A crack of energy tore through the silence as the figure appeared on the dark soil of his territory. The teleportation ring—a one-time rescue—disintegrated into dust before he could remove it from his finger. He stood for a moment, clenching his fists, gazing at the familiar surroundings that offered him no solace. His kingdom, at first glance, resembled Ashira’s territory—the same buildings, similar structures—but everything here was more orderly, almost sterile. Towers and buildings emanated a cold, magical glow, and small golems roamed the grounds, their movements perfectly synchronized, creating an atmosphere of controlled order.

But what set his territory apart was the monumental palace that towered over the entire area. He had secured it by upgrading his refuge to level three—a feat that required not only vast resources but also sacrifices at the gates. After defeating his second boss, he acquired theblueprint for constructing a level three Refuge, which enabled him to create this impressive structure. The palace was built of dark stone that seemed to absorb light, its walls adorned with mystical symbols pulsating with a delicate bluish glow. The high towers of the palace soared above the other buildings, casting long, ominous shadows on the ground below. Every detail of the palace testified to his power and ambition, serving as an almost tangible proof of his dominance in this part of the world.

The man strode through the main gate of his palace, feeling the anger building within him. The corridor walls, decorated with magical runes, reflected the pale glow of his power. Every step echoed, as if the entire castle were reacting to his mood. The massive doors to the throne room creaked open, and he stepped inside, ignoring the cold gust that pierced the room.

He was furious. He had lost not only the ring but also his earring—a protective shield that was meant to be his last line of defense. His plan to feign a loss of emotional control in order to provoke Darius into a hasty attack had spectacularly backfired. And worse still, this unknown warrior turned out to be much stronger than he had anticipated. He clenched his fists, feeling his nails dig into the skin of his hands until small droplets of blood appeared.

Gritting his teeth, he recalled the moment before the fight when he had used his Rare talent—Evaluation. At that time, he had seen that Darius was only level 1, with agility as his strongest stat. He had considered him an easy target, yet... how could it be that a warrior of such a low level managed to defeat him? That question tormented him, and every attempt at a logical explanation led nowhere. Was Darius hiding his true abilities? Or had the system deceived him by displaying false information?

He entered a chamber where maps and schematics of the gates hung on the walls. The air was heavy with the scent of parchment and old ink, and the light from magical crystals danced off glossy surfaces. Now he had to concentrate on two other gates that were close to opening and could soon unleash monsters. The place where he had encountered Darius would remain untouched for the time being. He was not yet ready for a direct confrontation, but revenge was only a matter of time.

Approaching one of the maps, he ran his fingers over the markings. "Two days... maybe three, until this gate opens," he muttered to himself. He knew he had to act quickly before the situation spiraled out of control. He then glanced at the symbols indicating the remaining gates. His gaze settled on one of the areas where he had recently encountered Darius. He marked that spot as the potential territory of another Lord, unaware that it actually belonged to Ashira.

"His territory must be somewhere around here," he murmured quietly to himself, drawing a cross on the map. "I'm not ready for a confrontation with him yet. For now, I'll avoid that area and focus on the gates." His voice was calm, yet a spark of anger and determination flickered in his eyes.

* * *

Ashira POV

Evening light, filtering through the cracks in the refuge’s walls, cast warm, orange reflections on the austere interior. The air inside was heavy, imbued with the scent of burning and dampness. Ashira looked up as the door creaked open softly and Darius stepped in. His figure appeared subdued, as if the shadow of the last battle still trailed him. His movements were stiff, betraying fatigue. Drops of sweat trickled down his tired face, mingling with faint streaks of dirt, and his clothes bore the marks of a recent clash—torn sleeves and dust clinging to every inch of fabric, a silent testament to the battle he had endured.

Raising her eyebrows at the state in which Darius had returned, Ashira asked quietly, "What happened?" Her voice carried not only concern but also a hint of apprehension as she searched his eyes for answers before he could speak.

Darius sighed and sank heavily to the floor. "I had an unexpected opponent," he replied, a slight grimace marring his features.

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Ashira frowned in surprise. "So there really are monsters?" she said softly, disbelief evident in her eyes. "I haven't encountered any during my journey."

Shaking his head, Darius leaned heavily against the wall. "It wasn't a monster," he said slowly. "It was a human. He attacked me by surprise."

Ashira stared at him with wide eyes. "A human?"

"Yes," Darius confirmed with a grimace. "And what’s worse, he used some strange magical items. They were damn annoying during the fight."

"The earring—acting like a protective shield. And probably something else, but I didn’t manage to figure it all out," he added, wiping his face with his hand. His eyes betrayed his frustration and fatigue.

Squinting as she tried to process what she had just heard, Ashira murmured, "A human with magical items..." as if savoring the words. "That means not only have we begun exploring what lies beyond the barrier, but other Lords might be far more dangerous than I thought."

She stood up and began pacing nervously around the shelter, trying to sort out her thoughts.

"If he attacked you without warning, that means we can't trust anyone. Every encounter with another human could end in a fight to the death. Maybe he even has some information about this world that we haven’t discovered yet."

She stopped and looked at Darius.

"Maybe these magical items are just the tip of the iceberg. What if the other Lords have access to technologies or powers we have no idea about? Then we're doomed."

Her gaze sharpened, and her voice took on a firm tone.

"We can’t wait for someone to catch us off guard again. We have to act now. Tomorrow, we'll start entering the gates. We need level up faster than the others and, above all, find out how to get items like the ones that that Lord had."

Ashira smiled lightly, but her expression quickly turned serious."Rest now, Darius. We'll need all our energy tomorrow."

She turned toward the door.

Darius furrowed his brow."And where are you off to?"

"Just to the water reservoir," she replied, glancing over her shoulder. "I need a few stones."

Darius raised an eyebrow, confused."Stones? What do you need stones for?"

However, Ashira did not answer. She simply disappeared behind the door, leaving Darius with his unanswered question.

When she stepped outside, the evening air struck her with a chill, and a gentle wind ruffled her hair. Her steps were quiet as she headed toward the water reservoir, whose surface shimmered in the moonlight.

When she arrived, she knelt by the edge and began selecting smooth fragments from basalt boulders. They were the same solid, durable stones she had previously used to create containers—their high hardness and water resistance made them the ideal material for energy manipulation.

Holding one in her hand, she focused and began channeling her energy. Her fingers trembled slightly as she activated her ability, transforming the stone into a simple container. The process was exhausting yet satisfying. Each time she finished, she felt her mana draining away.

She repeated this process fourteen times, using up almost all of her mana—leaving her with just 10 out of 150 points. When the last container was formed, Ashira sank to her knees, feeling both exhaustion and satisfaction. Every use of her ability granted her experience, and her EXP counter increased by 140 points. Now she had 155 out of 200 experience points, bringing her ever closer to the next level.

She carefully set the containers aside next to the reservoir, deciding to fill them with water another time.

Slowly rising, feeling the weight of exhaustion in every step, she made her way back to the shelter. When she entered, she saw that Darius was already asleep—his breathing steady and his face peaceful. Ashira smiled slightly, then quietly lay down in her spot, allowing the fatigue to finally overtake her.

Morning came swiftly, and the first rays of sunlight pierced through the cracks in the shelter’s walls, bathing the austere interior in warm light. I opened my eyes, feeling a slight weariness from last night's experiments, but also satisfaction at the progress I had made. I looked at Darius, who was still asleep, breathing steadily. Not wanting to wake him, I quietly got up and stepped outside to stretch my legs.

I quietly left the shelter and headed toward the Summoning Tower, whose circle of black, sculpted stones glimmered subtly in the morning light.

As I approached the circle, I felt a familiar tension in the air. I extended my hand and concentrated my mana, activating the summoning mechanism. The energies of the Source and the Tower merged, and the air filled with a violet glow. After a moment, the Hungry Ogar emerged from the portal.

"Is that him again?" I murmured with a slight smile, looking at the beast. I already knew how the Summoning Tower worked, so I wasn't completely surprised—but still, I was expecting something new. Shrugging my shoulders, I turned to the Ogar.

"Go find food," I ordered, and the beast immediately dashed into the forest, disappearing among the trees.

Satisfied with the summoning, I returned to the shelter, where Darius was just waking up, stretching lazily.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Kind of," I replied, sitting down beside him. "Today we have to start taking action."

Darius nodded."Good idea. What do you plan?"

"We need to decide which gate to go to," I said, looking at him. "I think we should go to the one we encountered first after passing through the barrier."

Darius looked at me, contemplating."Maybe we should try a gate with a higher difficulty level? That would give us a faster level up and better rewards."

I nodded."I agree, but this will be our first entry into a gate. It’s better to first see calmly what it's like inside rather than diving headfirst into the deep end. If it turns out we can handle it, then we’ll consider tougher challenges."

Darius raised an eyebrow, a hint of disappointment crossing his face. He drew a deep breath, as if trying to suppress his dismay, then sighed quietly."You're right, it's better to start slowly and see for ourselves what the gate is like from the inside."

Determined, we set off toward the gate.