NOVPUBHowever, one question lingered in Noan's mind—something he simply couldn't understand:
Why would a creature that terrifying remain confined to the ocean?
That's right.
If it was truly that powerful, why hadn't it entered the mainland?
On land, Noan had only encountered low-rank and low-level zombies.
High-rank zombies, or even high-level ones, were rare—practically nonexistent.
If that monster were to step onto land, it would become the undisputed ruler of this entire region.
But no—it stayed offshore. And instead of advancing inland, it launched attacks from the sea, as if something were preventing it from crossing the boundary.
It felt as if there was some mysterious force keeping it at bay… denying it access to the mainland.
Or perhaps… that creature couldn't survive away from the sea.
Its very existence might be bound to the ocean itself.
Those were the only explanations Noan could find that made any sense. 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Still, he wasn't overcome by fear or worry.
After gaining the power of the Void, Noan was confident that one day, he would be strong enough to slay that monster.
"Let's go. The ocean's not really our kind of place," Noan said teasingly, glancing at Vylyss, whose mood had clearly dipped.
Vylyss pressed her lips together and nodded quietly.
Noan sighed, thinking to himself:
This girl… she's great at everything, but she blames herself too easily. I'll have to do something about that.
While pondering, he and Vylyss soared through the sky, heading toward the mountain range located roughly 100 miles outside the city.
Along the way, Vylyss continued slaying zombies with ease, helping Noan collect a decent number of energy crystals.
However, compared to the massive haul from Caleb's bank vault and the Third Elder of the Frankyro Family, this felt like pocket change—hardly worth mentioning.
Upon reaching the mountains beyond the city outskirts, Noan was reminded once more that the Singularity Point was nothing like the safe zones he had known.
This place was also shrouded in fog, thick and impenetrable—making it impossible to see anything within.
And then… that feeling returned.
The feeling of being watched—by something monstrous—made Noan's skin crawl with unease.
He looked toward the dense fog that cloaked the entire mountain range, forming a wall that reached from earth to sky, stretching off into the distance with no visible end.
He saw nothing, no eyes, no figures—but the sensation of being observed by something unimaginable remained.
Noan took a deep breath and looked away, forcing himself not to stare any longer.
He furrowed his brow and asked, "Vylyss, can you sense anything?"
Vylyss nodded, her expression clearly showing worry, discomfort, and tension.
Noan let out another long breath.
This place truly was terrifying.
He had only been lucky enough to land in an area with low-level zombies—and even that, it seemed, had been a rare stroke of fortune.
If he had been thrown directly into that fog-covered zone, Noan had no doubt—he would've died without even knowing how.
"Let's move on. There's no reason to stay here," Noan said, then took Vylyss and teleported over 50 miles south of their current location.
When they reappeared, Noan found himself standing before a dense forest, its towering trees easily reaching over a hundred meters tall—an unusual sight in this world, yet now they were so abundant they formed an entire forest.
He even spotted trees soaring over 200 meters high—monolithic pillars rising toward the heavens.
Approaching the forest's edge, Noan frowned as he peered into the dense interior. The trees were massive, tightly packed together, blocking most of his view.
He closed his eyes, channeling his Space talent, allowing energy to ripple outward and construct a 3D holographic simulation in his mind.
It was a technique similar to echolocation in bats.
But while bats used sound waves, Noan used magic—and magic, of course, was a thousand times more effective than mere vibrations.
A map with a radius of over 20 miles formed in his consciousness.
On it, he could clearly see the positions of trees, monsters, and even the location of a treasure chest buried deep within the forest.
Opening his eyes, Noan turned to Vylyss. Together, they stepped into the forest.
Rather than flying, they chose to travel atop the high treetops, which offered both a better vantage point and easier access to eliminate enemies.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. The crashing sound of giant trees toppling echoed through the air.
Noan had already detected the monster's presence earlier using his spatial scan.
"Let's hunt. I want to see how strong you've become," he said with a smirk.
Vylyss responded eagerly, "Yes, Master!"
The two of them quickly moved toward the source of the disturbance.
There, they spotted a massive creature—over 30 meters tall, its entire body coated in shadowy black.
Looking closer, they saw it was a giant bear, but its fur was no ordinary fur—it was as hard as metal, reflecting sunlight like sharpened steel.
Its strength was terrifying. With just a casual push, it toppled a hundred-meter-tall tree with a trunk over four meters thick, as if it were nothing.
Vylyss narrowed her eyes. "That bear… I'd estimate it's Rank B, but its level isn't very high. Maybe level 3 or 4."
"Can you take it down?" Noan asked.
Vylyss shot him a sly, seductive smile. "Master, just watch me."
With that, she soared toward the beast.
Sensing her presence, the colossal bear let out a deafening roar—
GRAOO!!!
Its claw swung violently, unleashing three crescent-shaped energy waves that tore through the air straight at Vylyss.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The slicing winds howled as the light blades flew through the trees, cleaving them apart effortlessly, as though slicing through paper.
Vylyss, undeterred, raised her hand gracefully.
In her palm, she held a slender chain, delicate and small—but at the end of it was a sharp, spear-like tip.
With a flick of her wrist, the spear-tip on the chain shot forward—straight toward the incoming crescent blades.
The chain traced a beautiful arc through the air—and in the same moment, it shattered the crescent-shaped energy blades with ease.
GRAOO!!!
The black bear roared furiously and suddenly leapt into the air, its massive body like a flying mountain.
"Hmph," Vylyss snorted disdainfully. Her elegant hand flicked once more—
Clink! Clink!
The sound of chains echoed as dozens of them tore through the air, piercing the space around the black bear. They shot toward it like snakes, binding it midair in an instant.
GRAO!!!
The beast howled and thrashed, but it was futile.
Vylyss hovered above, now holding a tennis-ball-sized sphere of energy in her palm.
And then, without warning, the orb vanished.
In the blink of an eye, the energy sphere reappeared—directly in front of the black bear's face—and then…
BAM!
A deafening explosion erupted. The surrounding space shuddered violently, as though the very world might collapse.
A giant sphere of energy engulfed the entire bear, trapping it inside.
From that sphere, shockwaves burst outward again and again, blowing away even the hundred-meter-tall trees like twigs.
The overwhelming energy became a heatwave, turning the surrounding space into a furnace of destruction.
But just a few moments later, the orb began to shrink, then faded completely.
Silence fell over the forest—only the wind, carrying lingering waves of heat, swept through the treetops.
Vylyss flew over to Noan with a smile, extending her hand. Resting on her palm was a gleaming Rank B Energy Crystal, radiating a dazzling light.
Noan took it and immediately felt the immense power stored within.
[Ding! Congratulations, you've obtained a Rank B Energy Crystal – Level 4.]
He nodded as the system's notification popped up.
Energy Crystals came in levels, ranging from Level 1 to Level 10.
Most of what he normally encountered were Level 1, as they were common, easy to trade, and easily harvested.
But higher-level crystals were different.
They weren't just valuable—they had immense utility.
That's why high-level energy crystals were rarely seen.
There was also another reason: Rank limits.
The most commonly traded crystals were Rank F and Rank E.
However, crystals of those ranks only existed at Level 1—there were no higher versions.
Starting from Rank D and above, crystals came in multiple levels.
This Level 4 Rank B Energy Crystal in Noan's hand, for example, could theoretically be converted into 40 Level 1 Rank B Crystals.
However, in practice, most people wouldn't make that exchange. The asking price often went up to 50 or even 70 standard Rank B crystals.
Though the conversion rate was well above the official value, many were still willing to pay—because high-level crystals had enormous strategic worth.
Suddenly, Vylyss pulled out another stone and handed it to Noan.
"Master, I found this one too. It was inside the black bear's heart."
Noan's eyes widened the moment he saw the object.
His expression turned to disbelief.
"This is… an Elemental Core."
