After carefully placing the leopard cub inside his bag, Jun continued traveling with the group. Rakshit, Gyun, Harshita, and Vaishali all moved at their own pace as they pushed deeper into the terrain. The journey had become much rougher now.
Along the way, they hunted several more aliens. Jun also eliminated a few creatures, and his power points kept increasing. But one thing kept bothering him. He wasn't getting any new abilities. The points were rising steadily, but there were no new skills.
That fact frustrated him a little. Still, there was nothing he could do about it. On Icolis, luck was just as important as strength. After traveling for some time, the group finally entered the Deccan Mountains region. The moment they stepped inside, everyone had the same reaction.
Shock.
It felt as if their feet had suddenly been glued to the ground. The gravity here was incredibly heavy. Even walking became difficult. Every step placed enormous pressure on their muscles. Breathing itself felt heavier. Realizing the situation, Jun immediately decided to summon his Support Entity. He activated his card.
Suddenly, a red plasma-like energy field began forming in the air in front of him. The surrounding air vibrated with waves of energy. Inside the glowing field, two shining red eyes appeared. With a sharp burst of energy, a beautiful white leopard materialized.
Its eyes glowed deep red. Jun wasted no time. He placed his bag on the leopard's back, then opened it and carefully took out the baby leopard, holding it gently in his arms. The load on his body decreased slightly. But the gravity of the Deccan Mountains was still so powerful that the relief was minimal.
At that moment, Rakshit stopped walking. He looked directly at Jun,"We should separate here."
Jun looked at him quietly.
Rakshit continued,"You've reached the Deccan Mountains. From here on, follow your own path. Don't travel with us anymore."
Gyun and Harshita seemed like they wanted to say something. But Vaishali stopped them with a small gesture.
"The deal is over," she said calmly,"He's free to go wherever he wants."
Jun didn't argue, he simply nodded. Then he moved deeper into the Deccan Mountains, accompanied only by his Red-Eye Leopard. Behind him, the group members began talking among themselves. Jun was alone again. Just him… and his leopard. He slowly walked between the massive rocks.
Then suddenly, Jun felt something strange. His Virtual Card began glitching. The screen flickered repeatedly. Jun opened the card immediately. The same notification kept flashing over and over again.
"Master–Servant Talk"
Jun frowned slightly,"What is this… and why does it keep appearing?"
At first, he thought about ignoring it. But then the Red-Eye Leopard walking beside him suddenly stopped and looked directly at him. Its glowing red eyes stared straight at Jun.
Jun understood. He knew why the message was appearing. He activated the pop-up. The moment he accepted it, white and red lines began forming on his left hand.
The markings looked as if they were burning beneath his skin. Jun felt an intense pain. But after a few seconds, the pain slowly faded. Now the marking glowed with white and red light.
And then Jun heard a voice,"Master… please give me a name."
Jun went silent for a moment. He looked at the leopard. The red glow in its eyes was unmistakable. Jun thought for a second and then said,"From today… your name is Red Eye."
The moment he spoke those words, the leopard's entire body began glowing with white and red light. Energy waves ran across its fur. Then slowly everything returned to normal.
Red Eye looked at Jun again and spoke,"Master… you eliminated me. Can you feed my body to my baby?"
Jun immediately shook his head,"No, That body contains poison."
Red Eye stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he said,"Master… in the Deccan Mountains, there is an alien that can filter any toxin."
Jun's interest sparked.
Red Eye continued,"If you hunt that alien, the poison can be removed."
Jun sighed,"I've already killed many aliens while entering these mountains… but none of them gave me any useful ability."
Red Eye replied calmly,"Master… try hunting this alien once. Perhaps this time you will obtain a power."
Jun thought for a few seconds.
Then he said,"Alright, Take me there."
Red Eye answered immediately,"Master… with this heavy gravity, you won't be able to fight that alien."
Jun responded in frustration,"I only have a defense ability and poison ability. I'll fight using those."
Red Eye looked directly into his eyes and said,"Master… will you sign a life-term bond with me?"