—-

A slim youth could be seen slamming a wolf twice his size into the ground before stabbing an obsidian knife through its eyes. As he did so, there was an inured look in his eyes as he repeated the action once again.

​​

[Sublime, you have shown immense emotional growth.]

In response, Apollo nodded while removing the knife from his kill. From the day he left the Kaiser Family, approximately 8 months had passed since then. During that time, he spent his days surviving through any means necessary.

〈System Alert! Peak Rank 0 Mortal Beast killed.〉

«16 (8 + 8) Experience has been received.»

«Experience: 3,040/3,100.»

[Excellent, you have almost reached the 4th Rank of the Mortal Realm. Your hand-to-hand combat has developed well. If you keep progressing like this, it won’t be long before you reach the prerequisites. Also, you’re doing a good job of avoiding the detection of wandering people.]

“Thank you,” Apollo succintly replied as he tossed the wolf aside. Within his gaze, there was a budding indifference. The past experiences of these many months were far from uneventful. Compared to his starting point, he made large advancements.

—-

(Demon Monarch System) Lvl.2

Name: Apollo Kaiser

Race: Demi-Demon (Half-Step)

Title: Azridan’s Successor

Age: 11

Level: 31

Experience: 3,040/3,100.

Health: 124/124

Stamina: 124/124

Body Cultivation Realm: Rank 3 Mortal [26/30]

Physique: Mortal-Grade (Peak Tier)

Zuls: 26

Strength: 12.8

Agility: 4.6

Intelligence: 12.5

Vitality: 4.8

Stat Points: 0

Apollo closed his status panel.

‘It seems the conversion ratio has upgraded to .5 Strength,’ Apollo thought while shifting his attention into the distance.

Compared to a few months prior, he was going through a change originating from his core. The neverending killing, day in and day out, turned him callous and numb to the sight. Furthermore, the solitude he experienced in this forest dulled his desire to interact with others. Not to mention, his view of people wasn’t all that great, to begin with.

Nevertheless, alongside his demeanor, another thing changed immensely; his talent had returned to the peak of the Mortal. It was but a short distance away from breaking into the Earth Grade. In Azridan’s eyes, Apollo’s change was rather quick. Of course, this was attributed to the fact that he was so diligent in his training.

[I must say lad, your heart is commendable. Your complaints have ceased over the past couple of months. If I’m being honest, I was surprised.]

“If I continue to complain about the same thing, can that be called growth? By the way, Azridan, I have a request. I want to try fighting a Rank 1 Spirit Beast today. Mortal Beasts aren’t cutting it anymore. Even at the peak of their rank, they reward less experience than Rank 1 Spirit Beast meat,” Apollo implored as he shook his wrist, cracking his knuckles.

[Alright, I think that is a good idea. The continuous battles have honed your senses providing you with the qualities needed to perform that task. Just remember, as always, exercise your usual caution.]

Apollo nodded, showing that he understood his requirements. Then, his obsidian knife slid down into his grip from his sleeve. Apollo dexterously twirled it between his fingers before glancing at the area he entered this place from.

His eyes emitted a faint battle intent as they shimmered with a purple hue. Shortly after, Apollo kicked off his back foot and sprinted into the distance. He sought out the Spirit Beast that inhabited this environment.

Rather than shifting the foliage out of his path, Apollo cut the stems of the large plants. This was his first time traveling past the outskirts since entering the Shadowy Forest. It was separated into 3 parts: the outskirts, inner ring, and central region. He was unaware of the surroundings of the latter two.

Suddenly, a low crunch echoed into his surroundings as Apollo stepped on a branch. At that moment, Apollo halted his steps as he focused exclusively on his hearing. He heard it. There was a low but exaggerated breathing noise coming towards him along with the rhythmic thudding of powerful feet.

Instinctively, Apollo entered a fighting stance and readied himself for confrontation. A large wolf, much larger than the ones he previously went up against appeared. Its appearance was slightly ferocious, with two extremely large fangs jutting out of its maw.

Monster Name: Twin Fanged Wolf

Cultivation: Early Stage Rank 1 Spirit Beast (Equal to Rank 5 Mortal Cultivator)

Health: 250/250

As he held the Dark Cutter in a reverse grip, Apollo lifted his other hand openly. At any given moment, he was prepared to react. ‘Rank 5 Mortal, this 

Apollo kicked off his back foot initiating engagement. Since he was unsure how different a Spirit Beast was to a Mortal Beast, he took the lead; the momentum was in his hands.

When he moved, so did the Twin Fanged Wolf. It swiped its claw sending a burst of wind billowing toward Apollo. Apollo reacted quickly as he abruptly sidestepped with his left foot, dodging the blow narrowly.

In a fluent movement, he used his right foot to propel himself forward. He landed right next to the wolf and plunged the knife into the rib of the Twin Fanged Wolf. Additionally, Apollo wrenched it causing a large gash that made the wolf howl in pain.

«Critical! 35 damage dealt.»

«Critical! 40 damage dealt.»

The appearance of numbers had become a natural sight to Apollo, thus he ignored them and parried the following swipe of the wolf while shifting his feet. In return, he received 10 damage but it was negligible in his eyes. His eyes remained fixated on the newly formed wound.

Now that it was wounded, the Twin Fanged Wolf defended its side more attentively. However, Apollo remained calm. He rushed forward before sliding under the next swipe of the wolf. Quickly, he lashed out the dagger and sliced the wolf’s underbelly.

«Vital Attack! 75 damage dealt.»

Typically, one would follow up with another blow, but Apollo didn’t. He gripped the floor and flipped to the side. He avoided the two following frantic swipes before jumping and performing an aerial assault on the wolf’s back.

Another painful whimper sound. Fortunately for the wolf, Apollo slit its throat ending the battle there and then.

«Fatal Damage! 100 damage dealt.»

As he withdrew the knife from the body, he thrust it causing blood to splatter across the ground. This allowed the metallic sheen to show its luster once more. Amid the actions, additional prompts popped up.

〈System Alert! You have killed an Early Stage Rank 1 Spirit Beast.〉

«60 (30 + 30) Experience has been received.»

«Experience: 0/3,200.»

«Congratulations, you have reached Level 32. You have been rewarded .1 attributes and 2 Stat points.»

[Excellent movements young lad, you move like a demon in the night. It seems you were indeed made to travel the path of a Demon.]

“Mn,” Apollo accepted the praise as he bent down. In almost no time at all, he skinned his recently killed prey. His hands moved in a trained and efficient manner as the edible parts were separated in a timely manner.

While he worked, he voiced his thoughts, “So going forward from Rank 1 Spirit Beast, they are divided into Early, Middle, and Late stages? At the same time, the experience will increase with each rank?”

[Yes, it’s the same for human cultivators. As you saw, in the book, each realm of body cultivation possesses 9 levels. 1-3 are the early stages, 4-6 are the middle stages and 7-9 are the late stages. However, there is also the peak stage which is the absolute limit of level 9.]

“Then, that is to say, a Late-Stage Rank 1 Spirit Beast is equivalent to a Zul Warrior?”

[Not necessarily. While it can happen if the beast forms their Essence Core at that moment, it is more so the peak and the Rank 2 who are equivalent. Of course, there are rare cases where a Spirit Beast forms their core immediately upon reaching Rank 1. However, those beasts are extremely talented and usually carry bloodlines.]

“Bloodlines is it? I see, I guess even beasts have a hierarchy.”

[Yes, but that is a matter you will learn in the future. It is too deep of a concept for this moment. On the other hand, you are making great progress, all that’s left for you is to complete the quest.]

“Yes, I will continue deeper slowly,” Apollo determined as he vigilantly entered deeper into the shadowy forest. The difference between a Spirit Beast and Mortal Beast’s experience was astounding. Now that he had a taste, he wanted more.

[Hmm, since you’re close. It’s important to give a reward for when you accomplish it.]

‘Ding!’