Chapter 26: Defeating Ragzar

Daniel picked up the sword. The cracked and lifeless metal of Aron's sword seemed to come alive again in his hands.

He glanced at the sword—honestly, he hadn't used swords much before. Still, he knew the basics.

Step by step, he calmly walked toward Ragzar.

His eyes locked on the giant beast. He had never heard of such a creature before—not even on the online community

But based on its earlier aura, it was a B-rank fire-type monster.

Normally, defeating such a monster would be impossible for him—or anyone below B-rank. To kill it at full power, you'd need two or three B-rank awakened ones.

But luckily, because of Aron and that A-rank item he used, the monster's power had dropped to D-rank. On top of that, its vitality and health were rapidly fading.

"Fell from B to D? Lol aren't you ashamed? ?" Daniel smirked under his breath.

He looked up—at the molten mass, the burning skin, the glowing eyes full of death.

"That big... and you still couldn't take out a bunch of kids?"

Ragzar growled. It sounded like a volcano collapsing inside a mountain. The air grew hotter. The ground shook.

But Daniel didn't step back. Instead—he moved forward.

And suddenly—he attacked.

He drove the sword like a spear straight into the monster's leg.

Despite its simple look, the strike was precise—and he added mana to the sword to make sure it would deal real damage.

Ragzar let out a roar of pain. His body pulled back slightly, and Daniel used the chance.

"What's wrong? You're so huge you can't even see me?"

He turned and struck again—this time at the knee, where molten veins ran close to the surface. The monster's skin cracked, and its burning blood sprayed out—but Daniel jumped back just in time.

The monster slammed down its massive arm, but Daniel dodged easily. He leapt, climbed a broken rock, jumped onto the monster's thigh, then its arm, and finally landed on Ragzar's shoulder.

His stats were way above a normal E-rank. That kind of speed and precision was nothing for him.

The height was insane. But Daniel—stood firm. The heat of the monster's skin burned his feet. But he just smiled.

"You're really an idiot," Daniel sighed, and suddenly, his eyes started glowing red.

[Skill activated – Light of Destruction]

Suddenly, light burst from his eyes and struck Ragzar's head and body—not normal light. Light that burned. Consumed. Killed.

So intense that even Aron, Neve, and Lana below had to cover their eyes.

Ragzar raised his hand to grab Daniel—he began thrashing around and attacking blindly, but Daniel aimed the light directly at his eyes.

Roar! Roar!

Ragzar's scream echoed through the whole mountain, shaking the earth with his fury.

And Daniel? Calmly jumped off his shoulder.

"If you can't see, how are you gonna fight?" He grinned mischievously.

Ragzar was blind. Wounded. Shaking.

The massive beast staggered backward, then suddenly—collapsed.

The ground quaked. Nearby trees snapped like matchsticks, branches and trunks flew into the air, and a huge cloud of dust swallowed the forest.

The monster let out a groan—full of pain and fear. Its voice was filled with hatred, desperation, and death.

"Stop barking so much, you dumb beast... If you'd just killed them instead of playing around, you might still be alive now." Daniel tilted his head, full of contempt.

How could such a powerful corruption beast fall to an E-rank awakened? Naturally—it was its own pride and stupidity.

If it had just killed Aron and the others right away instead of wasting time, Daniel would've never been able to do this.

Ragzar growled—a weak growl, full of anger and hopelessness.

Daniel ignored him and examined the monster's body. Though it was heavily damaged, it was still alive. Killing a B-rank corruption beast clearly wasn't that easy.

Daniel just took a deep breath and raised his hands.

[Skill activated – Judgment Crimson]

Blood spread across the ground. From Daniel's feet, a red circle expanded outward—

Ragzar tried to get up—every cell and sense in his monstrous body screaming at him to run or die.

But his body froze. His eyes trembled.

"I pass judgment... and you're guilty." Daniel whispered.

Suddenly, giant swords—each three meters tall—appeared above Ragzar's head, their golden bodies glowing with bloody light.

Daniel lowered his hand, and in a flash, the swords struck down into Ragzar's heart.

Everything paused for a second. And then—an explosion.

Ragzar's body burst from within, red light shot out of him, and a wave of dark red energy swept through the forest.

The monster was torn to pieces.

[Congratulations, Player! You've successfully killed a B-rank corruption beast.]

[Congratulations, Player! You've completed a hidden quest!]

[Your final rewards will be doubled!]

[You gained 370 Exp!]

[Congratulations, Player! You've reached D-rank!]

[Global Announcement]

[The first floor "The Last Winter" has been cleared! All remaining participants will be transferred in 10 minutes.]

[Your rewards will be given upon exit. Please prepare for transfer.]

Daniel looked at Ragzar's body—even he didn't know how lucky he had been to kill it.

Honestly, if its health and vitality hadn't been fall to this level, he'd probably be dead right now.

Before going to Aron and the others, Daniel tried to use his blood to turn it into a Fallen.

But the process failed due to the large rank gap—understandable. No matter how weakened it was, Ragzar was still a B-rank.

And then—silence.

And after that... shock. Aron, Lana, and Neve were all staring at Daniel.

Open mouths. Faces full of disbelief, fear, and shock.

"He... what did he just do...?" Lana whispered.

"He... killed Ragzar... alone..." Neve's lips were dry.

How was that even possible? They knew Ragzar had been weakened, but even so, the three of them together still couldn't kill him.

Aron said nothing. Just stared. His heart was racing.

No, this wasn't possible. He was supposed to be unconscious. He wasn't even supposed to...

He swallowed hard, and his mind started running wild with possibilities.

Who was this boy? Maybe the secret son of a top guild leader? Maybe even one of the Returnees? Damn it—was he really unlucky enough to run into a Returnee?

His eyes shook. Daniel turned. Then walked toward them. He could feel the fear in their eyes—though it was mixed with curiosity.

"You really wanna know what happened, huh? Want to know why I'm standing here and not passed out like that girl?" he said calmly, with a teasing voice.

He tilted his head slightly. His eyes sparkled.

"Well, I don't mind telling you. It's the least I can do to thank you. For helping take down that monster."

"Though I've got some questions of my own that need answers."