After the village guard fell, he grabbed onto a tree branch and swung himself to the other side.

Yet in the next moment, he sensed unprecedented danger as something lethal approached at terrifying speed, making all his body hair stand on end.

He slightly turned his head and glimpsed the source of danger - an ordinary knight sword slashing toward him at extreme velocity.

Facing this life-or-death crisis, the village guard immediately discarded his bow and drew a shortsword from his waist to block horizontally.

Blades collided, sparks flying everywhere.

The village guard was sent flying backward, rolling across the ground until crashing into a tree.

"Estimated value between six and seven," Naimes murmured while slightly withdrawing his sword to control his strength before approaching steadily.

Even with Naimes holding back, the force surpassing Black Stone grade limits was something the village guard couldn't withstand.

His arm twisted unnaturally from fractures, broken blade fragments embedded in the flesh, while his entire body ached intensely.

The metallic taste of blood in his mouth and nose warned of severe internal injuries.

Seeing Naimes approach, the guard let out a bestial roar as black spots began appearing across his body.

As the spots spread, the broken blade fragments were forcibly expelled from his arm, then he brutally straightened his twisted limbs himself - the injuries healing rapidly.

"Whale transformation?!" Naimes paused momentarily before showing an intrigued smile.

Floating Whales were special creations from the Age of Gods.

Yet even these floating sanctuaries weren't without dangers - unique creatures like Nest Beasts were native to them.

Moreover, prolonged residence on Floating Whales caused some inhabitants to develop whale-related diseases.

Whale transformation was among the most notorious.

Early symptoms included black spots appearing on the skin, followed by gradual loss of human reason and descent into bestial behavior.

During this process, patients gained tremendous strength while developing cravings for human organs.

Most critically, this disease was contagious.

Advanced-stage patients would grow whale vocal organs capable of emitting whale songs that could transform other lives, spreading the infection.

Thus most would execute patients upon early detection.

The current paradox was that village guards were normally immune to whale transformation!

As the saying goes, "Whoever tied the bell must untie it" - whale transformation wasn't completely incurable. The deep well water used in creating village guards provided immunity.

Ordinary village wells weren't deep enough - only those penetrating to the Floating Whale's flesh contained this protective property. Follow current novᴇls on noᴠelfire.net

However, such water was strictly controlled, only used for creating guards and carried side effects.

Thus whale transformation remained effectively "incurable."

Now the fascinating development was an immune individual voluntarily entering a whale transformation-like state.

"If the White Whale Church knew about this, they'd go mad!"

"I wonder what the price for this is?" Naimes mused aloud.

Instead of answering, the transformed guard charged recklessly.

The black-spotted form granted tremendous strength enhancement - unsurprising since end-stage patients could even evolve into Steel Seed grade whale creatures.

"Still not enough..." Naimes raised his sword diagonally, intercepting the charging guard.

But the impact felt wrong - like striking a rubber tire.

Some cushioning effect absorbed and dispersed the slash's force before the guard was "bounced" away.

This was actually his escape plan - curling mid-air to accelerate backward, then darting sideways upon landing while felling trees to block pursuit.

His hands had grown sharp claws that severed multiple large trees obstructing the path.

Knowing the terrain intimately, the guard quickly vanished from sight.

Naimes didn't give chase immediately, standing atop fallen trees while watching the rising moon.

Tangs and Pur arrived behind him as unobstructed moonlight cast their elongated shadows.

"Lord Naimes, aren't we pursuing?" Tangs asked irritably.

Having gained power recently, his embarrassing performance - only getting shot by an arrow during the ambush - left him fuming with wounded pride.

"Wounded beasts always return to their safe dens to lick wounds."

"His current value differs - we need him to lead us to the treasure!" Naimes glanced at Tangs but didn't comment on his frustration.

Naimes' expression shifted slightly as his shadow writhed unnaturally, something restless stirring beneath his human shell.

A wisp of demonic aura erupted, plunging Tangs into hellish hallucinations.

The demonic hierarchy made Tangs tremble uncontrollably.

Pur also trembled - but from excitement. This aura, this sensation - this was his Abyss!!

Raising one hand, Naimes fluently recited demonic incantations as a shadow coalesced into a canine demon beast.

Demonic Spell·Summon Shadow Hound!

Normally Naimes avoided using his true power - demonic energy would corrupt his "clean" vessel, leaving detectable traces risky against church experts.

But now, the guard's value justified breaking this rule.

The inky shadow hound immediately picked up the broken blade fragment and raced through the forest tracking the guard's scent, while Naimes followed leisurely with his subordinates.

As expected, the guard hadn't completely lost his mind to the disease - after running far, he began circling until late night before heading toward a specific area.

Unbeknownst to him, a shadow hound stalked silently from behind.

His usual danger sense was disrupted by chaotic thoughts, failing to detect the approaching threat.

Shortly after the guard entered a mountain cave, Naimes arrived following the hound's trail.

Then Naimes frowned - an almost inaudible sound emanated from the cave depths.

Whale Transformation·Whale Song!