A few days ago, before the meeting of the Monarchs—
Nox stood at the edge of a half-frozen clearing, his clothes stained with dark blood belonging to the corrupted beast he had slain.
A faint layer of sweat clung to his brow, though the cold air bit at his skin. His breaths came slow and ragged as he stared down at the fresh corpse of a Scourge Drake, its body still slightly covered in dark flames.
It had been the twenty-sixth one that day.
And he was exhausted.
The last few days had been war.
Not even with enemies that spoke or planned.
Every few hours, new corrupted dragons appeared, drawn by the stench of blood and the sound of battle. Some came alone, some in packs. Most fell before they could roar. A few—the stronger ones—pushed him harder, costing him wounds, mana, stamina, and precious time.
But of course, all of them died in the end.
And one by one, they were added to his growing legion.
The [Spirit Tamer] subclass had long since surpassed its original limit. However, he had expanded it repeatedly after slaying more beasts, pushing his control to a monstrous number of elite, sought-after creatures—each fused into something stronger than the original.
And now, they moved without needing command.
They hunted on his behalf.
And as they hunted, Nox grew more powerful.
[Ding! You have slain a Scourge Drake: +14,500 EXP]
[Ding! You have slain a Corrupted Skywyrm: +18,000 EXP]
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
[Ding! All attributes have increased by +2]
The notification flickered in his vision.
Nox exhaled slowly, staggering slightly on his feet. His body ached. His muscles trembled with the aftershocks of near-constant battle. He had slept little, eaten less. Even now, his legs wanted to fold.
But he couldn't stop.
Not until he reached his goal.
Nox's eyes shot open with determination.
It wasn't just a milestone. It was a wall. One that, once passed, promised great strength and elevated status in the world of Eos.
But for Nox, status was the least of his reasons for desperately hunting.
He stared at the corpse beneath him.
Its soul had already been pulled apart—fractured, sifted, and added to the swirling army of half-formed specters that now circled him like shadows clinging to the wind.
Without saying a word, he turned, stumbled slightly, then walked.
"Such resolve," Dracos whispered. He stood silently on the upper ridge of a sloped cliffside, high above the clearing. The Ice Monarch had been watching Nox for some time now, and during the past few days, his impression of the human had improved once more.
From his vantage point, he could see everything.
Nox was like a dying flame—refusing to fade. His steps were sluggish, his breathing uneven, but the burning determination in his gaze didn't falter in the slightest.
Dracos narrowed his eyes.
The boy didn't belong to any of the Eight Royal Families. No noble name. No bloodline to boast of. Just a simple human.
Here he was, days deep in the heart of the Marked Forest—alone—and not just surviving, but thriving.
And perhaps something else.
Dracos had seen many rise. Many fall. But rarely had he seen a boy .
"Could it be all humans are kid?" The Ice Monarch exhaled slowly, his breath forming a mist that didn't move with the wind.
After staring at him for a long time, the Ice Monarch finally turned and left, returning to Frostpire—he had a meeting to attend.
By the fifth day, Nox stopped using his own strength.
He simply couldn't anymore. His mana and stamina reserves were depleted so often that he had begun to rely solely on the specters to engage. They didn't question. They didn't complain. When a corrupted dragon emerged from the mist, three or four of his undead legion would descend upon it and tear it apart in seconds.
And of course, Nox didn't forget about his pets. They, too, participated.
Nox watched from atop a frost-covered boulder, seated cross-legged, eyes half-closed.
He'd grown paler. Leaner. And his once-controlled breathing now came faintly labored, even at rest.
But his level continued to climb, which was the only thing motivating him to keep pushing forward.
[Ding! You have reached Level 97]
[Ding! Spirit Capacity Increased]
[Ding! You have reached Level 98]
[Ding! You have reached Level 99]
Nox opened his eyes only when the world quieted.
[Ding! You have reached Level 100]
[System Evolution x3 Now Available]
Nox sat perfectly still.
His hands rested against his knees.
And for a long moment, he felt a wave of exhaustion and satisfaction at the significant progress he had made.
"I need to return to the castle and sleep," Nox yawned as he slowly rose from his seated position.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept through the clearing, followed by the soft crack of boots against ice.
Nox knew those steps.
He didn't need to turn.
"Zara," he said flatly.
The princess stepped into view a moment later, armor lightly dusted with frost, her long braid tied behind her shoulder. Her gaze swept over the battlefield—the ruined earth, the distant corpses, the faint shimmer of spirits flickering between branches.
Then she looked at him.
"You look like you've been through hell."
"I have," Nox replied.
Zara's lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't ask what he had fought. The answer was obvious.
"I was told to find you," she said. "There's a meeting. Not just for Frostpire—for all of us."
Nox blinked. "What kind of meeting?"
"The Monarchs came together. Finally." She gave a small exhale. "They're preparing for a long-term campaign. Against the Scourge. Against the Alpha. They want to send a scouting force ahead."
Nox's head tilted slightly. "And I'm on the list?"
Zara nodded. "You're not just on the list. You're expected."
Nox didn't react immediately. All he wanted right now was a long rest. He felt a strong urge to decline the invitation. If he went another day without proper rest, he might lose the little sanity he had left.
Zara noticed his fatigue too and hesitated. "Are you… able?" she asked, her voice low and concerned.
"I'll recover," Nox said. "Before we leave?"
"Three days," she answered.
"Three days… not enough time, but I'll manage." He glanced back once at the dark trees, his gaze trailing the icy fog. The heart of the ancient forest—the marked area—was farther than he had initially thought.
One of Nox's goals was to sneak a peek, but after realizing how far the distance truly was, he gave up. Perhaps if he had spent the last seven days running and constantly using Divine Velocity, he might've reached his target—but that meant he wouldn't have had time to hunt.
"Maybe after the rest, I'll have enough strength to venture deeper. Then I won't need to hunt anymore." He glanced at the experience points required to reach Level 101.
'No wonder those experts hit a bottleneck after reaching Level 100… it'll take me months to reach another level.'
Well, that was something he had to worry about in the future. Nox shook the thoughts away and looked at Zara.
"All right, let's go," he said, then added with a bitter smile, "But you'll have to carry me."