"No way… THAT'S not part of the quest..."
Dominic's voice broke through the trembling forest. Mist parted as the monstrous figure towered before him. It wasn't just a beast.
It was ancient.
Sacred.
Corrupted.
[NEW QUEST UPDATED]
Quest: Purify the Forest — INCOMPLETE
➤ Additional Target: Forest Guardian Elarian
Status: Corrupted Knight of the West
Rank: S
Condition: Kill the Guardian
Reward:
+100,000 Gold Luck [unlocked] +50 +EXP +5% System Synchronization Nexis Power Expansion Skill: All-Seeing Eye (Observation) Trait: Domain Lord Item: Guardian Blade – "Oathbreaker Fang"
Dominic's brows twitched.
"How many S-ranks live in one damn forest? Bro... I just fought the Behemoth!"
[System Notice: There are two S-Rank dungeons in this forest. You've completed one. This is the final.]
Dominic groaned.
"Final my ass. That first one nearly turned me to fertilizer."
"I hope the same miracle hits again..."
The Forest Guardian was no mindless monster. Its body resembled that of a tall knight forged from bark, bone, and corrupted energy. Hollow, burning blue eyes stared through Dominic's soul.
As he stepped forward, something shifted.
Without warning, the ground beneath Dominic flared with glyphs.
[Alert: You've entered the Domain of Elarian. Escape is no longer possible.]
A presence flickered behind him—silent, graceful, deadly.
SWOOSH!
A blue, radiant sword slashed toward his neck.
"SHIT—!" Dominic twisted mid-air, yanking out his dual daggers wrapped in blue lightning. The blade clashed against them—
CLANG!!
He blocked—barely.
The sheer impact blasted him across the clearing and slammed him into a tree trunk.
"Ughhh! Goddamn—" he spat out blood. "That… hurt. I've got Pain Resistance, dammit!"
The Guardian straightened, standing like a proud warrior of old.
"It's been centuries since anyone survived my opening strike…" it said, its voice like hollow wind. "Show me more. Entertain me."
Dominic coughed and rose to one knee.
"Oh yeah? You want a show, bark-face? I'll give you fireworks."
He tried to sense the Guardian's position again, but the moment he looked up—
ZAP!
The Guardian vanished.
BOOM!
Appeared behind him.
Dominic raised his dagger just in time to deflect, but was flung back again.
"No way… How's it moving this fast!?"
[System Analysis: Forest Guardian Elarian was once the greatest Elven Swordsman in the Western Continent, eight hundred years ago. He became a Guardian of Life, but has since been corrupted by fallen gods. He is no longer bound by mortal law.]
"...So that's why he's this cracked?"
"Damn it. He's not just strong. He's smart."
The Guardian stood still again, sword dragging across the ground.
"Is defending all you can do, Human?"
Dominic's teeth clenched.
"Alright then… You asked for it."
"I hope you're not allergic to heat."
He threw his daggers aside as they glitched back into the inventory and raised both hands.
"Fire in the right hand… Lightning in the left…"
"Come on… Frae did it like this…" (He remembered one of the manhwa he read [Arch-mage returns after 4000years)
The air trembled as elemental orbs formed in each hand.
The Guardian didn't move.
Arrogant. Testing him.
"You should've killed me while you had the chance!"
BOOOOM!!!
The two energies merged — fire and lightning swirled into a golden storm.
"Let's see you take this!"
"Solar Bolt: Nova Lance!!"
He hurled it.
The golden lance crackled and shattered the air, burning like a meteor crashing from the heavens.
The Guardian dashed forward to meet it head-on.
"Foolish attack!"
It raised its blade—
And slashed.
But the moment metal met magic—
BOOM!!!
An eruption of blinding light exploded through the clearing.
Even the mist screamed.
Trees evaporated. Stone cracked. A crater opened wide at their feet.
When the smoke cleared...
The Guardian stood with half its body blown away, sword broken, one knee on the ground.
Dominic walked forward, panting, and one of the of the dagger glitched back to hand.
"Still standing? Tough bastard…"
"But I've got more."
Lightning flashed along his veins. Wind encircled his blade.
Dominic leapt—
SLASH!
A cross-cut through the Guardian's chest.
SLASH!
Fire surged with the next.
The Guardian dropped to one knee.
"You are… not ordinary…" it whispered.
"Nope. I'm pissed off."
Dominic spun his daggers backward.
"Let's end it—"
The moment his final blade struck—
A divine symbol lit up beneath the Guardian's feet.
It shrieked. Not in pain—but in release.
The corruption peeled away like burnt flesh.
The Guardian's form turned pure… fading into golden dust.
"Thank you... warrior... May you save this land… better than I did…"
The forest fell into silence.
Only Dominic stood in the crater, daggers in hand, panting heavily.
[QUEST COMPLETED: Forest Purification – FINAL PHASE]
Reward:
+5% Synchronization (Total: 10%) Nexis Power Expansion Unlocked New Skill: All-Seeing Eye New Trait: Domain Lord +EXP → LEVEL UP! [many times] +Gold: 100,000 (Total: 200,175) Item Acquired: Guardian Blade – Oathbreaker FangStats Boosted!
Suddenly, the divine system interface changed.
Golden lines wrapped around Dominic's body.
He lifted off the ground, floating in the air.
Energy surged through every nerve.
Wind, lightning, and light exploded around him like wings.
His body hummed with power.
His eyes glowed blue.
The system's voice rang out like a divine choir:
[NEXIS POWER: 10% SYNCHRONIZATION ACHIEVED]
You have become something beyond human.
And yet, this is only the beginning.
Dominic landed, breathing heavily. He looked at his hands—then at the crater.
"...That wasn't normal."
"System..." he whispered. "What just happened?, i remember copying what Frae did in some manhwa but i can't believe it was this powerful"
[You unconsciously tapped into the Nexis Core. The divine instincts embedded in your soul activated temporarily to ensure survival.]
"So... I wasn't even in control?"
[No. You've only scratched the surface. Your godhood is dormant — but awakening.]
Dominic chuckled darkly.
"Tch... No kidding."
"And I thought this world would break me. Guess I'm breaking it instead."
📍End of Chapter 9
🔥 Cliffhanger: With 10% of Nexis Power unlocked and a divine blade in hand, Dominic now holds the key to reshaping the world. But how long until the corrupted gods notice their enemy has arrived?