The cave narrowed with its rocky walls as Leo delved deeper inside. The blue glow emanating from the "Stone of Freezing" intensified, flickering like a heartbeat trapped within the bowels of the earth. Before his hand could touch the legendary stone, the ground shook violently beneath his feet, and the rocks split open to reveal massive, terrifying creatures; stone Golems carved by ancient powers to guard this secret, their eyes glowing with red fire like embers from hell. Leo did not flinch or retreat; instead, a mocking, arrogant smile curled on his lips. With lightning speed, he moved like a black shadow among the giants, shattering their stone chests with strikes charged with dark energy, turning them into shards flying through the air. He was a merciless hurricane of destruction.
Leo crushed the chest of the last stone monster, killing it and leaving it a lifeless corpse. He stood watching the wreckage coldly, then muttered words in an ancient, forbidden language. He wondered aloud: "Can I truly control these stone bodies after their death? Or are these powers useless for a weak creature that died and fell the moment its limbs were shattered?" Leo shouted with power, commanding the spirit latent within the dead wreckage: "Revive!"
A profound silence prevailed, and the monster remained a heap of lifeless rocks. Leo mocked his own attempt: "What was I thinking? Just weak creatures." But suddenly, thick black smoke billowed from his fingers and permeated the cracks of the stones. The scattered parts began to move slowly, and the shards gathered to reform the dead monster into a distorted, obedient form. The monster bowed before Leo and said in a hollow voice: "Master... what do you command us?" Leo's eyes gleamed with the glow of victory, saying: "So, it is possible... a world I create within the world of humans. It will be very useful, and I shall walk as the Lord of this world." With a flick of his hand, the monsters vanished into his magic necklace.
Leo reached out toward the "Stone of Freezing," and the moment he touched it, a sense of overwhelming power washed over him. He gritted his teeth in rage: "All those wasted years... and the traitorous Professor never told me!" He felt relieved by the Professor's death, then began to absorb the stone's power. Suddenly, his body trembled, and he cried out in shock: "What is happening to me? What is this that is happening with me?!" He tried to throw the stone from his hand, but he couldn't, and he fell unconscious amidst the silence of the cave.
In the village, the "Woodcutting" competition had begun, and the prize was a hundred gold coins, but registration had ended.
Alex: "I'll go register... wait here."
Nilufer: "Didn't you hear? Registration is over!"
Alex: "Fine, just wait here since it hasn't started yet. I'll find a solution."
Alex walked away and found two men fighting behind the stage, one of whom was the contestant "Ren," who was shouting greedily: "If you win any money from this competition, you must give it all to me!" Alex stepped in coldly and said to Ren: "I will help you, and you let me participate in your place." Ren agreed to escape the beating. Alex turned to the aggressor and said: "I am your opponent now." The man mocked him, saying: "You don't look like a match for me!" Alex whispered in anger: "Do all these humans not know their limits?" And when the man tried to respond, Alex uttered: "Freeze!" The man fell paralyzed, unable to move despite his desperate attempts. Alex approached him and said with contempt: "Just a fool."
Alex turned to find "Ren" running away, shouting: "Thank you, fool!" thinking he had escaped with the registration paper. At that moment, Alex felt a surge of rage. He decided to use a power he had promised himself never to show in the human world: Mental Manipulation. He fixed his gaze on the fleeing contestant, "Ren," and mentally forced him to return. Ren came back completely stripped of his will, his eyes glassy, and handed Alex his participation number and identity unconsciously. Alex smiled in victory and left Ren standing in his place, not understanding what had happened, then returned to Nilufer.
Alex: "Step back... there is a competition I must win.".