[Ding.]

[Main Quest Generated.]

[Quest: Slay the Fallen King.]

’Slay the fallen king? Are you kidding me? I barely won my last fight.’ And now this system wants me to kill the king of fallens. It can’t get any worse.

[Quest Details: Eliminate the source of corruption within the Northern Demonic Region.]

[Target: The Fallen King.]

[Warning: The target is an extremely dangerous corrupted entity.]

[Quest Rewards:]

[Reward 1: Heaven Severing Sword Art — Second Form.]

[Reward 2: Void Spirit Body.]

[Reward 3: Ancient Key Fragment.]

[Reward 4: ???]

’Four rewards at once, at least it’s not stingy with the rewards.’ The First Form of Heaven Severing Sword Art alone was extremely powerful despite my low cultivation. And now I was being handed out the second form. The second reward must be some kind of physique. I have no idea about the third one. As for the hidden reward... it’s ???. I wonder what abilities ??? Would give me.

I continued to stare at the floating blue screen for a few more seconds before dismissing it. The village still hadn’t recovered from the attack of the fallen. Funerals were still going on for those who died on that day.

"You’re bleeding, your wound must have opened up." I glanced towards my right to see Lyra carrying a wooden bucket filled with water.

"...oh. I didn’t notice it." I started closing the wound and asked. "...How long have the Fallen existed?"

"They have existed for a long time." Lyra kept the bucket down before continuing. "The oldest demon records have mentioned the corrupted creatures a couple of times."

’That’s new. From what I know about the story, corrupted beings were never mentioned.’ "So they’ve always existed?"

"Maybe. I don’t know much." Lyra looked toward the snowy mountains beyond the village. "Sometimes entire settlements disappear before anyone realizes that a had Fallen appeared."

"What more do you know about the fallen beings?" I asked.

"Apart from them being savage and mindless beasts? Nothing more." Lyra replied

"So basically nothing." I muttered. The system quest started to feel annoying now that I don’t have information about the enemy I would face. Even the demons who lived close to the source knew nothing. And I had to eliminate that source. I hesitated a bit before asking another question. "...Ever heard of something called the Fallen King?"

"...Where did you hear that name?" Lyra asked, worry etched in her face.

"Relax," I replied. "I overheard the hunters talking." Lyra remained silent. Eventually she chose to speak again. "Most people think it’s only an old legend. They believe that there is a being who controls all the fallen and they call him the fallen king."

Before I could continue asking questions, heavy footsteps approached nearby. Korin, the giant demon walked toward us while carrying logs in one shoulder like they weighed nothing. Bandages tightly wrapped around his stomach where the Fallen pierced him during their exchange, Korin stopped after noticing me. "...Human."

"You’re back to calling me human?"

"It’s better than the name you have." Korin dropped the logs beside one of the damaged homes before crossing his arms. I could still see the pain in his eyes. The kind of pain people carried after losing someone close. His son’s death still haunted him. But I have something I need to ask him. "You ever heard of the Fallen King?"

Korin narrowed his eyes toward me suspiciously. "Why are you asking about the Fallen king?"

"Nothing, just curious."

"It’s not good to be curious sometimes. It might get you killed." Korin replied.

"I have no intention of dying, Korin." I said in a serious tone. That was true, I will do whatever it takes to survive. Even in the fight with the fallen earlier, I had enough qi to run away if my attack failed.

"You talk as if you’re in control of your life."

"I am. I decide when I die." I said.

"Hahaha... you’re an interesting human." Korin laughed. Lyra suddenly choked on laughter beside us before immediately covering her mouth. ’These fuckers... they are laughing at me.’

Then suddenly Korin’s expression darkened again as his eyes drifted toward the funeral happening nearby. "...We bury the last bodies tonight."

I nodded. Korin looked away towards the distant mountain. "...My son hated winter." Neither me nor Lyra interrupted him. "He used to complain every morning because I woke him up to train but he wanted to sleep....Now I can’t even remember the last thing I said to him. He must hate me for not being there for him most of the time."

"He was proud of you Korin. He always said he wanted to became a strong hunter like you. He never hated you." Lyra said.

"Thanks Lyra. I need to hear those words." Korin said with a small smile.

The next few days passed quietly. No more Fallen appeared near the village after the battle, but nobody relaxed either. Hunters doubled their patrols around the northern forest while villagers avoided going outside.

As for me I used this time to cultivate, a lot. The 2x cultivation from killing the fallen creature were absurd. My cultivation speed increased so much that even I found it ridiculous. I continued cultivating until I made a major realm breakthrough. Sweat dripped down my face while pressure built endlessly inside my meridians.

CRACK.

A tremor echoed throughout my body. My eyes snapped open, Qi erupted outward uncontrollably before stabilizing rapidly around me. The entire cabin shook slightly as spiritual energy flooded through every part of my body. Then slowly a miniature version of myself formed within my spiritual sea. Nascent Soul Realm. "...Holy shit."

The amount of power flowing through me now felt unbelievable compared to before. If I fought the Fallen again now I could kill it far easier. Maybe even within a few minutes. Then suddenly the system notification came. ’What is it now?’ I thought inwardly.

[Ding.]

[Warning.]

[The Fallen King has become aware of your existence.]

A cold chill crawled down my spine. "How the hell did it know about me? Was it because I killed one of his kind? I hope he doesn’t actively pursue me."