2026-05-29 21:01:26Alex still stood frozen inside the cave. Wild growl after wild growl echoed from outside, drawing closer, growing more thunderous. His heart beat rapidly, as though it were about to leap out of his chest.
"Just a few minutes ago I managed to survive, obtained Nero, and bound my first contract. Now, it is as if the entire Forbidden Forest is moving to tear everything away from me."
Ding!
[Primary scent source detected.]
[Shadow Dragon Blood.]
[Warning. Surrounding monsters are approaching.]
Alex turned to the adult dragon's body lying still, grand and terrifying all at once.
"System," he called out, his voice tense. "Can this dragon's corpse be hidden?"
Ding!
[Confirmation.]
[Target can be stored inside the Inventory.]
Alex's eyes widened. "Even something that big?"
[Confirmation.]
Without wasting time, he extended his hand. Instantly, the giant dragon's body vanished into thin air.
Ding!
[High-Value Asset Successfully Secured.]
[Egoist Action Detected.]
[EXP +20]
Alex frowned. "Why does storing a dragon's corpse actually give me EXP?"
There was no answer. The monsters' growls now sounded much closer.
Grrrr... Grrrr...
He turned to Nero. The small dragon hatchling stood trembling in its place, its tiny body appearing extremely fragile.
"System. Use Shadow Nest."
Ding!
[Shadow Nest Lv.1 Activated.]
Alex crouched down. "Nero."
The dragon hatchling stared at him.
"Get in."
Nero's small body slowly turned into a pitch-black shadow, then sank into Alex's own shadow.
Ding!
[Contract Beast Hidden.]
[Dragon Blood Traces Reduced by 93%.]
Alex exhaled a sigh of relief—only for a moment.
[Too late.]
[Monsters have entered the area.]
"Damn it."
He immediately took cover behind a large boulder in the inner section of the cave, then peeked out. His face instantly turned pale.
Dozens of monsters crowded the area in front of the cave. Bone Wolves, Forest Goblins, Rock Scorpions, even several large Iron Rats. They were all searching for something that was no longer there.
The dragon's corpse.
Alex narrowed his eyes. An idea sparked in his mind. He saw the puddle of dragon blood still remaining on the cave floor, then without hesitation took a portion of it and dragged it further into the cave. After that, he hid himself once more.
Not long after, the monsters caught the scent.
AWWRRR!
A Bone Wolf leaped first, followed by roaring goblins, and then stinging scorpions. They immediately fought over it savagely. Scratching one another, biting one another, killing one another without mercy.
Alex only observed from behind the darkness. "Kill each other," he murmured softly.
Ding!
[EXP +1]
Ding!
[EXP +2]
Ding!
[EXP +1]
Alex's eyes widened. The EXP kept increasing. The narrow cave left the monsters trapped together. A goblin stabbed a Bone Wolf. A scorpion stung a goblin. An Iron Rat gnawed on a carcass that had already fallen. Screams and growls filled the cramped space.
Alex waited patiently, letting them reduce their own numbers.
Until finally—
Ding!
[Level Up.]
[Level 2.]
A wave of warmth spread throughout his body. Alex felt the change—not dramatic, but real. His body felt slightly stronger, slightly lighter.
"So this is what it feels like to level up..."
The remaining monsters were now severely injured. Some had lost legs, some had lost eyes, and others were nearly dead.
Alex smiled thinly. "Time to hunt."
He stepped out from hiding. His sword moved rapidly.
Slash!
The neck of a goblin that had lost an arm was slashed. The monster immediately collapsed.
Ding!
[EXP +4]
Slash!
A severely injured Bone Wolf followed in death.
Ding!
[EXP +3]
However, not everything went smoothly. A Rock Scorpion that appeared to be dying suddenly attacked.
Slash!
"UGH!"
Alex retreated a few steps. The monster's stinger gouged deep into his shoulder. Blood flowed heavily. An intense pain radiated through him.
"Damn it..."
For a moment, fear gripped him again. "I'm still weak. I can still die at any moment." But Alex gritted his teeth. He had died once. He did not want to die again.
Slash!
His sword pierced the Rock Scorpion's head. The monster slumped down.
Ding!
[EXP +5]
The fight continued. Monster after monster fell. Alex did not look for a fair fight. He only killed the easiest ones, the most injured ones, the most profitable ones.
Ding!
[Level Up.]
[Level 3.]
His body felt lighter once more. His muscles strengthened. However, the system chimed again.
[Current EXP: 74/200]
[The next level requires greater EXP.]
Alex nodded slowly.
"The higher the level, the harder it is to rise. It makes sense."
His thoughts then drifted to one figure—King Theron. The man who hunted Aldric. The man capable of sending troops to kill a dragon.
He stared at the monster blood clinging to his sword. "If low-level monsters like this almost killed me... then how strong is that King, exactly?"
His breath felt heavy. Level 3 meant nothing. He was still too weak. Still very far from revenge. But at least, now he had a path. A path to strength.
After ensuring no small monsters remained, Alex left the cave. The sky was turning dark. He found a large tree and sat beneath it. His body was covered in wounds, his shoulder ached, and his legs trembled from exhaustion.
"System. Bring out a potion."
Ding!
[Healing Potion Dispatched.]
Alex immediately drank it. A warmth spread through his entire body. The wounds began to close. His breathing gradually calmed.
"Hah..."
However, that peace did not last long.
Ding!
[Warning.]
Alex instantly opened his eyes.
[Warning.]
[Warning.]
His body tensed. The monsters around the forest suddenly ran in fear. Goblins, Bone Wolves, even Iron Rats—all of them fled as fast as possible.
The ground began to vibrate.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The trees in the distance collapsed one by one.
Alex's face turned pale. "What now...?"
Ding!
[High-Level Threat Detected.]
[Elite Rank Monster.]
[Second Elite Rank Monster Detected.]
[Third Elite Rank Monster Detected.]
Alex's body froze. "Three?"
Then the system provided the final piece of information.
[Targets entered the area because they detected the presence of the Dragon Core.]
Alex's hand reflexively touched his chest, the place where the dragon core now resided.
THUD!
A giant tree crashed down not far from there. From behind the darkness of the forest, six red eyes slowly opened, watching him hungrily.
At that moment, Alex understood.
"The monsters didn't come for the dragon's blood. They came for something far more valuable—the dragon core that is now mine."
And for the first time since arriving in the Forbidden Forest, Alex truly felt that he was nothing more than prey.
"Damn it, it turns out I was wrong, I am still the prey!"
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 91 — Juggernaut Blueprint Projection
Ding!A new transparent blue interface sheet from the Egoist System manifested instantly right in front of Aldric's pair of pupils, displaying a series of statistical data updates laden with tactical information.[Contract Target 'Darius' Successfully Completed the First Independent Combat Scenario] [Contract Growth Brand: Target's Soul Synchronization and Loyalty Level Increased] [Target's Physical Structure Development Process: Significant Detection] [Muscle Fiber Endurance Indicator: Increased] [Combat Reflex Speed Indicator: Increased] [Real Battle Situation Adaptation Level: Increased] [Target's Potential New Growth Class Selection Path Detected by System]Aldric narrowed his eyes tightly behind the slits of his mask, observing line after line of combat class names now presented by the system screen in front of his eyes.[Target's Future Evolution Class Selection Paths:] [Physical Warrior] Target's Physical Cell Compatibility Level: 87% [Juggernaut] Target's Physical Cell
CHAPTER 90 — Marble Regeneration Effect
"Master Aldric... with all due respect, I feel that in the travel council of our small faction... we seemingly need to sit down together to talk over the operational definition of the words 'healthy physical training' for a normal human," Darius said while walking with dragging steps behind his master's cloak."There is no functional matter we need to talk over regarding that regulation," Aldric replied straight."However, I personally feel this matter is very necessary to be evaluated, Master—""I personally do not feel any tactical urgency for that," Aldric cut in coldly.Darius could only throw a look of complete resignation toward Nero, who flew hovering beside his shoulder. The little dragon could only raise both of his front claws into the air, shaking his head with an amused look."Never throw that look full of hope toward my coordinates, Servant!" Nero shouted via his mental transmission with a cheerful tone. "Since yesterday night, I have already deployed my entire energy sup
CHAPTER 89 — Hell Regulation Tomorrow Dawn
Darius endured the extraordinary pain across his chest, yet a small smile laden with an exceptionally deep sense of pride slowly tugged at the corner of his blood-stained lips. He heard it very clearly; Aldric had just used the phrase 'right hand' to identify the status of his existence. No longer a mediocre contract servant, nor a dirty commodity slave of the lower market. Instead, he was a legitimate right hand beneath the banner of his power.Darius groped the ground, picking back up his small dagger that had dropped. While gritting his teeth to endure the ache, he forced all the muscle fibers of his legs to work, pulling his body axis to stand back up independently. Even though both of his knees still trembled violently beyond normal limits, this time he successfully stood tall on his own two feet without needing external mechanical assistance from anyone.Aldric glanced slightly backward through the corner of his eye, observing the stability of his servant's standing position. "D
CHAPTER 88 — Right Hand Qualification
The monster howled in pain, thrashing its entire giant body structure blindly due to the extraordinary, intense pain. Darius rushed to pull back his handhold, but the sweep of the monster's right tusk still managed to catch the exposed side of his right arm.Slash!The skin of his right arm ripped horizontally, splashing fresh red fluid into the air. "Agh!"Darius gritted his teeth hard until they let out a sharp creaking sound, enduring the ache that stabbed directly into his nerve center. Capitalizing on the space of vulnerability while the monster was staggering, he drove his small dagger in for a second time, aiming for the same eye socket with a deeper level of precision.The monster roared hoarsely once more. Darius knew very well that with his shattered physical status right now, he would never possess a high enough tactical capability just to execute that Rank B monster alone. His main goal since he began moving was not to win the match, but purely to buy a few seconds of surv
CHAPTER 87 — Neural Sensor Recording
His visual senses indeed did not possess a high enough capability just to capture the entire sequence of Aldric's movements. However, something strange within the deepest structure of his instincts seemed to force him to keep paying attention and analyzing in detail: The way Aldric shifted his center of gravity over the muddy ground, the tilt angle of his sword blade when colliding with bone spikes, the safe distance he left in every defensive movement, all the way to the momentum of inertia he utilized to save his physical stamina supply. Darius tried to record all those tactical visuals into the structure of his brain.Ding!Aldric, who was currently slicing clean through the neck of the seventeenth boar, suddenly found the transparent blue interface belonging to the system manifesting instantly in the corner of his field of vision.[Contract Growth Brand Active] [Contract Target is intensely observing the owner's combat patterns] [Target's Combat Experience Absorption Efficiency:
CHAPTER 86 — The Rhythm of Efficient Slaughter
A massive roar from the remnants of the spiked boar colony once again shook the interior of the crater, shattering the vortex of Darius's inner reverie. The instant death of six of their elite members surprisingly did not cause the spiked boars to pull back their tactical steps in the slightest. On the contrary, the scent of fresh blood drenching the ground instead triggered the wild neurotransmitters inside their brains to become even more aggressive, completely losing their sanity.Dozens of monsters moved forward simultaneously from various angles of coordinates. Nero immediately flapped his small wings, flying high into the air to take over the function of a tactical radar."Aldric! Your right sector! Major group of eight lunging together!" Nero screamed from the heights."I can see them," Aldric replied flatly, stepping forward a single centimeter."Behind your rear cloak!""I know.""Three are penetrating from beneath the ground where you stand!" Nero shrieked again with a tight
You may also like
Became a billionaire with system
Dee Hwang 44.0K viewsUnparalleled Demon System: Tales of the Lost Demon
Dark Crafter22.8K viewsGod of System Analysis
NFA82.4K viewsVillain steal the Heroines
Autistically23.4K viewsSystem: I Can See Investment Returns
rkarahan83498 viewsThe Hero’s Ascension
Cmurdock250 viewsSystem Reboot
Aria Winters118 viewsUNDERGROUND SOVEREIGN
Nora vale125 views