Born In Ashes: The Enigma

(You have killed Level 7 Iron Bear. Strength +3.5, Stamina +3.5, Agility +1, Cosmic Energy +2)

Azrael felt a surge of power flooding his body as he received the greatest boost to his powers so far.

He closed his eyes for a moment to observe the changes in his body and used Force Utilization to fully adapt to his increased power.

After about a minute, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Though everything ended very quickly, it didn't go as smoothly as I had thought..." Azrael muttered with a sigh, feeling the condition of his body.

Though not completely useless, his left hand was still fractured, and his internal organs had also been slightly affected by the Iron Bear's final attack.

Moreover, since his only advantage was his agility, Azrael had pushed it to its limit. During the final moments of the battle, to avoid getting caught by the bear, he had forcefully channeled cosmic energy into his legs, pushing them to the extreme and tearing several leg muscles in the process.

"I will need to rest for at least a few hours before I can recover enough to move through the forest without putting myself in danger," He muttered quietly and took out a low-level potion from his inventory—one of the few that could be used inside the Eonrift.

"It's a pity we are not allowed to use any kind of poison, just like high-level weapons during the trial of Eonrift. Otherwise, I would've simply coated my hidden needles with poison. After landing a few hits on the bear, I could've waited for the poison to take effect and finish the job."

Azrael left the area where he had fought the Iron Bear and soon found a tall tree.

He climbed up its rough bark and upon reaching a spot just a few meters from the top, stopped and settled on a thick branch, leaning his back against the trunk.

He closed his eyes and, while staying alert to his surroundings using his heightened senses, began to cultivate. After killing the elite monster, he could feel that he was incredibly close to leveling up again.

His Source Core began absorbing cosmic energy, steadily increasing his stats and drawing him closer to Level 6.

The healing potion he had taken earlier also began to work effectively, and the injuries he had sustained started recovering at a steady pace.

Time passed as Azrael remained still, cultivating while waiting for his body to recover.

Before leaving the Eonrift, his goal was to reach Level 10—or at least get as close to it as possible so that once he leave Eonrift, he could focus on becoming a Class Warrior and attain his Class.

Around eight hours later, when the sky had already turned dark, Azrael finally opened his eyes and exhaled softly.

Most of his injuries had healed during this time, and although his left hand was still not in perfect condition, it was no longer hindering his combat ability.

Normally, Azrael would have rested through the night. But now, with only a week remaining before he had to return to New Moon City to confirm the results of his actions, he couldn't afford to waste any time.

He descended from the top of the tree and, after confirming the direction of the forest's central region—where most of the high-level monsters resided—he began heading toward it.

*****

Two Days Later...

Two figures raced through a dense cluster of trees.

One was fleeing. The other was chasing.

The fleeing figure was a two meter tall Barren Earth Monkey— a powerful Level 9 monster.

The one in pursuit was a 1.8 meter tall human with black hair and beautiful purple eyes.

Swish!

Suddenly, a sharp sword slash made of condensed cosmic energy tore through the forest, slicing apart trees in its path and appearing before the monster in an instant.

The Barren Earth Monkey let out a sharp screech as its hands glowed with brown earthen light, forming a rock-like layer of armor over them.

However, the powerful slash shredded the rock armor protecting the monkey's hands and left a deep gash. The sheer force of the strike sent the beast flying, and it crashed violently into a tall tree.

It screeched in pain and struggled to stand up and flee, but before it could move, the human figure appeared before it like a ghost.

A sharp sword light engulfed the monkey's vision, and the next moment, a fountain of blood burst forth as its head flew into the sky.

Thud!

The forest fell silent as the monster's decapitated body hit the ground with a dull thud before slowly disintegrating into light particles and merging with the human figure.

(You have killed Level 9 Barren Earth Monkey. Strength +0.2, Agility +0.4)

Azrael briefly glanced at the notification that flashed before his eyes, then turned and left without a word.

In the past two days, he had slain numerous monsters in the forest, most of them being Level 7, 8, or 9.

He was now close to the central area of the forest, where the most powerful creatures roamed—including the Overlord of the Forest, a Class Monster.

Thanks to constant hunting, Azrael had reached Level 6 and was on the verge of hitting Level 7. He was confident that killing one or two more monsters would push him to the next level.

His stats had also increased significantly over the last two days, and he was now far stronger than when he fought the Iron Bear.

=====

— Strength: 31.1

— Agility: 28.4

— Stamina: 31

— Cosmic Energy: 184

=====

After walking for about ten minutes, Azrael noticed that the terrain around him had changed slightly and he narrowed his eyes.

'So this is the central area...' He thought to himself and was about to venture deeper.

However, just as he was about to move—

Rumble!

The entire forest seemed to tremble, and a powerful aura—one that clearly did not belong to an Apprentice Warrior-level monster suddenly swept across the area.