On the western side of Kiran Mountain.
Jasper ran through the trees at great speed. He was at rank 8, and his mana essence was copper-green. Having chosen the path of the aura, his body was very well trained.
The knights and magicians followed him, like shadows unable to keep up with him. There was no Master Zu. Among the trees, a person was jumping from branch to branch; it was the group's investigator.
The cold breeze hit his reddened face; seriousness hardened his features like a mask.
Shortly thereafter, they emerged from the forest and encountered a large cave. Several animals could be seen in the surrounding area: ice-horned rabbits, large milk toads, blue three-horned horses, and more.
The person in charge of the investigation, Tyler, stepped forward and began to circulate his copper-green mana essence toward his magic circle, chanting a 2nd Circle spell.
"[Infrared]"
His eyes turned like those of a python, and his surroundings changed color, allowing him to detect the body heat of living beings within a 10-meter radius.
Noticing no dangerous animals, he informed Jasper about the animals within that radius.
"This place will do. Set up camp. I want firewood before nightfall," Jasper ordered, looking at his group of ten people.
The group immediately split up to carry out the tasks. No one dared to disobey the young master Jasper.
Meanwhile, Jasper, accompanied by Hanna and May, entered the large cave to investigate, as the dungeon was located in the deepest part.
The interior of the cave was quite damp; water dripped from the ceiling, weeds and moss grew on the walls, the air smelled of wet earth, and several gusts of wind blew in from outside.
When they were sure they were far enough inside that no echo would escape what was happening in the cave.
Jasper didn't have time to react. Hanna and May's hands pushed him against the damp wall, cold to the touch but burning with intent.
May ran her fingers through his hair while Hanna bit his lower lip, savoring his heavy breathing.
The warmth of their bodies surrounded him. His palms found the curve of their breasts, firm and expectant. Her nipples were already erect, as if they had been waiting for him since before he entered the cave.
His panting mingled with the humidity in the air. Each breath was a lustful whisper.
"Ah~ young master..." Hanna purred, arching her back as her nails dug into his shoulders. "Why don't you send some knights... to finish off that annoying Kael? Now... is the perfect time..."
The phrase cut through the moment like a knife.
Jasper stopped, motionless. His expression changed suddenly: his red eyes dimmed with pleasure and lit up with hatred.
The image of Kael emerged like a dark stain in the mist. The bastard with dirty blood, arrogant even in front of his father. Father... who had never looked at him that way.
He clenched his fists tightly and struck the rock beside him. The sound of the impact echoed through the cave as a crack spread out from his fist.
He took a deep breath. He smoothed his red hair, damp with sweat, and looked toward the back of the cave.
If I manage to complete this dungeon before everyone else... Father will have to acknowledge me. He'll have to forget about that bastard.
He smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was bitter, twisted.
He looked back at Hanna and May, who were watching him with a mixture of desire and servility.
Without saying a word, he took them back into his arms. This time, there was no trace of tenderness.
Shortly after, moans began to fill the cave... but they weren't moans of pleasure.
...
The cold seeped into his bones. Every movement Kael made through the water was a battle against the weight of his exhaustion. His muscles burned, on the verge of tearing.
The air in his lungs was a precious and scarce commodity, but he kept swimming, fighting against the current that seemed to want to drag him down.
When he finally broke the surface, the outside world greeted him with a cacophony of shattered sounds.
The lightning boars, creatures with bristling fur, faced off against a pack of silver wolves, whose howls echoed like blades against the wind. The air smelled of fresh blood and ozone, of animal fury and wild magic.
But then something twisted inside him.
An uncontrollable spasm shook his jaw, his mouth opened against his will, and black, slimy tentacles sprouted from his throat. They crawled over his skin, cold and pulsating, while his vision was torn to shreds.
Suddenly, the sky collapsed.
The clouds twisted before fading into darkness. There was no trace of the sun, or the moon, or even the stars; only an infinite void, as if the jaws of a forgotten god had swallowed the world.
And then he recognized it.
The great river of blood, thick, flowing beneath his feet. The tentacles moved of their own accord, entangling themselves around his feet.
Another hallucination...
It had been a long time since he had had one... Why now?
Kael didn't panic. Over the past month, the visions had left him alone, but now, at the worst possible moment, when his body was at its limit, they had returned.
He looked around, and the river of backward-flowing blood sank him a little to his knees, while the tentacles coming out of his mouth moved in the scarlet water.
Not knowing how long he would be trapped in this hallucination, Kael began walking upriver, his expression indifferent.
He wanted to see what would happen if he went upriver, if this mysterious "Zu" he had used months ago was a blessing disguised as a curse.
As he moved forward, he felt an invisible force trying to pull him back, but Kael ignored it and continued forward, his face expressionless.
Then...
A colossal shadow covered much of the reverse-flowing river of blood.
It wasn't just any beast, but a feline of impossible proportions. With fur as thick as a moving storm and golden eyes that blazed like twin suns, it regarded Kael from a distance with indifference.
Beneath its majestic silhouette, Kael looked like an insignificant ant.