!</h4>


    "You hurt him," the voice was barely a whisper, but it changed the situation as a being stepped out of Cristian''s shadow.


    He suddenly found himself close to the wall and Lia''s scent gushed into his nostrils while her gem-like eyes shone with volcanic rage.


    Without a word, she vanished, the air distorted due to the heat billowing off her body. The fog cleared, revealing a white-haired woman with ample assets and an alluring shape.


    She opened her plump lips and her fangs came into view. A long pink forked tongue slithered out of her mouth and she hissed.


    Medusa wasn''t bothered about being naked, for she knew nothing of human desires for such an alluring body.


    "I would have made you a maid if you didn''t try to kill my Lord," Lia scowled as her eyes twinkled when she essed Medusa''s body. ''Tsk, what a waste.'' she added inwardly. Medusa would have been a good maid but the number one rule was you can lust after the Lord but never hurt him or even harbor that thought.


    Medusa''s brows furrowed, as she couldn''t see any information about Lia. It was like an invisible shield that protected her from prying eyes.


    She had gotten a good portion of Cristian''s information without him knowing due to the gap in strength, but it was a different case for Lia for higher tiers could shield themselves, rendering the inspection skill useless.


    The fog got thicker and hundreds of Ice petals appeared above Medusa, painting a beautiful yet disturbing scene, for some soldiers instantly lost hope.


    "Go" She pointed her index finger at Lia and the sharp petals that could pierce deep into the stone walls shot toward Lia in droves.


    "Cute. now, know your ce." Her sweet voice swept through the battlefield, scaly wings came out of her back, and with a p, she shot into the air.


    Her lips parted and dark red mes spewed forth. The ice petals stood no chance, as not even their liquid state remained.


    The mes weren''t even close yet, the heat already made Medusa feel like she was being cooked. Her snow-white skin turned red, her brows knitted, and several ice walls rose but also melted.


    Even when her tier was suppressed. Lia was much stronger than those on the Esteemed tier, which was Medusa''s current tier.


    ''Ahhh! How did that pesky human gain the help of a half-dragon!'' Medusa screamed inwardly.


    Anna quickly canceled the dome skill, as Medusa could only retreat under Lia''s assaults. From dragon breath to fire spears, fireballs, and gigantic firences.


    As her ss entailed; Lia could wield fire to her liking, cing her below true dragons, which were beings of elements.


    Along with her sister, they both rushed out of the gate and moved toward the exhausted Cristian who needed Lia''s help to put on Infinite Touch.


    He drained his mana pool to thest drop, and now that the adrenaline cooled, his body ached badly.


    Yet a smile graced his face as he watched his beautiful maid rain mes on Medusa, who focused on defending. It was clear that Lia wants to torture Medusa or she would have consumed her in mes.


    "Cristian!" a melodious voice made him turn and his green pupils dted for She ran toward him.


    The expression on the beauty''s face tugged his heartstrings and when she arrived, her arms wrapped around him and he could feel her bountiful melons squishing against his firm chest.


    Subconsciously, he stroked her hair, causing her to shiver, yet she still embraced him and a smile slowly appeared on Cristian''s handsome face.


    ''Life and death battles do change a lot,'' he mused inwardly while stroking her silky blue hair.


    "Cristian, am d you''re safe." Anna finally arrived. Her calm and solemn tone waspletely different from the innocent woman he knew.


    With her white robe and staff, she looked like a calm and collected priestess and not the naive girl who tookfort in his embrace a few hours ago.


    "Anna, is anything wrong?" he queried softly. He couldn''t be more baffled for she had created an invisible wall between them and the pain hidden behind her mesmerizing golden eyes almost made him bring her to his embrace.


    To Anna, she felt both anger, sad and helpless. The man who she took as a friend, even if it had only been a few hours since they met, shattered her heart.


    She trusted him enough to spill some secrets, yet it turned out he was an Athelstone in disguise.


    Seeing her sister with him made her furious because this bastard had tricked them both.


    She broke the embrace, for she sensed the tension between Cristian and her sister. "What happened?"


    "Anna-..." Cristian paused as texts appeared on his retina.


    [Cristian/ dimir Athelstone, will you ept the call to return to the domain of the species you came with? Extra slots +2.]


    His eyes widened, for this was everything he could dream of. There would be no need to hide his affinity there, for many things would be taken like game-like abilities. He could grow without hiding anything and form alliances since earthlings were still beginners.


    Other races had fully grown and it would be hard to gain anything if even a small town had people almost at the first tier. There wasn''t any need to think about cities!


    "I ept," he said audibly, which got both girls confused, and he took this opportunity. "She, Anna. Do you want to be powerful?"


    The allure in his tone drilled deep, but they remained skeptical, for it was a strange thinging from an adventurer.


    "I have questions, Cristian," Anna said with a detached tone but became flustered as Cristian appeared before her and shed an attractive smile filled with such allure that she gulped.


    "I''ll answer all questions and I''ll make you much more than just another arcane mage," he said to both girls and stretched out his hands.


    The moment they touched his palms, all three vanished along with Lia and the burning Medusa.


    [A/N: don''t forget to vote and add to library!]

 Chapter 28: Undead & Bane of all life

    <h4>Chapter 28: Undead & Bane of all life</h4>


    The warmth of the sun made Cristian''s eyes open and his pupils dted as he took in the vast sight before him.


    He stood right in the middle of the road with skyscrapers on both sides of the asphalt road. The deste air made his brows knit and as he essed the ce, creases formed on his forehead.


    He almost felt like he appeared in a city that had been abandoned for decades, but he knew this part of the city. It was close to the central park and his favorite coffee shop was a couple of meters away.


    But now the city had lost its vibrant atmosphere, for this ce was as silent as a graveyard and that smell of rot in the air almost made him identify this ce as a literal graveyard.


    ''What happened here?'' Cristian queried inwardly and looked around but couldn''t sight the people that came with him.


    He wanted to wait for Lia, but it seemed like there was a hidden timer and the moment he epted, it began counting. "Shit! Did I leave them there¡­ with Medusa!" he thought out loud and wasn''t bothered since no one was there.


    The ce had lots of green as thick veins coiled around the skyscrapers and some part of the road had lush grass that crept up to the walls of buildings.


    "No, Lia is there," he muttered with slight relief.


    "I''m here, Lord," Lia''s melodious voice echoed in his mind and Cristian deftly drew Burning Fury and turned, but no one stood behind him. Neither was there any presence tens of meters away from him.


    "L¡­ Lia, is that you?" He queried when he heard a giggle in his mind. "Yes, I''m in your shadow. My time is out, so I can''t appear, and don''t fret. Both girls teleported with you and they are not far."


    Cristian calmed and rxed. He felt awkward about embarrassing himself before such a beautifuldy, even if she was his maid. "Do you know what happened here?" he queried while straight at the bright skies.


    "Well, a good percent of these new humans can''t absorb mana, causing the weaker ones to turn into undead, and they feasted on others. I can''t sense any life aura, so a good part of this city belongs to the undead."


    "Why am I not surprised?" Cristian sighed as he tightened his grip on the hilt. Maybe the people he came for were already dead, but he had to confirm before moving on.


    "Are zombies hated that much?" Cristian queried as he felt Lia abhorred them greatly.


    "Zombies are the lowest and not even considered undead by some, for they can regain their memories and go back to their lives; this is why THE MOTHER gives them the chance to fight for another opportunity for life.


    But the other undead are beings of death and destruction. They have eradicated the empire''s kingdoms. Hundreds of millions have died at their hands and each death just boosts their number so you can understand why they are hated."


    Cristian nodded but his mind wasn''t firm on hating anything or any race at this moment and it rubbed Lia the wrong way for her how deep this was connected to her Lord.


    Shortly after his death, they appeared. From the same continent, he was killed, and they had destroyed more than ten great empires in just thirty years after theyunched the first war.


    Same with THE MOTHER, Lia also knew how deeply these hated beings were tied to the Bane of all life. This powerful race hated one thing, one man and one entity, and that was the Bane of All Life!


    The undead were a residue of his affinity, so they were inferior, which made the paragon of the undead loathe him.


    While chatting with Lia, he walked past destroyed cars, cracked roads, and abandoned buildings.


    After a while, stopped at the coffee shop which he had failed to visit before the earthquake.


    The ce was ruined with dried bloodstains, cobwebs, and a thickyer of dust. "How is this possible? It''s just two days since we came here, so how can such an amount of dust appear?" he asked Lia, who hummed but didn''t speak.


    Cristian felt she knew something but wasn''t sure about informing him. "What is going on?" he queried in a deep tone and she sighed.


    "I think it''s been more than a month, judging from the look of the city."


    "A month! How is that even possible!" Cristian eximed, only to realize everything from his transmigration and also reincarnation didn''t make any sense. Compared to those, this wasn''t much.


    "Sadly, it''s the truth. You need to find both girls, as this ce isn''t safe to roam alone." Lia warned, and Cristian bolted out of the shop and followed Lia''s direction.


    But as he got closer to Anna''s location, the growls got louder and louder, causing Cristian to halt. He previously thought it was in his head, but he could hear the cacophony of moans and growls whilst the dragging of feet against the hard, rough road shook his eardrums.


    ''Zombies!'' He said inwardly, in rm that their number won''t be small, but he wasn''t nning on backing out or running likest time.


    Anna was somewhere around that area. Then, if it meant shing through hundreds of undead, then he would firmly proceed.


    "This is going to be helpful." Lia''s voice rang in his mind and he still struggled to adjust to this fresh development as having such an alluring voice in his head does a lot of havoc on his pitiful virgin body.


    Luckily, his pants were strong enough to hide this embarrassing sight.


    Along with Lia''s words, a ne shimmering with a sky blue glow, a pair of metal iid boots, and two fangs appeared on the ground.


    "You forgot to open the treasure box of the fire wolf and you even gained an upgradable essory!"


    "upgradable?! Is it the ne?" he queried, bent his sword so he could squat, and reached out to the ne shimmering with an allure that would provoke greed from many.

 Chapter 29: Chained Hearts!

    <h4>Chapter 29: Chained Hearts!</h4>


    [...]


    [Chained Hearts: forged in the valley of forbidden souls, this artifact can be a blessing or curse to its owner. Intelligence +120, Dexterity +50.]


    [Rank: Rare +++]


    [Character: Summon a fire wolf 30 levels above you for 5 minutes.]


    [Requirement: Intelligence 70.]


    ''What the!!''


    Cristian''s eyes erged and his fingers trembled causing the ne the slip but he caught it before it hit the ground.


    Reading the attributes again and again, he still couldn''t believe it. "A hundred and twenty! How the heck is this from a mere level 32 fire wolf?" he gasped in disbelief.


    Lia rolled her eyes and pouted at how her Lord naively underestimated the potential of a hybrid wolf.


    She felt sad that the useless dungeon Lord found it first because she was sure that such a talented wolf would not appear in his dungeon.


    "It''s not an ordinary wolf. It has a faint connection to Fenrir," she said softly, but that familiar name caught Cristian''s attention.


    "Fenrir! The giant wolf!" he eximed in shock. He knew a few things about mythological beings; Fenrir was the one to be remembered.


    "Yes," Lia answered softly. Her eye shone as she thought her Lord remembers some things, however, that thought crumbled when she heard Cristian''s next words.


    "Is it alive?"


    "Ha!.. it''s not." Lia replied with disappointment that Cristian had failed to notice.


    "Oh? Bummer"


    When she heard those words Lia almost felt like hitting her Lord''s head. He was one of the major generals that led the war against monsters.


    Back when he was his father''s favorite and not banished, his tales resounded in the dark corners of Eternity, and his name struck fear into the hearts of the enemies of the empire.


    As an obedient son, he heeded his father''s words like a loyal soldier and led their army right into the heart of a monster empire and yed Fenrir''s mother.


    Yet after everything he did, his father seized his position and gave it to his junior brother!


    Lia still felt furious at that man and watching her Lord being so na?ve made her sigh. He looked so full of life even when he had nothing, more than when he had everything and still had that deste aura lingering around.


    Cristian could not fathom Lia''s current thoughts while he appreciated Chained Hearts'' beauty. Tiny chains coiled around the pendant that looked like an actual heart. It glowed faintly like the pulse of an actual heart.


    A tiny dark red chain connected to the pendant, forming an exquisite yet creepy pendant ne.


    ''But my intelligence stat is far from seventy so it''s gonna umte some dust,'' he said inwardly. loosened the mouth of the pouch that never left his waist, took out a honey cake, and threw the ne inside.


    "Wow, this is good. Feels great to enjoy food without being so sensitive," he mumbled while his taste buds jubted from the sweetness of the carefully prepared cake.


    Lia quietly listened to her lord utter baffling words but since he loved her cakes then nothing else was important.


    [...]


    [Great Walkers: strong boots that would protect your feet from getting hurt by stones. Agility +5]


    [Rank: Common]


    [Character: strong]


    [Requirements: none]


    ''I guessmon ranked items be garbage when you get higher ranked ones. Ha! At least it''s better than the one I''m putting on.''


    He quickly changed from those leather boots that wore out due to what he went through at Darkston. It couldn''t handle his strength, causing its early retirement.


    "Hmm, feelsfortable." he praised the only possible good point the boot had.


    "Get ready. Your scent has drawn a few zombies."


    Cristian quickly raised his head whilst his hair partially covered his eyes. The growls were so close that the zombies were barely thirty meters away, which meant they would meet at the three-way junction ahead of him.


    Shing!


    He picked up the fangs and drew Burning Fury. "a few, huh" his firm tone rang as he threw the fangs in the pouch and dashed toward the junction.


    The moment he arrived at the junction, Cristian''s eyes almost fell out. "You call this small!" gasping in disbelief, he held back the urge to spank Lia''s plump, round ass.


    He expected a maximum number of ten to twelve, but more than a hundred zombies crowded the road, and as the only living being with warm flesh in this area, a horde formed on his behalf.


    "Uh.. isn''t this small," Lia replied with an innocent tone that riled him up. With zing eyes, he hollered. "Remind me to spank youter!"


    "I will, Lord Athelstone," Lia replied with a seductive purr that showed she already imagined it. Speechless, he ignored this subus in heat and focus on the flesh-eating monsters.


    A cacophony of growls and moans rang from the other side, which prompted him to turn his head only to see the other road being filled with another horde.


    Instead of being rmed, a smirk formed on his lips, making his looks more charming. He removed his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets.


    Since he was immune to zombie bites, mowing through the walking dead shouldn''t be a problem.


    Cristian had regenerated almost 30 points of his mana, but he had no ns to use it. He could walk out of this alive as long as they weren''t any mutants, but that thought came too soon.


    The iconic shock troopers of the zombie horde dashed out in dozens. Their legs were like steel making loud sounds as they hit the asphalt road.


    ''Inspect''


    [...]


    [undead {zombie mutant; Runner}]


    [Name: Cedric]


    [level: 8]


    [Innate skills: speed, powerful legs, sharp ws, virus]


    "Wow! I was right. Even the system calls them runners." Patting his chest, Cristian felt proud of his guessing skills.


    He cracked his neck and tightened his grip. "Too bad they chose the wrong man as a meal."


    Bam!


    He shot forward and raised his sword, aiming to decapitate the first runner. Once it got within Burning Fury''s reach, he swung down.

 Chapter 30: Berserker鈥檚 Rage

    <h4>Chapter 30: Berserker''s Rage</h4>


    In a swift effortless sh, the zombie named Cedric lost its head and Cristian crushed it with a hard stomp.


    He leaned forward and made an arc, slicing through the lower abdomen of two runners, from which ck blood spurted from their opened skin.


    The runners were known to bolt toward their prey and pounce on them; they did not know how to halt in situations that required them to.


    With small but graceful movements, he avoided their ws and bites and mowed down their numbers.


    Runners kepting and fell to their demise. "Gar!" Cristian quickly turned and shed upwards yet the zombie dog with half eaten face evaded his sh and lunged with the aim of ripping his shin apart.


    "Heh," he scoffed and sent it flying with a resounding kick. He heard its jaws crack, and he felt no pain due to the inid metal.


    "Nice!" his lips curled up, he leaned back, tightened his muscles, and threw Burning Fury forward.


    Loud whooshing sounds apanied the whirling de as it sped toward the iing runners. Their speed became their weakness as the sharp, gleaming edge shed through the soft bones of these low-level zombies.


    Bam!


    A loud sound echoed as Cristian stomped the hard road, creating a dent, and darted towards his weapon.


    It had ughtered more than a dozen runners, decimating the remaining runners from the horde before him.


    The Runners from the horde behind him were still far away and he couldn''t deal with both hordes, as his death could be because ofck of stamina.


    Lia shook her head as she watched the battle. Her Lord''s stunning progress did not surprise her, for he was blessed with an instinct for battle.


    Unlike others who need a calm environment to make steady progress by filtering their mistakes and grasping hidden details in their affinity, her Lord just needs a battle to satisfy his requirements.


    This was the main reason she fully epted Cristian''s decision, as his progress would skyrocket due to the deep infestation of zombies and mutated animals.


    However, she could see just as he became better, it became obvious the sword wasn''t the weapon for a Berserker like him.


    Coiling his hands around the hilt of the de that pierced deep into the ground, Cristian pulled it out with a grunt and dived into the sea of flesh-eating monsters.


    He kept hacking and shing without a break as he sought to reach the other side. ws and teeth came from all sides, yet he kept them away from touching his skin.


    Cristian had already grown mentally, which was why he wasn''t bothered shing through zombies which were previously human.


    It was kill or be killed. Be powerful or weak.


    It was a matter of choice and like everyone he wanted the best for himself, Earth was too boring for his taste.


    The warring era has passed, but it has never left his blood. And now he knew it was because he had lived here before.


    "Ugh!" deep lines formed on his forehead and he groaned deeply. Lowering his head, his emerald eyes gazed at the wed fingers that pierced his abdomen.


    Not a secondter, it turned to dust, but the wound stayed and the pain made him exhale loudly.


    "Calm down~" Lia''s voice was like a beautiful melody one could listen to for eternity, but his temperature continued to spike.


    "Lord Athelstone!" her voice echoed in his mind, but he kept shing, slowly losing himself.


    His moves became more brutal as he swung Burning Fury with one hand andunched blows that exploded the heads of zombies with the other.


    His entire body became a weapon. His toned legs whipped out deadly kicks that whistled through the air, sending zombies flying back.


    "dimir Ithuriel Athelstone!" Lia quickly did something she thought she would never do, and it was calling her lord by his origin name.


    But if it could stop him from entering the berserker''s rage, then she would do it again and again. While that state could enhance Cristian''s powers to an enviable state, it needed a minimum of 20 vitality or the Berserker would end up killing himself due to the violent blood rush.


    Their entire system would move at an insane rate, heartbeat as fast as that of an Etruscan shrew, pulsing blood-red eyes that could grasp the details of a flying bug, and a blood domain that consumes a minimum of 200 mana in ten minutes and it varied ording to affinities.


    Cristian''s affinity would consume a lot more, so at his level, it was basically self-destruction.


    Along with her words, Cristian froze like a statue. But no zombie came close, as he had ughtered 85 percent in his semi-rage.


    Covered in blood from head to toe, he smelled like a garbage yard. "W¡­ what happened?" he regained his sanity and queried while looking at the carnage with mild shock.


    He wasn''t stunned because a part of him, though not the sane part, massacred these zombies.


    [You have reached level 20, and gained two free stats points¡­]


    "You almost died." Cristian felt baffled as he could hear Lia''s quiet sobs as she replied. "I¡­ I¡­" He felt confused, but for Lia to break down like this, he must have done something without knowing.


    The cacophony of goals and moans from the other horde drew closer, and he realized all their runners had met their demise at the sharp edge of his sword.


    ''Lia, I''m sorry, but you need to tell me what I did wrong,'' he said inwardly, wore his gloves and barged into a building.


    He heard a gasp but ignored it and added an extrayer of defense to the door. And it was a couch. "C¡­ Cristian."


    A familiar voice made him turn and Anna stood a dozen steps away, frozen in shock as she scanned his bloodied look.


    "It''s me, Anna." The moment he responded, the golden-haired beauty jumped into his embrace. He could feel her thumping heart, for his abrupt entrance must have scared her.


    "Have you seen my sister?" she queried, and Cristian could only shake his head with a wry smile.


    ''This is interesting,'' Lia''s mood changed as she scanned the innocent beauty with a predatory gaze. Her Lord lived in solitude in hisst life, so she would make sure he relishes this one.


    [A/N: don''t forget to vote and leave ament!]


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/XsTFC4mBzt

 Chapter 31: Monstrous strength

    <h4>Chapter 31: Monstrous strength</h4>


    "Umm, Anna." she stared at him with an arched brow and followed his eyesight to her gown that stuck to her body, revealing her snow-white skin and white bra.


    Her cheeks burned, for she had joined Cristian in his horrible stench cult. "You still look good, but¡­ you might wanna do something about your exposed skin."


    "Humph! You talk like you don''t relish it." Anna scoffed, causing Cristian''s eyes to dte. Did he hear correctly or were his ears confusing him?


    "I would have calmly bid my time and we could even wash up together, but there is a horde outside this door, so we might end up attracting them." He wore a solemn facade while staring at Anna whose face would almost burst as it shone in deep red.


    "I''m doubting your surname," she hissed and took deep breaths, making her ample boobs move up and down. As much as Cristian enjoyed the maic sight, her words brought back a topic he almost forgot.


    "Is that why you behaved like that? Because you think I''m a member of that family?" he took two steps toward her and lowered his head. Their eyes met and he could see caution return to those innocent eyes which once gleamed with joy a few minutes ago.


    "You have to be. No one in the realm would dare answer Athelstone," she whispered. Her irises trembled as was uncertain, and when Cristian got closer, she mumbled a spell inwardly and hit her staff on the ground.


    ''Cleanse!''


    Voosh!


    A golden light erupted from the ground and covered both of them for two seconds. As the golden beam slowly died, Cristian found Anna pressed against him and his first reaction was knitting his brows.


    However, he realized that out of instinct; he grabbed Anna for both security purposes and precaution. She would not dare to use any offensive skill when they were together, and this was if she had any.


    "Anh!~" her lips so close to his chin parted as she let out a moan and it was because his tight grip around her waist hurt her delicate skin. [-1]


    She gasped inwardly when her health bar was reduced by one. ''What monstrous strength does he possess?'' she thought and felt relieved as he loosened his grip, but their intimate position remained as he still refused to release her.


    "Look, there''s no way anyone in this realm has the same surname, but I''m not from this realm and I think you were already thinking about it since the system must have told you about this ce."


    His hot breath brushed against her face while he stared down at her. Anna realized what a colossal blunder she made by using that skill because the blood hid his gorgeous looks.


    Even her fiance, who visited only once, which was when he selected her with a few others, couldn''tpare to him.


    It made no sense for a man who wasn''t even at the second tier to possess such an angelic face with a maic devious smile but the man holding her was real and it made her heart throb seeing him so bent on fixing what she now realized was a misunderstanding.


    But if he just came to Eternity, then how was he this strong? And what of the real adventurer?


    "Can you let me go?" she queried in a mosquito voice and Cristian hurriedly distanced himself and shed an awkward smile, which made Anna pout.


    "Thanks," he whispered as she cleaned him up and she nodded. "Are we going to hide here or fight those disgusting things?" Anna queried while looking at the door with caution.


    "I vote we stay!"


    Cristian grimaced as Lia''s abrupt scream made him feel strange but definitely ufortable. ''It''s dangerous for her to be out there alone. You said it yourself.'' he uttered inwardly, but Lia wasn''t nning to back out easily.


    "My Lord, she can be yours if you both stay through this night. I''m 99 percent sure she won''t reject you tonight," Lia''s seductive voice echoed in his mind, trying to convince him that Anna was a cornered rabbit, ripe for the taking.


    "Not now Lia," he rejected. Why the heck would he think about s** when a horde was out there and besides, he doesn''t want to take advantage of Anna.


    Cristian preferred if the girl was fully aware and ready and not being a sneaky, seductive demon like his cute maid.


    ''I would like to see the look on that stupid Athelstone''s face when he realizes one of his ''women'' is gone. Oh, I wish I could be there to gouge out his shocked eyes.'' The dark thoughts lurking within Lia''s mind went unnoticed.


    Unknown to Cristian, Lia left his shadow and appeared in the Night Castle''spound. Her willowy brows furrowed and her maic eyes shed with disgust and anger.


    And these emotions were directed at herself, for she was turning into a replica of her mother.


    "I can never be like her!" she screamed, and mes burst from her body and shot several feet into the air. Her wings shot out, her ws came out and her gown burnt to a crisp, revealing a body so alluring that many would feel ashamed of their proimed beauty.


    Her smooth skin without blemishes sparkled with a red glow, and a back armor covered her body.


    With burning red eyes, she shot into the air and flew towards the distance. A pity for any Tier 5 beast she meets.


    While Lia searched for something to unleash her anger, Cristian and Anna came out and faced the remaining zombies as the main horde was long gone.


    There was a lot of work needed before they could work like an oiled machine, but against low-level zombies, their current teamwork would suffice.


    Anna''s method was clean and silent as her healing skill became a bane for the undead. She kept flooding them with the same skill repeatedly. The results were dozens of gray-skinned zombies lying lifelessly and she leveled up 3 times.


    Taking her level to 27.


    Bam! She turned toward the noise and saw Cristian standing over a big two-meter mutant zombie. He had returned to his bloodied looks, but the contagious smile on his lip made her smile.


    ''Cleanse.''


    "Thanks!" he hollered, gripped the hilt of Burning Fury, and drew it out of the zombie''s swollen stomach.


    "Did she just cast cleanse?" a voice rang and both Cristian and Anna turned to the source.


    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote, add to library and leave a review!]

 Chapter 32: New look

    <h4>Chapter 32: New look</h4>


    Anna''s brows furrowed as she saw two men d in weird yet attractive clothes reveal themselves from the alley. One held a bat and the other a strange metallic object which she doubted could ever harm a zombie.


    "Who are you?" Cristian queried deeply while his grip around the hilt tightened. The second man held a pistol, which was an extremely dangerous weapon, so Cristian made him his first target.


    "Bro, you and your girlfriend are so cool! Are you guys perhaps friends of thedy who can make people kiss the ground?" The younger one, who looked like a seventeen-year-old kid, hollered while carelessly walking towards Cristian, but the older one who looked like his dad held him back.


    "Kiss the ground?" Cristian asked with an arched brow. "Yeah, the fire wolf party was fighting over who would im her since they found her, but those bastards did not know she''s an OP mage.


    "A strange diagram formed on the ground and she floated¡­ like a goddess¡­" the kid forgot that he was speaking to people as he remembered the scene of that cocky group being forced to the ground while she defied gravity.


    To teens like him, she was a goddess.


    Both Cristian and Anna ignored the kid''s mistake of calling them a couple as his description suited one blue-haired beauty.


    "Wait, when did this happen?" Cristian queried as what the boy spoke about seemed like a whole ordeal, so how did this all happen when both he and Anna are struggling to find their way?


    "Two days ago," the blonde-haired man, who looked like he was in histe forties, replied.


    ''Fuck time discement!'' Cristian cursed as She would surely be in a bad mood as she appeared in a strange world and neither he nor Anna were around.


    "Take us to her," Anna spoke with authority. As a healer of the church, she was used to giving orders and also carrying them out. While she took no pleasure in ordering others, if it came to her sister, then she would do it without end.


    "We would do that after we take the supplies from that supermarket," Cristian turned to the building the man pointed at and kept silent.


    It was so far away that he could only see the structure of the signpost. From the gleams in the man''s eyes, Cristian knew the man wanted to ''borrow'' their strength to guarantee his safety.


    "How about you take us there? Once we see her, then I''ll get the supplies and you don''t have to risk your life," Cristian proposed with a maic smile and his eyes glowed.


    ''He''s strong, so you can trust him.'' Those words felt like him, so the blonde nodded in a dazed fashion.


    Anna''s brows rose while she stared at Cristian and the blonde. There was something strange in their conversation, but she didn''t know what.


    It felt strange that he would just ept without even saying a word when he sounded firm previously.


    "This way," the kid beckoned and followed his dad. Cristian slid his sword back into its sheath and marched toward the duo. "Wait!" Anna''s aggrieved tone made him halt.


    "What is wrong?"


    "N¡­ nothing." Her reply made his brows elevate, but he shrugged it off as he couldn''t stop thinking about what She might have done when she lived amongst people who could use guns.


    Many things must have happened in these two days, making her current situation uncertain. She might be safe right now, but what were the people''s general views?


    Anna''s eyes flickered as she gazed at the man who seemed absorbed in his own world the moment her sister came into the picture.


    This thought might have nurtured something else if it was another, but like a kid who wasn''t given the attention she deserved, Anna raised her head. Her golden eyes bore holes into his broad back.


    "Stop!"


    The father and son duo paused along with Cristian. He became confused at her strange behavior, but when he noticed the distance between them, it dawned on him.


    She felt left out as the father and son walked together, but she wasn''t with her new friend and team member.


    "I won''t move an inch until you''re here." His lips curled into a beautiful smile and Anna pouted like a kid finally given the desired attention but felt shy.


    She held her wooden staff that resembled a thick branch with both hands and ran toward him. Her hair bounced and her light brown leather boots peeked out of her long gown.


    "Okay, let''s go," she chirped while beaming, but to her shock, Cristian leaned down, gripped her gown, and tore the fabric.


    Stumped, she watched him turn her attire into a short gown. Her slender, attractive legs were revealed to the world, along with her boots.


    Cristian took two steps back and scanned Anna with an arched brow. He took arge step forward and the gap between them vanished.


    Her refreshingvender scent gushed into his nostrils while he used a torn piece of her gown to tie her hair.


    He took two steps back again and admired the woman whose looks differed vastly from before.


    At this moment, Cristian realized Anna was much younger than him. Maybe two or three years younger?


    With her hair packed into a ponytail, her heart-shaped face, plump lips, cute nose, and bright eyes that shone with a mix of shock and disbelief.


    That face did not match her seductive body, and yet it made a mind-blowingbination. That drew a smirk from his face.


    ''Pretty sure I might be a world-ss talent in the fashion industry.'' he praised his skills inwardly but a seductive voice shattered his fantasies.


    ''Keep dreaming.'' That voice brought a strange warmth to his heart as her strange silence made him feel quite empty.


    ''It feels nice to hear your voice,'' he said sincerely, grabbed Anna''s soft palm, and moved toward the baffled father and son duo.


    Lia''s eyes widened as butterflies danced in her tummy. The umted fury she could not release since every beast knew of her devious routine melted and she felt like soaking in his embrace, but sadly.


    She could only wait till the next day.


    _


    _


    Several miles away, a gigantic snake sprawled on the wide road twitched and its enormous striking blue eyes opened.


    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote, leave aent and add to your library!]

 Chapter 33: Anna鈥檚 race?

    <h4>Chapter 33: Anna''s race?</h4>


    "I never expected we would use the sewers." Cristian''s nose wrinkled. The smell stuck both him and Anna hard.


    He couldn''t believe it when the man removed the lid and his son quickly jumped in. This could not be possible, but this horrible stench tore that thought of denial into shreds.


    "This is the only safe route," the man said casually. Both he and his son had no reaction to the horrible smell, for they had gotten used to it.


    "Safe huh," he muttered with deep creases. No one could hear him, so they quietly moved forward.


    As he watched Anna struggle with her staff in his limited space, his lips curled, but as she battled, the butt of the staff hit his abdomen and his smile vanished.


    "Give it to me," he snarled like he was about to seize an object from a sibling. "No! I need my staff or my powers would drop, and I mean by a lot."


    "I doubt anything would attack us and if we eventually get attacked. I''ll take care of it." Cristian stretched his arms and beckoned for her to hand it over.


    There must be something about Anna that everyone was clueless about, including Lia. She was more talented in magic and Anna depended on her staff showing her substandard affinity, yet she attracted the attention of an Athelstone.


    The grandson of an emperor!


    It was a baffling situation, and it also meant there was something hidden in Anna that others were clueless about.


    As the beauty grumpily handed the staff over, bared her teeth, and walked away, a thought shed through, making him mutter inwardly. ''She''s a strange one.''


    ''I know, right? I can''t even see her race.'' As he heard Lia, Cristian lost his control and cast inspection.


    [...]


    [>Status<]


    [Name: Anna Banning]


    [Level: 27]


    [Race: %$#@]


    [ss: Priestess]


    [Title: None.]


    [Affinity: Light.]


    >Stats<


    Health: 225 {100} Vitality:25]


    [Strength: 9{10}]


    [Agility: 20 {10} ]


    [Dexterity: 13{10}]


    [Intelligence: 35 {10} ]


    [Stamina: 18{10}]


    [MP: 175]


    ''Oops! That was a mistake, but what the heck is wrong with her race?'' he asked inwardly, while checking if Lia would react.


    ''She won''t know. I tampered with her surroundings so she can''t link her difort to you.'' Lia''s words pacified him.


    ''I Have not seen anything like this before. Everyone has a race, well, except¡­''


    ''Except what?!'' Cristian almost said out loud as Lia paused in the part he wanted to know about.


    ''... except her racial bloodline has been suppressed and locked away from the very moment she came into this world.''


    Cristian''s eyes trembled and his body slowly shivered as he struggled to suppress his rage. ''You mean someone did this to her when she was a baby?!'' he could wrap his head around how someone could be so cruel to harm an innocent baby that was just born!


    "We''re here." the man''s voice snapped his rumbling thoughts, and he puffed out. ''Don''t let this trouble you as it is of no concern until she belongs to you.'' Lia''s voice was strangely solemn.


    While Anna''s case surprised her, she easily brushed it off aspared to the heinous deeds constantly urring around the world. Anna should be happy she is still alive.


    Her Lord has lost his memories, and this made him soft, but with time his mentality would adjust to the cruelty of this world where strength prevailed over wealth. Or he would recover his memories, which would be a lot better.


    The moment Anna got close to the steeldder, she felt a pair of thick hands grip her waist, but there was only one man behind her and it was Cristian.


    "What are you doing?" she asked innocently. "Helping," he answered and faced the round opening above them.


    "Don''t let her fall."


    The man nodded and watched as the green-haired man threw a fully grown girl out of the sewer into the air.


    Her squeal pierced his eardrums, but he prepared his stance and caught her in a princess style. "Thanks." the young beauty shed a dazzling smile, and the man felt his cheeks burn.


    But before he could formte any word, the green-haired man shot out of the sewer, dashed forward, and took Anna away from him.


    "Ah! Why so rough?" Anna pouted while staring into Cristian''s eyes. "The real question is, why are you so soft?"


    "Humph!" Anna pouted, took her staff from his hands, and turned with a ir that made her hair hit his face.


    With her back facing him, Cristian couldn''t see Anna''s burning cheeks as she thought about his actions. They spoke loudly of his possessive character, and it made her shiver with unfamiliar emotions.


    The man shed a forced smile when he saw Cristian staring at him. Although Cristian''s gaze did not reveal his emotions, the man still felt nervous.


    ''Only the guilty ones are afraid.'' Cristian said inwardly and Lia chirped in, ''True. you can read his mind to find out his thoughts when he held her.''


    ''I don''t have much in my MP but how did you know I can-...'' Cristian internally swallowed the rest as Lia stayed with his past self so she knew most of his abilities.


    After walking for a while, they arrived at a fence made from stacked vehicles. It reached a staggering height of five meters, and men with automatic rifles were at the top.


    "Ben, how many times will I tell you not toe back here and if you want to beg, then go to the front gate?"


    Cristian''s brows knitted as he sensed another problem on its way. Turns out the man called Ben must havemitted a crime or offended a big figure, so they expelled him. This man did not know of She''s current situation or his son might have lied.


    "Tell me, how many days ago did you see the blue-haired woman?" his tone was dangerously deep and Ben knew this warrior would decapitate him if he lied.


    True, he held a gun, but Cristian stood a few inches away so it was useless.


    Whistle~


    A whistle rang from the top, and Anna felt several men staring at her with different meanings.


    "It''s been five days." the moment Cristian heard those words, his eyes shed, and he dashed toward Ben.


    "Wai-" Ben couldn''t even speak when Cristian''s boot mmed into his chest,unching him straight to the fence.


    Bam!


    The impact was so much that the fence shook, albeit a little. The expressions of the men at the top of the fence changed, but Cristian wasn''t done.


    ''They need a show of power, huh?! Then they''ll see one!'' he bellowed inwardly and unsheathed Burning Fury.


    mes flickered wildly on the de as the tip faced the top of the fence. "OPEN THIS GATE OR I''LL DO IT MYSELF!"


    [A/N: Vote,ment and add to your library!]

 Chapter 34: Shelia鈥檚 insecurity

    <h4>Chapter 34: Shelia''s insecurity</h4>


    Anna stared at this domineering Cristian with wide eyes. His demeanor was vastly different from the man who always kept a warm smile.


    "What the fuck! That sword must be a rare weapon!" a man said as drool fell from his mouth. With that weapon, his position would be elevated immensely.


    "You fool!" a booming voice echoed behind him and a loud sound echoed as a p followed. "Don''t you see their dressing? They must be friends of the Mayor''s special guest," the buff man barked and turned to the orders.


    "Open the gates!" he bellowed and stared down at the man, who seemed ready to bring down this fence.


    ''Wow! Are all of them this fierce?.'' he mused while watching Cristian walk towards the opening gates with a golden-haireddy, the stupid Ben, and his son, who talked a lot.


    A ck Jeep pulled up before them and the driver wounded the window down. "Are you searching for the blue-haired woman?"


    The expression on Cristian and Anna''s faces showed he was right, so without waiting for their response, he banged on the door and beamed. "Hop in, I''ll take you to her."


    Cristian turned to Anna who stared at the Jeep with awe. She could not understand how this good-looking carriage could move without a horse or tamed beast.


    "Not you." Two men blocked Ben, who was about to enter the Jeep with Cristian and Anna. They even threatened him by cing their other hand on the pistols strapped to their waist.


    Ben''s son gulped and took three steps back. He could see that both guards were ready to shut them up if he tried to call out to the warrior. However, just when the tiny me of hope was about to die out, the priestess turned.


    The dying me burned brightly when her brows knitted. "Cristian, help them." She turned to the man who stared at his world, which was a lot different from what he remembered.


    He turned. "Let them stay. I''ll be back for them."


    As the vehicle drove off, Ben gazed at it with flickering eyes. His daughter looked like Anna and while she wasn''t as beautiful, her looks were good enough to attract attention and with what the world has be.


    Powerless women became victims of cruel, lecherous, and prideful men. A day after she told him she rejected the son of a big figure, he saw her mangled corpse at his doorstep that night.


    They sent their dogs after her. He remembered endlessly repeating those words as he stared at her corpse.


    ''You will share the same death, Even if it''s thest thing I do,'' he mused inwardly and ignored the men pushing him and his son.


    They were once under him, but now that he was out, everyone turned their backs on him and rumors soiled his name.


    After a while, the Jeep arrived at argepound with a beautiful garden. Unknown to Cristian, a lot of technologies weren''t working anymore.


    All nuclear nts went down, and phones, televisions, and other necessary home items all stopped. In fact, only guns, vehicles, and a few techs were still active, and they hoped it would stay that way.


    And the strange part that many refused to speak about was only two continents appeared. No one had a clue about the rest.


    Led by a buff man d in a chest te and a broadsword, they walked into the building and arrived in arge dining hall where a 60-year-old man sat at the head.


    Several maids lined up, and different sumptuous meals made Anna sniff and she feasted her eyes on the dining table.


    "Wee guest from Eternity to Earth, please sit," a warm smile graced his lips as he stood up and lowered his body just a little.


    Anna returned his greetings with a slight bow and nudged Cristian, but he refused to budge. How dare this old man think he could deceive him?


    "Drop the act old man, where''s She." he scoffed and caught a twitch on the old man''s face. "Ahem, if you seek the arcane mage, then I''m afraid she''s not around. You see, she has joined our smallmunity for we have offered-..."


    "Mayor Liam, I know you very well. Do you want to know how?" With steady and calcted steps, Cristian approached the old man. He could see the old man''s facade on the verge of crumbling.


    "Because you''re the mayor of New York! The city where I lived. So drop the act and tell me where she is!"


    "Anna!" a melodious voice slithered into his ears and Cristian turned. A beautiful woman with flowing blue hair cascading down to her slender back stood at the door. Therge white polo and deep blue jean bum shorts threw Cristian''s mind into chaos as She''s refreshing looks struck deep.


    From her damp hair, He could figure out someone told her about their arrival making her rush here without drying her hair.


    Frozen at that spot, he watched both sisters embrace themselves tightly. When they separated, She slowly approached him, and he could see her mesmerizing blue eyes flicker.


    At first, she was furious and thought Cristian lied to her and it kept growing these past days, but from afar, she could hear his booming voice and shattered her negative thoughts.


    "You''re here." She arrived before him and whispered. Staring into her blue eyes, Cristian could see that She was quite confused about her emotions.


    "Only that?" he scoffed. And as he expected, she got fired up. "Yes. only that." She scowled and turned.


    Pa!


    A loud sound resounded, and her yelp followed.


    With zing eyes, she turned to the man, who smacked her butt. The moment she turned, Cristian wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pressed her soft body against his.


    "I''m d you''re safe," he muttered while his fingers ran through her silky blue hair. "Let me go, you lecherous bastard!" she screamed and pinched his waist, but her attempts to free herself made him chuckle.


    If she really wanted him to let go, she would have used magic. She had lots of skills in her arsenal that could easily free her, but she refused to use them because she wanted to be in his embrace and at the same time feared she had fallen for his trickery.


    "You''re mine.'''' His deep voice made her eardrums tremble. Her heartbeat sped up as She suddenly felt hot.


    The Mayor couldn''t wrap his head around this and when he was about to speak, the door mmed open.


    "A¡­ another¡­

 Chapter 35: Good at kissing?

    <h4>Chapter 35: Good at kissing?</h4>


    "A¡­ Another horde, much bigger than thest one, is at the east gate!" The buff man hollered, sweat dripping from his face.


    No one could figure out if it was because of fear or if he ran at a respectful distance. "I don''t think it should be a problem," Liam said in a firm tone because, with their current armory, he did not doubt this horde''s demise.


    They were just mindless zombies in the end.


    "THERE ARE MORE THAN THREE THOUSAND ZOMBIES OUT THERE!" The man lost hisposure and yelled, as his bulging eyes revealed his fear.


    "A¡­ and hundreds of mutants!"


    The mayor''s eyes widened, and he turned to She, but the woman didn''t even nce at him for a second.


    The bad news destroyed their mood, and they separated but maintained eye contact. "I know you can see the Mayor''s pitiful gaze." Cristian mused while caressing She''s cheeks.


    Her glossy cheeks glowed, but she did not back away. "They have a strange weapon, which they call a gun, and it can help."


    Well, bullets aren''t endless. They''re not like magic." He whispered and rubbed the skin underneath her plump pink lips. It would be the right thing to stop, as his actions triggered reactions both from his body and hers.


    "I know you''re not an adventurer." Her lips parted as she spoke, and Cristian smirked. "I got the payment, so in a way, I am the adventurer you needed."


    "Humph! You talk like a noble. Great with words." She rolled her eyes and scowled. "Well¡­" Cristian paused, took a step forward, and the gap between them vanished.


    He lowered his head and gazed deep into her flickering blue eyes. "I''m also great with this."


    Mmn~


    Their lips met, and they engaged in a sloppy, passionate kiss.


    ''Did he say he was good at kissing?'' Mayor Liam asked himself as he stared at the sloppy kiss.


    What baffled him was the fact that the east gate was under attack by an rming number of zombies, and yet these two considered it to be the time for their first kiss.


    Lia almost facepalmed as she couldn''t bear the sight. Although she had thought about her Lord a little, he wasn''t good enough to handle a novice like She.


    A sticky string of saliva connected their glistening lips. Staring at She panting with misty eyes, Cristian found himself leaning closer for another taste of her delicious lips, but She quickly retreated.


    Her heart thumped while her mind was clouded with fear and happiness. "Umm, didn''t you say we could get stronger here? This horde looks like a good chance."


    She hurriedly brought up the topic that vanished from her mind when Cristian''s lips met hers. "Was it good?"


    Their lust vanished instantly when the innocent Anna chirped in. They both turned to the Mayor. "We need a car."


    ''Great! With your help, our melee fighters will have it easy.'' Liam celebrated inwardly while smiling broadly at them, but Cristian knew the mayor''s focus was on She.


    ''This is why I don''t like most politicians.'' He scoffed inwardly, held the hilt of his de, and marched toward the door.


    "Take us there," he said to the buff man as he walked past him.


    "Is he angry with you?" Anna whispered to She as Cristian walked out without giving any of them a nce. She heard muffled moans from her sister when Cristian kneaded her butt cheeks while they joined lips.


    She turned to her sister and bit her lower lips. "I don''t think so. Let''s go," she said, sealing the discussion. Recalling that passionate moment made her spine tingle.


    "Here," Liam said, bringing out a key from his pocket and tossing it. The buff man caught the key, and hope returned to his eyes.


    He had little doubt that these three individuals with bright-colored hair could change anything. As an ex-military, he believed in a gun more than some guy with a big sword.


    Although he also had a sword, it was just a Common ranked weapon without character, which made it less valuable than a gun.


    As they moved toward the east gate in a vehicle, deep creases formed on Cristian''s forehead. At first through a tidy area with lush gardens, standard roads, and well-dressed people. But the bubbly atmosphere quickly dropped as the vehicle entered this part.


    A good number of people here wore rags, their skins were pale, and their lips were dry and cracked. Most of them had lifeless eyes, and he could see the structure of their bones.


    The rotting smell was even worse than the sewers. "What happened to these people?" Anna asked before he could.


    Her brows knitted as she recalled them passing an inner wall. ''Did they cut these people out?'' she queried inwardly.


    "They''re not important." the buff man in the front seat said curtly. Both Cristian and Anna frowned, and just as they were about to speak, She signaled for them to keep silent.


    Cristian felt She''s palms caressing his thighs, and she smiled softly, but her smile did not match the caution in her eyes.


    There was something She knew but he didn''t, and besides, she was right, nothing good woulde out of fighting the ruling powers over people they barely knew.


    Especially when these people could go out there and fight for a better life.


    ''I like her.''


    ''Oh, why?'' Cristian asked Lia.


    ''Because she understands thews of Eternity. There is no use helping people who don''t want to help themselves.'' Lia''s firm tone echoed in his head.


    ''Hmmm, I feel like she has more to say.'' Cristian added, and Lia''s next words stunned him. ''Because she has seen the supernaturals of this world.''


    ''Wait what!''


    Boom! Boom!


    The sounds of explosions and the vehicle screeching to a halt destroyed his conversation with his maid.


    "We are here." The buff man quickly opened the door and rushed out.


    Derek came down along with She and Anna. They stared at the tall metal wall, which was almost six meters tall and stretched into the distance. At the top, fifty people were shooting at whatever was beyond the wall.


    "They have only fifty people?!"

 Chapter 36: Purify!

    <h4>Chapter 36: Purify!</h4>


    Bam!


    Cristian divided a zombie, bolted toward the next, and removed its head. He found out the main number was outside the gate, engaging the horde with cusses, swords, spears, shields, bats, and any weapon you could think of.


    A cacophony of yells and growls filled the air as hundreds of fighters engaged with thousands of zombies.


    The people with guns and rockets focused on hitting the dense numbers at the back. At first, Cristian wanted to keep a low profile, but killing ten zombies with no progress in his EXP bar changed his mind.


    Thankfully, there were other priests, priestesses, and mages, so Shi and Anna focused on him and Cristian let go.


    He stopped suppressing his thirst and lunged forward with an aggressive personality that surpassed that of the zombies.


    His speed and insane strength quickly shone in the crowd as Cristian kept going deeper. He sought a challenge from the mutants at the distance.


    For some reason, the runners avoided him, which left the gigantic slow-moving ball of flesh in the distance.


    Those grotesque-looking beings had no resemnce to a human as their height was a staggering 2.5 meters and the disgusting tumors around their bodies were called body amours.


    Which gave these walking giants the name armored walkers.


    The normal ones were called walkers, and they were the weakest, so he barely paid attention to them.


    Swinging his de recklessly, blood sttered as it tore through the soft skins of the walkers. Even while many died, they kept rushing toward him.


    This was the reason the undead were so feared. They did not have any need for motivation and they had no fear.


    The new top he got from the building he found Anna was now soaked in blood. Most of these zombies were barely level seven, so they were too weak to harm him, yet his stamina slowly dropped.


    "Enough!" he bellowed and arge ck smokey ring with a sinister aura formed around him and sted out.


    Tens of zombies aged instantly, they kept getting older until only ash remained and this rapid aging happened in a matter of seconds!


    While the people at the top who could see Cristian deep into the horde were exhrated by his destructive powers, both She and Anna frowned.


    They felt his powers matched the description of The Thorn''s powers, but there was no way Cristian had anything to do with that man, so they shrugged it off, but it still lurked in a corner of their minds.


    His speed kept increasing as the distance between him and an armored walker got reduced. There were only ten of these gigantic monsters and Cristian wanted to face one alone! Others saw it as in suicide.


    But the battlefield was reallyrge, so Cristian''s actions only attracted the few fighting around him.


    He named the skill ring of decay, but the key problem was it consumed 50 points from his MP, yet he felt like he could make it more powerful by adding more.


    Graa!


    The gigantic zombie opened its enormous mouth, revealing its razor-sharp chompers. Both spit and tiny flesh remains from its breakfast spilled out, sttering on the surrounding walkers.


    ''Inspect,'' he mused inwardly and maintained his speed.


    [...]


    [undead {mutant zombie: Armored walker}]


    [Name: Mirian.]


    [level: 35]


    [Innate skills: armored skin, herculean strength, hunger.]


    ''Being hungry is a skill?!'' Cristian hollered with arched brows and slowed down. A walker lunged toward him and he pped it away with his sword.


    It was just a casual smack, yet that zombie died. He didn''t even spare a nce at the text stating its death, for he focused on distributing his free stats points. Once his strength reached a hundred, he dumped thest single point in Dexterity.


    "Ugh!" he groaned and fell to his knees. Changes were going on in his body, making him lose control. Walkers pounded on him, but a transparent screen blocked them.


    He turned his head and his lips curled into a brilliant smile that even from the distance She could see and it made her beam.


    "Humph!" she heard Anna snort. The golden-haired beauty raised her staff and her eyes shone with golden light.


    [purify: wash away any impurities, cures, infections, and opposite affinities in a 200x200 meter space.]


    A golden beam fell from the skies and all the zombies around Cristian dropped to the ground. Their skins became gray and even the Armored walker staggered. Anna''s skill drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield. As they could see the golden beam from afar.


    She stared at her sister with a baffled face. Seeing the smug smile Anna wore, She feared her sister fought for Cristian''s attention.


    ''It can''t be,'' she denied inwardly, but the factsy before her for Anna casually brought out herst mana potion and gulped it.


    She had lost a hundred and fifty points from her MP, casting that skill. Boom! A loud sound caught their attention as the armored walker mmed its gigantic fist over the transparent shield and it shattered instantly, but the man it sought to squash wasn''t there.


    "I can''t believe you were a woman," a voice echoed and Cristian appeared before its right leg and he swung down.


    Bam!


    It mmed its own leg and fell on one knee, but it kept swinging its arms, keeping Cristian at bay. His patience wore thin, and he dashed forward, shing the walkers in his path.


    "Die!" he roared and leaped into the air. mes coated his de, and it pierced deep into the armored walker''s forehead.


    Boom!


    Dust rose, and the ground shook a little, but the smile on his face vanished when he sighted a familiar woman fighting beside a man.


    "Delh."

 Chapter 37: An unknown friend

    <h4>Chapter 37: An unknown friend</h4>


    [you have killed an armoured walker. Strength +4]


    [you have reached level 21, and gained two free stats points.]


    Ignoring the message, he mused her name. "Delh," while staring at the woman in the distance. She was a caring friend that he ignored, and the guilt disturbed him.


    But seeing Delh holding her own against five walkers, his lips curled up. But he couldn''t get to her due to the overwhelming number of zombies.


    After a while when the zombies were reduced to thest hundreds. Cristian approached Delh. The sound of her long sword piercing through a zombie rang in his ears and his arms shot out.


    His fingers coiled around a zombie''s neck, it growled, but before it could scratch his arms; he shed off its arms and threw it towards the zombie Delh currently faced.


    Bam!


    She turned toward him when a stray zombie mmed the one she was about to kill. Her brows rose as she scanned the green-haired man walking toward her with a warm smile.


    His hands were covered in a pair of ck gloves and he causally slung his de on his shoulder.


    "Yo." Cristian said with a smirk and both his brows rose whilst a mischievous smile formed on his face.


    "And you are?" While Delh couldn''tpare to She and Anna, she was a beauty by his former standards.


    Her question ''provoked'' him. Bolting towards her, Delh could even react when the man spanked her butt cheeks hard.


    She had spanked his butt without end, so this was his turn.


    A tremor drilled deep into her core and she paused in her running position. "What? Weren''t you nning to run?"


    He scoffed andunched another, which urately hit Delh''s ass, making her yelp.


    "Cristian, you bastard. I watched you fall along with the restaurant. I spent a month mourning you and this is how you repay me!"


    Well, the p brought back memories.


    Delh turned and faced him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she lunged toward him, wrapping her arms and legs around him.


    Unknown to Cristian, two months have changed a lot in Delh and she might not be the ''friend'' he knew.


    "I''m-..." Cristian couldn''t even reply when a man even taller than him yelled.


    "Don''t touch her!" His piercing blue eyes red at him and Cristian''s brows rose when the man crushed a zombie''s head with his wed hands.


    Delh quickly got down and turned to the man, who grabbed her slender waist and was about to kiss her, but she leaned back.


    "Dean, stop." She whispered, but the man kept ring at Cristian, exposing his fangs. "She''s mine," he snarled with intimidating looks.


    "Is that so?" Anger erupted in her heart when she heard Cristian''s detached tone. It was clear that he would not interfere if she had a boyfriend.


    "Dean stop! I need to talk to him alone." Delh said, but Dean wasn''t satisfied. "Tell him, tell him who I am," he snarled, feeling threatened by the strangely calm man.


    "He''s my boyfriend and also my mate. I''m sorry Cristian, I thought you were dead." Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed at Cristian, whose expression didn''t change one bit.


    ''He''ll buy it. He always does.'' she smirked inwardly.


    Cristian liked Delh but just as a really close friend but her boyfriend wasn''t to his taste. True, he had feelings for Delh, but it changed after he met Alessia (his gym instructor).


    "Don''t be. You''re safe and that settles my guilt but I don''t like your choice though and what is this mate thing about? Are you a werewolf?" Cristian pressed his finger on his lip and hummed.


    Delh''s eyes flickered when Cristian didn''t even show any change when she said it to his face. His nonchnt expression struck deep and an orange glow shed in her eyes.


    ''He doesn''t care about me. After everything I''ve done for him!'' her thoughts went dark and her teeth slowly grew.


    Suddenly a golden wave sted the few zombies away, and it also made her squint as two ethereal beauties approached Cristian while scrutinizing her.


    Seeing She and Anna''s mesmerizing looks, Delh''s heart went cold as even her boyfriend gulped.


    So while she suffered for more than a month, Cristian had two women by his side and he''s justing to her now.


    She would never allow other women to be with her man and this made Dean better than Cristian, but these were just illusions she conjured to make her boyfriend stand atop her former friend.


    Seeing Cristian''s enviable looks and sculpted body with an amazing skin tone, Delh''s eyes zed. Why wasn''t he like this before?!


    ''My Lord, this girl doesn''t see your goodwill.'' Lia said, making Cristian''s brows knit.


    "Stop being reckless," She spoke softly and arranged her man''s hair. Ignoring the lecherous gaze of the wet dog behind Delh.


    Shepletely ignored the wandering zombies around her as she gazed at Cristian. Although she refused to speak, she could feel something was on between the couple with glowing eyes and Cristian.


    "We''ll talkter." He nned to leave as he got wary.


    "No¡­ let''s kill these disgusting things together." Delh left her boyfriend and persuaded, but Lia''s word had already made him vignt, so he rejected tly.


    "I''ll have to-"


    His eyes flickered. He raised Burning Fury with both hands and divided the strange zombie with dark red skin. His green eyes zed as Cristian red at Dean, who threw the zombie toward him.


    ''NO!!'' Lia''s scream reverberated in his mind, causing Cristian''s heart to palpitate.


    What could make Lia scream with so much fear?


    ''Lia what''s-''


    He couldn''t finish his words as a dark energy came out from the strange zombie and coiled around his body like chains.


    "What''s this!" he eximed and Dean smirk. "Oops! I slipped." his sarcastic tone made Cristian''s brows knot.


    ''The zombie you killed is called a living gateway because it takes their killers to strange dimensions and a staggering 80% do not make it back, no matter their rank!


    But your rank is still low, so it should not be too dangerous. Just make sure youplete your mission as quickly as possible, for there''s a hidden timer once you enter that world.''


    ''What!''


    Boom!


    A veil appeared mid air and a deep ancient aura seeped out, but apart from Cristian no one was affected.


    "Ahhh!" his skin turned red as throbbing bluish veins appeared all over his body and he fell to the ground.


    Cristian''s vision slowly became blurry as a strange presence enveloped him. Hisst sight was seeing an Insane She cast two Mortal Tier skills focused on Dean.


    Her boiling rage transcended everything she ever knew, and the air spiked. No one might survive the mage''s madness as she nned on killing everything in sight. Living or not!


    ''Lia'' a weak voice echoed.

 Chapter 38 End of Five hundred years

    38 End of Five hundred years


    A pair of emerald eyes shone in a wormhole and the thumping of his heart got to his ears, revealing his disoriented state.


    ''Lia,'' he uttered softly, but there was no reply.


    ''Lia!'' He hollered internally, but the result remained the same. Forced to ept his situation, Cristian finally realized he floated in a wormhole and a strange force drew him toward an unknown destination.


    Negative emotions shed through his eyes. For the first time, he wanted to kill someone from his world.


    It was Deliliah''s boyfriend who purposely did it, and he could see Deliliah''s lips spread into a smile as he got sucked into the void.


    His only wish was She left them for him. This was the payment he got from searching for a friend.


    His resolve to find Alessia slowly crumbled, for Delh''s actions struck deep into his heart. Shattering his thoughts about others he knew.


    While it had just been days for him, others had gone through two entire months, and with the world turned upside down, it was like a year.


    ''Has she also changed?'' he asked inwardly, while her face shed in his head. He had strong doubts that Alessia forgot him. She might be searching for him at this moment.


    Even when his death was certain, she stayed close. why would she leave now? Not everyone was like Delh.


    Unknown to Cristian, Delh was aplex woman who liked him but saw too many cons, which made her stay behind the line of making them a thing. But now he was back, a reborn man with two women beside him, and her heart boiled with anger.


    If Cristian couldn''t be hers, then it was best he died.


    Lia said he was going to appear in a dimension outside the reach of Eternity and he shouldplete the quest quickly.


    ''I just hope the quest is not to y a celestial creature or something along that path.''


    Deep in his thoughts, he caught a shadow from the corner of his eye and turned. Curiosity became fear as he realized it was the shadow of a gigantic beast swimming alongside the wormhole.


    The shadow looked like that of a whale, but the size seemed endless. His eyes widened and unknowingly, he had stopped breathing.


    ''What tier is this behemoth?'' he screamed inwardly. Cristian almost had a heart attack when its eyes were bigger than a ten-story building opened.


    The irises glowed like a rainbow and the fast-moving wormhole suddenly vanished, leaving Cristian stuck in a dark endless space, but luckily he could still breathe or it was this behemoth gazing at him that kept him alive.


    "I''m pretty sure you could find a bigger meal." he instantly bargained for his life, but the whale-like monster with a simr color to this dark space stared at him silently.


    ''dimir Ithuriel Athelstone. The time hase for you to ept the call of origin. As per the contract, the five hundred years have ended.'' a lovely female voice echoed in his head.


    Cristian was pretty sure that it was this behemoth speaking to him and its voice didn''t match its intimidating looks.


    There was no need to rify anything when he knew he was dimir, but he couldn''t remember signing any contract and something told him his past self had no memory of this.


    ''Since you have-...''


    Cristian didn''t care if interrupting this monster would make it angry. His life just took another dive. Right now, he preferred going to whatever dimension that wormhole took him to.


    "Wait! Give me another hundred years." he bargained and the reply he got boomed.


    ''NO!'' his head almost exploded in the next second as a sonorous voice echoed.


    Without a need to turn, Cristian knew another behemoth floated behind him and that conclusion made him gulp.


    ''Ithuriel, you have no choice and we are just messengers, but I hope you survive.'' The female before him spoke softly, and Cristian reluctantly epted his cruel fate.


    "And what if I don''t survive?" he stared at the enormous eyes of the unknown beast and queried, but she wasn''t the one who responded.


    ''Then we have to find another in about a few million years,'' the male behind him replied, and a wormhole appeared beside Cristian.


    But unlike the other, which did not have any color, a sinister red smoke drifted out of this one, and the aura alone made his spine tingle.


    As his body got closer to the wormhole, the male behemoth spoke in a soft tone for the first time since their conversation.


    "Please survive¡­. I''m tired of being a messenger."


    Thest words shattered any warm feelings Cristian had for the monster that almost blew his head.


    ''I hate this.''


    Cristian grimaced, got sucked into the wormhole and it vanished.


    "I think it was a good choice not to tell him that the mark never leaves," the male said to the female behemoth.


    "He would figure that out if he dies. I can''t believe Origin is soft with him. It was never the same with that woman," the female replied, and her eyes shed with the image of a woman in white.


    [A/N: Don''t forget to support,ment and add to your library!]


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 Chapter 39 Land of Wrath.

    39 Land of Wrath.


    Cristian expected another boring ride, hopefully with no enormous beast, but that thought shattered when he found himself free falling from the sky.


    The violent wind whistled in his ear, and his hair fluttered wildly. To his shock, there wasn''t a speck of dust on his clothes or, to be more specific, his clothes changed.


    Right now, he looked like a medieval man who lived in the snowy mountains. Everything he wore was thick,fy, and furry, but luckily his sword, gloves, and boots remained.


    Cristian struggled to find bnce mid-air but his efforts produced no rewards and he kept on falling with such speed that would turn him into meat paste when he reachednd.


    ''Maybe it''s like those movies where there''s ake,'' he said inwardly while staring at the dark red clouds.


    The moment he turned, Cristian quickly grabbed the opportunity to see where he mightnd and the sight wasn''t pretty because his destination was right in a dense forest!


    ''there''s no way I''ll survive!'' he screamed and thought of a move which Lia thought him and it was to control the air albeit a little.


    ''Here it goes!''


    He bellowed inwardly and an explosive st echoed around him, slowing down his fall, but the impact with the leaves and branches was a roughnding.


    "Ugh!"


    "Ah!"


    Bam!


    After hitting several branches that formed a canopy, hiding the sky, he mmed into the strangely dry ground.


    With the canopy blocking sunlight, isn''t the soil supposed to be moist?


    "Ugh!" a muffled groan left his lips as he balled his hands, gathering dry sand and leaves in the process.


    "Pu!" he spat out sand and slowly got to his feet, ignoring the text showing his health had dropped to 120.


    His roughnding had taken 30 out of 150 and he could feel the pains throughout his body affirming the text before his retina.


    [Congrattions, you have discovered "The Land of Wrath."]


    [In thisnd flowing with a natural fire affinity. Fire Affinity +500!]


    "What''s this? Aren''t you Origin? Because so far everything seems like you''re the one behind it!" Cristian lost hisposure and yelled at the system but it was useless as he received no response.


    [Quest: Go to the sea of mes, y the beast thaty within, and unlock your origin.]


    [Caution: Beware of the forest walker; Luc de Haan for he dwells in this forest.]


    [Hint: There might be a test.]


    [Rewards: unknown.]


    "Luc de Hann," he muttered that name with knitted brows. The moment he said that name, a red glow shed by, but the time he looked around, there was nothing around him except mild sounds from the distance.


    With Squinted eyes and perked ears, Cristian listened closely and figured out it was a sh.


    If he had Fire ability, then he might be superpowered right now, but unfortunately, this was and that favored mes and not decay.


    ''Wait.'' he paused and looked at himself. After scanning his body, his eyes widened and Cristian faced the sky.


    "Where is my pouch!" Bam!


    His pouch fell from the sky and mmed his open mouth, making him grunt. "Thank you," he said ''gratefully'' and strapped the pouch to his waist.


    Unsheathing, Burning Fury, he lowered his body and moved toward the sounds. As he got closer, grunts slithered into his ears.


    Cristian crouched behind a shrub, opened a small hole, and peeked. His iris dted when he sighted a tall figure d in a thick hood fighting a fanged tiger; 1.5 meters tall.


    The figure wielded a short dagger but his strikes were weak and slow, so the tiger, which from its scars was a master of hunting, calmly bided its time, waiting for the figure that looked like a man to exhaust himself.


    Cristian watched the battle while contemting if he should help the man or not. At a point, he rubbed his chin, deep in thought, but his emerald eyes shed when he noticed the tiger was trickish.


    It was slowly making its way toward his spot. At first, he thought it was trying to corner its prey, but it became obvious that the tiger had caught his scent.


    Well, he engaged in a bloody battle with zombies beforeing here so the tiger must have caught his pungent odor.


    [...]


    [ck stripped fanged tiger]


    [Name: none]


    [Level: 29]


    [Innate skills: savage bite, swipe, tail whip, lunge.]


    Shing!


    The sound of a sword leaving its sheath echoed, making the man covered in hood turn, but Cristian ignored him and dashed to the tiger which couldn''t react to his abrupt attack.


    "Die!" Cristian shed downward, but the tiger proved to possess enviable agility, as it evaded and threatened him with a guttural growl.


    "Humph!" with a snort, mes burst out of the de and he swung it while pouring in ten points from his MP.


    A fire arc cut deep into the tiger''s back and it whimpered. Fear shed through its eyes as it sought to escape, but Cristian wasn''t going to let go of his meal.


    Propelling his body forward, he raised his de and shed down with so much strength that even after cutting off the tiger''s head, his de sank deep into the ground.


    His chest rose and fell and blood coated the length of his sword. "Thank you, brave warrior," an aged voice rang and Cristian turned to reply.


    But the sight of the man froze him.

 Chapter 40 Blessed Orc

    40 Blessed Orc


    Tanned skin, a wrinkled face, a long gray beard, murky eyes, and a tattoo on his neck. These were the features of the man who was old, but what froze Cristian were the tusks poking out of his lips.


    His head kept ringing as only one monster or in Lia''s terms. Only one race has these features. "Are you an orc?"


    The wrinkles on the man''s face multiplied as he red at this vibrant, young but definitely foolish young man. It felt insulting for someone to inspect him and ask if he was an orc.


    "Are you a human?" the old man scoffed and Cristian coughed in embarrassment. ''I''m not human though,'' he uttered internally.


    "I''ll be taking my leave," the strange orc said curtly and turned, but Cristian did not kill this beast just because it aimed for him.


    This orc looked like an experienced hunter, which could exin why he could hold back a fanged tiger with a dagger.


    "You can repay me by roasting this beast." The Orc paused, and Cristian heard a gulp. ''Oh. so he was hungry, eh.'' he snickered inwardly, for the Orc would not reject since his stomach now ruled his thoughts.


    "I''ming." With that, the Orc vanished into the bushes, leaving him stunned. "Dammit, he ran away." Cursing, he picked up a stone and flung it in the direction the orc went.


    "Ouch!" a yelp echoed and the old orc came out holding its forehead. "Did you throw the stone?"


    "I thought you ran," Cristian answered with a shrug, sat on the ground, and leaned against a tree.


    His brows rose when he saw the leather bag the man was back with. At first, it did not attract his attention, but when the orc dropped it. Cristian swore it squirmed.


    Something was inside the bag, but it did not want toe out as the orc didn''t seal the mouth. Curiosity slowly ate him up, but in the end, he swallowed his questions and stared at the man skinning the meat.


    "Old man," Cristian called out and the old man raised his head. "Do you know where the Sea of mes is?"


    Cristian just wanted to try his luck and if it brought a violent reaction, he would brush it off as something he heard.


    The orc gazed at him for a while and continued to skin the tiger.


    "So you''re one of those brave ones that seek to see the fabled Sea of mes. Well, if you seek the Sea of mes, then head deeper until you see a being called Path, but beware of the Forest Walker; Luc de Haan." Even while he spoke, the orc focused on this soon-to-be dinner.


    "The Forest Walker, huh? Is that what the system told you?" Cristian scoffed. The Orc''s expression changed as it gazed at him. Utterly baffled by his strange words. "Who is the system?"


    "Wait what! You don''t know what the system is? It''s this screen that appears in our eyes." with enormous eyes Cristian almost pped himself as the old Orc shook his head.


    "Stop being a delusional kid. The Forest Walker exists, and he has killed many. Their bones will tell their tales if you dare to go deep."


    His deep voice and trembling eyes told Cristian that this Orc had seen a lot, but the fear he had for this Forest walker made his brows knot.


    ''Is it a monster or a sentient being?'' he queried inwardly, for he was pretty sure the Orc had not met the Forest Walker, or he would be dead.


    23:09


    the Forest Walker, or he would be dead.


    ''He must be a blessed Orc.'' he thought while trying to make sure the Orc didn''t sense his gaze.


    Cristian couldn''tprehend how this man had no knowledge of the system and why would Origin send him to a dimension where everyone was clueless about the system?


    Deep within, he subconsciously thought of Origin as the system and his previous thoughts were The Mother stood above the system, but right now, he wasn''t sure.


    Raising his head, his brows arched as the skies were dark red with a few streaks of orange that seemed like burning mes.


    ''Red sky? Is that why the wormhole was red? If red is kinda a signature color of fire, this means I''m in a dimension that is a heaven for fire users¡­. Nice!'' he said thest word in a sarcastic tone.


    Why wasn''t he thrown into a Decay heaven? At least they would have given him that, as he would love to know what it feels like to have so much power running through his veins.


    The image of those behemoths shed through his eyes, and Cristian subconsciously gulped.


    It baffled him that beings of such size with levels that might be in thousands were mere messengers and from how they begged him.


    They hated their job but had to do it.


    "Hey, go get firewood." a deep voice brought him back from his drowning thoughts. Turning his head, he saw the Orc staring at him like a grandpa staring at his stubborn grandson.


    "I killed the beast. You make it edible. It''s there in the contract." He casually said, making the Orc frown. "Hey, are you delusional? When did we sign any contract?!"


    The delusional green-haired man turned to him with droopy eyes. "These days, contracts are made that way. I didn''t make the rules. Ask Origin." Cristian scoffed. He still bore a grudge against that unknown being.


    He refused to believe it was the system.


    "Kids these days, humph!" the Orc snorted, stood up, and walked into the forest, but Cristian cast ''inspect'' before he went far.


    [...]


    [>Status<]


    [Name: Drodzad]


    [level: 12]


    [Race: Blessed Orc]


    [ss: Hunter]


    [Title: none]


    [Affinity: Earth]


    >stats<


    [Health: 70{100} Vitality: 0]


    [Strength: 105{100}]


    [Agility: 35{30}]


    [Dexterity: 15{10}]


    [Intelligence: 5{5}]


    [Stamina: 100{100}]


    [MP: 25]


    "You''ve got to be kidding me!" he eximed, with eyes almost popping out. The shock was too much for him to keep inside.


    The advantages of being a warrior race were just revealed before his eyes. Something humans would struggle to gain. Orcs gained it just by growing.


    ''Wait, if it was this strong, then why was he struggling against the tiger?''


    He pondered before realizing the system distributed every point equally, boosting every muscle to the peak, but this Orc grew normally and did not have the system to help him so he could not use his full strength.


    Unknown to Cristian, a pair of dazzling eyes gazed at him. There was something inside that leather bag and it opened its eyes for the first time in a long while.


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