Forbidden: Max level warrior

Ren stood at the heart of the Beginner's Forest, a place he had traversed countless times in the game Forbidden, but now it pulsed with vivid life. The air was dense with mana, thick and electric, prickling against his skin like static before a storm. Towering trees arched high into the sky, their massive trunks wrapped in glowing vines that pulsed like veins of starlight. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above, breaking into shards of emerald and gold. The ground beneath his boots was soft, layered with moss and leaves, and every breath tasted like magic and bark.

His heart still thundered in his chest from the realization—he was no longer just Ren. He was Ann Zero, his in-game persona, his maxed-out character brought to life. A grin pulled at the corners of his lips, both defiant and exhilarated. He could feel the power coursing through him, humming beneath his skin. He was the Demon Lord of Infinity, wielder of endless Forbidden Points, and bearer of the mythical Ring of Orion—a divine item that had taken him months of grinding and hidden quest chains to obtain.

This world, so absurdly real, so impossible yet tangible, was now his to conquer.

A rustle from the underbrush snapped him from his thoughts. The peaceful hum of mana shifted into something more primal, more threatening. The air thickened, the birds fell silent, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. A pair of glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows beneath the trees. Then came the sound of scales dragging across dirt and roots—a horned python.

It slithered into view, obsidian-scaled and as long as a carriage. A jagged ivory horn jutted from its forehead, sharp and deadly. Its tongue flicked, tasting the air, and then it lunged, striking faster than most humans could react. In Forbidden, this was a D-rank monster—likely around level 30—and a death sentence for beginner players. It usually took a coordinated party of four or five with good gear just to survive the encounter, let alone kill it.

But Ren didn't move.

The serpent's horn stopped mere inches from his chest, halted mid-lunge by an invisible barrier. A ripple shimmered in the air, distorting the space where the attack had struck. The python hissed and recoiled, confused. It had felt no impact, no clash of blades or magic—only an unseen force denying it.

Ren smiled slowly, silver hair catching the faint light, his expression both amused and cocky.

"Surprised?" he asked, stepping forward with measured calm. "That's my passive barrier. Comes with the territory when you're the Demon Lord of Infinity."

He lifted his hand, admiring the Ring of Orion glowing faintly on his finger.

"Any physical attack weaker than my defense can't touch me. Doesn't matter how fast or how sharp. It just... bounces off. And even if the attack does surpass my defense? It still gets reduced by ninety percent thanks to my title bonus."

He paused, then added with a smug shrug, "Basically, I'm invincible."

The python wasn't intelligent enough to comprehend any of that. It simply saw a threat that refused to die, so it attacked again, and again—horn jabbing, body coiling with crushing force. Each strike was faster than the last, fueled by primal rage. But nothing landed. The barrier held, invisible and perfect. The snake hissed louder, more frustrated.

Ren barely blinked.

He stood casually in place, one hand on his hip, observing the beast with the detached calm of a predator watching a lower lifeform flail. In the back of his mind, he was working through a more important question—how to cast spells in this world. In Forbidden, he relied on menus, hotkeys, and macros to unleash destruction. Here, he had no UI. Everything would have to be instinctive. Intuitive.

He closed his eyes briefly, letting the hum of mana wash over him. It wasn't like typing anymore—it was more like conducting. Magic flowed through him like a symphony waiting to be orchestrated. He just had to will it into form.

"Let's test something... flashy."

Ren opened his eyes, extending both arms dramatically toward the sky.

"Behold!" he shouted with theatrical flourish. "Witness the might of the Demon Lord of Infinity!"

The Ring of Orion pulsed in response, a surge of warmth radiating from it as storm clouds began to churn above. In seconds, the clear skies darkened, swirling with electricity. Thunder rolled through the forest like a roar from the heavens. Trees shook. Wind howled. Bolts of lightning arced between the clouds.

Then, with a single mental command, Ren called it down.

A colossal bolt of lightning crashed from the sky, striking the horned python with pinpoint precision. The beast let out a shriek that was cut short instantly as its body was vaporized, the impact carving a crater into the earth. Trees within a hundred-meter radius were reduced to splinters, the soil scorched and blasted outward. The forest floor was left smoldering, the air thick with smoke and ozone.

Ren stared in stunned silence.

"...That was just a basic lightning spell," he whispered. "I even toned it down using the Ring—reduced the power by ninety-nine percent, and it still did that?" He blinked at the smoldering ruin where the forest used to be. "What the hell would've happened if I hadn't nerfed it?"

In the game, that spell would've dealt high single-target damage, maybe a bit of splash if enemies were nearby. Here, it looked like he'd dropped a localized divine judgment. His power wasn't just over-leveled—it was reality-warping.

"Well… damn."

He laughed then. Loud and unapologetic. The kind of laugh only someone who had just realized they were a walking apocalypse could make.

"So this is what it means to be broken," Ren muttered. "This world doesn't stand a chance."

He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of charred wood and crackling mana. It was intoxicating. Every fiber of his being screamed that he was alive, powerful, limitless.

"It's settled then," he said, voice cool and composed again. "I'll make a name for myself here. Spread fear. Awe. Respect. The Demon Lord of Infinity will rise—and the world will remember."

With a final glance at the ruined clearing, Ren turned and began walking. His stride was calm, unhurried. He knew exactly where to go—the city of Feldrath, the nearest settlement and a common starting hub in the game. Years of gameplay had ingrained its geography into his brain, and now that knowledge was somehow real, as though it had been uploaded into his subconscious.

The walk through the forest felt oddly peaceful, considering the devastation he'd left behind. Birds began to return to the trees, timid creatures peeked out from their burrows, and the ambient hum of the world resumed.

About ten minutes in, that peace shattered.

A sudden, frantic rustle in the brush alerted him, and before he could react, a figure burst out of the foliage. It was a girl—young, probably seventeen, her golden hair matted and tangled, streaked with mud and dried blood. She was wearing little more than scraps of cloth that hung off her frame. Her eyes were wide with panic, chest heaving, legs trembling.

She saw Ren and lunged toward him.

"Young master, please help me!" she cried, collapsing to her knees, clutching at his coat as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please… don't let them take me!"

Ren's eyes narrowed, scanning the shadows. Not monsters—he could sense that. Something else.

A moment later, three men emerged from the treeline. They looked like villagers—weathered faces, dirt-streaked tunics, carrying simple tools and worn-out weapons. Their expressions weren't exactly malicious, but they were hardened. Determined.

"Hand over the girl," the one in front demanded. "She belongs to our village."

Ren raised an eyebrow, unamused. "Belongs?" he repeated coldly. "She doesn't look like livestock."

"She ran," another said. "She's promised to someone—important. This isn't your concern, stranger. We just want her back."

The girl clung tighter to Ren, sobbing.

Ren shifted, letting his aura rise just enough to make the temperature drop slightly. "And who exactly is she 'promised' to?"

"The Warden's son," came the stiff reply. "He pays the village well to deliver girls. Two gold coins per head. It's more than most will ever see."

Ren's silver eyes gleamed. He smiled slowly, predatorily. "And do you know who I am?"

The men looked uneasy, glancing at one another.

"I'm not an adventurer. I'm not a mercenary. I'm Ann Zero—the Demon Lord of Infinity." His voice boomed slightly, laced with magical resonance. The earth beneath his feet cracked subtly, a harmless ripple of power to prove his words.

The men froze, suddenly pale.