Under the creature's majestic shadow, Kael's expression remained indifferent, as if the huge beast posed no threat.
Feeling the invisible force trying to drag him back, a single thought crossed his mind:
An immortal beast?
Given the creature's appearance and aura, that was the thought that came to mind. However, another question lingered in his mind: Why was there a creature in this hallucination?
What am I missing? Is that Zu I used in the cave really special?
Kael felt a slight pang of regret for not having researched the Zu more in his past life. But that didn't last long; he planned, once this dungeon was complete, to return to the Demon Wolf's inheritance.
However, he knew that now was not the time to start thinking.
First, I have to get out of this hallucination and resolve the situation I find myself in in reality.
Kael, feeling the invisible force trying to drag him back and lose him in the river of reverse-flowing blood, ignored the creature's gaze and began walking again, his expression indifferent and his eyes dark as the abyss, calm.
In a sky... if it could be called sky, completely dark, without stars, without moon, and sun, under the gaze of an immense creature, one could see a fifteen-year-old boy with black hair that reached his armpits.
His facial features were nothing special; they were very common, neither very handsome nor very ugly. The only remarkable thing about him was his eyes, black as the abyss, which gave him a mysterious appeal.
He walked in the river of reverse-flowing blood, with an indifferent expression, as if it were the only thing he could do in that strange place.
Kael had walked for about five minutes, and in all that time, the enormous creature had not made a single movement.
That beast seems to be the guardian of this place. Could this great river of reverse-flowing blood be a legacy?
Although Kael's mind was operating at lightning speed, processing assumptions one after another, he still could not reach a definitive answer.
This world was vast. Immense.
Even after four hundred years of life, there was much he did not know. Techniques he had never witnessed, ancient races, lost civilizations. His knowledge, though profound, was not absolute.
But there was no frustration. No trace of disappointment.
On the contrary, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
If I knew everything... then what value would the journey to the Divine Throne have? It would be a straightforward execution of familiar steps, requiring minimal effort.
The true essence of growth lies in uncertainty. In what cannot be controlled. In what forces us to think, adapt, and overcome.
Knowing everything would only lead to complacency. However, as long as the unknown exists, there will always be room for improvement and space to move forward.
I don't need to know everything. I just need to know more. And act before they understand.
At that moment, Kael's vision began to blur and distort again. When it returned to normal.
His body shivered in the cold winter breeze, and his ears filled with the angry growls of lightning boars and the barks of silver wolves.
The air had a strong smell of blood and excrement. Kael's senses returned, and he looked around him carefully.
Fortunately, he was not at the bottom of the river again, but on its frozen edge, his body feeling a little numb from the cold.
Time passes much faster in that place. That was the first thing Kael noticed when he returned to reality.
In the river of blood flowing backwards, he had been walking for about five minutes. But here, it seemed like only about a minute and thirty seconds had passed.
Without wasting any time, Kael began to move across the frozen river; he wasn't going to stay and watch the lightning boars and silver wolves finish fighting before leaving the place.
As he slowly retreated, occasionally checking his surroundings to see if any of the animals were following him, Kael had already accomplished his goal: to bring the silver wolves into the territory of the lightning boars.
He fixed his gaze on the distant cave, where several lightning boars the size of cows were guarding the entrance.
The lightning boar king must be there.
Kael continued on his way until he entered the forest again and opened the map of Mount Kira. The hologram appeared in front of him.
After looking at the map for a moment, calculating where Eren might be, he began to venture into the forest, although in that part, where he was heading, it looked more like a jungle than a forest.
The sun blazed overhead, bathing Kiran Mountain in light. Thick, gray clouds drifted slowly across the sky, occasionally blocking the sun and allowing shadows to spread across the snow.
The wind rustled the trees, and their branches, heavy with frost, swayed with a dry crackling sound. The sun's rays filtered through them, casting shifting shadows on the uniform white of the ground.
Among the logs, rough-skinned lizards scurried about, sticking out their tongues and rolling their eyes at any noise. But one was not quick enough: a black bird swooped down, caught it in its talons, and flew off to a nearby branch.
There, in a nest of dry branches, the chicks chirped eagerly, opening their beaks. The bird threw them pieces of its prey, and they pounced, swallowing them amid squeaks. The wind carried the sound away, mixing it with the rustling of the trees.
Beneath the tall branches, Kael, wearing the mask of gold coins on his face and wielding the coin sword, made his way through the frozen vines, scanning his surroundings to avoid any unexpected attacks.
He kept walking for a few more minutes until he got back to the familiar forest. He opened the hologram map for a moment.
Kael looked up and met Eren's lifeless eyes, which now had a tiny spark that was almost undetectable, but he noticed it.
"Come down from the tree. There's no danger now," he said in a calm voice, which sounded somewhat different due to the effect of the coin mask.
Eren climbed down from the tree without saying a word and looked at Kael with some curiosity. He was still confused by the previous order he had been given.
Why did he give me that order? He thought.
"What are you standing there for? Come on, we've already wasted too much time because of those wolves."
Kael called out to him, moving forward, without looking back at him, as he headed out of the forest to explore the dungeon.
Eren followed him closely without saying a word, his thoughts a mystery.