Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 125: Unwanted Welcoming

Kaiser crashed into a rock, completely shattering it. He rolled across the ground, spitting out rock fragments.

’Damn it.’

The Bone Whistle immediately refreshed his mind and alleviated the effects of the whisper, but the damage had been dealt.

The creature charged at him, its horns poised to strike.

Kaiser immediately stood up, picking his daggers up from the ground. He flipped over the monster, smashing his heel against the back of its head.

Thrown off its initial expectations, the monster stumbled forward, almost falling completely.

While it tried to steady itself, Kaiser summoned the Thunderhorn Shadow. It rose from his shadow like a fish emerging from water.

’Go.’

The large shadow snorted, then charged straight at the monster. The monster turned back just in time, lowering its head to clash with the shadow.

Boom!

Their horns interlocked with a deafening crash, neither moving a step back. The monster tried punching with its powerful arms, but the shadow was faster.

The Thunderhorn Shadow raised its dark claws, slashing into the monster’s thick hide. The monster roared as blood spilled from the wound.

Before it could recover, the shadow pounced on it. Like a wild predator, it bit onto the monster’s neck with its powerful jaws.

Kaiser’s eyes glinted as he watched the monster struggle beneath his Shadow.

’So Thunderhorns are actually this ferocious...?’

He had assumed they were only creatures that fought by charging at their enemies. However, it was now obvious that they could also act like predators. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The black Thunderhorn forcefully pressed down the monster’s head, pinning it to the ground. It struggled fiercely, but couldn’t overpower the predator standing above it.

Finally, the Thunderhorn turned slightly, followed by a crisp, sharp sound.

Snap!

It broke the monster’s neck, then tore off its head aggressively.

[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Cave Sinner]

The Nirad System’s message was timely. The creature’s body turned limp and lifeless.

Staring at the Thunderhorn that was exuding shadowy black smoke, Kaiser nodded subtly.

’As I thought. Whatever my Shadows kill is also considered my kill.’

Straightening his back, he dismissed the Shadow creature. It dispersed into black smoke and slithered back into his shadow like a child returning home.

Kaiser approached the Cave Sinner’s corpse, surgically cutting into its flesh and harvesting its soul crystal. Then, he removed the horns and hooves, storing them for sale later.

Before he left, he took off some meat from it. After all, no matter how much he could control his bodily functions, he couldn’t cheat hunger.

He slipped back into stealth mode, sticking to the dark corners and hiding from plain sight.

Gradually, the sky got brighter, and the dark, stormy clouds eventually disappeared. The hard, rocky ground also turned into fine sand, allowing his feet to sink in slightly.

As a wave of heat brushed against his skin, he finally confirmed that he had arrived in the Northern Region of the Main Island.

He jumped down the small cliff, landing on the sandy soil of the desert.

’With this much heat, I’d sweat like hell.’

Surprisingly, the Nullweave Carapace suddenly shifted, expanding into something slightly loose. Instantly, Kaiser felt the heat reduce, and the temperature around him was regulated.

’Oh? Is this an effect of the first function?’

Perhaps the sudden change in temperature was considered an attack, so it adapted and resisted the heat. Although this was only a guess, he believed he was right.

Heaving a sigh, Kaiser looked around. The ground was plain, so he could see further into the distance. A few sand dunes rose, along with half-collapsed structures of ancient buildings.

This sense of tranquility was the perfect condition for things to go wrong—or perhaps not.

Summoning Virtuous Sorrow, he cautiously walked deeper into the desert. A soft wind blew occasionally, kicking up dust.

Kaiser approached one of the dilapidated buildings, shielding his eyes from the dust.

"This structure looks old, but is surprisingly strong." He pressed his hand against the wall, "For it to reach this stage, it must have been worn down by time..."

He slowly paused, turning around with a cautious look. His senses tingled, telling him something terrifying had set its sight on him.

Finally, he spotted that creature. Half-buried in the soil, an enormous, dark-skinned worm was gazing at him. On its head, three grotesque eyes stared at him like prey.

After a moment of tensed silence, they moved at the same time. Kaiser moved swiftly, increasing the distance between them as fast as he could. The creature did the opposite, trying to approach him.

It burrowed into the ground, pushing through the soil at stunning speed.

Kaiser fled from the creature, a deadpan expression on his face.

’Crap! Crap! Crap! It’s an Evolved...Horror?!’

He hadn’t expected that his welcoming gift from the Northern Region would be an Evolved creature. Against something that powerful, he had no chance of survival if he fought.

Even as he ran, he felt the distance between them being closed rapidly. It was obvious—the creature’s speed far surpassed his, and he’d soon be caught.

’What to do?’

He thought, then summoned the Bottom Arachnid on the run. He leaped onto the spider’s back, commanding it to run forward at breakneck speed.

The Shadow’s support helped him maintain the distance for some time, but it would soon catch up.

’To stop it, I need something that can match its force.’

Although the Cursed Knight Kara was strong, she was merely a Rank 3 Awakened. There was nothing she could do against an Evolved Horror.

Narrowing his eyes, Kaiser glanced back. ’I’ll have to work with minor distractions for now.’

He commanded the Bottom Arachnid to run in zigzag, climbing over dilapidated buildings and a few sand dunes.

To his utter surprise, the creature broke through every obstacle. The bricks he thought strong were shattered easily, and the dunes collapsed after the creature burrowed through them.

’Oops. That isn’t working.’

At this point, the creature was right behind them. Kaiser gazed at its dark skin barely surfacing above-ground, his expression full of irritation.

’Damnit!’

Cursing, he chose to sacrifice the Bottom Arachnid, jumping off it. At the same time, the Evolved Horror shot from the ground, its mouth opening wide to swallow the Shadow spider.

Kaiser didn’t even look back, even as he felt the shadow returning into his crystal core—mangled.

The instant the Shadow spider mysteriously disappeared from the creature’s mouth, it refocused on its initial target—Kaiser.