I had to literally force myself to leave home just a few minutes after midnight to go out and explore the new territories. The fact that they were new was the only reason that even slightly motivated me to do it.

This meant that things were bad. Very bad.

I started exploring the part beyond the goblin territory with the idea to go left, counterclockwise, around the Petrograd, clearing all the new hunting grounds, while ignoring the old ones.

I simply knew that I won't make it, because it always reacquired more time for me to find my way around the dungeons I was visiting for the first time.

I changed this decision lightly, as I reached the hills which were supposed to be filled with giants. They indeed were, and that was enough for me to sweep the place, since I was already there anyway, and the crystal count should be good.

Because I knew the way to the top of the mountain, I was quite fast at cleaning that place, and soon was able to go further. I knew about the water elementals in the valley slightly to the side of my current, at that moment, location, so I headed there, but to my surprise, the place was completely different.

There was no valley.

Instead, I found a place filled with sharp fragments of shattered rocks. Some of them were boulder-size or even bigger. Most just lay on the ground, but some were protruding from the depths of the planet, sticking out like the teeth of a nasty maw. They could reach even above a hundred meters. Which is something around three hundred feet, I think.

This area was vast, stretching all the way to the horizon, and beyond, but that wasn't something I could actually see.

I immediately thought that some of those boulders will rise the very moment I will approach them, and - surprise, surprise - I wasn't wrong.

The ferry moment I began jumping from stone to stone to have a look around, some of them began rising. It was very, very noisy. If not for the swarm of firebirds, swirling around me, and chasing away the darkness, I wouldn't probably see anything, because the stones were almost completely black.historical

The rocks formed humanoidal creatures, which immediately attacked me with fury. Well... Maybe I should write 'tried to attack me with fury' because I smashed them to dust. Black dust...

I summoned some shadows to pick up the stones left after my push forward, so nothing would be left forgotten.

There was a whole horde of those creatures there, all stretching up to seven meters. There is a possibility my idea about them was slightly exaggerated because of their size, but all I could soon see around me, were those, as I named them, earth elementals.

I made my way through them, heading towards the center, and their appearance began changing. Not only did they get bigger, but also the solid black surface morphed into the ones with golden veins showing almost in every part of their stone bodies.

Those particular ones were more durable, and stronger, but still far too weak to be considered a threat to me even on my worst day.

Like that, I reached the center. It was surrounded by those sharp teeth of the earth itself, slightly hooked, so maybe I should use the term 'claw' instead of 'teeth'. Anyway! A circle formed with stones was the center, and in the middle was a bigger-than-usual pile of rocks. This time though, it wasn't 'just' backs. It was definitely a solid obsidian, as the surface was smooth and shiny. It also had golden veins stretching on like a spider web.

I waited for the boss to assemble, looking around, and thanks to that I noticed that the pillars actually had the familiar iconography on them. It was again the world tree. Displayed in a way that wasn't so obvious at first glance, but if you knew the image, you could pick up on it almost immediately.

My starring got interrupted, when a boulder slammed me into the ground, pushing around two, rot three meters deep. It was the hand of the main guy, who just hit me.

I shadow walked the hell out of that hole, then rushed to the side, so he would have to also move, and I had enough time to give a good look at him.

Big as a freaking building. If I were to judge I would give him fifty, maybe eighty meters. It was hard to judge since he was chasing me in a slightly leaning forward position. His moves were quite slow too.

There was a round boulder for the head, and a few longer ones assembled together to form the limbs. I guess that's why he was so slow. The shape, and how he was constructed made it quite hard for him to keep up his balance.

This discovery made me change from running to attacking, and I jumped forward, slamming him with my fist straight to the chest. I wasn't at full power, and I'm not even talking here about using 'shadow fusion'. I just wasn't even using half of what my body was originally able to produce. Still, I didn't even course the smallest break of the stones he was made of.

The power, though, made him stumble backward, and he had to go on one knee to not fall on his ass.

I used this opportunity, shadow walked closer, and kicked him, this time not pulling back t all.

His large body got yanked into the air and smashed into the claws sticking out of the ground, decimating a few of them.

He still was able to pick himself up after this hard hit, which I observed after landing, but his body began to fall apart. Even though, the fact that he didn't just turn into dust, was impressive. His sturdiness was impressive.

The next attack finished him off.

I picked the crystal, then shoved it onto the vault, alongside other crystals brought to me by a horde of shadows, which waited for me to finish the fight. Then I moved on, looking for more places around.