Balberius [2]

[Name: Lloyd Reinhart >> (Lloyd Amora)]

[Race: Royal Vampire (Dual)]

[Innate Traits: Anomaly, The Rational Savage, Celestial, Child of the Legacy]

[Titles: "Scion of Selenium", "The Royal Disaster", "Noble Leech"]

[Main Class: Primordial Magic Magus]

[Sub-Class (1): Spell-Weaver]

[Awakening State: Silver Dormant - Level 26]

[Statistics]

Royal Blood Essence: 260.0 Units (Acquisition Rate: 100%)

Aether: 26.0 Units

Strength: Level 26

Agility: Level 26

Defense: Level 26

Dexterity: Level 29

Vitality: Level 22

Endurance: Level 25

[Legacy Points: 0 Mission Points]

[Blood Gems: None]

[BP: 1300 RBP]

"Damn, it's been over two weeks of continuous slaughter."

At that moment, a young man who looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old was sitting on a rock, eating the roasted meat of some beast.

The scene around him was a slaughterhouse—monster carcasses were scattered everywhere, blood covered the ground, and severed limbs lay about randomly.

It was a gruesome sight, yet the young man was enjoying his meal as if he were on a normal picnic.

In a distant corner, a bird was watching him with intense interest. Despite its distance, the System easily detected its presence.

"Hmm… while I'm enjoying the meat of this delicious bull, I feel like something's off… Am I being watched?!"

The System's voice confirmed his suspicions.

[Warning: A being is observing you from a great distance.]

A cynical smile played on his lips. "What is this crap? Who dares to spy on me?!"

Among the System's features, its long-range sensing was a very powerful advantage.

Since his level had risen by more than 25 levels, he could now sense things just over half a kilometer around him.

But the System itself could sense up to five kilometers away!

"Hmmm… and what's even stranger, the target analysis ability is revealing some amazing information about this silly bird…"

[Analyzing Target...]

[Name: Balberius]

[Race: Human]

[Main Class: Warlock]

[Sub-Class (1): Shapeshifter]

A human shapeshifter?

"So, it's not just an ordinary bird! Interesting."

"I've never met one of this kind before, so… maybe I'll have a little fun with him."

Meanwhile, a new notification appeared from the System.

[New Quest Available!]

[Quest Title: Partially or completely destroy the Darkwood Forest and bring chaos to this continent!]

[Rewards: 10,000 Gold + A Mysterious Gift]

"Oh? More of the System's nonsense! Honestly, I don't care about these quests anymore. I was going to kill every beast in this forest anyway!"

The only problem was that the king of the forest, the "Winged Flame Lion," was pretty similar to Golden-tier Ascendant.

"...His level is a full rank and one sub-tier higher than mine! And worse, judging by its name, this creature can fly, which makes things much more complicated."

Lloyd remembered flying… the feeling of absolute freedom… though he didn't mind free-falling more. He used to enjoy it back on Earth.

"Of course, I can stay airborne for a while using my lightning abilities, but it's not true flight yet."

He rose from his spot, preparing for his usual task—killing beasts, collecting experience points—or rather, Blood Points—and gold. But this time, something was different.

"This human is still here?! And he hasn't reverted to his original form yet?! Transformation consumes a huge amount of essence energy, so does that mean his level is very high?!"

Lloyd decided to analyze his status to learn more.

[Awakening State: Bronze Ascendant - Level 60]

"60?! Hahaha, so you're not just an ordinary pest!"

In an instant, a bolt of lightning erupted from his body, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

He appeared directly in front of the bird. It took a moment for the creature to realize what had happened, its features twisting into absolute shock.

"Oh! Look at that! Have you ever seen a little bird with the expression of a shocked person before?! This is hilarious!"

Lloyd burst out laughing maniacally, but suddenly, the bird began to transform into a human!

A young man of about sixteen appeared, heavily built, carrying a massive sword on his shoulder. He looked like he had walked straight out of a Chinese martial arts film.

The young man stared intently at Lloyd and said, "So… you're the reason I was awakened from my slumber?"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

'What is this fool talking about? Was he sleeping in a cave this whole time?!'

Lloyd approached slowly, then cupped the young man's face with his entire hand and whispered in a low, chilling voice, "You damn bastard, spying is a bad habit... Aren't you afraid I'll pluck out your eyes?"

The boy's face paled for a moment, but strangely, he wasn't actually afraid. Only his body trembled slightly.

'Hmm… that's weird… his body is scared, but his mind doesn't seem to be… Interesting.'

Then, the boy suddenly said, "Do you need help in the upcoming battle?"

"Huh?! Battle? What battle are you talking about, you moron?!"

The System's voice rang in Lloyd's head again.

[Warning: A beast rampage is occurring for unknown reasons!]

Lloyd turned to Balberius with a sly grin. "How about a little challenge? If you kill more beasts than me, I won't kill you… But if I kill more than you, I'll roast you alive!"

Balberius shivered for a moment, but he didn't run. Instead, he shot straight into the forest and began to slaughter beasts with a frenzy.

"This is interesting… but don't forget you're stealing my experience points, and that is unacceptable!"

Lloyd leaped into the sky, and with a deafening roar, thunder exploded across the horizon, causing some of the beasts to freeze in fear. He raised his hand, and dozens of intertwined lightning spears appeared, the crackle of electricity filling the air.

"You damned animals… you're all just experience points or blood points—who cares—to me!"

KRRRRRRAAAAAACK!!

The sky erupted with thunder as the electrical storm was unleashed, crushing everything in its path.

As time went on, Lloyd and Balberius started talking more. Although Balberius's instincts were terrified, he spoke freely, which impressed Lloyd.

'This person… he really loves to kill. He's even wanted throughout the kingdom… What fun!'

At that moment, the king of the forest and its massive army of wolves, crocodiles, and flaming lions finally appeared.

Balberius looked at Lloyd seriously and said, "The Forest King is very strong. I can't even determine its level. How are we going to face it?"

Lloyd smiled a demonic grin. "Hahaha, don't worry, this is just the beginning… Now, let's break everything!"

"..."

'It seems Balberius has truly amazing instincts, which reminds me of something important… the Antakarius Heavenly Gluttony bloodline!'

I looked at him curiously and asked directly, "Why can you shapeshift for so long?!"

His eyes widened for a moment, as if he hadn't expected the question, but he quickly sighed and replied, "I… don't know."

I studied him in silence, trying to analyze if he was lying or trying to hide his secret, but I wasn't that interested.

So, I decided to scare him a little and said with a malicious smile, "The Forest King is at the mid of second Transcendence, specifically level 70."

I watched his expression intently, expecting to see shock or anxiety, but I was disappointed… he showed no fear! Instead, he remained perfectly calm.

'This is interesting… It seems he's not an idiot, at least.'

I hate surrounding myself with useless people… if you don't have an important role, I'll rip your heart out myself!

But what he said next was even more surprising.

"From your calmness, I assume you can kill the Forest King… Commander, leave the minions to me. I'll deal with them."

I paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow in astonishment.

"When did I become your commander?! Are you trying to escape your death this way?!"

Instead of replying seriously, Balberius started laughing, as if what I'd said was funnier than it was scary.

"Commander, I don't even know you, but I get you… By the hell-creator's name, you're the first person I've ever talked to like this. I feel like we're going to have a great time together… We'll cause so much destruction!"

I paused for a moment before smiling wickedly and muttering under my breath. "Hah… you bastard, now you're trying to gain benefits from me? It seems you've grown tired of living, huh?!"

I let out a dark laugh as I looked at him… but honestly, I had no intention of killing him. He seemed to understand me, and that was rare.

In fact, I was thinking of gathering my own followers… I will restore the glory of a forgotten empire that will shatter everything in its path… the Selenium Empire!

...

My blood is boiling… You finally show yourself, you arrogant lion. Were you afraid to face me or what?

Before the battle began, I noticed the lion was confused by the flying creature beside me. Hmm, it seems he feels threatened by him. Is it because of his bloodline or because his level is higher than mine? I hate this!

Suddenly, the System's voice rang out, announcing something that made me freeze on the spot.

[Ding!]

[You have received an Emergency Quest!]

[Quest Title: Recruit a Competent Follower!]

[Description: Balberius has attracted the attention of the Kalmala Star System, a subsystem of Millennium. By recruiting a potential enemy, you will gain a new advantage. It is highly recommended to make the Heavenly Beast-Devourer an Earl or higher after recruitment!]

[Time Limit: None]

[Reward: Recruit a competent follower. You want more? Don't be greedy!]

Huh? A potential enemy? My head is about to explode from thinking. I'll wait until the battle is over, and then I'll decide what to do.

"Kill anything that moves!"

I said it as a dark, terrifying killing aura emanated from my body, making Balberius show signs of fear for the first time.

[Activating trait "The Rational Savage"...]

Yes, during battle, I become a merciless killing machine.

I charged towards the lion, gripping the Axe of Death. This name is quite fitting… a weapon that will turn the world upside down! The lion noticed my approach, opened its mouth, and began to form a glowing ball of fire energy.

Damn… It wasn't called the "Flame Lion" for nothing. The fire element is already powerful, and it becomes even more dangerous when enhanced by a lion's bloodline and high combat level. This will be a tough fight…

In the first clash between my axe and the fireball, a massive explosion occurred.