The night sky above the Human Kingdom was unusually silent, as if the world itself were holding its breath for what Roy was about to do. Standing outside the small house the Emperor had given him, he tightened his fists. The system's mission echoed in his mind like a drumbeat.
[ Mission: Kill a second-level (Intermediate) monster and absorb its Life Essence. ]
Roy exhaled.
"Alright… Time Knot, here I come."
He stepped into the shadows between two buildings. The air warped—slowly at first, then violently—as if reality shook like disturbed water. A vertical crack of silver-blue light opened in front of him. It pulsed, humming like ancient machinery awakening.
Roy stepped into the rift.
The world changed instantly.
He stood inside a vast landscape filled with floating islands, fractured pieces of land suspended in the air like shattered glass frozen in time. The sky was a swirling mixture of purple and teal, streaked with lightning that moved in slow motion. The ground beneath him cracked constantly, repairing itself moments later, as if the land was endlessly rewinding.
This place… felt alive.
"System," Roy whispered, "this place is insane."
[ Of course. It is the closest remnant of the ancient battlefield where the Enemies of Time invaded. ]
Roy frowned. That answered nothing—but now wasn't the time to dig deeper.
Somewhere in this distorted wasteland lurked his target:
A second-level, Intermediate rank monster.
He placed a hand on his chest and inhaled deeply.
"Let's get this over with."
The ground trembled.
A chilling hiss echoed from behind a broken cliff. Roy spun around just as a massive shadow crawled into view.
A gigantic scorpion—four meters long—emerged from the fractured terrain.
Its body was obsidian black, shining like polished stone. Its claws, shaped like hooked sickles, were dark crimson, the edges sharp enough to split stone. But the true terror was the tail:
A long, segmented stinger glowing a venomous, deep red.
When the creature hissed again, a thick, acidic steam rose from its mouth.
Roy swallowed.
"…Yep. That's my target."
The scorpion lowered its stance, claws spread wide. It moved with a terrifying mixture of speed and precision—far faster than its size suggested.
Roy summoned his Soul Weapon.
A smooth ripple of energy ran down his arm and a long silver sword materialized, gleaming with faint golden inscriptions—ancient runes connected to the Laws of Time.
Roy whispered, "Let's dance."
The monster struck first.
It lunged, claws sweeping sideways with enough force to tear a boulder in half.
Roy barely dodged—he felt the gust of wind from its strike slash across his cheek like a blade. He counterattacked, swinging his sword toward its leg, but the scorpion slammed its tail down, sparks exploding as metal met hardened chitin.
The impact sent Roy skidding backward across the ground.
"Damn… It's strong."
The scorpion didn't give him a second to breathe.
Its tail whipped forward again—this time aimed directly at his throat.
Roy raised his sword, blocking the strike, but the sheer power behind it flung him several meters away. He crashed into a floating stone pillar, cracking it.
Pain radiated through his arm.
His Eternal Body was already working, healing him—but slowly. Blood still ran across his injured forearm.
Roy tightened his grip.
Pain was acceptable. Death wasn't.
The scorpion hissed again…
…and then fired a ball of dark green venom.
The orb shot through the air like a cannonball.
Roy's pupils shrank. "Seriously?"
He leaped to the side—but not fast enough.
The venom orb grazed his ribs, burning through his jacket like acid. Roy screamed as smoke rose from his skin.
For a moment, he stumbled.
For a moment, the monster saw an opening.
The scorpion charged.
Roy clenched his teeth.
"I don't have time to play around."
Time slowed.
A faint silver sphere formed around Roy, shimmering like a bubble. The scorpion's charging form stretched, slowed… its claws descending in sluggish motion.
Roy whispered, "Time Domain: Compression."
Everything inside the domain moved slower—everything except him.
He dashed forward, sword turning into a blur as he slashed across the scorpion's legs. Chunks of black chitin cracked and fell. The monster roared in agony, but its voice was distorted—like a slowed-down recording.
Roy flipped backward to escape the counterattack.
Then he released the domain.
Time snapped back.
The scorpion stumbled, its injured leg bending unnaturally.
Roy smirked.
"Good. Now you can bleed."
Enraged, the scorpion struck with both claws. Roy dodged the first—but the second caught him across the side.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Roy groaned, stumbling as pain flared through his ribs.
His Eternal Body immediately began repairing the torn flesh, knitting new skin beneath the blood.
But he still felt the pain.
He raised his sword again… then changed his mind.
"Let's try something else…"
His Soul Weapon shifted—runes twisting—until it transformed into two short daggers.
He charged in low, sliding beneath the monster's belly, slashing upward. The daggers scraped through the softer underbelly, drawing black-purple blood.
The scorpion screeched violently, whipping its tail downward.
Roy rolled aside, barely dodging the lethal stinger.
"Okay… okay…" Roy muttered, panting. "You're definitely stronger than the last monsters."
The scorpion backed up, raising its tail.
Roy sensed the danger instantly.
"That venom attack again—!"
But it was already too late.
The monster fired a second venom orb.
Roy activated his domain instantly.
Time slowed—barely. The orb still moved fast.
He couldn't dodge.
So he raised his daggers and slashed through it.
The orb detonated on impact, spraying venom everywhere. Some splashed across his shoulder, burning deep into his skin.
Roy howled in agony, falling to one knee.
His healing kicked in again, but the poison slowed it down, causing the regeneration to falter.
Roy forced himself to stand.
"Enough…"
Roy exhaled—and his Soul Weapon shifted one last time.
The daggers elongated, warping into a massive scythe, the blade almost as long as Roy himself. A cold wind swept around him as the weapon resonated with the Laws of Time.
The scorpion charged.
Roy stepped forward.
Then vanished.
He reappeared right beneath the monster's shadow, accelerating his perception of time.
The scorpion swung its claw—
Roy ducked and slashed upward, cutting deep into the joint.
Black blood sprayed across the air.
The scorpion's tail whipped down—
Roy raised his empty hand.
"Time Domain: Pinpoint Stop."
A tiny sphere of frozen time enveloped just the tail tip—stopping it completely.
Roy's eyes gleamed.
"Goodbye."
With a full-force swing, he cleaved the scythe into the monster's neck joint.
The blade sliced through like butter.
The scorpion screamed once—and then collapsed, its massive body twitching before going still.
Roy stood there panting, drenched in sweat and blood, The essence of his life is almost empty of the Aether Force
The system's voice chimed.
[ Absorb its Life Essence. ]
Roy placed his hand on the monster's corpse. A stream of dark green light surged out, flowing into his chest like liquid fire.
His body shuddered.
Aether Force roared inside him, swirling wildly as the new essence merged with his core.
For a moment, Roy felt like he was drowning—drowning in raw power—but then everything settled.
[ Ding! Minor Realm Increased! ]
A grin spread across Roy's face.
"…I did it."
He staggered backward, fell onto a chunk of broken stone, and lay there staring at the swirling sky of the Time Knot.
He felt stronger. Faster. Sharper.
But more importantly…
He felt alive, He felt that killing made him stronger physically and mentally, Although he felt this was wrong, But he couldn't resist the feeling.
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I hope you enjoy it, Add it to the collections to know everything new, bye.