The bright sun slowly rose to its highest point; there were no clouds in the sky, only blue sky. What lay beneath the scenery of the river was a massive war between thousands and hundreds. The peasants forced their way to build a dam across the deep river so they could cross, and the water dwellers bombarded them with their attacks, doing their best to stop the red knights' invasion.

As time passed, the battle grew more brutal and larger as both sides continued to receive reinforcements.

While hundreds more peasants arrived to join their already massive army, an increasing number of peasants gathered on the river bank. The Rampant led the assault because it was the only one left from the level 10 evolution line of Peasants who were supposed to be leading the attempt to cross the river. The massive army of blood-red peasants stood out against the gray and brown ground they were crowding.

***

[Lethal Augmentation has received two skill points.]

[The damage output of Lethal Augmentation has increased from level 17 (865%) to level 19 (955%).]

[The damage output of [Imitation] Fire Blast has increased from level 17 (950% of intelligence stats) to level 19 (1050%).]

***

Eon growled and rushed toward the massive crowd of Peasants. And when he got to a certain distance, he started the bombardment.

[Fire Blast has been activated.]

Eon opened his Slug mouth and aimed it at the massive army beneath, right where the Rampant was, at the base of the slowly constructing bridge. A ball of raging flame appeared from his mouth and quickly grew in size, becoming more and more destructive. When the fireball reached double Eon's size, it stopped growing, indicating that it was ready to be fired.

While growling, Eon threw the massive ball of hellish fire toward the army beneath. Because they couldn't see what was coming, the entire army was unaware of the advancing ball of destruction. Only the Rampant, who could see the light from the sky, reacted. However, the Rampant was fighting a group of Weakanawas when it noticed it. And as soon as the Weakanawas saw the advancing attack, they immediately fled underwater, leaving the Rampant behind.

The fireball smashed into the Peasants and Rampant like a meteorite. The Fire Blast exploded and burned everything in its path when it collided with the ground. A five-meter-radius burst of fire that wreaked havoc on everything inside.

[Fire Blast has dealt 94.5 damage.]

Peasants were unable to make a sound with their mouths, nor could they cry, roar, or even shriek in pain. If they could, they would have done so while being roasted alive. With a damage of 94.5, most Peasants from level 1 to 9 were instantly reduced to ashes. When the fire went out, most of them vanished into the wind, or if they were tough enough, they turned into black burned corpses that could be seen standing inside the black field caused by the explosion.

[Fire Blast has dealt 44.5 damage.]

After surviving the destructive ball of fire slammed into it, the Rampant stood tall among the crowd. Due to its defense, Eon's attack was insufficient to bring it down.

RACE: Rampant [Level: 12/20].

HP: 56.3/120

MP: 25/120

Eon, on the other hand, had no intention of killing the Rampant. He managed to roast 10 level 1 Peasants, six level 2, four level 5, three level 7, and two level 9 Peasants with a single strike of Fire Blast. They were crammed together and were easily wiped out.

[You have received 10.475 experience points.]

Eon took off and rushed toward a much larger group of Peasants only a few meters away. The Rampant, on the other hand, could only watch Eon get away with harming and killing the Peasants without being held accountable. None of the Peasants could reach him, and only the Rampant could see him coming because it had eyes all around its head, which the other Peasants lacked.

What one couldn't reach couldn't be fought.

[Fire Blast has been activated.]

Eon opened his mouth once more, and a rapidly growing ball of fire emerged. He flew toward another crowd of Peasants while preparing his incoming blast of death and destruction. Because no one could see him from above, the peasants continued marching, unaware of their impending death. The ball of fire grew to be twice the size of Eon's massive Fledgling Sentrowl body. While growling, Eon thrust his head forward and slammed the blazing ball into the army of Peasants.

The Fire Blast fell to the ground and collided with the marching peasants toward the river. The next thing they knew, they were carrying the weight of a miniature meteor slamming into their heads. And when the Fire Blast landed, its roaring sound echoed as it exploded and burned everything within a five-meter radius. The overwhelming attack instantly reduced the weak to ashes and burned the tough ones to a crisp. They stood as black statues on the site of their deaths.

This crowd was much larger and denser than the first group Eon bombarded. It was due to the absence of Rampant, whose massive body could cover a large area. This time, the crowd was mostly made up of smaller Peasants crammed together.

[Fire Blast has dealt 94.5 damage.]

He managed to roast 20 level 1 Peasants, twelve level 2, eight level 5, six level 7, and four level 9 Peasants with a single strike of Fire Blast.

Eon gazed at the lovely scenery of the burned black graveyard he had created. This was the first time he had killed so many monsters in a single strike, and without doing much. All he had to do was throw his skill, and the next thing he knew, his targets who were supposed to be marching forward had vanished.

[You have received 20.95 experience points.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have increased your Strength stat by one.]

[You have increased your Agility stat by one.]

[You have increased your Intelligence stat by one.]

[You have been awarded two skill points.]

[Your HP and MP have been replenished.]

[The necessary level for evolution has been reached. You may now evolve into a superior species.]

[Evolution necessitates hibernation. Finding a safe place to evolve is essential.]

However...

When a dreadful sound echoed throughout the area, Eon's attention was drawn to it. It was a deafening roar that shook every being in the vicinity. As if it were coming from a whale, if whales could cause disaster. The raging water of the river began to tremble violently. Something extremely powerful was on its way.

The entire area became dangerous almost instantly, and Eon flew up as fast as he could when he realized it. His gaze was drawn to the source of the terrifying roar, the deep river, and what he discovered was something he had never seen before.

A 30-meter-long entity rose from the deep river, its commanding growl terrifying everything in its path. It was so terrifying that the entire army of peasants stopped marching forward when they saw it. It was completely invisible underwater due to its racial exclusive skill, Crystalize Scale, but when it rose to the surface, its image was revealed. It had a serpentine appearance and bright blue scales all over its body, as well as fins on its back and neck. Water dripped from its snake-like face, and its dark blue eyes wandered around.

This monster was said to live in the ocean, and their species was one of its dominant species. But this one had chosen to live in the river of the Kegali forest, specifically the two rivers that surround the infamous Red Island. It had assumed a duty since then, which was to keep the Peasant evolution line in check, and became known as... The Warden of Hell's Gates.

RACE: Bakunawa [Level: 55/60].

HP: 550/550

MP: 1000/1000

Top Speed: 110 km/h

Defense: 5

[STATS.]

Strength: 55

Agility: 55

Intelligence: 100

[DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]

Dry Bite [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

Water Blade [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

Crushing Geyser [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

Oceanic Rage [MP Cost: 16] [Level: 16/20].

[NON-DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]

Crystalize Scale [MP Cost: 1]

Mana Shield [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

Eclipse [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].

[PASSIVE SKILLS.]

[Lesser] MP Regeneration.

[Lesser] HP Regeneration.

[Lesser] Mana Absorb.

[Lesser] Life Absorb.

[Lesser] Desperation.

The Bakunawa turned its gaze to the massive army gathered at the river's edge and roared so loudly and powerfully that many of the peasants were blown away by the force of the wind.

Then there was a demonstration of a catastrophe.

The Bakunawa summoned multiple geysers on the formation of the Peasants and easily slaughtered hundreds of them using its skill, Crushing Geyser. Water geysers erupted in every direction, crushing the peasants. Every geyser could reach up to 20 meters in the air, throwing and killing anything in its path.

Eon growled as he frantically waved his wings to escape the disaster raging on the ground. However, before he could even fly a few yards, his vision went black, effectively blinding him.

Eclipse, the Bakunawa's non-damaging active skill, had the effect of turning every enemy unit around it blind. All types of vision or vision-based skills, whether natural vision or Sensory Antennae, would be rendered useless in the presence of this skill.

Thanks to the Slug's versatile eyes, Eon swayed in the air as he struggled to fly, relying solely on his sense of smell. He roared as everything around him exploded from the Crushing Geysers that were everywhere. As if Eon were a ship being attacked by a raging storm in the middle of a pitch-black sea.

***

Bakunawa, the Warden of Hell's Gates, turned the war into a one-sided massacre in just a few seconds after its arrival. Nothing could stop it, especially since the peasants were blinded and had no way to fight back while many of them were flying in all directions.

The Bakunawa opened its mouth and darted it to those who had survived the attacks, including the Rampant, which was quick enough to avoid the raging geysers when the ground shook, indicating a water explosion. The Bakunawa activated its most powerful skill, Oceanic Rage, and after a brief delay, unleashed its devastating blast on the army of Peasants. Everything that remained of the army was destroyed by a water blast that resembled a laser beam. The roar of the Oceanic Rage echoed throughout the area as it wiped out everything in its path.

The Bakunawa was in command of the Oceanic Rage's destination, hitting what it wanted to hit even from a long distance. The devastating attack lasted only a few seconds, and when it was finished, all that was left were the marks of the path the Oceanic Rage had taken. Every single Peasant, including the Rampant, disintegrated into nothingness. The Peasants, the wood branches and logs they were carrying, and the bridge they were attempting to construct all vanished without a trace.

The war was easily ended by the Bakunawa. Just like every other time.

Once its mission was completed, it submerged into the water and vanished, leaving an army of river dwellers to observe the aftermath of the disaster it had just caused.

***

Meanwhile...

[You have received 4 experience points.]

The Rampant's death provided the experience points.

Eon growled as he lay on the grass, his folded wings covering his body and his eyes inside his gooey head. His mandibles were closing and opening. He was not harmed because, despite his blindness, his smelling abilities did not fail him. He was able to fly away from the battlefield and land in a safe location.

His gooey eyes popped out of his head and roved around the area. He wasn't blind anymore. He sighed with relief that the effect of the skill, Eclipse, was temporary. After a few seconds of silence, Eon's gaze was drawn to his status board, which was floating in the air.

[The necessary level for evolution has been reached. You may now evolve into a superior species.]

[Evolution necessitates hibernation. Finding a safe place to evolve is essential.]

He was about to undergo his first evolution...

RACE: Lesser Teplonide [Level: 10/10] [Exp. Points: 15.425/25].

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Top Speed: 20 km/h

Defense: 0

[STATS.]

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

[DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]

Lethal Augmentation [MP Cost: 19] [Level: 19/20].

[Imitation] Fire Blast [MP Cost: 38] [Level: 19/20].

[NON-DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]

Deceitful Shapeshifter [MP Cost: 1]

[PASSIVE SKILLS.]

World Conqueror's Perception.

SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 2