Jade remained motionless.
Through Ling's eyes, he watched Blake and Ella standing at death's door.
The Elite creature slowly advanced toward them, every step radiating absolute confidence. It wasn't rushing. It didn't need to. To a being of its level, the two Initiates were already dead.
Jade unconsciously clenched his fists.
For a brief moment, he wanted to do something.
Anything.
He wanted to command Ling to attack.
He wanted to rush into the Spiritual Realm.
He wanted to save them.
But reality quickly reminded him otherwise.
He couldn't.
He was in the Human World.
Even if he immediately entered the Spiritual Realm, there was no guarantee he would appear anywhere near Ashen Cave.
Besides...
He trusted them.
Blake was far too stubborn to die so easily.
Ella was one of the smartest people he knew.
If anyone could survive such an impossible situation...
It would be those two.
Jade slowly exhaled.
"...You'll find a way."
With one final glance through Ling's eyes, he severed the connection.
The second vision disappeared.
The splitting headache also faded.
His surroundings returned to normal.
The quiet bungalow suddenly felt much smaller after witnessing such a desperate battle.
Jade stretched his arms before looking around the house.
"I think..."
"...it's finally time."
"Time to head for the academy."
Initially, he had planned to continue living inside the small bungalow.
But the more he thought about it...
The more uncomfortable he became.
This house wasn't his.
It belonged to Aviana.
Everything inside...
The furniture.
The kitchen.
The television.
Even the bed.
Had all been bought using the money Aviana earned from hunting creatures in the Spiritual Realm.
Every time Jade remembered that...
He felt embarrassed.
"I can't keep depending on her forever."
He had promised himself long ago that he would stand on his own two feet.
Now that his injuries had completely healed...
There was no excuse.
The academy provided free accommodation for students.
It wasn't luxurious.
But it was enough.
And if he wanted to become stronger, there was no better place.
Jade smiled faintly.
"Besides..."
"I'll earn enough to buy my own house someday."
A house he could proudly call his own.
He walked toward his bedroom and opened the wardrobe.
His belongings were surprisingly few.
A few sets of clothes.
Several notebooks filled with translations of the ancient language.
A handful of monster materials.
And a few cooking utensils he had insisted on buying.
He neatly packed everything into a single travel bag.
"...That's all?"
He laughed softly.
"My entire life fits into one bag."
On Planet Diamond...
Robin was the name everyone knew.
Only Aviana still called him Jade.
Strangely...
He preferred it that way.
That name reminded him of everything he had fought for.
After packing, Jade walked into the sitting room.
With nothing else to do, he switched on the television.
News immediately filled the screen.
"...another portal appeared earlier this morning..."
"...government officials have confirmed..."
"...casualties remain unknown..."
The broadcast changed.
Footage from another battlefield appeared.
The camera shook violently.
Dust filled the air.
Explosions echoed continuously.
Within the blurry recording, two figures moved faster than the camera could capture.
Rylan.
Seraphine.
Every time they clashed with the invading monsters, the recording distorted completely.
Sometimes only flashes of golden earth and violet lightning could be seen.
Sometimes...
Entire mountains disappeared.
The cameraman clearly struggled to keep them within view.
To ordinary civilians...
It almost looked like two natural disasters fighting countless monsters.
Jade quietly watched.
"So..."
"This is what Sovereigns truly look like."
Even recorded through blurry footage...
Their overwhelming power could still be felt.
He lowered his head.
"I really need to become stronger."
"So much stronger."
Only then...
Could he finally break the mysterious Fate separating him from Nora.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
Buzz.
Buzz.
The modern smartphone still felt slightly unfamiliar.
Thankfully, Aviana had bought it for him.
He unlocked the screen.
A large notification appeared.
Initiate Championship Tournament begins in one month!
Compete against the strongest Initiates across the world...
Register now and receive a free holographic battle simulator!
Jade couldn't help laughing.
"Humanity really is strange."
"The world is practically ending..."
"And people are still advertising games."
He continued reading.
The prize pool looked enormous.
Resources.
Credits.
Relics.
Scholarships.
Recognition.
Everything an Initiate could dream of.
Unfortunately...
Jade shook his head.
"I don't have time."
"My classmates are already advancing."
"Some are preparing to become Awakened."
"I'm still trying to stabilize my own foundation."
His priorities were different.
He needed strength.
Not fame.
He locked the phone before placing it back inside his pocket.
His stomach suddenly growled.
"...Right."
"Food."
He entered the kitchen.
Cooking remained one of the few activities that genuinely relaxed him.
He carefully prepared vegetables, sliced monster meat Aviana had brought back earlier, and seasoned everything exactly the way his mother had taught him years ago.
The rhythmic sound of the knife striking the cutting board echoed peacefully throughout the house.
Oil sizzled.
Steam rose.
The rich aroma gradually filled every corner of the bungalow.
Jade smiled.
"No matter how much stronger I become..."
"I still enjoy cooking."
Several minutes later...
He placed the finished meal on the table.
The first bite immediately made him nod in satisfaction.
"Not bad."
Halfway through eating...
He suddenly remembered something.
"Wait..."
"I completely forgot."
"The shards."
Aviana had specifically instructed him not to consume the corrupted shards collected from monsters.
His Blood Debt made that extremely dangerous.
Instead...
She suggested feeding them to Ant Demon.
Jade immediately entered his Soul Sea.
The crimson ocean stretched endlessly beneath the dark sky.
In the distance stood the two enormous eggs.
Little Black's black egg remained perfectly still.
Beside it...
Ant Demon stood before a large pile of corrupted shards.
Except...
The pile was rapidly disappearing.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Ant Demon calmly ate another shard.
Then another.
Completely ignoring Jade.
Jade blinked.
"I didn't even tell you to start."
Ant Demon glanced at him once.
Then continued eating.
"...So you've already decided they're yours."
He laughed helplessly.
As the final shard disappeared...
Something changed.
Dark crimson light began surrounding Ant Demon.
Her body slowly dissolved into countless black ants before gathering together again.
Layer after layer of crimson crystal formed around her.
Within moments...
A massive dark-red egg floated beside Little Black's.
Jade stared.
"So..."
"You're evolving too."
He nodded slowly.
"Looks like everyone is getting stronger."
Leaving the Soul Sea, Jade returned to reality and quietly continued eating.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Back to that strange place.
The abandoned citadel.
The giant skeleton.
The ancient inscription.
Now that he had learned much of the ancient language...
He finally understood what was carved into those enormous bones.
Blood King's Soul Sea.
Those four words alone sent chills through him.
"If that really was someone's Soul Sea..."
"...then just how powerful was the Blood King?"
More importantly...
"If his Soul Sea still exists..."
"What happened to him?"
Jade looked out the window toward the distant skyline.
The mystery of the gods had only become deeper.
And somehow...
He felt as though the answers were slowly drawing closer.