After the phase of exhilaration and excitement, reason returned to Nathan.

  He had allowed himself to be swept up in the combat's deadly rhythm. And indeed, he had approached it in that moment. Just one second, but that instant became clearer when he calmed down, with no monsters pursuing him, no fighting on the edge of collapse. His heart must have been beating near his body's maximum capacity then, around 200 beats per minute. Factor in his Titan physique, and it could have been even higher. Even a second’s pause was enough for him to grasp the intensity.

  What's noteworthy is that he hadn't felt afraid during that time. Because he heard a call. It was distant and gentle.

  In the end, everything happened too quickly for him to learn anything more, and he didn't want to dwell on it further.

  He moved to find another water source. Thanks to his previous markings, the search went fairly quickly. Without a place to cook, he made do with forest fruits.

  Having regained his strength, he began to consider his next step. The plan to attack the Vermilion Apes was still there, but he needed to think long-term for this battle. Nathan wasn't sure of the enemy's numbers, but from his rough count during his reconnaissance, there had to be several dozen. Most dangerous were the Crimson Lotus guards. They didn't seem nearly as easy to deal with as the ones he'd already encountered.

  Thus, his initial plan to make a gift for Orin became part of his campaign.

  He had to cook wine.

  A type of wine provided by [Cooking] that he'd been aiming for since collecting Thunder Grape was 'Thunder Embrace'. Besides the main ingredient, it needed essence water from Thunder Crystal Frog, which he was quite confident he could obtain with his current abilities. He just needed to wait for it to refill or find another frog. The problem lay with the decomposition agent and catalyst.

  He needed Spirit Algae or Spirit Mushroom, and Dragon's Breath leaves. All three ingredients pointed in one direction—the western area, where he had decidedly not wanted to venture.

  But if he wanted to engage in combat with the monsters, he needed something that would provide continuous energy when fatigued, as well as enhance his body's speed. Last night's experience had truly made him infatuated with moving at high velocity. Thunder Embrace would solve the problem of the lightning aspect's excessive devastation. Most importantly, it could be preserved long-term through fermentation without losing the drink's quality.

  Having made his decision, he thought about the system. It was remarkable how the five initially unrelated skills had become so useful. Except for [Random Talent], which hadn't shown any use beyond entertainment and amusement, the other skills had all proven their worth.

  Just as he thought about this, his lips twitched at today's stroke of luck.

  Today's talent is Dramatic Hair Flow.

  Nathan looked at his reflection in the stream and felt utterly embarrassed. His hair was exactly as the talent suggested, flowing smoothly like gentle waves. The focus was that there wasn't even any strong wind around. He looked no different than if he were underwater, and his hair refused to stay still. Fortunately, it only flowed backward and didn't obstruct his front view.

  Ignoring everything else, he immediately used two rolls, his credit points from the past few days dropping to 341.

  Starting Normal Rolls.

  You received [Adrenaline Boost].

  You received [Efficient Sleep].

  --

  [Adrenaline Boost]

  Description: Enhances your body's natural fight-or-flight response. When adrenaline is triggered, all associated effects (increased strength, heightened reflexes, pain suppression, enhanced focus) are amplified by 20%. Duration of adrenaline rush extended by 20%.

  --

  [Efficient Sleep]

  Description: Reduces time needed to fall asleep by 75%. Recovery rate during sleep increased by 40%. Mental fatigue recovery doubled during first hour of sleep. Quality of rest remains unaffected by environmental disturbances.

  Nathan was no longer too surprised by the skills provided by the system. To test a bit, he sat down, and when his consciousness indicated wanting to sleep, he dozed off almost immediately. Part of it was due to his exhaustion, but the time needed to fall asleep had indeed been shortened.

  He had come halfway thanks to his physical improvements. The leap from Phase 3 to Phase 7 not only gave him more endurance but also made his explosive movements much more powerful. However, if he continued moving, night would fall. He needed to prepare a few things before going.

  He spent the next few hours collecting some ingredients he'd had before. The result was a viscous anti-poison mixture of Sun Leaf, Earth Tongue, and Stream Star. He rolled the mixture into small round pills to dry in the sun. The remainder went into a pouch made from Ripple Hunter hide, to be used later.

  He took a short nap in the early afternoon.

  As the moon rose, Nathan gathered his candies and began moving. After just three hours of sleep, he already felt refreshed and mentally invigorated. [Efficient Sleep] had come at just the right time during this escalation of warfare.

  Those Vermilion Apes must still be hunting him. After all, their reinforcements yesterday proved he was their ultimate target. So moving at night was the optimal strategy. The sight of the monsters struggling to move by scent alone last night had taught him to avoid daytime encounters.

  Wearing clothes that couldn't possibly be more tattered, Nathan moved back to his old camping area. He chose to approach silently and discreetly from a distance just far enough to see dimly. Thanks to [Better Vision], while not giving him hawk-like eyes, he could still make out the red silhouettes meandering around what he once considered a safe haven. Now he had to migrate.

  Avoiding the ape pack's path, he moved diagonally to the left for a distance. Weaving between trees in the dim space.

  Triggered [Tingling Sense]. One credit given.

  Triggered [Adrenaline Boost]. One credit given.

  He tilted his head to one side, a tiny sharp point flew past, the thin wings of the strange object grazed his cheek, using the knife made from Ripple Hunter fangs to swing forward once. The Shadow Wasp fell with a small hissing sound.

  It truly synchronized, Nathan was more excited than frightened.

  He had been thinking about how to apply [Adrenaline Boost] and considering [Tingling Sense]. Only when suddenly attacked could he verify. Adrenaline, after all, only produces when a person reacts to danger. The fight-or-flight state activated in an instant, enhancing every physical aspect. Just now when the Shadow Wasp attacked, it was thanks to both skills triggering that he had enough time to dodge. Otherwise, his face would be swollen come morning. These small monsters' poison wasn't lethal but extremely uncomfortable.

  Applying a layer of anti-poison mixture to his exposed skin areas just to be safe, Nathan felt more confident moving in the night than before.

  He alternated between moving through trees and on the ground to practice high-ground combat tactics. It was truly difficult, especially at night. The unevenly distributed branches forced constant rhythm changes in movement. Additionally, he had to choose branches strong enough to support his weight. Some trees in this forest had been drained of their life essence by monsters, breaking at a single touch.

  Midway through his journey, a light flashed before Nathan's eyes. Unable to stop in time, he swung up his Armor Scarab shield forward. An unpleasant screeching sound rang out. He looked at the bumpy front surface of the shield to find its shimmering outer layer had been scratched with a small line.

  Swallowing hard, Nathan's hair stood on end. This shield had withstood countless impacts, yet that seemingly harmless shot had managed to damage it so significantly.

  Looking around cautiously, Nathan had to squint carefully to see the transparent reflection from the monster. A Silk Reaper with the shape of a worm tilted its head with black eyes staring intently at Nathan. Its spinneret was retracting after shooting silk.

  Nathan looked down where the silk ball had landed. It was gradually dissolving, revealing a mess of razor-sharp silk strands coiled together.

  The monster wiggled its mouth, preparing for a second attack. But it would never get that chance as the Ripple Hunter fang knife pierced straight through its mouth, through its arm-thick body, embedding into the wood of the tall tree behind.

  Nathan was pleased with his throwing ability. [Martial Art Mastery] gave him comprehensive knowledge about weapon handling. However, it still felt insufficient. He was like someone who knew a bit of everything but mastered nothing. His archery might be better than average, but it couldn't compare to Qingfeng. His strongest suit remained body techniques, punches and kicks. For now, though, it was enough to focus and throw with precision.

  He retrieved his knife. The Silk Reaper's essence was negligible due to its weakness. The monster had invested all its resources into its attack. Its silk was difficult to process and thus useless. The main concern was that where there were Silk Reapers, their mature form was likely unavoidable.

  Despite moving more cautiously in the darkness, what he wanted to avoid found him anyway.

  [Tingling Sense] had barely activated when he was already caught. In an instant, he fell into sleep, dreaming he was lying in his bed at Verdant Spire Sect, drowsy. Then from that bed, he saw himself sleeping in the university library. After that, the student version of himself dreamed of oversleeping at home after a night of gaming with friends.

  “Sleeping?” Nathan’s mind flared with confusion before his consciousness snapped back.

  The sight before him made him let out a terrified yelp. A butterfly as large as half his body with jagged small long teeth and pitch-black eyes was staring at him. Its wings created an unsettling whirring sound.

  As the Dream Moth was about to wrap him in another layer of silk, Nathan swung his arm up, breaking free of everything, and punched its face with such force that its head exploded, spraying flesh and blood backward. Shaking his hand in disgust, Nathan removed all the silk from his body. If the monster had managed a few more wraps, he would have struggled considerably to escape the cocoon it was creating.

  Nathan looked at his hand. Despite the anti-poison layer, the silk had penetrated it, touching his skin. The Dream Moth's viscous secretion had absorbed through his skin into his blood, causing instant drowsiness. The monster was one of the mature forms of Silk Reaper. They had traded their silk's sharpness for sleep poison to hunt prey.

  Thanks to the strengths of Physical Cultivation and the combined effects of [Titan's Descendant] and [Efficient Sleep] making his sleep cycle faster, he had escaped easily. But he didn't overestimate this ability. Against illusions, he would still be trapped as usual, like with Keira Valaine. She had truly left him traumatized, to the point where even having some resistance to mental techniques couldn't lift his spirits.

  Thanks to maximum vigilance, the night eventually passed. He only encountered a few more Silk Reapers and Dream Moths along the way, fortunately avoiding any Shade Prowlers.

  He returned to where his journey in Moirath Forest had begun. Just a week had passed, yet everything was different. The morning sunlight illuminated his surroundings. That boulder had been mined by Burrower Herds. The process must have been bloody, evident from their scattered shells left behind after being hunted by Crystal Maulers. Nearby was the battlefield where he had struggled to overcome the Blood Thirster. The blade he'd crafted from them couldn't be retrieved, likely taken by the Vermilion Apes.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  A thunderous sound drew his attention. In the distance, something sparkled as it moved. After a moment's thought, Nathan figured it was time to face his initial challenge.

  He checked the durability of his two shields. After some consideration, he left the Armor Scarab shield by a tree trunk. If something had to be damaged, he preferred it to be the Wood Wraith shield.

  As the sound grew louder, he stood in the clearing waiting for his opponent to appear.

  The branches ahead shook violently, grass and flowers crushed as it emerged. The Crystal Mauler stood towering when it walked out on two legs onto the stage prepared for it. Its brown eyes narrowed as it sniffed. The scent of Burrower Herds was weak, while another unpleasant smell was strong.

  It slowly lowered its head to look at the human standing defiantly there, his left hand holding a shield, his right hand gripping a short knife, apparently from those worthless Blood Thirsters. The Crystal Mauler snorted once as if the smell of those worms made it uncomfortable. It threw back its head, shaking its crystalline mane that sparkled in the sunlight, and roared to drive the human away.

  Nathan watched it with fascinated eyes. Indeed, this monster looked incredibly cool. But cool or not, it would have to fall before him. He raised his shield, banging his knife against it to create noise to provoke the monster.

  The Crystal Mauler's ears twitched at the challenging sounds and growled. It was hungry, and this human with barely any minerals was irritating it.

  With a smile, Nathan picked up a rock the size of his palm and threw it straight at the monster's head. His new strength was enough to make the stone fly fast and hard, shattering on impact. The Crystal Mauler staggered, foaming at the mouth in anger. Its skin was unharmed but it still felt pain, and above all, felt insulted. It lowered itself onto all fours, yet still stood taller than Nathan, and charged.

  The monster's first swipe crashed against the shield, forcing Nathan to step back slightly.

  This devil is truly strong, he marveled.

  Though he had already rated the Crystal Mauler highly, experiencing it firsthand made him truly understand how terrifying it was. Just its physical form and weight alone generated enough attack force to make Nathan, currently at Tier 1 Phase 7 of Physical Cultivation, step back—a normal person would have been utterly demolished. Thinking back, if he had foolishly engaged this monster days ago, Darkan would have let him die just for his stupidity.

  But now things were different. He regained his stance, standing up with a smile. The shield in his hand was weakening, but he wasn't too worried. Letting the Crystal Mauler attack was merely to test his own strength. The result showed he was truly strong enough.

  Nathan didn't hesitate, running forward to counterattack. He leaped up, kicking the monster's shoulder as it tried to rise from its previous swipe. Similar to when it had attacked Nathan, the human's strike made it stagger backward, its hind legs unstable as it stumbled to the ground. The monster, which one might expect to be clumsy with its massive frame, spun and bounced back up remarkably fast. The Crystal Mauler rarely encountered higher-tier monsters since it was already at Tier 1 Phase 8, but that didn't mean it wasn't prepared for bloody battles. Moirath Forest held all kinds of dangers, not just for humans but for monsters as well.

  The Crystal Mauler exhaled sharply, its body tensing in preparation for combat. Its claws retracted, then shot out a new set made of crystal, sparkling yet devastatingly sharp.

  Nathan grew serious as well. He lowered his center of gravity, moving in a circular pattern. The monster did the same, wild yet careful. When he found firm ground beneath his feet, Nathan jumped forward with all his strength.

  The Crystal Mauler roared, raising its front paws to slash downward, its claws growing even longer.

  Nathan had anticipated this, spinning in mid-air, using his left hand to push the two claws aside, his right hand free to slash across the Crystal Mauler's skin. The monster tilted to one side, howling in pain. It immediately used its healing ability. A layer of crystal grew around the wound, stopping the bleeding. Thus, Nathan's long slash became insignificant.

  Tilting his head in respect for the monster, Nathan didn't give up. This healing ability could only work a few times, so he just needed to continue. He would win.

  The Crystal Mauler struck again. Nathan jumped high. The monster opened its massive jaws, stretching up to snap him between four sharp fangs. But he punched straight down into its nose, making it yelp and lower its head, growling in discomfort.

  The monster coiled its hind legs and leaped forward. Nathan raised his shield, ready for the impact, intending to test their strength against each other. However, the Crystal Mauler had other plans. It grabbed the upper edge of Nathan's shield, using its strength to force the shield down. Its towering head seemed to sneer in contempt. Its mane floated upward, not unlike Nathan's Dramatic Hair Flow effect. Long, thin, sharp crystal shards shot out from its neck.

  Nathan roared, pulling back his shield just in time to block the monster's crystal bolt barrage. He heard loud thunderous impacts against the shield. The crystals didn't shatter, either embedding into the Wood Wraith shield or deflecting elsewhere. Peeking around the shield's edge, he caught sight of claws flashing past.

  CRACK!

  The shield's outer layer shattered, sending Nathan reeling backward. It wasn't that the shield was inferior, but the battles with the Vermilion Apes had already weakened it significantly. But this was still within his plan, so he didn't panic.

  Checking the still-intact inner layer of the Wood Wraith shield, Nathan looked at the Crystal Mauler mockingly.

  "You won't be using that move again anytime soon."

  That crystal bolt ability was the Crystal Mauler's finishing move. Without consuming mineral-rich monsters like Burrower Herds, it would take ages for its mane to regrow. The area around the Crystal Mauler's neck now was just a crystal bump riddled with holes like empty pores.

  The monster didn't understand his words, only knowing that if the fight wasn't over, it would attack again.

  The Crystal Mauler's speed was fast, but not fast enough compared to Nathan. Knowing that cutting the monster's flesh would take time, when it closed in again, he moved to the side, its claws striking the ground sending out a mild shockwave. His hand formed a fist, executing a One-inch punch into the bear-like monster's flank.

  Both impacts, from half fist to full fist, carried [Amplifying Strike] and [Flowing Strikes]. [Internal Trauma] was added in between. Just as the punch finished, the force considered as the third punch released. [Rebound] created a sound wave to end the combo.

  The monster, not understanding what hit it, experienced such force that for the first time, it found its body flying without having jumped to pounce on prey. It took a moment before the Crystal Mauler's back smashed into a tree trunk, sliding down its length to the ground. The tree itself tilted partially, leaves and branches raining down like a storm.

  Nathan shook his hand, feeling incredibly excited, his fighting spirit surging. Never before had he felt the power flowing through him so clearly as now. Before [Rebound] activated, his strikes still received recoil. This force, as he had predicted, no longer caused pain like before. Though he had anticipated this, experiencing it firsthand left him speechless. More importantly, he hadn't used any mana, and his stamina had barely decreased. He could launch dozens of such strikes before feeling somewhat tired. Just somewhat tired, not completely exhausted to the point of immobility.

  No wonder essence water is considered so precious, he silently marveled. The ability to level up with minimal obstacles was thanks to this treasure. Its purity helped immensely.

  The Crystal Mauler struggled to stand, its face contorted in disbelief. In this forest, only a few other monsters were stronger than it, but humans shouldn't be like this. The monster's limited mind could only think this far, unable to comprehend more. It also couldn't perceive how [Internal Trauma] had affected its mind and organs, creating an invisible, inexplicable pressure that made it weary.

  The monster's internal organs were destabilized from that strike. Its ribs were broken, piercing into organs and causing internal bleeding. This was a wound that its crystal manipulation couldn't handle. Living in this forest, it had only ever received surface wounds, never being beaten this thoroughly before.

  Before it could stand, suddenly the tree behind it moved. With a boom, the bear-like monster was knocked forward.

  "Ironbark Sentinel?" Nathan exclaimed in surprise.

  After searching everywhere without success, here it was, the very tree he had climbed to hide on his first day.

  The Ironbark Sentinel, disturbed by the Crystal Mauler's impact, used its roots to stand more firmly. Its branches moved slowly downward, twisting together to form two arms. Near the top, wood fibers shifted to create a wrinkled face. It swung down, striking the Crystal Mauler.

  The bear monster roared in frustration, ignoring its pain to slash at the tree monster's trunk. Its claws scraped across the bark throwing sparks, leaving only shallow marks without causing any significant damage. Seeing this, the Ironbark Sentinel struck even harder. Leaves fell like rain in its fury.

  Nathan watched everything with an irrepressible smile. Having monsters fight each other while he played the fisherman benefiting from their conflict was perfect. But at this rate, the Crystal Mauler wouldn't finish anytime soon. The monster was already quite weak.

  He jumped closer, shouting loud.

  "Hey, big boy! You forgot something?"

  The bear monster turned its head to look at him while fighting off the Ironbark Sentinel, baring its teeth and spraying saliva. The pain under its shoulder still hadn't subsided. It ignored the tree's strikes—its thick skin could handle that—and targeted Nathan. Its blood-red mouth opened wider than half of Nathan's height.

  Taking a deep breath, he raised both hands, blocking its jaws. The bear's strength pushed him backward, leaving two long trenches in the ground. But it took only a moment before he could match its strength, preventing its mouth from moving despite its struggles or attempts to snap shut. To achieve this, both of Nathan's arms were straining at full power, blue veins bulging on his face and arm muscles. When he understood where his limit was, he roared, his feet driving into the ground until they sank, then he spun, using both hands to throw the bear aside.

  The Crystal Mauler was completely dazed. Had it just been thrown by this tiny human?

  Its bear face wrinkled as it sat up, understanding nothing of what was happening. Its mouth was now crooked from that last hit. Even if it could kill its target now, it wouldn't have teeth to eat with. Seeing that today had become far too unlucky, it fled on all fours. The shoulder area Nathan had struck was bruised, making it limp. Its form, having lost its glossy mane, looked both pitiful and pathetic.

  Nathan ignored the Crystal Mauler's retreat, as the crystal bolts it had shot from its mane were enough for his plan; he didn't need to harvest anything else from it. Those valuable claws were tempting, but not more precious than what stood before him, its wrinkled face now even more contorted than before.

  The Ironbark Sentinel angrily swung its branches at Nathan. The towering monster was extremely clumsy, so he easily dodged all its attacks. It then gathered its branches into a large bundle, contracting at the end like a wrecking ball striking down from above. Rocks and dirt flew everywhere, the sound like a bomb explosion echoing through the forest.

  Others might fear it, but Nathan didn't. Among monsters, the Ironbark Sentinel moved far too slowly. When walking, its roots needed time to find places to stop and land. It had a technique of driving roots into the ground to try to bind targets, but Nathan neutralized this by climbing onto it.

  Since its bark was too hard, even harder than Wood Wraith's shell, he wasn't foolish enough to try stabbing it with his knife. He searched for gaps like a skilled monkey to climb up. The main purpose of his tree-climbing practice had been for exactly this.

  The Ironbark Sentinel seemed to sense something was wrong; its branches and twigs chaotically stabbed at its own body, trying to force Nathan down. He had anticipated this and wore the Wood Wraith shield on his back. Though it had lost its reinforced outer layer, its inner layer still provided enough protection.

  Only when he reached the monster's face did he stop, one hand jabbing into its eye socket as an anchor point. This action made the monster panic. Its body began to twist and turn, trying to shake him off.

  Nathan wouldn't let that happen easily. Using more strength than he had against the Crystal Mauler, he gripped tight to avoid being thrown off. Then, he drew his right hand back, throwing a few light punches in the air before striking directly at the monster's glabella with all the skills and strength of a Tier 1 Phase 7.0.

  The Ironbark Sentinel let out a deep cry of agony from its mouth, nearly making Nathan lose his balance. The tree trunk thrashed violently. The branches and twigs swung back and forth, beating against Nathan's back. He gritted his teeth and endured, preparing for the next attack. With bark this hard, using Ripple Hunter fangs would only shatter them uselessly. But continuous attacks on the nervous system would eventually bring down even this tree—maybe not killing it completely, but leaving it motionless for several days was entirely possible.

  Thus it continued, the Ironbark Sentinel screaming each time he landed a punch between its eyes. Both sides struggled back and forth until the tenth strike when it fell silent. The Ironbark Sentinel had surrendered. Its entire moving body suddenly became rigid, its trunk slowly tilting and falling. Branches and leaves crashed around them with crackling sounds. With one final massive impact, it finally collapsed, its roots torn from the ground.

  Nathan stood up in the settling dust, stretching his back happily at his victory. Only now did he take out his knife, probing the grooves in the tree, stabbing in to pry off the outer bark. Though the monster now lay still accepting its fate, he had to break four fangs and a Ripple Hunter knife before he could lift even a corner of the bark.

  From that finger-thick bark piece, Nathan reached in, stood up, and began pulling. His face reddened, blood vessels more prominent than during his fight with the Crystal Mauler. The Ironbark Sentinel's bark was truly difficult to harvest. With all his muscles straining, he had only managed to pull off a small piece. He continued like this, resting to catch his breath before bending down to pull again. Gradually, the bark began to separate significantly.

  He was completely unaware that not far away, a Vermilion Ape was intently watching him struggle with the Ironbark Sentinel. It had a red dot on its forehead. Being too far away and having no intention to attack, it didn't trigger [Tingling Sense]. Its mouth moved as if speaking, though no sound emerged.

  About half an hour later, Nathan, drenched in sweat, had pulled off a fairly large section of bark from the monster. This task had been more exhausting than fighting monsters. While measuring the dimensions, he heard a long scream not far away.

  Looking up, he immediately saw red dots moving through the tree branches. Very fast.

  Turning back to the pile of bark, he realized he had no more time and decided to harvest what he could. He used all his strength to press down on the bark piece until it bent to the breaking point. His heart beat faster as the sounds around him grew closer while the wooden bark before him still wouldn't break. He burned his mana, something he rarely did these days, jumped up, and channeled all his force downward. A satisfying crack signaled him to stop. Holding the bark piece slightly larger than the Wood Wraith shield in his hands, he rejoiced.

  But his joy was short-lived as a Vermilion Ape dove down from above. He spun around, punching it flying backward. Its body sprayed blood as it crashed into a tree trunk, leaving a twisted impression without falling.

  He looked up, ready to continue fighting, but the number of red forms in the branches and behind advancing toward him made him pause.

  "What the actual fuck?" he panicked.

  Both from his own count and PsiLink's confirmation.

  There were over a hundred Vermilion Apes bearing down on him.