He poured everything into a single strike and swung his sword at the bear's neck, black flames exploding on impact.

The neck was burst apart, severing the head from the body as the bear collapsed onto the ice, lifeless.

[You have slain the Level 176 Frost Cleaver Bear]

[Achievement Unlocked]

[You have slain an enemy one rank above you]

[New Title Earned: Warrior]

[Warrior]

• While fighting enemies 50 levels above you: All stats +20%

• While fighting enemies one rank above you: All stats +30% ]

"That was close," he said.

He checked his body. His health was low, but Fast Recovery was already working. He drank a stamina potion and then a mana potion to stabilize himself.

Mike looked at the system messages again.

"One rank above me," he muttered. "So it really counted."

He checked the system screen but did not submit the quest yet.

"Let's see the highest level I can defeat. I haven't even used Emperor or the Lich yet," he muttered with a smile.

He stored the bear's body away. Later, once he found an undead-creation skill book that allowed Lily to create undead from any monster, this bear could also be turned into an undead—not just skeleton knights or mages.

Mike raised his hand and summoned Emperor.

A flash of mana appeared, and the Etherfang Wolf Emperor stepped out. Its cerulean-blue body shone clearly against the white snowfield.

Mike climbed onto Emperor's back.

"Alright, buddy," Mike said. "Let's hunt a lot of beasts."

Emperor let out a low howl and took off at high speed.

They moved across the frozen land, cutting through the snow easily.

After a short while, Mike spotted movement ahead.

"A herd," he said.

In the distance, several Frost Fang Wolves were roaming together. Their bodies were smaller than the bear's, but their numbers made them dangerous.

Mike tightened his grip on his sword.

"There's only one alpha—Rank 1, Level 121. The rest are Rank 0, below Level 100," he muttered as he observed the herd.

He jumped off Emperor's back. While still midair, he poured a massive amount of mana into his sword.

"Black Flame Sword Art: Horizon Split!"

A massive arc of black flame slashed forward as his sword swung. The attack landed in the middle of the herd, killing many wolves instantly.

The alpha survived for a moment, but several cerulean-blue slashes followed, cutting its body apart within seconds.

"Nice work," Mike said, nodding as he rubbed Emperor's neck.

He stored the wolf bodies and continued moving.

Before long, Mike found his next target.

A Level 199 Deep Sea Serpent.

It was moving beneath a frozen lake, its massive shadow visible under the ice.

"Here's the target, but…" Mike muttered, seeing the serpent moving easily under the thick Ice.

"It's not wise to fight this beast in its own territory," Mike said as he signaled Emperor to move away.

But just as they were turning to get away from here, both Mike and Emperor sensed danger.

They jumped back just as a massive white-scaled serpent head burst out of the lake beneath them, its jaws wide open. It was trying to swallow them in a single bite.

Midair, Emperor growled and opened his mouth. Five cerulean energy Blades shot out, creating massive wounds on the serpent's body.

The serpent howled in pain and released an icy-blue breath attack toward them.

Mike jumped aside while Emperor formed a cerulean barrier around his body to block the attack.

At the same time, Mike counterattacked.

"Black Flame Sword Art: Piercing Abyss!"

Mike hurled his greatsword like a spear. It pierced into the serpent's head—but not deep enough.

The Deep Sea Serpent roared and violently shook its body, slapping Mike away with its tail as the attack failed to finish it.

Mike crashed into a distant icy mountain, coughing up blood. "Damn this thing," he muttered as he forced himself to stand up.

If not for the Black Mithril Knight Set, his body wouldn't have just been thrown away—it would have been smashed into a pile of meat on the spot.

Mike wiped the blood from his mouth and took a deep breath.

He reached out in his inventory and pulled out another Black Mithril Knight sword.

"Fortunately I have more than one," Mike mumbled calmly.

He rushed back toward the frozen lake.

Emperor was already fighting the serpent. The Etherfang Wolf moved fast, dodging bites and tail swings while firing cerulean energy blasts whenever there was an opening. The serpent thrashed wildly, cracking the ice and tearing up the ground.

"Good. Keep it busy," Mike said.

He tightened his grip on both swords.

Mike activated Iron Skin again, then Valor Surge. The red glow returned around his body.

He started running toward the fight.

As he closed the distance, the serpent noticed him and tried to turn, but Emperor lunged in and tore into its side, forcing it to stay focused.

"That's my opening," Mike said.

He jumped forward, using Phase Step to close the gap instantly.

He appeared on the serpent's head, grabbed the sword that was embedded there, and yanked it out. Mike immediately jumped away and stored one sword back into his inventory.

The serpent roared and lunged at him again.

Mike didn't hesitate.

He gripped the sword tightly and poured his mana into it.

"Black Flame Sword Art: Transcendence Cut!"

Mike slashed.

Eighty percent of his mana was consumed in a single instant. The next second, the serpent's head was cleanly severed from its body.

The massive body collapsed onto the ice.

Mike landed a short distance away, staggering slightly.

"Damn… this move is always too demanding," Mike said, breathing heavily.

Transcendence Cut ignored distance and sliced directly through space to hit its target. But if it missed, the mana loss was fixed—an instant 80% drain.

That was why Mike only used it when he was absolutely certain.

And this time, it had been worth it.

The Emperor came near him as Mike stood up. "We did it, buddy," he said, and Emperor licked him affectionately.

"Okay, okay," Mike said, stopping him and brushing saliva off his armor.

Mike stretched his body and added, "Now that we can handle a Peak Rank 1 beast, I think we can take on the Rank 2 boss too." Emperor let out a triumphant howl.

"Yeah, we're doing great," Mike smiled, rubbing the Emperor's neck.

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