"Damn, this forest is bigger than the first one I've been in," Gabriel muttered, stepping through the thick mist that hung like a curtain over the endless trees. "Doesn't seem like there are any monsters here for me to level up… I'll ju—"
A loud roar shook the ground.
Gabriel froze.
It was a bull—massive, glowing red veins along its body, eyes burning with fury—and it was charging straight toward him.
"Oh, god damn it!" Gabriel yelled. "Guess I'm running for my life again!"
He bolted through the undergrowth as the bull's hooves thundered behind him. Suddenly, a green system window flickered into view before his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the skill: Observation.]
Observation – Allows the user to see a target's status, name, race, strength, mana, experience, and skills.
"Oh damn! That's actually useful!" Gabriel glanced back. "But that bull's getting closer! What's its level!?"
Race: Bull
Strength: 300
Speed: 1200
Mana: 1
Level: 50
Skills:
• Target – When pursuing a chosen target, stamina becomes infinite.
• Strong Horns – Horn attacks deal 20× damage to the target.
"Oh no, that thing's crazy! I'm only level 5! It's level 50!" Gabriel panicked. "I gotta use some tricks!"
The bull lunged, horns slicing through the air—
But Gabriel vanished just before impact.
He reappeared a hundred meters away, gasping for breath.
"Phew, managed to escape that horrible fate. This teleportation skill really saves my butt… though with a 31-day cooldown, that's rough. Portal skill's better—it only takes a day to recharge."
He sighed. "This forest is really trying to kill m—"
Before he could finish, a deep rumbling came from ahead. A group of ogres stepped out from the trees, eleven of them, each carrying a massive club. Their green skin shimmered with strange runes.
Gabriel smirked. "Hmm… should I just spam my skills at them? I'll probably get a ton of experience from this. All level 20 to 25, huh? Easy."
He lifted his hand.
"Alright then. Let's go crazy."
Enhanced Skills—Activate!
"Wind Strike!"
"Dark Ray!"
"Fire Ray!"
"Light Ray!"
"Electric Dragon!"
"Fire Strike!"
"Water Wave!"
The air erupted with elemental chaos—lightning cracked, flames spiraled, and wind howled through the battlefield. The ogres froze, their muscles locking from the electrical surge. Gabriel's attacks hit like meteor strikes, shaking the ground.
When the light faded, nearly all of them were dead.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 30.]
Current Experience: 3,072 / 19,078
"Nice! Those ogres gave me a lot of experience." He wiped sweat from his brow—then noticed one ogre still standing. "Huh? What's that one doing? How is it still alive?"
He didn't know the rules of this world yet.
The surviving ogre's eyes glowed red as it screamed—a roar that shook the leaves off nearby trees. Its skin turned crimson, muscles bulging as black smoke swirled around it.
The ogre devoured the souls of its fallen kin.
Its level spiked instantly.
[Ogre has evolved into a Legendary Ogre.]
Gabriel's jaw dropped. "No way—its level's rising!? What the—"
Within seconds, it reached Level 200.
"Holy crap, that's insane! I'm outta here!"
Gabriel opened a glowing rift and jumped through, reappearing near the area where he'd fought the bull earlier. He didn't know the portal would only stay open for five minutes. The Legendary Ogre followed through before it vanished.
"Oh, come on!" Gabriel whispered, hiding behind a rock. He peeked out and saw the bull and the ogre facing each other.
The bull charged first, slamming the ogre into a mountain wall. Rocks shattered and dust filled the air. The ogre regenerated instantly and punched back, one hit killing the bull.
Gabriel's eyes widened. "Holy crap… what's its level now?"
Race: Ogre (Legendary)
Strength: 30,000
Mana: 2,000
Stamina: 50,000
Endurance: 100,000
HP: 100,000
Level: 325
Skills: ERROR! You are too weak to view this being's skills.
Gabriel sighed. "Great. It evolved into a nightmare. What did I even do wrong!?"
Then—a sound.
A chilling, alien-like roar echoed through the forest.
HRUEKRUEHRUEKRUEK!
The Ogre froze, then exploded in a single instant—its body vaporized by something unseen. Gabriel looked up. Through the canopy, he saw a long, white, serpent-like creature floating silently in the air.
A Wyrm.
He quickly used Observation.
Name: Belz
Race: Wyrm
Title: Demon King's Pet
Strength: 1,200,000
Stamina: 2,000,000
Mana: 50,000,000
Endurance: 10,000,000
HP: 15,000,000
Level: 2,000
Skills: ERROR!!! You are too weak to view this being's skills.
"What the hell…?" Gabriel whispered. "This world is messed up."
He suddenly noticed his own level ticking upward.
"Oh? I gained some experience since I hit those ogres before they died!"
Level: 75
Experience: 3,221,832 / 4,000,000
"Nice! Still tiny compared to these monsters, but I'll take it."
He opened his status window.
Status
Level: 75
Health: 200,000
Stamina: 300,220
Magicules: 200,000
Sanity: 99%
Stats
Defense: 300
Strength: 750
Speed: ?
Durability: 850
Intelligence: 10
"Huh. Nothing changed in my intelligence… and what's with my speed?"
DING!
"AHH! Damn system, don't scare me like that!"
[Congratulations! Your accessory has leveled up.]
Name: The Goddess's Cursed Coat
Strength: ×50
Mana: ×50
Health: ×50
Stamina: ×50
Durability: ×50^
Defense: ×50^
Speed: ?^^^^^^^^^^^^
Experience Gain: ×15
Passives
Cursed Coat – Never leaves its user's body. Always stays by your side.
??? – ????????????????????????????????????#₱&@∆§π√•|£$€¥^↑°={}∞\✓™®©%¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹⁰∅
L∅✓£ → You have to marry and be together forever with the goddess, makes your immortal and invincible.
(Text unreadable — corrupted symbols flood the screen.)
"What the hell is this? A cursed coat?" Gabriel tugged on it. "Ah, that's why it won't come off. Huh. Doesn't even look cursed though."
He scrolled down, frowning. "What's with all these question marks? And that last passive—completely unreadable. Whatever."
He shrugged. "This coat's not a curse at all. Time to find civilization."
In the distance, a city shimmered beneath the horizon—massive walls stretching across the plains.
"That must be a kingdom. I'll keep my strength hidden, though. No way I'm getting kidnapped by royalty again."
Hours later, as the sun began to set, Gabriel finally reached the outskirts. Before he could rest, a shadow glided over him.
He looked up.
A giant floating serpent—Belz, the Demon King's pet—was circling the kingdom.
"Huh!? Isn't that the same Wyrm!? Is she planning to destroy the kingdom!?"
Gabriel braced for impact, but suddenly, a powerful warrior from the city launched a glowing spear of pure mana, striking Belz and forcing her to retreat.
"What the heck!?" Gabriel gasped. "They actually scared her away? Okay… yeah, this world is way different."
He laughed weakly. "I'm still far from that kingdom… and it's already getting dark."
He found a spot beneath a massive tree, collapsed to the ground, and sighed.
"This world's crazy. Stronger monsters, gods playing with people's lives… If I wanna survive, I need to get even stronger."
His eyes slowly closed, the forest whispering around him. Somewhere far beyond, something—or someone—was watching him through the veil of space.
And she smiled.
(End of Chapter 8)