Huff… huff…
A short distance away, inside a hidden cave within the outer zone of the Demon Forest—
Ray sat cross-legged, regulating his breath.
"A 4th Rank Spell… is still too much for me."
His thoughts carried a trace of bitterness as he focused on recovering his mana.
Thin streams of smoke rose from his skin.
His meridians felt as though molten iron had been poured through them, scorching his body from the inside like an engine forced beyond its limit.
Suddenly—
The mana within his core trembled.
Then it surged violently.
Ray's expression hardened.
This is bad.
He kept his eyes shut, forcefully suppressing the chaotic currents. If the mana fully destabilized, it could trigger a Rank collapse—and at worst… leave him crippled for life.
Fortunately, he had no concern about his surroundings.
A simple concealment spell masked his presence from anyone below 3rd Rank Mid-Grade.
He could concentrate fully.
What Ray did not know—
Was that in the depths of the Demon Forest's middle zone, a demon was sprinting at full speed toward a massive cave carved into a jagged cliff.
After running without pause, the demon reached the entrance, where two Ashfang Bloodhound Demons lay half-asleep.
"My Lord! My Lord! I bring urgent news!"
The shout jolted the two awake.
"Why the hell are you yelling, Kharzug?"
"Yeah. You'd better have a reason."
Before Kharzug could respond—
Whoosh!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from within the cave.
The three demons were blasted backward, skidding across the ground for over twenty meters.
A deep voice echoed from inside.
"You had better have a reason for disturbing my cultivation, Kharzug… or you will not leave this place alive."
Kharzug immediately dropped to his knees.
"Forgive me, my King! It concerns a battle!"
A brief silence followed.
"…Speak."
"My King, I detected the aftermath of a battlefield near the outer zone. Based on the mana residue and terrain destruction… a 4th Rank human was involved."
Whoosh—
Before the final word fully settled—
A massive figure appeared in front of him.
Over eight feet tall.
A body like a war-forged titan—broad shoulders, thick corded muscles, skin darker than the others and marked with faint crimson lines pulsing like a heartbeat.
Above that body rested the head of a colossal wolf.
Not savage.
Regal.
Fur darker than night streaked with ember-red lines. Eyes burning like twin suns.
When he inhaled—
The air trembled.
Mana particles subtly bent toward him.
His elongated black claws curved like forged blades. Each step left faint scorch marks upon the ground.
"Where," the King asked calmly, "did this battle occur?"
Razgorth Ashfang's crimson eyes locked onto Kharzug.
"Near the outer zone border, my King."
"Velkrath. Morzael."
"Yes, my King." (X2)
"You are in charge of this territory. Do not allow anyone to enter Ashfang domain. If you encounter a 4th Rank being—retreat toward the Blue Lotus Lake."
"Yes, my King." (X2)
Without another word, Razgorth stepped forward—
And vanished toward the outer zone, Kharzug following close behind.
A 4th Rank human appearing in the outer zone…
There must be a reason.
Razgorth's massive frame cut through the forest like a shadow of judgment.
And far ahead of him—
Inside the hidden cave—
Ray was on the verge of collapse.
His breathing grew ragged.
The mana within his core swelled violently, crashing against his meridians like a raging flood trapped in a narrow canyon.
Damn it… If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have used that spell just to test my limits.
Regret surfaced—
Then vanished.
Now is not the time.
His jaw clenched.
He forced his focus inward.
The circulation pathways inside his body were scorched black. Fine cracks had begun forming along his meridians, glowing faintly red from overheating mana.
If this continued normally—
They would shatter.
His Rank would collapse.
He would become a cripple.
Silence filled the cave.
Then Ray made a decision.
"It seems… I can only try that method."
His eyes snapped open.
Cold.
Determined.
Instead of suppressing the unstable mana—
He pushed it.
Harder.
The chaotic currents roared violently through his body.
Creation is destruction.
Destruction is creation.
Only when the body approaches death… can one truly grasp the essence of rebirth.
"Now then…"
"Let's begin."
He reversed the flow.
The mana that was rampaging outward was forcefully compressed inward.
His veins bulged grotesquely.
Crrrraaaack—
The skin along his forearm split open.
Blood sprayed against the cave wall.
But he did not scream.
He accelerated the circulation.
The unstable mana collided against the already fractured meridians.
Another crack.
Then another.
His ribs trembled.
A faint snapping sound echoed from inside his chest.
His vision blurred.
Blood began flowing from his nose.
From his ears.
From the corners of his eyes.
The smoke rising from his body thickened, turning dark gray.
The air around him distorted from the heat.
His heartbeat grew erratic—
Then violently loud.
Boom.
Boom.
BOOM.
Each pulse forced mana to slam against his internal structure, tearing and reforming at the same time.
His flesh began splitting in thin lines across his shoulders and torso.
More blood spilled.
The cave floor beneath him turned red.
Still—
He did not stop.
Instead—
He forced even more mana into the broken pathways.
The shattered meridians began absorbing the violent energy like starving beasts.
Destroying.
Reforming.
Destroying again.
His aura flickered wildly between stable and chaotic.
Outside—
Somewhere deep in the forest—
Razgorth suddenly slowed.
His nostrils flared.
The faint scent of blood…
Of unstable mana…
And of a human —
Curled into his senses.
Inside the cave—
Ray's body arched violently as the final wave of compressed mana detonated inside his core—
And then—