12 Tyrant of the Fores

While he was reading the books within the library, he learned how the monster hunting cultivation worked and how the ranks have different ways of advancing. Pre Apex levels requires one to kill non-Apex monsters of the same rank or above. Then, the monster's core will be absorbed by the cultivator in a process that may take up to an hour at most, depending on one's affinity and similarities to the defeated monster. However, the process can be sped up by being in high energy areas. To reach Apex level and advance in its ranks, the cultivator must hunt apex level or above monsters with the same rank or above to advance. The cultivator then must absorb the essence of the defeated monster to advance.

The essence absorption requires the hunter to collect the monster's essence from its carcass, the essence will try to escape in the form of the monster's element. Like wisps of fire that fly away from the dead monster's body if the monster is of the fire element. The essence has to be stored within a container for a certain amount of time depending on the hunter's compatibility with the defeated monster. For immortals like Sebastian and his servants, they would need to defeat immortal level monsters of higher ranks and above. Immortal level rank will be the gap that separates the weak and strong, the lazy and the diligent, the gifted and the ungifted. Immortals are not allowed to be helped by beings of the previous level and above to defeat the monster.

After the monster's death, they are to defeat the monster's remaining will and absorb the creature's soul. The larger the remaining will, the more power and inheritance given from its soul. The inheritance it gives will allow the hunter to know all things within the monster's mind regardless of if the memory or skill is forgotten by the monster before its demise. He headed towards the forest because its central region housed a powerful monster with a great inheritance. The monster had many large AoE skills that he needed because he lacked a powerful arsenal of those type of skills. The monster's name is the Tyrant Beast King and its rank is Eternal-1.

Its power is leaps and bounds above what Sebastian had but this could push him to become stronger and possibly reach an awakening. Originally, he planned to use the north king of the forest as his advancement monster but after knowing about potentially achieving awakening if one pushed their limits he immediately set off to the hardest challenge nearby. If he successfully achieved his first awakening, his powers would increase by leaps and bounds. He would easily surpass Hailyn if he achieved an awakening before her. Using his vampiric speed, he ran towards the cliff with a speed like that of a bullet train. Within four and a half minutes, he had reached before the tall cliffs that separated the sparse forest where Bloodthorn city stood in and the dark, dense forests of Regarus. The cliff stood at a towering height of 20 stories, Sebastian is but an insect compared to its size.

To enter the forest, he transformed into a large wolf around twice his original size and jumped on the cliff. In 6 jumps, he went over the cliff and landed on a medium patch of grass before a dense line of trees. Suddenly, red eyes appear on the darkness between the trees. Sebastian took out his draconic sword and executed a defensive stance, brandishing his sword. Four black figures leap out of the darkness and pounced on him. He executed nine slashes towards the pouncing figures and upon tasting the blade, the figures are shredded into many pieces of dark chunks. The multitude of eyes that previously wanted to devour him vanished upon witnessing the scene before them.

Despite their unknown numbers and their terrain advantages they would be easily killed if he had any other techniques or skills equal to or stronger than what they have seen. The eyes began to fade and Sebastian looked down at the black chunky remains of his attackers. He observed their characteristics and determined what they are. These shadowy creatures are Shadow Ghouls. Shadow Ghouls appear as large, jet black humanoid creatures with a hunched back and sharp claws on their hands and feet. These creatures have a deformed face like an acid attack victim and their mouths are abnormally large and lined with black shark like teeth.

These creatures are considered elite monsters among the forest but are not strong enough to generally be an alpha. Their ranks vary between Gold I to Apex I. Only mutated ones would reach Apex level. The creatures exuded Apex auras when they appeared and it was confirmed that they are of Apex I rank due to the speed in which they pounced at. A normal human would barely notice anything before they suddenly died. The creatures seemed to be single mutated and hardly worth his time. He walked into the darkness of forest and continued his journey.

He had managed to travel into the the outskirts of the central region within three hours. Most of the monsters he encountered either ignored him, ran away or watched from a distance with their glowing eyes. As he ventured deeper, he had been attacked more frequently by single and double mutated monsters of the Apex Level. But being an immortal level and a powerhouse of his rank, a single, light slash would be enough to kill if not mortally wound them. As he crossed the border into the central region, the forest became significantly less dense. The trees did not block all the moonlight anymore, scorch marks are occasionally present around fallen tree trunks. After just a few seconds of walking through, he is greeted by three monsters.

One is a massive black snake with burning blue eyes and a dark blue belly and tail. Its height easily surpassed the 2 stories tall trees. It stood on the left side, appearing from a hole between the trees. The creature from the left is a large, 8 feet tall stone gargoyles with purple demonic runes inscribed throughout its body. The creature appeared from the canopy as it fell down onto the forest floor, standing idly on the right side. The possible leader of this trio is a dragon shaped skeleton with flaming green eyes and green wings supported by its skeleton.

He immediately checked on them and recognized them all as immortal level monsters. They are all general rank monsters, double mutated and of the Immortal-5 rank. They are only one rank inferior to the kings of the surrounding regions. Sebastian got a little excited as they could possibly entertain him and also get the whereabouts of the Tyrant Beast King that they serve. The bone dragon known as the Immortal Skeleton Dragon spoke in a loud, thunder like voice that echoed, "Tresspassers of the Forest, LEAVE or DIE!"

The skeleton dragon then breathed out a river of cursed, green fire from its fleshless mouth, seeking to devour the intruder in demonic fire. Sebastian did not dodge the attack but smiled as he walked towards it, as if welcoming it. As the fires reached him, the fires did not burn him but instead it just stopped upon touching him, like it was being blocked by a wall. As he walked through the fire, the dragon started to panic as his attacks seem useless upon this intruder. He closed his mouth and gestured to his allies to attack immediately.

The three generals of the central region charged onto Sebastian with all their might. As they are about to make contact with his body, they dispersed. The gargoyle jumped behind him, the runes on his body growing brighter as he grew larger until he becomes thrice his previous size. The snake slithered towards his left and an eerie blue aura emerged from its dark form. While the dragon jumped and glided towards his right and formed a black ball or energy with green pulses on its mouth mid air. He unsheated Death's Origin and pointed it at the skeleton dragon.

A black flash sliced through the undead dragon and in a second, the undead beast fell down from the air and exploded in dark flames. In less than a second, Sebastian had killed the dragon and stood back in his place, leaving behind only a short afterimage. The gargoyle and snake is shocked by what they saw, the dragon's powers and abilities are on par with theirs. If it's killed in a slash, how would they fare any better. Their hesitation to strike gave Sebastian a three second window to slaughter them.

Two flashes of black tore through their bodies and before even realising it, the two monsters dropped dead. He used his cloak's skill, Cursed Army to reanimate the gargoyle and the black snake. He turned them into his new puppets and asked them the whereabouts of the Tyrant Beast King. The reanimated corpses replied monotonously, "The Emperor of the forest is sleeping within a crater just a 15 miles ahead." He then walked ahead, with the two undead puppets he had with him, the monsters kept a distance away as he walked briskly.

Without any disturbances, he took only an hour to reach a hill where the crater lies ahead. From above the grassy hill, a massive crater lies in front. The crater formed a small lake at its bottom. Red crystals with red sparks on it grew from the ground. In the crater's center, a massive black godzilla like beast is sleeping. It size is so massive that despite it sleeping like a curled up cat, the lake's surface did not even reach its nostrils and its body covered over half of the crater.

The godzilla like beast had a rhino horn with buffalo horns on its head slightly behind its eyes. The beast had eight more horns on its back, red crystals like the ones growing on the crater formed a line along its back between the horns and it had four pairs of muscular arms with long, sharp claws. He inspected the beast with the near omniscient guide book and a profile of it appears.

Tyrant Beast King

Rank: Eternal-1

Mutation: 2

Awakening: None

Element: Fire, Lightning, Darkness

Weak point: Horns