At this moment, the mummified corpse's eyes locked onto Zayen, burning with pure disdain and a trace of scorn.
Hehe…
A human. Only Level 3. Pathetic.
Even in its current, heavily injured state, it could easily crush this insignificant mortal. Yet here he was, trespassing into its lair—truly a gift from fate. The mummified corpse needed blood… living blood… to mend its injuries, and this foolish human had delivered himself directly into its grasp.
Wonderful… Truly wonderful!
"Hehe!" Thinking of that warm human blood, the mummified corpse couldn't help but laugh sinisterly.
The mummified corpse's laughter made Zayen's scalp prickle, and a chill ran down his spine.
Before he could even think of reacting, the mummified corpse raised a skeletal, blood-stained finger, aiming directly at Zayen's glabella—the space between his eyebrows.
A surge of oppressive power shot out from the finger, thick with malice, as if it sought to pierce his very mind.
"You're so injured, yet you still dare to provoke me? Do you really think I'm easy to bully?!"
Zayen twisted his body, narrowly dodging a sudden, invisible strike that surged toward him with terrifying speed.
His heart raced, but his hands remained steady as he gripped the Crimson Eclipse tightly. With a fierce cry, he swung the sword in a wide arc.
Golden light erupted from the blade, forming into a radiant streak of sword energy that shot directly toward the mummified corpse. The energy sliced through the stale air, illuminating the dark crystal chamber with a blinding glow.
For a moment, the mummified corpse paused, its cold, disdainful eyes narrowing as it sensed the attack. Then, with a flicker of movement almost too fast to see, it raised a skeletal hand, creating a red barrier attempting to block the incoming golden strike.
But as soon as the golden strike landed on the red barrier, it lasted only a single heartbeat before shattering into countless fragments.
"How is this possible!" The mummified corpse exclaimed in its mind.
This level 3 human was much stronger than it had expected.
Before it could even react, another golden strike shot toward the mummified corpse. This time, it had no time to raise the red barrier. The Crimson Eclipse struck true, and the corpse was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing violently into the cave wall.
Cracks spider-webbed across the stone, and a dark, viscous blood spurted from its mouth, staining the floor. The hollow sound of its body hitting the rock echoed through the cave, mixing with the hiss of its pain.
Watched the corpse struggle to rise, its eyes still filled with that cold, scornful disdain. Despite the grievous injuries and the force he had just dealt, it wasn't completely down.
This human was far stronger than it had anticipated.
In its current state, severely wounded and barely sustaining itself, it simply couldn't compare to the human standing before it. Without an advantage in level—and with its strength sealed—it had no means of suppressing Zayen at all.
Realizing this, the demon no longer hesitated.
It forcibly tried to rise again, dark blood dripping from its lips as it struggled against its shattered body.
"You're already this badly injured, and you still want to fight?"
Zayen's eyes were cold.
A severely wounded demon had delivered itself right to his doorstep—how could he possibly let such prey escape?
With a casual wave of his hand, golden light condensed in midair.
A radiant sword of light formed instantly and shot forward.
Pfft!
The golden blade pierced straight through the demon's chest, pinning its body brutally against the cave wall. Cracks spread outward from the impact point, and dark blood splattered across the stone as the demon let out a hoarse, broken hiss.
Its body twitched violently… then went still.
The oppressive aura filling the cave finally began to dissipate.
[Congratulations, Host. You have killed a severely injured Demon (Level 5—Sealed State).
[System Notification] Because the target was already severely injured and its level was sealed.
Unable to unleash its full combat strength.
Experience reward has been reduced by 50%.
[Experience Gained]: +285
[ Congratulations, Player! You have leveled up to Level 4!
Attack +10 | Speed +10 | Defense +10 ]
Hearing the system notification, Zayen quickly opened his personal panel:
[Name]: Zayne
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 4
[EXP]: 215 / 300
[Chosen By]: Archangel Michael—The Supreme Archangel of Judgement, Order, and War.
[Title]: Apostle Of Judgement, Order, and War.
[Talent]: Divine Paragon (Eternal grade).
[Affiliation]: Light, Fire, Lightning, Space, Time, Energy, Creation, Fire.
[Skills]: Seraphic Ascension (Eternal grade), Legion of Light (Eternal grade), Divine Manifestation (Eternal grade).
[Attack]: 50
[Defense]: 40
[Speed]: 55
....
After killing the mummified corpse, his level had risen to level 4, not far from level 5!
Zayen's eyes lit up as he checked his stats again.
"Attack evaluation has reached 50, defense is at 40, and my speed has jumped by 55."
A grin crept onto his face.
This kind of growth was terrifyingly fast—even by the standards of geniuses. After entering the Endless Forest, every battle, every kill, was turning directly into strength.
At that moment, a thought flashed through Zayen's mind.
He quickly walked over to the corpse of the Bloodscale Abyss Python and sliced open its head. With careful precision, he extracted the venom gland hidden inside. Using the tip of the Crimson Eclipse, he pierced the gland, letting the potent venom seep onto the blade.
The sword, which had been glowing red just moments ago, gradually turned a deep, eerie blue. A cold, bewitching, poisonous aura spread along the blade, making the surrounding air feel heavier. After a brief moment, the glow faded, and the sword returned to its original crimson hue.
Zayen nodded in satisfaction.
He then wrapped the remaining venom gland tightly in cloth and stored it away.
Once everything was done, Zayen let out a slow breath, lifted his sword, and prepared to leave the cave.
But just as he turned around—
Something caught his eye.
Without hesitation, Zayen walked toward the mummified corpse that had been nailed to the cave wall. Dark blood had already dried around the wound, and the body hung motionless, lifeless at last.
His gaze quickly locked onto the ring on the corpse's finger.
It was emitting a faint blue glow.
Zayen reached out and removed the ring from the corpse's finger. The moment it left the demon's hand, the blue light flickered slightly, as if resisting—then stabilized once more.