Ethan continued walking deeper into the Golden Immortal Mountain. Ever since he upgraded his Spirit Attribute, the mental pressure that once assaulted him had completely vanished. The invisible force that previously attacked his mind no longer had any effect on him.
This realization immediately put him at ease.
At the very least, the mountain was no longer capable of harming him through mental attacks—at least not at his current location. This alone made him feel slightly more confident as he advanced further.
As he continued forward, Ethan carefully observed his surroundings. From the outside, when he was still with Assane and the villagers, the mountain appeared golden in color. It radiated a soft golden glow that made it look sacred and untouchable.
However, once inside, the scene was entirely different.
The golden hue was gone.
Instead, the mountain interior was filled with rare medicinal plants and ancient herbs. Dense vegetation spread across the land, and spiritual energy lingered heavily in the air. Many of the medicinal plants before him were treasures that would cause massive bloodshed in the outside world.
Ethan quickly realized the reason behind this difference.
The golden color seen by the villagers was not the mountain's true appearance. It was caused by a barrier surrounding the mountain. That barrier concealed the real interior and projected a false image outward.
Ethan didn't know what kind of barrier it was, nor how it functioned.
But none of that mattered right now.
The important fact was that he had successfully entered the mountain.
Still, one question lingered in his mind.
Why didn't the barrier stop him?
If the barrier existed to protect the mountain, then why was he able to trespass so easily? If he could enter without resistance, then what was the actual purpose of the barrier?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
No matter how much he pondered, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. Eventually, he decided to stop thinking about it. Overthinking wouldn't help him here.
"If this barrier is truly dangerous and intends to trap me later, then I'll deal with it when the time comes," Ethan muttered internally.
For now, he decided to go with the flow.
After fully entering the mountain's interior, Ethan found himself enjoying the atmosphere. The air was unbelievably pure, far purer than anything he had ever experienced before. Each breath felt refreshing, as if it was cleansing both his body and soul.
In his entire life—both on Earth and in the cultivation world—he had never felt such clarity.
His mind felt calm.
His heart felt light.
Time passed silently.
Before he realized it, nearly an hour had gone by.
Ethan had been climbing the mountain for about an hour, yet he had no idea where his destination was. There were no signs, no guidance, no visible landmarks suggesting where he should go.
If he could find even a single clue, it would give him some hope.
But there was nothing.
Gradually, the thought of returning surfaced in his mind.
Just as he was considering retreat—
[Alert! Alert!]
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
[A huge number of low-leveled monsters detected 1500 meters ahead]
[Monster Level: Early stages of the Elementary Stage]
[User is advised to stay cautious]
The sudden alert caught him completely off guard.
Ethan froze for a brief moment, stunned by the system's warning. But that hesitation lasted only an instant. He quickly regained his composure and became alert.
If the system issued a warning, it was never a false alarm.
He trusted his system more than his own instincts.
The first thing Ethan did was search for a safe place to hide. Before encountering those monsters, he needed to ensure that they wouldn't detect him under any circumstances.
After scanning the surroundings, he found a thick bush nearby and immediately concealed himself within it.
Once he was confident in his concealment, he carefully observed his surroundings.
"System! Inform me if you detect any monsters within a 100-meter radius from my location," Ethan commanded without hesitation.
[Command Accepted]
[Initializing scan within a 100-meter radius]
[Scan complete]
[26 Early Elementary Stage monsters detected 78 meters ahead of host]
"Twenty-six?!" Ethan nearly coughed up blood in shock.
His expression darkened immediately.
He wasn't confident enough to handle even a single monster. He hadn't trained in combat properly. He hadn't fought real monsters before. Even if he possessed superior attributes, that alone didn't guarantee victory.
Combat experience mattered.
And he had none.
Even if he somehow managed to escape once, like he did from Young Master Sirius's lackeys, this situation was entirely different. These were monsters, not humans. And there were twenty-six of them.
Worse still, he didn't know whether twenty-six was the total number or just a fraction.
What if there were more ahead?
What if their cultivation levels were higher?
The more he thought about it, the worse the situation seemed.
After weighing all possibilities, Ethan came to a single conclusion.
If he wanted to move forward safely, he had to eliminate these monsters.
Avoiding them wasn't a reliable option.
Running away wasn't guaranteed to work.
The only safe path forward was to kill them.
But there was a serious problem.
He didn't know any combat techniques.
The only combat-related art he possessed was a sword technique: [Alpha and Omega Sword Arts]. It was a reward he received from the system long ago.
But he had never learned it.
"System! Initialize the transfer procedure for [Alpha and Omega Sword Arts]," Ethan commanded.
[Command Accepted]
[User requires 5 Skill Points to learn the Basic Level of Alpha and Omega Sword Arts]
[Confirm learning?]
"Yes," Ethan replied immediately.
He had fifty Skill Points remaining. Spending five was insignificant compared to his safety.
[Command Accepted]
[Transferring Basic data of Alpha and Omega Sword Arts to User's brain]
[Transfer successful]
[User is now a Basic Swordsman]
[Congratulations to the User for cultivating a Sword Art]
[Weapon Experience Point system unlocked]
[Alpha and Omega Sword Arts added to Experience Upgrade System]
[User will gain experience points by defeating opponents using this sword art]
Information flooded into Ethan's mind.
In an instant, he felt as if he had reached the peak among all basic sword practitioners. His understanding of sword fundamentals felt flawless, refined, and instinctive.
He wasn't surprised by the experience-based progression system. After all, it functioned similarly to the RPG games he had played in the past. In fact, he had expected it.
Still, he wasn't fully satisfied.
Even at the Basic Level, the sword art covered foundational techniques—how to hold a sword, lunging, footwork, evasion, parrying, counterattacks, riposte, remise, beat, feint, and more.
All of it was basic.
Yet Ethan felt as though he had practiced these moves for years.
Despite never touching a sword before, his mastery felt natural.
He knew this was the advantage granted by the system.
Without it, learning a sword art at this speed would have been impossible.
What amused him most was the irony.
He had never wielded a sword in his life.
He had only seen swords a handful of times—during exhibitions and museums back on Earth.
And now?
He was a swordsman.
Without a sword.
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
He still had 45 Skill Points remaining.
Upgrading his sword mastery would give him a greater sense of security.
Without hesitation, he made his decision.
"System! Upgrade my sword skills!" Ethan commanded.
[Command Accepted]
[User requires 15 Skill Points to learn Entry Level of Alpha and Omega Sword Arts]
[Confirm learning?]
"Yes," Ethan replied without delay.
[Transferring Entry Level data of Alpha and Omega Sword Arts to User's mind]
[Transfer successful]
[User is now an Entry-Level Swordsman]
Once again, knowledge surged through his mind.
The Entry-Level sword data was more advanced, more refined, and far more practical. The familiar sense of mastery returned, stronger than before.
For the first time since entering the mountain, Ethan felt a genuine sense of security.