The waves galloped toward the shores as Arthur stood on the highland. The stream below ran unceasingly, and rumors have it that the monsters here made all the people evacuate.

As Arthur looked around, his detection took a snapshot of the land. He could use it to gain a live perception of the terrain, but it would consume his mana. There were monsters indeed, a type that Arthur never saw the like of before.

"I guess it's time to weed them out," Arthur teleported toward a meadow, a piece of low land beside the river, where the monsters had a nest.

From Ma's report, Arthur learned that these humanoid-looking monsters were called Mernars, an aquatic humanoid monster that fed on human brains. That's why there were skulls scattered around the nest of either pirates or civilians.

The sight made Arthur sick, but he directed his rage toward the monsters in front of him. They sensed his existence and turned to see him taking a whip of fire out of thin air.

"You've committed enough sins as it is," Arthur said as he looked down on the monsters. They turned to look at him with their blue marbles of eyes. "Let me free you from the cycle."

Not only have they killed innocents, but they have also hindered his trade. First, Arthur's fire extended to cover thegroup of monsters. Then, like a circle of death, the fire rope tightened around them. Their limbs got dismembered, and some of the weaker ones turned to ashes.

There was a deep roar as a giant Mernar, who looked like a puff fish with legs and muscles, came out to fight him from the water. It looked at Arthur and raised its head to summon a giant ball of water, throwing it at him. Arthur raised his hand and created a fireball of his own, throwing it in counterattack. The water evaporated, and the fire continued to strike the monster, but it was nowhere near enough to kill it.

"I guess my stats are getting a raise today," Arthur smiled as golden mana exploded around him, and his stats were amplified. He rushed forward with fire covering his arm to strike down the monster.

"AGGO!!" the monster shrieked as it cupped its hands and struck down at Arthur. His punch connected with the monster, and it sent its arms flying back.

Arthur stomped on the ground and bolted forward to strike with the dagger that appeared in his hand. Fire exploded from within the blade as he stabbed it into the monster's heart.

The Mernar went still and fell back, never to stand again. Arthur let go of a breath, and he heard water splashes coming from the river. He turned to look at the newcomer and found a bigger Mernar, one with more defined muscles and body. Its head had a pair of fins on each side, and it looked like a basketball.

"I guess the marchioness didn't downplay how dangerous this matter is," Arthur looked at the monster with a frown. He could tell this one was at least of the Vetus rank.

The Mernar roared with anger as it rushed forward, striking at Arthur. A barrier appeared around him and blocked the strike, but it broke down. Luckily, it was enough to repeal the monster's strike, but it followed with another one.

Arthur used his spiritual arm to create a shield in front of him. This was the first time he used spiritual power in a fight, and the effects were beyond his expectations. The barrier didn't break, but the impact sent him flying away toward the cliff.

The teleport rune appeared mid-flight and made him appeared above the monster, but the inertia carried him upward. Arthur turned his shield into an ethereal arm of white and golden.

"Release," his rune devoured his mana as Arthur descended toward the monster. The Mernar turned to face him and flexed his arms back before striking with both fists.

Arthur gathered his energy around his ethereal arm during his descent, breaking all limits that his body couldn't release. The space around his fist twisted as he punched out at the monster, and it destroyed everything in its path.

BOOM!!

The force his fist carried was nothing the world could withstand, and it obliterated the monster's arms and its upper torso. Then, it carried on to bury it deep into the ground. A new basin appeared beside the rive,r and the water began to fill it up, carrying the monster's dead body above the surface.

The impact of his attack pushed Arthur upward, but he used his skill to descend beside the basin. His breathing was labored, but his 300 points in mana were still half full.

As he thought he needed to go to another nest, several more presences appeared from within the water. The fact that he couldn't sense them made Arthur uneasy, but he didn't run away just yet.

Three more monsters like the ones he just killed appeared from within the water, and they surrounded him. Foams and vapor left their body as they grew bigger, almost going berserk.

"You guys are triplets?" Arthur grinned as he raised his arm at the monster's body, absorbing it. The golden light of his Absorb rune took away the leftover life force that the corpse had to strengthen his body.

[You have absorbed 3 Strength Stats.]

Arthur could feel the warm current within his body make his body stronger. The three monsters screamed in unison as they attacked simultaneously, each firing a different kind of water-based attack.

Arthur's body was engulfed in flames which exploded to evaporate the water attacks. Then, seeing that their attacks have failed them, the three monsters rushed at each other and slammed into one another.

His confusion at their actions was soon resolved when instead of hurting each other, the monsters merged into one creature triple their original size. Arthur looked up and could tell the monster now was as tall as a three-floor building.

"Damn, they said strength is in numbers, but I don't think they meant this kind of strength!" Arthur saw that the new monster had sick arms, and there were suckers like those of octopuses on their bodies.

The suckers gave a soft glow as a jet-like water attack came out from them, striking toward Arthur. He teleported away and saw the water slash the ground neatly in half.

If that attack strikes him head-on, there would be more than just a few broken bones. Arthur glided toward the cliff and stood on its edge.

He could tell that more Mernars were coming from within the giant river, and he didn't know if he should flee. However, if even a nest was this powerful, Arthur didn't know how to handle the issue of Aquamia.

"Never flatter or shy away from a battle," Arthur muttered as his dagger appeared in his hand again. "Gather your strength into one point, and attack with no hesitation. Hesitation is defeat."

These were Master Ronin's words that he parted Arthur with during their training sessions. The moment Arthur steps down from a slightly tricky challenge, he will do the same for the next one.

The flames exploded around his dagger, and they shaped into a giant blade. Arthur used his liquid fire to give the weapon a form as his mana rapidly reduced.

"AAAAA!!" the giant monster screamed as countless water pillars fired his way from the suckers. The water slashed apart the land in front of it toward the cliff.

Arthur jumped off and began running down the cliff as he gathered his powers. Unfortunately, the mana he used to shape his weapon was barely enough, so he couldn't teleport. Relying solely on his stats to evade being killed, Arthur ran through the countless pillars that tore apart the world.

As he ran toward the monster, it didn't keep idle. A spear of water formed in each of its sick arms, and it threw them toward Arthur. As the first spear arrived, Arthur managed to dodge. The second one was easy to evade, but the third reached him shortly afterward to strike his side.

Even though it only brushed past his limbless side, it was enough to rip apart his flesh and break his bones. Arthur didn't flatter, and his dagger followed after him.

Arthur reached the monster as it threw the rest of the spears. Arthur slashed with his blade, which was now destructive enough to turn the meadow into a wasteland. The horizontal slash destroyed the spears and continued to destroy the monster's body.

"Die already!" Arthur shouted as the last of his mana turned into flames, and the monster's body got cut in half from a low angle. As the monster fell to its demise, with each half falling to one side, Arthur's flames disappeared.

What was left off his mana was barely enough to use Heal-I to stop the bleeding. Arthur heavily breathed as he absorbed the monster's stats.

[You have absorbed 9 Strength Stats.]

As he received the notification, the water broke, and something bolted toward him. Arthur used his spiritual shield to protect himself, and the weapon deflected, allowing him to see the monster.

It was a Mernar with a slim build, almost as tall as Arthur himself. The monster carried a blue trident in hand, which he used to strike Arthur.

"Gagaga," The monster mimicked a laugh before it retreated, so fast that Arthur could barely see an afterimage.