Seth first raced to meet his attacker, black lightning of annihilation crackling...

In reality, these creatures were superior to Seth in Rank. After all, though they were Awakened, they weren’t at an early stage like Seth.

But the mere fact that Seth had two Monarch-grade skills canceled out this difference in power.

These were just a stray pack of elite beasts. How could they possibly compare to a Monarch?

Crack! Splat!

Like an egg colliding with a stone, the poor dire wolf crumpled into a pile of meat and blood on impact.

[Congratulations! You have slain Awakened Rank creature: Pale Hide Dire Wolf!]

[You grow stronger...]

[+1 Speed]

A familiar whisper echoed...

Seth’s gait swayed as he dodged a following lunge from behind. He didn’t let the creature speed past him — his foot came stomping down.

A pained whine rang out as the beast was outright crushed into two halves.

The creature’s eyes went dim, its body losing all vitality.

[Congratulations! You have slain Awakened Rank creature: Pale Hide Dire Wolf!]

[You grow stronger...]

[+2 Defense]

Seth’s palm clamped shut the maws of another as it rushed at him.

Raising it by the snout into the air, he used it as a weapon, slamming it into another — killing two at once.

[Congratulations...]

Blood steam clouded his figure, exhaled from his pores as he felt his physique growing stronger in real time.

’So satisfying!’ His lips curled into a wide grin, revealing a pair of elongated canines.

His Asura body consolidated further as he grabbed a beast by its maws, ripping it into two in a single beat.

By this point, even the Origin Beasts weren’t so stupid. This guy was clearly way above their league.

They turned around to scamper away, fearful whines and howls sounding.

Their gene skill seemed closely related to speed enhancement, because before Seth could blink, every single grey dire wolf had long retreated into the dense foliage.

It was only now Seth could take in his surroundings.

He seemed to be in the depths of the wild, with only foliage of plants and towering trees as far as the eyes could see.

His eyes squinted as he smiled.

’So this is the Origin Realm... interesting.’

Around six floating light cyan orbs hovered over the corpses of the Origin Beasts he had just killed.

"Hehehe, 100% drop rate. Am I broken or what?" Seth chuckled to himself as he proceeded to pick up his loot.

Even though these were merely elite beasts, they were of the Awakened Rank nonetheless.

[You have acquired Level 1 Essence Crystals x2] 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

[You have acquired Pale Hide Coat x1]

[You have acquired Elite Grade Weapon: Fanged Dagger x1]

[You have acquired Level 1 Essence Crystals x3]

[You have acquired Resilient Pale Hide Pants x2]

Seth quickly equipped both the pants and coat, as he was naked. It wasn’t like he had the fetish of leaving his business in the open.

Surprisingly, due to the clothes being classified as gear, his skill Absolute Weapon Resonance passively enhanced their defense effects.

To think such comfortable clothing could be used as armor — Seth was awed.

Compared to drops from corrupted creatures, drops from Origin Beasts seemed countless times more sophisticated.

Just as he was wondering what next, a prompt flickered into view.

[Follow the Marker to the GreenFold Settlement!]

A red arrow blinked in his view, acting as a navigator pointing toward a particular direction.

’A settlement? Does that mean I’ll be able to find other intelligent lifeforms?’ Seth’s eyes lit up.

Alien races... his imagination couldn’t help but run wild.

With a heart full of expectation, he followed the marker.

...

Back on Earth...

In the high altitudes of southern California, a stealth jet thrust through the skies.

Within this jet were five people — the pilot and a familiar four.

"Hehehe, I wonder how big bro is doing. I bet he’d be surprised to see us so soon." Brandon laughed expectantly.

Beside him, Uriel’s gaze also flashed with anticipation.

Unlike the others, he had been unconscious for most of the fight in the corruption zone, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t played a vital role.

If he hadn’t risked himself to save Seth’s life, they all would have died.

A soft smile spread across Elaine’s beautiful features. "We didn’t get to appreciate him properly."

Seated by the side, Jack nodded in agreement. If not for Seth — not to even talk of clearing the zone — they wouldn’t have survived.

The guy literally carried them through the whole thing.

Unlike Seth’s situation, all four teenagers had been happily welcomed back into their families.

They had been treated, and they even regained consciousness before Seth did.

And today, on behalf of the government, they were heading to the Duskreaver Safe Zone for one reason only: to recruit Seth!

Yes, the government weren’t fools. If they actually planned on clearing a corruption zone anytime soon, they needed people with experience and power.

So it was only natural these four were approached.

Though it took much convincing and bargaining for Uriel’s and Elaine’s families to agree, Jack and Brandon didn’t have much issue, as their families were part of the government and military faction.

And now, instead of sending an envoy from the government to persuade the Duskreavers and Seth, they sent his four companions — hoping that the bond forged by fighting life-and-death battles together could tilt the scale in persuading Seth.

And the four readily agreed. Of course, not only would they get to see Seth, they’d have a chance to band together once again.

Plus, there was the fact that Seth seemed to have information even the government lacked.

Only with him in the team could they be reassured that everything would go smoothly.

The radio cracked, announcing: "We have arrived at the destination. Preparing for landing."

The four exchanged glances, smiling with anticipation burning in their eyes.

How had Seth been doing? Was he even stronger?

Had he learned more about the Origin and corruption?

They couldn’t wait to find out.

The stealth jet sent a radio signal to the only airport in the Safe Zone, requesting permission to land.

With the current state of things, communication between zones was difficult, so an impromptu arrival like this wasn’t strange.

After receiving permission, the jet plummeted...