Chapter 80 — Level Fifty

The plateau had become a battlefield.

Kael stood alone at its center.

Around him—

monsters emerged from the darkness.

The System continued displaying their signatures.

[Level 45: 2 entities]

[Level 46: 3 entities]

[Level 47: 2 entities]

[Level 49: 1 entity]

Kael looked at the seven smaller signatures.

Then—

his attention moved to the final one.

Level 49.

It was several kilometers away.

Yet Kael could feel its presence.

That alone told him how enormous the difference was.

He tightened his grip around the Darven katana.

“One level below fifty.”

He took a slow breath.

“I'll have to earn every step.”

The monsters roared.

The first wave attacked.

The First Wave

Two Level 45 creatures charged from the left.

They resembled enormous six-legged wolves covered in pale armor.

The System identified them.

[Gravehorn Direbeast]

Level: 45

Grade: Lord

Traits: Pack Coordination, Horn Charge, Regeneration

The first lowered its head.

The second separated.

Kael immediately understood.

One would attack directly.

The other would circle.

He moved.

The first charged.

Kael stepped aside.

The horn passed him.

The second attacked from behind.

Kael turned.

CLANG!

His katana intercepted its claws.

The force pushed him backward.

The first beast turned.

Another charge.

Kael jumped.

The creature passed beneath him.

Kael fired PR-02.

BANG!

The bullet struck its exposed shoulder.

The beast roared.

Its partner immediately attacked.

Kael blocked.

Another impact.

He slid backward.

The two monsters were coordinating perfectly.

Kael couldn't allow himself to be surrounded.

He created three metal platforms.

The first beast charged.

Kael stepped onto the first platform.

Then the second.

Then the third.

He jumped above them.

The beasts collided.

BOOM!

Kael landed behind the larger one.

Katana.

SLASH!

The cut struck its rear joint.

The beast turned.

Kael attacked again.

Same point.

The second monster charged.

Kael jumped aside.

Its partner was hit.

The pack coordination broke.

Kael immediately exploited the opening.

PR-02.

BANG!

The wounded beast staggered.

Kael rushed.

Metal Control formed a spike under its front leg.

The creature fell.

Kael struck.

SLASH!

The first monster collapsed.

The second roared and charged.

Kael didn't let it regain formation.

He ran toward it.

The creature raised its horn.

Kael deliberately waited.

At the final moment—

he moved left.

The horn passed.

Kael grabbed the horn with Metal Control.

The monster's head was forced sideways.

The katana flashed.

SLASH!

The creature fell.

[Gravehorn Direbeasts defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

Kael waited.

No level-up.

“Not enough.”

The second wave arrived immediately.

Three Level 46 monsters descended from the cliffs.

These were enormous birds with armored wings.

[Stormclaw Manticores]

Level: 46

Grade: Lord

Traits: Lightning Feathers, Wind Compression, Aerial Maneuver, Precision Dive

Kael looked upward.

Three.

Flying enemies.

The plateau suddenly became covered in shadows.

The first manticore fired.

Lightning feathers rained down.

Kael sprinted.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground exploded around him.

He created metal platforms.

The second creature dove.

Kael jumped.

Its claws missed.

The third attacked from the opposite direction.

Kael twisted in midair.

The wing struck him.

He was thrown across the plateau.

Kael rolled.

His shoulder hurt.

He immediately stood.

The creatures were already circling again.

“Fast.”

Kael switched to AR-04.

He fired upward.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Two rounds struck a wing.

One missed.

The wounded manticore lost altitude.

Kael smiled.

“One down.”

Then the other two attacked simultaneously.

Kael fired while moving.

One struck.

Another missed.

The first manticore released compressed wind.

Kael created a shield.

BOOM!

The shield shattered.

The wind threw him sideways.

Another bird attacked.

Kael used Metal Control to create a chain.

The chain wrapped around the creature's wing.

Kael pulled.

The bird crashed.

He rushed toward it.

Katana.

SLASH!

Wing joint.

SLASH!

Second strike.

The creature tried to launch again.

Kael prevented it with metal spikes.

The other two descended.

Kael released the chain.

He jumped backward.

Three monsters landed.

For the first time—

he had forced an aerial enemy into a ground battle.

Kael exploited it immediately.

The largest manticore attacked.

Kael stepped inside.

Katana.

SLASH!

Neck.

The creature recoiled.

A second attacked.

Kael blocked.

A third came from behind.

Kael ducked.

The weapons collided.

Kael turned.

SLASH!

One wing.

The creature fell.

The second tried to escape.

Kael didn't chase.

He fired PR-02.

BANG!

The shot struck the damaged wing.

It crashed.

Kael finished it.

Then—

the final manticore charged.

It was furious.

Lightning gathered around its body.

Kael waited.

The creature dived.

Kael moved directly beneath it.

Metal Control pulled one of the broken metal stakes from the ground.

The stake shot upward.

CLANG!

It struck the creature's chest.

The manticore lost control.

Kael jumped.

Katana.

One strike.

The third fell.

[Stormclaw Manticore group defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

Still no level-up.

Kael breathed heavily.

Five Lord-class monsters.

Not enough.

He looked toward the remaining signatures.

Two Level 47.

The battlefield suddenly changed.

The ground shook.

The first Level 47 monster emerged from beneath the plateau.

A gigantic serpent covered in black stone plates.

[Gravestone Wyrm]

Level: 47

Grade: Lord

Traits: Gravity Manipulation, Stone Armor, Burrowing, Crushing Field

Before Kael could react—

gravity doubled.

His knees nearly buckled.

The second Level 47 monster appeared.

A massive humanoid covered in red crystal.

[Crimson War Titan]

Level: 47

Grade: Lord

Traits: Crystal Armor, Strength Amplification, Heat Burst, Adaptive Defense

Kael stared.

Two Lord-class monsters.

One controlled gravity.

The other possessed overwhelming physical strength.

The worst possible combination.

The Gravestone Wyrm attacked first.

A crushing field expanded.

Kael's movement slowed.

The Crimson War Titan charged.

Kael jumped.

He barely escaped the fist.

The ground exploded.

The Wyrm struck from below.

Kael was thrown upward.

The Titan grabbed for him.

Kael twisted.

Metal Control formed a platform.

He pushed away.

The Wyrm fired another gravity pulse.

Kael's body became heavy.

He dropped.

The Titan punched.

Kael blocked with the katana.

BOOM!

The impact sent him through several meters of stone.

Kael rolled.

His arms shook.

“Together they're too strong.”

He needed separation.

Kael ran toward the Wyrm.

The Titan followed.

Exactly as he expected.

Kael jumped over the Wyrm's head.

The Titan swung.

Kael used Metal Control to pull the Wyrm sideways.

The Titan's fist struck the Wyrm.

BOOM!

The serpent roared.

The two monsters turned toward each other.

Kael smiled.

“Fight.”

The Wyrm attacked the Titan.

Gravity intensified.

The Titan resisted.

The battlefield shook.

Kael stayed outside the clash.

He watched.

The Titan's crystal armor absorbed the gravity.

The Wyrm's stone armor resisted physical strikes.

Neither could quickly defeat the other.

Kael waited.

Then noticed something.

The Titan's crystals became brighter whenever it absorbed force.

The Wyrm's gravity became stronger whenever the Titan's mass compressed the ground.

They were feeding each other.

Kael's expression changed.

“If I let them continue…”

He had to intervene.

He targeted the Wyrm first.

PR-02.

BANG!

Mana Disruption struck the Wyrm's head.

The gravity field flickered.

The Titan immediately punched.

BOOM!

The Wyrm was thrown sideways.

Kael moved toward the Titan.

Katana.

SLASH!

The crystal armor cracked.

Kael fired.

BANG!

Another crack.

The Titan roared.

Its heat burst activated.

Kael jumped.

Flames spread across the plateau.

The Wyrm attacked from below.

Kael created a metal cage.

The Wyrm's gravity crushed it.

Kael was forced backward.

The Titan charged.

Kael stepped aside.

The Titan struck the Wyrm.

The Wyrm struck back.

Their coordination was gone.

Kael kept them attacking one another.

Minutes passed.

The Titan's crystal armor slowly accumulated damage.

The Wyrm's stone plates began cracking.

Kael waited.

Then—

the Titan overextended.

Kael moved.

He rushed toward the damaged crystal.

Three slashes.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

The armor broke.

The Wyrm immediately attacked.

Kael redirected the gravity field around the exposed section.

Its own attack crushed the Titan's defense.

Kael fired.

BANG!

The Titan fell.

One remaining.

The Wyrm roared.

Gravity exploded outward.

Kael was pinned.

His muscles strained.

He couldn't move.

The Wyrm emerged.

Its mouth opened.

Kael activated Administrator Authority.

The pressure lessened.

Barely.

He moved one hand.

Metal Control.

A metal spike rose.

The Wyrm destroyed it.

Another.

Destroyed.

Kael needed something bigger.

He looked at the broken remains of the Titan.

Crystal fragments.

Hundreds.

His eyes sharpened.

He controlled them.

The fragments flew upward.

Then—

they became a giant metallic-crystal spear.

The Wyrm charged.

Kael released it.

BOOM!

The spear struck the Wyrm's chest.

The gravity field collapsed.

Kael rushed.

PR-02.

One shot.

BANG!

The disruption round struck the exposed core.

The Wyrm staggered.

Kael followed with the katana.

SLASH!

The battle ended.

[Gravestone Wyrm defeated.]

[Crimson War Titan defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

Kael stood motionless.

Still no level-up.

He opened the System.

[Experience required for Level 46: 98%]

Kael frowned.

“Two percent.”

He turned toward the remaining Level 49 signature.

It was coming.

Fast.

The ground began shaking.

Kael looked at the horizon.

A gigantic roar echoed across the plateau.

The Level 49 creature finally appeared.

It emerged from the darkness like a walking mountain.

Its body was enormous.

Nearly twenty meters tall.

Four muscular arms.

Black metallic skin.

A crown of enormous horns.

A glowing violet core in its chest.

Every step created a tremor.

The System activated.

[Ancient Devourer]

Level: 49

Grade: Lord

Potential: Overlord

Classification: Ancient Variant

Traits:

Mana Devouring

Titan Strength

Ancient Regeneration

Predator's Authority

Territory Suppression

Adaptive Evolution

Void Roar

Ancient Core

Threat Assessment: Extreme

Kael's expression became serious.

“Level 49.”

The Devourer looked at the corpses scattered across the battlefield.

Then—

it looked at Kael.

Its violet core brightened.

Kael felt the monster's attention lock onto him.

It spoke.

Its voice was deep enough to shake the stone.

“You killed them.”

Kael tightened his grip.

“Yes.”

The Devourer smiled.

“Then show me whether you deserve the next level.”

It charged.

The first punch came faster than Kael expected.

He raised the katana.

BOOM!

The impact launched him across the plateau.

Kael crashed into a stone formation.

Before he could recover—

the Devourer appeared.

Second arm.

Kael rolled.

The fist destroyed the stone.

Third.

Kael jumped.

Fourth.

He blocked.

His entire body shook.

The difference in strength was enormous.

Kael retaliated.

Katana.

SLASH!

The blade cut the Devourer's arm.

A shallow mark.

The wound regenerated immediately.

Kael fired PR-02.

BANG!

The bullet struck the chest.

The Devourer absorbed it.

Its violet core brightened.

Kael stopped.

“Mana Devouring.”

The Devourer attacked again.

Kael ran.

It followed.

Every punch destroyed more of the plateau.

Kael couldn't keep blocking.

He needed to understand it.

Its four arms attacked in different rhythms.

One focused on direct power.

One guarded the core.

One attacked low.

One maintained balance.

It wasn't random.

It was trained.

Ancient.

Experienced.

Kael changed direction.

The monster adapted.

Kael jumped.

It anticipated him.

Kael landed.

The fourth arm struck.

Kael barely blocked.

He was thrown through the air.

His body hit the ground.

The Devourer came closer.

Kael pushed himself up.

The monster raised one hand.

A wave of pressure spread.

Void Roar.

Kael's ears rang.

His body became heavy.

His Metal Control faltered.

The Devourer charged.

Kael activated every remaining reserve of mana.

Metal formed around his body.

A second layer.

Third.

The fist struck.

BOOM!

All three layers shattered.

Kael was thrown backward.

He rolled.

The Devourer followed.

Kael fired.

Physical.

BANG!

The armor cracked.

The creature healed.

Mana.

The creature absorbed it.

Explosive.

It adapted.

Katana.

It regenerated.

Kael frowned.

Every conventional attack failed.

He needed to find the rule.

He activated Network Sense.

Nothing.

Administrator Authority.

Nothing.

The Devourer's core was independent.

Unlike the Crimson Core Tyrant—

it wasn't borrowing from the territory.

Unlike the Crocodrake—

it didn't depend on water.

Unlike the Wyrm—

it didn't depend on gravity channels.

It was self-contained.

That made it much more dangerous.

Kael continued moving.

The Devourer attacked.

Kael dodged.

Another.

Dodge.

Another.

Block.

He couldn't keep this up.

The difference between Level 40 and Level 49 was enormous.

Kael needed an advantage.

He looked at the monster's chest.

The violet core.

Every time it devoured mana—

the core became brighter.

But physical attacks only caused superficial wounds.

Then Kael remembered the Ashen Crown Mauler.

And the Blackwater Executioner.

And the Voidfang.

And the Crimson Core Tyrant.

Every powerful enemy had a system.

A mechanism.

A pattern.

Even the Devourer had one.

Kael watched.

Not the attacks.

The core.

Whenever it healed—

the core pulsed.

Whenever it attacked—

the core pulsed.

Whenever it absorbed mana—

the pulse became stronger.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

There.

Between pulses—

the core briefly became unstable.

Less than a second.

A vulnerability.

Kael needed to force that moment.

He fired PR-02.

BANG!

The Devourer absorbed it.

The core brightened.

Kael fired again.

BANG!

Again.

Again.

The Devourer smiled.

It thought Kael was feeding it.

But Kael wasn't attacking randomly.

He was timing the pulses.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The core became brighter.

The Devourer charged.

Kael ran.

He needed one more.

The monster's four arms came down.

Kael dodged.

He fired.

BANG!

The core pulsed.

Kael watched.

There.

The unstable window.

Tiny.

But real.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

He reached into his Space Ring.

He had almost no specialized ammunition remaining.

But one thing remained.

The Void Crystal Fragment.

He had originally intended to use it for his new weapon.

Instead—

he held it in his hand.

Metal Control wrapped around it.

The fragment absorbed mana.

Kael shaped it.

A thin spike.

Not powerful.

Not refined.

But spatially stable.

Exactly what he needed.

The Devourer charged.

Kael ran toward it.

The monster swung all four arms.

Kael weaved between them.

One.

Two.

Three.

He narrowly avoided the fourth.

Then—

the core pulsed.

Kael jumped.

The void crystal spike flew.

CRACK!

It pierced the outer armor.

The Devourer's body froze.

Its violet core flickered.

Kael's eyes widened.

“It disrupts the core.”

The Devourer roared.

Its entire body released a shockwave.

Kael was thrown backward.

But he had confirmed it.

The Void Crystal interfered with the Ancient Core's energy.

Kael smiled.

“That's what I needed.”

The Devourer charged again.

Kael didn't retreat.

He used Metal Control to gather every scrap of usable metal across the battlefield.

Broken weapons.

Armor fragments.

Stakes.

Mithril wire.

Ashen metal.

Crystal shards.

Everything.

The metal rose around him.

A giant mass formed.

The Devourer punched.

Kael created a massive shield.

BOOM!

The shield shattered.

But it bought him time.

Kael shaped the metal.

Not a sword.

Not a spear.

A flexible weapon.

Multiple blades connected by metallic joints.

The Devourer attacked.

Kael redirected the weapon.

One blade struck.

Then another.

Then another.

The Devourer blocked.

Kael changed the weapon's configuration.

Long-range.

Close-range.

Whip-like.

Spear-like.

The creature couldn't predict it.

Kael finally understood his father's principle.

A weapon shouldn't simply be stronger.

It needed to become appropriate.

The Devourer adapted.

Kael adapted faster.

The battle continued.

Minutes.

Then more.

Kael took hit after hit.

He was forced backward repeatedly.

The Devourer healed every wound.

But Kael kept watching the core.

Every attack.

Every pulse.

Every change.

He was waiting for the opening.

Eventually—

the Devourer used Void Roar.

Kael's body slowed.

The monster charged.

Kael couldn't dodge fully.

A fist struck his side.

He was thrown across the plateau.

He landed.

His vision blurred.

The Devourer approached.

Kael forced himself upward.

The monster raised its hand.

Then—

Kael smiled.

The Devourer hesitated.

Kael had intentionally allowed the hit.

Why?

Because the monster had entered the exact location he wanted.

Metal fragments rose from the ground.

The entire plateau became a giant formation.

Kael had been placing fragments throughout the battle.

Everywhere.

Now—

he activated them.

WHUM!

The formation closed.

Metal surrounded the Devourer.

The creature tried to escape.

Kael tightened the formation.

The Void Crystal fragments activated.

The Ancient Core flickered.

The Devourer's regeneration stopped.

For the first time—

the monster was vulnerable.

Kael stood.

He walked forward.

The creature struggled.

The metal formation cracked.

Kael increased his mana.

His arms trembled.

His body was almost empty.

But he held it.

The Devourer roared.

Kael raised the katana.

One strike.

SLASH!

The chest armor broke.

The violet core appeared.

The creature struck the metal cage.

The formation shattered.

But its regeneration was still suppressed.

Kael moved.

PR-02.

A final physical round.

He fired.

BANG!

The core cracked.

The Devourer roared.

Kael attacked.

SLASH!

The crack widened.

Again.

SLASH!

The core fractured.

The Devourer swung.

Kael ducked.

The attack missed.

The violet core pulsed wildly.

Kael saw the unstable moment.

The exact same moment he had studied for the entire battle.

He stepped forward.

Metal Control.

Every remaining metal fragment gathered around the core.

The fragments compressed.

The core became trapped.

Kael's hand touched the damaged surface.

He felt the energy.

The circulation.

The instability.

He didn't try to overpower it.

He redirected it.

The energy flowed inward.

The core shook.

Kael pushed.

The Devourer screamed.

Then—

CRACK!

The violet core shattered.

The giant creature froze.

The pressure disappeared.

Its body slowly collapsed.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Kael stood over it.

The System appeared.

[Ancient Devourer defeated.]

[Level 49 Ancient Variant defeated.]

[Ancient Core Fragment obtained.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Massive experience bonus awarded.]

Kael looked at the final notification.

Then—

[Level Up.]

[Level 46 reached.]

Kael's eyes widened.

“Still four levels.”

The hunting ground had more monsters.

He wasn't finished.

The next several hours became a continuous battle.

Kael moved through the plateau.

He hunted every powerful creature he could find.

Level 42.

Level 43.

Level 44.

Level 45.

He fought them.

Not because it was easy.

Because every battle mattered now.

His body became exhausted.

His weapons deteriorated.

His ammunition nearly disappeared.

But he kept going.

Level 47.

Level 48.

The System finally appeared.

[Level 47 reached.]

Five points.

Kael allocated:

+2 Strength

+1 Agility

+1 Vitality

+1 Intelligence

Strength: 45

Agility: 50

Vitality: 48

Intelligence: 45

Mana: 49

Another battle.

A Level 48 serpent.

Kael fought it for nearly an hour.

The creature manipulated the ground.

Kael adapted.

The battle ended.

[Level 48 reached.]

Five points.

+1 Strength

+2 Agility

+1 Vitality

+1 Intelligence

Strength: 46

Agility: 52

Vitality: 49

Intelligence: 46

Mana: 50

Another battle.

A Level 49 flying predator.

Kael was forced to fight without a functioning rifle.

He built temporary weapons from battlefield metal.

The battle lasted almost two hours.

The monster finally fell.

[Level 49 reached.]

Kael allocated:

+2 Strength

+1 Agility

+1 Vitality

+1 Intelligence

Strength: 48

Agility: 53

Vitality: 50

Intelligence: 47

Mana: 51

Kael stood alone in the center of the plateau.

His body was exhausted.

His weapons were almost gone.

The battlefield around him was covered in broken metal.

He opened the status window one final time.

[Kael Darven]

Level: 49

Strength: 48

Agility: 53

Vitality: 50

Intelligence: 47

Mana: 51

Bloodline Progress: 15%

Metal Control Mastery: III

Beast Path Compatibility: 4%

Darven Armament: 3/3

Administrator Authority: Active

One level.

Only one.

Kael looked around.

The central hunting ground still contained monsters.

Then—

he felt something.

A massive signature.

Not Level 49.

Something else.

A group of smaller creatures fled from the northern forest.

Something had frightened them.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

His System displayed a location.

[High-density monster region detected.]

[Recommended Level: 49.]

[Target count: 17.]

Kael smiled.

“Seventeen.”

He started walking.

The first monster emerged.

Level 47.

Kael fought.

Then another.

Level 48.

Another.

Level 46.

The fights continued.

Kael barely had enough strength remaining.

But he had learned how to fight exhausted.

He stopped relying on perfect movements.

He used the terrain.

Broken stone.

Dead branches.

Monster remains.

Everything became a weapon.

The seventeenth monster finally fell.

Kael stood motionless.

Then—

the System appeared.

[Experience acquired.]

[Level Up.]

[Level 50 reached.]

Silence.

Kael stared at the message.

For several seconds—

he didn't move.

Then he slowly laughed.

“Level 50.”

The sound was quiet.

Almost disbelieving.

He had spent years—or what felt like years—building toward this moment.

From the day his family died.

From the moment he entered the portal.

From the night he awakened his System.

From every training session.

Every hunt.

Every battle.

Every enemy that had forced him to change.

It had all led here.

Kael opened his status.

[Kael Darven]

Level: 50

Rank: D-Rank Adept — Peak

Strength: 53

Agility: 55

Vitality: 51

Intelligence: 48

Mana: 53

Bloodline Progress: 15%

Metal Control Mastery: III

Darven Forge: Active

Darven Armament: 3/3

Administrator Authority: Active

Beast Path Compatibility: 4%

Legendary Beast Threshold: Unlocked

Five final attribute points had been granted.

Kael allocated:

+2 Strength

+1 Agility

+1 Vitality

+1 Intelligence

Strength: 53

Agility: 55

Vitality: 51

Intelligence: 48

Mana: 53

Kael closed the window.

Then—

another notification appeared.

This one was different.

[Legendary Beast Path unlocked.]

[Pocket World access condition satisfied.]

[Legendary Beast records becoming accessible.]

[Additional information available after preparation.]

Kael stared.

The road ahead had changed.

Until now—

he had hunted monsters.

From this moment onward—

he would prepare to hunt legends.

Kael looked toward the horizon.

The pocket world's entrance was somewhere beyond the wilderness.

Three legendary creatures waited there.

The Shadow Lion.

The Verdant Serpent.

The Bone Sovereign.

He remembered his father's warning.

You may never return.

Kael slowly touched the ring containing Legendary Immortality.

He didn't activate it.

Not yet.

He had exactly one opportunity.

And now he understood why his father had told him to wait.

Before facing a Legendary Beast—

he needed to prepare.

His weapons needed to evolve.

His knowledge needed to expand.

His body needed to recover.

And most importantly—

he needed to learn exactly what he was facing.

Kael turned toward the distant wilderness.

“Level 50.”

He smiled.

“Now the real preparation begins.”

Behind him lay the largest hunting campaign of his life.

Ahead—

the sealed prison of three Legendary Beasts.