The python was gone. Completely. Not a scale, not a drop of blood, not even a faint outline in the mossy ground where its massive body had lain just moments ago. Void Dismantle had erased it from existence like it had never been there at all. Kai Krownwell stood frozen for a long second, blue eyes wide, breath coming in short, sharp bursts as the reality sank in.
Holy shit… that was way more dangerous than I thought.
He swallowed, throat dry, then a wild grin split his face. "Cool. I leveled up by nine. My stats should be… plus ninety all around, right?"
He shouted into the empty forest, voice echoing off the trees. "System!"
The crimson interface bloomed instantly in his vision.
System Status
Name: Kai Krownwell
Class: Space Mage
Level: 10
Stats:
Strength: 50 + 90 = 140
Agility: 80 + 90 = 170
Durability: 50 + 90 = 140
Mana: 300 + 90 = 390
Kai let out a low, disbelieving laugh, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Shoot… this ×10 EXP gain is an absolute cheat."
He tapped his watch, pulling up the leaderboard. His name had appeared finally sitting at 10th place with 1000 points. Not bad for one kill, but still far behind the monsters at the top.
Aria Voss – 10,000 points
Razor – 7,000 points
Kai's grin faded into a scowl. "How are they even human? She's already killed ten monsters? Razor's at seven thousand? What the hell…"
He started walking deeper into the dense forest, boots sinking slightly into the soft earth. The canopy above blocked most of the light, turning the air cool and shadowy. Vines hung like curtains, leaves rustling with every breeze.
"God, at least send some more monsters at one time," he muttered under his breath. "Why is my luck so fucked? I only found one monster. I don't wanna be broke in the academy, and I can't even bring outside money in here…"
As if the universe had heard him and decided to overdeliver, a low hiss echoed from multiple directions at once.
Kai froze.
Ten pairs of yellow slit-pupil eyes gleamed from the underbrush and branches. Ten juvenile pythons smaller than the first, but still deadly coiled and ready, surrounding him in a loose circle. Level 3 each. They struck simultaneously, fangs bared, aiming for legs, arms, torso coordinated like a pack.
"Shit !"
Kai's heart slammed against his ribs. He didn't think. Teleport.
Violet light flashed. He vanished from the ground and reappeared ten meters up on a thick branch, leaves brushing his face. Below, the pythons collided in a tangle of scales and snapping jaws, hissing in confusion.
"Hah. Fooled you all."
He raised his hand. Paralyze.
Mana surged 100 points drained in an instant as ten targets locked at once. Every single python froze mid-motion: some mid-lunge, some coiled to strike, one hanging from a vine. They dropped like stones, thudding to the forest floor, completely motionless.
Kai exhaled hard, sweat beading on his forehead. "My mana pool's already full from the level-ups… but damn, that cost 100 just like that."
Without wasting another second, he channeled again. Violet cracks spiderwebbed outward from his palm, forming a wide lattice that enveloped all ten frozen bodies. Two minutes. He stood on the branch, eyes narrowed, counting the seconds in his head.
Then.a rustle behind him.
He spun just in time to see an eleventh python bigger, stealthier, level 4 lunging from the shadows directly at his back, fangs inches from his neck.
"Fuck !"
Teleport.
He blinked down to the ground, landing in a crouch among the paralyzed bodies. The eleventh python struck empty air where he'd been. Kai whipped around and locked eyes with it. Paralyze.
It froze mid-air and crashed down, joining the pile.
Kai walked over slowly, chest heaving. He stared at the motionless snake, then kicked it hard in the side once, twice. The body didn't even twitch.
"Fuck… I nearly had a heart attack." His voice was shaky, adrenaline still pumping. "Good thing I saw you. If not, I'd have been injured shitless."
He dragged the last one by the tail, piling all eleven together in a grotesque heap. Looked around once making sure no more surprises then raised his hand again.
Void Dismantle.
The lattice pulsed.
Silent.
Clean.
Sections of scale and muscle blinked out in perfect geometric voids cubes, planes, ribbons until nothing remained. Not a shred, not a bone. Just empty space and the faint smell of ozone.
Killed Level 3 Python ×10
killed Level 4 Python ×1
Level Up!
Current Level: 20
Level Up!
Current Level: 30
Kai staggered back a step, power flooding through him like liquid fire. His muscles felt denser, his movements sharper, mana deeper. He flexed his hand fingers trembling slightly from the rush.
"Shit… that's crazy. Leveling with the ×10 EXP cheat is the best."
The leaderboard shimmered again.
Aria Voss – 17,000 points
Razor – 15,000 points
Kai Krownwell – 12,000 points
...7,000
...6,000
...6,000
Kai blinked. "Whoa… I jumped to third in an instant. But how are they still top? Fuck. Even after nearly getting injured, I didn't get bit… whatever. I should focus on farming more."
A sudden red flare shot into the sky from the east—bright, urgent. A help signal.
Kai's head snapped toward it. "Someone already pressed? Huh."
Then another flare. And another. Three, four, five more and more blooming across the eastern side of the lair like fireworks.
"Whoa… what the hell happened?"
Before he could move, the sky above ripped open. A massive gate shimmered into existence perfectly aligned with the signals. The five ascended hunters dropped through in unison, auras flaring like small suns. They vanished eastward at blinding speed.
Kai shook his head slowly. "Hoo… so they faced a D-rank, huh. A high-level D-rank, I think. If not, they could've handled it themselves."
He turned away, starting deeper into the forest again. In this world, even an E-rank monster can overpower an S-class if it's high enough level. I should definitely avoid that.
The thought had barely finished when the trees ahead parted.
A hulking figure stepped out green-skinned, tusked, easily eight feet tall. Crude iron armor strapped to its chest, a massive club dragging behind it. Above its head, floating in red letters:
Orc – Level 16 – D-Rank
Kai stopped dead.
The orc's beady eyes locked onto him. It grinned, showing jagged yellow teeth.
"Shit."