Little Black slowly reached beneath his fur.
Jade watched with narrowed eyes.
"What the hell did you steal?"
Little Black's paw emerged.
Something glittered between his claws.
A crystal ring.
It was small.
Beautiful.
Its entire surface seemed to be carved from a single piece of transparent crystal. Faint light moved through it like liquid trapped beneath glass.
Jade stared.
The ring shone brightly even in the darkness of the forest.
Little Black proudly held it up.
"I saw them about to give it to their little wolf cub."
He smiled.
"So I took it."
Jade blinked.
"You stole a ring from a pack of Shadow Wolves?"
Little Black nodded.
"Fair and square."
Jade stared at him.
"There was nothing fair about that."
Little Black crossed his tiny arms.
"I disagree."
Jade sighed.
He reached for the ring.
Little Black reluctantly handed it over.
Jade examined it carefully.
He turned it around.
Then again.
He infused a small amount of essence into it.
Nothing happened.
He activated Beast Sense.
Still nothing.
He even used Shadow Sense.
The ring remained completely ordinary.
At least...
As far as he could tell.
"Hmm."
Jade frowned.
"It doesn't feel special."
Little Black immediately looked offended.
"It is special."
"How do you know?"
"Because it was shiny."
Jade looked at him.
"...That's your reasoning?"
Little Black nodded confidently.
Jade sighed before sliding the ring onto his finger.
It fit perfectly.
Almost as if it had been made specifically for him.
Jade raised his hand and looked at the crystal ring beneath the sunlight.
It really was beautiful.
But nothing happened.
No notification.
No increase in power.
No strange sensation.
Nothing.
Jade shrugged.
"Maybe it's just jewelry."
Little Black gasped.
"Jewelry?!"
"Yes."
"That is a treasure."
"Maybe."
Little Black pointed at it.
"I stole that ring fair and square."
Jade smiled.
"Sure you did."
Then an idea suddenly occurred to him.
Jade reached into his storage pouch.
He pulled out a small bottle of water.
Little Black's eyes immediately widened.
The cat took one step backward.
"No."
Jade grinned.
Little Black took another step backward.
"Jade."
"Yes?"
"Don't."
Jade's grin widened.
"You know..."
"I've always wondered why cats are afraid of water."
Little Black's expression became horrified.
"Don't you dare."
Jade opened the bottle.
Little Black turned around.
"Jade!"
SPLASH!
Water covered Little Black from head to toe.
The little cat froze.
Silence.
Water dripped from his ears.
His fur clung to his body.
His tail hung down miserably.
Then—
Little Black violently shook his entire body.
Water sprayed everywhere.
He shook again.
And again.
He desperately tried to dry himself as quickly as possible.
Jade burst into laughter.
"Works every time!"
Little Black glared at him.
His eyes were filled with pure hatred.
Jade wiped tears from his eyes.
"I still don't understand why cats hate water so much."
Little Black slowly raised one paw.
"You..."
Jade laughed.
"What?"
"You'll regret this."
"Sure."
Jade barely finished speaking when—
PAIN exploded inside his head.
His entire body stiffened.
His hand immediately grabbed his forehead.
"AH!"
It wasn't an ordinary headache.
It was sharp.
Deep.
It felt as though countless needles had been driven directly into his brain.
His vision blurred.
His knees nearly buckled.
"Little Black!"
The cat laughed.
"Hahaha!"
Jade gritted his teeth.
"You—"
Little Black proudly lifted his head.
"You forgot."
"I have the ability to give you Mind Attack."
Another pulse of pain struck.
Jade nearly collapsed.
"This hurts more than a terrible headache!"
Little Black laughed even harder.
"Now we're even."
Jade slowly lowered his hand.
His expression became dangerous.
"You're lucky you're cute."
Little Black smiled.
"I know."
Jade sighed.
He had a terrible feeling that living with this cat was going to shorten his lifespan.
---
The Next Day
Morning arrived quickly.
Jade had recovered from the mind attack.
Mostly.
His head still felt slightly heavy, but he ignored it.
Today, he had another goal.
The citadel in Shadow Heart .
Kelvin had entered it earlier.
He had apparently been searching for some kind of treasure.
Jade wanted to know exactly what Kelvin had planned to obtain.
More importantly...
If there was a treasure inside that citadel, Jade wanted to know what it was.
He couldn't simply allow someone else to take something valuable while he stood outside.
Jade climbed onto his Initiate mount.
The creature moved steadily across the dark landscape.
Behind him followed Ant Demon and Titan Devourer.
Jade glanced at Ant Demon.
For a moment, he considered asking her to carry him.
Then he immediately abandoned the idea.
Ant Demon had changed after her evolution.
She was colder now.
More serious.
Her movements were precise.
Her expression almost never changed.
Even when Jade spoke to her, she usually responded with only a nod.
Jade sighed.
"I miss the old you."
Ant Demon glanced at him.
Jade immediately looked away.
"...Never mind."
The mount continued forward.
After several hours...
The citadel finally appeared.
Jade's expression became serious.
It was enormous.
Yet it looked ancient.
Abandoned.
The walls had been damaged by time.
Cracks spread across the dark stone.
Broken towers leaned toward the sky.
No creatures could be seen.
No sounds could be heard.
It looked completely deserted.
Jade slowly dismounted.
"Strange."
He looked toward the entrance.
Then—
The enormous stone doors opened by themselves.
CREAAAAK...
The sound echoed through the empty surroundings.
Jade froze.
Ant Demon and Titan Devourer immediately moved closer.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"That definitely wasn't normal."
He stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the entrance...
The doors closed behind him.
BOOM.
Darkness swallowed the citadel.
Jade immediately activated his senses.
Shadow Sense expanded.
Beast Sense followed.
Every sound became clearer.
Every vibration.
Every movement.
Every shadow.
Then—
Jade froze.
Multiple presences.
Ahead.
Several.
No...
Dozens.
His eyes narrowed.
"Something is coming."
A metallic sound echoed through the hallway.
CLANG.
Another.
CLANG.
Then another.
CLANG.
Figures slowly emerged from the darkness.
Knights.
They appeared to be made entirely from shadows.
Dark armor covered their bodies from head to toe.
Each carried a sword.
Their armor was old but incredibly well preserved.
No face could be seen beneath their helmets.
Only two faint crimson lights burned where their eyes should have been.
Jade's expression became serious.
He could immediately sense their rank.
Awakened Mythic.
Even worse...
They were clearly weakened.
But weakened Mythic creatures were still far beyond an Initiate.
Jade knew that.
He wasn't going to pretend otherwise.
"Ant Demon."
"Take the ones on the left."
"Titan Devourer..."
"You take the right."
Both creatures immediately moved.
Jade remained in the center.
His expression hardened.
He wasn't planning to fight the knights.
Not directly.
He knew it was impossible.
Instead—
he wanted to learn.
Jade summoned his Beast God Body.
Ancient armor formed around him.
The black horned mask covered his face.
Crimson essence surged through his body.
Then—
The crimson greatsword appeared in his hand.
A Shadow Knight suddenly moved.
BOOM!
It crossed the distance instantly.
Its sword descended.
Jade raised his own weapon.
CLANG!
The impact shook his entire body.
Jade was pushed backward.
One step.
Two.
Three.
His boots carved lines into the stone floor.
Jade's eyes narrowed.
"That much strength..."
Before he could attack—
The Shadow Knight struck again.
Jade blocked.
Then another slash.
And another.
He tried counterattacking.
His greatsword flashed through the darkness.
But the knight defended every attack.
Its footwork was perfect.
Its movements were incredibly efficient.
Then—
BOOM!
A single strike sent Jade flying.
His body crashed against the wall.
Pain spread through his shoulders.
Jade slowly stood.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"...This is the power of a weakened Mythic."
Nearby, Ant Demon was already tearing through several knights.
Titan Devourer was doing the same.
For them, the Shadow Knights were little more than targets.
But Jade was different.
He was an Initiate.
He couldn't rely on overwhelming power.
So he changed his strategy.
Instead of trying to defeat the knight...
He defended.
The Shadow Knight attacked.
Jade blocked.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike pushed him closer to his limit.
A slash tore across his shoulder.
Another cut his thigh.
A third strike struck his armor hard enough to crack several plates.
Jade didn't retaliate.
He watched.
The knight's feet.
Its hips.
Its shoulders.
The angle of its sword.
The position of its weight.
Everything.
He was studying.
"Again..."
The knight attacked.
Jade blocked.
"Left foot first."
Another attack.
"Then the shoulder."
Another.
"Then the sword."
Jade's eyes slowly sharpened.
He was beginning to understand.
The Shadow Knights didn't fight randomly.
They followed a precise military style.
Every movement connected to the next.
Every attack prepared the following attack.
There was no wasted movement.
Jade slowly began copying it.
His own foot moved.
Then another.
He shifted his weight.
The next sword strike came.
Jade blocked it more easily.
His eyes widened.
"It works."
The knight attacked again.
Jade copied its footwork.
This time, he wasn't merely defending.
He was moving like the knight.
His movements became smoother.
More efficient.
The difference was incredible.
Jade smiled beneath his mask.
"I understand."
The Shadow Knight raised its sword.
Jade waited.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Then—
The knight attacked.
Jade stepped forward.
Directly into the attack.
The sword passed beside his body.
Its blade came dangerously close to slicing him in half.
But Jade had already predicted the movement.
His hand moved.
SHARP BEAST appeared.
The dagger flashed.
Jade poured every ounce of energy he had into the strike.
The dagger struck the knight's core.
CLANG!
The Shadow Sword stopped almost midway.
A cool piece of metal had touched the knight's core.
The Shadow Knight froze.
Its body trembled.
Then—
CRACK.
The entire armored body collapsed.
The System whispered inside Jade's mind.
You have slain an Awakened Mythic.
Jade exhaled.
He immediately wrapped his entire body in healing Blood Flames.
Warm crimson fire spread across his wounds.
The cuts began closing.
His breathing slowly stabilized.
Then—
A sword came from behind.
Jade's instincts screamed.
He twisted.
CLANG!
The blade passed beside his face.
Jade immediately crouched.
His leg swept across the knight's feet.
BOOM!
The Shadow Knight fell.
Jade jumped onto its body.
His greatsword rose.
He swung toward its neck.
CLANG!
The knight blocked.
Jade's expression hardened.
"You're annoying."
He released destructive Blood Flames.
CRIMSON FIRE exploded across the knight's armor.
The creature staggered.
Jade didn't waste the opening.
SHARP BEAST flashed.
The dagger plunged directly into the creature's core.
CRACK!
The knight collapsed.
Another notification echoed.
You have slain an Awakened Mythic.
Jade smiled.
He actually enjoyed this kind of fight.
The Shadow Knights all possessed similar footwork.
Once he understood their movements, they became far easier to predict.
It was like fighting the same opponent repeatedly.
Different bodies.
Same technique.
Jade summoned his Obsidian Vine Shadow.
Dark vines exploded across the hallway.
One wrapped around a knight's arm.
Another seized its leg.
Jade pulled.
The knight lost balance.
His greatsword descended.
BOOM!
Another core shattered.
But Jade didn't remain in the same place.
He knew direct combat would exhaust him.
And if too many knights surrounded him at once...
Even his tactics wouldn't save him.
So he began moving.
He sneaked through the corridors.
Avoiding groups.
Attacking isolated knights.
Retreating before the others could surround him.
Strike.
Kill.
Move.
Strike.
Kill.
Move.
His entire strategy was built around survival.
He wasn't trying to defeat the entire army.
He was trying to reach the end.
Eventually...
The number of Shadow Knights around him began increasing.
Jade looked ahead.
A massive chamber appeared in the distance.
The ending.
He smiled.
"Finally."
He pushed himself forward.
Behind him, dozens of Shadow Knights rushed through the corridors.
Jade entered the chamber.
Then stopped.
The entire floor was made of stone.
The walls.
The ceiling.
Everything.
Jade looked downward.
A strange idea appeared.
He slowly dismissed his greatsword.
Then the dagger.
The Shadow Knights continued approaching.
Jade raised one hand.
Fire erupted from his palm.
He directed the flames toward the stone floor.
At first, nothing happened.
The rock simply darkened.
Jade frowned.
Then poured more essence into the flames.
More.
More.
More.
The temperature increased.
The stone began glowing.
Orange.
Then red.
Then dark crimson.
Finally—
The rock began melting.
A reddish-black liquid spread across the floor.
Jade's eyes brightened.
"Lava."
He continued.
More essence entered the fire.
The heat increased.
The molten rock expanded.
Soon an entire pool of dark-red lava covered the chamber.
The Shadow Knights stopped.
For the first time...
They hesitated.
Jade smiled.
"Too late."
One knight charged.
Its sword descended toward Jade.
Jade summoned a vine.
WHOOSH!
The vine wrapped around the knight's leg.
Jade pulled.
The knight lost balance.
It fell directly into the molten lava.
SSSSSSSS!
Its armor began melting.
The knight screamed.
Jade shifted backward.
Then—
SHARP BEAST flashed.
The dagger pierced the knight's back.
Black blood splashed across Jade's feet.
The knight disappeared beneath the lava.
Jade looked at the remaining army.
"You should've stayed away."
He summoned Blood Wings.
A pair of crimson wings formed from his back.
They spread wide.
Then—
Jade flew.
High above the chamber.
His flames continued pouring downward.
The stone floor melted faster.
The lake of lava expanded.
Deeper.
Wider.
Hotter.
Jade kept feeding it with essence.
Soon the molten lake began flowing through the cracks in the floor.
Streams of dark-red lava spread through the chamber.
The Shadow Knights became trapped between stone walls and flowing fire.
Jade laughed.
"This is much easier."
Two knights attempted to leap toward him.
Jade summoned his vines.
They shot downward.
One wrapped around a leg.
Another caught a second knight.
Jade pulled with all his strength.
The two Shadow Knights were dragged through the air.
Then—
He threw them directly into the lava.
BOOM!
Both disappeared beneath the molten surface.
Their armor glowed red.
Their bodies began dissolving.
Their screams echoed briefly before being swallowed by the heat.
More Shadow Knights rushed forward.
Jade flew backward.
The vines spread across the floor like a massive net.
The knights stepped forward—
and immediately tripped.
One fell.
Then another.
Then three more.
Jade burst out laughing.
"You really are soldiers."
"You all move the same way!"
The knights struggled to stand.
But the vines tangled around their legs.
They couldn't move properly.
That was all Ant Demon needed.
She appeared at the edge of the chamber.
Her sword remained sheathed.
Instead, she raised one hand.
A series of arrows suddenly formed around her.
Dark essence condensed into sharp projectiles.
Then—
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
The arrows flew.
Each struck a Shadow Knight directly in its core.
BOOM!
One collapsed.
Another.
Another.
Within moments, the remaining knights were destroyed.
Silence returned to the chamber.
Jade slowly descended.
His Blood Wings folded behind him.
He landed beside the lava lake.
His breathing was heavier now.
Even with his tactics...
This battle had consumed a significant amount of essence.
He looked around.
The entire chamber had been transformed.
What had once been a stone floor was now a flowing lake of dark-red molten rock.
Jade smiled.
"That was worth it."
Then he suddenly felt something touch his shoulder.
Jade froze.
He slowly turned his head.
Little Black was sitting comfortably on his shoulder.
The little cat was staring at the crystal ring on Jade's finger.
His eyes were sparkling.
The ring reflected the crimson lava below.
It looked even more beautiful beneath the red light.
Little Black slowly reached toward it.
Jade blinked.
"Wait."
"You've been here this entire time?"
Little Black nodded.
Jade stared at him.
"I didn't see you once during that entire fight."
Little Black shrugged.
"I was busy."
"Doing what?"
"Watching."
Jade frowned.
"Where were you?"
Little Black pointed toward Jade's head.
Jade's expression became strange.
"You were inside my mind?"
Little Black nodded proudly.
"I can travel through minds."
Jade sighed.
"Of course you can."
He looked at the ring again.
Little Black's eyes remained fixed upon it.
He seemed fascinated by the crystal.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"You really like this thing, don't you?"
Little Black nodded.
"Very shiny."
Jade shook his head.
"I still don't understand why you stole it."
Little Black smiled.
"Because it was shiny."
Jade sighed.
"That explains absolutely nothing "
Soon the lava finally solidy since there was no constant heat to keep it in it's liquified form,Ant demon and Titan Devourer finished slaying the Knight.
Jade couldn't believe the fight had been this simple ut he kept his senses activated but eventually dismissed ant demon and Titan Devourer since his essence might be exhausted.