Winter settled over the Forbidden Forest.
A thin layer of frost covered the ancient trees each morning, while mist drifted silently between the towering trunks.
Most beasts had retreated into their territories.
The forest had become quieter.
But beneath that silence...
Danger was growing.
Far away, mountains continued to tremble under the footsteps of the Berserk Behemoth.
Every day it wandered closer.
Every day more beasts fled from its path.
Emil remained unaware.
His focus lay elsewhere.
---
He had reached Level 77.
Yet instead of hunting stronger prey, he spent more time training than fighting.
One morning, while standing beneath a frozen waterfall, he asked himself a question.
"What is my sword?"
At first, the answer seemed obvious.
"A weapon."
But the more he thought about it...
The less satisfied he became.
The sword had saved his life.
Protected him.
Helped him survive countless battles.
Yet it had also become something more.
It reflected every decision he made.
Every victory.
Every failure.
Every lesson.
If the sword merely copied another's path...
Then it would never truly belong to him.
---
He made a decision.
From that day onward...
He would no longer rely entirely on the Sun Sword Technique.
Instead...
He would create a sword style of his own.
---
The system reacted immediately.
Ding!
Host has chosen to establish a personal sword path.
Recommendation: Approved.
Warning: Creating original techniques carries a high risk of failure.
Emil smiled.
"If no one risks failure..."
"No one creates anything new."
---
His training changed once again.
Every morning, he watched the sunrise.
Every afternoon, he observed rivers carving through stone.
Every evening, he studied the movement of leaves carried by the wind.
Nature became his teacher.
The forest itself became his manual.
---
Weeks passed.
Thousands of sword swings became tens of thousands.
Every strike removed another unnecessary movement.
Every slash became simpler.
Cleaner.
Faster.
He no longer sought power.
He sought perfection.
---
One afternoon, while meditating beside a cliff, a powerful gust swept through the valley.
Hundreds of leaves danced through the air.
Emil slowly stood.
He drew his sword.
Not a single technique.
Just instinct.
His blade moved in a graceful arc.
The wind followed.
A golden crescent shot forward, gliding silently across the valley before disappearing into the distance.
Moments later...
Dozens of ancient trees split apart at exactly the same height.
Emil stared quietly.
"I didn't use Sun Sword Technique..."
"I created it."
---
Ding!
Original Technique Created.
Sun Sword Style
First Form: Rising Dawn (Refined)
Second Form: Solar Crescent
Grade: Growing
Description:
A sword strike inspired by the rising sun and the flow of nature. The attack sacrifices explosive force for precision, speed, and continuous momentum.
---
Emil read the notification several times.
Then shook his head.
"So even this can evolve..."
Unlike inherited techniques, his own sword style had no fixed limit.
It would grow as he grew.
---
Over the following days, Emil tested Solar Crescent against stronger opponents.
A Crystal Bear.
A Thunder Horn Rhino.
A pair of Flame Panthers.
Each battle taught him something different.
Against heavily armored beasts, the technique lacked penetration.
Against fast enemies, its wide arc became an advantage.
Rather than becoming discouraged...
He welcomed every flaw.
Each weakness was another opportunity to improve.
---
One evening, Emil arrived at a vast meadow deep within the middle region.
The air felt unnaturally calm.
No birds sang.
No insects chirped.
No beasts hunted.
Even the wind seemed hesitant to cross the plain.
His instincts immediately warned him.
"This place..."
"...is wrong."
---
He activated his Sun Eyes.
The world transformed into flowing streams of spiritual energy.
Then...
He noticed them.
Hundreds of energy signatures.
Hidden beneath the earth.
Dormant.
Waiting.
The moment Emil took another step—
The ground exploded.
Massive Stone Serpents burst from beneath the soil.
Their bodies were covered in scales harder than iron.
Each measured over fifteen meters long.
Their yellow eyes fixed on Emil.
---
Ding!
Monster Identified
Stone Serpent
Level: 81–84
Threat Level: Moderate
Special Ability:
Earth Burrow
---
One serpent attacked.
Then another.
Within seconds...
The entire meadow became a battlefield.
---
Emil did not retreat.
Instead...
He welcomed the challenge.
His sword moved like flowing sunlight.
No wasted movements.
No hesitation.
The first serpent lunged.
Solar Crescent!
A golden arc swept across the battlefield.
Its scales cracked.
The serpent crashed to the ground.
The second attacked from behind.
Emil pivoted effortlessly.
One precise thrust pierced its eye.
A third coiled around him.
He activated Sun Step.
Escaping moments before the creature crushed the ground beneath him.
---
Hours passed.
The battle spread across the meadow.
Broken earth.
Shattered rocks.
Golden sword light flashed endlessly beneath the setting sun.
When silence finally returned...
The meadow was covered with defeated serpents.
Emil leaned against his sword, breathing heavily.
His clothes were torn.
Fresh wounds covered his arms.
But he smiled.
Every difficult battle sharpened his understanding.
---
Ding!
Stone Serpent Colony Eliminated.
Experience Gained.
SCP +2,600
Level Up!
Level 77 → Level 79
---
As spiritual energy flowed through his body, Emil felt another subtle change.
His awareness expanded.
The world around him became clearer.
The wind seemed slower.
Every movement more predictable.
---
Ding!
Sword Aura has advanced.
Current Rank: Intermediate
---
A warm current spread through his body.
When Emil casually swung his sword...
The blade didn't merely cut the air.
The surrounding wind itself bent around his strike.
His sword had become an extension of the world around him.
---
Night fell.
Emil built a small fire near the edge of the meadow.
As he roasted the meat of one of the spirit beasts, he noticed something unusual.
Every creature in the surrounding forest had disappeared.
Not a single howl echoed through the night.
Not one bird called from the trees.
The silence was absolute.
Then...
The ground trembled.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each vibration was stronger than the last.
Emil slowly stood.
His Sun Eyes looked toward the distant mountains.
Far beyond the horizon...
He saw an enormous crimson pillar of spiritual energy rising into the sky.
It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
Wild.
Violent.
Chaotic.
The very air seemed to scream around it.
The system appeared immediately.
---
Ding!
Emergency Warning.
An unidentified high-level beast has entered the middle region of the Forbidden Forest.
Estimated Level: Above 150.
Recommendation: Avoid all contact. Survival probability is less than 3%.
---
Emil remained silent.
He watched the distant crimson aura for several moments before turning away.
"I'll avoid it."
He wasn't arrogant.
He knew the difference between courage and recklessness.
For now...
His path still lay elsewhere.
But fate had already made its choice.
Far away, the crimson-eyed Behemoth suddenly stopped walking.
Its ruined mind sensed something.
Not fear.
Not prey.
A swordsman whose spirit burned like the rising sun.
Slowly...
The colossal beast turned toward Emil's direction.
The inevitable battle had begun long before either of them realized it.