The forest canopy swayed gently, sunlight fractured into scattered shards of gold through thick branches. Perched high atop the tree, the black-scaled lizard pressed its belly flat against the bark. Its claws dug into the bark, its tail wrapped for balance, and its eyes stayed fixed on the forest below.
Its breathing was steady, its eyes unblinking.
It did not dare to move.
Not even a hiss escaped its throat.
Because the boss had said that, his strength alone might not be enough, doesn't that mean the otherworlders were stronger than boss?
The words still echoed in the lizard's mind like a divine revelation.
The boss was never wrong.
A chill crawled down his spine.
If something could threaten the boss, who could walk side ways anywhere, the one who kicked and bullied rabbits into training until their legs shook then... these otherworlders must be terrifying.
So terrifying that the lizard clung silently to the tree like a very muscular ornament.
Below him, hundreds of subordinates did the same, clinging to branches, claws shaking not from fear, but from determination.
The boss had entrusted this point to them.
Saying this was the most dangerous point of all.
They would not fail.
The lizard narrowed its eyes, waiting, watching and istening.
Then.
Rustling.
Soft footsteps.
The first batch of otherworlders arrived.
The lizard's pupils shrank.
They looked odd, skin smooth and shiny, walking on two legs, they looked soft and fragile. But the boss warned him. So the black lizard stayed cautious.
It was time.
The lizard raised one claw silently.
Every creature behind him froze, eyes locked on his signal.
"KILL!"
The lizard flicked his claw down.
Thud thud thud THUD!
Stones rained from the treetops with brutal precision.
"Wha-!?"
"Rocks?! From where-?!"
"AHHHH-!"
The otherworlders screamed, confused, scrambling, looking everywhere except up. One was hit squarely on the head and collapsed immediately. Another tried to run and tripped, taking a rock to the face.
One by one, without even a chance to fight back properly, the four humans fell. Their bodies shattered into glowing particles before they even realized who had attacked them.
No subordinate had to go down.
No claws needed to get dirty.
No close combat.
Just pure, overwhelming ambush.
The lizard clicked his tongue proudly.
Perfect execution.
Just as the boss taught.
'But.. That… was easier than I thought'
Then.
Something flickered in front of his eyes.
A glowing panel.
[You have killed Early Stage Common Creature: Human ×4]
[Your Life Energy has increased.]
[Body: E- → E]
[Talent: Yet to Awaken (98.35% → 98.55%)]
The lizard stared blankly.
It understood none of the words.
But it did understand the warm current flooding through his veins, spreading through his muscles, scales, and bones. His claws tingled. His chest tightened.
He grinned.
He was getting stronger.
'I'm… getting stronger. Killing otherworlders makes me stronger.' he thought excitedly.
His subordinates hissed, chirped, and clucked with excitement around him also feeling the warm current flooding through their bodies. The lizard raised one claw to silence them.
"Good job everyone, but keep your guard up!"
They understood immediately.
And so they returned to their position.
Hours passed.
More otherworlders approached.
Some were loud. Some were quiet. Some walked straight into ambush zone with their noses buried in their status panels.
But one thing was similar among them: These otherworlders…
Were weak. Far weaker than the boss had warned.
More rocks fell.
More bodies burst into particles of light.
And with each kill, the warm current inside the lizard grew, curling around his spine like coiling fire.
His muscles bulged.
His scales gleamed.
His tail thrashed with ever-growing power.
The lizard tilted his head, slightly confused.
Were these really strong? Did the boss exaggerate?
…No.
Impossible.
The boss is never wrong.
Therefore…
Maybe these otherworlders aren't weak but the lizard was just really, REALLY strong now.
He puffed out his chest with pride as he pressed his claws down.
"Kuaghhh!!"
A scream sounded below him. A human under his claws turned to light, scattering like fireflies.
Each time, the shimmering particles faded, and each time the warmth inside him grew stronger.
His panel flickered more and more.
His Talent percentage ticked up.
The lizard snorted.
'Weak'
"Get rocks! Get up! Up!"
He growled at his subordinates to gather rocks and get back into formation. Everyone scrambled to obey. Rocks were gathered. Branches creaked as bodies climbed back into the trees.
The lizard climbed as well.
But then, he froze halfway up.
Rustling.
Voices.
Many of them.
The lizard's eyes lit up. He perked up like a dog hearing a treats.
Preys. LOTS of prey were approaching.
His grin stretched wide, teeth gleaming.
He could feel it.
The so-called awakening the boss talked about.
He was close.
So close his claws trembled with anticipation.
He perched on the highest branch, heart pounding.
Just a few more kills.
A little more Life Energy.
Just a little more and…
The prey arrived.
He dropped his claw.
Thud thud thud thud!
Rocks rained.
Humans screamed.
Bodies burst into particles one after another.
Life Energy surged again.
He could feel the breakthrough at his fingertips, buzzing beneath his scales, pulsing behind his eyes.
He was so close.
Too close.
He stared down at the dying prey, drool nearly dripping from his jaw as he was lost in his fantasies.
He was so excited he… forgot to throw his rock.
Completely forgot.
He just stared at them with an idiotic grin, claws holding a rock he didn't throw, as three humans slipped through the chaos and sprinted away into the forest.
Behind him, panic erupted.
"HISS!"
"CLUCK?!"
"GRAW!"
"SQUAACK!!"
The lizard jolted violently back to reality.
THEY WERE RUNNING AWAY!
The boss's words echoed in his mind like thunder.
"Don't let a single otherworlder pass"
The lizard's soul almost left his body from panic.
Immediately, he sprang into action, leaping branch to branch with speed, body cutting through leaves like a black arrow. His eyes locked onto the slowest one, a largest human amongst them.
He pounced on the slowest human.
CLASH!
But to his shock.
The prey didn't die like others before them.
The human blocked his attack.
Blocked it.
The lizard froze for a split second.
But only slightly.
He circled it cautiously, tail raised.
Another human joined and swung a branch at him.
Another hit.
A kick.
He felt them.
But they didn't break his scales.
They didn't draw blood.
And anything that couldn't make him bleed…
Was not a threat.
Then, behind the human.
One of its companions ran away, abandoning the two that stayed.
The lizard hissed in contempt at the running otherworlder.
He wanted to tear such a coward apart but he had his task.
He lunged again.
The two who stayed fought desperately, swinging their sticks, punching, kicking.
Their strikes connected, but barely stung.
With a flick of his tail.
CRACK
He struck the larger human straight in the face as it tried to shield the smaller one behind it. The man gasped, light leaving his eyes, and disintegrated.
The larger human fell.
The smaller one screamed.
The lizard glanced at the glowing remnants and nodded respectfully at the fallen foe who had shielded the smaller companion.
Then he gave the survivor a swift, painless death.
Now, for the coward who ran.
The lizard raced back into the trees, leaping with ruthless efficiency. Branches cracked behind him as scanning the distance.
There.
He spotted the silhouette of the fleeing figure sprinted through the trees, stumbling, panting.
The lizard narrowed his eyes.
'You will not get away.'
He dashed forward, hopping branch to branch, gaining on the human with terrifying speed. When he was close enough.
He pounced.
Dust exploded as he crashed into the ground.
But the coward had thrown itself sideways with a desperate yell.
Dodging the killing blow by what he thought was luck alone.
The human shouted something frantically, but the lizard ignored it. Even if it understood the language, which it didn't, it wouldn't listen to the coward's words.
With a scoff he lashed out his tail.
This time there was no resistance.
This human was even weaker than the ones before.
He stepped forward, jaws opening wide, ready to tear its throat.
Then suddenly his instincts screamed.
A primal alarm sounded through its body.
He saw it.
A shimmer.
On the stick.
A gleam of light he had never seen before from any otherworlder's weapon.
Danger.
Real danger.
He threw his head back by instinct alone.
SWISHHH
A thin flash of light swept across his snout.
Blood splattered.
A thin red line opened on his face.
For the first time since the boss conquered the flower field…
The lizard had been injured.
Just a scratch.
But enough to ignite something inside him. Something he thought he wouldn't experience anymore due to the peaceful atmosphere under the boss' rule.
Rage.
Pure, blistering rage.
He roared, lunging forward with unrestrained fury.
His jaws clamped down.
Bones cracked.
Light burst.
The coward died instantly.
The forest fell silent.
The lizard stood trembling, blood dripping from his snout, claws stabbing into the earth. Rage twisted through his chest like fire.
Then, a panel flashed again.
[You have killed Early Stage Common Creature: Human ×23]
[Talent: Yet to Awaken (100%)]
[Talent Awakening]
The world… stopped.
The lizard's breath froze.
Something inside him snapped open.
His mind blanked as power surged through his veins, hotter, wilder, heavier than anything before.
BOOM!
A tremor began to emanate from him.
The trees trembled.
The earth darkened beneath him.
Bushes shriveled.
Animals far away flattened themselves to the ground, whimpering in instinctive terror.
If the rooster's awakening was sunlight, warm, hopeful, inspiring and embracing.
The lizard's awakening was the abyss.
Terror.
Dread.
A primal fear woven into the land itself.
Its entire body vibrated as it grew at the speed visible to the naked eye, muscles swelling, scales thickening, eyes sharpening into glowing slits.
The lizard threw back its head and unleashed a roar.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEE!!"
A guttural, bone-shaking roar that rippled through the entire forest as if challenging the heavens themselves.
Pressure exploded outward in waves.
Then knowledge, vast, ancient and alien flooded its mind.
Status panels flashed.
[Congratulations. Talent "Berserk" has awakened.]
[Recognition: Will of the World acknowledges your existence.]
[Assisting Unit initialized. Greetings, nameless Ferocious Lizard.]
[Soul: F+ → E]
[Tier: Middle Stage Common Creature]
[Your Talent is resonating with your bloodline]
[Congratulations.]
[Bloodline: Gloomwyrm (Rare) has awakened]
The lizard staggered.
It blinked stupidly at the words.
But now it could read and understand them.
Just like the boss. The boss didn't need to explain them to him one by one anymore.
He lifted his claws slowly, staring as they trembled with new power.
His status panel in front of him made more sense than ever.
Name: None
Title: The Ferocious Lizard
Race: Black Scaled Lizard (Evolving)
Tier: Middle Stage Common Creature
Body: E
Mind: E
Soul: E
Path: None
Talent: Berserk
Equipment: None
Bloodline: Gloomwyrm (Rare)
Curiously, he tapped on the first new part.
[Talent: Berserk]
[Description: Your strength awakens where restraint dies. Let fury flood the flesh.]
He nodded slowly as understanding seeped into him.
Then he noticed something new.
A part boss had never mentioned.
Bloodline.
"Blood… line?" he rasped softly. "I have… one?"
The response came instantly.
[Affirmative.]
[Bloodline is your internal heritage, the natural resonance of your being and ancestry, determining potential and affinity.]
[Bloodline: Gloomwyrm]
[Description: A Gloomwyrm is a Rare Creature known for its ability to feed on its own suffering. Each injury stirs the abyss within it, amplifying its strength and warping the land as its power surges.]
[Bloodline Characteristic: Frenzy]
[Frenzy: When wounded, enters a savage state that drastically increases your Body attributes but continuously reduces your Mind attributes.]
The lizard blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden answer, but it quickly calmed down. The boss had told him about this before, so he wasn't panicking.
'So… getting hurt make me stronger?'
His eyes gleamed with excitement and a hint of doubt.
He would need to consult the boss about this later.
Then suddenly, a crow erupted through the forest.
A furious, earth-shaking, soul-trembling crow.
The lizard's head immediately snapped towards the sound.
'Boss?'
The lizard's blood ran cold.
The boss hadn't sounded this angry since the days they battled for the flower field.
Something had happened.
Something bad.
Without hesitation, the newly awakened lizard, larger, stronger, muscles coiled with power, lowered itself like a panther and sprinted back toward its subordinates at full speed.
Its body blurred through the forest.
After swiftly giving orders to its subordinates, the lizard sprinted toward the direction where it had heard the boss crow at full speed.