Chương 44

The mud in the Arc Kingdom swamps was thick, smelled like rotten eggs, and was completely ruining Rudra's boots. He ducked as a massive, scaly tail whipped right over his head. The giant crocodile let out a deafening hiss, spraying muddy water everywhere.

"Elysia! Watch the splash!" Rudra yelled. He spun his Abyssal Ironwood Staff, deflecting a flying chunk of mud away from his face.

"I am fine. Just finish it," Elysia called back. She stood safely on a dry, thick tree root a few yards away. She still hadn't fully recovered her strength, but she didn't need to step in. Rudra was handling this easily. The monster snapped its massive, iron-like jaws at him. [Mutated Iron-Tusked Swamp Croc - Lv. 105] Rudra didn't bother trying to block those teeth. He channeled mana into his boots and kicked off the empty air. [Abyssal Step (Lv. 3) has been activated.] An invisible platform cracked under his boot. He launched himself high over the crocodile's snapping jaws. The spell was much easier to control now. It barely drained his stamina, letting him chain a couple of mid-air steps to position himself right above the monster's exposed neck.

"Going down," Rudra grinned. He gripped his dark grey staff with both hands. His muscles flexed, pouring raw stamina into the weapon. [Crushing Strike (Lv. 7) has been activated!] The heavy ironwood slammed down. With his Intermediate Mastery boosting his speed, the strike was a total blur. The staff smashed right into the back of the crocodile's neck. CRACK. The blunt hit completely shattered the monster's spine.

The giant croc collapsed face-first into the swamp, splashing gross water everywhere before turning into a mountain of grey ash. Rudra landed lightly on his feet, wiping a splash of swamp water off his dark leather mask. A beautiful cascade of golden text flooded his vision. [You have defeated the Mutated Iron-Tusked Swamp Croc (Lv. 115).] [Experience has been acquired.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [You have reached Level 100!] [First Stat Awakening has occurred!] [Your understanding of your own body has fundamentally shifted. All basic stats increase by 10 points. Every stat point invested from now on will yield higher physical returns.] [You are now eligible for your First Class Advancement!] [Please visit an Adventurer's Guild to awaken your true potential.] Rudra let out a long, happy breath.

"Finally. Triple digits." He opened his status window just to admire the view. It had been a highly productive few weeks crossing into the Arc Kingdom. He had cooked so much forest meat that his inventory was basically a traveling butcher shop. Thanks to creating dozens of Rare-rated campfire meals, his stats were heavily padded.

[Name]: Rudra [Level]: 100 [Class]: Apprentice Staffman [Title]: Forerunner of the Twin Paths (+5 others) [Health]: 7, 150 / 7, 150 | [Mana]: 2, 300 / 2, 300 [Strength]: 412 | [Stamina]: 405 [Agility]: 420 | [Intelligence]: 350 [Persistence]: 290 | [Dexterity]: 210 [Courage]: 194 | [Charisma]: 194 [Dignity]: 194 | [Divine Power]: 10 [Stat Points]: 20"Looking good," Rudra smiled, closing the status screen. His core stats were totally broken.

"Is it safe to eat now?" a tiny, demanding squeak echoed from inside his brown cloak. Kratos poked his half-gold, half-black head out of Rudra's collar. The divine cub sniffed the air, looking at the pile of high-tier croc meat left behind in the ash.

"Yes, you giant glutton, go eat," Rudra laughed. Kratos leaped out of the cloak and immediately started chewing on the raw monster meat. Elysia jumped down from the tree root, landing softly in the mud. She looked at the dead boss, then at Rudra.

"You are growing unnaturally fast. It took me years of brutal training to fight a swamp boss alone. You just swatted it like a bug." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"I have a lot of motivation," Rudra smiled, tapping his stomach.

"I really want to try frying croc bites." Elysia just shook her head, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. Rudra stretched his arms. Since he had finally hit the Level 100 milestone, he was curious to see how he stacked up against the hardcore gamers. He hadn't checked the global leaderboards since his first day in Seabreak.

"System," Rudra muttered.

"Open Unified Rankings." A large, translucent blue board popped up in the air. [Unified Global Rankings] Kraugel - Lv. 105 Zibal - Lv. 103 Chris - Lv. 102 Rudra - Lv. 100 Yura - Lv. 99 Rudra stared at the board. He blinked. He wiped his mask, thinking maybe the swamp gas was messing with his eyes. He looked again. Rank 4.

"Oh, no," Rudra whispered. His stomach dropped.

"What is wrong?" Elysia asked, her hand instantly going to her sword.

"Are there enemies nearby?"

"Worse," Rudra groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm famous." He had been so obsessed with clearing the hidden temples and hunting rare ingredients that he completely lost track of his own leveling speed. The massive EXP boosts from fighting monsters twenty levels higher than him had skyrocketed his level. Being in the top five wasn't a cool achievement to him. It was a giant, glowing target on his back. Every major guild on the server was going to be looking for him.

And the Yatan Church, who already had a massive bounty on his brown cloak and mask, was definitely going to step up their hunt.

"I need to lay low," Rudra muttered nervously.

"Like, really low. Maybe under a rock." Before he could panic any further, a strange, high-pitched whine broke the silence. Rudra looked down. Kratos had stopped eating. The tiny cub stumbled backward, whining in pain.

"Kratos? Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" Rudra knelt down quickly. He touched the cub's fur and immediately jerked his hand back.

"Ow! He's burning up!" Kratos's tiny body was incredibly hot. The golden light on his left side and the dark shadow on his right side were flickering violently. The two colors clashed against each other, sparking like a broken wire. The cub let out a weak cry and collapsed into the mud. Elysia rushed over. She didn't touch the cub, but she hovered her hand over his body to sense the mana.

"His core is overheating," Elysia said, her voice completely serious.

"A single body cannot hold both absolute Light and absolute Darkness without them fighting. The friction is generating too much heat."

"How do we fix it?!" Rudra panicked. He gently scooped the boiling-hot cub into his leather gloves.

"Can I make a cooling poultice? Or an ice-herb soup?"

"Standard alchemy won't work on divine attributes," Elysia shook her head.

"We need a temporary cooling agent right now, or his core will crack." Rudra looked at the shivering cub. The arrogant little furball who always demanded his food was in real pain.

"Tell me what to get," Rudra said firmly. His panic vanished, replaced by total focus.

"There are rare cooling herbs deep in these swamps," Elysia said, looking around the murky trees.

"But we need to find them quickly before the damage becomes permanent."

"Hold on, buddy," Rudra muttered, sprinting through the murky, knee-deep water. He kept Kratos tucked safely against his chest, shielding the shivering cub from the splashing mud. Elysia ran right beside him, her eyes scanning the dark, twisted swamp trees.

"The Glacial Swamp Lotus only grows in the deepest, most nutrient-rich mud pits. We can't just wander blindly. We need to find a local settlement to trade with."

"Who lives in a swamp this deep?" Rudra asked, leaping over a rotting log.

"Usually? Orcs," Elysia said, gripping the hilt of her sword.

"Brutal, ugly, and highly aggressive. If we find a camp, stay behind me." They burst through a thick wall of hanging Spanish moss and skidded to a halt. In the middle of a wide, slightly elevated clearing stood a massive tribal village. Rudra blinked. He lowered his staff slightly. It didn't look like a monster camp at all. Instead of crude bone tents and piles of rotting garbage, the huts were woven with perfectly symmetrical, clean river reeds. The dirt paths were swept clean.

And the monsters standing guard outside weren't hunched-over, ugly brutes. They were massive, seven-foot-tall green supermodels. They had perfectly oiled, glowing green skin. Their muscles bulged flawlessly, completely free of the usual battle scars. They wore tailored leather loincloths that showed off their absurd eight-pack abs, and their hair was tied into neat, flowing topknots. [Valiant Orc Warrior - Lv. 102]"Elysia," Rudra whispered, completely dumbfounded.

"Are they... glowing?" Elysia stared, her jaw slightly open.

"This makes no sense. Orcs are supposed to be hideous." One of the massive Orcs noticed them standing at the edge of the clearing. He didn't draw a crude axe or roar for blood. Instead, he took a heavy step forward, planted his feet, and hit a flawless front double-bicep pose. His pecs literally bounced.

"Halt, small travelers!" the Orc boomed. His voice wasn't a guttural grunt; it was incredibly deep, smooth, and resonant.

"You step into the sacred aesthetic grounds of the Valiant Tribe! We are the chosen worshippers of the Goddess of Beauty!" Rudra stared blankly. He looked at Elysia. She looked like her entire worldview had just shattered.

"Uh," Rudra stepped forward, pulling his leather mask down to his chin so he could speak clearly.

"Hi. Sorry to intrude. We have a medical emergency." The Orc frowned, dropping his pose to inspect Rudra. He stomped over, towering over the masked human. Normally, an Orc would attack a human on sight, treating them like weak prey. But as the Orc looked down, Rudra's newly updated stats were quietly working in the background. With his Courage, Charisma, and Dignity all sitting at a massive 194 points, Rudra passively projected the heavy, respectable aura of a high-ranking noble.

The Orc rubbed his perfectly square, chiseled chin.

"You lack raw muscle mass, human," the Orc observed, his tone surprisingly polite.

"But your posture... it is exquisite. Your shoulders sit perfectly level, and you carry yourself with the true, unwavering dignity of an aesthetic warrior." Rudra blinked.

"Thanks. I do a lot of walking."

"I am Korag," the Orc smiled, revealing perfectly straight, pearly white teeth.

"Any man who respects the aesthetic balance of the body is welcome here. What brings a dignified brother to our humid sanctuary?"

"We are looking for a Glacial Swamp Lotus," Rudra said, gesturing to the overheating cub inside his cloak.

"My companion is sick. We need it to cool him down immediately. I have gold, or I can trade." Korag crossed his massive, vascular arms. He looked at the shivering cub and nodded sympathetically.

"The Glacial Lotus is a rare flower. We cultivate them in our botanical gardens to soothe our muscles after heavy lifting," Korag explained.

"Usually, we do not trade our sacred flora to outsiders. But since you possess such a refined, respectable aura, I am willing to make an exception for a fellow man of culture." Rudra let out a massive sigh of relief. He didn't have to fight a whole village of Level 100 supermodels.

"I appreciate it, Korag," Rudra grinned.

"What do you want for it?"

"Gold is useless to us," Korag said, hitting a quick side-chest pose.

"But if you have the skills to help me with a very... delicate personal matter, I will give you the lotus for free." Rudra looked back at Elysia, who was still staring at the posing Orcs in total disbelief. He chuckled and turned back to Korag.

"Lead the way," Rudra said.

"Let's make a deal."