Keon narrowed his eyes, deep in thought, as the wolf quickly recovered from being launched. His mind raced—how the hell was he supposed to kill something that just regenerates instantly?
Then, the woman's urgent voice cut through the tension.
"Its core! You have to destroy its core!"
Keon blinked. Core?
What core? The wolf didn't have a glowing weak spot or some obvious target like in games. Was it inside? Did he have to tear it open?
His expression darkened as he realized...
This was a problem.
The wolf, now fully understanding that Keon was untouchable, shifted its glowing red eyes toward the woman. A predatory instinct took over—it couldn't waste time on an impossible prey. Instead, it would rip apart the weaker one.
With a sudden burst of speed, the beast lunged at her, claws slashing through the air. But just as it was about to make contact—
Zzt!
She vanished, leaving behind a trail of crackling blue sparks.
Keon blinked. "Did she just teleport?" he muttered. Then it clicked. Oh yeah, people in this world can use abilities… Espria.
This world really wasn't normal.
The wolf let out a frustrated, guttural growl, its patience snapping as its prey vanished before its eyes. Its fur bristled, muscles tensed, and then— boom!
The beast slammed its claws into the ground, leaving deep gashes as it snarled in fury. It whipped its head from side to side, sniffing aggressively, its eyes wild with rage.
Then it went berserk.
With a deafening roar, the wolf launched itself in random directions, tearing through debris, slamming into walls, and clawing at the air in blind frustration. It crushed rocks beneath its feet, shattered what remained of the battlefield, and sent dust flying everywhere as it desperately searched for the woman.
Keon, standing in the middle of the chaos, narrowed his eyes, scanning the area. Where the hell did she go?
His head snapped around, trying to spot any trace of her blue sparks. Was she hiding? Teleporting away? Or—
A sharp gust of wind cut through the dust, and Keon felt an eerie silence settle. The beast was still searching, its heavy breathing and occasional snarls the only sounds in the wreckage.
Wherever she went, Keon needed to find her before the wolf did.
Keon took a deep breath, his mind racing. He quickly pulled up his status window to check his remaining Stat Points (SP).
[Current SP: 27]
After using 20 SP on Endurance, he still had 27 left.
"I should be careful how I use the rest..." Keon thought, eyes flicking between the rampaging wolf and the empty space where the woman had vanished.
His endurance boost had made a difference—he could feel it. His body felt sturdier, his breathing more controlled, and the lingering pain from the wolf's roar had dulled significantly.
But the fight wasn't over yet. If he had to spend more SP, he needed to make every point count.
"Now… where the hell did she go?"
Keon took a deep breath, pushing aside the chaos around him as he accessed his Rift Storage. A translucent interface flickered before his eyes, revealing the items he had stored.
His gaze landed on two particular objects:
• Big boulder
• Mutated Bone Serpent
• Obsidian Hourglass
He frowned. Which one should he use?
The names alone gave off a dangerous vibe, but without their descriptions,his fingers hovered over them, his mind racing. Would one of these help against the wolf? Or would using them now be a waste?
Meanwhile, the wolf was still in a frenzy, its claws tearing through the area, completely fixated on finding the woman.
Keon had to decide fast.
Keon's eyes flicked to the Obsidian Hourglass in his Rift Storage. He already knew what it could do—stop time. But reversing time… that was still a mystery. Theoretically, he had the required Mystic Affinity to use that function, but would it even work in this world?
And more importantly, was this really the time to test it?
His fingers twitched, tempted to grab it. If it worked, he could stop the wolf in its tracks. If it didn't, he'd be wasting a trump card.
But then his gaze shifted to the Mutated Bone Serpent.
Keon exhaled. Which one would be the right choice?
Keon tapped his fingers against his arm, deep in thought. The Mutated Bone Serpent was an undead from Raekor, a world governed by mana. Normally, undead that crossed worlds without their source energy—mana,would crumble into dust.
But this one was mutated.
That mutation gave it a chance to adapt. If it had already started adjusting to this world's Esperia energy, it might not only survive—it could evolve.
Keon wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
He stared at his Rift Storage, his mind running through possibilities. Should he risk summoning the undead to test its adaptability, or should he focus on the Obsidian Hourglass instead?
Meanwhile, the Obsidian Howler was still rampaging, searching for the woman. Keon needed to make a decision soon.
Keon smirked. Why not both?
With a flick of his wrist, he activated his Rift Storage.
A surge of dark mist spiraled out as two distinct objects emerged—one ancient and ominous, the other twisting and restless.
First, the Obsidian Hourglass. It hovered just above his palm, its sleek black structure absorbing the dim light around it. Time itself seemed to waver in its presence, the fine grains of obsidian sand inside trickling down at an unsettlingly slow pace.
Then, a sharp rattle of bones filled the air as the Mutated Bone Serpent uncoiled, its massive skeletal form writhing in confusion. Its eerie blue soul-fire eyes flickered, struggling to adjust to the energy of this world. Cracks appeared on its bony surface, as if it were fighting against its own decay.
Keon glanced between the two. One could manipulate time. The other was a wild card.
He exhaled. This was about to get interesting.
The Obsidian Howler froze, its crimson eyes locking onto the massive Mutated Bone Serpent that had just appeared. The beast's instincts flared in alarm—it could sense the unnatural aura radiating from the undead creature.
With a deep, rumbling growl, the wolf lowered its stance, shifting its attention entirely to this new threat. This was no longer about the woman or Keon—this was a battle of apex predators.
Meanwhile, Keon barely had a moment to enjoy the spectacle before a sharp ding echoed in his mind.
[System Notification]
Warning: The influence of the [Obsidian Hourglass] is unreachable.
Required Mystic Affinity: 8
Keon blinked, staring at the notification with a mix of annoyance and realization. So, his current Mystic Affinity of 4 wasn't enough to activate the artifact's abilities.
"Great," he muttered, pocketing the hourglass. "Guess that one's just for show right now."
His eyes flickered back to the two creatures. The Bone Serpent, despite its size, was still adapting to the new energy source of this world, while the Obsidian Howler looked more than ready to rip it apart.
Keon exhaled, crossing his arms.
"Alright, let's see how this plays out."