Chapter 45: Kodo Beast (Part-1)

The moment Ryan snapped back to his senses, the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird had already spread its wings and fled, not daring to look back even once.

Ryan immediately gave chase, activating Phantom Step with all his strength.

Fortunately, after unleashing that explosive speed yet again, the bird’s condition deteriorated sharply. Its aura weakened further, its speed dropped drastically, and the brilliance of its golden wings faded to a dull sheen.

It looked utterly exhausted, like a fallen noble reduced to rags.

Clearly, each use of that life-saving burst drained it heavily.

And this gave Ryan his chance.

With the bird slowing and Ryan accelerating, the gap closed rapidly. Within a few breaths, Ryan caught up from behind.

He did not hesitate.

A final Wind Blade flashed forth.

The Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird, now too weak to dodge, could only let out a despairing cry as the blade sliced cleanly across its neck.

Its body went limp and fell from the sky.

In the end, no matter how desperately it struggled, no matter how many times it burned its life force to escape, the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird could not flee from Ryan’s grasp.

It became his spoils.

And his experience.

“Ding! Congratulations to player Ryan for killing the fifth-rank monster Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird. You have gained 500,000 experience points. God of War Points: 0.”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Ryan for completing the first kill of a fifth-rank monster. You have gained 300,000 experience points and 10 All-Attribute Pills.”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Ryan for successfully completing a leapfrog challenge. You have gained an additional 100,000 experience points and 10 All-Attribute Pills.”

Ryan stood there for a moment, letting the joy wash over him. “Nine hundred thousand experience points, haha…”

Although there were no equipment drops and no immediate level-up, the experience reward alone was equivalent to slaughtering hundreds of fourth-rank monsters. On top of that, he had gained twenty All-Attribute Pills, which made the harvest even sweeter.

All-Attribute Pills increased every stat by one point after use, far superior to ordinary single-attribute pills like Strength or Agility Pills.

Clearly, the higher the monster level, the richer the rewards, even down to the quality of consumables. This realization lifted Ryan’s spirits considerably.

After storing the corpse of the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird in the system inventory, Ryan sat down on the spot to rest.

The battle had drained him completely.

Throughout the day, he had cast Wind Blade countless times and relied on Phantom Step again and again to evade fatal attacks.

If he had not finally grasped a countermeasure, the one lying in a pool of blood would have been him instead.

Opening the attribute panel, Ryan saw that the proficiency of Wind Blade had reached 50/100.

Compared to his other skills, its progress was noticeably faster.

This was likely because he had explored multiple ways of using it, from multi-blade deployment to curved control, greatly accelerating mastery.

At this pace, Ryan estimated that Wind Blade would reach full proficiency within another day or two.

Though he had only killed a single fifth-rank monster that day, the gains were enormous. It had been a fulfilling battle.

*

The next day marked Ryan’s eighth day in the Forest of Death. After a full night of rest, his condition returned to its peak. With renewed confidence, he headed back into the forest’s central region in search of new opponents.

After defeating his first fifth-rank monster, Ryan no longer felt fear when facing monsters of the same tier.

However, even after wandering for quite some time, he failed to encounter another one. It seemed that fifth-rank monsters were extremely rare in the Forest of Death. The central region itself was also far smaller than the fourth-rank area.

Eventually, Ryan arrived at a small lake. It was there that he spotted his second fifth-rank monster.

The creature was massive, like a moving hill. At the lakeside, it lowered its head to drink water.

Its body stood over five meters tall, with two sharp horns of uneven length protruding from its head. It resembled a rhinoceros, yet its bulk rivaled that of an elephant. Thick limbs supported its enormous frame, and its back was covered in large, glossy scales that reflected the light.

The oppressive presence alone made Ryan pause.

He immediately activated his appraisal.

Name: Kodo Beast

Rank-5

Level: 42

Description: A strength-based monster covered in heavy scales, nearly impervious to blades and arrows. Possesses terrifying defensive power. A single step can exert up to five thousand pounds of force. Against fragile opponents, one stomp is enough to crush them into pulp.

Threat Assessment: Medium (relative to the player)

Five thousand pounds.

Ryan inhaled sharply. That was the equivalent of two and a half tons, comparable to a fully loaded truck. If struck head-on by such power, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At first glance, this Kodo Beast appeared far more terrifying than the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird.

Yet the system’s assessment rated it as only a medium threat, lower than the previous monster. After a moment’s thought, Ryan understood why.

The Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird’s speed had posed a lethal danger. Without Phantom Step, God’s Boots, or Agility Pills, Ryan would never have been able to keep up with it, let alone fight back. Speed determined survival.

The Kodo Beast, however, relied on brute force. No matter how overwhelming its strength was, it still needed to hit Ryan. If it could not land an attack, that power meant nothing.

Thus, the system’s judgment was accurate.

Unfortunately, this time Ryan did not have the luxury of launching a sneak attack. As soon as he discovered the Kodo Beast, it also noticed him.

The beast’s massive crimson eyes locked onto Ryan. Its nostrils flared violently, jets of air bursting forth as it grew enraged. Compared to the elusive Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird, the Kodo Beast was far more irritable and territorial.

As a fifth-rank monster, it possessed an intense sense of domain. Any intruder, whether human or beast, would be crushed without hesitation.

This explained why Ryan had not encountered monsters nearby. He had wandered straight into the Kodo Beast’s territory.

Before Ryan could even consider his next move, the beast attacked.

The ground trembled as the Kodo Beast advanced. Each step shook the earth, producing a thunderous rumble. Though it appeared slow, its stride spanned nearly two meters. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance.

Then, without any warning or restraint, it lifted one colossal foot and stomped down toward Ryan.

No reason. No hesitation.

After all, monsters had never cared for reason.

Ryan was caught off guard for a moment. “Huh?”

Normally, he was the one launching the opening strike, yet today the roles had reversed. The Kodo Beast attacked without warning, without testing, charging straight in with brute force. Its temper was as violent as its body.

But strangely, Ryan did not dislike that.

A faint smile curved his lips. Without wasting another thought, he activated Phantom Step, his figure blurring as he slipped sideways and vanished from the spot.

Boom!

A deafening impact shook the ground. The Kodo Beast’s massive hoof smashed down, leaving behind a deep crater in the earth.

That stomp missed.

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