"It has been a while," the Wild Forest King said calmly, his voice echoing through the clearing. "Among all races, only a handful ever dare to come here. And those who do almost always die. You will join them as well."
There was a reason those words carried such weight.
At this stage, a combat power of 4,000 was terrifying. It was far beyond what any normal level 10 being should possess. In fact, for most players, even reaching half of that number would already be considered monstrous.
And yet—
[Combat Power: 1,620 (+2,520)]
Leon glanced at his own status panel, then lifted his head.
A faint grin formed on his lips as he raised his staff and pointed it forward without hesitation.
The Wild Forest King stood at roughly two meters tall. His body was humanoid, but his head was unmistakably that of a serpent, scales glinting faintly beneath the filtered forest light.
A long sword rested in his hands, its blade polished and sharp, and an oppressive aura radiated from him without restraint.
He did not rise from his throne of twisted vines.
To him, Leon was simply another challenger who had managed to make it this far. Most of the intruders who reached this clearing couldn't even defeat the [Ruin Guardian] and the [Flower Demon King]. There was no reason for him to move yet.
Fwoosh!
The Flower Demon King shifted its massive body slightly. Its enormous petals trembled as a thick pink fragrance spread through the air, rolling forward like a visible mist.
The scent filled the clearing in an instant, surrounding Leon completely.
This was its true power.
Anyone caught by that fragrance would lose themselves, their mind eroded until nothing remained but obedience.
Once controlled, escape was impossible. They would become a puppet for the rest of their life.
And yet, Leon did not react at all.
The fragrance washed over him, seeped into the air around him, and then… nothing happened.
"…?"
The Flower Demon King froze.
Even the Wild Forest King narrowed his eyes slightly from atop his throne.
"Your combat power," the king muttered slowly, finally focusing fully on Leon. "It is—"
Strong Fireball!
Leon did not give him the chance to finish.
Spirit surged through his staff as he released a fully condensed fireball. The level 5 spell flew forward in a blazing arc and slammed directly into the Flower Demon King's massive body.
BOOM!
The explosion was violent. Flames engulfed the flower in an instant, charring its petals black and tearing through its core.
There was no resistance. No struggle. The overwhelming difference in combat power made everything else meaningless.
The Flower Demon King, a boss capable of enslaving others with ease, was annihilated in a single attack.
Its massive body collapsed into ash.
As soon as it died, the [Ruin Guardian] trembled violently. The control binding it vanished, and clarity returned to it.
The moment it registered what had happened, fear overwhelmed it completely.
Its first instinct was to run. How could it fight a human who had just erased the very being that controlled it?
"Useless."
The Wild Forest King finally moved.
He rose from his throne in a single smooth motion and slashed his blade forward without even looking at the guardian.
The sword flashed.
BOOM!
The [Ruin Guardian] shattered instantly, its body breaking apart before it could even take a step.
"Just stay down."
Leon wasn't surprised by the king's ability to speak.
In his past life, he had long grown used to the fact that truly powerful bosses possessed intelligence, awareness, and even language. That didn't change the outcome. A fight was still inevitable.
Fwish!
The Wild Forest King vanished from his original position and reappeared in front of Leon, silver blade cutting through the air in a wide arc.
Leon raised his own sword and met the strike head-on.
Clang!
Their blades collided, neither yielding.
BOOM!
The shockwave from the impact surged outward, slicing through the surrounding trees. Thick trunks were cut cleanly in half, crashing to the ground behind them.
"Hah," the king said, his snake-like head shifting slightly as his gaze locked onto Leon. "I can tell immediately. You're the strongest person who has ever come here... from a low-level world that is."
That statement carried weight.
Dungeons like this one existed across all of [Eternal Ascension]. Every novice village had its own version of the [Wild Ruins].
Which meant that this king had fought thousands upon thousands of challengers, humans, beasts, and races Leon had never even heard of.
And yet, none of them compared to the human standing before him now.
Leon did not respond.
Slash!
The Wild Forest King pressed forward, unleashing a series of rapid, powerful strikes. Each slash was precise, heavy, and meant to kill. The pressure was immense.
Leon met every single attack.
His movements were calm, deliberate, and refined by experience. He didn't retreat. He didn't panic. Each time the blade came toward him, he responded perfectly.
Even someone with equal combat power would normally falter under such relentless pressure.
But the king couldn't find a single opening.
"And yet you carry a staff," the king said while attacking, his tone tinged with curiosity. "How strange. I have never seen a swordsman who fights with magic."
Leon already knew his path was unusual.
A swordsman who wielded magic, a mage who refused to abandon close combat—it was a difficult and unforgiving route. But it was the path he had chosen in his past life.
And this time, he was walking it far better.
Leon stepped back, narrowly dodging a downward slash, then raised his staff.
Lightning Strike! Strong Fireball!
A bolt of lightning shot toward the king. The Wild Forest King twisted his body and dodged it with ease, but in doing so, he exposed himself.
"Oh."
BOOM!
The fireball slammed directly into the position he had moved to, detonating violently and sending him flying backward.
His body crashed against the vine-covered throne, shattering parts of it on impact.
"Haha…" The king rose slowly, his body clearly damaged, scales scorched and cracked. "I see now… you are one of them."
"…?"
Leon tilted his head slightly but didn't dwell on the words. He tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to continue.
Vision Enhancement!
Spirit flowed through his eyes. The world sharpened instantly. Movements became clearer, slower, easier to track.
And then—
"The culmination of my strength," the king said, his eyes gleaming as he lowered his sword to his side. Power gathered around him in waves. "You die with me."
Leon's eyes widened. He didn't hesitate.
He rushed forward at full speed, closing the distance in an instant.
But just as he was about to reach him—
Crescent Slash!
The Wild Forest King swung his blade with everything he had. Power erupted outward, forming a massive crescent-shaped slash that tore through the air.
Leon reacted instantly. He swung his sword vertically, pouring all his strength into the block.
The impact was overwhelming.
The force hurled him backward several meters, his feet carving lines into the ground as he struggled to hold his stance.
And then—
SLASH!
The crescent cut through his blade. It struck Leon directly.
"HAH!" the Wild Forest King laughed, convinced of his victory. "An insect will always remain an insect. Especially a human from a low-level world."
He believed the fight was over.
But then—
"I'll be taking that skill of yours."
The voice came from behind him. The king's eyes widened.
A blade flashed and his head fell.
Leon stood behind the collapsing corpse, breathing heavily.
"Phew."
He looked down at the body of the [Wild Forest King].
The reason he survived was simple: the [Purple Jade Necklace] had activated its passive ability, forming a shield that absorbed the fatal blow.
Without that initial resistance, he would have died instantly though.
Ding!
[You have killed "Flower Demon King (Boss)" and gained 1,000 experience points.]
[You have killed "Wild Forest King (Zone Boss)" and gained 3,000 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
It was unfortunate that the Wild Forest King had destroyed the [Ruin Guardian], costing Leon its loot.
But Leon didn't linger on that thought.
Without wasting a second, he opened his [Storage Space], eyes fixed on what the two bosses had left behind.
...
A/N
Donate powerstones if you want, it greatly helps the book :D!