Ethan faced seven people standing before him. He couldn't see their levels, but he could sense the strength radiating from them.

Their aura felt unusual—strong, wild, and unpredictable.

This is new to me. I have to be careful.

"Unfortunately, I can't just hand over my weapon," Ethan said firmly.

One of the men glared at him and grinned. With a quick hand gesture, he ordered his people to attack.

They rushed forward, spears pointed at Ethan.

He dodged their thrusts with ease, then struck one of the spears with his hand, shattering it into pieces in a single blow.

The man froze in shock, stumbling backward as his broken weapon fell to the ground.

The barbarian leader glanced at him and realized something—Ethan's strength was beyond what they could handle.

But surrender wasn't an option. The man clenched his teeth and shouted for his men to keep fighting.

They attacked again, swarming him from all sides. Ethan had to move fast, dodging and parrying each strike.

He couldn't retreat too far—Leon and the others were still behind him, poisoned and struggling to stay conscious.

Several spears broke under Ethan's counterattacks, but the barbarians didn't stop.

When they lost their weapons, they pulled out daggers and kept coming, fighting with raw ferocity and hand-to-hand skill.

Three of them struck together, surrounding Ethan. He still hadn't drawn his sword; the situation wasn't desperate enough yet.

Using only his hands and feet, Ethan punched, kicked, and shoved them back, sending them stumbling and groaning in pain.

"He's… strong," one of them muttered.

"Damn it! Call Nok!" shouted the leader.

Nok? Who's that?

Ethan stayed in front of Leon, Megan, and the others. They were still suffering from the poison—he could see the purple tint spreading through their veins.

Their HP was slowly dropping, but not fast enough to kill them immediately.

He estimated they had 45 minutes to an hour before their health ran out completely.

During that time, he needed to defeat these tribesmen and find the antidote.

A woman appeared from the trees, wearing the same tribal outfit as the others, except she held a magic staff instead of a spear.

Her body was also covered with strange red tattoos, glowing faintly under the dim light. The leader pointed at Ethan and shouted that he was an outsider trying to destroy their tribe.

The woman, Nok, grew furious. She slammed her staff into the ground three times, and glowing crimson runes formed in the sky above them—massive and dangerous.

Ethan tensed immediately; her power wasn't something he could take lightly.

[Summoning the ancestral spirit who guards the land and sky. Let the roar of nature's wrath fall upon our enemies.]

[Leaves wither, trees collapse, life essence fades. A sacred sacrifice to unleash the highest power.]

The ground trembled under Ethan's feet like a small earthquake. Energy from all around gathered into the crimson rune in the sky, summoning a storm of red lightning that rumbled with fury.

[Spirit Power: Crimson Sky Serpent!]

Nok raised her staff, channeling a crimson beam into the sky. From the rune descended a massive serpent formed entirely of blazing red energy.

Ethan squinted up at it, stunned—it was the first time he'd seen such a creature.

The giant crimson serpent was no match for bare hands. Ethan raised his arm and summoned Bloodblade Ashura.

In an instant, his hair gleamed a deep maroon and his eyes shone with the same burning light.

Nok gasped, and even the barbarians behind her froze.

"Th-that sword… the Ancestor's Blade?!"

Ethan ignored her, eyes locked on the serpent. With one sweeping motion, he swung his sword sideways, releasing a crimson slash that soared toward the sky.

The attack collided with the serpent in midair, creating a violent explosion of light and sound.

The two powers clashed above, pressing against each other. Cracks began to spread across the serpent's body as Ethan's crimson strike overpowered it.

BLAST!

A massive explosion tore through the air, shattering the serpent into countless fragments. The crimson rune broke apart like glass raining from the sky.

Nok was thrown backward, coughing blood as she fell to her knees. Her hands clutched her chest, trembling as if stabbed by a thousand invisible needles.

The leader ran to her side and fed her a healing pill. She recovered quickly, though her face remained pale. Ethan held his blade ready, prepared for another round.

"That sword… where did you find it?!" Nok shouted angrily.

"The World of a Thousand Stars."

"Why was the Ancestor's Blade there?!" she yelled.

Ancestor's Blade? What are they talking about? What's their connection to Bloodblade Ashura?

"I'm not allowed to tell you anything about that," Ethan said flatly.

"Hand that sword over, and we'll let your poisoned friends live!" Nok demanded.

Ethan didn't answer. Instead, he thrust his sword into the ground, the earth cracking under its power. Then he raised his hand, motioning for them to come.

Nok's fury grew. To her, no outsider deserved to wield that weapon.

At her command, seven men charged at Ethan. He dashed forward too, swinging his blade upward and unleashing a fiery triple slash.

Three crimson arcs flew toward the attackers, cutting through the air with deadly precision.

They failed to dodge. The Ashura Rift struck them head-on, and their HP bars dropped instantly.

[Blood-Cursed Tribe (Lv. 40) || HP: 0/12000]

Three of them died on the spot. The system window appeared in front of Ethan.

[Congratulations, you obtained loot:]

[+900 EXP || +450 Gold || +600 Contribution Points]

One kill meant 300 EXP, 150 Gold, and 200 Contribution Points.

Nok's eyes widened. Three of her people had been killed in an instant—she hadn't even blinked before it was over.

"Fall back!" she ordered. Her tribe reacted quickly, retreating to regroup. Ethan narrowed his eyes.

That's fast… too fast.

"What kind of power is this?" Nok muttered in disbelief.

Ethan responded by swinging his sword sideways, releasing another crimson slash. Nok raised her staff, forming a simple magic barrier.

The two forces collided again, but Ethan's power was much stronger. The barrier cracked, shattered, and the blast sent Nok and her remaining warriors flying backward.

BLAST!

A wave of crimson smoke spread through the area. Ethan squinted, trying to see through it.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew the smoke away, revealing Nok—still alive—now standing behind three elderly men wearing grand bone accessories and robes.

They looked at Ethan with cold, ancient eyes. He guessed they were the tribe's elders.

"Outsider," one of them said.

"He holds the sword of Gor, our ancestor. We must reclaim it," Nok insisted.

Gor? What does that mean?

"You," said the middle elder.

"What do you intend to do to our tribe?"

"We were mapping the area. We didn't come here to attack. But your people poisoned my friends."

"And what do you want?" the elder asked.

"I want the antidote," Ethan said, "Give it to me, and I won't harm your tribe."

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