Level? It seemed the power gap between the two was so vast that he couldn’t even clearly see the opponent’s Level. But this was actually just a bluff. If it were truly an enemy powerful enough to defy Identification, it should display Level??? instead.
The combat power of the Cursed Incarnations of the Evil God wasn’t high, but their numbers were immense. No matter how many Cursed Incarnations of the Evil God Blaze cut down in one breath with his Twisted Giant Sword, more would immediately spring up.
Moreover, defeating them yielded no Experience Value, and his Skill Level would not increase.
Teeth and claws left blinding Sparks across his Armor, but they failed to deal any damage.
It was as if this were just an endless dream.
Blaze swung his Giant Sword tirelessly, occasionally switching to his fists, and didn’t stop until the stars in the Chaos Space ceased spewing black mud and the entire space brightened.
Once the murkiness vanished, Blaze got a clear look at the space’s true appearance. It looked like the interior of a plant, radiating a pale green color brimming with Life.
This massive plant was perhaps constructed of countless blood vessels and connective tissues, just like a Human body. Through its veins flowed a liquid resembling Gold.
"Thank you, Foreigner from a distant land...
"You have freed me from my nightmare."
A figure stepped into this world. It had braided golden hair and a pair of gentle green eyes. Though scarcely clothed, there was not a trace of impurity about it.
[Tree of Life Spiritual Body Level???]
[The soul incarnation of the Tree of Life, a member of the Ancient Race, the Source of Life for the forest. It voluntarily offers its body to provide for Life Spirits and serves as the guide to Paradise.]
Blaze turned his head. It was an androgynous creature. Despite having a Human appearance, it exuded an inhuman aura in every aspect. Its appearance was incomparably beautiful, yet one could only perceive it as a plant.
He wondered if it was just his imagination, but its grand entrance seemed accompanied by sacred orchestral music.
"You... are not a Foreigner? This is my first time seeing a Human arrive here."
The Tree of Life hesitated. It tilted its head in confusion, seemingly lacking a prepared script to welcome this unexpected guest.
With its hands behind its back, the Tree of Life approached Blaze with cheerful steps. Upon getting closer, it sniffed like an animal and furrowed its pale green brows.
"The shape of your soul is wrong. It resembles a Foreigner, yet it carries the residual heat of the stars... You truly are a strange existence."
Blaze was well aware of how strange he was. After all, there were no two identical people in this world, nor did the transfer of Blessings exist—yet both of these impossible things had happened to him.
However, since it had already happened, he only needed to resolve the negative impacts it brought, and the whole situation could be turned into a tremendous stroke of good luck.
"Why aren’t you speaking?"
Because anything he said would be misunderstood. Blaze hesitated for a moment before uttering a "Hello." Sure enough, it was once again Twisted into the low growl of a Wild Beast by his helmet.
"The language of the Golden Country? How many years has it been since I last heard it?"
"Is the Golden Country... originally an animal—er, a Wild Beast world?" Blaze thought, scratching the back of his head and letting out a sigh.
"A thousand years? Five thousand years? Or perhaps even further back. When I was just a seed, someone held me in their hands and spoke of the sorrow of their fallen homeland."
The Tree of Life revealed a nostalgic expression.
"Then can you tell me about the Golden Country?"
"If you are looking to reminisce about your homeland through me, then I am sorry."
The Tree of Life waved its hand, and the surrounding environment shifted into a perspective reminiscent of a minuscule being lying on the ground, gazing up at the sky. In a sky far more beautiful than the present one, adorned with countless specks of light, a scorching Fireball plummeted toward the Earth.
"That happened when I was still a seed. The great Impact caused the extinction of the Dinosaur Species and the Giant Insect Species, and the Golden Country fell at that time.
"Although we Trees of Life are connected to one another, our roots cannot reach the places where Gold has spread. All we know are the stories brought by the ancient Minstrels.
"If you wish to understand the Golden Country, go find the Ancient Race, the Elves. In ancient times, they exchanged tales from distant lands for the right to live upon us; they are the oldest clan of Minstrels."
"Is that so?"
Blaze had seen many Elves, but they were all Foreigners. Native Elves were exceedingly rare, and finding one would likely be very difficult. However, he wasn’t worried, because the Golden Tree Sea—a place he could travel to after completing the challenge—was also home to one of the largest Elf Tribes.
"By the way, I cannot open the passage to the Golden Tree Sea right now."
"Ah!"
For some reason, Blaze detected a sly "I’ve been waiting for you right here" vibe from this sacred and inviolable existence.
Speaking of which, many Foreigners had complained before: why would simply delivering a letter for an elderly woman drag them into some massive hunting event between a race’s pureblood and mixed-blood factions? But while those Foreigners wore looks of distress at the time, they were actually just showing off to the other Foreigners around them, who were crying tears of Envy.
"Hundred-Womb Ganges. The Evil God’s Blood has recently become active. It is obeying the Summoning, eroding the soil as it crawls toward its new master. The Traitors are waiting to strike, and I cannot open the gates to my motherland, lest the Evil God’s Blood and its followers seize the opportunity to invade that final pure land."
Blaze crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head back to admire the golden veins in the sky, fully intending to ignore the Tree of Life’s words. In situations like this, the plot always developed in a specific way: he would get extremely anxious, decide to immediately help the Tree of Life solve the Hundred-Womb Ganges problem, and then head to the Golden Tree Sea.
But he remained very calm. He was currently Level 35; how could he possibly resolve the Hundred-Womb Ganges? Just the embryo form of that Nemean Lion King had required him and three Foreigners to team up to defeat. What about its juvenile or adult forms later on? Not to mention there were other types of Monsters.
It was said there were twelve Beast Kings who had betrayed the forest, and their perfect forms were undoubtedly Monsters exceeding the Hundred-Level mark. He couldn’t defeat a single one of them.
The Tree of Life was looking at him with eager anticipation, waiting for him to make a solemn promise to solve the problem.
"S-SKIP!" Blaze tactfully expressed his desire to not listen any further.
"Thank you for accepting this quest. I will now mark the locations of the twelve Traitors for you."
"Hey!"
Before Blaze could refuse, the Tree of Life waved its hand, and his Blessing opened automatically. A circular icon representing the Map appeared in the upper right corner. As the Map unfurled, a square-shaped continent revealed itself. Across it were three terrifying red fissures that were incredibly conspicuous even from a bird’s-eye view, with dense clusters of light points filling the areas around the blood-like cracks.
"N-No, didn’t you say there were only twelve?"
"There are indeed only twelve Traitors, but they have children. When the children grow up, they have more children. The cycle repeats, and their numbers multiply."