Completing the Breakthrough Quest

After flying around for an hour, Karsha and Starr returned to the white house, looking like children waiting for the ice cream truck.

"Big brother, I want to come with you," Starr said, clinging to Karsha, who was about to head back into the wild to complete his quest.

"Where I'm going is very dangerous. It contains bad monsters that eat children. Big brother is going to kill them and then come back to take you out for a ride." Despite Starr looking like a kid, she was a Tier 4 snake beast, even stronger than most Grandmaster stage humans.

Nodding her head, Starr let go of Karsha's hand and ran to her mother. Karsha sighed and then turned to the five snakes, fully dressed and standing behind him.

"Are you sure you want to follow me? It might get dangerous, you know." He had already been told by Lady Illo that the five Shadow guards would be going with him. Although they couldn't attack the overlords, they could still take care of their minions.

With multiple races of snakes in each section of the island, the overlord had generals who managed the day-to-day activities of their quadrant. These generals were like bodyguards, protecting the overlords.

Karsha had already killed six of these generals from the Crimson Spire, the section of the Scalecrusher Titan snake. However, some still remained, and since their job was to protect their overlord, should Karsha go after the overlord, they might hinder him.

However, with the five Shadow Guards accompanying him, they could hold back those generals while Karsha faced off against the overlords.

"We are ready. We've trained our entire lives for this moment," one of the guards said. Hearing this, Karsha smiled faintly. His smile widened when a system message appeared.

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< Would you like to form a party with the five Shadow Guards? Keep in mind that when the party is formed, every kill made by any of the five guards will contribute to Experience Points (Exp), Skill Points, and Killer Points. Additionally, the chances of your party obtaining a drop increase by 50%, and there's a 30% increase in obtaining an Avatar. >

-- Yes

-- No

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'Yes,' Karsha responded, not willing to miss the chance for his party to obtain an Avatar. During the one-hour flight with Starr, he asked the system many questions and learned about what an Avatar is.

According to the system, when a beast, monster, or human dies, their consciousness and essence can be condensed into an animated form. They remain alive and may retain their memories and skills.

The system explained that there are three types of Avatars:

[Servant Avatar]: These are ordinary avatars who retain some skills. They do not recall their past and cannot advance in tiers. Additionally, if they have a form that wields weapons, they cannot use external weapons but only use their bodies as weapons.

[Emperor Avatar]: These avatars manage to retain their memories and most of their abilities. They can absorb monster cores to increase their cultivation base, wield external weapons, and even communicate if they have that ability while alive. Some can even transform into humanoid forms.

[Mystical Avatar]: These avatars retain all their memories and skills. They can evolve into higher life forms by absorbing monster cores, gems, ores, herbs, and more. They mostly look exactly like their original selves when they were alive.

Obtaining a Mystical Avatar is considered an amazing achievement. Mystical Avatars can be upgraded to become very powerful subordinates if the owner has the resources. With the system increasing their chances of getting an Avatar by 30%, Karsha didn't know whether to laugh or roll on the floor.

"Good, then hop on. We have a lot to do," Karsha said. He took out the boat and made it float. Once they were all inside, he channeled his mana into it. Like the speed of light, they were gone, leaving behind Starr with teary eyes and two chunks of meat in both hands.

"Don't worry, Starr. Your big brother is strong. He will be fine. He will be back soon," Lady Illo said as she wiped the tears from the face of the adorable snake child.

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Meanwhile, after leaving the Sanctuary of the Purple Tail Anaconda, Karsha and his team of five Shadow Guards started making their way back to the Crimson Spire. Karsha planned to kill the six Tier 5 and one Tier 6 monsters he had already marked on the map as his trial for the breakthrough quest.

"Before going after the overlords, I will first have to travel across the ten sections and do some tasks that will involve a lot of killing. I hope you guys are ready for it," Karsha said with an evil grin.

The five Shadow Guards nodded promptly. "Good. We will make a quick stop at the Crimson Spire, where I will revisit some old friends before we continue our journey," Karsha added. He then pressed a button inside the boat, and a transparent dome covered them.

They would need about an hour and a half to reach the Crimson Spire, so he planned to use that time to get to know the five guards better.

"I've been meaning to ask, why is it that the Purple Tail Anaconda can take human form but not the other snakes?" Karsha asked.

"That's because they are monsters, and we are beasts," Dhaka, the leader of the five Shadow Guards, answered, his shoulders held high.

"What's the difference?" Karsha asked with a confused look. He wasn't well-versed in the literature of the Beastkins, but as far as he knew, beasts and monsters were the same. So why was Dhaka saying they were beasts while the other breeds were monsters? It just didn't make any sense.

"Beasts are more evolved versions of monsters. We are civilized and have rules that don't harm our people or others. We have leadership that considers the well-being of their people and not their selfish desires.

Monsters, on the other hand, are different. They lack these traits, as their only inclination is towards violence. Unlike us, who understand the value of peace, monsters prefer constant violence and never-ending killing.

They lack an understanding of the value of life, which sets them apart from us. Their knowledge is limited, their brains are not fully developed, and they lack discipline. As a result, they will never be able to evolve into a higher existence like us and other beasts.

Furthermore, their inability to evolve may stem from the influence of the curse placed on this place," Dhaka explained. Karsha nodded silently, absorbing the wisdom.

"Thanks for the education, this clears up a lot of things," Karsha said. Dhaka nodded in acknowledgment.

"By the way, what techniques do you have, and how effective can you fight in your human form?" Karsha asked again.

This time, Ayarr responded. "We are not like you humans, who seem to have a way to learn just any skill. Beastkins get their techniques from their innate talent."

"Innate talent?" Karsha asked.

"Innate talent is a trait every beast is born with. For instance, I possess an innate talent for shadows and swift movements. Thus, when I assumed my human form, I became an assassin. However, this doesn't imply that I lack skills. While I cannot acquire new skills like humans do, my innate talents have a way of compensating for that. As I progress in my cultivation, my innate talent evolves, enabling me to acquire more skills," Ayarr explained, leaving Karsha dumbfounded.

From what he had just heard, unlike humans, beasts get their skills from their innate talent, something humans don't have. In other words, their innate talent awards them skills that are best suited for them, unlike humans, who have to learn hundreds and practice until they find the one best suited for them.

'This is amazing. I wish I had something like this,' Karsha thought to himself. He then continued with his questions, and before they realized it, an hour and a half had passed in the blink of an eye.

"We're here," Karsha said, stopping at the small waterfall after confirming the terrifying monster was no longer there. Thanks to the map, he was able to locate its position, so they didn't hesitate to stop there.

"I'll be back in an hour or two," Karsha said, jumping out of the boat and disappearing in an instant.

Blinking through one shadow after another for a few seconds, Karsha reappeared in the danger zone and started making his way toward the assembly of ten Tier 5 monsters just a few hundred meters away from him.

"Let's see how strong my skills have become," he murmured, then signaled the system to equip his new armor. Once his body was covered with black leather armor, he muttered, "Start Breakthrough Quest." As he said this, Karsha activated his domain, and to his surprise, it expanded to a radius of one kilometer.

"Huh, fifteen Tier 5 monsters and a Tier 6 monster. What a lucky encounter," Karsha muttered with an evil smile as he activated the first, second, and third variations instantly.

He expected the spears laced with lightning, which is the third variation, to be the only attacks raining down on the sixteen monsters. To his surprise, the first variation, Ever Freezing Water Carpet, instantly froze a one-meter-tall ice wall around the targets. Immediately, the second and third variations merged, forming slightly larger ice spears laced with lightning.

"Merge Variation: Death Spear," Karsha uttered. Like rain, the spears began to shower down on the restricted monsters. A few seconds later, system notifications started ringing.

< Ding! Congratulations on killing a Tier 5 Grey Scale Cobra. 30000 Exp added, 300 Stat points added >

< Ding! Congratulations on killing a Tier 5 Grey Scale Cobra. 30000 Exp added, 300 Stat points added >

< Ding! Congratulations on killing a Tier 5 Grey Scale Cobra. 30000 Exp added, 300 Stat points added >

< Ding! Congratulations on killing a Tier 5 Grey Scale Cobra. 30000 Exp added, 300 Stat points added >

< Ding! Congratulations on killing a Tier 5 Grey Scale Cobra. 30000 Exp added, 300 Stat points added >

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< Ding! Congratulations on killing a Tier 6 Grey Scale Cobra. 50000 Exp added, 500 Stat points added >

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< Ding! Congratulations on completing the Breakthrough quest...>