For me, it was anything but.
After my conversation with Analth, I had gone to bed early, but I hadn’t been able to sleep at all. My mind kept drifting back to that night on the plane—what felt like ages ago, but in reality was just over a week prior.
The look my sister had worn, the fear in her eyes, and then the acceptance.
Then we were summoned here.
Somewhere out there, my younger sister—my sister, Sarah—was now the hero of a people she owed no loyalty to, outside of the fact that they had technically saved her life.
It was such a cruel twist of fate that I almost laughed. We had been together through everything and shared most of the same hobbies. She was always the more mature one of the two of us, though—and the smarter one, in my opinion—although she would say it was me.
But now, the world was pitting us against each other.
If I ran into her here, did that mean she would kill me on sight? Or would some part of her still remember the brother she had fed chicken noodle soup to when he was sick?
I sighed heavily and slowly rose from my bed, pulling on my gear.
Several notifications blinked in the system window; my evolutions were complete, as was the changing of terrain.
I tried to force a smile, even by myself, but it was hard, my thoughts continuing to drift.
I shook my head, slapping my cheeks.
“Come on,” I said to myself. “Get over this funk. No sense in worrying about something you can’t control right now.”
My little self pep-talk helped a little, and soon I was making my way outside.
Morning in the village was surprisingly quiet today.
Elyndra was up and about, giving me a smile and a nod as I went past.
Xele was deep in conversation with Maya, both looking a little different now.
Maya’s skin was almost an acidic green, while Xele’s frame had filled out into leaner muscle.
Both gave me a nod as I passed.
The one I was looking for stood at the edge of the clearing leading into the western woods.
“Lord Herald… good morning,” Arathog’s voice was deeper now, and his skin looked more like molten rock than flesh. He turned to face me, and he looked more sure of himself now, the aura radiating from him almost terrifying. “I thank you for this evolution. I feel… complete with it.”
I hummed and nodded before offering a smile, clapping his shoulder.
“You look good,” I said, earning a smile in return.
The two of us stood side by side for a few minutes, staring out into the woods. A gentle breeze blew past, and I could hear the distant sounds of birds and other daytime animals beginning to wake up.
“I’ve changed some of the terrain,” I said suddenly, not looking at Arathog. “Into Volcanic terrain. I want you to be among those who come to explore it with me today.”
He said nothing for a moment before nodding.
“Of course, Lord Herald,” he bowed low. “With my resistance to fire—a resistance that increased with my evolution—I’d make perfect sense for exploring such hostile environs.”
I nodded, a plan already forming.
I’d go myself, of course, and put on that new necklace I had received. I’d probably bring Elyndra as well, and Zareth. For a final member… I’d bring Andre, too. Surely being a Demi-Dragon gave him some innate fire resistance.
“It’s probably going to be a busy day, so take care of whatever you need,” I said calmly before heading back toward the village. I’d let Analth know where I was going and delegate some of the other monsters to train, while others watched the base.
A smile formed on my face, genuine this time. It was good to have plans.
An hour later, we stood at the edge of the new terrain.
Gone was the forest and grass, replaced by caked ash, burned trees and small hills. In the dead center, visible even from here, was a smoking volcano, surrounded by some small mountains.
I had thought it would change the terrain a fair bit, but this was on a whole other level.
If I hadn’t been here before, I would have thought this was just how it always was.
Except for how perfectly the terrain lined up with the next grid.
At my feet, the grass ended in a straight line and turned into soil and soot, as if the world itself had been filled in square by square.
I took a breath and stepped forward. The temperature changed immediately, heat washing over me like a choking wall.
I clutched my chest for a moment, earning a worried look from Elyndra, but pressed on.
“It’s hot,” I observed, though I was sure the others had already noticed.
As predicted, Arathog, Zareth, and Andre seemed mostly unaffected, while Elyndra and I were already sweating—and we hadn’t even found any monsters yet.
“Lord Herald, over there,” Arathog said, nodding in the direction of a copse of hills clustered together. For a moment, I couldn’t see anything—and then I did. A group of… somethings.
They were quadrupeds, each about the size of a mastiff, with bodies that looked like they were on fire and maws filled with sharpened teeth. The lead one howled upon seeing us, and they began to move in our direction.
“Alright, let’s get ready,” I ordered, drawing my blade. I had no idea how strong these things were going to be, but if I recalled correctly, the original levels of creatures in this area were around eight to fifteen.
The first of the monsters reached us with a vicious snarl, leaping to tackle Elyndra to the ground.
She sidestepped and jabbed its flank with her spear, scoring a deep hit that earned a whine of pain.
Two more went for Arathog, while one came barreling toward me.
I blocked its initial attack with my shield, then lashed out with Stormcleaver.
I blinked as the blade neatly sliced the creature in two—where it suddenly burst into flames.
My vision was consumed by fire. Heat washed over my body, and I hit the ground, instinctively rolling to put out the flames.
Pain wracked my body as the heat washed over me, but it soon faded as my necklace kicked in.
I stood again, my body smoking, anger etched across my face.
“Watch the hounds—they explode on death!” I warned. The flames would probably only really hurt Elyndra, but it would still do well to be cautious.
Two more hounds joined the fight, Andre engaging one while I intercepted the other before it could reach Zareth, who was already engaged with one that had slipped past me earlier.
It lunged, latching onto my leg and causing me to cry out in pain.
Searing heat coursed through the bite, and I had to slam the pommel of my sword down on its head once, twice, three times to make it let go.
Fresh blood hit the ground, sizzling as it touched the ashen soil, while the hound snarled and paced in front of me.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Before I could counterattack, it inhaled, then exhaled a jet of flames that washed over me in heat.
I yelped, raising my buckler, but it did little to defend me from the intense blast. My skin blistered in places even with the fire resistance, and I could only hope the thing would run out of breath soon.
My hopes were answered as the flames died off, the monster breathing heavily. I roared, charging forward and slashing down with my sword, cleaving it in two.
Before it could explode, I leapt back, the flames consuming soot and soil harmlessly.
Another roar of fire came from behind me, and I glanced back to see Zareth had finished off his own hound and was moving to assist Andre. Elyndra had killed her pair unscathed and was helping Arathog.
I heaved a breath and relaxed a bit, letting my monsters finish off the remaining enemies. I was breathing heavily from just that one fight, but as the battle concluded, I realized it was worth it.
[The Herald has slain Emberhound (Lv. 7)! — +80 Soul Essence]
[The Herald has slain Emberhound (Lv. 10)! — +116 Soul Essence]
[Skill Gained! — Flame Resistance (Minor - Lv. 1)]
[Skill Level Up! — Sword Skills have reached (Moderate - Level 1)!]
[Elyndra has slain Emberhound (Lv. 7)! — +80 Soul Essence]
[Zareth has slain Emberhound (Lv. 9)! — +103 Soul Essence]
[Elyndra has slain Emberhound (Lv. 8)! — +91 Soul Essence]
[Arathog has slain Emberhound (Lv. 7)! — +80 Soul Essence]
[Arathog has slain Emberhound (Lv. 10)! — +116 Soul Essence]
[Andre has slain Emberhound (Lv. 7)! — +80 Soul Essence]
[Emberhound (Lv. 8) can be tamed!]
One hound was crouched in front of Andre, head bowed, whimpering slightly. It looked like it had taken a minor wound, but seeing its pack defeated had probably made it fearful of us.
I sighed heavily and nodded.
“Alright, little guy, you can join us—but we’re not stopping our hunt here,” I said, and it let out something that sounded like a bark. I smiled, instinctively reaching out to pet it before thinking better of it. I could burn myself doing that.
[Karn (Emberhound - Lv. 8) has joined the Herald!]
I smiled, but before I could continue, another message popped up.
[New Quest Received!]
[Quest: The Volcanic Zone]
[Type: Side Quest]
[Objective:] The Herald has changed one of his territories into Volcanic terrain. New monsters await, alongside new things to discover. To better prepare himself for future confrontations, the Herald should learn as much as possible of this new terrain… and slay the rare monster that awaits within.
[Goal:]
- Explore (1%)
- Slay ???? (0/1)
[Time Limit:] 3 Hours
[Rewards:] 1 Uncommon Armor Box | +300 Soul Essence | ????
[Failure:] The Rare monster becomes overpowering, and launches an attack on the Herald’s home.
I stared at the failure condition for a long moment before frowning.
“Well, that’s not good,” I muttered, before turning to my companions. “Alright, people, we’ve got a new quest. Find and slay a Rare monster somewhere within this territory before it goes on a rampage.”
Elyndra’s face grew dark, while Arathog just laughed.
“A perfect task for one such as me,” he said, his voice filled with dark promise.
I shuddered—glad he was on my side.
Seeing the rewards for the quest reminded me that I had an Uncommon weapon box waiting to be opened as well. I wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to do that here and now, but I made a mental note for later.
For two hours, we searched, finding a few different monsters along the way. There were bats made of pure fire, Pyrewings, and plant-like humanoids that shot ash at you when you got too close, Ashkin. There were more Emberhounds, and something akin to a red-scaled crocodile that shot flames from its mouth called Pyrosuch’s.
My exploration portion was almost complete, but we had yet to find the rare monster.
That was until we approached the volcano itself.
The heat here was intense. Instead of a river of water, there was a slow-moving river of lava that formed a pool at the base of the volcano. I could see figures moving around it, but one stood out in particular.
It looked like someone had combined a scorpion’s tail and legs with the body of a gorilla.
In its hands, it held a massive polearm—a halberd of some sort, its blade glowing orange-red.
Its fur was a deep crimson, and four eyes lined its face, each one glowing like the magma it stood beside.
Moving around it were smaller versions of the creature with black and gray fur, each holding some kind of weapon. Not nearly as impressive as the larger one.
Which made me assume the big one was the rare monster I was supposed to be hunting.
There were seven of them in total, including the large one—which meant my party would be outnumbered.
“Right, I’ll take the big one,” I said automatically, but was firmly shut down by both Arathog and Elyndra.
“No, Lord Herald. Let me take it,” Elyndra said right away.
“I’m with Lady Elyndra on this one, my Lord,” Arathog agreed. “Allow us to handle the big one. We can keep it occupied while you lead the others in taking out the smaller ones.”
I thought about arguing for a moment, but the look I got from both of them made me sigh. “Alright. Zareth, Andre, and I will handle the smaller ones, while you two take on the big one.”
They nodded—Andre and Zareth along with them—and we readied our plan to ambush.
The first to strike was Elyndra. She fired an arrow that sank into the rare monster’s upper shoulder, making it roar in pain.
“You! You dare attack me—the great Ga’tuk! Die, fool!” he roared, skittering forward with his arms raised high. His allies moved behind him, each roaring and screeching as they went.
Elyndra got off three more shots before the creatures converged on us.
Andre, Zareth, and I each took on two of the monsters, while Arathog and Elyndra—now wielding her spear—challenged the larger one.
The two I fought both held swords: one a longsword, the other a massive two-handed blade that I quickly decided was better to dodge than block.
I dipped under the first swing before lashing out with my own blade. I grunted as I struck the chitinous leg of one, my arm going briefly numb as vibrations ran up the sword.
A second swing caught me off guard, the smaller sword-wielder nicking my hip with his blade.
I hissed in pain, barely getting out of the way of the next swing before I cursed.
“Fuck this,” I muttered, pouring mana into my sword and launching a blast of lightning that forked between them both.
They screeched, their bodies locking up as hundreds of volts of electricity coursed through them. When it ended, they were nothing but smoking husks, hunched over and unmoving, no longer breathing.
I turned to help Zareth, but he was finishing up his own fight as well. The only one struggling at the moment was Andre.
He wielded his rapier with skill, but fighting two opponents—both using spears and able to keep him at bay—was a losing battle.
I charged in from the side, tackling one of them sideways. It screeched, just barely keeping its footing, a feat I attributed to its multiple legs.
But I was within its reach now, and its spear was useless. I slashed, dodged, and stabbed, my blade piercing its heart. It gasped once, then slumped forward, dead.
By the time I turned to help with the second one, Andre had already killed it. He nodded once at me, and then we rushed to take on the Rare monster.
Arathog and Elyndra were… surprisingly struggling against it.
Each swing of the massive halberd created a wave of heat that forced Elyndra back and made even Arathog wince.
But that wasn’t all—unlike the smaller ones, it used its scorpion-like tail in combat, lashing it out to try and catch one of them off guard.
It fought with skill rather than brute force, and even two against one, it held its own.
“You killed my minions!” he roared as he saw us approach, his eyes flaring brightly like pits of flame. “Now I’ll really make you pay!”
His body glowed brightly, and Arathog grabbed Elyndra and leapt into the sky.
“Get some cover, Herald!” were his only words of warning.
It was easy for him to say. There wasn’t really anything to take cover behind besides the fallen bodies of his minions.
I leapt behind the largest one, ducking down just as a wave of flames erupted from the boss monster, washing over everything in the area.
Even behind the fallen corpse, I could feel the heat. It was a choking, clawing sensation, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe—the air sucked from my lungs.
It lasted for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only a couple of seconds.
I slowly lifted my head to see it fighting Andre and Zareth, with Arathog flying down alongside Elyndra to reengage.
I stood, charging in myself. I couldn’t let my monsters do all the fighting.
“Insolence! Sheer insolence!” it roared, swinging like a creature possessed, doing everything it could to keep us back.
It blocked some blows, but there were far more of us than it, and it was beginning to slow as it lost more and more blood, taking greater and greater damage.
“No… I will… not be… defeated!” Ga’tuk roared, but there was little energy left in him.
My own troop had suffered wounds and heat exhaustion, but the battle was almost over.
Elyndra rushed forward, jabbing with her spear—and took the blade of the halberd into her side as Ga’tuk made a final, mighty swing.
She flew through the air, rolling across the ground before finally going still.
I blinked once, twice, before roaring and rounding on the monster. I wasn’t in my berserk mode, but I was close—seeing red as I stabbed, slashed, cut, and sliced into the creature until, finally… it died.
I didn’t even bother checking the notifications, instead turning and rushing to Elyndra’s side.
Her armor was heavily dented, and blood pooled beneath her.
I flipped her onto her back, lifting her into my arms.
“Elyndra? Speak to me—are you okay?” I whispered, panicked.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then she choked, coughing and breathing heavily, and I sagged in relief.
She was alive.
Hurt, but alive.
“Remind me… not to get hit like that… again,” she groaned, and I let out a laugh—because the alternative was sobbing.
“Foolish girl,” I whispered, shaking my head slightly.
I looked back toward the fallen monster, its body still, the halberd still glowing.
We had beaten our first rare monster, and while it hadn’t been easy, I suspected this was the system’s way of testing us for future encounters like this.
With its defeat… I knew we were ready.
[Current Day: 11]
[Soul Essence: 2,023]
[Kingdom Core: Level 3]
[Domain Size: 6 Sectors]
[Active Quest: The Volcanic Zone — Completed!]