Chapter 226 — The Path of the Tyrant

Inside the small cave Evan had created along the Skypeak mountain pathway, his laughter echoed through the narrow space.

He was still staring at the System notifications floating before him, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face.

He had spent all five of his Selection Points on one choice.

His Physique.

Death Monarch.

And after seeing the result, Evan knew that every single point had been worth it.

The reason for his excitement was simple.

The final System notification was still flashing before his eyes.

[You've re-awakened your Physique: Death Monarch.]

[Detected: A severely high-ranked Curse has been placed upon the Host.]

[Curse Effects are being nullified.]

[Error... Curse Rank is too high to be completely eradicated.]

[Detected... The Curse has been severely weakened.]

[Curse Effects are being diminished to the current limit.]

[Current Curse Effect Subjugated: 90%]

Ninety percent.

The Curse that had been causing him endless trouble since entering the Forest had just been suppressed to 90%.

Evan immediately opened his Status to confirm whether the change was real.

And there it was.

His stats had returned to their previous state, with only 10% of the Curse's suppression remaining.

__

◆ HP: 25,960 

◆ MP: 45,010

◆ Strength (STR): 58 {+32 Red} [2,932]

◆ Agility (AGL): 44 {+35 Red} [3,190]

◆ Vitality (VIT): 84 {+28 Red} [2,596]

◆ Intelligence (INT): 01 {+50 Red} [4,501]

◆ Endurance (END): 03 {+27 Red} [2,433]

◆ Stamina (STA): 85 {+28 Red} [2,597]

◆ Spirit (SPT): 86 {+6 Red} [617]

◆ Unassigned Stats: 600 [🔒]

◆ Attack Power:7,346.4 (Physical) | 6,751.5 (Elemental)

◆ Defence: 5030

◆ Storage Summon:4,958/6,860[🔒] [127/6,170]

__

Evan stared at his restored numbers.

A familiar sensation had returned to his body.

Strength.

Real strength.

It was the same feeling he had possessed before the Curse began suppressing his power.

A grin slowly appeared across his face.

"Finally..."

He closed the Status Panel and stood up.

Evan walked out of the small cave and looked toward the nearest mountain wall.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist.

He wanted to test it.

Just once.

Evan stepped forward and punched the wall.

BOOOOM!

The mountain shook.

The point of impact shattered instantly, while massive cracks spread outward across the stone like a spiderweb.

The cracks continued racing across the surrounding wall.

Evan's eyes twitched.

'Ah.'

His body disappeared from the spot.

He reappeared several meters away just as the damaged section of the mountain collapsed.

CRAAASH!

Rocks poured down from above.

The cave Evan had created only moments ago was completely buried beneath the falling stone and soil.

Evan stared at the destruction in silence.

"...Maybe I hit a little too hard."

Despite that, the grin on his face only widened.

The strength was back.

And with it came confidence.

This much power was more than enough for him to continue the Trial.

Evan leapt onto the mountain pathway and crossed over the rocky wall before beginning his descent toward the Forest.

When he reached the edge where the mountain gave way to the Ancient Forest, he stopped.

His eyes swept across the endless sea of trees.

The Forest remained unnaturally quiet.

But Evan's attention was no longer focused on the scenery.

A System panel appeared before him.

__

[Objective: Choosing the Path of Fate]

[Description: You've completed an almost impossible mission by eradicating the entire Goblin settlement alone. By destroying the cause of the Curse, you've discovered the true meaning behind the Curse that has fallen upon the Forest.

Two paths have been presented before you. Your choice will determine the path of your fate and the ending of your Trial.

Option 1:

Leave the Forest through the path you came from and escape from the Cursed Forest and the Trial itself. End the Trial and gain the opportunity to ascend to the next Rank.

{Note: Choosing this option will permanently end the Trial. No further Missions will be generated, and the Evaluation will be finalised.}

Option 2:

After discovering that the Shaman's Master is aware of your existence and is preparing to slay you as a sacrifice to their Totem God, choose the path of a Tyrant.

Govern the entire Forest under your rule, slay all ruling figures within it, claim ownership of the Ancient Forest, and uncover the complete truth behind the mystery of the Curse.

{Warning: The selected path carries a significantly higher mortality rate.}]

[Reward:

Option 1: 

• Trial End

Option 2: 

• Next Chain Mission Granted.

• Rewards depend upon the Chain Mission Clearance rate.]

__

Evan stared at the two choices.

Before recovering his strength, this would have been a difficult decision.

If his Status had remained heavily suppressed, Option 1 would have been the logical choice.

Escape.

End the Trial.

Ascend to the next Rank.

He was already confident that his current Trial Evaluation would be enough to let him advance.

But now...

Evan's eyes moved toward Option 2.

There was an unspoken truth about Trials that every Awakener eventually learned.

A Trial wasn't merely a test of whether someone could survive.

It was also an opportunity.

The higher the Evaluation someone achieved, the greater the benefits they received afterwards.

Every Evaluation point mattered.

Every additional achievement could influence the rewards, opportunities, and growth available after the Trial.

Someone who barely passed with a C or D Evaluation could never receive the same benefits as someone who achieved an A or S.

The difference only became greater as they progressed.

Those who feared the Trial and chose the safest path often survived.

But they were also the ones who remained at the bottom.

Evan had no intention of becoming one of them.

Not anymore.

His strength had returned.

His Curse was almost completely suppressed.

And an entire Forest had been placed before him.

Evan's gaze sharpened.

"Option 2."

His finger pressed against the choice.

The panel immediately disappeared.

New notifications appeared before his eyes.

[Objective: Choosing the Path of Fate] ✅

[Detected that Host has decided to walk the second path.]

[Rewards are being distributed...]

[New Linked Missions are being generated...]

[You've gained a new Linked Mission.]

[Mission: Path of Tyrant]

[Description: You have chosen your destined path. The forest is your battlefield now. Eliminate every ruling being that stands in your way. Claim the forest as your own and uncover the dark mystery behind the curse that has taken root within.]

[Primary Objective: Slay all the Ruler beings in the Forest.

→ Gale Leopard Alpha 

→ Ironhide Bear

→ Grimbark Goblin Chief: Varkul]

[Hidden Objective: ??

→???]

[Rewards:

•According to the Slain Rulers Count.]

Evan looked at the three names.

He already knew about them.

The information gathered through his Mask had given him enough knowledge about the major ruling figures within the Forest.

Three Rulers.

Three targets.

But then his gaze shifted toward the final part of the panel.

The Hidden Objective.

???

Evan's eyes narrowed.

His head slowly turned toward the towering Skypeak Mountain behind him.

There was only one possibility that immediately came to mind.

'So you're connected to it.'

The mysterious serpent existence dwelling above the mountain.

The one he had yet to uncover.

Evan didn't dwell on it for long.

He jumped down from the mountain wall.

His body disappeared into the trees.

The Forest swallowed him almost instantly.

His current position was in the western region of the Forest.

As for his destination...

He had chosen it himself.

South.

If he was going to start hunting the Rulers, he might as well begin with the one whose territory was closest to his current position.

The Ironhide Bear.

Evan moved through the Forest at a steady pace.

His restored physical strength made travelling significantly easier than before.

Within only a few hours, he had crossed several miles.

The environment gradually began changing.

The dense vegetation became thinner.

Trees became less frequent.

The ground grew increasingly uneven.

Large patches of stone began appearing between the roots, and the once-dense Forest slowly transformed into a rocky landscape.

Evan slowed slightly as he examined his surroundings.

"An open rocky region..."

His eyes swept across the area.

"That should make finding them easier."

According to the information he had gathered from the Mask, the Ironhide Bear ruled over this rocky region.

It was the ruler of the Terra Bears, a powerful species adapted to the harsh terrain.

"Ironhide Bear..."

Evan muttered the name as he continued walking.

"I remember the information."

His expression became slightly more serious.

"A powerful tank-type beast with an extremely durable body, immense physical strength, and control over Earth Elemental power."

The deeper he went, the larger the rocky formations became.

There were fewer places for the beasts to hide.

That was exactly what Evan wanted.

He stepped over a large stone and continued deeper into the southern territory.

The hunt for his first Ruler had begun.

While travelling toward the southern region, Evan wasn't idle.

With his mana pool restored and his skill mastery already reaching its limit, summoning Skeletons had become almost effortless.

One after another, Skeletons appeared around him before being stored again, allowing Evan to steadily rebuild his undead army while travelling.

By the time he had crossed several miles, he had summoned more than 400 Skeletons, bringing his total summons back above 500.

Evan was quite satisfied with the change.

His mana was no longer an issue.

His stamina was no longer an issue either.

Even after travelling continuously for hours, he showed no signs of exhaustion.

His movement speed had also increased considerably compared to before.

The difference was obvious.

Evan could finally feel most of his original strength returning to his body.

And that feeling was reflected in every movement he made.

He continued travelling through the rocky terrain when his expression suddenly changed.

Something was moving nearby.

Evan stopped.

His eyes slowly swept across the surroundings.

The area remained relatively quiet.

Until now, he had only encountered a few smaller beasts, none of which were worth his attention.

But whatever he had sensed this time was different.

Evan remained still and carefully searched the area.

A few seconds passed.

Then he found it.

Several meters away, between a cluster of sharp rocky formations, a massive figure was crouched beside a hole in the ground.

It was eating something.

Evan immediately activated his presence-concealing talent and moved closer.

The closer he got, the clearer the figure became.

It was a gigantic bear.

Its body was almost four times larger than Evan's, with thick muscles covering its massive frame.

The beast was currently chewing on a metal ore pulled from the hole.

Crunch.

Its enormous jaws crushed the metal ore piece by piece as it continued eating with obvious interest.

Evan's eyes narrowed.

He recognised it immediately.

Terra Bear.

These creatures consumed minerals and metals to strengthen their bodies and evolve.

And this particular specimen was clearly an adult.

Faint Earth Elemental patterns covered its body, especially around its limbs and joints, giving its already enormous frame an even heavier appearance.

Its claws were long and razor-sharp.

Even from this distance, Evan could tell that a single swipe would be enough to tear an ordinary Hunter apart.

Evan took another step forward.

The bear suddenly stopped chewing.

Its head turned.

Its eyes locked onto his position.

ROOOAARRR!

The roar exploded through the rocky region.

Evan's expression changed.

The bear charged.

Its massive body slammed toward him as one enormous claw crashed into the ground where he had been standing.

BOOM!

The ground shattered.

Evan immediately jumped backwards.

The bear swung its claws repeatedly, tearing through the surrounding rocks as it searched for the intruder.

Evan watched its movements carefully.

'It can't locate me properly through my presence concealment, but its hearing is sharp enough to track my footsteps.'

His eyes narrowed slightly.

'But there's no reason to hide anymore.'

Evan released his talent.

At the same time, Crimson Edge appeared in his hand.

The bear's head snapped toward him.

It finally found its target.

The beast roared again and lunged.

Both massive paws were raised toward Evan's chest, intending to tear him apart.

Evan didn't retreat.

A cold smirk appeared on his face.

Flames ignited across Crimson Edge.

The moment the bear entered his range, Evan swung.

BOOOOM!

The flaming slash struck directly across its chest.

The enormous body was thrown backwards and crashed into the Earth pillar where it had been eating.

CRASH!

The bear released a painful roar.

A deep slash had appeared across its chest, burning away a large portion of its fur.

Evan's eyes narrowed with satisfaction. His strength had truly returned.

But Evan's expression quickly changed.

The flames weren't spreading as effectively as they should have.

The bear's Earth Elemental body was resisting them.

"So your Earth Element can withstand my flames..."

Evan's smirk deepened.

"Good."

Flames intensified across Crimson Edge.

"Let's see how much you can actually withstand."

Evan disappeared.

The Terra Bear barely had enough time to raise its head.

A figure appeared beside its face.

Crimson Edge descended.

SLASH!

A huge chunk of flesh was torn from the bear's shoulder.

ROOOAARRR!

The beast staggered.

Evan didn't give it time to recover.

Another slash.

Then another and another.

Each attack landed before the massive beast could properly react.

Blood sprayed across the rocky ground as deep wounds covered its body.

The Terra Bear staggered backwards, its enormous body finally losing its balance.

It roared again.

But this time, Evan recognised the difference.

That roar wasn't meant to intimidate him.

It was pain.

The beast had realised the difference between them.

Evan looked at the wounded Terra Bear and sighed.

"Hah..."

He glanced toward the surrounding rocky region.

"I need to find the boss of this area quickly. I don't have time to waste here."

Crimson Edge pierced directly through the bear's chest.

The Terra Bear's body went limp.

Several notifications popped up in front of him.

Before he could inspect them properly, several distant roars suddenly echoed through the rocky region.

ROOOAARRR!

Another roar followed.

Then another.

Evan turned toward the source.

Judging from the sound, several more bears were approaching.

He looked down at the corpse for a moment.

There was no reason to leave a useful body behind.

Evan stored the Terra Bear's corpse immediately.

The approaching roars were getting closer.

He turned toward the deeper southern region.

"Looks like I've found their territory."

Evan disappeared between the rocks.

His hunt had only just begun.

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A/N:

Hi everyone, the author here. I would like to ask if the pacing is improving or if it still feels slow. Comment and share your thoughts if you're enjoying it. I hope you like the chapters.