Chapter 11: The First Confrontation
Shen Yuan awoke in his inn room, sweat soaking his body as if he had just returned from a real battlefield. His breathing was ragged, yet his eyes shone with a cold, mysterious light. On his finger, the black ring pulsed faintly, as though a living being was silently watching him. And on the table beside him lay the ancient book, surrounded by an aura so old it seemed to belong to a forgotten era.
He reached out slowly, and the instant his fingers brushed the cover, a strange warmth surged into his veins, forcing him to sit down. As he opened it, the pages unfolded into strange symbols and diagrams—interlocking lines, overlapping circles, and etchings like falling stars.
The strangest part, however, was not the symbols themselves… but the fact that he could understand them. Every word, every line, sank into his mind as though carved into his very soul. He devoured the text hungrily, until he reached a particular section. Here, the words blurred into meaningless riddles. No matter how hard he tried, he could not comprehend them. It was then he realized the truth: he could not advance beyond the first stage until he had fully mastered it.
He shut the book quietly… but before he could set it down, it dissolved into golden rays that pierced his forehead like a rushing tide. His body trembled violently, nearly crying out, but he endured. Silence followed, then he closed his eyes—only to see the book now etched within the depths of his mind. It had become part of him. He could summon it at will through meditation.
A faint smile curved his lips. As he absorbed the knowledge, he quickly understood the essence of the technique: it did not strengthen a single aspect, but everything—his soul, his mind, his muscles, his veins, even down to his very cells. A body without limits. Yet the requirement… was insane.
To activate it, he had to directly consume monster cores. Cores that were usually refined into weapons or pills, and which everyone was warned never to touch raw. To swallow one whole meant courting death—your body could rupture, your mind collapse.
Any other person would have retreated in fear. But Shen Yuan's eyes gleamed with unyielding determination. Without risk… there was no gain.
He rose, clenched his fist, and left the room with steady steps. Through the city streets, beyond its gates, and toward the forest where he had so often returned half-dead. But this time… he was no longer the same boy.
After an hour of running, he stood before the forest. The air here was damp, thick with the smell of herbs and mud, laced with a faint trace of blood. He tightened his grip and entered, his footsteps sinking into the moist earth. Birds fell silent, sensing the predator that had arrived.
It wasn't long before the metallic stench of blood drew him forward. Pushing through the brush, he saw it: a massive wolf, its fur matted with blood, fangs like daggers, eyes burning with feral light. Deep wounds marred its body, yet it radiated deadly menace.
Shen Yuan's heart tightened. A Star Wolf, One Star, Mid-Grade. Equivalent to a sixth-level warrior.
He hid in the shadows, watching. The beast dragged itself toward a rocky cave, from which spilled the faint aura of a spiritual herb.
Shen Yuan bit down hard. If the wolf reached the cave, his chance would vanish. He stepped out into the open.
Their eyes met. The wolf growled, its snarl like thunder, but Shen Yuan stood firm. A sharp smile curved his lips.
He raised his hand, summoning the War GOD'S Pearl. In an instant, it transformed into a black sword, its blade gleaming like a starry night. The wolf's muscles tensed, then it lunged like a storm.
Shen Yuan twisted aside at the last instant, his blade grazing the wolf's shoulder and leaving a shallow wound. Blood sprayed, but the beast did not falter. It spun and slashed with its claws, the force driving Shen Yuan into a tree. Hot blood surged into his throat and burst from his mouth.
Wiping it away, his eyes only sharpened. His grin grew fiercer.
The wolf's tactics shifted. Instead of direct charges, it began circling, crouching low, changing direction suddenly. Despite its wounds, its speed remained terrifying. Each strike of its claws came from unexpected angles, testing his defenses.
Shen Yuan parried desperately, each clash numbing his arms until his bones ached. Sweat poured down his face, his breath heavy—but his gaze never wavered.
Then, with a sudden burst, the wolf lunged for his throat. Shen Yuan ducked low, his sword arcing upward to slice its belly. This time the wound ran deep, forcing a pained howl from the beast as it staggered back, bleeding heavily.
But the wolf did not fall. Its eyes burned with madness. It roared, as if its injuries no longer mattered, and charged again—slower, but with a hatred that shook the air.
Shen Yuan did not wait. For the first time, he advanced. His black sword cleaved through the night, this time aimed at the neck. The wolf tried to pull back, but its body was too heavy, too wounded.
The blade cut deep. Its cry was severed mid-air, its huge body trembling before collapsing with a thunderous crash, shaking the earth.
Panting, Shen Yuan stood over it, his chest heaving, blood dripping from his blade. He stared at the corpse, then dropped to his knees and began dissecting with shaky precision. At last, he reached its heart.
There, nestled within, was the core—small as a child's fist, glowing yellow with black veins.
He held it aloft, studying it in silence, before closing his hand around it and slipping it into his spatial ring. His gaze then shifted to the cave, eyes flickering with silent anticipation, as he stepped forward…