Alex still couldn't believe his eyes.
After working like a slave for 13 hours, he had finally returned home and collapsed straight onto his bed from exhaustion. However, when he opened his eyes, he realized that he had shrunk and was in a forest.
At first, he couldn't understand what was happening. But by chance, when he heard the conversation of an old man and a child around ten years old passing by, he finally realized what was going on.
"Grandpa, what kind of plant Spirit Beast do I need for my first Spirit Ring?"
The grandfather spoke with a smile:
"Your Martial Soul is the Extremely Poisonous Grass. Naturally, we need to find a poison-type plant. If we can find a 300-year-old one, that would be perfect. Then, in the future, you can become a Spirit Ancestor like your grandpa."
After saying this, he laughed.
"Spirit Ancestor? First Spirit Ring?"
Alex was almost scared out of his wits.
Stuttering to himself, he murmured:
"D-d-did I… end up in the Douluo world?"
At that moment, Alex heard a voice.
Beep!
The Extreme Predator Evolution System has been activated.
As a novel reader, Alex knew very well what a system meant. Excitedly, he called out:
"System, what is your mission?"
Beep!
"The mission of this system is to make its host the strongest monster in the multiverse."
A panel suddenly appeared in front of Alex:
Name: None
Race: Black-Patterned Lizard (Juvenile) [Lowest-Level Spirit Beast]
Age: 1 Year (Potential: 76 Years)
Combat Power: 1 Year (Almost the same as a human with Level 0 Spirit Power)
Skill: Weak Tail Strike
When Alex looked further down, he saw the Mission section:
Mission 1: Give yourself a name. (Reward: 1 Year)
Mission 2: Eat 10 wild herbs. (Reward: 1 Year)
Mission 3: Kill and eat a 10-year-old Spirit Beast. (Reward: 10 Years)
…
…
The missions continued like this.
Alex set his sights on the first two missions, which were the easiest for now.
At first, he thought about using his own name, but then gave up. He felt that some things should be left in the past.
So, he decided to give himself a cool new name.
His new name:
Ashryn Nullfire
After saying the name Ashryn Nullfire, the system responded instantly.
Beep!
Name successfully registered.
Mission 1 completed.
Reward: +1 Year obtained.
Ashryn's body trembled slightly. He felt a warm current of energy flow through him.
His weak body seemed to become a little stronger.
The panel appeared again:
Name: Ashryn Nullfire
Race: Black-Patterned Lizard (Juvenile)
Age: 2 (Potential: 76 Years)
Combat Power: 2 Years
Skill: Weak Tail Strike
Ashryn narrowed his eyes and muttered:
"So… it really works."
After closing the panel, Ashryn carefully looked around.
The forest was filled with dense trees and tall grass. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and shone on the ground.
"Ten wild herbs… It shouldn't be too hard," he muttered.
With his small lizard body, he slowly moved forward.
Because of his weak legs, he couldn't move fast, but he was patient.
After a while, he spotted an area filled with thin-leafed green herbs.
"This must be it."
He used his tail to pull the herbs out.
At first, he was clumsy and lost his balance several times, falling to the ground.
But he didn't give up.
First herb…
Second herb…
Third herb…
As time passed, he became more skilled.
When he picked the tenth herb, a small smile appeared on his face.
"Done."
He put the herbs into his mouth one by one and chewed them.
They tasted bitter and tough, but he had no choice.
After swallowing them, he heard the system again.
Beep!
Mission 2 completed.
Reward: +1 Year obtained.
That familiar warmth spread through his body once more.
The panel updated:
Age: 3
Combat Power: 3 Years
Ashryn gently swayed his tail.
"At this rate… I can really become stronger."
Ashryn knew that he was still far too weak to hunt a 10-year-old Spirit Beast.
So, he started browsing through the other missions.
After a while, one mission caught his attention:
Mission 7: Train the Weak Tail Strike for 1 hour.
Reward: 3 Years
Ashryn's eyes lit up.
"This… is perfect for me."
Ashryn looked around to find a suitable place.
Nearby, there was a thick tree and several large rocks. It was perfect for training.
"A tree… makes a good target."
He stood in front of it with his small body.
He took a deep breath and pulled his tail back.
Smack!
His tail struck the tree hard.
Pain spread through his body.
"That hurt… but I have to endure it."
He gritted his teeth and swung again.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
At first, his strikes were weak and irregular.
Sometimes he missed, sometimes he fell to the ground.
But he didn't give up.
Minutes turned into hours.
His tail went numb.
His muscles trembled.
His breathing grew rapid.
Still, he continued.
When he delivered the final strike, he almost collapsed.
At that moment—
Beep!
Mission 7 completed.
Weak Tail Strike level increased.
Reward: +3 Years obtained.
His body was covered in golden light.
Warm energy spread through every cell.
His damaged scales regenerated.
His muscles became tighter.
His tail grew thicker and harder.
The panel updated:
Age: 6
Combat Power: 6 Years
Skill: Weak Tail Strike (Level 2)
Ashryn gently swung his tail.
Whoosh!
The air split.
His eyes shone.
"I'm… not the same as before."
Seeing this, Ashryn became even happier.
He quickly opened the panel again to check if there were any more missions.
Soon, he noticed a new one:
Mission: Sleep for 3 hours.
Reward: 1 Year
He paused for a moment, then laughed.
"A mission like this?"
But when he realized how tired his body was, he understood that it was exactly what he needed.
"Alright… time to rest."
He curled up under a large nearby leaf.
Wrapped his tail around his body and closed his eyes.
Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.
Ashryn opened his eyes with a gentle sense of coolness.
The morning mist still covered the forest. Distant bird calls echoed around him.
For a moment, he tried to remember where he was.
Then it suddenly hit him.
"The mission… the sleeping mission!"
At that moment—
Beep!
3-hour sleep completed.
Mission successfully completed.
Reward: +1 Year obtained.
That familiar warmth spread through his body again.
His bones lightly crackled.
His muscles grew stronger.
His senses sharpened.
He could now see his surroundings more clearly.
He could even notice tiny insects moving in the distance.
The panel appeared:
Age: 7
Combat Power: 7 Years
Skill: Weak Tail Strike (Level 2)
Ashryn stood up and swung his tail.
Whoosh!
This time, the strike was faster and stronger.
A small nearby stone split in two.
A small nearby stone split in two.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Did this… really happen just by sleeping?"
The corner of his lips curled upward slightly.
"With this system… I can truly reach the top."
Ashryn started looking for missions that could help him further develop his abilities.
He carefully examined the panel.
After scrolling for a long time, he finally found one.
Mission: Use Weak Tail Strike 1,000 times.
Reward: 10 Years
He froze for a moment.
"One thousand times…?"
Then his eyes shone with determination.
"It'll be tough… but it's worth it."
After accepting the mission, Ashryn took a deep breath.
"One thousand times… No matter how long it takes, I'll finish it."
He stood in front of the thick tree nearby.
That tree had become his training partner.
He pulled his tail back.
Smack!
First strike.
Smack!
Second strike.
At first, everything went smoothly.
The first hundred strikes were easy.
His muscles were still strong.
His breathing was steady.
But after passing two hundred—
His tail began to ache.
Some of his scales cracked.
His breathing became uneven.
"Don't stop…"
Three hundred.
Four hundred.
Five hundred.
Every strike now caused pain.
After six hundred, his body started trembling.
His legs could barely support him.
He collapsed several times.
But each time, he stood back up.
"I… won't give up…"
Eight hundred.
Nine hundred.
His vision darkened.
His ears rang.
When he reached the final strikes—
Nine hundred ninety-nine.
He swung his tail one last time.
CRACK!
One thousand!
The tree split with a deep cracking sound.
Ashryn collapsed to the ground.
He was gasping for breath.
His body wouldn't move.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness—
Beep!
Mission completed.
Weak Tail Strike greatly strengthened.
Reward: +10 Years obtained.
A silver-purple light wrapped around his body.
His broken scales fully regenerated.
His muscles hardened like steel.
His tail shone like metal.
The pain vanished.
The exhaustion disappeared.
The panel appeared:
Age: 17
Combat Power: 30 Years (Equivalent to a Level 3 Spirit Apprentice)
Skill: Weak Tail Strike (Level 4)
Ashryn slowly stood up.
This time, he gently swung his tail.
Vooom!
The air exploded.
The tree shattered.
There was no fear left in his eyes.
Only determination.
"I… have no limits now."
Ashryn stared at the screen, his eyes widening.
"Thirty years…?"
Just a few days ago, he was no different from an ordinary beast.
Now, he had reached the level of a true Spirit Apprentice.
He tightened his tail.
"Next target… a 10-year Spirit Beast."
Ashryn took a deep breath after closing the panel.
"I'm ready."
He wasn't just stronger now.
His senses had sharpened as well.
He could hear even the faintest sounds.
He slowly moved deeper into the forest.
With his small body, he could easily hide among the grass.
After a while, he noticed bushes swaying slightly ahead.
"Something's there…"
He held his breath.
Carefully, he approached.
Ashryn took a deep breath after closing the panel.
"I'm ready."
He wasn't just stronger now.
His senses had sharpened as well.
He could hear even the faintest sounds.
He slowly moved deeper into the forest.
With his small body, he could easily hide among the grass.
After a while, he noticed bushes swaying slightly ahead.
"Something's there…"
He held his breath.
Carefully, he approached.
Peeking through the bushes, he saw a small creature.
It looked like a gray rat with spiky fur on its back.
The panel opened automatically:
Race: Spiked-Back Gray Rat
Age: 12 Years
Danger Level: Low–Medium
Ashryn's heart raced.
"Twelve years… exactly what I need."
But he didn't rush.
He wouldn't repeat his past mistakes.
He slowly circled behind it.
Checked the wind direction.
His scent wasn't reaching the target.
Perfect.
He tensed his tail.
His muscles tightened.
Then he lunged.
Whoosh!
He closed the distance instantly.
The rat panicked and tried to flee.
But it was too late.
Ashryn swung his tail.
CRACK!
It struck its back.
Bones snapped.
The creature screamed in pain.
But it wasn't dead yet.
It turned and bared its teeth.
Poisonous saliva dripped.
"Let's finish it."
Ashryn attacked again.
This time, gathering all his strength.
Weak Tail Strike!
Boom!
The second hit landed on its head.
The rat collapsed.
Its body trembled.
Then went still.
Silence fell.
Ashryn waited a few seconds.
Then approached.
It was dead.
"I did it…"
He had completed his first real hunt.
The system's voice sounded.
Beep!
10+ year Spirit Beast defeated.
Mission 3 completed.
Reward: +10 Years obtained.
His body was wrapped in purple-golden light.
His power surged explosively.
The panel appeared:
Age: 27
Combat Power: 45 Years (Equivalent to Level 5 Spirit Apprentice)
Skill: Weak Tail Strike (Level 5)
Ashryn raised his head.
There was no fear in his eyes anymore.
Only hunger.
"This… is just the beginning."