The scenery of the Golden Immortal Mountain had always been pleasant to the eyes. Dense greenery covered its surface, making it appear vibrant and full of life. On top of that, an extra layer of golden radiance wrapped around the mountain, giving it an even more majestic and mysterious appearance.
From afar, the villagers of Blissful Village often gazed at the mountain with admiration.
Just looking at it made them feel refreshed.
That feeling was difficult to describe. It was surreal, calming, and strangely invigorating. Simply observing the mountain seemed to clear their minds and sharpen their thoughts.
Yet, no matter how much they admired it, none of the villagers could ever enter the mountain.
The golden radiance always rejected them.
It blocked their path without mercy.
This was the villagers' only regret.
They did not know the reason behind their rejection. If they knew that monsters were roaming freely within this beautiful and green mountain, their feelings toward it would undoubtedly change. They might even begin to question whether living in the Blissful Village was truly safe.
At this very moment, those monsters were wandering aimlessly across the mountain.
They had no goals.
No purpose.
They were starving.
Their ideal food was living flesh—humans or animals. But apart from their own kind, there were no living creatures on the mountain.
That was the reason for their hunger.
To survive, they consumed fruits and vegetables growing on the mountain. These foods barely satisfied their hunger and provided almost no strength. What they truly desired was meat.
Yet they didn't even know what humans or animals looked like.
Since their birth, they had never left this mountain.
The Golden Immortal Mountain was their entire world.
One monster squatted near a tree, holding a banana in its claws. It chewed slowly, its expression dull and lifeless. It ate only to suppress hunger. There was no taste, no pleasure.
Fruits and vegetables made it feel sick.
But it had no other choice.
Starving to death was not something it wanted.
Just as the monster continued eating without any enthusiasm—
Chop!
In the next instant, its head separated cleanly from its body.
The monster never even realized what happened.
Death came silently.
As its head fell to the ground, the bored expression it wore while eating the banana was still frozen on its face.
Ethan stood behind the corpse, his breathing steady.
He had perfectly concealed his presence.
With a single clean strike, he had chopped off the monster's head. He didn't want to alert any other monsters. That was why he ensured a swift and decisive kill.
Yet before Ethan could properly process what he had just done, a system notification appeared in his vision.
[User has killed a monster]
[Monster Cultivation Base: 4th Level of Elementary Stage]
[Rewards Obtained:]
[EXP: +20]
[Skill Points: +10]
[Attribute Points: +10]
[System Currency: +500]
"Shit… how did I forget this?" Ethan muttered under his breath as he stared at the notification.
Back on Earth, whenever he played the game, killing monsters always granted rewards—experience points, skill points, attribute points, and system currency. The targets ranged from monsters and beasts to NPCs and even other players.
The cultivation world revolved around a simple rule.
The strong live. The weak die.
That was why the game never prohibited player killing. The developers wanted players to experience what life in a cultivation world would truly feel like.
Ethan had been so focused on surviving in the cultivation world that he completely forgot this crucial aspect.
The sudden system notification reminded him.
"If I kill one more monster, I'll have enough Skill Points to upgrade my sword mastery to the Ordinary Level," Ethan thought.
He needed fifty Skill Points.
At the moment, he had forty.
Just one more kill would be enough.
But Ethan quickly suppressed his excitement.
Rewards only mattered if he survived.
If he failed to kill a monster and ended up dying instead, everything would be meaningless.
There were no respawns here.
No second chances.
Once dead, it would be the end.
After calming himself down, Ethan continued moving forward stealthily. He carefully observed the surroundings. The monsters were scattered across the area, each absorbed in its own actions. None of them showed any signs of vigilance.
This behavior made sense.
For countless years, no outsider had ever entered the Golden Immortal Mountain. At the same time, these monsters had never left it.
There was no reason for them to be cautious.
Ethan decided to exploit this.
He knew that eventually, something would feel off. Once enough monsters disappeared, the remaining ones would sense danger and become alert.
Before that happened, he wanted to kill as many monsters as possible.
He moved patiently.
Silently.
One by one.
Using the same sneak-attack method, Ethan killed monster after monster over the next three hours. He never rushed. This was his first real battle experience. Every move had to be perfect.
His heart raced.
His palms sweated.
He was terrified of making a mistake.
Each time he found an opening, he struck decisively—aiming only for the head.
Some monsters were weak.
Some were stronger.
Some were at the 1st or 2nd Level of the Elementary Stage.
Others had reached the 5th or even the 6th Level.
Because of this, the rewards he obtained varied.
By the time three hours had passed, Ethan had killed twenty monsters.
The accumulated rewards were staggering:
Skill Points: +140
Attribute Points: +130
System Currency: +9,000
Experience Points: +180
With the accumulated experience, his System Level increased to Level 5.
He also gained cultivation experience. His cultivation base experience reached 200 points. To advance to the 6th Level of the Elementary Stage, he needed 500 XP. That meant he was still 300 XP short.
Without hesitation, Ethan used 50 Skill Points.
[Alpha and Omega Sword Arts upgraded]
[User has become an Ordinary Swordsman]
A wave of refined sword knowledge surged through his mind. His control, precision, and understanding of sword combat rose to a new level.
Ethan then checked the next upgrade.
To reach Expert Swordsman, he would need 500 Skill Points.
The number made his scalp tingle.
But instead of discouragement, excitement surged through him.
There were 58 monsters still roaming the mountain.
If he managed to kill all of them, reaching Expert Swordsman was not impossible. That would also greatly increase his chances when dealing with Young Master Sirius and his lackeys in the future.
However, before worrying about that, his priority remained clear.
He needed to find the Soul God's inheritance.
He needed to obtain the Temporal Spirit World.
Completing this 'V' Ranked Mission would grant unimaginable rewards—Skill Points, Attribute Points, Experience Points, and System Currency on an entirely different scale.
The rewards would be insane.
With renewed resolve, Ethan tightened his grip on the sword and cautiously moved toward his next target.
His first experience in killing had already begun.
And there was no turning back.