The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 21: Demonic Jungle Serpent, Breaking Stage 2
"What?" Lilia gasped, unable to believe her ears.
Elves were far more mysterious than vampires. How could Simon, someone she had lived with day and night, actually be an Elf?
"Father, does that mean Simon is protecting the Elf Saintess?" Lilia asked, puzzled.
Lucas nodded. "Go get some rest. Blackspire is in chaos lately. Stay inside."
"Okay." Lilia nodded obediently, then left the study.
She returned to her room and pulled a black outfit from under her bed. She tied up her long red hair and dressed as a man. Quietly, while no servants were watching, she slipped out of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Her movement was stealthy, but the hidden guards saw it all clearly and reported it to Lucas immediately.
"Never mind. Let the girl go. Just keep an eye on her from the shadows and make sure she stays safe."
Lucas sighed. He knew Lilia was going to find Allen. With the hidden guards watching her, she wouldn’t face any danger.
...
In the wild.
The mountains were thick with trees, monsters roamed freely, and human adventurers were rare to see. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Allen walked along the main road, reading a manual on Sabersmanship.
Past adventurers glanced at the giant long Saber on his back with curiosity.
But when they realized he was just a newbie, they lost interest instantly.
The wild wasn’t like the city. It wasn’t just full of magical beasts; there were also outlaws and escaped criminals. People called them "refugees," and they robbed and killed freely. They were more dangerous than the monsters.
Allen looked like a fresh graduate from the Academy. Anyone who walked into the wild alone like that was asking for death. No one wanted to get involved with them.
[You have learned Basic Saber Technique. Current Rank: 1, Level: 1]
A prompt flashed on the screen.
Allen finally had a basic understanding of the Saber techniques.
Basic Saber Technique wasn’t a standard skill; it was more like an internal method. You had to reach a certain level before you could practice the actual Saber moves.
"This doesn’t seem that hard," Allen murmured to himself. He put away the manual, struggled a bit to pull the giant Saber from his back, and scanned the surroundings. He was eager to find a target to test his skills on.
Basic Saber Technique wasn’t a skill, so it wasn’t buffed by The Heaven-Cursed class.
However, all four of his basic attributes were already over 300, far surpassing most powerful Stage 2 fighters.
Swish-swish.
Suddenly, rustling sounds erupted from the jungle. A grey-brown wild boar, the size of a young ox, burst out.
Two dagger-like tusks protruded from its long snout, gleaming coldly. Its icy eyes locked onto Allen, and its thick front legs dug into the ground as it crouched for a charge.
It was a Stage 1, Level 5 Tusked Wild Boar.
Allen’s eyes lit up. He held his long Saber horizontally in front of him, eager to fight.
Roar!
Feeling challenged, the Tusked Wild Boar let out a thunderous roar. Despite its clumsy build, it exploded with terrifying speed, charging straight at Allen.
Allen didn’t dodge or block. He gripped the hilt with both hands and swung down with all his might.
Bang!
Allen felt his arm go numb and a sharp sting in his palm, but the Tusked Wild Boar shrieked, stumbling backward. It nearly fell, and a bloody gash appeared on its head, bleeding heavily.
"Hmph, its strength is average, but its defense is tough."
Allen quickly gauged the creature’s power.
"Roar!"
The Tusked Wild Boar let out a pain-filled, shrill scream. It glared hatefully at Allen one last time, then turned and fled.
It could feel that this human was far too strong. It had no chance.
"Run? Too late!"
Allen lunged forward in a single step. He unleashed the Basic Saber Technique. His giant Saber flashed with cold light, wrapping around the fleeing boar.
Splat...
Blood sprayed everywhere. A heartbreaking cry echoed through the dense forest.
The Tusked Wild Boar couldn’t resist at all and collapsed into a pool of blood in an instant.
"This thing was too weak. No challenge at all," Allen muttered, shaking the blood off his Saber, clearly not satisfied yet.
He had defeated the boar purely because of his own stats.
Besides, since this Tusked Wild Boar was only Stage 1, Level 5, it couldn’t be used for advancement quests. Fighting it was a waste of time.
Allen took the creature’s crystal core and its pair of huge, sharp tusks, then pressed deeper into the jungle to hunt for Stage 2 monsters.
The jungle was quiet here. Adventurers were rare to see now, and powerful monsters often roamed.
Allen stayed alert, not daring to be careless.
Soon, he found a suitable target.
It was a Stage 2, Level 1 Demonic Jungle Serpent. These creatures were masters of camouflage, their teeth were filled with deadly venom, and they traveled in packs. Ordinary adventurers wouldn’t dare touch them.
When Allen spotted them, he was already surrounded by over a dozen Demonic Jungle Serpents.
Hisss... hisss...
Tongues flicked out, red as blood. Ghastly snakes hung from the tree branches, their cold eyes locked onto him.
"Just perfect. If I kill you guys, I can complete my advancement!"
Excitement surged in Allen’s chest. He jammed his long Saber into the ground and unleashed a surge of wild magic elements around him. A massive fireball condensed, whistling through the air before crashing down on a cluster of the serpents.
Boom!
The fireball exploded, sending towering flames skyward. Trees caught fire with crackling sounds as the snakes were ignited, writhing in agony within the sea of fire.
[You killed a Stage 2, Level 1 Demonic Jungle Serpent. Advancement quest progress: 3/10]
[You killed a Stage 2, Level 1 Demonic Jungle Serpent. Advancement quest progress: 4/10]
...
The prompts flashed continuously. These Stage 2 monsters couldn’t withstand Allen’s Forbidden Spell attacks; they were wiped out in seconds.
Hisss!
The remaining serpents hissed in unison, launching their attack. Their bodies shot forward, jaws gaping wide to reveal sharp fangs.
Allen reacted instantly. He cast Earth Shield, easily blocking the monsters’ assault. Then, he summoned several massive wind Sabers. They sliced through the air, slicing straight through the serpents.
Splat...
Blood sprayed everywhere. Several Demonic Jungle Serpents were cut cleanly in half at the waist, falling to the ground and writhing in pain.
[You killed a Stage 2, Level 1 Demonic Jungle Serpent. Advancement quest progress: 9/10]
[You killed a Stage 2, Level 1 Demonic Jungle Serpent. Advancement quest progress: 10/10]
[You successfully broke through to Stage 2, Level 1. All four base attributes +100, Free attribute points +8]
The notifications flashed again. Allen felt a rush of heat surge through his body. Having completed his advancement and reached Stage 2, his four base attributes had jumped by 100 points, boosting his power significantly.
"This progression speed is way too fast!" Allen exclaimed with delight. He glanced at his stats after the advancement: all four base attributes had skyrocketed to over 400 points. With his current power, even without unleashing his Forbidden Spell, he was confident he could take down a Stage 3 expert.
Even without using his If he were to unleash his Forbidden Spell, taking down a Stage 5 expert would be child’s play.
"Let’s keep moving!"
Allen was thrilled. He was actually starting to enjoy it here. The wilds were teeming with powerful monsters, and his leveling speed here far surpassed the newbie dungeon of the Academy.
"Hmm? Who’s there?"
Suddenly sensing something, Allen spun around and launched a fireball at the bushes behind him.
"Damn it, Allen, it’s me!"
A startled cry erupted from the shadows. Immediately after, a figure wrapped in massive black devil wings tumbled out, looking absolutely ruffled.
"Allen, did you try to murder me?" the voice asked, melodious but furious.
Allen looked at the figure with suspicion. Upon seeing the familiar devil wings and the slightly recognizable "man" in front of him, recognition finally dawned. His eyes widened in surprise. "Lilia? How did you end up dressed as a man?"
"Can’t you tell I’m cross-dressing?" Lilia said triumphantly. She dismissed her devil wings and returned to her normal appearance.
Allen shrugged. "Without that outrageous red hair, I wouldn’t have recognized you."
"You!" Lilia fumed. Outrageous? Her hair was glamorous, wasn’t it?
"Why are you here?" Allen asked curiously.
Lilia glared at him. "I received word that the Assassins’ Guild has put a bounty of one million gold coins on your head. I’m here to protect you."
"Are you sure you’re here to protect me?" Allen replied with a deadpan expression. If you didn’t slow me down, that would be a miracle.
"Wait a minute," Allen interjected, seizing on a key detail with excitement. "What did you just say? A one million gold coin bounty on me?"
"Scared? Don’t worry, this young lady will protect you," Lilia said smugly.
"Scared?" Allen shook his head. "Can you even complete this bounty quest? If I cooperate with you, we can split the one million gold coins."
"Huh?" Lilia froze for a moment before realizing what he meant. "Have you lost your mind? Are you joking with your own life?"
Allen shrugged again. "That’s one million gold coins. Are you not tempted?"
"... well," Lilia hesitated. She seemed to be infected by this damn fool’s recklessness.
She glared at him again. "This is an Assassins’ Guild bounty quest. I’m not a member of the guild, so I can’t accept it."
"That’s a shame," Allen said, feigning regret. He then asked, "Do you know how to join the Assassins’ Guild and accept missions?"
He had heard of the Assassins’ Guild. It was a vast underground organization, comparable in scale to the Church of Light, with branches in every city across the continent. Their power was no joke.
