I cautiously controlled my direction, steering it towards deserted paths, occasionally striking out with blue sword energy to keep its fury stoked, fearing it might suddenly calm down. Though the likelihood of it turning back now was slim, I still worried it might abandon the chase.
The Golden Line Sea Frog's eyes had turned a pure, furious red. The severe injury that had made it cough up blood seemed to have no effect on it. Being wounded by a human it considered extremely weak and continually provoked by him, its anger had completely ignited.
Now, its mind was filled with only one thought: to kill me.
Seven or eight levels of light-based attack spells and dark green poisonous gas continually spewed towards me.
Unfortunately for it, my agility far surpassed its straightforward speed. So, despite its relentless attacks, not a single spell managed to hit me as I dashed towards the foot of the mountain.
One running, one chasing, we quickly covered dozens of miles, arriving at a dense forest. Without hesitation, I plunged into it. I had already noticed that, despite leaving the battlefield far behind, a few individuals riding flying beasts were still tracking me from above.
Dealing with the Golden Line Sea Frog in such a forest was undoubtedly the best option.
The Sea Frog, clearly without any fear of the forest, followed me in.
Finally, I was able to escape the prying eyes above. I exhaled deeply, having spent the entire afternoon carefully restraining my strength, fighting with pent-up frustration, being chased for miles. The feeling of suffocation was indescribable. Now, I could finally fight back freely and vent my anger.
Before it could steady itself, I launched my attack. Bathed in golden light, my speed nearly doubled, leaving countless afterimages in the air. The Sea Frog, which could catch up with me moments ago, suddenly seemed incapable of tracking my movements. Before it could react, my left fist, carrying mountainous force, repeatedly struck its body. The wooden sword in my right hand traced mysterious curves, repeatedly slashing deep, narrow wounds into its flesh, each cut drawing deep green blood under the protection of my true energy.
Caught off guard by such a fierce onslaught, the Golden Line Sea Frog was completely stunned.
It futilely tried to move, summoning light shields from the Guardian of Light and healing light from the Healing Light, but the shields were quickly shattered, and the healed wounds were immediately reopened. Its movements, compared to my current speed, were pitifully slow. Even when it leaped into the air, I would chase it, slashing and punching several more times.
In the end, it could only let out a pitiful wail, venting its endless resentment and helplessness, launching futile level seven and eight spells at my afterimages.
When the barrage of attacks finally ceased, its body was riddled with wounds, no longer retaining any of its former majestic presence.
Surviving such an onslaught without immediate death was a testament to its Saint Beast level strength. Unfortunately, it now suffered severe external injuries, and more critically, the soft internal energy from my left fist had critically damaged its heart.
The only reason it hadn't died instantly was that its energy was forcibly sustaining it.
Had it not been for the severe injury from the magic backlash, my relentless provocation pushing it to desperation, and its underestimation of my strength, I wouldn't have succeeded so easily.
The battle with the Dark Dragon Elder had taught me how to deal with a magic adept opponent: strike first and suppress them continuously, leaving no chance for them to cast spells.
As the Holy Dragon Elder Elina Ansrathagus once told me, if a magic sage releases a forbidden spell, they could absolutely annihilate five sword saints in an instant.
Hence, I would never repeat my past mistake of allowing a magician to cast high-level spells in a fight—it was sheer suicide.
The dispirited Golden Line Sea Frog stared at me, its gaze shifting rapidly from venomous to sinister, finally settling into tranquility.
"Why?" it asked.
I understood its question—it was questioning why I hid my strength. For it, such behavior from a strong being was incomprehensible and utterly despicable.
But with its mindset, it would never understand the complexities of the human world. Different species had different perspectives. Its environment dictated a belief in the survival of the strongest.
However, the human world was far more complicated. So I could only respond:
"I can't explain it in a way you'd understand. Just know I did it to avoid trouble."
As my first truly formidable enemy on this continent, I felt it deserved an answer.
It nodded, saying, "You are strong. To fall at the hands of someone like you, I do not feel unjust."
Seeing its seemingly calm demeanor now, I asked curiously, "Do you not hate me?"
Its mouth twitched slightly as it replied:
"I did hate you just moments ago, but not now. I've lived for thousands of years, gaining strength by consuming the magic cores of other beasts. Killing for food was a daily necessity for me. If not for a recent accident where I killed a Celestial Bird and obtained its magic core, I might still be a mute beast. So, whether I kill humans or am killed by them, it's all normal. There's nothing to resent. Such a long time has allowed me to see many things clearly."
The Celestial Bird was a holy beast of the light element, an extraordinarily beautiful bird-like magical beast. When fully grown, they could reach the size of an adult dragon. Their feathers were entirely white, with seven colorful tail feathers, but they usually transformed into a size similar to kingfishers. They even inhabited Dragon Island.
I couldn't help but sigh for the unfortunate Celestial Bird that fell to this Sea Frog, saying:
"I didn't expect you to be so philosophical. Why then were you in the nearby sea?"
It replied gloomily:
"I didn't want to come here. But as I grew into a Saint Beast, the leader of my original sea territory feared I'd threaten its position and threw me into a deep sea whirlpool. By the time I struggled out, I had drifted to this area. Absorbing the Celestial Bird's core changed my temperament, and I no longer wished to continue the slaughter in the sea, so I decided to explore the land. After answering so many of your questions, can you tell me—are you really human?"
I smiled, saying:
"I'm not sure if I count as human anymore. I always was, but the Dragon Clan leader drew out my latent dragon energy. Now I can transform into a dragon, so maybe I'm not human anymore. But I still consider myself human, even though I'm now an honorary elder of the Dragon Clan."
"I see. To die at the hands of a Dragon Clan elder—it's truly an honor."
The Golden Line Sea Frog murmured, its eyes gradually dimming. As its voice faded, so did the life force within it.
I looked at its massive corpse and sighed inwardly, thinking:
Saint Beasts—unless necessary, I shouldn't kill them. This one was a malevolent beast, but at the end, it felt like an old man who had seen through the world. If I sought out others, I wouldn't have the heart to kill them.
Though I had killed many before, each had a reason, from my perspective. When I first left Dragon Island, I planned to gather more Saint Beast cores, but now I couldn't muster the desire.
Shaking off these thoughts, I decided to extract its magic core.
Magic beasts typically had their cores in their heads. When I split open its skull, I found two fist-sized cores—one white and one blue—which instantly lifted my mood.
The Sea Frog's skin wasn't particularly tough; its physical defense was lower than that of some high-tier beasts. However, its excellent magical defense made it ideal for crafting magic robes, so I skinned it carefully.
As I stripped the skin, I discovered a faint life force emanating from its abdomen.
"Could it be pregnant?" I wondered, only to find the life force coming from its stomach.
Enduring the stench, I found a half-human-sized egg within.
Curiously examining the egg, I sensed the weak life force inside.
The egg's occupant had clearly been in the Sea Frog's stomach for some time, surviving by emitting protective light to avoid digestion. But it was now extremely weak, likely close to death.
The only way to save it was to infuse it with energy. Absorbing enough energy would allow it to hatch.
However, doing so would bond the creature to me as my pet, creating a direct mental link far stronger than any forced contract. Such a bond could only be made once in a lifetime, so if this creature wasn't high-ranked, it would be a wasted opportunity.