The next day, Freya opened her eyes.

Feeling the warmth from Enzo’s chest, a faint smile appeared on her lips. Quickly, she sat up, glanced at Enzo still asleep, and then walked out of the cave to fetch water and food.

Because of this, when Enzo woke up, he didn’t see Freya.

However, he could hear noises from the cave entrance.

Using one hand for support, he leaned against the cave wall and managed to sit up.

It was then that he sensed something unusual.

The totem that had only reformed yesterday seemed to have grown significantly larger.

Enzo immediately used his mental power to investigate and instantly noticed the strange change in the totem.

The concentrated life tree leaves from yesterday now had only the veins remaining, and the entire structure had turned black, emitting a malevolent aura that instilled fear in him.

“That aura is…”

Enzo widened his eyes and muttered uncertainly, “Energy-devouring Worm!”

“Yes! It’s Energy-devouring Worm!”

Enzo was absolutely certain.

Having encountered the Energy-devouring Worm twice before, he was incredibly familiar with its aura and couldn’t possibly be mistaken.

But why had it turned out like this?

Enzo pondered deeply.

Was it because he had once simulated the Energy-devouring Worm’s aura with the Beasts Totem, which caused this bizarre change in the life tree leaves?

Or was it because of the Beasts Totem itself?

In this world, it seemed that no one had ever possessed two totems simultaneously, making Enzo an exception.

During the process of reassembling the totem, akin to building blocks, elements of the Tree of Life Totem and the Beasts Totem were mixed together based solely on Enzo’s intuition.

However, was it possible that different totemic elements had fused together?

Enzo’s expression became more serious.

Now he realized the gravity of this issue.

Looking at the black life tree leaves, it seemed highly probable.

What astonished Enzo even more was that such a combination made him feel perfectly complete, as if it was meant to be. It was like a whole world with sky, earth, oceans, various animals, plants, and fundamental elements coexisting harmoniously, necessary for the world’s proper functioning.

Enzo suddenly realized he had grasped the essence of some supernatural power, but a persistent problem remained. How could elements belonging to different totems be reformed into a new totem?

This question had no simple answer.

Enzo decided not to expend more mental energy on it for now; recovering from his injuries was paramount. Since there seemed to be no issues with the totem’s transformation, he boldly decided to continue experimenting—there would surely be results.

At that moment, Freya entered with cooked food.

This time, she didn’t personally feed Enzo.

After he had finished eating, Enzo asked, “Freya, could you drag me outside the cave?”

Freya nodded.

The area around them showed no signs of wildlife, so it was safe for Enzo to be outside.

Moreover, the cave was damp, and some sunlight would do Enzo good.

Supporting Enzo, Freya laid him down on a soft patch of grass and said, “I’ll go further out to see if I can find some prey. I might be back a bit later today.”

Enzo cautioned, “Be careful.”

Freya retorted, “You’re the one who needs to be careful.”

With that, Freya placed the remaining porridge within Enzo’s reach and headed off in a chosen direction, soon disappearing into the forest.

Meanwhile, Enzo began his experiment.

He activated the black life tree leaves, now reduced to veins, emitting black mist from his arms. When this mist touched the green grass, it seemed to come alive, voraciously absorbing the vitality of the grass.

In moments, everything around Enzo turned yellow and withered.

Yet, his own vitality gradually grew, and his injuries swiftly healed. By noon, all the trees near the cave had died, but Enzo was completely healed, aside from his totem not yet restored—the movement was no longer an issue.

At this point, Enzo began contemplating the changes in his totem once again.

He analyzed, “The Tree of Life Totem and the Beasts Totem shattered, yet miraculously they can recombine together, giving rise to various abilities like energy consumption, shadow state, protective shields… Added to that are the inherent abilities of the Tree of Life and Beasts Totem themselves like plant manipulation, healing, stimulation, aura mimicry.”

“This reformed totem can potentially manifest countless abilities!”

This speculation left Enzo profoundly shocked.

After a day of effort, he successfully reformed several leaves of the life tree.

Of course, these leaves were completely different from the previous ones. They merely took the form of leaves but were essentially various abilities derived from the combination of the Tree of Life and Beasts Totem.

These abilities were diverse and extraordinary.

There were abilities like energy consumption simulating the Energy-devouring Worm’s aura, shadow states akin to Shadow Wolves, protective shields like those of the Giant Mountain Turtle, and common attacks like wind blades and fireballs, all of which gave Enzo a strong visual sense.

Almost instinctively, he muttered, “Magic!”

Indeed, his current abilities were similar to descriptions of magic in literature from his previous life.

These abilities were composed of specific elements, and if one could find these elements and assemble them in a fixed format, perhaps even ordinary people could wield such powers.

At this moment, Enzo felt that the doors to the supernatural world had completely opened to him.

However, whether it would work in practice would require someone to test it.

…

Time passed slowly.

As the sun sank behind the mountains and the moon appeared, marking the onset of night, Freya returned somewhat weary. Upon seeing the markedly different scene outside the cave and not spotting Enzo, a pang of worry gripped her heart. Just as she was about to voice her concern, Enzo emerged from the cave.

Freya hurried over, utterly astonished.

Enzo explained, “The totem showed a slight change. My body has recovered, but my strength has not yet returned.”

Freya nodded, her worries dissipating. “I found a way out of here. Beyond this forest lies a gathering place for a large tribe. We can gather information from them and hopefully find our way back home.”

Although Freya’s words sounded hopeful, Enzo could sense her subdued emotions.

Without addressing it directly, he suggested, “Let’s eat first.”

In the forest, Enzo found some decent wild fruits and crops. With his ability to hasten ripening, they quickly gathered a bounty of food.

Seeing the abundance, Freya widened her eyes in surprise.

“Where did you find these?” she asked incredulously.

Enzo raised his hand, a faint green light emanating from his fingertips, rich with the essence of life. “Of course, with this.” he replied.

“I had forgotten about this ability of yours.”

Freya chuckled.

They began to enjoy the meal.

Unlike the previous days, Freya remained silent this time. Even as they prepared to rest deep into the night, she only spoke a few words to Enzo before lying alone in the cave.

Enzo entered the cave and lay down beside Freya.

He spoke softly, “You don’t want me to leave.”

Hearing this, Freya turned her head, her eyes filled with confusion. “I don’t know… When I woke up in the forest and saw you, I felt something I can’t quite explain. And during the time you were unconscious, I didn’t understand why I did what I did—feeding you, cleaning the dirt off you. I thought it was gratitude towards you. But I know now, it wasn’t.”

Enzo listened silently.

As a candidate priest of the Golden Lion Tribe, Freya held a revered status and had access to abundant resources. However, this position also demanded responsibilities far beyond those of ordinary tribe members. Competing with other candidate priests added to her burdens and left Freya lacking in some areas of knowledge.

Enzo decided to fill in these gaps for Freya.

Enzo gently played with Freya’s golden hair and smiled, saying, “Freya, this feeling is affection.”

Freya looked at Enzo, asking, “Are you saying I’ve developed feelings for you?”

Enzo nodded. “Exactly.”

“That’s impossible!” Freya immediately denied, unwilling to accept it.

She wanted to defend herself, but suddenly she was hugged by Enzo, especially Enzo’s hand reaching down her abdomen into her chest, caressing her soft breasts. This made Freya’s whole body hot and aroused her desire.

Under the lure of desire, Freya couldn’t help but self-doubt.

Could it be true that she actually liked Enzo?

Despite her reluctance to admit it, she couldn’t deny the fact that she wanted Enzo to stay by her side.

Freya accepted this realization calmly.

As a result, she didn’t resist Enzo’s caresses.

…

Inside the cave.

Enzo gently removed Freya’s clothing.

In the glow of the firelight, the rosy hue on the girl’s face and her shy demeanor appeared irresistibly alluring.

For Freya, facing formidable enemies without flinching, even with blood splattered on her, was nothing to fear. However, revealing herself so completely to Enzo was a strangely new experience.

While Freya didn’t resist, it didn’t mean she could easily accept it.

Enzo sensed Freya’s thoughts and reassuringly said with a smile, “Don’t worry, Freya, this will be a wonderful experience.”

Freya rolled her eyes.

She laughed and said, “Enzo, I’m not one of those naive girls easily fooled.”

Enzo didn’t argue.

Yet, he also didn’t notice the reluctance hidden in Freya’s eyes.

She seemed to have made a certain decision.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep