Dominion Bond System: The Only Man Left Has A Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 72: The Battle Ahead

Reiji sat on a large rock and opened the crude map he had drawn on a piece of bark.

He marked off another cleared area.

The Serpent Bird’s territory remained untouched. He had no intention of going near it yet.

Four days had passed since he entered the Backlake Realm.

Progress felt steady.

He had grown noticeably stronger.

His eyes were calmer now. His movements more precise. He had learned to use his skills far more efficiently.

Shadow Step for quick assassinations, confusing monsters before they could react.

Verdant Grow for traps. Rainfall for recovery and mist. Rupture for clean finishes. No wasted mana. No unnecessary risks.

Reiji stood up and continued clearing area after area. He moved toward a small creek. The water flowed gently over smooth rocks while several small E-Rank Creek Lizardmen lounged lazily near the bank.

The moment they spotted him, they hissed.

Reiji didn’t speak.

He simply acted.

[Shadow Step.]

He appeared among them.

Verdant Grow burst from beneath the ground, wrapping around two of them before they could react.

[Rupture.]

BOOM!

BOOM!

Ding!

[Host has killed an E-Rank Creek Lizardman!]

[+3 EXP]

Ding!

[Host has killed an E-Rank Creek Lizardman!]

[+3 EXP]

The last one tried to flee into the water.

Reiji activated Rainfall, creating a thin mist that concealed his movements before using Shadow Step to appear directly in front of it.

One final Rupture ended its life.

Deeper into the forest he encountered a small Orc patrol.

Four D-Rank Orcs carrying crude weapons.

They roared and charged.

Reiji remained calm.

Shadow Step allowed him to weave between them effortlessly.

Verdant Grow wrapped around their legs.

Rupture exploded their bodies one after another.

Occasionally he mixed in Water Jet and Soul Torture Flame.

After all, the more he used his magic skills, the more proficient he became with them. There was also the possibility of them leveling up.

The battle ended within moments.

No Monster Core again.

"...Still stingy."

Reiji continued deeper into the forest.

The Backlake Realm truly tested his patience. Magic only. No physical combat. No weapons.

The restriction forced him to think creatively.

Blood Rage remained his trump card, but he only intended to use it when absolutely necessary.

Four days of constant hunting had sharpened his instincts considerably.

By the afternoon of the fourth day he arrived at another lake.

The water looked perfectly calm.

Suspiciously calm.

Ripples quietly spread across the surface.

Then, something enormous moved beneath it.

Reiji immediately stopped walking.

His instincts screamed. A split second later...

BOOM!

The surface exploded.

A gigantic claw shot toward him. Reiji’s pupils shrank.

[Shadow Step.]

He disappeared just before the claw struck.

BOOM!

The shoreline exploded apart.

Sand, rocks and water blasted into the air.

Reiji reappeared several meters away.

His eyes narrowed. A giant crab slowly crawled out of the lake.

Its shell gleamed like dark metal beneath the sunlight.

Massive claws snapped together with enough force to crush boulders.

[King Crab (C++)]

It had sensed him the moment he shifted his footing.

Without hesitation, the King Crab charged.

Its massive body moved far faster than something of its size should have.

Every step shattered rocks beneath its legs while its claws sliced through thick trees as though they were made of paper.

’Recklessly charging...’

Reiji vanished again.

Shadow Step carried him behind the monster.

[Verdant Grow.]

Thick vines burst from beneath the earth and wrapped around two of its legs before twisting around its body.

The King Crab paused.

Then...

CRACK!

The vines snapped apart one after another.

It wasn’t enough.

Reiji had expected that. His goal had never been to restrain it completely.

He only needed to slow it down.

The moment the last vine broke...

[Rupture.]

BOOM!

A loud explosion echoed across the lake.

A thin crack spread across one of its front joints where the shell connected to its claw.

The damage wasn’t deep. But it was enough.

The King Crab let out an ear-piercing screech before charging once again.

This time Reiji didn’t rush to attack.

Instead, he repeatedly used Shadow Step, forcing the creature to spin around as it desperately searched for him.

Every movement exposed another weakness hidden beneath its heavy shell.

Whenever it swung a claw, Reiji answered with Water Jet aimed directly at its eyes.

The attacks dealt very little damage.

That wasn’t their purpose.

He only needed to interrupt its vision long enough to reposition while conserving mana.

Four days ago. He would have relied purely on brute force.

Now he fought differently. Every skill existed to support the next. Every movement had a purpose.

The King Crab suddenly lunged.

One claw clipped his arm before he could fully evade. Pain exploded through his body.

Blood sprayed into the air.

The impact launched him across the shoreline before he crashed heavily into the trunk of a giant tree.

BOOM!

The trunk cracked. His vision blurred for a brief second. The King Crab didn’t give him time to recover.

It charged again, determined to crush him beneath its enormous claws.

Reiji gritted his teeth and forced himself back to his feet.

’I shouldn’t act recklessly.’

He quickly tore part of his pants and wrapped the wound tightly, slowing the bleeding.

His eyes never left the monster.

The King Crab was powerful.

But every charge followed the same pattern. Straight and fast.

It movements were predictable.

[Rainfall.]

A thick mist spread throughout the forest until the shoreline disappeared behind a pale white curtain.

The King Crab crashed through it blindly, smashing trees apart as it searched for him.

Hidden within the mist...

[Verdant Grow.]

This time the vines ignored its legs.

Instead, they wrapped around fallen trees before tightening across its path like giant ropes.

The King Crab charged straight into them. Its own momentum betrayed it.

The massive body stumbled. Just once.

That single opening was all Reiji needed.

’Now!’

He poured even more mana into Verdant Grow.

Thicker vines burst from the ground, wrapping around the monster’s body from every direction.

[Rupture.]

BOOM!

[Rupture.]

BOOM!

[Rupture.]

BOOM!

Explosion after explosion echoed across the forest.

Cracks rapidly spread across the King Crab’s shell. Its movements became noticeably slower.

Finally, the shell shattered.

Reiji appeared directly above the exposed weak point.

[Rupture!]

BOOM!

The final explosion pierced through its core. The giant crab froze. Then its enormous body collapsed with a deafening thud.

Ding!

[Host has killed a C++ King Crab!]

[+32 EXP]

Ding!

[Monster Core Harvested.]

A blue crystal quietly appeared inside his inventory. Reiji immediately absorbed it.

Warm energy flowed through every part of his body.

Ding!

[Skill Acquired: Hardening (C-Rank)]

Reiji quickly checked the skill description.

[Info: Host’s skin becomes fifty times stronger when activated.]

[The duration scales with the amount of mana invested.]

Reiji tested it immediately. His appearance didn’t change. But his skin became noticeably denser.

He threw a punch at the ground.

BOOM!

A large crater instantly formed beneath his fist. Reiji stared at his hand. Not a single scratch.

He hadn’t even felt pain.

Reiji nods in content. The Skill would be very useful in battles.

He checked the remaining time inside the realm.

Only two days remained.

The Tyrant Serpent King Bird still waited within its territory.

The overwhelming aura it radiated remained fresh in his memory.

But this time, Reiji no longer felt the same pressure.

Four days of nonstop fighting had changed him.

His spell control had improved. His movements had become sharper. His skill combinations flowed together naturally.

Even his confidence had grown.

Without wasting another moment, Reiji began making his way toward the Serpent Bird’s territory.

Along the way he cleared several more monster groups.

Small lizard packs. A lone D+ bear.

Even a nest of poisonous insects. Every battle ended quickly.

The deeper he ventured, the quieter the forest became.

The silence wasn’t natural.

For the first time since entering the Backlake Realm, Reiji couldn’t hear the usual sounds of monsters fighting over territory. There were no distant roars, no rustling beasts moving through the undergrowth, not even the chirping of insects. It was as though the entire forest had chosen to hold its breath.

He slowed his pace instinctively.

Every few dozen steps he stopped to observe his surroundings, allowing his mana to spread outward as far as it could. Nothing approached him. That alone made him even more cautious.

Large claw marks covered the trunks of ancient trees, each one several feet long. Some had been carved so deeply that pale sap still seeped from the wounds despite their age. Nearby, broken bones lay scattered among the roots. Most belonged to monsters Reiji had encountered over the past few days – Orcs, Creek Lizardmen, and even the remains of creatures he couldn’t identify. None of the skeletons were intact. They had all been crushed or torn apart with overwhelming force.

"So this is its hunting ground..."

His gaze shifted toward several enormous feathers lodged between cracked branches high above. Each feather was longer than his arm and shimmered faintly with traces of mana. Even after being shed, they radiated an oppressive pressure that lingered in the air.

Reiji crouched beside one of the footprints impressed into the earth. The depression was so deep that rainwater had collected inside it, forming a small puddle. Judging by its size alone, the Tyrant Serpent King Bird dwarfed every monster he had faced so far.

Instead of fear, a quiet determination settled within him.

He rose to his feet, adjusted his breathing, and calmly circulated his mana through every pathway in his body. Every spell he possessed passed through his mind once more, along with the countless battles that had refined his control over them. Whatever awaited him ahead, he intended to face it with everything he had learned.

The trees looked far older. The mana grew heavier.

Even the wind itself seemed to slow.

Reiji eventually stopped at the edge of the forbidden territory.

He could already sense the Tyrant Serpent King Bird (C+++) somewhere ahead.

Its overwhelming presence dominated the entire region.

Reiji slowly exhaled. "...Time to see how far I’ve come."

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward into the creature territory unknown of how the battle ahead would turn out.