The morning sun pierced through the gaps in the shabby hut's roof, casting a warm glow across Brama's face. He slowly opened his eyes from meditation and stood up at once. His body still felt heavy, but his mind was sharp. Without saying much, he grabbed his weapon wrap and stepped out of the hut. His goal was clear: to find something for Amon to eat. The man needed nourishment to speed up his recovery.
Brama didn't venture too far. About an hour later, he returned carrying several forest tubers, edible wild fruits, and medicinal roots that grew behind damp stones.
When he reentered the hut, Amon was still lying down. Brama glanced at the wounds across the man's body. They still looked severe, but stable. Deep down, Brama felt slightly amazed. How could this man survive wounds that bad? Was it because of his high level? Or perhaps… something more?
He sat beside Amon. A sense of responsibility kept him from leaving that day. The journey to level up would have to wait. A life was more important than EXP.
As the sun's shadow stretched to the length of a spear, Amon stirred slowly and opened his eyes. His gaze immediately met Brama's.
"You finally woke up," Brama said, his voice calm. "How does your body feel?"
Amon gave a slow nod. "I feel much better than last night."
Without further words, Brama handed him some fruit.
"Eat. I know you're a cultivator, and maybe you don't rely much on food. But your body still needs fuel."
Amon accepted the fruit. They sat and ate in silence, while Ruda, in the corner, enjoyed the leftover meat from the previous battle.
"I'm sorry, Sir Brama," Amon spoke up. "May I ask—is that bird your soul beast?"
"I told you, no need to be so formal. Yes, he's my soul beast. His name is Ruda."
Brama gently patted Ruda's head. The bird let out a low sound, as if understanding.
"When I saw him… I was instantly reminded of San, my own soul beast."
Brama turned. "Where is he now?"
"He was killed..." Amon lowered his head. "And the backlash from his death nearly took my life."
Brama was silent for a moment, then asked in his mind:
"System, can a dead soul beast be revived?"
> Ding. A soul beast that has died can be revived if specific conditions are met. However, its memories will be erased, and its level and cultivation will return to zero.
"Are the conditions the same for all beasts?"
> Ding. No. Each soul beast has unique conditions based on its essence and type.
Brama looked at Amon silently. He felt sympathy. Losing a soul beast wasn't just about losing power—it was like losing part of your soul.
Amon seemed to sense that sadness and realized Brama truly understood his pain.
"Brama… if you don't mind me asking, what sect are you from? And is this place yours?"
Brama stared out the broken window, then answered in a low but half-honest voice. "I'm more or less the same as you. When I woke up, I was already in this forest. I… lost all my memories."
Amon was shocked. "You too? Suddenly ended up here?" His face tensed. "Could this be… the Tyrant Forest?"
"The Tyrant Forest?"
"Yes. I once read about it. According to legend, within this forest are beasts ranging from common levels to Emperor Soul class. But strangely, even the greatest hunters and adventurers have never been able to find it. If we truly are here… we're incredibly lucky."
Brama raised an eyebrow. "Lucky? Trapped in a place like this? I nearly died several times."
"You don't understand, Brama. The soul stones dropped by beasts here have 100% purity. Outside, the average is only 65%. And if unrefined, low-purity soul stones can cause mutations or bodily harm."
Brama slowly nodded, beginning to understand the value of this place. But still, without knowledge and preparation, this place could be hell.
"Maybe for someone like you from outside, this place seems full of benefits… But for me, it's the start of a disaster. I started from zero. No level. No cultivation."
Brama told him the journey he'd gone through so far. Amon listened wide-eyed—amazed, shocked, respectful.
"You're truly incredible, Brama. To have survived all that."
They continued chatting until Brama stood.
"Your story made me curious about this forest. Now I feel more confident about facing it. I'm heading out to level up. Don't worry, this place is safe. No beasts come within 500 meters."
Brama stepped outside.
"System, can everyone in this world see their status?"
> Ding. Any sentient individual can view their stats through a basic interface. However, its capabilities are very limited. Compared to version 1.0 of the system, it operates at a 1:100 scale.
"Is that a world structure… or is there another factor influencing it?"
> Ding. System version 2.0 does not have access to answer.
Brama sighed. So many questions, so few answers. He stepped deeper into the forest.
Soon, the system's voice returned.
> Ding. Hunting-type soul beast detected: Saber Boar Lv.7
Stats: STR: 110 | VIT: 95 | AGI: 65 | INT: 30 | DEF: 135
Brama read quickly.
His stats: STR: 71 | VIT: 65 | AGI: 115 | INT: 57 | DEF: 73
Ruda: STR: 71 | VIT: 79 | AGI: 110 | INT: 110 | DEF: 63
Brama had no skills. But he had tactics.
"Ruda, low-flying formation. Disrupt its vision and create an opening. Focus the attack on its right side."
> Kwack!
Brama crept behind a tree. The Saber Boar roared. Ruda darted forward, striking with Ember Flap. Flames licked the beast's side. Burn chance? 20%. But Brama didn't rely on luck. As the boar recoiled from the fire, Brama lunged from its blind side and struck its ribs.
A heavy blow.
The Saber Boar retaliated, swinging its saber. Brama rolled left, then circled behind and stabbed its back with a sharpened branch wrapped in stone.
Ruda swooped again, using Peak—its beak pierced the enemy's neck.
The Saber Boar rampaged, but blood flowed profusely. Its movements slowed.
Brama didn't let up. With guerrilla tactics, he executed the beast systematically—never giving it room to breathe.
Blow after blow tore through the forest air. The sounds of slashes, shrieks, and groans formed a symphony of chaos. The Saber Boar—a hunter's soul beast—finally collapsed with a heavy crash. Its last breath thundered from its chest, like an explosion after too long bottling up rage.
> Ding!
> EXP Gained: 8,400 points.
> Would the host like the EXP to be distributed evenly?
Brama wiped the blood from his temple. His breathing was still labored, but his mind remained sharp.
"No. Allocate it first so Ruda and I level up. Then distribute the rest."
He quickly calculated in his head—with 8,400 EXP, the two of them had enough to surpass the threshold to level 10. Without hesitation:
> Ding!
> Host Leveled Up
> Ruda Leveled Up
> Would you like to auto-distribute stat points or save them?
"Hold them for now. I'll assign them later depending on the field conditions."
> Ding!
> Displaying Current Stats:
---
Brama – Level 10
EXP: 700 / 9400
Cultivation: Spiritual Binding (7,235 / 10,000)
Buffs: +1% +2% +3% +4% -2% -5% +5% +50% +5%
STR: 71
VIT: 65
AGI: 115
INT: 57
DEF: 73
Unspent Stat Points: 10
Active Skills: -
Passive Skills: -
---
Ruda – Level 10
EXP: 700 / 9400
Cultivation: Spiritual Binding (7,235 / 10,000)
Buffs: +50% +5%
STR: 71
VIT: 79
AGI: 110
INT: 110
DEF: 63
Unspent Stat Points: 10
Active Skills:
1. Peak – Quick beak strike
2. Ember Flap – Light fire from wings. 20% chance to burn target
3. Blood Wing Burst – Blood energy boosts flight and wing attack speed by +300%, duration 15 seconds, cooldown 2 minutes
---
Brama narrowed his eyes at the saber left behind by the fallen boar. About a meter long, heavy, and seemingly forged from naturally condensed bone-metal.
He picked it up.
"At least now I'm not fighting barehanded."
> Ding!
> Weapon Detected:
Bone Saber – Green Grade (Normal)
Bonus: +11 STR when equipped
Brama turned. "System, is this one of your new features?"
> Correct. The system can now identify weapons from basic to mid-grade levels.
"What about plants?"
> This version does not support that function yet.
Wasting no time, he continued his journey northward—to where the first cave lay. The place where he had once nearly awakened his soul beast... before time and power forced him to retreat.
Now, with Ruda by his side and far superior stats, he walked with renewed confidence.
The system actively scanned the area within a 250-meter radius, detecting movement, threats, and opportunities. It didn't take long before they found their next target.
---
Enemy Detected
> Ding!
Cultivated Beast Detected
Type: Rabid Dog Colony – Basic Soul
Count: ~200
Level Range: 5–17
Colony Leader: Level 17 (Basic Soul)
---
Visual Description:
The wild beasts resembled large bulldogs, but their bodies were the size of young buffalo. Their eyes glowed red, saliva dripped from sharp fangs, and their skin displayed faint glowing patterns—a mark of a basic soul. The leader stood 2.5 meters tall, with a broad chest and a lower jaw more prominent than a normal dog's.
---
"Ruda," Brama whispered.
The crimson garuda immediately soared upward, scattering dust and dry leaves. Its wings spread wide, readying Ember Flap.
GOAAAG!!!
The colony leader's roar shook the ground. As if on cue, hundreds of dogs charged.
The pack came like a wild storm—growling, howling, and charging like a deadly wave ready to erase anything in its path.
Basic Soul Rabid Dogs. Over two hundred of them. Their bodies were muscular, fanged, with glowing red eyes and faint glowing lines on their rough skin. The pack leader—a massive hound standing two and a half meters tall—had glowing blue eyes and a cross-shaped mark on its forehead. Their stats were nothing to scoff at. Especially the leader's.
> Ding!
Target: Basic Soul Rabid Dog – Mixed Levels (5–17)
Identified Pack Leader: Basic Soul Lv.17
Total Stats: 400
STR: 130 | VIT: 95 | AGI: 75 | INT: 45 | DEF: 55
Active Skills:
Savage Roar: Emits a mental-pressure howl, causing enemies to lose balance for 2 seconds.
Iron Lunge: A fast lunge with double power. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Brama tightened his grip on the saber he had just acquired from the Saber Boar. The system had identified it as a green-tier weapon with +11 STR. Beside him, Ruda flapped its wings slowly, its body glowing crimson-gold beneath the forest canopy.
"We're not getting out of this one," Brama murmured. "We cut their numbers—layer by layer."
> "Kwak!"
Ruda responded. Its voice was calm, but its eyes showed full awareness of the danger.
The Battle Began.
The first wave came from the right side. About 15 Basic Soul dogs of level 5–9 lunged in a crescent formation. With Brama's 115 AGI, he danced between them. Every step efficient, every saber slash precise.
Slash!
One dog dropped instantly as the saber sliced through its neck.
Brama ducked, left knee hitting the ground, then spun upward in a sweeping slash. Two more howled in pain as the green blade carved their backs.
Ruda dove from above. "Ember Flap!"
Its wings scattered fire in a flaming horseshoe shape across the air. Seven dogs were engulfed in flames. Some rolled away, but the burning weakened their aggression.
> Ding!
Burn Effect Active – 3 out of 7 targets suffer -25% AGI for 10 seconds.
Brama didn't waste the opening. He charged into the burning group.
His left fist struck one dog square on the snout—sending its head snapping back. His saber cleaved through the gaping maw of the next.
Eight dogs fell. But that was just one flank.
On the left, another group began to surround them. They spread in a fan formation, trying to trap Ruda in the air and Brama on the ground. Fifteen beasts with bluish-green eyes—Levels 10 to 14.
> "Ruda, don't hold back your skills!"
Ruda screeched and dove.
Active Skill – Peak!
With bullet-like speed, its beak smashed the head of a level 13 dog. The skull cracked, the body dragged five meters. In a flowing motion, Ruda twisted mid-air and slashed with its wingtip—two more enemies dropped, blood spurting from their torn shoulders.
But from afar, a loud howl echoed. Brama froze.
> Ding!
Savage Roar Detected – Area of Effect: 50 meters!
"Shi—!"
The leader's voice boomed like thunder. All dogs paused briefly. Then surged forward faster.
> Savage Roar Active – Balance Disrupted for 2 Seconds
Brama staggered! Two dogs lunged from his blind spot. One bit into his arm, the other jumped on his back.
CRACK!
Brama's elbow slammed into the jaw of the first beast. It flailed but didn't release its bite.
BOOM!
Ruda bombarded from above. Ember Flap active again. Flames scorched both dogs. The biter let go—howling in agony.
Brama spun, stabbing the saber into the chest of one attacker. Then kicked the other—sending it crashing into a tree, neck snapping.
"Ruda! The leader!"
From between the trees, the massive hound charged. Its body resembled a gorilla, but with steel-like skin. Muscles bulged at its neck, eyes burning red.
Active Skill – Iron Lunge!
Brama couldn't move in time. But the system reacted swiftly.
> Ding!
Direct Attack Detected – Suggested Evasion: right, 30° rotation!
Estimated Damage on Hit: 65% HP
Brama leapt right—but one foot lagged behind!
The beast slammed into the ground with enormous force. The impact shattered a 10-meter radius. Trees uprooted from the shockwave.
Brama flew through the air, hit the ground, but rolled and got up in one smooth motion.
Ruda! Use Ember Flap, then Peak!
The garuda obeyed. Flames engulfed the leader. But it wasn't enough—its feathers and skin resisted the heat.
Then, from the right:
Peak!
The beak strike hit the underside of its neck. Brama followed up—driving his saber into the creature's lower abdomen.
The beast roared violently. Still not down.
It raised a foreleg—smashing Brama into a tree!
THUD!
Brama spat blood. Ruda screamed—diving low to slam into the beast's head with its full body.
> Ding!
Critical Hit – Enemy Staggered for 0.8 seconds
Enough time for Brama. Gritting his teeth, bleeding from his side, he forced himself up and channeled all his strength:
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
The saber pierced the base of the beast's neck.
Blood exploded.
The leader staggered. Then dropped.
Silence.
[Basic Soul Rabid Dog Pack Lv.5–17 defeated]
Earlier, Brama had disabled system EXP notifications—they were too distracting mid-battle.
Brama stumbled. Ruda landed beside him, injured, its wing slightly torn.
But they were still standing.
And the ground... was now covered in corpses.