A pillar of light appeared on a desert and then vanished the next second, as Selene appeared in its place. The heat struck her immediately, the air was dry. She squinted her eyes, her cloak whipping slightly in the hot wind. 

As far as her eyes could see, there was nothing but an endless desert. A few stubborn shrubs poked through the sand, and here and there stood towering cacti with grotesquely long, and menacing thorns, each as sharp as spearheads.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Wonderful… just my luck,” she muttered, shading her eyes with her palm as she scanned the horizon.

Selene reached into her spatial ring and took out the sleek bracelet Arthur had given her. The communication device turned on as she pressed her finger along the surface. A soft vibration passed through it as it activated and pointed at the direction where Arthur was. 

She sighed in relief, as her shoulders relaxed. Even if the Ancient Realm scattered them apart randomly, at least she wasn’t cut off completely from Arthur.

Sliding the device back into place on her wrist, she closed her eyes and extended her senses outwards. A ripple of mana flowed outward, brushing across the harsh landscape. Almost immediately, she felt a few presences of monsters, faint but distinct, and they were not too far away.

Arthur might not know yet… but the monsters here were different. They weren’t like monsters found outside. These were creatures born purely of condensed energy, and their cores these monsters leave behind are much more pure compared to the ones found from the monsters outside of this realm. 

Where an ordinary monster core required refining, careful handling, and often yielded uncertain results, the cores here could be absorbed directly, and could be used to accelerate the improvement of powers by leaps and bounds. It was no wonder the Ancient Realm was so coveted.

But most people with a powerful background are aware of this information, though after entering the Ancient realm, people after killing the monsters of this realm could easily find that, as there is a huge difference in the energy found in the cores of the monsters here, compared to the ones found outside. So, in the initial stage of exploration of the realm, people are often found hunting the monsters. 

Selene opened her eyes, her gaze sharpening. Her grandfather had told her how the early stages of the Ancient Realm were practically a bloodbath, everyone hunting monsters like starved wolves. Or either getting killed due to their greed.

She adjusted her cloak, a faint shimmer of mana surrounding her form to shield her from the sand, and then she shot forward into the air, streaking toward the faint presence she had sensed just now.

…

Meanwhile somewhere else in the Ancient Realm

Branches cracked, and leaves whipped past him, as Leon was sprinting for his life. His lungs burned, his heart hammered against his chest loudly in nervousness, as the sound behind him was like a nightmare chasing him down.

A screech tore through the forest canopy, so sharp it rattled in his skull.

“Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!” Leon cursed under his breath, his legs pumping as fast as they could carry him.

He didn’t dare look back, but he didn’t have to. He could feel the monstrous presence behind him. The thing screeched again, and the sound of branches snapping echoed behind him.

The creature was grotesque, a beast with the head of a serpent with sharp fangs, its forked tongue hissing between its jaws. Its body, however, was feathered like a massive eagle, with its wings spanning wide. Its talons carved through the bark of trees it landed on as it chased after him.

Leon clutched at the bundle strapped to his back, which bulged a little.

He was in this situation because he was trying to steal the egg of the monster. He had also appeared inside a forest and right beside the monster’s nest, at that time the monster was not present in its nest, so seeing an emerald egg emitting pure mana he couldn’t help but covet it. 

So, he took the opportunity and kept the egg and tried to put it inside his spatial ring but found that he couldn’t. So, he took out a cloth and wrapped the egg and secured it on his back. And just as he was climbing down the tree, he heard a terrifying screech and fell from the tree. 

But he didn’t look back and sprinted as fast as he could through the dense trees.

“I just had to take the damn thing, didn’t I?” he hissed at himself. “Curse my greedy hands…”

Another screech cut him off. The air behind him shifted, followed by the whooshing sound of massive wings trying to unfurl in the dense forest. Talons scraped violently against bark as the beast forced itself forward by jumping from tree to tree.

Leon zigzagged between the trees, his boots pounding against the forest floor, kicking up leaves and dirt as he ran for his life. He felt the air rush past his back as the monster snapped its jaws where he had been a moment before.

The dense forest was his only saving grace. The canopy was too thick, the trees were too close to each other. The beast couldn’t fully stretch its wings here, or it could have simply dived down and snatched him up. But its rage, and its persistence were terrifying.

His thoughts spiraled. ‘Why am I so unlucky?!’

THUD!

The ground shook behind him, the sound of something slamming down hard. Leon flinched, his balance nearly breaking. He didn’t dare look back, but he knew from the sound alone that the beast had landed behind him.

Branches shattered as the snake-bird hybrid barreled forward, screeching in fury.

Leon’s teeth clenched. “Fu*k!”

At the last moment, just as the monster was about to bite him into two pieces, he saw a narrow opening wedged between two boulders. A dark gap just wide enough for him to squeeze through. His eyes widened, and adrenaline spiked.

“There!”

He sprinted harder, his lungs screaming for air. The monster lunged at him, but Leon didn’t slow down.

At the last possible second, he jumped at the opening. He tucked his shoulders and hurled himself through the opening. Stone scraped his arms, his chest slammed the ground, and he tumbled into darkness, just as the beast’s head snapped at the space where he had been an instance ago.

BAM!

The creature crashed into the rock formation. Its jaws slammed into stone, and its body shook the entrance as it clawed furiously at the rocks. Its talons gouged deep grooves, but the stone entrance held on.

Leon lay sprawled inside, his chest heaving, and sweat pouring down his face. He pressed a hand against the egg on his back. He sighed in relief feeling it was still in one piece.

He groaned, dragging himself further into the narrow cavern.

Outside, the beast screeched in outrage. Its serpent-like eyes burned with fury as it clawed at the rocky entrance, its tongue flickering. The creature’s gaze locked on the small opening, vowing that it wouldn’t let the thief escape forever.

Inside, Leon slumped against the cool stone wall, panting. “Next time… I’m leaving shiny things alone,” he muttered, though even as he said it, he grinned as he looked at the egg in his hands.

They had only entered the Ancient Realm for less than half an hour, and already it was testing them all.

…

Elsewhere in the realm

Finn crouched low, sweat dripping into his eyes. He’d landed in what looked like a jungle of stone, towering cliffs twisted upward like jagged blades, and narrow ravines crisscrossed the ground. His chest rose and fell in sharp bursts, and his knuckles were bleeding from his last scuffle.

Across from him, a pack of lizard-like creatures hissed, their green scales reflected the sunlight as if it was coated in oil. 

Finn spat to the side. “Tch. Of course, I land in the middle of a damn nest,” he muttered, drawing his twin daggers. His voice was steady, but his eyes tracked every twitch of his opponent’s movements. He had already killed a few but there were a lot more present, though the lizards were not as strong as him, but their number was the main problem.

The first one lunged, Finn also moved from his position. His body blurred, his blades flashed as he tore across their exposed bellies where their defenses were lowest. The creatures shrieked, as one by one he killed them, some got through his defence but he came out on top at the end. 

The dead bodies of the monsters burst into motes of light one after another. Finn panted as he straightened, muttering, “…Others are probably having a better time while I’m getting chewed on out here.”

…

Eva stood at the edge of a lake that was perfectly still, its surface appeared like a glass, reflecting the blood-red sky above. But she knew better, her instincts screamed danger to not get close to the lake.

Suddenly there were ripples spreading from the center of the lake. Then, a sleek form shot up. A creature with the body of a fish but the wings of a bat screeched, its long tongue lashing out at her.

Eva raised her staff calmly, her lips moving in a chant. “Bind.”

A wave of roots exploded outward from the ground on her back, catching the monster’s tongue mid-snap. She flicked her wrist, as a sharp root speared through the creature’s skull killing it instantly. As it dissolved into light, Eva exhaled, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. 

But she didn’t get any time to rest as more monsters were exiting the lake and started attacking her.

…

Natalya stumbled into what looked like ruins of a temple covered by vines. Her boots crunched against broken stone tiles, her eyes scanning around her nervously. Pillars carved with strange runes loomed, half-buried under moss.

Suddenly, one of the runes glowed. And a humanoid construct, its body made out of stone standing below the pillar came to life, its eyes burning blue as it lurched towards her.

Natalya drew her blade, which started to get covered in ice. Her lips pressed into a tight line. “I really hate golems…”

The construct swung its arm like a hammer. Natalya rolled, sparks flying as her blade clashed against its stone arm. The vibration rattled her bones, but she set her jaw and pushed back, gritting her teeth.

…

Sophia stood in an open meadow that seemed serene. Flowers dotted the grass, and sunlight streamed gently. For a moment, she almost let her guard down, until the flowers trembled.

One by one, their petals curled back, revealing fanged maws dripping with acid.

“Of course. Man-eating flowers,” Sophia deadpanned, summoning her bow. She fired three arrows in quick succession, each infused with wind mana. The arrows pierced through the flowers, detonating into gales that ripped apart the carnivorous plants.

***

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