The conversation between Jade and Henry continued for a long time.
They talked about the Trial.
The Spiritual Realm.
Their experiences.
The things they had gained.
The things they had lost.
And the strange paths their lives had taken since returning to the Human World.
For the first time in a long while, Jade didn't feel like he was speaking to a stranger.
Henry still felt familiar.
Even if neither of them completely understood why.
Eventually, however, Henry stood.
"I should probably go."
Jade nodded.
"Yeah."
Henry stretched his arms.
"We'll meet again."
Jade smiled faintly.
"I'm sure we will."
Henry turned around and began walking away.
Jade watched him disappear into the distance.
Only after Henry was completely gone did Jade finally turn toward the wilderness.
He had his own journey to continue.
---
The following days passed quietly.
Jade continued moving through the Spiritual Realm.
He hunted.
He explored.
He collected fragments.
And most importantly—
he searched for more Shadow Fragments.
Every fragment brought him one step closer to obtaining another shadow.
And Jade wanted that shadow badly.
Very badly.
He had already experienced how useful Ling could be.
Another shadow could potentially give him an entirely new ability.
Perhaps something defensive.
Perhaps something offensive.
Perhaps something completely unexpected.
Jade didn't know.
But he knew one thing.
He needed it.
At all costs.
During his journey, Jade continued hunting monsters.
Some were weak.
Some were stronger.
And occasionally—
he encountered creatures powerful enough to make even him cautious.
The meat from those creatures was especially valuable.
Not only could it provide nourishment...
It also contained essence.
The stronger the creature—
the greater the potential benefit.
Jade had already realized something interesting.
If he continued eating enough powerful monster meat, he might eventually reach the Tyrant Class.
If fortune favored him...
Perhaps even the Calamity Class.
And if he became extremely lucky—
If he managed to consume the meat of creatures powerful enough...
He might even push himself toward Mythic class.
The thought alone made Jade's eyes shine.
"That would be nice."
He imagined himself reaching a new level.
Then immediately shook his head.
"One step at a time."
There was no point dreaming about the top when he still had enemies capable of killing him.
So he continued hunting.
Ant Demon and Titan Devourer were especially useful.
Jade would send them ahead to hunt creatures while he searched for suitable places to rest.
Titan Devourer's arrows could kill weaker monsters from a distance.
Ant Demon could overwhelm stronger creatures through sheer numbers and terrifying physical strength.
Together, they made hunting much easier.
And Jade...
could finally focus on cooking.
---
That night...
Jade finally established a small camp beneath several enormous trees.
The sky above the Spiritual Realm was almost completely dark.
Only a few strange stars could be seen through the thick clouds.
A gentle wind passed through the forest.
The distant sounds of monsters echoed occasionally.
Roars.
Howls.
Cries.
But Jade had already become accustomed to them.
He sat beside a small campfire.
Several pieces of monster meat were arranged above the flames.
The rich aroma slowly spread through the surrounding forest.
Jade carefully rotated the meat.
The surface gradually turned golden brown.
Oil dripped into the fire.
Sizzle.
Sizzle.
The flames briefly rose.
Jade smiled.
"Perfect."
Cooking had always been one of the few things that could completely calm his mind.
Even after everything he had experienced...
He still enjoyed it.
Maybe even more than before.
He added a small amount of seasoning.
Then rotated the meat again.
The smell became even stronger.
Jade swallowed.
"Now that's food."
He tore off a small piece and tasted it.
His eyes immediately brightened.
"Not bad."
He continued eating.
Every bite carried essence.
Warm energy spread through his body.
His system responded almost immediately.
A few fragments appeared within his body.
Not many.
But enough.
Jade smiled.
"So eating this really does help."
He continued eating slowly.
Yet while he ate...
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Sarah.
The image of her appeared inside his mind.
Her black hair.
Her eyes.
Her smile.
The way she looked at him.
The way she had stood beside him during difficult moments.
And then—
their first kiss.
Jade's hand stopped moving.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the fire.
That kiss had planted something inside his heart.
A seed.
A quiet yearning.
Something he hadn't expected.
He wanted to see her again.
He wanted to know what she thought about him.
But there was one problem.
Jade didn't know whether Sarah felt the same way.
He had no idea if that kiss meant as much to her as it did to him.
Maybe it had.
Maybe it hadn't.
Maybe she thought of it as something that happened in the moment.
Jade sighed.
"I really don't understand women."
He stared into the flames.
Then quietly laughed at himself.
"I survived monsters, gods, and the Spiritual Realm..."
"And this is what scares me?"
He shook his head.
Still...
The thought of Sarah made him smile.
---
A quiet sound suddenly came from the other side of the camp.
Rustle.
Jade turned.
Little Black was lying on the ground.
The little black cat had been sleeping peacefully for a long time.
His body was curled into a small ball.
His breathing was slow.
Then—
his ears twitched.
His nose moved.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Little Black's eyes slowly opened.
He lifted his head.
His nose continued sniffing.
The beautiful aroma of roasted monster meat had reached him.
His eyes immediately became brighter.
He slowly stretched his front legs.
Then his back.
Then his entire body.
Finally, he yawned.
"Jade..."
Jade looked at him.
"What?"
Little Black stared directly at the meat.
"Can you lend me some of your meat?"
Jade nodded.
"Sure."
He picked up a piece of uncooked meat and tossed it toward Little Black.
Little Black caught it.
He stared at it.
Then stared at Jade.
Then looked back at the meat.
His expression became strangely serious.
"The cooked one, please."
Jade blinked.
"...What?"
"The cooked one."
Little Black pointed toward the fire.
Jade stared at him.
Then laughed.
"You could have said that from the beginning."
He grabbed another piece.
"You're free to take any."
Little Black's eyes immediately lit up.
He jumped toward the roasted meat.
"Thank you."
He took one.
Bite.
Gone.
Jade smiled.
Then Little Black took another.
Bite.
Gone.
Then another.
Bite.
Gone.
Jade's smile slowly disappeared.
"Wait..."
Little Black continued.
Another piece.
Then another.
Then another.
In less than thirty seconds—
Jade stared at the empty space where a large portion of his roasted meat had once been.
His expression became increasingly complicated.
He slowly counted what remained.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
His eyes widened.
"How many did you eat?"
Little Black calmly licked his paw.
"I don't know."
Jade stared.
"You don't know?"
Little Black nodded.
"No."
Jade's eyebrow twitched.
He had made a mistake.
A serious mistake.
He had never realized Little Black was this gluttonous.
These weren't ordinary pieces of meat.
Every single piece contained valuable fragments.
Fragments Jade had spent days hunting for.
He watched another piece disappear into Little Black's mouth.
Crunch.
Jade's heart hurt.
"You're wasting precious fragments."
Little Black stopped chewing.
He looked at Jade.
Then calmly asked,
"I hope I'm not wasting any precious fragments."
Jade froze.
His face remained perfectly calm.
Then he smiled.
A very wide smile.
"Of course not."
"You can take more."
Inside his mind, however—
Why did I say that?
Little Black's eyes narrowed.
He seemed to understand exactly what Jade was thinking.
A tiny smirk appeared on his face.
Then—
Crunch.
Another piece disappeared.
Jade's smile became slightly more forced.
"Enjoy yourself."
Little Black nodded happily.
"I am."
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Jade silently watched his precious meat disappear.
Eventually...
Only one piece remained.
One.
Single.
Piece.
Jade stared at it.
Then looked at Little Black.
Little Black was lying on the ground.
His stomach had become noticeably rounder.
Jade reached toward the final piece.
"You're not going to take that, are you?"
Little Black shook his head.
"I'm not."
He rubbed his stomach.
"Besides..."
"I'm full."
Jade nodded.
"Good."
He reached forward.
His fingers were only a few centimeters away from the meat.
Then—
Little Black's mouth suddenly opened.
CHOMP!
The final piece disappeared.
Jade froze.
His hand remained suspended in the air.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Little Black swallowed.
Then looked at Jade innocently.
"Don't mind me."
"I had room for one more."
Jade slowly lowered his hand.
"..."
He stared at Little Black.
Little Black stared back.
Then Jade looked at the fire.
He looked at the empty cooking rack.
Then back at Little Black.
The little cat's stomach was now so bloated that Jade genuinely wondered whether touching it would make it burst into countless pieces of bloody jelly.
Little Black lazily stretched.
"I'm satisfied."
Jade forced a smile.
"That's good."
His eye twitched.
"Very good."
Little Black smiled.
He clearly knew exactly how much he had annoyed Jade.
And he was enjoying it.
---
Eventually, Jade gave up on cooking.
There was nothing left.
Not even a small piece.
He extinguished part of the fire before sitting cross-legged beside the camp.
His breathing gradually became slower.
His expression became calm.
Then he entered meditation.
Beast Sutra.
Jade circulated his essence carefully.
One cycle.
Then another.
His essence moved through his body.
His muscles.
His blood.
His Soul Sea.
His Beast God inheritance.
Everything connected.
The meditation helped him recover from the day's exhaustion.
It also allowed him to better understand his growing strength.
His foundation was becoming stronger.
His physical body was becoming tougher.
His shadow abilities were becoming more refined.
And every new fragment brought him closer to the next transformation.
Jade remained completely still.
The campfire slowly burned beside him.
Little Black eventually rolled onto his back.
His bloated stomach rose and fell with every breath.
For a while...
Everything was peaceful.
Then—
Little Black opened his eyes.
He quietly stood.
He looked toward Jade.
Jade's eyes remained closed.
Little Black looked toward the darkness beyond the camp.
Something seemed to interest him.
Without making a sound...
he began walking away.
One step.
Then another.
Soon, his small body disappeared into the darkness.
Jade immediately sensed it.
His Beast Sense noticed the movement.
His connection to Little Black remained clear.
Jade opened one eye.
He watched the darkness for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Where are you going now?"
Little Black didn't answer.
He continued walking.
Jade could have called him back.
But he didn't.
Little Black was already an Awakened creature.
He wasn't some helpless ordinary animal anymore.
His strength was powerful enough to survive most dangers in the surrounding area.
And if anything truly threatened him...
Jade would sense it through their connection.
So Jade closed his eyes again.
He returned to his meditation.
The campfire continued burning.
The night deepened.
The forest remained quiet.
And somewhere beyond the small camp...
Little Black disappeared deeper into the darkness.
Jade continued cultivating.
Unaware of where his strange little companion was going—
or what he might discover before returning.