CHAPTER 30: THE BLACK GODZILLA

In moments, Lucien reached the familiar landmark—the back of the mountain that housed the Hall of Columns. He quickly averted his gaze from the sculpted naked woman’s body and pressed northward.

The Mist of the Forgotten revealed itself as an ashen plain riddled with rocky edges and uneven terrain. At one point, Lucien sensed he was climbing. The slope wasn’t obvious, but it was there.

Then, at the peak, he began descending again. The lower he went, the more the ashen plain transformed. Verdant life erupted around him—trees so healthy they seemed almost unnaturally vibrant.

Their lush canopies spread wide, intertwining so densely that not even a fragment of pale light from above could penetrate the depths of the jagged ashen plain.

The canopy formed its own sky, transforming the depths into a hollow realm. Perhaps this was how it became Evelaine’s Hollow.

Soon, Lucien found himself back in the hollows, treading murky ground littered with creeping branches, low trees, vines, and grasses.

He reached the spot where the Godzilla had awakened and stopped. Every enormous tree house in the area lay crushed and destroyed, as if the very ground had been overturned.

The land had indeed been overturned—by a titanic, demonic creature that now watched Lucien from the darkness ahead, crimson eyes blazing with bloodlust.

[Predator Instincts has detected a tremendous and dangerous level of Bloodlust]

[You are advised to flee]

[You are advised to flee]

[Godzilla is using Primal Fear]

[A state of Fear has been inflicted]

[You are too weak to resist]

[A state of intense intimidation has been inflicted]

[Because of your composure, you have partially resisted fear]

[Because of your composure, you have partially resisted intense intimidation]

Lucien didn’t need the notification panels to understand what was happening. He could feel it in his bones—the way his body trembled and turned cold was proof enough that a level 120 monster was terrorizing him through mere presence alone.

He could still move and wasn’t completely frozen, but the subtle trembling and coldness wracking his body was concerning.

Was it because he’d gained some semblance of strength? He could truly sense now how powerful the Godzilla was.

Indeed, ignorance could be bliss.

The entire forest shifted. Lucien summoned the Darkness Cutter in one hand and the Forsaken sword in the other.

The forest moved again. His heart plummeted to his stomach, and he wanted to shit it out completely. He actually felt an urgent need to relieve himself at this crucial moment.

’How is this even possible? It feels too real!’

The forest lurched again, and everything blurred. The Godzilla rolled forward with devastating force.

Lucien launched into the air and fled for his life, weaving between trees and racing across creeping vines while turning intermittently to hurl invisible cuts.

[You have dealt 1 damage]

[You have dealt 0.7 damage]

[You have dealt 0.5 damage]

The pathetic numbers were infuriating. After three strikes, he abandoned that strategy and continued racing through the forest, searching for an effective way to handle the Godzilla.

He made a sharp turn and approached the creature from another angle, coming at its left flank while it shot forward like a rolling boulder.

However, it suddenly sensed him and stopped. In that moment, there was nothing—no Lucien, no attack. Just absolute silence.

Then he materialized behind its massive, thick legs and hurled both swords, striking its calf.

[You have dealt 56 damage]

[You have dealt 122 damage]

The Godzilla roared, its tail whipping around and smashing Lucien away like a weightless doll.

He rolled and crashed into one of the massive trees with bark so thick it looked like it had been training for centuries.

He collapsed to the ground, blood already streaming from his head.

[You have received critical head damage]

[You have lost 1,893 health points]

[You have entered stunned state]

This time, Lucien was unconscious for over a second—three complete seconds of total blackout, his head ringing deafeningly.

The pain synchronization felt even more intense than the capsule, especially the head trauma he’d been enduring.

By the time he opened his eyes, the Godzilla was already upon him, massive hands extended to seize him. Lucien gripped both swords and thrust them forward, propelling himself with a skillful momentum-driven maneuver from his seated position.

He lunged straight into the Godzilla and drove both blades into its outstretched palms.

With a wet, squelching sound, the swords sank deep into flesh.

The Godzilla released an ear-splitting shriek.

[You have dealt 133 damage]

[You have dealt 567 damage]

[You have dealt critical damage]

[You have dealt additional 344 damage]

The monster hurled him skyward with a violent swing. Lucien lost his grip on both swords as he went flying, crashing through thick, intertwined branches before finally landing in a cradle of tangled vines that cushioned him from major injury.

However, now he was trapped and couldn’t break free.

Lucien focused on one section of the vines. Immediately, a clean strike sliced them apart. The same happened with another section, and he dropped to his knees.

He unequipped both swords, allowing them to vanish, then summoned them again. This time they materialized directly in his hands.

He tightened his grip on both weapons—the golden, ornamental sword and the plain, sinister katana.

He stared into the distance with uncertainty etched across his face.

’Can I really defeat this? Perhaps the forum was right. It took only one hit to reduce my health by half. And for the last two minutes, all I’ve been doing is running—just running.’

The way the forum had responded suddenly made perfect sense now that he was witnessing how difficult killing the Black Godzilla would be.

However, Lucien grinned. He grinned so widely that he looked ready to star in a toothpaste commercial.

This was simply exquisite—a beautiful torment. It was pure bliss... to feel so powerless, to feel that no matter how hard he tried, victory would remain beyond his grasp.

Nothing in life—no one in life—had ever made him feel like this. No one had ever made him feel so stripped of dignity, so unworthy, foolish, absurd, and delusional.

And that was exactly why he loved it so much!

He licked his lips and leaned forward slightly.

"Oh, how I’m going to enjoy killing you... my sweet, sweet Godzilla."