Xiao Long caught Susanoo's Sword when he saw it falling toward him."What do you mean by your organization? I don't even know who you are."Although Xiao Long had no idea where John came from, he had no reason to reject the sword flying toward him.
It seems this person was a hidden expert who only appeared during the disaster, Xiao Long thought as he looked at the level above John's head — Level 450!
Xiao Long was known as the awakener with the highest level — the man who crawled from the depths of hell to the bliss of heaven.Only one person had ever advanced from Rank F to Rank S, and that person was Xiao Long himself.
Xiao Long had immense combat experience since his stats always reset every time he ascended from one rank to another.The world had been waiting for Xiao Long to reach Level 500, to see if he would evolve into a rank beyond S, a rank no one knew existed.
But after the disaster appeared, monsters of Rank S started showing up at Level 450 and above, and even Yamata no Orochi was Level 700.That not only shattered the theory that evolution occurred at Level 500 but also destroyed all future rank theories, such as advancement at Level 600 or 700.
Humans determined their rank through two things — their stats and the color of the name and level above their head.
Rank F: average stat 15 (white)
Rank D: 30 (green)
Rank C: 45 (blue)
Rank B: 60 (yellow)
Rank A: 75 (orange)
Rank S: 100+ (red)
But no one could determine the exact stats of monsters; their rank was identified only by the color above their heads.
At that moment, when Xiao Long looked above John's head, he saw a red name and Level 450 — forty levels above his own, and of the same rank, S.
"John Smith, the strongest awakener on this planet, and the man who will help you end the disaster known as Yamata no Orochi," John replied arrogantly.
Xiao Long didn't look down on him — he had seen John's previous display of power, and even without it, his level and rank spoke for themselves.
"What does someone like you want from me? Why should I even join your organization?" Xiao Long asked.
"I want your help in facing the remaining disasters on this planet. As for why you'll join my organization — I'll explain that once we've defeated Yamata no Orochi," John half-answered, half-smiled.
"Yamata no Orochi is Level 700. You're strong, but not that strong yet. It's better to raise your level a bit more before facing him," Xiao Long said bluntly.
"Then how about this? Yamata no Orochi must have some loyal followers, right? You know where some of them are, don't you?" A smile appeared on John's face.
"Of course… I know," Xiao Long said, puzzled.
"Then let's go to the nearest one. If I kill it, you'll come with me to face Yamata no Orochi. Deal?" John's tone sounded almost playful.
"I must be dealing with a complete lunatic…" Xiao Long sighed internally.
"Don't worry. I won't ask you to fight Yamata no Orochi or any of his followers — I just need you to deliver the final blow," John said, dropping his last bombshell.
"What?! Do you really think you can defeat all those monsters alone? That's not bravery — that's recklessness!" Xiao Long shouted.
"Don't worry, I'm confident in my abilities," John smirked wickedly.
"Then promise me we'll retreat if things get dangerous," Xiao Long said, swallowing.
"Sigh… fine," John replied after seeing Xiao Long's determination.
Five minutes later, John and Xiao Long headed toward one of Yamata no Orochi's followers.The monster looked like a scorpion, but its body was covered in purple scales, towering like a building, with three tails instead of one, and claws sharp enough to slice mountains like cake.Its name — Bayon, a Rank S monster, Level 500.
"So this is my test subject this time?" John charged forward instantly.
"Test subject?! That thing's a disaster-class monster! I could barely make it retreat — not kill it!" Xiao Long's expression turned grim as he shouted.
But what he saw next made him freeze in shock.
John instantly activated Asura Transformation and Asura Division, creating two clones beside him, each with two arms and one head.John and his clones had white hair and crimson skin — the effect of Asura's power.
John threw his two spears to one of the clones, while the other held the mystic spear John had crafted before fighting Cthulhu.Meanwhile, John himself activated Elemental Magic to attack Bayon.
Each clone began to use John's Spear Style."First Spear Style: Mountain Splitter!" Both clones executed the move simultaneously.
The first strike left deep wounds across Bayon's body.
"As expected from a disaster-class monster — even with all those wounds, it's still standing," Xiao Long analyzed.
Bayon was a disaster-class creature with the toughness of a tank. Yet John's power had increased drastically — strong enough to cause real damage from his very first strike.
Immediately, the clones began activating Second, Third, Fourth, up to the Twelfth Spear Style in sequence.By the time they stopped, Bayon's body was shredded. It no longer had its claws or tails — it was like a monster waiting for death.
At that moment, the clones withdrew and floated beside John."Triple Casting: Hellfire, Zeus's Thunder, Storm Winds!"John finished preparing his next attack.
"Wait! That attack will destroy the entire area!" Xiao Long shouted.
"Oh, don't worry — I already have a plan."John's clones immediately understood what he meant.
"Battle Magic: Seal of Heaven and Earth!"Both clones activated the spell simultaneously, completing it many times faster.
"What's happening? Where did we go?" Xiao Long exclaimed in surprise.
"Will this be enough to prove my strength?" John said as he launched the Triple Casting directly at Bayon.
"Where did such a human even come from? How could my luck be this awful?!!!" Those were Bayon's final words.
The attack struck Bayon directly.A massive explosion roared for a full minute.
When it faded, Bayon was still alive — barely breathing.
"It's your turn," John ordered Xiao Long to deliver the final strike.
"Oh… alright," Xiao Long said, surprised Bayon was still alive.
John lowered his attack power slightly so that Xiao Long could finish it.Xiao Long struck once — directly hitting Bayon before it died.
"Ding! You have slain a disaster-class monster. Experience points will be distributed according to participation.""Ding! Level Up +50."
John leveled up by 50 — better than he expected.
The reason he let Xiao Long deliver the final blow was twofold: to help Xiao Long become stronger, and to take advantage of his good luck — since those who landed the final hit could often gain items or skills.
It was impossible for John to receive rewards because of his terrible luck, and he had never found anyone strong enough to fight beside him.But Xiao Long was powerful enough to protect himself — and lucky enough to solve the problem of loot collection.
"Ding! Level Up +10."Xiao Long looked at his system window.Even though he had only dealt one strike, the final blow counted as a major contribution.
"Ding! You have obtained a Mystic Material: Bayon's Heart.""Ding! You have obtained a Mystic Material: Bayon's Poisonous Tail."
Xiao Long was stunned — he had never seen a mystic material before, yet today he saw a mystic weapon and obtained two mystic materials.
These were granted because of Bayon's nature — all disaster-class monsters had bodies made of mystic-grade materials.
After learning about the existence of other worlds, John realized that each disaster monster had its own legendary tale behind it.That's why defeating one counted as an epic story, and every drop from them became mystic-grade materials.
"Here, these are yours," Xiao Long said, handing Bayon's Heart and Poisonous Tail to John.
John accepted them without hesitation — that had been his plan all along.
"So, am I strong enough to face Yamata no Orochi now?" John asked with a faint smile.Xiao Long nodded.
"Then we should go to him now," John said, canceling the Seal of Heaven and Earth.
"I have one request before we go to fight Yamata no Orochi," Xiao Long said in a deep voice.
"Hmmm… what is it?" John asked curiously.
"Can we fight the remaining disaster monsters before heading to Yamata no Orochi?" determination filled his tone.
All of Asia had been devastated by Yamata no Orochi's followers. Among all the disasters, Yamata no Orochi had the most — five followers in total.Bayon was neither the strongest nor the weakest, just in the middle.
No one else could face the remaining ones except Xiao Long, so he wanted to eliminate them before confronting Yamata no Orochi.
"You seem to have a kind heart. As you wish — we'll kill all his followers first, then go to Yamata no Orochi. By then, you'll be stronger and able to help me," John said, his smile widening.
That had been John's plan all along — he just wanted to test Xiao Long before recruiting him into his organization.And this battle was his test.
"It seems I've finally found my first good partner," John thought, genuinely happy inside.