156. Trail of Sand

Rain stands, observing the river, and finds it differs from the first three rivers. It is much wider and the color of the river is a deeper blue. 

He throws a branch toward the river and before it can fall into the river, the branch is sliced into 100 pieces, falls into the water, and turns into powder. 

Rain forward his palm above the water and feels sharp blades attacking his palm. If he did not protect his palm with an energy shield, his palms would sliced into hundreds of pieces.

Rain covers his body with genetic energy, jumps into the river, and starts to swim to cross it. Except for his palms, and the part of his facing the sky did not get cuts protected by genetic energy.

However, for the part submerged in the water, the genetic energy cannot stop all the cuts from the river landing on his body. He feels a cut land on his family jewel.

This made Rain stop swimming and cover the jewels with his palm. He then started walking to cross the river. The cut was swallowed, but the pain was unbearable. He did not break a sweat when the second river roasted his body.

Rain crossed the river, getting cuts on his body, which healed in the next moment. He then quickly climbed out of the water before any cuts were made to his jewels. He had to use his hands to climb out of the river.

He waits for a moment, to see the tree that sprouted after he crossed the third river will sprout but no such luck for him to recover his genetic energy. The river was not as difficult as the third river with the frozen rule but it consumed around 40 percent of his genetic energy. 

The river separates the genetic energy armor from his body and he is not able to recover the separate genetic energy. Rain starts running again and after around four hours when he bursts out of the rainforest.

He stops because a river is in front of him again. And before Rain can throw a tree branch to check the river. He hears someone calling him and he recognizes the voice before he sees the person.

He turns toward his right and spots Helen waving at him. He starts walking toward her and after he reaches her.

He asks," How are you?"

Helen glances at him and notices the usual reaction from his body when he sees her is missing. She knew He advanced to peak D-rank genetic warrior but she was unaware he had reached the complete peak realm of genetic warrior. 

She replies," I am ok. and you?"

Rain answers, "I am alright." They did not ask if they were injured because they knew both used the genetic medicine of super super-healing lizard.

Before Rain can ask about the fifth river, Helen speaks," What inheritance did you receive?"

Rain knows what she is talking about and it is a private thing for every genetic warrior. 

But, he wants to answer her because he also wants to know what inheritance she receives and if he can get an explanation of the vitality body as she is already a middle true body realm genetic warrior.

It is already transformed by her for her practice, Rain has to only make it compatible with his body. He answers," I did not fully receive the inheritance but I think my inheritance contains the Vitality Body and Energy Bomb."

Rain did not need to ask for her inheritance. Helen herself spoke about her inheritance," Mine was Vitality Body and Poison Claw."

And continues," If you give me the Energy Bomb spell, I will give you the Poison Claw spell."

Rain nods and says," Ok, after receiving the complete inheritance of the Energy Bomb spell, I will exchange it with you."

He continues," Can, you share with me the vitality body practice method, you created with the complete energy channel."

Helen quizzically looks at Rain and speaks," You cannot use my practice method to advance to the ' True Body Realm'."

Rain already knows this, but he wanted the practice method for another purpose. He answers," I know. I want the practice method for the energy shield. I cannot advance to the ' True Body Realm'. But It will speed up the process."

Helen nods in understanding, raising her palm facing him with her Bit emerging at her palm. Rain also follows her and touches her Bit with his Bit. And receive a notification of receiving information. He agrees and in five seconds he receives all the information.

There are no networks, So he has to receive the practice method in this way. 

Rain nods at her and the Bit again enters his body. Rain did not read the practice method but sent it to his soul chip to transform it for his body. He asks Helen," What trail does this river contain?"

Helen speaks gazing at the river she murmurs trail under her breath and says," You are right this place feels like a trial site for genetic warriors and not a weird domain."

" And I feel more uneasy because of this. This River contains lightning energy."

She glances at Rain and speaks," I will go first." Rain nods and watches as a dark green color energy shield surrounds her and she enters the river.

He observes as she crosses the river sparks attacking her shield. Most of the sparks are blocked by an energy shield but some break through her energy shield and land on her body. 

Leaving behind char skins, the energy shield blocks most of the power of the thunder. So, only the spot and the skin is char but only for a moment, and the next moment, it is healed.

Rain closes his eyes to check the progress of the soul chip. Finding only the energy channels for his feet are transformed. Rain builds the energy channel and when he opens his eyes after building the energy channel, he finds Helen on the opposite bank.

Rain surrounds his body with genetic energy jumps inside the river and starts swimming. He can feel the thunder attacking his energy and some breaking through the protection and landing him.

The pain he receives is not his concern but the numbness that spreads after the thunder lands on him. He has to use genetic energy to fight the numbness, so it will not interfere with him.

And when he climbs out of the river, he has a confused look on his face. He sees Helen is also confused as she gazes at the river. 

She says," Is the weird domain controlled by someone? Because the rivers were like a trail, I thought the weird domain was in someone's control but now it is looking like it is really under someone's control."

Rain thoughtfully speaks," We should meet up with the commanders or try to find the domain gate."

Helen replies," Yeah, we cannot do anything. We have to find a way to get out of the domain and inform the city council."

Rain nods and says," Then Let's run."

Helen nods and they start running toward the mountain. They run in silence for around 2 hours, when Rain remembers something and asks Helen, " You and your mother are not part of the guard department, why did you two come?"

Helen answers," My mother works in the city's research department. For a new weird domain exploration, a researcher joins the first exploration team with her guard. I came as my mother's guard."

Rain exclaims, "Ohh!" this he did not know, and speaks, " After this are you returning to the Death battlefield domain."

While running, She answers thoughtfully, " My mother works in Joen City. She came here to set up a Level B research department here. She came here for a survey and will return in one week. So, I will not enter the Death Battlefield domain for the time my mother remains."

Rain nods and till the next river, they make small talk. Around two hours later, He and She stopped gazing at the river in front of them with stones floating in the river that could be used to cross the river.

Which makes them frown, Rain breaks a tree's branch and throws on a stone and nothing happens. Seven stones line up from this to the opposite river's bank.

Helen solemnly spoke," I will go first." without waiting for Rain, she jumped on a stone and stood there like a statue.

Rain observes her but she stands on the stone like a statue for around a minute. Rain walks toward and tries to touch her but is stopped by a barrier. He punches, kicks even uses his sword but nothing happens to the barrier.

Rain steps back stares at Helen with concern and then jumps in the river to see what will happen. He is bounced back by the river. He is unable to wake Helen and cross the river.

He looks around and finds another set of seven stones on both sides floating on the river.

He spoke to no one," The Left side must be the place for me to cross and the right side for other members of the team," 

He thought seeing this, that they were all getting closer. After having this thought, Rain starts climbing a tree, and to the very top Rain looks around spotting other sets of stones.

Some are empty and some are filled with people. Some are standing on the first, some seconds and the lead is at the fourth step. Rain recognized all of them but he did not spot Lily or Siobhan. 

And in the lead is Chief Councillor Grace, Rain jumps from the tree after this. And starts walking toward his left. Reaching the place from where he can land on the first stone, he stops.

He glances back to find Helen not on the first stone but on the second stone. Rain observes her for a minute but not finding anything, he jumps on the first stone.

And then everything turns black, and Rain opens his eyes to find himself in a desert. Rain looks around," Commander Angus mentioned, that the domain is a rainforest so why am I in a desert and looks like we are separated."

He again looks around for anything in the ground covered by sand that is unique and finds a black tower ahead breaking the clouds. He starts walking toward the black tower, he does not think anything can be more noticeable than the black tower.

As he walks, he feels difficulty as his feet get stuck in the sand, which slows down the speed. To speed up his walking, genetic energy surrounds his shoes, and his feet do not sink in the sand. He used the technique that he used when he walked in water.

He feels like he is walking on a solid ground. He looks around as he thinks in an empty background it will be easier to spot someone. He jumps reaching a height of around 10 meters but he sees no one.

He did not mind walking for an hour, He jumped every five minutes to observe around him but it stopped after one hour and after two hours he started to curse," Finn and Marcus for the false information."

And he feels he did not get any closer to reaching the black tower, but he did not stop. He walks remembering his goal, which is to reach the black tower in two days otherwise his soul shield will break and the weird energy will enter his soul space.

According to Bit, by measuring the weird energy in the domain, he can only stay for two days. He tries to feel the weird energy, he sends out a wisp of his thought and then he feels the wisp burning. So quickly retrieved his thoughts and heat followed his wisp enter his soul space.

For a moment he feels his soul burning. So he starts jogging and after another hour, He feels like he wants to kill them.

After another couple of hours, his feelings turn to promise, when his strength is higher than theirs, he will kill them or find a way to make their life hell.

After another six hours, Rain stops thinking altogether, as he feels thirsty and hungry and finds the pills he bought when he entered the domain, missing. 

Rain's body hunched as he walked toward the black tower in the scorching heat, around 10 hours passed, the sun did not even move from his position and he saw a sandstorm coming his way. 

There is nowhere to take shelter, so he walks toward the sandstorm covering his face with genetic energy. And he walks like a cat to remain walking straight toward the black tower.

After, a couple of hours, he has to surround his entire body with genetic energy as the sand inside the sandstorm starts getting hot. While walking inside the hot sandstorm, Rain feels some sand pass through his genetic energy. 

Rain controls his genetic energy to plug the holes.

Rain stops counting the time that passed after a more couple hours and after some time, which feels like days passed, he stands in front of the black tower's door. He without any preparation opened the door.

He does not have the energy for any preparation and if anything attacks behind the door, he will not even put up a fight. Then also he opens the door because if he remains in the desert, he will die of hunger or thirst.

And behind the door can be food and water. He is willing to take the risk. And steps inside the door.