Chapter 76: Vengeance in the Shadows

"No... we don't—where is he?"

In the middle of the night, a terrified, loud scream shattered the silence as a young man in his twenties crashed to the ground, his face twisted in horror.

"What did we do wrong? I never offended you—so why are you still killing us without reason? If… if that guy has done something, I'll help you kill him myself. Please, spare my life!" he pleaded desperately.

As the man screamed and begged for his life, a cold voice emerged from the darkness ahead:

"Do I even need someone as worthless as you to kill someone? You've already wasted my time—so die."

A moment later, a dark, unrecognizable object streaked from the shadows and pierced the man's heart. He died in the midst of his desperate cries.

From the darkness, the same man dressed in black stepped forward. He extended his hand toward the dead man's neck; his hand was stained with blood. The object—now revealed as a bent, dark pincer—swiftly slashed the man's head off as if cutting through butter, and the head vanished into thin air.

"Not with your team, huh?" the black-clad man muttered to himself.

"Don't worry—enjoy a few more days of life. I've already prepared gifts for you, and before I kill you, I'll present them so you can feel pain before dying at my hands."

He continued, "I've searched nearly every corner of the outer forest—so where do you think he is?"

After searching the outer areas for two full days, he finally discovered the group with which Arya had entered Dreadfall Forest. Enraged that the person he had hunted for days was not among them, he vented his fury by slaughtering the entire group. Determined to continue his search, he noticed that the aura emblem of his junior, which had previously provided him with the target's location, had suddenly stopped working—further fueling his rage.

After a moment of reflection, he decided not to search blindly but to wait along the main path leading out of Dreadfall Forest toward Fisco City. "I'll let my prey walk right into my trap," he mused as he retreated. Only one silent sound followed him: "Dark steps…"

As he moved back, the scene he left behind was soul-striking—a camp still standing but completely drenched in red blood. Blood spattered in every direction, a clear sign of the desperate struggles and frantic attempts at escape by the victims. Had someone come upon this place the next day, they might have assumed a savage monster had attacked the humans, never suspecting a man's doing.

At the same time, Arya—who had just reached the end of the fourth cave gate—stood in awe of what he saw. As he approached the entrance to the fifth gate, the image of a beast on the gate wall appeared so lifelike and gigantic that, for a brief moment, it seemed to be a real creature. Yet, this was not the only wonder before him.

The spirit beast on Arya's shoulder spoke first, its tone calm yet cautionary:

"Don't let your greed blind you."

Arya squinted at the gate wall and asked, "Is that thing real?"

The beast replied, "You mean that stone?"

Arya, nodding, said, "It's not just a stone—it's a seed stone, isn't it? The one embedded in the heart of the beast image on the gate wall."

"Yes," the beast confirmed. "It is exactly that—a seed stone. But note, it's now a common rank seed, not in its original form."

Arya frowned. "What do you mean by 'not in its original form'?"

The beast explained, "Before the man on the wall died a few hundred years ago, that seed was actually of epic rank. After his death, it degraded into a common rank seed."

Arya's eyes widened. "So you're saying that this man was once a living beast?"

"Yes," the beast answered. "The aura pressure you're feeling now comes from them as well. We place their remains here at the gates so that their spirits continue to serve as protectors for our race even after death."

Arya observed quietly, "And even though you've helped me get this far, no beast or human dares to enter here because guardians like him protect this path."

"Exactly," the beast agreed.

Arya then inquired, "Can that seed stone be extracted from the wall?"

The beast shook its head slowly. "I do not recommend trying. Once you touch it, my entire race will take offense and see it as a challenge to their dignity. I might not be able to protect you—or stop them—and if they discover I'm with you, your chances of survival will vanish."

Arya pressed, "Why is that? Do you have problems with your own race?"

The beast chuckled wryly, "Some problems, hehe…"

With no further explanation forthcoming from the beast, Arya controlled his growing greed and moved out of the fourth gate into the fifth cave. The increased pressure in this area nearly knocked him flat on the ground, but before he could collapse, the spirit beast adjusted his aura pressure just enough to help him keep moving—without removing it entirely.