Deep in a woods somewhere, howling of monsters and beasts can be heard, along with the occasional humming of a cold weapon as it swings through the air, often followed by a howl or a scream that appears to be from creatures who are gradually losing the vigor and vitality in them, making those experienced ascender realize that whatever is in this area, it is definitely a battlefield riddled with blood and death.
The truth doesn't come off too far from this guess as should one follow where the sound come from, they can see a young man who appears to be in his mid-20's, the desolate, seemingly rugged and yet unfettered air around him making him appear like some sort of vagabond, that is despite the fact that everything he carries seems to be cleaned too often given now neat his clothing is despite the monster corpse littered field around him.
Showing his mastery to no one, or rather to himself, the young man's attention was directed towards another monster, a dire wolf-like creature standing a bit above a grown man's height, its fierce eyes glowing in murderous intent as it watches him carefully, and despite its overwhelming appearance, its predatory nature still shines through as it makes circle around him, gradually closing in the distance between the two of them as time goes by.
Should the one being targeted by this wolf-like monster is a beginner who just entered the tower for the first time, then it, along with its pack, would definitely have some good food that they can feast on for later, but unfortunately for them, this young man is anything but a beginner in the tower, and he has acute mastery over all things within it, only if it is within the range of the first floor, that is.
Thinking that the chance has arrived for it, the wolf-like beast immediately exploded in speed as its hind legs shot itself forward like an arrow, pouncing towards the young man who appears all too defenseless in the creature's eyes, an assumption that will cost its entire life to pay.
"Yeah, a monster is still a monster no matter how smart~" with his gaze now moving towards the location of the wolf monster, the young man revealed a cunning smile on his face as his grip on the sword tightens, his lower body solidly planted on the ground as he held the sword with both hands, his muscles bulging while he inhales, inflating his chest as well while he raises his sword with both hands high in the air.
This sort of things should've been a fatal mistake for a beginner as this creature is anything but safe, with razor sharp claws enough to tear apart any armor and shield, a strength way beyond that of any normal ascender can muster, and the even more absurd speed to back its strength up, is more than enough to spell the doom of even the most combat adept ascenders in the first floor, and yet…
A single crescent glow draws itself into the air, a resplendent light as ephemeral as time as it only reveals itself for a moment before it disappears again, making other creatures watching the fight between the two wonder whether something like that really happens.
This wonder wouldn't last long though, and said feeling will eventually be replaced by a fear primal to any living creature there is, as from where this crescent glow reveals itself, the large wolf monster never pauses in its track, or rather, what remains of the wolf monster never pauses.
Due to the speed of this creature, its remains continue to shoot towards the young man despite its death, something that could've been a problem given that this wolf's body is more than heavy enough to cause a significant damage to the young man in impact, and normally, he would move away from his position encountering something ramming to him at such speed, this time, it is different.
After all, with the wolf monster's segmented body splitting away and heading in two different directions, it is safer to stand at the very middle of the two, right on the position where he severed the monster's body into two.
A loud thud is heard as both segments of the monster's body fall down the ground, its organs trailing from where it falls back to the position where it was sliced into two by the young man's swing, a grotesque site that would send any normal person into nausea as they feel absolute disgust, something that the young man also experienced from back when he was just starting on this tower.
Now, however, the only thing he felt was a slight tinge of annoyance as he saw a few drops of blood staining some of his clothing, causing him to shake his head as he gritted his teeth in absolute disappointment.
"Now I need to spend a lot of time scrubbing away this when it stains, and if I wipe it now, it will only make it worse!" he shouts in frustration as thinks about the location of the nearest body of water there is, causing him to fall into deeper despair as he realizes that it would be faster to just return to the Crimson Red City and probably wash his tunic and boots on the river there, a destination few hours away, than to go to the nearest body of water in this area.
"tsk, looks like I will need to go out for laundry than doing it myself, I have to hunt some more monsters then…" he shakes his head as he thought of doing some more work on his already loaded schedule, shoving these thoughts to the back of his mind as he recalls something important he needs to accomplish.
'Before going there though… guide' as he mutters the last words, the young man, Azrael, reveals a hint of a smile on his face as he reads through the words displayed on the azure blue floating screen in front of him.