The forest held its breath.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then Luciferus exhaled.
"…Alright."
The black light around him deepened.
The hesitation in the Cerberus pack—
Didn't save them.
It only delayed the inevitable.
Luciferus stepped forward.
And vanished.
A blur.
Then—
Silence broke.
One Cerberus collapsed.
Then another.
Then three at once.
No dramatic clashes.
No drawn-out fight.
Just clean—
Absolute—
Erasure.
A head split from its body before it realized it was struck.
Another was crushed into the ground with a single palm.
A third tried to run—
But a thin thread of black light pierced through all three of its heads at once.
The forest echoed with brief, cut-off roars—
Then nothing.
Luciferus reappeared where he first stood.
Hands in his pockets.
The bodies hit the ground behind him.
One after another.
Still.
Gone.
A soft chime followed.
DING.
Congratulations Host
Level Up — Level 20 Reached
Cerberus Core Collected: 11
Enhanced Training Unlocked
Luciferus glanced at the notification.
"…Nice."
Then he turned.
The Qilin was still there.
Watching him.
Careful.
Cautious.
But no longer hostile.
Luciferus walked toward it slowly.
"…Relax. It's over."
The Qilin didn't step back—
But it didn't step forward either.
Luciferus' eyes shifted to its side.
The wound.
Still there.
"…You're still hurt."
He raised his hand.
Black light gathered—
Gentle this time.
Controlled.
"…Stay still."
The Qilin tensed—
Then—
For a brief moment—
It allowed it.
The black light touched its wound.
And began to restore.
Flesh closed.
Energy stabilized.
Pain faded.
Within seconds—
The injury was gone.
The Qilin blinked.
Its posture shifted again.
Not defensive anymore.
Acknowledging.
Then—
It turned.
And slowly walked into the cave.
Stopping once—
Looking back at him.
Luciferus smirked slightly.
"…Guess that's an invitation."
He followed.
Inside—
The cave was warm.
Protected.
The smaller Qilin gathered together—
Watching him with curiosity.
The mother moved deeper—
Then stopped.
Before something.
Luciferus stepped closer.
And saw it.
A manual.
Ancient.
But intact.
Martial Emperor Star.
Luciferus' eyes lit up.
"…Now this…"
He picked it up slowly.
"…This is something else."
A martial art.
Not ordinary.
Dense.
Refined.
Powerful.
He smiled.
Looked at the Qilin.
"…You're giving me this?"
The Qilin lowered its head slightly.
Acknowledgment.
Gratitude.
Luciferus chuckled softly.
"…You're too generous."
Then—
The Qilin nudged something forward.
Its smallest child.
Pushed gently toward him.
Luciferus blinked.
"…Hey…"
He crouched slightly.
"…You don't have to do that."
The baby Qilin looked up at him.
Small.
Bright.
The mother didn't pull it back.
Luciferus sighed.
A faint smile on his face.
"…You're serious, huh."
He reached out—
And lifted the small creature.
It didn't resist.
Instead—
It leaned into him.
A chime echoed again.
[System Notice]
To form kinship with a Qilin — Provide a drop of your blood
Luciferus raised a brow.
"…That simple?"
He bit his fingertip.
A single drop of blood formed.
Then fell—
Onto the baby Qilin's head.
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Black light surged.
The small creature's body glowed—
Its scales shifting—
New patterns forming.
Among its natural colors—
Darkness appeared.
Black scales.
Its energy deepened.
Changed.
Its small body pulsed with something greater.
Luciferus smiled.
Holding it up slightly.
"…You're different now."
A pause.
"…I'll call you… Kara."
The baby Qilin—
Kara—
Let out a low growl.
Soft—
But powerful.
Its feet ignited—
Black fire dancing lightly around them.
Its small horn shimmered.
Its tail flickered with the same dark flame.
Luciferus chuckled.
"…Yeah… I like that."
The mother Qilin watched.
Calm.
Satisfied.
As if it knew—
Its child was in the right hands.
In The middle of the forest — Zayfer & Borin
The battlefield was ruined.
Two Chaos Titans—
Gone.
Their massive forms reduced to nothing but scattered remains.
Zayfer stood still.
Sword lowered.
Breathing steady.
Borin cracked his neck.
"…Took longer than I expected."
Zayfer didn't respond.
He simply turned.
"…Let's move."
Borin smirked.
"…Yeah… before something bigger shows up."
Deep within the forest—
A sound echoed.
Low.
Ancient.
A roar.
Not like the others.
Heavier.
Older.
Stronger.
It spread across the entire domain.
Every participant heard it.
Luciferus' smile faded slightly.
"…Now that…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…sounds interesting."
Serenity paused wherever she stood—
Gaze lifting slightly.
"…Something awakened."
Riven and Daxen both stopped mid-movement—
Looking toward the source.
"…You feel that?" Riven muttered.
Daxen grinned.
"…Yeah."
"…Finally."
Outside the Gate —
Instructor Kael Varion stood calmly.
Watching.
His eyes flickered slightly—
Sensing the shift inside the domain.
He checked the time.
"…30 more minutes."
A faint smile appeared.
"…Let's see who survives the second half."