The moment Ryan stepped across the first layer of fallen leaves, the forest of death once again greeted him with a low, distant beast-cry, the kind that made even seasoned hunters glance over their shoulder.
This place… was made for leveling.
Last time, he only skimmed the edge, weak level-1 beasts, barely enough to whet the system's appetite.
But this time?
He pushed deeper. Much deeper.
Li Mingtian?
A genius? A "once-in-a-century talent"?
Ryan snorted. That man was just a stepping stone. A stone so small, he barely felt it under his foot.
Shangguan Siyu? Even less of a concern. Whether she was a prodigy or the darling of Heaven's Gate meant nothing.
He would crush her, too.
The real obstacle was Heaven's Gate itself, a sect so vast and ancient that geniuses like Shangguan Siyu were only drops in their ocean. And if Ryan wanted to slap their face properly, he needed overwhelming, absolute strength.
Half a year was unnecessary.
A month, or half that, was more than enough.
He pushed the thought aside and activated Sky Eye.
The world around him sharpened, shadows taking form, energy fluctuations outlining invisible beasts in hideouts, glowing weak points on monsters like faint stars.
A bulky silhouette lumbered into view.
Ironhide Rhino-Level 12 Monster
Its three-meter-tall frame shook the ground with every step. Thick hide gleamed like metal plates, and steam puffed from its nostrils in bursts.
As soon as the beast spotted him, its scarlet eyes widened.
"GrrRRRHHH, !"
The earth trembled as the rhino charged, four hooves hammering a rapid rhythm across the stone and dirt.
Ryan's blood heated.
"Good."
He kicked off the ground, Phantom Step flaring under his feet. His figure rippled, split, and blurred, leaving only drifting afterimages as he slid to the rhino's blind spot.
Wind exploded behind him as the rhinoceros thundered past, missing him by inches.
Its massive body, meanwhile, plowed straight into a tree, splintering the trunk in half.
Ryan didn't waste the opening.
His fist tightened.
Basic Fist!
"Bang!"
The impact cracked through the clearing. The rhino's enormous body lifted sideways, sliding, tearing dirt, rolling for several meters before thudding onto its side.
Dust and leaves spiraled in the air.
But the beast stood again slowly, breathing harder.
But still standing.
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "That hide really lives up to its name."
A lesser beast would've died instantly. But this monster… nothing but bruises.
The rhino pawed the ground, muscles trembling with fury. It spat a breath of mist that curled white in the air, lowered its razor-sharp horn, and charged again, faster this time, learning from its mistake.
Ryan moved before the beast even finished stepping.
He vanished sideways, Phantom Step sweeping him into a streak of smoke.
The horn grazed only air.
His palm then glowed faintly. "Heavenly Star Palm!"
This martial skill, earned by killing Li Meiran, exploded with a force far superior to basic attacks.
"Boom!"
The palm strike slammed into the rhino's temple. Dust blasted outward. The beast's massive legs buckled as if cut from beneath, and it crashed onto one knee, dazed, shaking its head.
Still not dead.
Ryan's lip twitched. "As expected of a defensive-type monster."
But he was done playing.
Again, the palm rose. "Heavenly Star Palm!"
Another thunderous crack. The beast's limbs sank deeper, its head smashing into the forest floor, splitting it.
Still breathing… barely.
Ryan clicked his tongue, impatient now, and lifted his hand once more, light dancing around it.
"Then die already."
"Heavenly Star Palm!"
The third strike landed like a meteor.
Cracks exploded across the rhino's skull. Its body trembled violently… then slumped.
Blood pooled beneath its chin, steaming on the cold forest ground.
A long silence followed.
Then,
"Ding! Killed Ironhide Rhino, 3000 EXP."
Ryan exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That thing was more trouble than it was worth."
The hide was impressive, the defense monstrous… but the EXP?
Barely good enough. Too slow.
He scanned the deeper forest, where the trees grew darker, the wind howled deeper, and the air itself seemed to pulse with beastly energy.
A grin spread across his face. "If that's the weakest monster in this zone…"
His fingers tightened around the idea of the forest's heart.
"The real EXP awaits deeper inside."
His silhouette flickered and disappeared into the shadows of the Forest of Death.
Ryan darted through layers of shadows like a streak of lightning, boots barely whispering against the moss-slick ground.
He meant to avoid ironhide rhinos entirely as they were not only tough but also gave him less EXP.
But fate, apparently, found that funny.
Barely five minutes into his run, another hulking silhouette blocked his path, a second Ironhide Rhino, its metal-like hide catching a weak glint of sunlight.
Ryan's brow twitched. "You again?"
The beast scraped its hooves, lowered its horn, and charged with thunder in its wake.
Phantom Step flared. Ryan twisted aside, barely avoiding the lethal horn, then slammed a Heavenly Star Palm straight into its ribs. Even so, the monster only coughed, staggered, and roared again.
It took the strength of "nine bulls and two tigers" to finally drop it, Ryan panting, hands sore, patience nearly gone.
When it finally collapsed, he spat out a breath.
"Too slow."
He flicked away the blood on his knuckles and scanned the woods.
To go from Nine-Star Elite Warrior to become an Upper Elite Warrior required 100,000 EXP.
Yet every one of these thick-skinned beasts barely offered him 3000.
Even if he fought without stopping, he'd kill, what?
Thirty beasts a day?
Three days would barely net him three levels. Barely enough to crush someone like Li Mingtian.
Annoyance rippled across his expression at that thought.
He wanted overwhelming superiority. Not a narrow victory.
He needed efficiency. Something bigger.
And then, a spark flashed through his eyes. "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"
He snapped open his system panel.
God of War Value: 40
Enough to use his ending skill, the mountain-splitting, earth-shattering group annihilation technique, three times.
Perfect.
His lips curled.
"So be it. Time to play this like an online game, pull monsters, gather them… and wipe them all out at once."
Leaves burst under his feet as Ryan weaved through thick underbrush, the forest opening and closing like a shifting maze.
Ahead, the first target: A massive pack of Blast Wolves, their fur bristling with static, patrolled around a tree hollow. Towering at its center stood the Blast Wolf King, scar-striped and snarling.
Ryan grinned.
He slammed his fist into a massive tree beside them.
BOOM!
The tree cracked down the middle.
Dozens of wolf heads snapped toward him.
The Wolf King roared, its howl rolling across the forest floor like thunder.
Every wolf lunged.
"Perfect."
Ryan pivoted sharply and sprinted. The wolf pack stormed behind him like a living tide, paws thudding, saliva spraying, eyes burning red with fury.
But Ryan didn't stop there.
He zigzagged through the woods, pelting stones at nests, kicking trunks, shouting provocations at passing beasts. He did everything short of mooning them to ensure they followed.
A slumbering earth lizard hissed awake.
A cluster of flame rabbits exploded from their burrows.
A massive thorn boar snorted and barrelled after him.
Level 10 monsters.
Level 15 monsters.
Even a towering Level 20 Rockback Bear lumbered after him, smashing aside trees with every enraged swipe.
All of them bellowing.
All of them are chasing him.