Thornbeast

Era of Chaos, 1842.

"Where is this?"

Aise frowned, taking in the bizarre and dazzling scenery around him. His voice dissipated into the emptiness, receiving no response but dead silence.

Before him lay an endless expanse of pale white, as if he were standing in a void of chaos. Countless colorful orbs of light drifted and flickered around him.

No matter how he looked at it, this was not his original world.

Aise began to recall his recent memories... Ankula had taken them out for a grand feast, they played in the city for a while, enjoyed the bustling night market, and then returned to their rooms to sleep.

His last memory was resting his head on a soft pillow and sinking into slumber.

Was he dreaming right now? Aise immediately realized.

His current senses did feel somewhat hazy, his consciousness perceiving the world as if through a thin veil.

But this place was clearly different from a normal dream. Before exploring it, Aise had no intention of waking up.

Was there no one else here?

Aise cautiously observed his surroundings, on guard against any potential danger.

"Hmm? What is this..."

Aise suddenly noticed strange patterns painted on his arm.

These were drawn by Ankula earlier when she was performing a divination for him.

It was strange; he clearly remembered carefully washing these pigments off after the divination had ended.

Aise rubbed a spot on his cheek hard, wiping off a bit of color.

Sure enough, the little turtle Ankula had casually drawn was still there.

"Could it be... is this the Spirit World?" Aise immediately arrived at an answer in his heart.

Why had he suddenly come to the Spirit World? Hadn't he heard that only professionally trained witches could possibly dive into this place?

Could it be related to the divination ritual from during the day?

"Crack—"

A strange, faint sound suddenly came from behind him.

A sense of danger instantly shot up Aise's spine. Without any hesitation, he dove forward, flipped in mid-air, landed steadily, and swiftly turned into a defensive stance.

Swish—

A sharp spike pierced the exact spot where Aise had just been standing. Had he not dodged in time, he likely would have been skewered straight through.

Aise looked back to see a monster he had never encountered before. Its body was slender, looking as if it were pieced together from several thin, black bamboo poles, and its entire form gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster.

Its head was massive and perfectly round, lacking any facial features, as rough as a carelessly molded clay figure.

Aise could not spot any obvious organs like a heart or a core on this monster, nor could he immediately discern its weak point. For now, he assumed it was that head.

Regardless, he needed to chop that thing's head off first.

With a flip of his palm, a longsword materialized in his hand.

Bending his body and gathering his strength, Aise lunged forward like a hunting cheetah.

The monster seemed to sense his attacking intent. The branches of its body suddenly began to elongate, transforming into razor-sharp steel spikes that thrust straight toward Aise.

Aise swung his sword to deflect the first few spikes that reached him. The blade clashed with the metallic branches, letting out a piercing clang that numbed the web of his hand.

In the blink of an eye, more branches explosively grew from the monster's body. Countless spikes swarmed toward Aise from all directions, sealing off all his room to dodge.

Aise's figure immediately retreated at breakneck speed.

What terrifying speed. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been turned into a pincushion.

In just that brief moment, the space before him had transformed into a steel jungle. The sharp brambles flashed with a cold, chilling gleam that made one shudder.

Having missed their target, those spikes slowly retracted, becoming part of the monster's body once more. The creature remained motionless in place, not pursuing Aise, like a patient hunter waiting for its prey to enter its kill zone again.

What kind of monster was this?

Normally, Aise would not flinch even when facing high-tier warriors, but now, confronting this thing, he felt a deep sense of difficulty, completely at a loss for where to begin.

"Let me..."

A voice echoed in Aise's mind, and a streak of black mist flashed across his blood-red pupils.

What was that voice?

Aise himself was slightly stunned.

Just as he subconsciously wanted to reply, a hand rested on his shoulder.

The black mist in Aise's eyes swiftly faded away.

"Aunt Ankula?"

"Oh my, being called 'Aunt' just never sounds right." Ankula smacked her lips. "I was wondering why the Spirit World was so turbulent today, so I came over to take a look... By the way, kid, why are you here?"

Aise looked at the bizarre patterns drawn on his body. "Lady Ankula, I think that question should be directed at you."

"These things have absolutely nothing to do with you entering the Spirit World... They are indeed materials of the Spirit World. Even though you wiped them off as physical mediums in reality, their aura remained on your soul, which is why these traces were brought into the Spirit World." Ankula explained logically, washing her hands of all responsibility.

Aise looked at Ankula with a hint of suspicion.

"Ahem... It really doesn't have much to do with it. The fact that you could enter the Spirit World while dreaming shows that you are naturally gifted and have an affinity with the Spirit World... How about it? Want to consider becoming a witch?" Ankula suggested.

"I am a man." Aise's eyebrow twitched.

"A wizard, then... You're in luck, kid, wizards are incredibly rare." Ankula patted Aise on the shoulder.

"Why is that?"

"That, I don't know. You might have to go ask the Goddess." Ankula spread her hands.

Aise took a deep breath, reeling in his wandering thoughts, and looked back at the monster in front of him.

"What is that thing?"

"A Spirit World creature. These guys are all incredibly bizarre; no witch can recognize all of them." Ankula narrowed her eyes. "I do know that thing, though. A Thornbeast. Its attack range is huge, and it's quite dangerous, like a hedgehog. Very few people are willing to actively provoke this guy... It's very lazy. As long as you don't stimulate it, it won't attack anything outside its range."

Aise tightened his grip on his longsword, his gaze locked tightly onto the Thornbeast before him.

As if sensing Aise's gaze, that massive head slowly turned toward their direction.

Ankula looked at the eager Aise. "Kid, what are you trying to do?"

"Is it strong?"

"An ordinary high-tier warrior probably wouldn't be able to do anything to it."

"An ordinary warrior..."

Aise was not an ordinary warrior.

"Does it have any weaknesses?"

"Its head. There's a crystal core inside; destroy it and the problem is solved... Those steel spikes can regenerate infinitely, so destroying them is useless. Don't even think about trying to wear it down." Ankula sighed, feeling a wave of annoyance.

Before she could even finish speaking, Aise had already shot out like an arrow released from its bowstring, stepping into the Thornbeast's attack range once again.

In an instant, countless sharp spikes struck from all directions, as if a deadly jungle of steel had suddenly come to life. Every single spike was aimed at Aise's vital points, radiating an icy killing intent.