The marshland ahead reeked of decay and stagnant water. Ethan stood at its border, boots sinking lightly into the soft mud. Fog rolled over the surface like ghosts whispering from the underworld, and the canopy above thinned out, exposing pale, sunless skies. His breath formed light mist in the air as the humidity shifted from forest dampness to the weight of a swamp.
His clothes were torn in several places, soaked in both sweat and blood. His body screamed with exhaustion, but his mind remained sharp. He was nearing the third day of his wild journey.
[LEVEL: 3 — DEEP ECHOING STAGE]
[CURRENT EXP: 122/300]
[WRATH: 27/30]
Only the final stretch remained before this brutal march would end. His thoughts lingered on Licia, her last breath, her pendant resting against his chest. The ache was still fresh, but so was the fire.
Ethan stepped into the marsh.
The ground squelched beneath him as he advanced carefully. Every step was a gamble—roots, sunken pits, or worse, Tartarus beasts lurking beneath the surface.
His system interface pulsed gently in his vision.
[DAILY QUEST: STRENGTH THROUGH PAIN — COMPLETED]
[+5 EXP GAINED]
[+2 ATTRIBUTE POINTS AWARDED]
[CURRENT EXP: 127/300]
He dismissed the window silently and pressed forward.
Something shifted in the muck ahead. His feet halted. His ears picked up a subtle splash, then silence.
[WARNING: ENEMY APPROACHING...]
[CLASS I — TARTARUS BEAST:
[NAME: MARSH-FANGED LURKER]
A ripple moved in the shallow water. Ethan unsheathed his blade instantly, crouching.
He whispered, "Come on then... Let's dance"
Suddenly, a serpentine shape lunged from the water, fangs glistening with acidic venom.
"ABYSSAL LUNGE!"
He vanished in a blur of black motion. The beast's strike met empty air. A sonic boom cracked the silence as Ethan reappeared above the beast, his sword crashing down in a crescent arc.
SLASH!
The Marsh-Fanged Lurker screeched, blood spraying from its cleaved skull.
[WRATH: -8]
[WRATH REMAINING: 19/30]
[COOLDOWN INITIATED: 8s]
[STATUS: LURKER TERMINATED]
[+15EXP GAINED]
[+5WRATH EARNED]
[CURRENT EXP: 142/300]
[WRATH: 24/30]
The corpse sank into the bog. Not before Ethan extracted the Wrath Crystal.
Ethan exhaled slowly, then moved forward again. The fog thickened. Hours passed. He fought two more Class I Tartarus Beasts, each battle costing him stamina and WRATH, but earning crucial EXP.
[×2 TARTARUS BEASTS DEFEATED]
[+20EXP GAINED]
[+6WRATH EARNED]
[CURRENT EXP: 162/300]
[WRATH: 22/30]
Finally, his foot struck solid ground. A dry patch, a small, ancient shrine half-buried in the mud. He knelt beside it, placing Licia's pendant on the edge, whispering a silent prayer.
"You see, Kiddo? I'm still pushing forward."
Then—
The air shifted again.
[WARNING: WRATH CHARGE DETECTED]
[ENEMY CLASS: TARTARUS BEAST — CLASS II]
[NAME: SWAMP HOWLER]
A guttural growl erupted behind him.
Ethan turned swiftly. A hulking, amphibious monster with bone-spiked limbs and three glowing eyes emerged from the swamp. Its howl distorted the air, a sonic wave shattering branches.
He braced, eyes narrowed.
"Time to bleed."
[WRATH: 22/30]
[SKILL READY: ABYSSAL CLAWS]
[DURATION: 90s | COOLDOWN: 180s]
"ABYSSAL CLAWS!"
A surge of power ignited in his forearms. Black-crimson energy twisted around his fingers, forming razor-sharp claws that pulsed with abyssal flame, primal energy.
[ABYSSAL CLAWS ACTIVATED]
[WRATH EXPENDED: 20]
[WRATH REMAINING: 2/30]
[DURATION: 90s]
[COOLDOWN INITIATED: 180s]
[WRATH LOW!! WRATH LOW!!]
The beast roared and charged.
Ethan met it head-on.
Their first clash sent shockwaves through the swamp. Claws met bone, tearing into the creature's left side. The beast retaliated with a swipe that Ethan barely dodged. His foot slipped on the slick mud but he used the momentum to spin and slash across its ribcage.
[DAMAGE DEALT: 12% HP]
[+6WRATH EARNED]
[WRATH: 8/30]
The Swamp Howler screeched, flinging sludge with a violent tail whip. Ethan leapt, twisting in air, his claws slashing downwards.
[CRITICAL STRIKE]
[DAMAGE DEALT: 22% HP]
[WRATH GAINED: +3(From combat rage)]
[WRATH REMAINING: 11/30]
Its roar disoriented him for a second. The beast crashed into him, sending him flying into the shrine's stone wall.
[WARNING: DAMAGE TAKEN]
[HP: 13/20]
STATUS: STUNNED–3s]
Ethan gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his forehead.
"Wow... Another strong one here... But I ain't dying.. Not... today..."
He lunged forward, catching the beast off guard. Slashing wildly, a flurry of blows carved deep trenches into its armor-like hide. Steam hissed from its wounds.
The beast recoiled, weakened, one eye destroyed.
[CRITICAL HIT]
[DAMAGE DEALT: HP–18%]
[ENEMY STATUS: STAGGERED]
[+4WRATH EARNED]
[WRATH: 17/30]
The cooldown ended.
[SKILL READY: ABYSSAL LUNGE]
"This ends now! ABYSSAL LUNGE!"
A sonic boom cracked the swamp. Ethan moved like a meteor. The lunge pierced straight through the creature's chest.
BOOM.
It thrashed, then collapsed into the mud, twitching violently.
[WRATH EXPENDED: -8]
[WRATH REMAINING: 9/30]
[+30EXP GAINED]
[+7WRATH EARNED]
[CURRENT EXP: 192/300]
[WRATH: 16/30]
Ethan stood over its corpse, breathing heavily. He extracted the Wrath Crystal, keeping it in his inventory right away.
"Four days... Hope am closer right now..."
His body trembled, but his heart beat steady. A rustling sound echoed nearby. He spun, ready to fight again.
But nothing, still he didn't rest yet. He kept his senses on alert, ready to strike at anytime like a royal cobra. Ethan continued marching forward in the marsh. His muscles screaming in pain, every muscle Fibre felt numb, whole body aching, but he didn't flinch from it. His loyal colleague in his hand, the sword and the primal energy coursing through his veins, pulsating with every step.
The marsh was knee deep, his boots soaked, cloths damp wet, not just sweat, his blood, Tartarus Beasts blood too, stinky marsh water and viscous mucus, and greenish ichor from the frog-like creatures earlier.
Howls, distorted crows, menacing aura all over the place, fog blinding his path forward, swinging his sword left and right to dissipate the fog. He continued his journey. Stamina draining, energy draining, each battle had a backlash, but kept him growing with EXPs and more experience. Ethan was feeling the fatigue, but he didn't care, those crimson-lit orbs of his gleamed with rage and wrath which kept fueling his body.
Thanks to it, he was still standing alive, pushing forward through the marshland.
"How will it be when I reach the nearest Kingdom" Ethan was curious. He has never left his village and this was his first time traveling. Was this even a journey, this was literally hell. But Ethan had no choice but go through this hell.
"How does it even look... From the books I read, Kingdom are grandiose... But will they let someone like me into the gates"
He was right, asking himself such questions. But he had no way to get the answer right now. He would just push forward and get his answer when he reaches. If they don't let him in, he would just find another in.