In the vast valley covered by fog, there was a small lake. Its water shone with a silvery light since it housed a luminous fish.
This fish was capable of morphing into a sea creature scary enough to decimate even a peak level 7.
In fact, it had already killed two humans and severely injured three.
It had already garnered a scary reputation.
'The Red Monster', it was called.
But at this moment, the fish spasmed as lightning coursed throughout its body. It flapped its fins and swung its tail to reach the edge of the lake.
But it was no use.
At the edge of the lake was a golden bamboo. The bamboo's tip was dipped into the lake and beams of golden lightning entered the lake and electrocuted the fish.
Even though the fish was strong, even it couldn't stand the current flooding its body. The lake's water which helped it before now turned hostile.
Every drop of water it came into contact with carried a bit of lightning. After denial, the luminous fish was forced to acknowledge that water wasn't its safe haven it always was.
However, it didn't change anything.
Its morpher entity wouldn't be as strong if it went out of water. Then…
"Fish fry won't be bad," Varian muttered as he sat on the shore. His right hand was completely in the form of lightning and he used it to dip the bamboo into the lake.
The lightning bamboo had way more lightning than he expected. Assimilating it just like that was impossible.
So, Varian searched for a place to discharge the excess current.
After hearing about the scary red monster, here he was.
'I think I'm kind, aren't I?' Varian rubbed his chin. He really was too kind.
If the silverfish knew his thoughts, it'd surely disagree. In fact, it'd invent even curses just for him.
But it didn't.
So, all it could do was pick the lesser evil in its situation.
Splash!
The lake's water burst as the silverfish jumped towards the shore. Its silver scales shone in the moonlight.
Varian looked up at the fish in mid-air that was currently heading for him.
At the first moment, it was a palm-sized fish, but the very next second, it grew to the size of a car.
"…" Varian opened his mouth in shock and rubbed his stomach. "I guess I'll have enough for three days."
Raa!
The fish in mid-air was different. Instead of beautiful silvery scales, it had sharp red scales.
Its scales shone and without any chance to evade, a red light enveloped Varian.
The blood in his body boiled as if it was going to melt his blood vessels. If Varian's superhuman body didn't grant him an incredible defense—both for his external and internal body, everything inside him—his heart, his lungs, and even his brain would've been fried off under the huge temperature of his own blood.
Thanks to his superhuman body, Varian was able to avoid death.
However, he wasn't in a good position.
"Cough."
Hot blood spilled out of his nose and lips as his insides were literally being scorched.
Even with his superhuman defense, he wouldn't last long under the red monster's strange ability.
'I see. So, this is why it is able to kill even a peak level 7 so easily.' Varian concluded after gauging his own condition.
This fish's attack wasn't powerful per se. But it was weird. Like poison. An unusual way of fighting.
Unless you could crush it with absolute strength, there was little chance of winning against this strange ability creature.
Out of all the paths, only Heal Fighters would be able to survive this strange attack. But usually, level 7 heal fighters were weaker than their superhuman counterparts. So, they'd fare poorly against the red monster.
That meant no level 7 could deal with this monster.
Unless it was a dual or triple awakener with enough health, defense, and attack.
For that, they needed to be at least a high level 7 heal fighter and a high level lightning awakener.
…That was just a ridiculous condition.
Even geniuses reached high level 7 only in their early and mid-thirties. So, any dual awakener who reached high level 7 in both paths would've spent an incredible amount of time on it.
Such people wouldn't risk their lives for this monster they could avoid.
'No one can challenge this red monster.' Varian looked at the monster that inched closer and closer to him.
As he stood under the moonlight on the shore of a lake, a giant fish in mid-air was just ten feet away from him.
It opened its mouth, revealing its razor-like teeth.
As it approached, the red light on Varian's body intensified and blood started to splatter out of his skin.
Blood spilled out of his hands, feet, chest, and from all over his body. It was like water leaking out of a bottle riddled with holes.
Raa!
The blood in Varian's body gave one final roar as if it was about to burst him open.
"Heh," Varian smirked.
With a single thought, the left of his body turned into the plant form. The boiling blood instantly cooled. The injuries were quickly healed.
Varian displayed healing higher than even a high level 7 heal fighter!
His blood on the left side was still affected, but not as intensely as on the right side.
Then, he switched the morphing to his right side.
As the right side's blood cooled down, the left side's blood was agitated again. But since it was beaten down once, it couldn't reach the same level easily.
Varian alternated his plantae form between right and left a couple of times until the fish reached him.
The whole time for everything had been less than two seconds, but other than heal fighters, no one could've survived those two seconds.
Not only did Varian survive, except for the low reserves of prana, he's perfectly fine!
Raa!
The fish opened its mouth and the blood in his body was agitated once again. This time, it tried to directly leave his body and enter the fish's mouth.
Varian snickered and clenched his fist.
A huge shockwave swept the lake and caused almost a third of its water to blow away.
Then, Varian's fist turned into pure lightning.
Zzzz!
The air of the calm night went from freezing cold to scorching hot in a second and due to the sudden heating up of air, an explosion occurred, causing the second third of the lake's water to be emptied.
Then, an invisible force attached to Varian's arm.
As he punched out, the invisible force pushed his arm and increased the speed of his punch by a notch.
Finally, right before his fist connected with the fish, Varian's eyes flashed and the fish's eyes stagnated slightly.
The fish's concentration was broken.
Boom!
It seemed like a simple punch, but when the red monster's eyes widened.
Its scales broke under the lightning, its skull broke due to the punch aided by both physical and telekinetic strength.
With a thud, the creature's battered body crashed onto the lake.
Varian rubbed his hands.
Before he absorbed the lightning bamboo, a short meal wouldn't hurt.
But wouldn't other monsters be attracted if he set up a fire, cooked tender fish meat, and let the aroma spread?
Varian's lips curled up as he reached for the fish.
That's exactly what he wanted.