The night deepened, and exhaustion and drowsiness crept over Jyu, Taffie, and Sizhi. But resting was still not an option; the three of them had to keep running toward the west. Yet in the end, they gave up!
Running in the Darkent realm was truly exhausting. The land of Darkent was covered in sand, making their feet feel heavier with every step.
"Let's rest for a moment!" said Taffie, and now the three of them hid behind cone-shaped rocks.
"I agree!" said Jyu, breathing heavily.
Sizhi immediately climbed down from Jyu's back.
Everyone was exhausted, only able to sit while regulating their breathing so their hearts could return to a normal rhythm. The drinking water they carried had also decreased again, and this time more of it flowed down their throats.
"I think we should just rest here. Forcing ourselves doesn't seem like the right decision," Taffie explained.
"Sizhi, can you create a hammock from your spider webs? That way we can stay safe if we sleep above."
This was actually the same method Jyu had used when he was in the Darkent realm before. The difference was that Jyu had used his cloak as a base, whereas this time they would utilize the webs created by Svider's power.
This strategy was very important when resting in the Darkent realm. That way, when the sun rose, the three of them would not have to rush around searching for shelter.
Sizhi immediately carried out her task. In an instant, Svider appeared and created a hammock between the cone-shaped rocks. A few seconds later, a fairly comfortable sleeping place was finished. The three of them could now rest safely and peacefully.
"You two sleep first, I'll keep watch!" Sizhi offered to take the first watch shift. She was truly considerate; Jyu and Taffie were exhausted after hours of running. Meanwhile, Sizhi was still fresh because she had been riding on Jyu's back the whole time.
Taffie and Jyu agreed, and in an instant, both of them fell asleep.
So deeply!
---
The sun rose!
At once, a rumbling sound was heard as mystical creatures emerged from their nests to search for food. However, instead of killing each other, they flocked together toward the east. They were currently eager to enter the human world to prey on humans.
The rumbling sound woke Jyu and Sizhi from their deep sleep. Meanwhile, Taffie had already been awake for some time to replace Sizhi, who had stood guard for a long while.
Jyu tried to look down. The mystical creatures were incredibly busy. Drool kept dripping from their mouths, showing how hungry they were. A real threat was truly occurring in the human world. Jyu could only stare angrily, but could do nothing.
"We'll just wait for them. When things calm down, we'll continue our journey," Taffie explained.
"If this many mystical creatures are coming, will our friends be okay?" said Sizhi, a little frightened as she saw so many mystical creatures running toward the east.
Taffie remained calm and said, "Don't underestimate them!"
After several minutes, the situation below began to settle. It gradually grew quiet, with only a few mystical creatures still running eastward, perhaps those left behind by their group.
Taffie did not want to wait any longer. She immediately ordered them to continue the journey. Of course, the plan was to kill the mystical creatures left behind.
Taffie, Jyu, and Sizhi fought fiercely against those mystical creatures. Taffie's sword transformed into a whip, its movements so dynamic that the enemies died in an instant.
The same went for Jyu. His black sword shot forward like lightning striking a tree. The enemy was killed instantly, blood pouring heavily from its body. Sizhi was no less impressive; using a spear made from sharp threads borrowed from Svider, she managed to pierce the heart of a mystical creature.
"Hey! Take the spirit cores of those monsters. They can become a source of energy for us and drastically increase our strength," Taffie explained.
In truth, what Taffie said was correct. Every mystical creature possessed a spirit core that soldiers of the DV Army could consume. These spirit cores had a double benefit: as a reserve energy source and as a power enhancer for demons.
The spirit core was located inside the heart of every mystical creature. That meant Jyu and Sizhi had to split open the chests of the slain creatures. There were many of them, and this was an opportunity for young warriors like Jyu and Sizhi to grow stronger instantly.
Skillfully, they did it, feeling delighted whenever they obtained a spirit core. Its shape resembled a red pearl.
"Why weren't we taught about spirit cores in the DV Army?" Jyu asked curiously, because this knowledge was something he had just learned from Taffie.
"The answer is simple—so that you young people will be willing to train diligently," Taffie replied firmly.
Now all the spirit cores had been collected. The three of them immediately absorbed their power. However, some of them were also stored as reserve energy along the journey.
As he absorbed the spirit cores, Jyu felt his strength increase. Even Kuma, who resided inside his body, seemed very happy. It was as if he had been splashed with refreshing dew.
Overjoyed to gain new power!
"Let's continue our journey!" Taffie urged.
The three of them resumed their journey, running side by side while protecting one another. Of course, whenever they encountered mystical creatures, they immediately killed them. However, their spirit cores were not taken, because their supply was already plentiful. Forcing themselves to collect them would take too much time, which was impossible in an urgent situation like this.
After running for quite a while, they finally reached the desert Sizhi had mentioned.
"There it is!" Sizhi said excitedly as the desert came into view.
"But two monsters are fighting!" said Jyu.
Indeed, on that stretch of sand, two monsters were battling. Slowly, their forms became clearer as they fought fiercely, sending sand flying like a storm.
"What a tremendous battle," Jyu said in amazement.
"They are the Yetis!" Sizhi replied.
The Yetis were the rulers of that desert. Their numbers were few, perhaps five to seven Yetis in that region. But their hobby was fighting until one of them surrendered. The next day, they repeated it until one of them surrendered again.
Each Yeti had its own territory. Every morning, they would leave their nests to meet an opponent willing to fight. Usually, their battles would end by noon.
"They're so huge, truly terrifying monsters," said Taffie.
"But I can defeat them!"
"So can I!" replied Jyu, unwilling to accept Taffie's arrogance.
"We didn't come here to fight them," Sizhi protested.
Now the three of them could only stand still watching the two Yetis fight. They exchanged punches and kicks, even clawing and pouncing on each other several times. Blood splattered like heavy rain.
But suddenly, a loud rumbling sound came from the west.
"What's happening?" Jyu asked in confusion as the ground trembled.
"It's a storm!" Sizhi answered in a serious tone.
Slowly, a sandstorm appeared from the west, beginning to sweep across the land with fierce and powerful force.
"This is bad!" said Taffie, slightly panicked.