Chapter 2: Whispers of the Wild

The sky above him was draped in a dark shroud, as if mourning the blood spilled the night before.

He walked barefoot among thorns, his thin body covered in scars, and his eyes frozen like the ice atop Death Mountain. The wind howled through the trees, as if whispering things he could not understand… or perhaps refused to.

"Survivors don't ask... they just move forward."

The words echoed in his head, but they weren't his own. The voice was strange, deep, a mix of anger and mockery.

He stopped for a moment. His heart pounded violently.

"Who's there?!"

Nothing but silence.

Yet a feeling lingered — as if unseen eyes were watching him from the shadows.

Hours passed before he reached the edge of a deep ravine. Below, a stream ran red like blood, reeking of rust and decay. People called it the "Great Wilderness," but they had no idea it was another world altogether, where the law of the jungle was more than just legend… it was life.

He approached the water and washed his face, and saw his reflection…

But it wasn't his face.

For a brief, fleeting moment, he saw another face — older, crueler. Its eyes were pitch black, and its forehead bore ancient blood-carved symbols.

He stumbled back in fear, but the water returned to normal.

The wind's whispers grew sharper… then he heard the voice again, clearer this time:

"If you wish to survive... plant your roots in flesh, not in soil."

As he tried to make sense of the words, something small dropped from the sky… a scroll made of leather, bound with a red thread. He opened it hesitantly and found inside a diagram for a body-tempering technique. He didn't know who sent it, but the feeling of being watched was no longer just suspicion.

[Body Tempering Technique: Foundation of the Nine Bones]

An elementary method to strengthen the skeletal structure to endure the full extent of the Primordial Bloodline. It focuses on:

Dispersing internal pressure across nine critical points in the body

Altering blood flow into a dual-pulse rhythm

Strengthening the "Purity Node" at the core of the marrow

He closed the scroll. He didn't understand all the details, but he could feel the technique resonating within his blood.

"Is it a trap? Or is someone… helping me?"

There was no time for doubt. In the wilderness, hesitation could mean death.

He had to decide:

Should he try the technique immediately, or wait until he found shelter?

The darkness was creeping in again, but inside him, a spark ignited — not of hope, but of something that refused to die…

The will to survive, no matter the cost.