Ronan was exhausted. His body was covered with countless wounds. There were still eight Wendigos left for him to defeat, yet he had already run out of Mana.
"Damn it." He turned his head toward the northern side of Garlun Village. "Is Lord Crowne alright?"
He was deeply anxious, but there was nothing he could do other than hope his master was safe. To escape from this place, Ronan had no choice but to slay the remaining eight Wendigos still standing.
Facing so many Wendigos with a battered body and nearly no Mana left—it was obviously not a situation he could win.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He nodded firmly. "Very well. I will put everything I have into this."
**
At the northern edge of Garlun Village, Crowne was in the same state as Ronan. He was utterly cornered. His strength and Mana were drained, and the wounds across his body made every muscle weak and heavy.
Even so, he was still standing, having just killed a single Wendigo. But there were still thirty-four of them surrounding him, ready to strike again.
"Give up, young man! You cannot win," said the village chief.
Tring!
[Mission Unlocked: Defeat 50 monsters or beasts!]
[Reward: 99,999 market points, EXP, and a random skill.]
Crowne smiled as he read the notification. He had been waiting for his second mission to unlock. He already knew this would come, because the mission was revealed to him when he finished the first one.
However, the second mission had been locked behind a cooldown. Now, it had finally opened.
Crowne pointed at the village chief. "You're going to die, old man!" he declared.
The chief laughed at his words. "Don't boast too much, boy! You are already—"
Suddenly, his surroundings shifted. He was in a strange place. A vast field of green grass stretched endlessly, the sky shone a clear blue, and the air was refreshingly crisp.
There were no village houses, no muddy dirt roads, and no light from Mana crystals. He was no longer in Garlun Village.
As the chief lifted his gaze, his eyes widened in horror. He stumbled backward and fell to the ground.
"What… what is this?!"
His entire body shivered. Before him stood a colossal serpent staring directly at him. The beast was so massive that the chief's entire body was smaller than a single scale on the serpent's body. The Wendigos stood frozen as well, motionless with fear.
When the chief finally moved his hand, the Wendigos attacked the giant serpent. Yet their strikes left not a single wound. They could not even scratch it.
"What kind of place is this?"
A moment later, someone leaped down from above, landing right before the chief, crushing a Wendigo beneath his boots.
The man grinned. "Welcome to my realm," Crowne said.
When the chief saw Crowne's face, his words froze in his throat. He could no longer speak. Crowne merely snapped his fingers. With that single snap, the giant serpent began to move. One second later, its body glowed brightly with light.
The glow gradually shrank, and from within emerged a beautiful woman. She wore a green dress, had piercing yellow snake-like eyes, a serpent-shaped earring, and long black hair.
Her beauty was flawless—smooth, unblemished skin, thin lips, and a perfect figure. Yet her gaze was cold, as if saying, "You are nothing but trash."
The woman waved her hand. In an instant, the Wendigos collapsed with their heads severed, green fluid spilling from their necks.
She turned respectfully to Crowne. "Do you have any further commands for me?" She shifted her gaze to the chief. "Shall I kill that fat man?"
Crowne raised his hand. "No need. He is my opponent. Your task is simple—go outside and slaughter every monster wreaking havoc in Garlun Village! Can you do that for me?"
The woman nodded. "Of course."
She was about to leave when Crowne added, "Ah, and hunt down a few more monsters for me in case the ones you kill don't add up to fifty."
The woman nodded once more before vanishing—completely gone.
Now, only Crowne and the village chief remained in that realm. At that moment, Crowne lifted his sword and tossed it toward the chief.
"Take it! Fight me!" Crowne challenged.
The chief smirked. Without hesitation, he picked up the sword Crowne had given him and assumed a combat stance.
The confidence that had nearly vanished moments ago had returned. With the woman gone, his courage swelled again.
"I don't know what you're plotting, but you've made a foolish decision," the chief said.
Crowne's eyes held no fear. "Come at me!"
**
At the same time, within Garlun Village, Ronan unleashed a powerful slash. He poured the remainder of his wind magic into the strike.
The attack cut down two Wendigos, but it still wasn't enough.
Slash!
Blood ran down his back. Ronan spun around and swung his blade again. The Wendigo that had clawed him retreated, while the others began surrounding him once more.
Ronan tried to stand, but dizziness overwhelmed him. His body had reached its limit. His vision blurred until he could only see faint silhouettes of the Wendigos. When he tried to step forward, his body gave in, and he collapsed.
"Forgive me, my lord! I can no longer protect you…"
Ronan's consciousness faded, but before his body hit the ground, someone caught him. He was carried to the side and propped against the wall of a villager's house.
"Lucky I appeared in time. Otherwise, he would already be dead!" said Jörmungandr.
She gazed at Ronan's face. His complexion was deathly pale—he had lost too much blood. Jörmungandr touched his forehead and poured her Mana into him. Gradually, the paleness receded, and his face regained a hint of color.
She stood and turned away. "Three, four… five, six." She nodded. "That means I still need to find nine more. What a troublesome task," she muttered.
Without another word, Jörmungandr moved. In less than a second, she appeared before one Wendigo. The creature panicked, trying to retreat, but it was far too slow. Jörmungandr seized its face and crushed its skull instantly.
She turned her eyes toward the rest. The Wendigos trembled with fear. They wanted to flee, but their opponent was a Mythical Beast—not some ordinary foe. The difference in strength was thousands, even millions of times apart. By every measure, they were hopelessly outmatched.
As the Wendigos began to scatter, Jörmungandr snapped her fingers. Five serpents materialized, slithering toward the monsters and striking each one down.
Meanwhile, she turned her gaze to the forest. "Nine more."