Chapter 40: Whispers of the Forest: The Beast's Roar
Minutes pass, and Ash calms his mind against the fear of the giant. He starts to behave rationally. He looks toward the others and finds they are also terrified, including Ram. He thinks in his mind, "The giant seems to be at least level 3 to me. I hope he's not one of the monsters we'll have to face in the monster wave."
He decides to gather information about the giant from his citizens, but his efforts don't yield anything important. They tell him they have never seen a giant in their previous city. With disappointment in his eyes, he decides to do some construction in the city. In his mind, he believes maybe the giant will leave the area around Nexus City soon.
After putting the stone in the warehouse, he decides to check the system window of Nexus City, as he doesn't remember exactly how many resources he has in the city's warehouse, and counting them physically would be time-consuming.
A window pops up in front of his eyes.
City: Nexus City
Ability: Territory defense doubled
Description: In city defense, all attack and defense power of people and buildings is doubled.
Altar Level: 0
Upgrade Requirement: Wood * 1000, Stone * 250, Mana Core (Level 0) * 50
Production: Mist Mana Level 0 * 10/day
Area: 625 sq. meters
Status: Very Small Village
Mana (Money): 6
Tax (from market & city): 0
Buildings: Guide Mark (low-grade) * 1 (active), Guide Mark (mid-grade) * 1 (active), Market (0/5 used, 5 free trades/day), Magic Pond (white-grade) * 1 (active)
Blueprints: Low-grade House (Stone * 100, Wood * 25), Furnace (Stone * 100, Wood * 25), Blacksmith Room (Stone * 300, Wood * 100)
Warehouse: Wood * 400, Stone * 310, Low-grade swords * 16
Population: 8
Specialty: Mana Tree (produces Level 0 Mana * 7/day)
Resource Point: Stone Mountain Level 1 (610 mined / 1000 total)
Attack Power Level: 0 (1000/1000)
Defense Power Level: 0 (10000/10000)
After seeing the quantity of wood, he decides to construct houses for the citizens. After 10 minutes of consideration, he decides the area around his house, market, garden, and magic pond is the core area of Nexus—no residential houses will be built there. Security will be increased in that area. So, he decides to build three houses near the core area of the city but distant from the city's entry and exit gates. He thinks, "This area will be the inner part of the city where the soldiers and servants of Nexus will live. I hope my arrangement makes the city more prosperous and regulated. Other areas will be free for others to use."
He goes into the inner part of the city. After selecting three good locations, he thinks, "System, help me construct three houses."
A window pops up in front of his eyes.
Select the location for construction.
In his mind, he indicates the location. Another window pops up.
Location selected successfully. House construction complete in: 1 hour
He also selects two more locations for house construction, but their construction times are longer—2 hours and 3 hours for the first and second houses.
He feels puzzled by the time differences, so he asks Nexus. He gets an answer that clears his doubt. He learns that more than one construction increases the duration because an altar city has a limited quantity of Eldros' power for construction, and multiple tasks divide the Eldros' power.
After that, he decides to ask about the giant near Nexus City. From Nexus, he learns that giants are not harmful to altar cities and their citizens due to an official agreement between Eldros Will and their race. He learns some history of giants from Eldros.
Giants are not native beings of the Eldros world. They are mostly wanderers from space and different planes. An infant giant is level 4 at minimum. Giants don't attack unless provoked or if someone covets the treasure they hold. In most cases, they are peaceful and like to sleep.
Ash feels some calm in his heart and relief in his mind after knowing the nature of giants. Even though he appears calm after knowing the information on giant, but having a powerful being near the city—one he cannot even slightly injure—is nerve-wracking.
Five minutes pass. He shares this knowledge of giants with his subordinates because he doesn't want them to have unnecessary panic in their hearts. He sees some smiles on the soldiers' faces. That makes him proud in his heart.
He thinks, "I hope the information Nexus gave about giants is 100% applicable to this one. After all, exceptions to nature are always born. I don't want an exception in the giant's case. May Eldros Will protect me."
Minutes later, he decides to go on a trip with others into the forest to gather resources for the city. In this expedition, everyone except Robin is included—even with the giant's presence.
A few minutes later, he thinks, "I hope this giant is peaceful and sleeping soundly, not attacking us because it finds us ugly or disturbing. I'll make sure everyone stays quiet near Nexus City and along the path toward the forest."
He and the others leave through Nexus City's exit gate. They find the giant doesn't react to their departure, so they slowly start toward the forest path. Ash thinks, "Why not check the giant's system status? I won't get this chance again anytime soon."
So, he looks in the direction of the giant.
A window opens in front of his eyes.
Name: Giant
Grade: ? (level not sufficient to see)
Level: ?
Quantity: 1
Description: ?
Abilities: ?
Weakness: ?
As he sees the giant's status, his body turns cold with extreme fear in his heart. He feels like he has disrespected a higher being—as a lower being. He calms his mind and sees that the giant is not moving in his direction, despite Ash opening the status window. He feels relief in his mind and body. Slowly and steadily, he walks toward the forest, not daring to look back at Nexus City or the giant, fearing the giant might see that as disrespect.
In the forest,
Ash thinks, "I'm really very weak compared to the powers in Eldros. I want to increase my strength fast—but how? How can I grow in power and expand my city? I have no idea and no backing from any superpower in Eldros. Let's not think this way. I'll try to grow strong—fast—but carefully."
Minutes into the forest, he decides with determined eyes to upgrade the altar first. For this, he will mine all the stone from Stone Mountain, chop wood from the forest, and gather mana cores from beasts.
He and the others find a group of beasts. He decides to kill them to collect mana cores. First, Ash checks the system status of the beasts.
A window pops up in front of him.
Name: Wind Rabbits
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 11
Description: They have good legs for fast running, but their defense is very low. They attack enemies with sharp teeth and headbutts. Not a powerful monster in the hierarchy, but very fast in case of danger. In some places, they are kept as pets for girls.
Abilities: Run fast
Among the 12 wind rabbits, one has berserk abilities. Ash notices this rabbit is unique—most rabbits have white fur, but this one has thin red fur. He decides to check the status of that specific rabbit.
A window pops up in front of his eyes.
Name: Wind Rabbit
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 1
Description: It has good legs for fast running, but their defense is very low. It attacks with sharp teeth and headbutts. Not powerful in the monster hierarchy but very fast in danger. Often kept as pets for girls.
Abilities: Run fast, Berserk, Wind Blade
After seeing the system status, he thinks, "This wind rabbit is really unique. If I had a way to tame it, I'd definitely keep it as my pet. But to upgrade my Nexus altar and reach level 2 quickly, I need mana stones. I have to kill this wind rabbit."
He and the others attack. Their power overwhelms the wind rabbits. Some start to flee, but their effort is wasted with Ram's help. In 2 minutes, they kill all the wind rabbits—except the berserk one. Ash lets it flee. He thinks, "This berserk rabbit is unique. Killing it for mana stone isn't a bad idea, but it could wound my soldiers unnecessarily. More importantly, I want to tame it if I meet it again. And it's really run fast—it fled instantly after we attacked."
He takes the mana cores from the rabbits' bodies but leaves the fur behind, believing it would be an unnecessary load. Carrying it would reduce the team's efficiency during forest exploration and resource gathering. Minutes later, Ash finds two more beasts.
He checks their status. A window pops up.
Name: Stone Bear (Low-Grade Monster)
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 1
Quantity: 2
Description: Big stone bears with oversized fangs that can chew through wood, leather, and even weak armor—but they prefer soil and rocks. They live alone near mountains, using size and strength to overwhelm prey.
Abilities:
- Berserk
- Fast Reproduction – Mid-level compared to other monsters
- Gnawing Instinct – Can chew through doors, weak barriers, or ropes
- Aggressive – Only fights if it feels powerful
Weakness: Weak to water and blunt attacks. Easily irritated by loud noises.
Ash decides to attack. Ram and Evan join as one team to fight a bear. Ash and four soldiers form another team.
After all preparations, the fight begins. Ash uses a fireball attack. Both bears charge at him with fierce eyes. Ash smiles with a firm gaze and uses another fireball. Ram and Evan clash with the second bear. The soldiers ready their swords.
Ash uses another fireball. One bear closes in—Ash draws his sword. Soldiers attack alongside him. Ash uses his flame sword with a fireball. The bear goes berserk.
The berserk bear attacks faster, but Ash's fireballs and the soldiers' strikes slow it. The bear swings its massive fist at Ash—he dodges, and the punch lands in the soil. The bear loses balance.
Ash doesn't miss the chance. He throws another fireball. The soldiers slash, but their attacks barely harm it. Ash drives his flame sword deep into the bear's heart.
Two minutes later, the bear lies lifeless.
Ash turns to see Ram and Evan—they've already killed the second bear. He breathes steadily and sits in the forest soil. He sees the others standing protectively around him, just in case of a sneak attack. A smile appears on his face.
Minutes pass. They take mana cores from the level 1 stone monsters but leave other materials behind. They continue to search for a place to chop wood.
After a short journey, they find a suitable spot. Ash looks around. For the first time, he thinks, "This forest is dangerous… but beautiful," as he sees a big fountain. The sight mesmerizes him. But he orders everyone to begin chopping wood with their weapons.
He starts exploring the area, hoping to find something helpful for the city. He shares his idea, and everyone nods. He first searches near the trees where others are working.
Minutes pass, but he finds nothing useful. He explores farther. He sees beasts here and there and hides when necessary. He thinks, "Now's not the time to hunt beasts. I'm alone, and the soldiers are busy gathering wood."
After an hour, Ash finds nothing useful on land. He thinks, "Why not check the fountain? Maybe there's something in the water." He uses the system to identify anything valuable. His search brings results.
Two windows pop up.
Name: Pure Stone (Item - Resource)
Requirement: Use in any area but needs soil and mana around
Quantity: 1
Status: Good
Ability: Produces water by absorbing mana. Water is healing and improves fish reproduction.
Description: Valuable for healing and fish farming.
Grade: White
After seeing it, Ash thinks, "I'll definitely obtain this white-grade treasure." Then he sees another window.
Name: Fish Men
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 13
Description: Fish Men with sharp mouths that chew wood and leather. They prefer trees and plants in water. They live in packs. Females can birth six children a year.
Abilities: Fast Reproduction
Weakness: Fire and sharp attacks
A few moments later, Ash spots two more beasts—one is level 2, and the other is level 1.
Before Ash could react, one of the larger beasts—a level 2 creature—moved with surprising speed, its glowing eyes locking onto him. The ground trembled as it lumbered toward the shore, its massive form silhouetted against the trees. The others, smaller but equally dangerous, followed closely behind.
Ash's breath caught in his throat. "I can't let them get too close," he thought, feeling his pulse quicken. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his Flame sword, but he hesitated. The level 1 beast, smaller but still formidable, circled around him, its growl low and guttural.
One of the Fish Men raised its head, eyes gleaming with a chilling intelligence. It tilted its head, almost as if studying him, before releasing a strange, high-pitched whistle. Ash's heart pounded. "What the hell was that?" He was no longer certain that these creatures were just mindless beasts.
Without warning, the level 2 beast charged forward, roaring in defiance. The ground shook under its feet. Ash barely had time to react as the creature's clawed paw swiped toward him. "No more hesitation," he thought. He drew his Flame sword with a swift motion and prepared to face the oncoming wave of monsters, unsure how many more were waiting in the shadows.