Hearing thunderous footsteps quaking through thend nearby, he moved out of the clearing as his boots stomped over the muddy ground, ducking into a patch of bushes to hide himself.


    STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.


    Peering through the bushes, he watched while crouched down, quieting his breathing, as a behemoth d in pitch-ck, spiky scales stomped through the spot he was justying. It was asrge as an elephant, emitting breath in the form of steam from its pores as it moved through.


    It had a bulbous tail that thwacked against the trees it passed by, taking chunks out of the trunks casually. The tank-like beast left massive footprints that caved the mud in deep, moving slowly before it finally left the area.


    What is that?…If I didn’t wake up when I did, I’d be dead meat, he thought.


    As it escaped from his view, Emilio finally let out a breath of relief, able to breathe properly as his heart throbbed in his chest.


    Carefully moving around through the forest ground, finding odd nts such as giant, four-petaled flowers that glowed, or crystalized blooms, he chose to avoid touching them.


    “Ngh…I’ve got to find Melisande,” he mumbled to himself, rubbing his throbbing head.


    Sitting down momentarily on a rock, the warm sensation of rays of the sun made him look up, realizing no such thing peered over the isted valley.


    “What the…”


    The sky above was not a pale-blue, filled with a sea of clouds, but a mirror of the forest itself; colossal trees existed upside down. It seemed to be a closed-offnd, steeped in mysticism beyond hisprehension.


    As for the source of light he felt and saw, it stemmed from a colossal, amber crystal embedded in the ‘sky forest’, shining down.


    I can feel it; the air is densely packed with mana. It really is like I’m standing inside some sort of massive seal…He thought.


    While getting his bearings, the sound of rustling from behind startled him as he jumped up, ncing back–


    “Raaaargh–!!!”


    “Ah!”


    Right in his face, a silver-furred lion that was three times the size of a grizzly, at least, roared out as the smell of flesh and blood emitted from its maw.


    Holy shit! Emilio thought.


    Unprepared, he jumped back, tossing a quick slice of water in its direction. The eviscerating water shed the carnivore’s shoulder.


    “Yes!” He celebrated.


    Though it was short lived as the massive carnivore didn’t seem to sustain any damage from the magic, prompting it to roar again before it rushed forward.


    “–Crap!”


    After failing his initial attack, he began running, trying to run through his mind what his next course of action would be.


    Just my luck I’d run into some sort of damn devil cat! He thought.


    As he nced back, he found the colossal lion to be even faster than expected as it leapt forward with a whistle of wind curving around it. Flowing from its tinum mane, wind shot out to increase the speed in which it pierced forward.


    “Gh–!”


    Before he could manifest a shield in front of him, the lion swept past him, nicking his corbone with its dagger-like w.


    Wind magic? No, is it some sort of inherent ability it has–? He thought.


    Holding hiscerated cor, he looked down to realize the wound had already closed itself; it was still a factor he wasn’t used to.


    “–Oh, right,” he mumbled.


    There wasn’t time to be surprised as the mystical beast rushed in again, carving up the soil in its path as it roared out.


    Tossing a volley of wind shes in its direction, the cuts of air only seemed to ruffle up its immacte coat of fur. Next, he tried a stream of fire, engulfing the beast, only for it to rush forward without the fire doing anything to its fur, prompting him to jump back.


    It managed to catch up to him through its ferocious pursuit, lunging with its maw that epassed his entire torso, though he managed to roll back to evade its jaws.


    As he swiftly ducked back, the beast mmed its paw down, catching his calf with its razor-sharp ws that carved out his flesh by the spoonful.


    “Ngh!”


    Just as quickly as he was wounded, as he jumped back up to his feet, the flesh in his calf was returned as the ck threads stitched it back together as if no damage was ever inflicted. It was apparent to him now just how potent the Undying Blood bestowed to him by Vandread was, though it wasn’t something he liked to rely on.


    Magic is ineffective? I’ve read about beasts like this…’tinum Deaths’–If I recall correctly, they’re native to Vasmoria; beasts that evolved to resist magic due to being hunted by it for so long, he deduced.


    Though remembering that hardly made his mission any easier as without magic, it would be a physical confrontation with a lion that was over five times his size. Still, readied himself, drawing in a breath.


    Alright, I’m ready now…He thought.


    As he watched closely, squinting, he witnessed its mane vibrate before once more, a burst of wind curved around it like a propulsion device.


    Just as itunched forward, he responded in kind, using a burst of wind at his feet to jump upward. He managed to hover directly over its head, taking the silver-furred beast by surprise as he drew his sword.


    It was through the usage of magical reinforcement and his innate strength that he garnered the strength to swing his silver edge downward, managing to cut through the thick nape of the beast. The tinum lion’s neck was the same thickness of a grown man’s body, and even tougher than normal flesh, yet with his amplified strength, he swept through it like butter.


    SQUELCH.


    Landing on his feet again, he let out a small breath before sheathing his sword, looking down at the colossal beast he felled.


    [Level Up!]


    [Level Seventeen Achieved.]


    Seeing the size of it, it was obvious to him just how far he’de from his days of struggling against goblins.


    Alright…I think I get what I’m up against now, he thought.