44th of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.
At some point down the road, the mountains on either side grew closer and closer as if they were about to converge.
The valley to the ruler's abode had been expanding since the beginning. It finally began to shrink.
And it shrank rapidly.
The biggest consequence of this was on the teams.
The teams that were previously a dozen miles away could now see each other.
Since it was the last day of the journey, by now, almost all level 7s were near the end of the valley.
So, each team which had been wandering nearly alone till now began to encounter more and more people.
Technically, since there were more humans in the same area than earlier, it should've been much easier to clear up the monsters.
But they actually slowed down.
Because the creatures at the end areas were the strongest.
Many teams that moved independently till now were forced to cooperate with others.
Of course, even then, there were some who didn't cooperate or participate.
'I can only fight with three paths. Is it worth it?' Varian stood on top of a tree far from the area brimming with conflict.
Just thirty miles ahead, almost a hundred level 7 awakeners were fighting dangerous monsters.
Out of the numerous monsters, three stood out.
A humanoid giant with bullhead.
A thirty-meter tree that 'devoured' humans and created plants that filled the air with poisonous white gas.
A twelve-headed snake monster that seemed like someone's nightmare.
'…I don't like snakes.' Varian gripped a tree branch as his eyes narrowed.
Even Varian felt goosebumps when he saw the black-scaled creature with twelve heads.
It was just too ugly.
So, it received the most attacks.
Fire dragons, ice spears, lightning bombs, and earthen walls filled the sky as the monsters were bombarded mercilessly.
Space was completely chaotic as it broke and exploded across the monsters.
The gravity in some areas was high enough to crush a mountain into a small rock.
Of course, the most common confrontation was fist to fist.
Be it superhuman or extreme or heal fighters or shifters, they fought as men possessed.
The sounds of blood splashing in the air and bones breaking was like a symphony to these warriors.
As the fight continued, giant mountains were lifted by the macro kinetics and smashed onto the monsters.
The micro kinetics, on the other hand, were messing with the monsters' bodies and disintegrated them from the inside, bit by bit.
Psychics weren't slacking off as they either pushed the monsters towards insanity or tried to turn them into a puppet.
The scene was something straight from a combat addict's wet dream.
Even though the monsters were much stronger than any one of the awakeners, under the collective might, they were being pushed back bit by bit.
It won't be long before they fell.
'Should I go fight…but I won't be able to use my full strength.' As a combat lover, Varian felt an irresistible itch to go join the fray.
His body was literally screaming at him to go fight.
'Ah fuck! Even if I can't fight at my full strength, I'll fight with three paths. On one hand, I can improve, on the other…' His eyes glittered. 'I can have a good fight.'
So, on the tree branch, Varian knelt on a knee and prepared to jump.
Just when he was about to take off, his body stiffened and he turned around abruptly.
"Roar!"
A white dot appeared in the distance and jumped high. In the blink of an eye, it was only thirty miles away from Varian.
In the next minute, it was just three miles in front of him.
It was a large white wolf. With green eyes and soft white fur, it looked elegant and noble. However, it gave off a very dangerous aura.
For some reason, Varian had a creepy feeling watching the wolf.
Without hesitation, he hurriedly used the System's ability.
[Charles Xander. High Level 7. Pure Beast Morpher.]
"!" Varian's eyes widened in surprise.
The wolf's eyes turned to the tree for a moment before it kicked the ground and jumped.
The next moment, it was already fighting the monsters.
'Fucking hell!' Varian cursed. 'How did this fucker reach high level 7?'
It was absurd.
Then, Varian's face stiffened. 'Unless…unless he got something like ambrosia or equivalent.'
This was Trian Ruins for fuck's sake. It was full of treasures that could turn even level 7s to level 9s without a hitch.
'But those treasures have a problem.' Varian's brows furrowed. '…It takes too long for a human to absorb them.'
There was a person who really found a great treasure in the ruins by accident.
But it took him nearly twenty years to digest it. Since he didn't inform anyone about this, they all thought he was dead.
When he appeared on the world stage twenty years later, he was no longer a newbie prince, but a level 9!
'Sovereign Ares.'
Indeed, it was him. The second youngest Sovereign.
But the way he reached level 9 was the reason Julius refused to see him as a peer.
Whatever the opinion might be, the role of such a great treasure couldn't be denied.
If not for it, Ares would still perhaps be in level 8 or at most level 9 by now.
'But Charles…whatever treasure he found, he absorbed it too fast.' Varian's mind spun and he spotted the reason soon.
'It's the same as me, absorbing treasures way faster due to great talent.'
Charles too had the same grade of talent or at least, something similar.
'Stolen talent.' Varian's eyes slowly turned red.
'Talent that bitch Roxanna created from the pain of Sia. Talent that this bastard got without any pain, without earning it.'
For his own talent, Varian had to endure a hellish life.
It cost his mother's life and his whole childhood.
It cost him Sia.
That was the price he had to pay.
'Charles…I'll teach you a truth.'
Boom!
With a kick in the air, Varian jumped forward.
'Everything comes with a price.'