A jagged green mountain rose like a horn, its slopes gleaming brilliantly — yet there was no sun in the sky. In fact, there was no sky at all — only an immense pale blue dome arching high above, mimicking the heavens with unnatural perfection.
At the base of that mountain, a swirling blue vortex coiled into existence.
Evelyn and I stepped out from its depths, our boots crunching against solid ground as the portal snapped shut behind us without a sound.
Evelyn's crimson eyes lit up, scanning the strange landscape with barely-contained curiosity. The terrain climbed sharply in every direction — a forest stretched sideways along steep, twisting slopes, warped as if gravity itself had gone crooked in this place.
"Big Brother—"
Her voice barely left her lips before a thunderous roar split the woods, cutting her off completely. From the slanted treeline ahead, a black ape — massive, twice her size — came crashing out in a frenzy.
I reached for her instinctively, but was too late. Evelyn was faster.
Her feet barely kissed the earth before she shot forward like an arrow.
"Bad ape," she scolded mid-flight, almost sulking. "How dare you interrupt my time with my brother!"
She twisted sharply in the air — and brought her heel down like a hammer.
Splatter.
The creature's skull caved in with a sickening crunch — its head bursting apart in a spray of blood and bone. Its body barely started to fall before dissolving into mist, leaving behind a faintly-glowing [Core].
Evelyn landed lightly, plucking the orb from the grass. She turned at once, holding it up toward me with innocent expectation.
"Big Brother! Do you want this [Strength Core]?"
I blinked, shaking my head instinctively, still staring at the bloody crater where the ape had been just moments before.
...What the hell.
That was a fifteen-year-old girl. And she had just turned a monster's skull into paste mid-air — like she was swatting a fly.
Her stats must be insanely high.
I burned with shame. How is my little sister stronger than me?
ROAR.
ROAR.
More howls split the air. Apes surged out from both sides, their black shapes lunging wildly through the warped forest.
And Evelyn—of course—darted forward without a second thought.
Was she fearless? Reckless? Or just a complete battle maniac?
I honestly wasn't sure. But there was no time to wonder — five apes were already barreling toward me.
I stepped back, raising my hands as magic flared sharp and bright in my palms. Twin [Arcane Spears] formed beside me, crackling with lethal blue light.
Without hesitation, I hurled them forward.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The spears punched clean through the skulls of the first two apes, their bodies crumpling before they even hit the ground.
But the next three were already closing in.
I retreated smoothly, shaping another pair of spears mid-step — and drove them straight through the chests of the next two.
The last ape lunged for me with a snarl — its massive palm arcing down like a falling boulder, casting its shadow over me.
I snapped my elbow up just in time, a shimmer of [Arcane Barrier] flickering into place over my forearm.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered instantly — but slowed the blow just enough. The impact rattled through my bones, a sharp ache shooting up my arm, but I forced it down, conjuring a final spear into my grip.
Without pause, I rammed it straight through the ape's chest.
Off to the side, Evelyn sat perched on a nearby rock, clapping lightly like she was enjoying a show.
I didn't spare a glance for the rusted weapons or tattered armor scattered across the forest floor. Junk loot — not worth even a second look. What I needed were [Cores]. Enough to finally buy that Space Ring today.
With that thought lingering, I turned to Evelyn.
"Come on. Let's head higher."
"Okay, Big Brother~!" Her eyes lit up like a child promised candy.
Together, we advanced up the mountain, cutting down apes as they came. The battles blurred into routine. Evelyn was more of a brute than I thought, always killing apes with her bare hands, and I hadn't seen her use any skill.
What kind of brute fights like this...
Every brother hopes his little sister will be delicate, right? But my sister...
By the time we reached the mountain's summit, a towering figure awaited us — larger, fiercer, and exuding an oppressive presence unlike the rest.
[Mission]: Kill Mountain Ape BOSS
Difficulty: E
[Reward]: +2 Increase in All Attributes
Huh... I thought the mission was to assist Evelyn. Did that change?
I quickly checked my status. The original quest remained active.
So, this was a newly stacked mission. An E-rank difficulty... which meant the boss's stats were just above mine — likely in the thirties, while I hovered somewhere around twenty.
"Evelyn, leave this one to me," I said, my voice calm despite the tension.
"Okay~" she responded without hesitation, stepping back and humming softly to herself.
ROAR!
The Mountain Ape BOSS lunged at me, but I reacted instantly, firing twin [Arcane Spears] at its legs to halt its momentum. Another volley struck its knees and skull in rapid succession, staggering the beast just long enough for me to advance.
With fluid precision, I closed the distance, conjured a final spear, and drove it straight through the creature's throat before ripping its head off in one swift motion.
The headless Mountain Ape staggered, then burst apart in a flare of white light — its massive frame dissolving into nothingness. All that remained was a single, gleaming object.
A [Skill Scroll].
At the same moment, a swirling blue vortex unfurled ahead — our exit.
I grabbed the [Skill Scroll] parchment and casually examined its content.
[Primal Regrowth] :: Slowly regenerates a small portion of health over time while in natural terrain.
I showed no interest in learning it. Overloading my mind with unnecessary Skills was the last thing I wanted. For now, I already had an offense skill and a defense skill — both were more than enough to carry me until I reached D Rank. That is... if I ever actually made it that far.
But hey, even if I was gloomy, I was an optimist... Well, most of the time.
What I truly needed next was a Regeneration skill.
Decision made, I stepped into the swirling vortex ahead. Evelyn followed closely behind me like a little kitten.