Beggar Cultivation System

Apollo flew above the desert, his figure a small blur flashing from terrain to terrain.

Using the natural flying ability of a 4th Step Qi Condensation Stage, combined with his Wind Blast Flying Technique—refined numerous times—he had reached a speed even faster than a 2nd Step Core Creation Stage. Apollo even suspected that his current speed rivaled that of a 4th Step Core Creation Stage, if not a stage beyond Core Creation entirely.

However, since he hadn't met anyone strong enough to compare with, his thoughts remained theoretical.

The beggar narrowed his eyes at the passing landscape, his vision zooming in to observe every detail.

The desert was vast, but with his speed, he quickly found its edge—arriving at the Wadis Region, a land where only dry riverbeds remained.

These ancient riverbeds were connected in a complex network, and the whole of the Wadis was shaped like a maze.

Apollo saw the withered remains of trees—dry trunks still standing as if waiting eternally for rain.

"This must be it," Apollo muttered, glancing at the Wadis, then at the distant mountain. Beyond that mountain lay another region and city, the Manida Land.

With a flash, Apollo vanished and reappeared inside the Wadis, now between the giant riverbeds.

He looked toward the earthen walls and spotted caves—once the lairs of monsters.

"Spiders," Apollo muttered, noticing cobwebs near the entrances. He hadn't seen many spiders during the stampede—likely because most had been killed.

Monsters were monsters. Some didn't kill their own kind. Others did. And when a stampede broke out, pulling all types of monsters together, death was inevitable. Their wild instincts didn't stop simply because they shared a goal.

"Now... where are you?" Apollo murmured, spreading his senses in search of the one responsible for driving the monsters from the desert.

As his awareness expanded, Apollo could 'see' the entire Wadis—his mind flying rapidly through the winding paths and open spaces.

He examined every nook and cranny for a minute or two, until his eyes snapped open, glinting with gravitas.

"This feeling..." he whispered.

His small body vanished in a burst of wind. The world around him became a blur until he halted—now standing before a small lake.

A lake of black, boiling water. Popping sounds echoed as bubbles rose and burst, releasing steam the moment they reached their limit.

A lake in a dry Wadis.

Apollo stared at it for a moment before his eyes landed on something above it.

"So... a devil. Makes sense," he said, observing the figure sitting cross-legged atop the boiling surface.

The air around the figure was suffocating. The surroundings dimmed unnaturally. Even the already lifeless ground seemed deader—as if life itself was forbidden from approaching.

Apollo walked toward the lake, stopping just inches from the bubbling black water.

Bubbles rose in front of him. One burst, and droplets splashed onto his clothes.

A sizzling sound echoed. He glanced down and saw the fabric burned—blackened at the edges.

"Tsk. This water burned my beggar attire," Apollo muttered, visibly frustrated.

He wasn't dressed in expensive, stylish clothes like the nobles—but Apollo had long accepted his identity as a beggar. His beggar's garb had become his signature—besides his handsome face, of course.

As his words echoed across the Wadis, the person sitting cross-legged atop the lake slowly opened their eyes.

The moment their eyes opened, Apollo suddenly felt an intense pressure—gravity working against him, trying to bring him to his knees.

He glanced down and saw his legs trembling slightly, as if compelled to obey this new law that had just manifested.

"Interesting," Apollo muttered, attempting to resist the crushing weight—but to no avail.

His body was being forced to kneel by some unknown pressure. But Apollo wasn't about to let some random devil win so easily.

His mind raced. Countless techniques he had learned since arriving in this world flashed through his thoughts.

They automatically sorted themselves, one after another, selecting the most suitable for his current situation—until only one remained.

I was hoping I wouldn't need to use this… but it doesn't matter, Apollo thought, closing his eyes.

When he opened them, his black contact lenses dissolved into particles of light, revealing deep blue eyes that shimmered brightly.

His pupils expanded, then contracted—slit like a serpent's. His black hair turned light blue, growing down to his waist.

But that wasn't the only change.

Apollo's entire aura shifted—from that of a normal human to something ancient. Roars echoed around him as the Great Serpent manifested, its spectral form slithering and circling in the air around his body.

His aura didn't just carry pressure—it transformed into water that flowed and burst into droplets before dissipating into mist.

Scales appeared across his body—on his cheeks, his arms, and along his neck. They gleamed ominously, a warning to the 'person' sitting atop the boiling black lake.

After activating the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation to its full first stage, the pressure trying to force him down vanished—replaced by a lightness, as if the whole world could be shattered with a single punch.

"That's not how you welcome a visitor," Apollo said. His usual boyish voice had deepened into something resonant and powerful.

"Interesting… very interesting," the person atop the black water murmured.

They had black hair that fell over their eyes, pitch-black irises with no whites, and blood-red lips.

A dark robe draped over their entire body, only their head visible.

"Are you a woman or a man?" Apollo asked curiously.

"I am no man nor woman. I am a Devil," the being replied. "A demon and a ghost. I have no gender."

"You're the reason the monsters ran away from this place," Apollo said, locking eyes with the figure. "Why did you come here?"

"You don't have the right to know that," the Devil answered, rising to their feet. The boiling black water rippled beneath them. "You interest me, child… or should I say, a man of age—old, very old. Am I right?"

At that, Apollo raised an eyebrow before a smile spread across his face. "I'll say the same—you don't have the right to know my answer."

Silence fell between them. Only the bubbling of the lake and the hiss of bursting steam filled the void.

"Right, huh? I see… then I will offer you the right—and you shall offer me the same. My life or yours," the Devil said, their chilling voice summoning a cold wind that passed between them.

Apollo smiled, nodding. "I like that offer."