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[You have entered the Hydralae Continent.] [Special gifts of the Hydralae Continent are applied to you.] [Experience gained from killing the Brood monsters or anyone allied with them is increased by 50%.] |
The Dark Dimension Door threw Zephyr and Sherine into pitch black darkness. A foul nauseating smell snuck into Zephyr’s nose. The revolting stench shook the very essence of his being. As someone who regularly partook in various medical tests, he recognized the stench.
‘Blood.’
He would be creeping out without the warmth near him. “Can you see anything?”
Sherine’s blue eyes glowed as if she was a cat. She nodded or so Zephyr perceived from the slight movement of her eyes. A fireball appeared to illuminate the surroundings.
Bones and chunks were scattered on the floor. Skulls of beasts that were too large to exist back on Earth.
They teleported into a predator’s lair.
“Riven, you piece of shit,” Zephyr muttered and nudged Sherine. “Give me the scythe.”
Sherine slipped her hand in her spatial pouch and pulled out the scythe.
Zephyr gripped the cold handle of the scythe. As Sherine let go of his hand, he moved in the illuminated environment. “Stick with me.”
“I don’t sense anything,” Sherine said.
“It probably went out to grab more prey. Let’s move out.”
“Okay.”
The duo traversed the confusing structure of the cave. Fortunately, Sherine’s sense of smell guided them towards the flora and fauna. She wasn’t a half dragoness for nothing.
Soon he came across the intense light that led them outside. Zephyr’s eyes took a few seconds to adapt to the light. Thick, luscious trees spread in all directions. The dense amount of vegetation blocked the sunlight from reaching the surface.
Sherine inhaled the scent of nature. “It’s so nice…”
The young man, who had never been to any forest, wholeheartedly agreed with Sherine.
A flock of chirping birds left the tree at once. The mass exodus felt like a warning.
“Something is coming,” Sherine said. “An evil being…”
Soon enough Zephyr could hear the thumping footsteps of this evil being. His heartbeat soared to a dangerous territory. It might be his first encounter with a real enemy.
A figure walked out from behind a tree. Its pale skin, glowing purple eyes, and claws set it apart from humans.
“A zombie?”
Zephyr lacked any analysis skill to see its status. The zombie-like creature spotted them and growled before it rushed at them.
Zephyr stopped Sherine from equipping her gauntlets. “I’ll handle it.”
Zephyr dodged the reckless charge with a single step to his left and hooked the scythe blade in the zombie’s legs. It fell face first into the ground but quickly gathered itself to its feet. Before it could turn, Zephyr swung down the scythe. The sharp tip of the scythe pierced through its back rather easily and pinned the zombie to the ground.
Zephyr stepped on its back. His strength and weight barely stopped the creature from escaping.
“It’s fucking strong. I hope the typical zombie killing method works.”
Zephyr stood on the zombie’s back and stomped its head. A gruesome feeling was transmitted to his leg. It nauseated him. But he kept his focus and stomped again and again. The zombie perhaps became dizzy that it stopped struggling wildly.
“It’s so fucking sturdy.”
He pulled out the scythe. With one leg pressing down the zombie, he slipped the scythe under until it touched the zombie’s neck. Then he yanked the scythe with as much force as possible. The blade got stuck in its throat, so Zephyr tried again. This time he successfully beheaded the creature.
“My first kill is an execution.”
The unbearable stench made his stomach churn. If he had eaten anything, he would be vomiting his guts all over the place. He moved away from the corpse.
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[Brood type: Fool Lvl. 3 killed.] [Experience +4.5] |
“Brood type fool?”
The experience gained was meager considering the experience required to level up. He had to kill over twenty of Level 3 Fool to level up once. That too with the buff by the world.
“Leveling is gonna be hard.” Zephyr looked over to his companion. “What’s your level?”
Sherine paused for a moment and recalled her status. “Level 200 currently, and Level 99 under the restrictions. All deities reach Level 250 after adulthood, which takes centuries…”
“Born with a golden spoon…” Zephyr shook off his envious thoughts and glanced at his first kill. “Does it have a monster core or something like that?”
Sherine bent down and picked up the decapitated head. She narrowed her eyes on the sturdy cave wall and threw the monster's head. It exploded, scattering blood and brain fluid all over the place.
“I don’t see any monster cores,” she said with a naive smile. “Do you?”
Her innocent method of testing amazed Zephyr.
“I almost forgot about extracting its soul. What was the method again?”
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[Extract.] |
“Extract?”
White flames engulfed the corpse, melting its flesh along with its bones. The spontaneous cremation left a tiny white wisp in its wake. The wisp hovered for a moment then darted into Zephyr’s chest.
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[Soul Essence +30] |
‘The power of a Nether Soul Empyrean.’
Despite Riven’s looks, he was a true god, and his powers were even stronger than his daughter.
‘I was joking around with such a being.’
Zephyr’s lips curled into a smile. “Let’s find the town before night.”
He wasn’t interested in spending his night with these monsters. But where should he go in this vast forest without any map? He decided to climb a tree for a better understanding of the forest.
He stood before the tallest tree he could find around and gazed up at its brilliance. He took one step at a time and carefully reached the top, doing his best to not let his eyes wander down. The scene at the top left him speechless. Even though he loved green, seeing it everywhere annoyed him a bit.
He covered his eyes from the shimmering rays of sun. In the sun’s direction, a gray tower stood, almost invisible.
‘Got it.’
As he prepared to descend the tremendous, a weak chirp reached him. He looked around for the source. A hawk with white feathers gazed at him with soft, beady eyes. The frightened bird shivered visibly within a small hole inside the tree.
‘Sick? Not my problem.’
He went down a few meters before climbing back up. The eagle’s eyes looked teary as it pleaded for help. Zephyr rubbed the back of his head. The bird reminded him of his powerless struggle against his disease. A bird in the same boat as previous him softened his heart. He never felt the same level of emotions for someone else. After all, he had seen many patients struggle in various hospitals.
“Sherine?”
“Yes?”
“Can you come up here?”
Since his own power was insufficient, he decided to ask his companion for some help.
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