Martial Online.

The jungle looked like it was the epicenter of all nature and life. Its beautiful green canopy stretched as far as the eye could see, and the air buzzed with the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing insects.

A boot crunched down on a fallen branch, breaking the peaceful symphony.

Moriarty looked down at the broken branch and nonchalantly continued moving forward with the made-up spear in hand.

Ambrose dodged the swaying branches and pressed deeper into the thick forest, following Moriarty through the danger zones.

At that moment, Moriarty raised his arm and stopped in his tracks, causing Ambrose to freeze as well. His ears were perked up like a startled animal.

"I hear the sound of rushing water, and I know where it might be."

Moriarty said, but his voice didn't sound happy, even though they now had finally found a way to fill up the water bottle. His voice was shaking slightly.

Ambrose saw that and asked, "Any danger?"

"Yes."

Moriarty replied and pointed towards a clearing that was not too far from them, where the sound of the rushing water was also coming from.

"How bad?"

Ambrose asked, and he squeezed hard on his made-up sword.

"A slightly above-moderate danger."

Moriarty said, but then added, "However, I have died before because of above-moderate danger."

"I see…"

Ambrose stepped past him and said, "I'll take the lead. Follow me."

Moriarty nodded, and they headed straight to the source of the sound and danger.

Ambrose tightened his grip on the hilt of the made-up sword, crossed the empty clearing, and saw the flowing river that lay beyond.

It was a breathtaking sight, with the sun sparkling on the water's surface and the sound of gentle waves lulling his senses.

However, Moriarty's face turned pale like a ghost as the danger alerts started blaring inside his brain.

"It is far from safe!"

"Give me the water bottle."

Ambrose asked, and Moriarty handed it over immediately, but his Danger Sense never stopped buzzing in the back of his mind.

Moriarty gritted his teeth, as he wasn't sure whether this was worthwhile. However, they needed water, and without water, they would eventually become weak and unable to continue.

Ambrose realized that the risk was necessary for their survival and slowly headed down the hill towards the riverbank.

As he reached the riverbank, he noticed a group of wild animals drinking from the water on the other side of the river.

It looked peaceful and serene, a stark contrast to the chaos and danger that the images showed.

Ambrose dipped the water bottle into the river, filling it to the brim, then closed it with a cork and placed it carefully back in his inventory.

"Whew…"

He let out a relieved sigh and looked at the river, where his purple-eyed reflection stared back at him.

At that moment, he saw a shadow dart below the surface of the water, and it was heading straight at him!

'The danger is below the water!'

Ambrose leaped backwards, and then a snake-like creature emerged from the river, its fangs glistening with venom.

It was an enormous serpent with scales as dark as night!

"Watch out!"

Moriarty's shout echoed through the air as the serpent lunged towards Ambrose.

"Whoo…"

Ambrose let out a deep breath; his body expanded with muscles swelling with power, and he turned into a man made of steely muscles.

Steam rose from his body, made of muscles, and turned his skin a fiery shade of red.

"The Muscle Defense!"

The serpent snapped its jaws shut, unable to penetrate Ambrose's impenetrable shield of muscles with its venomous fangs.

Moriarty watched the scene with a frightened expression as he expected their journey at the tournament to end.

"No…"

However, Ambrose stood tall while the serpent continued to hiss and coil around him, refusing to back down.

Its venomous fangs cracked and shattered like glass, making the serpent a fangless monster.

Ambrose's purple eyes shone like beacons of power, and then his muscle-filled body started to shrink as he started to turn back to normal.

'The Muscle Defense, the skill I decided to choose…'

…

A day ago.

Jesse sat on the computer while browsing through the latest gaming news and updates.

"Sigh…"

He heaved a sigh and turned to the papers that were scattered across the floor. He was writing down all the pros and cons of all the skills.

He was trying to force himself to think of a skill to choose, but he was too afraid to make the final choice because he was scared of making the wrong decision.

'I would choose Immortal Sword if it wasn't also an Inner Power-related skill, even though I created it with a skill scroll. Kinda sucks.'

'I need to choose one. This is the final day.'

Jesse crouched on the floor and started picking up the papers as he started tidying up the mess. However, then he saw the two papers in hand.

One showed the skill "The Muscle Attack."

The other one had the skill "The Muscle Defense."

While the other was focused on increasing his strength, the other was fully aimed at defending. He couldn't use both at the same time, as the Muscle Defense made moving impossible because of the excess amount of muscle.

"Hmm…"

Jesse pondered thoughtfully.

"Most players will already focus on offensive skills, so I could combat them with even stronger offensive capabilities.

"However…"

He turned to the other paper and frowned.

"The Muscle Defense. It is definitely my strongest defensive skill, and it could protect me from harm and also protect Moriarty.

"Hmm…"

Jesse looked at the Muscle Defense information, and the biggest con was the inability to move while using the skill. It would make him vulnerable.

"Is there a better way to use the skill…"

…

Ambrose's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he then smashed the wooden sword across the serpent's head.

The serpent fell back into the water and snaked back to the bottom.

"Whoo…"

The steam left his body and drifted away into the air.

"Are you all right?"

Moriarty came rushing in and asked, "Are you poisoned?"

"No." Ambrose looked at his shoulder and saw a slight mark, but nothing serious.

"When you chose this skill, I thought you were lunatic, and I still think that."

Moriarty said while scratching the back of his head.

"But it looks like it came in handy this time."

"I couldn't really use the "real" power of the Muscle Defense."

Ambrose said with a wry smile as what he learned a day prior wasn't meant to be used against a ten-meter-long serpent.

"Can I get the water?"

Ambrose brought out the water bottle and handed it over to Moriarty, who popped open the cork and took a long, refreshing sip.

He then turned back to the river, saw that the danger was going further away, and filled it quickly before backing away from the river.

"We should get moving; I noticed something a while back."

Moriarty said, and he steered his gaze in some northwest direction.

"I can sense many danger threats heading in the same direction. I think there is either big fighting going on or there might be a town of some sort."

Ambrose nodded and looked in the same direction as him.

He then looked at the interface.

[Teams Left: 455]

At that moment, Moriarty snapped his head around and widened his eyes in shock.

"W-we should run now!"

"What's going on?" Ambrose turned to him and saw him dart away like a missile.

"The heck?"

Ambrose kicked off the ground and sprinted after Moriarty, determined to catch up and find out what had startled him.

But then he felt the hair stand up at the back of his head.

"Huh?"

He turned around to where they had been standing a moment ago and saw the birds fly away in a frenzy, as if fleeing from something unseen.

In that moment, the trees started shaking, and the ground began to rumble beneath his feet.