Ank’s instincts screamed at him to run, and every fiber of his being told him to escape as quickly as possible.
Yet his legs refused to move because the pressure radiating from the monster was simply overwhelming.
This was the first creature Ank had encountered that truly made him realize how weak he had become.
Unlike the other monsters he had fought since awakening, this creature was in a completely different league.
He could not even harm it.
The serpent’s enormous yellow eyes locked directly onto Ank, and for a brief moment, he felt as though he had become nothing more than prey waiting to be devoured.
The giant mouth continued approaching, getting closer with every passing second.
Then a hand suddenly landed on Ank’s shoulder.
“Relax.” Marek’s calm voice echoed beside him.
The next second, a powerful aura erupted from Marek’s body.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath his feet, and the surrounding trees bent under the overwhelming pressure of his aura.
The serpent abruptly stopped its attack, and fear appeared in its eyes.
Ank slowly turned toward Marek.
His expression immediately froze.
Golden light surrounded the prince’s entire body, and the atmosphere became incredibly dense, as though the air itself was being crushed by Marek’s presence.
“This…” Ank stared at Marek with widened eyes.
“What is this?” Marek smiled.
“My Blessing.” The giant serpent hissed as its massive body immediately coiled into a defensive position.
Every instinct it possessed warned it that the person standing before it was dangerous.
Marek slowly stepped forward.
With every step Marek took, the serpent retreated further away from him.
Ank could not believe what he was seeing.
A monster capable of crushing enormous trees and swallowing other monsters whole was now backing away from Marek.
“What kind of Blessing do you have?” Ank finally asked.
Marek glanced at him.
“You’ll find out eventually.” Ank almost cursed Marek after hearing his answer.
He did not want to admit it, but he was beginning to dislike Marek’s attitude.
Whenever a monster attacked, Marek would disappear and watch the battle from a distance.
Then, only when Ank was about to lose, he would finally step forward and help him.
Marek truly enjoyed keeping secrets.
The serpent suddenly roared.
Dark energy began gathering around its enormous mouth, slowly forming a massive sphere of black energy.
The energy continued increasing until the sphere became larger than a carriage.
Then the serpent fired.
The enormous attack shot directly toward them.
Ank’s face immediately turned pale.
Yet Marek simply raised one hand.
The black sphere suddenly stopped in the air, as though it had collided with an invisible wall.
Ank stared at the attack in disbelief.
The serpent also stared.
Even the surrounding monsters hidden within the forest seemed to fall silent after witnessing what had happened.
Marek calmly snapped his fingers.
Crack!
The massive black sphere shattered into thousands of particles that slowly disappeared into the air.
The serpent froze completely.
Ank continued staring at Marek while trying to understand what kind of Blessing the prince possessed.
To stop an attack like that without even moving from his position was something Ank had not expected.
Marek suddenly yawned.
“Too weak.” The giant serpent immediately turned around and ran deeper into the forest.
Ank blinked several times after watching it escape.
“It is running too?” “Smart choice,” Marek commented calmly.
The prince looked completely unsurprised by the serpent’s decision.
Within moments, the giant creature disappeared into the distant forest.
Several seconds passed before the golden aura surrounding Marek slowly faded.
The overwhelming pressure vanished, and the forest gradually returned to normal.
Ank finally released the breath he had been holding.
“What was that?” Marek smiled.
“A demonstration.” Ank frowned.
“A demonstration?” “Of why you should be doing the fighting.” Ank suddenly had a terrible feeling.
Marek pointed deeper into the dungeon.
“The serpent possesses a Beast Blessing, so it’s far beyond your current level.
But every other monster on these floors is perfect for your training.” Ank narrowed his eyes.
“You planned this.” “Of course,” Marek replied with a shameless smile.
“I didn’t bring you here for sightseeing.” Ank sighed.
For some reason, he was beginning to understand why the Imperial soldiers had looked so nervous around this prince.
Marek rolled up the map before looking deeper into the dungeon.
“The staircase to the second floor should be nearby.
Let’s go.” Together, they began moving deeper into the first floor.
Neither of them noticed that a pair of golden eyes was silently watching them from within the shadows.
Far away, deep within the dungeon, a colossal figure slowly opened its eyes .
The Dungeon Lord had awakened after sensing the presence of intruders.