I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

Seris’s question lingered in the cold air of Glassthorn Forest for a few moments.

Who had built the Warden?

What exactly was the sitting giant?

And why had someone been willing to turn that entire graveyard into a massive prison to prevent it from awakening?

Lian was still looking at the border between the two areas.

Behind them, the gray mist of the Giants’ Graveyard was stopped along the Crystal Wound like a living wall.

Its thin strands reached the edge of the crack, but none entered the forest.

In the depth of the mist, the edge of a few giant ribs could still be seen, but there was no trace of the Warden.

Only the deep marks its blade and chains had left on the bones extended into the distance.

He was silent for a few more moments. He was also thinking about those same questions.

If the sitting giant was truly trapped between life and death, who had put it in that state?

If the Warden was built to prevent its awakening, its creator must have known not only the giant’s power but also the law of absorbing blood and energy.

And more importantly, if the survival of this world really depended on keeping that creature asleep, why did the sitting giant seem so unknown? And why was there no information about it in the tribes’ archives?

But for now, all of these were only hypotheses.

Hypotheses built on a few percent changes in Awakening, the behavior of a guardian, and a few incomplete Varkesh notes.

The more they thought about it, the more questions arose and the fewer answers there were. Finally, Lian took his gaze off the mist.

”For now, it’s better to set this matter aside.”

Seris looked at him.

”No matter how much we think about it, we won’t reach a conclusion without more information. We don’t even know what race the giant was, who imprisoned it here, or what creature exactly built the Warden.”

His eyes returned to the graveyard’s depths for a moment.

”If there is an answer, we’ll probably find it further ahead.”

The young Pendragon was silent for a few seconds, then looked at the gray border one last time.

No movement could be seen in the mist.

The graveyard had returned to its heavy and deadly silence; as if no battle had taken place inside it and no creature had escaped its clutches.

Seris nodded and turned her gaze to the forest ahead.

”Now we’re in the middle of Glassthorn Forest. What should we do?”

Lian did not answer immediately. His gaze moved among the trees.

Glassthorn Forest was different from the Giants’ Graveyard in every way.

The graveyard was a colorless and dead world. But here, everything was shining.

The transparent trunks of the trees rose to unusual heights. Blue and purple lights flowed inside them, like veins of Mana slowly moving through the forest’s heart.

The branches resembled long glass blades.

The leaves were narrow, transparent, and hard, and every time the wind passed through them, they would hit each other and create a sound like hundreds of small bells.

Reflections could be seen on every surface. One tree sometimes carried the image of five other trees on its trunk.

Shadows were cast in directions that did not align with the light’s angle.

Sometimes something moved in the distance, but it was not easy to tell whether it was a real creature or a broken image on several crystalline surfaces.

”It depends.” He said after examining the environment.

”On what?”

”On what your goal in coming to this world actually is.” His own main reason for coming was to become stronger and find an opportunity to reach and pass his first evolution.

Where they should go from now on and what they should do depended to some extent on their goals. His goal was clear.

But this girl’s goal? He didn’t know, but he could guess... and he was sure his guess was correct.

”Becoming stronger and fighting.” Seris answered without needing to think.

Lian looked at her for a few seconds. There was no hesitation on her face, as if she had given the simplest and most logical answer possible.

”I didn’t expect a more complex answer.” He then said with a dry tone.

”Then why did you ask?” Seris showed the slightest discomfort.

”To make sure.”

”Now you’re sure.”

Lian opened his status panel.

[Name: Lian Vorhelm]

[Level: 18]

The EXP bar was almost full. Only a narrow part at the end was empty. He was not far from Level 19.

But his real goal was not Level 19. His eyes focused on the number twenty.

”My current goal is to reach my first evolution.”

In the normal system, the first evolution occurred at Level 20.

For normal classes, evolution mostly meant increasing stats capacity, enhancement, opening a new stage of traits, and upgrading the class structure.

But Monster Class was not a normal class. Lian still did not know what change his first evolution would bring.

Maybe his innate traits would be strengthened, maybe a new innate Skill would open.

Maybe the dormant Monster Talent would enter the next stage.

Or maybe the structure of his body, blood, and everything else would change in a way that he could no longer hide.

Whatever it was, he was sure reaching Level 20 would probably be the biggest power jump since Monster Class was activated.

But a question also occupied his mind. Would he have to do a Quest for evolution like everyone else? Or would it be different for him?

Typically, awakened ones receive an evolution Quest upon reaching Level 20. The stronger the class, the more dangerous and deadly the Quest will be.

”I guess my goal is the same.” Seris said.

Lian closed the panel and looked at her.

”What level are you?”

”Just seventeen.”

Lian was surprised for a moment. She had just entered Level 17. The last time he knew Seris’s level, she was Level 15.

At that same time, Lian was still around Level 12 or 13.

But now the situation had changed. He was on the verge of Level 19, and this girl had just reached Level 17.

He quickly understood the reason. During this time, Seris had mostly trained.

Training with the sword, strengthening Skills, increasing Mana control, and preparing for the Special Area, which is why she had not come to the Ruined Realm.

But Lian had entered the Ruined Realm after his sister’s birthday ceremony and had gone through many experiences and conflicts.

Along with these, Bloodlust absorbed one hundred percent of the Experience from killing creatures.

Even genius awakened ones at most absorb up to 50 percent of a monster’s EXP.

But for Lian, no EXP was wasted.

The difference between training and real battle, combined with Bloodlust, had closed the old gap between them, and he had pulled ahead.

”So our only path is clear. We have to hunt monsters and raise our Level.”

Seris nodded with satisfaction. For her, this plan was probably the best news she could hear.

”But there is a problem.”

”What?”

”The monsters in this forest are probably weaker than the creatures in the Forest of Giants.”

His gaze moved among the glass trees.

”According to the map, Glassthorn Forest is dangerous, but not as much as the Forest of Giants or the Graveyard. That means we need more kills for Leveling Up.”

Seris thought for a few moments.

”Maybe we should have stayed longer in the Forest of Giants.” She then said completely seriously.

Lian only gave her a brief look and then took out the map.

With a look, he was able to determine their current position on the western edge of Glassthorn Forest.

Behind them was the Giants’ Graveyard. To the east, the border of the next area could be seen, which was the Emberroot Forest.

Unlike Glassthorn, that forest was not only home to monsters. Among the notes he had read in the tribe, there were a few brief mentions.

Cities built among massive trunks, trade routes, settlements of several species, and a civilization that apparently was considered the largest remaining community in this world.

A living civilization meant information.

The history of this world, different areas, survivors, and perhaps a way to find the other group members, and maybe they could even find information about the graveyard and the sitting giant there.

Just before the connecting path between Glassthorn Forest and Emberroot, a mark was on the map.

There was no writing next to it, no warning or explanation, but it was marked.

The map has several markings in general, but most of them are in Emberroot, and in Glassthorn and the Forest of Giants, there is nothing special.

Except for this specific point that is located on the border between these two forests and is marked.

Unfortunately, there was no specific explanation for why these markings were there, but Lian felt that there was definitely something special and important about them.

”Until we reach this point, we hunt.” He then placed his finger on the marked point.