Luke was surrounded. The Beast Lord had coiled its enormous body around the very ground he stood on. He knew there was no winning this fight. His eyes scanned the streets, the alleys, the crumbling buildings—even the debris at his feet. His mind raced, exploding with possibilities, but every scenario led to the same end: death. Prolonging the battle by even a minute would seal his fate. The Beast Lord watched him, its slit eyes gleaming, its face almost twisted into a smile.

He had no choice. Luke improvised. He focused everything he had and hurled a kukri straight at one of the creature's fangs. The serpent roared in pain and lunged forward, furious. Luke detonated the mist. A silent explosion.

Black smoke engulfed the area in seconds. The serpent's jaws snapped on empty air. It crushed an entire house. Spat rubble. Nothing. It began spinning, thrashing its tail, demolishing everything nearby. It sniffed. Tried to sense vibrations in the air. But the mist smothered everything. No sound. No scent. No trace. It froze, narrowed its eyes. Its forked tongue flicked through the air, searching. Then it turned and slithered away, disappearing into the city, hunting down its prey elsewhere.

***

Minutes passed. Luke waited, motionless, until he was certain the monster had moved on. A thin thread of black mist seeped out from a narrow hole beneath the rubble. Luke reformed into human shape, gasping for air. He knew that damn thing could track by scent too. But mist had no scent.

He slipped into the ruins of a house, pressed his back to the wall, and melted into the shadows, waiting. Outside, the serpent howled again, still searching. He stayed perfectly still for a long time, not even daring to breathe too loudly. Only when the sound of the creature finally faded did he allow himself to move. From his hiding spot, he spotted movement. Creatures were emerging from the ruins scattered across the streets.

[Vigilant Dead – Lvl 29]

Undead. Clad in silver armor. Their movements were slow but coordinated. Luke recognized them—he'd fought similar enemies when he crossed the wall with Allison. Other beasts began to appear: hyenas, black-furred buffalo, twisted-horned monsters. They prowled the streets like they were on patrol.

Only then did Luke finally allow himself to exhale. At first, he'd assumed he'd just been unlucky, running into the serpent so early. But the more he watched, the more obvious it became. He was wrong. This wasn't chance. The entire city was that creature's territory. It wasn't passing through. It was guarding. Controlling. The serpent's presence was a constant—like a watchdog patrolling the borders of an invisible prison.

That monster will never let anyone near the third mechanism.

And it wasn't just the mechanism. There was the castle too—the exit from the tutorial. The serpent would never allow any group to reach it—especially not a large one. Even if the survivors teamed up, it would crush them before they got close. Luke glanced down and let out a long sigh. At some point, they would have to kill the Beast Lord... if they ever wanted to return to Earth.

"The eyes on that snake were terrifying," Artemis said.

Luke wiped his face with his sleeve. The creature's drool still clung to his hair and armor. He looked down at himself—soaked in slime—and grimaced at the stench.

"Perfect. Just what I needed."

***

After hours of hiding in the same spot, the serpent had finally moved far enough away for Luke to escape. The city was still an unpredictable threat, and he decided to retreat to the forest. At least there, the number of potential enemies was smaller. He pulled a wooden barrel of water from his necklace—he needed to clean himself. The serpent's saliva still clung to his skin and armor.

"Were that snake's eyes really that terrifying?" he asked, glancing down at the pendant around his neck.

"Yes! For a second, I thought we were both going to get swallowed and die together."

He narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Artemis… didn't you say you couldn't see?"

Silence. Then a faint gulp, like someone swallowing hard.

"You lied," Luke said, his voice low. "You told me you were blind."

"Alright, alright! You got me. I can see, okay?" she admitted.

Luke froze. "So every time I… got naked to bathe… you saw?"

"Yes. Every time. Hehe."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Why did you just say 'hehe'?" he asked, gripping the necklace tighter.

Artemis began to panic.

"Come on! I'm an ancient woman trapped in a magical necklace! Watching a young, handsome man shirtless is one of the few joys I have left!"

"You perverted necklace!" Luke growled, squeezing the pendant even harder.

"HELP! POLICE! HE'S HARASSING ME! HE'S HARASSING ME!" Artemis screamed, her voice echoing through the forest.

"Shut up and stop talking nonsense!"

Out of patience, Luke yanked the necklace off his neck and threw it to the ground. Then he took his shirt and tossed it over the pendant.

"This isn't fair!" Artemis shouted, her voice muffled beneath the fabric. "I deserve happiness too!"

Luke walked away in silence, ignoring her loud protests. Just to be safe, he kept going a little farther before starting his bath.

***

Afterward, Luke got dressed without a word. The cold water had washed away the grime, but not the thoughts clouding his mind. He stared toward the city in the distance.

"The Beast Lord's prowling that whole place. If I get too close, I'm dead. Searching for the third mechanism now would be suicide."

He took a deep breath, doing mental calculations.

"I don't have a choice. I need to level up... fast."

He looked at the city again. The common monsters there were around level 29—he could probably handle a few. But if he made too much noise, if the fight dragged on, the serpent would come. The only real option was to hunt on the outskirts, draw out isolated enemies, avoid long fights, and stay quiet. He regretted that his Assassin's Mark hadn't worked. If it had, he'd be able to detect the serpent's presence nearby and move more freely.

The sky was turning orange. Another problem—it was getting dark.

Are there Midnight Wardens here too? He sighed.

"Hm…" Artemis's voice cut into his thoughts. "Can I talk now? Am I off silence punishment?"

"As long as it's not more crap," Luke muttered, clearly annoyed.

She gave a dramatic fake cough. "So. What if we headed to the meeting point with Samael? It's a safe area and not far from here. Sound good?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "How do you know where it is?"

"I told you already, I can feel it. Like a… connection. Instinct. Trust me... pretty please?"

He looked back at the city, now half-consumed by the shadows of night. This wasn't the time to be stubborn.

"Fine. But if it's a trap, you're turning into a keychain."

"I promise it's not. But if it is, I hope I at least look cute as a keychain."

Luke ignored the joke. He summoned his kukris from the inventory and let Artemis guide the way. Even if he trusted her—he wasn't about to let his guard down.

***

It had already been night for a few hours when Luke began making his way through the forest. When the clock struck midnight, a bell rang out across the capital. It seemed this place had a Midnight Warden cycle too—and Luke had no desire to meet them. He suspected they'd be far stronger than the ones back in the Wild Zone.

A branch snapped nearby. Luke crouched low. He was deep in the forest, closing in on the location Artemis had told him about—where Samael was supposedly waiting.

[You have slain a Wandering Skeleton – Lvl 21]

That had been the fourth skeleton he'd encountered since entering the forest. A few of them wandered aimlessly, without purpose. Luke made sure to eliminate every one he saw. The moon hung bright overhead, casting pale light over the trees. He moved carefully, silent. Only the sound of leaves, distant insects, and the occasional owl accompanied him.

"Keep going straight," Artemis said.

They followed a trail of shattered roots and petrified trees until the forest gave way, revealing the mouth of an ancient cave. Moss-covered, cracked, and black as pitch. The air around it was still and dry… as if it had been sealed for millennia.

"He's in there?" Luke asked, stopping at the threshold.

"Yes, he is."

He took a breath. Kukris steady in his hands, he studied the entrance before stepping forward.

"You don't trust me? I thought we were like Batman and Robin," she teased.

He didn't answer. His eyes scanned everything. After all the effort it took to get here, he could only sigh… and enter. With a single step past the darkness, his demonic perception activated, guiding him like a second sight. Inside, two massive stone doors towered over the space. Ancient. Weather-worn symbols carved into their surface. They didn't sway with the wind. No lock. No hinges. Like sentinels standing eternal guard.

Luke moved forward. The doors opened on their own. No creak. No urgency. As if they already knew him. Charlie appeared at his side, sword drawn. The doors began to close behind them, but Luke didn't care. If he wanted to understand this tutorial—its origin, its purpose—he had to keep going.

The corridor ahead stretched long and narrow, cold and dark. Luke quickened his pace. Then, one by one, torches burst to life. Sharp cracks. Flickering orange light. Shadows danced across the walls, revealing faded inscriptions and thick cobwebs. The air was dry—filled with a strange dust, like the ashes of old bones.

Up ahead, a sound. Music. A piano. Delicate notes, steady and slow. A sorrowful melody, played with the patience of someone who had waited a long, long time. Luke's grip tightened around the kukris as he advanced. Each step echoed like metal over a tomb. He turned the corner— And saw it.

A massive chamber. Half-library, half-laboratory. Marble tables lined with glass vials. Paintings of eerie landscapes hanging on the walls. Mounted heads of creatures he didn't recognize. Ornate rugs on the floor. Bookshelves stacked to bursting. Magical chandeliers flickering overhead, their flames swaying with the music.

And at the far end… a man. Seated in a crimson leather armchair, one leg crossed over the other. An open book in one hand, a glass of wine in the other. Took one last sip. Set the glass down beside him. Then rose to his feet with effortless grace.

He looked directly at Luke… and smiled. Black suit. Trimmed beard. A refined aura that didn't belong in a place like this.

Luke stepped back, sizing him up. Friend… or threat?

"A pleasure, Luke," the man said, voice smooth and laced with something dangerously elegant. "My name is Samael. I serve Azazel…"

He approached, calm and confident, his eyes shining with quiet certainty.

"Or, as you knew him… Dark Demon. The Darkness that gave you your bloodline."

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