Hector had a gut feeling that the Oliver standing before him now was probably even stronger than Alex!

  Because when he stood in front of Alex, he never felt anything close to this overwhelming pressure.

  And the murderous intent and coldness radiating from Oliver's serpentine vertical pupils sent shivers down his spine.

  It was the sensation of prey being targeted by a predator—a primal, instinctual fear!

  What the hell had this guy gotten his hands on over the years?

  How had he grown so fast?

  Why was this happening!

  No!

  In that split second, a flood of thoughts raced through Hector's mind.

  He immediately wanted to flee, to tell Alex about this guy Oliver, to inform Lord Surtr!

  As long as he could escape and get the word out, Alex definitely wouldn't let Oliver off the hook.

  After all, back in the day, it was Alex who led the charge in bullying Oliver.

  Maybe Alex would even ask Lord Surtr to step in. With Surtr's divine power, he could surely reduce Oliver to ashes!

  Hector struggled to tear his gaze away, his bovine hooves frantically stomping as he bolted into the distance.

  "Trying to run?"

  Oliver let out a cold laugh, his massive body swiftly slithering through the chaos.

  Though his size was enormous, his movements weren't slow at all—on the contrary, they were lightning-fast.

  He was like a phantom in the chaos, light and agile.

  Boom!

  Oliver's tail lashed forward with a ferocious swing, like a giant whip crashing down, striking Hector square on the rear.

  "Aaahhh!"

  Hector let out a scream of agony, tumbling through the chaos as the flesh on his backside was instantly pulverized by the blow.

  He hurriedly summoned his divine power to heal his wounds, but blood still gushed out like a fountain!

  Despair and terror gripped his heart. He knew the chaotic world was dangerous, that venturing out to explore could lead to trouble, but he never imagined the enemy he'd face would be Oliver.

  This guy he once looked down on, barely worth a glance, someone he think can casually tormented—how could he be this powerful now?

  How was this possible!

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Hector felt excruciating pain coursing through his body. That single tail strike from Oliver had nearly shattered the flesh and bones of his rear and thighs. Gritting his teeth against the agony, he still tried to escape.

  But in the next second, Oliver's tail came crashing down again from above, its massive, heavy weight pinning his chest, snapping several ribs in his ribcage.

  He could barely breathe, suffocating under the pressure. Ignoring the blood spurting from his mouth, Hector hurriedly begged, "Lord Oliver, please spare me! I was wrong before, I was wrong! I also really hate Alex. Just let me go, and I'll be your servant—I'll do anything for you, anything at all!"

  "Now you know you were wrong?"

  Oliver chuckled.

  "I really know I was wrong, really, truly!"

  "You don't know you were wrong—you just know you're about to die."

  Oliver said flatly, a hint of mockery and amusement in his voice.

  "If you want me to let you go, fine. Tell me everything about Alex's movements."

  "I'll tell you everything I know, and then you'll let me go, right?"

  Hector asked eagerly.

  "What, you think you can negotiate with me?"

  Oliver said coldly, adding a bit more pressure with his tail.

  Crack—a muffled sound rang out.

  With just a slight flex, another of the guy's ribs snapped. Hector grimaced in pain, sucking in a sharp breath, quickly saying, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

  He hurriedly spat out a glowing orb. Oliver probed it with his soul and discovered it was actually a map.

  "Alex recently received a reward from Lord Surtr. He'll be staying in the Flame Palace to evolve and boost his strength, so he won't be out for a while. But once he does come out, he'll be operating in these areas…"

  Hector explained in a rush.

  Oliver listened and nodded thoughtfully. "You did well."

  Hearing this, Hector was overjoyed, quickly asking, "Then, then you'll let me—"

  But before he could finish, Oliver's massive jaws opened wide, his gleaming white teeth unleashing a torrent of terrifying venom that instantly engulfed the guy completely.

  Let you go?

  So you can run back to Alex and that Surtr deity, snitch on me, and get them to come kill me?

  Oliver wasn't that stupid!

  After killing these two, Oliver felt deeply satisfied. It was a small taste of revenge for the humiliations of the past.

  Though he hadn't dealt with the main enemy, Alex, he'd at least collected a bit of interest.

  Plus, while these two were weaklings, they still had some chaotic energy in them, which gave Oliver's strength a slight boost.

  On top of that, they carried some fairly ordinary items—like Hector's flame-emitting knife.

  [Item Name: Flame Knife +3]

  [Item Rank: B]

  Effect: A tool capable of releasing the power of fire elements]

  [Note: A relatively rare weapon in the chaotic world.]

  [Item Name: Wind Rope +4]

  [Item Rank: A]

  [Effect: A special tool that can use wind elements to bind enemies. Note: A relatively rare item in the chaos.]

  Both of these were scavenged from their bodies.

  Also, these two weapons had been enhanced, but no matter how much they were upgraded, they probably couldn't compare to S-level items or SS-level items.

  Still, they were better than nothing.

  Maybe in the future, these two items could come in handy—say, for trading with other deities or gifting to his future subordinates.

  With that in mind, Oliver pulled out the glowing map orb again and studied it closely.

  This thing was the biggest prize he'd gained this time!

  The map was clearly drawn by a powerful deity like Surtr. Its central point was none other than His Flame Palace.

  And scattered across the map in all directions were markings for special locations.

  For instance, the Dark Abyss…

  On the map, it was a pitch-black area, explicitly labeled as dangerous. That was where Hector and James had been headed just now.

  They were going there to search for some kind of treasure.

  Beyond that, there were a few spots marked with yellow light that caught Oliver's attention, especially because they came with a clear note: "Places where the tree might appear. Beware of Hog…"

  Places where the tree might appear?

  And what was Hog?

  Oliver pondered this, intrigued by the so-called tree.

  Why not go check it out?

  With the wishing bottle in his possession, finding that tree would absolutely be way easier for Oliver than it would be for Alex and his crew!