CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 59: INTO THE POISON

Chapter 59 – Into the Poison

In the northeastern part of the outer zone of the forest, the earth was soaked with blood—thick, dark, and multicolored, a gruesome palette that spoke of slaughter beyond imagination.

This wasn’t the blood of one beast, nor two, but dozens, maybe more—trolls, orcs, goblins, ants, wolves, even a few mutated bears. Limbs were scattered like broken branches, intestines coiled like discarded ropes, heads rolled with eyes gouged or still wide in shock, mouths frozen in their final screams.

It was carnage. Unholy. Complete.

And atop a throne of corpses, carved from that gruesome mess, sat a young man.

Black silky hair, blood-red eyes like shimmering blood. Not a scratch on him. Not a single thread out of place. His clothes were pristine, his posture relaxed, and in his hand, he held a red katana that pulsed faintly with annoyance.

Kaden glanced at Reditha with mild disbelief.

"Really? You’re refusing now?"

Reditha didn’t respond. She had absorbed too much already—too many low-level beast corpses, so much it had become disgusting to her. Now, she rejected the blood like it was foul wine. Her pride wouldn’t let her drink filth anymore.

Kaden chuckled dryly and stood, his boots squelching softly in the blood-soaked soil beneath him.

"What a waste," he muttered, stepping down from his gory seat.

He slid Reditha back into place, resting her across his shoulder casually.

"I think that’s enough warm-up. Let’s go meet that poisonous beast and finish the mission."

And just before leaving—

"Blood Explosion."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!

A massive eruption burst behind him, painting the skies with black smoke and crimson mist, erasing any trace of the slaughter.

Kaden blurred out of sight, his Slothful Steps technique hiding his presence, leaving nothing but a crater and silence in his wake.

’Better safe than sorry. I’ve stirred enough trouble in this forest already,’ he mused, vanishing from the northeast quadrant like a ghost.

...

Hours later, after alternating between calm walking and swift bursts of movement, Kaden finally arrived at the entrance of the middle zone—and the moment he stepped in, the shift in atmosphere was immediate.

The air grew heavy. Not choking, but... aware.

Unlike the outer zone, where nothing could pose a real threat to him, here he could feel eyes—hostile, intelligent, watching from the dark.

And he welcomed it.

"Bullying weaker beasts was fun... but it’s not going to push me forward."

Only those capable of killing him were worthy now.

"I wonder," he whispered, hiding behind a tree, "should I hunt a little before the mission? Or finish the mission first, then go wild after?"

He had one month to complete it. The quest itself wouldn’t take more than a week.

Better to complete the objective first. It was safer and smarter. Then he could play all he wanted.

Just as he made his decision—

DING!

[You have received a new quest.]

[Quest: Slaughter]

[Description: You are finally showing the characteristics of your title—Child of Blood—and of your legendary origin. You are a being meant to kill, to consume blood and grow. You are on the right path.]

[Objective: Kill 500 awakened-level beasts in the forest before returning to Asterion.]

[Rewards: 500 Death Coins | 25 Stat Points]

[Penalty: None]

Kaden smiled slowly. This made three quests now. Three opportunities. Three paths to power.

Each one paid in blood.

"Ah... bliss."

He activated his concealment ring—the same one that had saved him in the Forest of Eternal Sunshine—and without wasting another moment, he headed toward the lair of the Deadthorn Bear.

He was more cautious now.

Here in the middle zone, beasts weren’t weaklings—they were true predators. Intermediate-rank or powerful awakened-rank, each one a danger if underestimated.

But danger was opportunity. So when he found distracted targets, he struck without hesitation—quick, precise, clean. No wasted movement. No mercy.

And the more he killed, the more efficient he became.

He learned their weaknesses. Learned how to walk even more quietly, how to silence his breath, how to strike exactly where it hurt. Experience refined him like a blade against whetstone.

Then, suddenly, he stopped.

A subtle green fog began to gather around him—faint at first, then growing denser as he moved forward. Up ahead, the fog was so thick it looked like a wall.

He had arrived.

"The territory of the bear," Kaden muttered under his breath.

He reached into his spatial ring and retrieved a mask.

Black, sleek, with two crimson lines running from the eye sockets down like bleeding tears. It was a rare-rank artifact, expensive as hell but still worth every coin.

It masked his identity, but more importantly—it allowed him to breathe even in poisoned environments.

He equipped it without hesitation.

And what a sight it was.

A young man in black, his obsidian hair stirring in the wind, his mask painted in blood-red tears, and his glowing blood red eyes burning through the haze. A walking omen.

Kaden exhaled slowly and stepped into the poisonous fog.

His pace was quiet, measured. He moved like a shadow through the mist, his perception doing what his eyes couldn’t.

It was awkward. After all he was still more comfortable relying on sight. But he was adapting, slowly shifting his senses, learning to see without seeing.

The deeper he went, the thicker the fog became. The poison hung heavy in the air, even with the mask shielding him. He could feel it in the way his skin tingled, the way the world seemed to pulse with quiet malice.

He sped up.

And then suddenly he stopped.

There was nothing in front of him. Not a sound, not a stir.

Until he turned.

And there it was.

A massive black bear, easily seven feet tall, with glowing green lines coursing through its fur and fog leaking from its eyes like venomous smoke.

It stared directly at him.

Kaden smiled behind the mask.

"Pretty damn stealthy for a bear," he said aloud, voice echoing through the poisonous silence.

ROOOAAARRRRRR!!!

The bear lunged.

"Easy, big guy. No need to be this angry."

Reditha appeared in Kaden’s hand, pulsing with hunger.

And just like that...

The battle began.

—End of Chapter 59—