A Thousand Years Later
I watched in silence as the great tiger feasted, its massive form casting long shadows in the fading light. I had tracked him for weeks—months, even. Titan, the King of Tigers. My final opponent on this floor.
He was alone, as I'd expected. No pride, no pack. Just a solitary ruler wandering his dying domain. That seemed to be the way of apex predators: powerful, proud, and inevitably alone. I had long since gained enough strength to defeat him, but chose instead to challenge the other candidates for king—one by one—pushing my limits, refining my skills. They all fell with time. Now only Titan remained.
I opened my status window and reviewed my arsenal.
[Fire Dragon Slayer Magic – Lv. 43]
Ancient magic taught by dragons to slay their own kind.
Flame Manipulation
Fire Immunity
Dragon Scales
Flame Breath
Fire Dragon's Roar
Flame Eater
Dragon Presence
??????
My brow furrowed. That final skill had remained hidden ever since I defeated Fenrir, the Wolf King. A mystery I hadn't unraveled—possibly a dormant evolution… or maybe a curse. I sometimes suspected it was the infamous Motion Sickness Curse, the bane of all true dragon slayers. A cruel joke, if true.
I sighed and glanced at another ability.
[Super Regeneration – Lv. 35]
Regenerates at superhuman speeds. Higher levels enable cellular restoration. At max, even annihilation can be reversed.
This had changed everything. No longer did I need to rest between battles. I could recover mid-fight, heal through agony, and rise from injuries that would leave others broken. When I first earned it, it was only good for sealing cuts. Now, I could regrow entire limbs. I'd learned that the hard way—overconfidence had cost me an arm. It grew back before the fight was over.
With my [Relentless] title and [Stamina Regeneration], I could fight for years if I had to.
I turned my gaze back to Titan. The giant beast had finished drinking from the stream and returned to its half-eaten prey. I waited. Patience was key.
Then—an opening. Whoosh
I dashed and struck
Boom!
I struck first, a devastating punch to his ribs. The impact shook the trees and sent Titan tumbling across the clearing. He twisted in mid-air, landing gracefully on all fours with a snarl of pain. His golden eyes locked onto me, full of fury and challenge.
He lunged.
His paw came fast, claws glinting, but I was faster. I weaved past it and delivered another blow to his exposed flank.
Boom.
ROAR!!!
He screamed in agony, leaping back. This time, he was cautious—his instincts told him I was different.
I activated Dragon Presence.
Titan hesitated.
His body stiffened. His eyes flickered. Fear—not much, but enough. That hesitation sealed his fate.
I launched forward.
In a flash, I was beneath him, driving a brutal uppercut into his chin. His massive frame lifted off the ground, thrown into the sky like a ragdoll.
While he was airborne, I began channeling fire into my fist. Compressing, condensing. The energy pulsed and whined under the strain. My arm trembled with the raw power coiling within it.
Titan's body plummeted.
And I struck.
CRACK!
The world seemed to split. A shockwave tore through the valley, echoing for miles. Forests shook. Birds fled. Stone cracked.
Titan was hurled through trees and boulders, his path marked by destruction. The terrain could not contain the impact—rocks shattered, trees splintered, and a massive crater spread beneath my feet like a blooming flower of ruin.
I scanned the area for anything unusual, and seeing nothing, I turned toward the direction he'd been thrown and sprinted after him.
….
Gulp. Gulp.
As I drank from the river, I found myself thinking.
The forest had grown quiet. Too quiet. No challengers, no rivals—nothing. For the past decade, not a single beast had dared to confront me. It was unsettling. In the old days, they came every other day, snarling for dominance. Now, they were gone. Silent. Hiding.
Finishing my drink, I raised my head and returned to my kill to resume my meal.
Then—pain.
Excruciating, bone-cracking pain exploded through my body and launched me into the air. Something had struck me. Hard. The blow carried a shockwave. Midair, I twisted and landed on my hind legs, skidding back.
My eyes snapped to the source. A monkey?
No... not quite. It had fur only on its head and some on its face. My rage flared. This thing—this tiny, fragile-looking creature—had hurt me. Caught me off guard.
Unacceptable.
Fury overtook reason, and I lunged without hesitation, without thought. I raised my paw high and brought it down in a savage swipe.
Missed.
The creature dodged, too fast. Before I could recover, it struck again—another blow, another shockwave.
I roared in pain, stumbling back on instinct.
This creature is dangerous.
Stronger than me. Faster than me. I needed to think. To plan.
Think. Think!
Whoosh.
Suddenly, I felt it—an immense, crushing aura. My focus snapped back to the creature. Behind it, I saw something impossible: the phantom image of a dragon, massive and looming.
I shuddered. My instincts screamed at me.
Before I could react, it was there—in front of me—and then—
BOOM.
I flew again, smashing through trees and stone.
Crash.
I slammed into a boulder, the impact shaking my bones.
Crack.
Branches snapped. The creature stepped forward, stopping just meters away. Its expression? Boredom.
I snarled. Fuck.
My body was broken, but not my will. I forced myself to stand.
Its eyes widened, almost surprised—then twisted into something wild. Its aura shifted. No longer just powerful… It was beastly.
I grinned.
This creature was like me—a monster craving battle. No dodging, no parrying. Just raw, brutal violence.
We charged.
Both struck.
Even with its speed, it didn't dodge. It wanted this. A blood-soaked dance of destruction.
Swipe. Boom. Whoosh.
We clashed again and again. I noticed it healed after every wound—but I didn't care. This was the greatest fight of my life.
This would be the battle that carved my name into the annals of beasts.