A Mysterious Savior

Eryon's expression was filled with disbelief as he shook his head.

"Wow, those three are as good as dead," he muttered.

A bit of a shame, he thought, since he couldn't kill them himself and steal their power. Though, he wasn't even sure if that was possible. Sometimes, things didn't go the way he wanted.

Eryon stood up and stretched his body. This time, his expression was full of satisfaction.

"I gained a lot tonight. What a lucky night," he said with a smirk.

Despite facing challenges and dangers, his body still felt energized. Perhaps it was the effect of absorbing the dark essence.

He looked up, staring at the night sky, where a crimson full moon hung motionless.

"System, what time is it?" he asked.

[2 AM]

Eryon nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He wasn't the least bit sleepy, and with his body recovering so well, spending the rest of the night hunting didn't seem like a bad idea.

After a few seconds of consideration, his expression hardened.

"Hunting a few more monsters before heading back doesn't sound bad," he murmured.

Without hesitation, he stepped back into the forest, vanishing into the darkness.

---

As time passed, the moon slowly descended. A faint blue glow stretched across the horizon, signaling the approaching dawn.

Yet, deep within Aden Forest, the atmosphere remained ominous. Strange noises echoed through the trees, belonging to creatures unseen.

Stab!

An arrow shot through the air, piercing straight into the skull of a big black gorilla. Its enormous body collapsed with a heavy thud, dead before it even hit the ground.

Moments later, a girl stepped out from the shadows.

Her silver hair cascaded down her back, framing a face of breathtaking beauty. With a lean yet athletic build, she looked nothing short of flawless. Her posture remained calm and composed, as if nothing in the world could faze her.

Her tactical attire struck the perfect balance between casual wear, style, and combat readiness, blending seamlessly into her striking presence.

With a practiced motion, she pulled the arrow from the gorilla's head, wiping it clean on her cloak. There was an air of tranquility and indifference about her, her voice remaining flat as she spoke to herself.

"The number of monsters in this forest is decreasing," she murmured, glancing around.

"Maybe it's time to move elsewhere."

As she walked deeper into the forest, her sharp eyes locked onto the carcass of a giant bear. She crouched beside it, examining the wounds with precision. The cuts were fresh—this beast had been slain just a few hours ago.

"Hmm, another one down," she muttered, her face unreadable.

This was the 35th corpse she had found since entering Aden Forest, and every single one had been killed in the same manner.

Analyzing the injuries, she could tell the one responsible was still an amateur.

"But to have taken down this many... whoever it is must be relentless," she mused.

Though her expression remained calm, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The forest was eerily quiet, and the number of monsters she had encountered was far lower than usual.

This wasn't her first time here. She knew the ins and outs of this forest—but this time, something felt different.

With measured steps, she continued deeper into the woods.

---

Meanwhile…

[You have killed a giant bear. Congratulations, you have stolen its power and gained +0.5 Strength]

"Pant! Pant! Again, only 0.5?" Eryon muttered in frustration, panting heavily.

For some reason, ever since leaving that mysterious place, every monster he killed only granted him a fraction of their power. Even ordinary beasts barely gave him a 0.1 boost.

That was far from good. But right now, he had no time to dwell on it.

A massive cobra slithered before him, towering over ten meters tall, stretching nearly thirty meters in length. Its thick, scaled body exuded a deadly aura, and the venom dripping from its fangs promised certain death.

The deeper Eryon ventured into the forest, the more savage the monsters became. If he counted, over two hours had passed since he started hunting.

Initially, he had planned to take down just a few monsters—but without realizing it, he had wandered too far.

Now, he was stuck in a life-threatening situation.

The cobra was absurdly strong. Its scales were nearly impenetrable, and its venom could kill within minutes.

Right now, Eryon's left arm was already numb from the poison. He could barely move it.

Hisss!

The snake let out a sharp hiss before lunging at him with blinding speed.

With great effort, Eryon dodged at the last second, feeling the rush of wind as the snake's fangs barely missed him.

But the cobra wasn't done.

With a swift flick of its tail, it smashed through a massive tree, sending it hurtling straight toward him.

Eryon's expression tightened. He immediately activated his gravity manipulation, gathering the last of his energy to slow the incoming trunk. A faint purple-black aura wrapped around the wood, slowing its momentum.

But it wasn't enough.

Bang!

The tree still struck him, sending a searing pain through his body.

"Shit! That hurts!" he gritted out, struggling to stay on his feet.

At that moment, he realized—he was on the verge of losing.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

Just as the cobra prepared to strike again—

Swish!

A rain of arrows shot through the air.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

Stab! Stab! Stab!

Each arrow found its mark, piercing through the beast's hardened scales. One struck its eye, causing blood to gush out.

"Keeeeaaaaak!"

The snake let out an ear-piercing screech, the sound vibrating through the forest.

Then—

A single, massive energy arrow tore through the sky.

With terrifying speed, it pierced straight through the cobra's neck, leaving a gaping hole. Blood gushed out like a fountain.

The enormous creature convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Eryon, panting heavily, widened his eyes in disbelief.

He struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed.

He had fought so hard just to land a scratch on that monster, and yet, someone had effortlessly pierced through its nearly indestructible skin.

His gaze darted around, searching for the one who had saved him. He wanted to move, but the poison had already spread through his body, turning his skin a sickly shade of purple.

He could no longer move a single muscle.

As his consciousness began to fade, he could only hope that whoever had saved him wasn't an enemy.

The sound of rustling leaves and snapping branches made him aware that someone was approaching.

"Oh, how surprising. I didn't expect it to be you, Eryon."

A soft, somewhat familiar voice reached his ears.

But before he could see who it was, his vision went dark.