A massive Qi Tiger prowled on the hill, droll spilling down its massive jaw as the gigantic monster prowled in search of prey.
Unknown to it though, it already turned from predator into prey.
Psychological Invisibility!
The Qi Tiger never realized what happened till it was too late.
SHWING!
Even before the apex predator of the hill could use its elemental powers, it died a pitiful death from a lethal assassination by another prowling apex predator, a Demon.
DING!
~----~
[You have killed a Level 25 Southern Hill Flame Tiger!]
[You have gained +18000 EXP!]
~----~
Still in a state of Psychological Invisibility, Julian looked at his massive arms that were perfectly built with well-toned muscles.
In that moment he realized. 'The combination of a Demon and the Mage Class is a mix made in heaven!'
Mixing the unique magical powers of a Mage plus the raw physical strength of a Demon formed a combo so deadly that it could kill powerful Qi Beasts even before they could react, just like this unfortunate Flame Tiger.
As for his gains, compared to before 18,000 EXP seemed like a lot but the higher he leveled, the less value EXP in the tens of thousands had.
When Julian did the calculation, he grimaced. 'It's going to become very hard for me to level up the stronger I become'.
His realizations didn't stop him from hunting though.
Over the past 30 minutes or so since he returned to the hill, he'd encountered different types of Qi Beasts here but the predominant types of Qi Beasts here were a unique type of Imp-like humanoid monster.
They filled the hill in the hundreds, but they were the lowest in the food chain here. Julian guessed that they were even hunted by the Goblins before.
The apex predators here though were the Qi Bears, the Qi Tigers, and different types of Qi Serpents that prowled the hill.
And unlike in the valley where most of the Qi Beasts ranged between Level 5 to 10, most of the Qi Beasts here were mostly between Level 10 to 15, while the apex predators ranged between Level 20 to 30.
Julian found it easy to hunt the Qi Bears and Tigers with his repertoire of skills, but it was harder to hunt the Serpents due to their uncanny ability to sniff him out even with Psychological Invisibility activated.
This resulted in his most difficult battles being against the Serpents prowling this hill.
Still, he dominated as the apex predator despite being just Level 16.
Despite the fact that the debauchery system didn't give him another high-paying system mission, he continued hunting not just for the combat experience but also to train his emotional control.
After the monumental event of hunting the Juvenile Cockatriss, he realized that he had a better grasp and control over his emotions.
It was easier to control his emotions.
And with it, Sin Catalyst became even more efficient.
If not because of getting mentally tired and exhausted, with Dragon Qi Core and his current grasp of his emotions with Sin Catalyst, Julian felt like he could go a whole week hunting without ever getting worried about his qi being exhausted.
At this point, he finally got bored of the experience in this region and decided to end his adventure and return to Dreadmoor.
On his way back, just before he could climb down from the hill to the valley below, Julian had a sudden chance encounter.
KABOOM!
The hill rocked violently, the ground shaking like an earthquake was imminent as entire trees were uprooted in a mighty rolling impact.
With Psychological Invisibility already active since, Julian crouched immediately and that was when he saw a gigantic shadow toppling from the hill into the valley below.
The shadow landed with a resounding boom.
Julian immediately peeped, and then he saw a mighty 20-feet long Serpent thrashing violently with a wild gaze in its predatory eyes.
Its skin was heavily armored with vivid poisonous green scales with a lighter green underbelly. Its eyes were large and round, glowing yellow like lanterns.
Its head was massive and shaped like a Theropod Dinosaur, while its massive maw had rows of sharp, venomous fangs.
Its long tongue kissed the air and hissed in a violent and angry manner.
Julian was stunned. 'A Basilisk?'
'It's been hiding in this hill?' He felt his blood run cold as his eyes narrowed, but then he had a different question. 'What disturbed it from its nest?'
The moment he asked the question in his mind, Julian finally noticed the recipient of the mighty Basilisk's ire- a Centaur.
This Centaur was massive, taller than even Julian at almost 12 feet as he moved with speed and grace, evading the powerful attacks of the angry Basilisk even as he wielded a bow and arrow with his mighty upper body.
Even through his brown animal fur attire, his back and shoulder muscles showed and were built like mountains.
His biceps when he pulled his arrow bulged taut like tight strings.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The duo of Monster vs Centaur rolled through the valley, causing untold devastation in an extremely destructive battle.
Watching them from on top the hill, Julian's eyes gleamed.
'What happened?'
The moment he asked the question, his vivid imagination geared to life and he imagined a scenario.
He imagined an Archer wanting to augment his arrows with the lethal venom of a Basilisk.
He imagined this Archer going to great lengths to track said Basilisk, locate its nest, and device a hunting plan for it. But in the process of hunting the slumbering Basilisk, something went wrong and the beast woke up, resulting in this chaotic and intense battle.
Julian's eyes gleamed with interest even as his blood boiled.
Feeling the powerful explosion of qi coming from the battle between these 2 powerhouses, he felt no fear, he only felt thrill and anticipation.
'Can I fish in troubled waters?'
The moment he had the thought, the debauchery system lit up with a series of new notification threads.
DING!
~----~
[You have received a new System Mission: Apex Hunter!]
[Mission Requirement: You have stumbled upon a battle between an Apex Hunter and an Apex Predator. Choose your prey and hunt!]
[Mission Reward: 4,000,000 EXP!]
…
[Bonus Requirement Available!]
[Mission Bonus Reward: 20,000,000 EXP!]
~----~