Inside the Early Foundation Section, various dangers lurked in the shadows.
Monsters with cultivation bases at the first, second, and third levels of Foundation Establishment roamed the area, their presence exuding an aura of menace. Alongside them, beasts with physical strength comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators prowled, ready to tear apart anything weaker than them.
Though there were also monsters and beasts of lower ranks, they were rare in this section, as the stronger creatures dominated the territory, preying on the weak.
...
Looking around, Gabriel didn't spot any beasts.
"I should be cautious here," he thought.
Before entering, he had donned his full-body golden armor. While it wouldn't do much against direct Foundation Establishment-level attacks, it was still better than nothing.
Taking silent, deliberate steps forward, he carefully scanned his surroundings, his ears tuned for the slightest disturbance. Every movement was precise—he refused to be caught off guard.
Then—
A faint rustling sound reached his ears.
Suddenly, a massive snake, at least thirty meters long and a meter thick, lunged out from the shadows, its jaws stretching wide enough to swallow Gabriel whole!
Its gaping mouth revealed two venomous fangs, gleaming ominously as it struck with terrifying speed.
WHOOSH!
Gabriel reacted instantly, leaping sideways, narrowly dodging the monstrous serpent's attack.
BOOM!
The snake's fangs slammed into the ground, sending a violent shockwave through the earth. The sheer force of the impact blasted a five-meter-deep crater, shaking the surroundings like a localized earthquake.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed.
"This beast… it should be around the First Layer of Foundation Establishment," he mused. "I was able to dodge its attack with ease, which means my current strength is well above it."
However, the difference wasn't overwhelming. This realization meant that although he was stronger than a First or even Second Layer Foundation Establishment beast, he wasn't so strong that he could dismiss them entirely.
He couldn't afford to be careless. If the snake managed to land a bite, its venom could be lethal.
The serpent, having missed its attack, now regarded Gabriel warily. No longer underestimating him, it coiled back, ready to strike again.
HISSSSSS!
With a sudden, violent shudder, the snake's body split apart—one became two.
Two became four.
Though each of the clones was thinner and smaller, they were faster. Worse, their poisonous fangs remained just as deadly as before.
Gabriel's expression turned sharp.
"Cloning talent… interesting."
Unlike monsters, which could store and manipulate natural energy, beasts relied on their bloodline talents to survive and fight.
This snake's ability was undoubtedly a cloning talent.
"Now, instead of one early-stage Foundation Establishment beast, I'm facing four."
While each individual snake was weaker than the original, they were still firmly within the Foundation Establishment realm.
The clones spread out swiftly, surrounding him on all sides.
Then—
They all attacked at once!
Four sets of venomous fangs lashed toward Gabriel from every direction!
Fortunately, even though these smaller snakes were much faster than before, Gabriel could still dodge them with ease.
"Now, it's my turn!"
With a burst of speed, so fast that even the snakes could barely register his movement, Gabriel lunged forward.
In an instant, he grabbed one of the snakes by its head with both hands—then twisted sharply!
HISSSSS!
The snake let out a desperate, shrill hiss, but in the face of Gabriel's overwhelming strength, it could only resist for a brief moment before—
CRACK!
Its head was ripped clean off.
The moment the first snake was decapitated, something unexpected happened.
The remaining three clones suddenly spasmed, thrashing violently on the ground. Their bodies convulsed, twisting unnaturally for several minutes before finally—
They stopped moving.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes.
"Strange bloodline talent..."
Not taking any chances, he stepped forward and swiftly decapitated the other three snakes as well, ensuring they weren't faking their deaths.
After confirming the fight was over, he stared at the four lifeless corpses with intrigue.
Then, he shook his head in disappointment.
"Garbage talent. Not worth collecting."
While cloning abilities were usually powerful, this snake's version of it was utterly flawed. The fact that killing one clone caused all the others to die rendered the talent useless in actual combat.
"Trash ability. Nobody would buy it."
Losing interest, Gabriel turned away from the corpses and resumed his journey deeper into the forest.
Beasts possessed innate bloodline talents, unique abilities that could sometimes be extracted and used by humans.
To do this, one would need to harvest the bloodline essence, refine it, and then craft specialized equipment that could grant its abilities.
More extreme cultivators, however, took it a step further.
Some practiced bloodline fusion techniques, permanently merging their own bloodline with that of a beast to acquire its talent as a permanent ability.
Gabriel had previously encountered such a cultivator—his previous opponent, Ice Beast, obtained his abilities through an item rather than an actual bloodline fusion.
If Gabriel wanted, he could harvest a large quantity of this snake's blood and take it to a specialized workshop. There, he could commission an artifact that would allow him to replicate the cloning ability just as the snake had used it.
However—
If he used the ability, splitting into four clones, then just like the snake, as soon as one clone was killed, the others would also die.
An ability with such a critical weakness wasn't worth the risk.
Also, everything within Dark Dragon National Forest, including bloodline materials from slain beasts, was considered the property of Sky City.
Gabriel couldn't simply take what he wanted—he'd have to pay for it if he wished to keep any loot.
However, there was one catch.
To purchase anything obtained inside the forest, a cultivator was required to reveal their identity.
That was something Gabriel absolutely refused to do.
While entering the forest anonymously was allowed, buying materials from slain beasts required official registration.
If he truly wanted something without revealing himself, there was only one option left—
Stealing.
However, stealing from Sky City's officials came with huge risks.
Unless the bloodline was truly overpowered, Gabriel had no intention of taking such a dangerous gamble.
For now, it simply wasn't worth it.
With a final glance at the useless snake corpses, Gabriel turned his focus toward the deeper parts of the forest.
...
Gabriel moved forward cautiously.
After defeating the snake, most of the other beasts kept their distance, unwilling to provoke him.
"I have only 20 minutes left!" he thought, a hint of frustration creeping into his mind.
He had yet to accurately gauge his strength, and if the one-hour limit expired, every extra minute he spent inside would cost double the spirit stones.
Even though he had plenty of money from his investors, he had no intention of wasting it.
RUMBLE!
The ground trembled violently!
Gabriel's instincts flared, and without hesitation, he jumped away!
BOOM!
A massive fist slammed down—landing exactly where he had been standing a split second ago!
The impact was devastating.
The ground shattered, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Nearby trees splintered, cracks formed in the earth, and even the air shook from the sheer force.
Then, as the dust settled—
Gabriel laid eyes on his attacker.
Standing over 8 meters tall, its body bulging with grotesque muscles, was a colossal gorilla-like beast.
Its entire frame radiated raw, overwhelming power, and its fur bristled as it locked eyes with Gabriel.
The sheer intimidation it exuded was so great that every nearby creature—big or small—fled in terror.
Even ferocious monsters, who normally wouldn't back down, ran for their lives.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed.
"That speed… That power… This thing is at least as strong as a third-layer Foundation Establishment beast."
Even though he was confident in dodging its attacks, he knew better than to be careless.
Because unlike monsters, beasts could have unpredictable bloodline talents.
And a single mistake could prove fatal.
Without hesitation, Gabriel exploded forward, launching himself at maximum speed!
His movements were so fast that an afterimage briefly flickered where he had stood.
The gorilla reacted instantly.
With blinding speed, it swung its massive hand, attempting to crush Gabriel in a single, decisive blow!
WHOOSH!
But—
It was too slow.
Far too slow.
Gabriel closed in instantly, launching a devastating kick straight at the gorilla's leg!
The difference in size and height between them was immense—
The gorilla stood over 8 meters tall, while Gabriel was not even 2 meters—
Yet, despite the massive contrast, Gabriel's kick carried monstrous power!
CRACK!
A sickening snap echoed through the forest.
A Roar of Agony!
The gorilla's bone shattered!
The force of the impact sent it flying—
Fifty meters!
Its enormous body crashed through trees, snapping them like twigs!
Yet—
Despite the devastating blow—
It didn't stay down for long!
With a furious ROAR, the gorilla rose back to its feet!
Its body trembled violently.
A surge of overwhelming energy erupted from within—
Its muscles swelled.
Its bones creaked and expanded.
Its aura skyrocketed!
And then—
It began to grow.
A Colossal Transformation
9 meters tall!
10 meters!
11 meters!
12 meters!
13 meters!
14 meters!
Finally—
15 meters!
Only then did the transformation stabilize!
Gabriel narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation.
"Its power just surged dramatically… at least to the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment!"
He recognized the signs immediately—
"This must be a berserk-type bloodline ability!"
It was a common trait among beasts, trading intelligence for sheer raw power.
But there was one problem—
"I don't know if this is just an ordinary berserk skill… or if it has some mutations."
Mutated bloodline talents were far more dangerous, often coming with unpredictable side effects.
He needed to be extremely careful.
"GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
The colossal gorilla let out a deafening, rage-fueled roar!
Then—
It jumped!
A shadow loomed over Gabriel!
With both massive fists raised high, the gorilla intended to—
SMASH HIM INTO OBLIVION!
"Too fast! Uncomfortably fast!"
Gabriel leaped backward, barely dodging the gorilla's devastating strike at the last moment!
His body was drenched in sweat—
That attack just now…
If it had connected, he would've been in serious trouble!
Landing several tens of meters away, Gabriel finally made a firm assessment of his power:
"My strength should be around the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment!"
That meant—
He was strong—
But still weaker than this berserk gorilla!
...
The colossal gorilla crashed down, its massive fists slamming into the earth.
BOOOOOM!
A violent earthquake erupted!
The impact created a massive 20-meter-wide crater!
The sheer pressure of the landing was so terrifying that the ground beneath it was—
Instantly compressed into solid stone!
Gabriel's eyes narrowed.
"This thing is too powerful right now. I can't fight it in this state."
Gabriel clenched his fists but didn't move forward.
He wasn't a fool.
Beasts were physically stronger than humans—
But humans had weapons, tactics, and strategy!
Yet…
Right now, he had no weapons and no armor strong enough to help him.
Fighting head-on would be suicidal!
His only option was to stall for time!
"If my guess is correct… Berserk-type bloodline talents have a time limit!"
If he could dodge long enough, the gorilla would eventually exhaust itself—
And that would be his chance to strike!
"GRRAAAAHHHHH!!!"
With another earth-shaking roar, the massive beast launched itself into the air!
CRACK!
Trees snapped like twigs as its massive body soared toward Gabriel—
It punched!
It swiped!
It kicked!
It smashed!
Yet—
Every single attack missed!
Gabriel was simply too fast!
Despite the gorilla's overwhelming power, it had one major weakness—
It had lost all sense of reason!
Foundation Establishment beasts normally had the intelligence of a five or six-year-old child—
But in berserk mode…
It became nothing more than a mindless brute!
A beast running purely on rage and instinct!
It didn't think.
It didn't strategize.
It just attacked blindly!
And Gabriel—
Took full advantage of that fact!
...
For half an hour, Gabriel continued to dodge effortlessly—
The surrounding landscape was utterly destroyed!
Forests flattened!
Craters littered the ground!
Even distant mountains showed signs of destruction!
At some spots, lava had begun seeping from the earth!
Yet—
Despite all this destruction—
The gorilla never landed a single hit!
Finally—
The gorilla's movements began to slow!
Its massive body trembled—
And then—
It started shrinking!
14 meters…
13 meters…
12 meters…
9 meters…
7 meters…
5 meters…
3 meters…
By the time its berserk transformation fully ended—
The once colossal, 8-meter-tall monster had been reduced to a mere 3 meters in height!
And more importantly—
Its aura had drastically weakened!
Now—
It was barely at the first layer of Foundation Establishment!
Gabriel's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Now… It's my turn!"
The moment the gorilla realized its body had shrunk, a flicker of pure terror flashed across its bloodshot eyes!
It turned—
And saw the human standing there… completely unharmed!
The very same human who had dodged every single one of its berserk attacks…
The very same human who had toyed with it effortlessly for over half an hour…
The very same human who was now looking at it with cold, indifferent eyes!
Flight Over Fight!
Without a second thought—
The gorilla turned and ran!
It didn't hesitate for even a moment!
"GRAAHHH!"
With a desperate roar, it dashed into the distance, its massive feet pounding the ground!
It no longer cared about dignity!
It no longer cared about revenge!
Right now, all it wanted was to get as far away as possible from this terrifying monster in human skin!
Gabriel watched silently, making no move to chase.
He could feel his time running out—
"It's already past an hour… I need to leave."
Turning away, he didn't even spare the gorilla another glance.
If he wanted to, he could easily kill it now.
But—
What was the point?
Even if he slaughtered the weakened beast, he wouldn't be able to extract its bloodline without revealing his identity—
And that wasn't an option!
Killing it would be meaningless.
No Time to Waste!
If he stayed any longer, he'd have to pay extra spirit stones for exceeding the time limit—
And that was a waste of resources!
With that thought, Gabriel headed toward the exit!
...
Hidden among the towering trees, the gorilla watched from afar, its massive body trembling with fear.
Even after the human had disappeared, it remained frozen in place, unable to move.
It had never experienced such terror before!
Never—
In its entire life—
Had it seen a creature that survived its berserk transformation… and came out completely unharmed!
"I was lucky… Lucky to survive today!"
The gorilla took a deep breath, its muscles still twitching in fear.
From this day forward—
It made a silent vow in its heart:
"I will NEVER fight those tiny creatures again… NEVER!!"