As Zane and Maria were looking in the direction where the sound was coming from...
KRRRSH !
The sound started getting closer and closer. The air began to grow heavy and hard to breathe.
"Zane, do you need any help? Of course, the monster that is coming is the Alpha Fern Wolf. It is known for its speed and is very aggressive. If you are weaker than it, your magic will not work," she said while looking at Zane.
"Don’t worry about me, I will handle it. And if my magic does not work, I will use this SWORD after all, I have been thinking of testing it," he said, looking toward the trees.
The sound of the Alpha Fern Wolf stopped.
"Maria, get into stealth. It’s near now." "Okay, Zane. Be careful."
A few minutes later, a dark, suffocating pressure covered the entire area.
STEP ... STEP ... STEP ...
The Alpha Fern Wolf started walking slowly toward Zane, but Zane did not flinch; he just stood there watching it emerge from the shadows.
The creature was draped in jagged, charcoal-black fur, dark like burned ancient ironwood, intertwined with glowing red vines that pulsed along its hide. Three huge lines slashed across its face, looking like old battle scars. Merely exhaling, the beast released a cloud of black, ash-laden frost that billowed from its serrated muzzle.
"Zane, are you sure you want to fight this thing alone?" Maria’s voice whispered inside Zane’s head.
Zane did not retreat. He just smiled and said, "J-Just watch me."
ROAR .... !!
The Alpha vanished.
BOOM!
"That was fast... If I hadn’t learned this barrier from Sofia, I would be doomed by now," Zane said, staring straight into the wolf’s eyes.
As its claws scraped against the cracking barrier, Zane pushed the wolf backward.
Then....
"HEAVENLY DRAGON STEP!"
FWOOSH !
"WIND BLADE!"
BOOOM!
Six long wind blades appeared and struck the wolf. The ground trembled as Zane stood watching the dust begin to clear.
KRRRSH !
STEP .. STEP ..
The wolf charged toward Zane. He tried to dodge, but it was too late and its claws scratched the side of his arm.
[DING !]
[SELF-REGENERATION ACTIVATED .]
Zane’s wound started healing on its own.
"What?! Can Zane also use Self-Regeneration? In the royal family, only three people can use it. With Zane using it now at his age, that means he has the potential to surpass the First Prince... or even the King himself!" Maria thought to herself.
"That was close... I let my guard down there. It’s time to get serious."
"FIRE ARROW !"
The wolf dodged and lunged forward, trying to bite him, but Zane dodged and countered immediately.
"WATER VORTEX !"
FOOSH ! BOOM!
"EARTH SPIKES !"
Long, sharp stones erupted beneath the wolf, forcing it to jump into the air.
"This is my opportunity!"
"TORNADO SPIKES !"
A heavy tempest infused with sharp stones surged upward, ensnaring the airborne wolf.
KRRRSH !
The wolf roared in pain.
"Did I kill it?" Zane muttered, breathing heavily as he wiped sweat from his face.
BOOOOM!
A massive wave of mana surged out of the wolf. The beast had entered its final stage: Berserker Mode. In this state, the monster became twice as strong, noticeably larger, and far more aggressive.
"Zane, be careful! The monster has.. "
"I know!" Zane interrupted. "Just stay there and watch!" he said, his face hardening with focus.
KRRRRSH! KRRRVRSH! AWOOOOOW!
An overwhelming pressure radiated from the beast.
What is going on?!
[DING !] [MASTER’S STATS HAVE BEEN REDUCED BY 50%.]
What?!
[YES , MASTER . YOU ARE BEING SUPPRESSED BY THE WOLF’S SKILL]
"Damn... Damn it!"
"Hey, System! Unseal all my abilities!"
[OKAY MASTER]
[ALL STATS UNSEALED]
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ NAME : ZANE]
[ SURNAME : WILLIAM]
[ MAGIC CLASS : MASTER OF ALL CLASSES]
[ TALENT ABILITY : INFINITE Growth]
[STRENGTH : 22,512]
[ DEFENSE : 21,500]
[AGILITY : 20,900]
[STAMINA : 30,000 / 30,000]
[FATIGUE : 22,200 / 30,000]
BOOOOOOM!
A staggering, blinding column of pure golden mana erupted from Zane’s body, shattering the surrounding bedrock and blowing away the thick mountain fog for hundreds of meters in every direction.
Maria was blown backward, forced to throw her arm over her face to shield her eyes from the intensity of pure magic radiating from the ten-year-old boy.
Her jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
’What...?! Zane was suppressing his power all this time?!’ Maria thought, her heart pounding against her ribs. ’It was so perfectly concealed that not even the Princess or I could sense a fraction of it!
Zane exhaled a trail of glowing golden mist, feeling his core overflow with limitless energy.
A confident grin spread across his face as he reached over his shoulder, gripping the thick white cloth on his back. With a single fluid movement, he unwrapped the linen, exposing the edge of the God Slayer Sword.
He pointed the dark, ancient blade straight at the towering Berserker Alpha, whose crimson eyes flared with a sudden flicker of instinctual terror.
"Well... well..." Zane whispered, his voice resonating with an otherworldly aura.
"It’s time to test this power and this sword."
The golden aura around his body flared as he lowered his stance.
"Now come... let’s see what you’re really made of!"
With an explosive speed that shattered the sound barrier, Zane lunged straight toward the monster.
The wolf also charged and they collided.
CRACK!
BOOM!
The wolf skidded across the torn earth, its massive claws digging deep trenches as it barely contained the impact. Crimson smoke surged from its hide as Berserker Mode pushed its muscles beyond human limits.
With a primal roar, it bounded off a nearby boulder, accelerating into a blur of black shadow and flashing red vines.
Zane didn’t move an inch. He simply shifted his grip on the God Slayer Sword, the golden mana around him condensing into a shimmering armor.
"Heavenly Dragon Style: First Stance Void Cleave!"
As the wolf lunged, opening its jaws to crush Zane’s throat, Zane stepped inside its reach.
The God Slayer Sword cut through the thick, suffocating pressure like a hot blade through silk. A line of pure, blinding light bisected the air, severing the wolf’s shadow infused aura in a single instant.
SLASH!
The Alpha Fern Wolf froze mid-air. For a split second, silence fell over the forest.
Then, a massive shockwave exploded outward, leveling the remaining trees within fifty meters.
The beast dropped heavily onto the shattered bedrock, its glowing red vines fading into lifeless gray ash.
[DING!]
[BOSS MONSTER: ALPHA FERN WOLF DEFEATED]
[REWARD : ELEMENTAL BLADE TECHNIQUE !]
Zane exhaled a trail of golden steam and calmly slung the heavy blade back over his shoulder, wrapping it in its white linen cloth.
Behind him, Maria stepped out from behind a cracked boulder, completely speechless. Her eyes darted from the massive, felled monster to the ten-year-old boy casually dusting off his sleeves.
"That... was just a test run," Zane said with a casual grin, turning back to her. "Not bad for a warm-up, right?"
"How... How strong are you, Zane?" Maria shouted with shock in her face.
"Well.. Let’s say strong enough to protect myself," he says while sitting down.
"What do you mean by that... Well with what I have seen of you, you will not tell," she says while picking materials from the monsters.
They pitched a tent and spent the whole night there.
In the morning they started walking deep into the mountains.
Zane started seeing some goblins but they were no problem to him; he would just cast small spells.
After a long walk the weather started changing, and snow started falling.
’Wait... it’s snowing here?’ Zane thought, squinting through the falling flakes. In the distance, a cluster of wooden rooftops peeked through the fog.
"Is that... a village?" Maria murmured.
Zane and Maria started walking towards the village.