Kemal was still riding on Onet's back. The first week of his journey had come to an end, and he had grown quite accustomed to the sweet, quiet environment around him.
Before reaching Stage 2, he had been extremely cautious about the hidden dangers lurking behind that calm, peaceful atmosphere—but now, he had mostly let his guard down.
After all, even Phase 5 titans couldn't match him completely as a Stage 2.
So he was happy...
When Onet eventually grew tired and stopped, just like he did at every break, Kemal jumped down and pulled a chair and a small table from his inventory.
After the last accident he experienced, he had started to prefer tea over pie.
Even though tea was given considerable importance within the Mediterranean Federation, Kemal didn't drink it much, unlike others from his homeland.
Still, lately he'd started to enjoy it a little more.
He sat down on the chair, and with a clink sound the system screen opened as he pulled out his tea from the large inventory. That inventory was genuinely useful.
The chirping of five-meter-tall giant birds, which he guessed were Phase 2 dhunes, with sharp beaks and icy breaths...
The sound of water cascading from the waterfalls and... a bit of blood? Dripping down...
The gentle breeze of the wind...
Onet's soft snores as he slept...
The rustling coming from distant bushes...
Several green moles, which he assumed were Stage 4 titans, hunting from the cavern ceiling...
The sound of three-meter-long fish walking along the river current...
Strange as it may sound, yes, some fish had legs, and they would climb ashore to hunt before slipping back into the water. It had looked bizarre at first, but Kemal had been traveling for so long that he'd gotten used to it. It didn't feel that odd anymore.
He reclined for a while on the chair and enjoyed the moment. When he finished his tea, he noticed something a little off about the blood running from the waterfall.
Walking fish, five-meter-tall birds, or eight-meter-tall moles could all be considered normal in Undergarden—but blood flowing from a waterfall? That wasn't likely.
It would be a good idea to go check it out.
"Onet. I'll be gone for a bit. Wait here for me, I'll be back soon."
Onet raised his head and gave a quick glance. Then he laid his head back down as if to say, "Do whatever you want." For Onet—who usually acted much more rudely—those were almost polite words.
For a moment, Kemal believed that Onet might someday grow into a kinder child who could adapt to humanity. Just a bit. Not much, just a little.
He rose from the chair and looked around. The gentle breeze felt incredibly soothing, as if urging him to stay seated.
His blonde hair swayed slightly in the wind.
He thought there was no point in waiting any longer and decided to move. It was probably a good idea to check out this odd "bloody waterfall."
They used to say curiosity killed the cat—but no cat was Stage 2.
So Kemal had every right to be curious.
And he was using that right.
With light steps, he ascended the gray stones.
With each step, the wind seemed to whisper different things, as if trying to speak to him. What could be the reason for that?
Maybe it was because Kemal held the Ruler Bloodscript? He wasn't sure.
As he approached the bloody waterfall, he slowly noticed it returning to normal. He must have missed something.
When he got right beneath the waterfall, he saw a massive five-meter mound of meat. It had fins, a massive mouth, a skin similar to fish scales that looked deeply unpleasant, and six perfectly round eyes surrounding its body. Blood was pouring from five of those six eyes and from its mouth.
The gray stones around it were stained crimson.
Kemal was disturbed by how this damn corpse had ruined the tranquility of the surroundings.
To burn it, he pulled a lighter and a red-hot sword made of crimson metal from his inventory.
With the hot sword, he chopped down several trees that had managed to grow on the edge of the cliff. Then he grabbed three of those trees and hurled them at the giant mound of flesh.
Being Stage 2, he could use mana to enhance his body, which allowed him to lift the three trees with ease.
Then, using the lighter, he lit the end of a branch on fire. He tossed this flaming stick onto the mound of flesh. Slowly, the giant mass began to burn, and the three large trees started to catch fire as well.
At that moment, the creature's belly split open—something had pierced its stomach from the inside.
The mana and aura that burst out...
Kemal understood instantly.
This newborn baby was a Phase 7 titan.
"How is this possib— No! Now's not the time to question. I have to survive!"
These were the thoughts running through Kemal's mind.
Before him stood a newly born Phase 7 titan, less than a meter tall, round, with six eyes just like its mother, a disgusting fish-like skin, fins, and a massive mouth.
It opened all six of its eyes at once and looked directly at Kemal.
That gaze felt like a god descending upon the world—as if the eyes themselves were divine. It felt like their power exceeded the boundaries of this realm.
Just from being looked at, Kemal coughed up blood and collapsed.
"Come on, then. Let's see if you've got the guts, you freakin' Stage 7."
Bleeding, Kemal raised his sword and took a battle stance. Though he withstood the gaze of the six eyes for a while, eventually the blood began to pour not only from his mouth but also from his eyes, ears, under his nails, and from every gap in his body.
Maybe it was because he held that cursed sword, or maybe because Kemal was genuinely starting to lose his mind... He wasn't sure why, but he was seriously about to fight that thing.
With a swift motion, he opened his inventory and summoned his armor. It would take two seconds for the armor to fully materialize—and during that time, he had to survive.
The Phase 7 titan opened its mouth. A massive mass of water emerged, encircling its body. Apparently, a few drops also reached the waterfall, but Kemal couldn't quite grasp what those drops were doing.
As the armor began to manifest, the Stage 7 titan suddenly lunged forward.
While airborne, it did several flips. During these flips, it peeled its own skin and sculpted its previously round body like a statue, forming two arms and two legs. It was now even smaller—about 60 centimeters—but it had limbs now.
While in the air, it didn't just shape-shift—it also formed a trident from the water surrounding its body.
Just as it was about to strike Kemal, something strange happened. All of its momentum vanished in an instant, as if something were defying the laws of physics. Kemal angled his sword correctly and blocked the attack without being pushed back a single centimeter.
After all, Kemal possessed the Bloodscripts of Resist, Absorption, Obstruct, Ignore, and Rules. No one could block an attack better than him—or violate the laws of physics like he could.
Kemal smiled faintly. With this sword in hand, he rarely smiled... At least not so gently. It was usually a much more wicked grin.
Now it was Kemal's turn to strike. Fighting a god was a new experience for him.
At last, his armor had appeared. Forged from some kind of orange-colored metal alloy, it looked like something a medieval knight would wear. It had dozens of cuts and scratches all over it—but not a single mark where it had been pierced or dented. No such strike had ever landed. How could it?
Kemal activated the Rules Bloodscript once more. This time, the rule he ignored was Time.
He had never used it before, but now—facing a Phase 7 titan—he had to.
The reason he hadn't used it before was because of the Regressor. Because of the Regressor, they already knew another timeline existed, and if the Rule of Time ever weakened, who knew what would happen? When a few mad scientists began proposing chaotic theories like this, the king could no longer bear it and placed a restriction on Kemal—but...
Right now, his life mattered more.
He ignored Time.
In an instant, he appeared behind his opponent and slashed downward with all his strength.
Still... he was fighting a god.
Behind the trident, three more prongs appeared. Taking advantage of the violation of physical laws, the Stage 7 titan gained momentum it normally wouldn't have and twisted its arm in the opposite direction, trying to pierce Kemal's armor with the trident.
Kemal tried to block the damage using Resist, Absorption, Obstruct, and Ignore. Doing everything he could to deny the attack—but how could one truly Ignore a god?
He did his absolute best—but the trident pierced through the armor. Slowly, it began slicing into his flesh and drawing blood.
Was this how he was going to die?