Memories Of Lonely Travel Emerge

After Heian Ciemnosc spent some time recuperating and meditating in the cave, the fire door appeared before him again. This time, it was somewhat dulled, but it was as enigmatic as before. After studying it further, suddenly understanding more compared to before he entered this Fire elemental trial, Heian Ciemnosc was slightly shocked, but he felt even more solemn. He crossed through the door, and as soon as he did, he was met with a gigantic dragon's head looking down at him from below.

“Hey, senior?” Heian Ciemnosc tentatively initiated a conversation. The dragon nodded, but its dummy big eyes were wide open, ignoring the door behind him and looking at Heian Ciemnosc without saying anything or reacting. Heian Ciemnosc felt the dragon must have a reason to be like this, so he chose to wait until the dragon felt like talking. However, a couple seconds later, he was urged by it. “You’ve come back. Why aren’t you speaking of what your results were?”

“... Ahem, senior. Your language has improved,” Heian Ciemnosc felt awkward as he coughed, trying to sweeten the moment to dissimulate. The dragon didn’t mind and was even content to answer him. With his eyes finally looking elsewhere at the sky, its tone was partly dignified and decent as it began. “I have put some thoughts on the short chats we had a few days ago. I’ve been busy thinking about them. What about you, young noble?”

The dragon looked at Heian Ciemnosc with intelligent golden eyes. Heian Ciemnosc looked up at them and couldn’t help feeling the same overwhelming sensation of power from this being as it did before. Although he had some concepts of the Fire element that he needed to revise to study it further, this dragon wasn’t in his scope of current understanding. Perhaps not even in a decade or more. Heian Ciemnosc politely nodded and took a strange phallic item from his Covert Space bags.

“I did everything I could, and I got this for you, senior.” Heian Ciemnosc presented a strange tube thing. It had a lumpy body but looked like a skinned snake. Heian Ciemnosc saw the dragon’s eyes become fiery, excited, and longing. Strangely, however, it remained without making a movement and looking at it. Heian Ciemnosc stepped forwards and raised his left hand, holding one of the thing’s extremities before saying. “This is part of our deal. Please take it.”

“... ngraa-ñam.” The dragon nodded slightly before lowering its head. With its nostrils sucking in, the thing in Heian Ciemnosc’s left hand escaped his grasp without him even noticing. When he saw it already flying to the dragon’s mouth, the latter chomped down and ate the thing directly. This time, it truthfully ate it and did not store it as it did with his dark blood essence. After gulping it down in relish, the dragon looked at Heian Ciemnosc and sniffed in.

Heian Ciemnosc felt his scent leaving his body and getting into those massive nostrils. The dragon waved its head around for a moment, and satisfied with Heian Ciemnosc not growing scared, it spoke in a good mood. “You smell more nicely now. Good. You must have gotten what you came for. You see, there are more places like this nearby. I give you permission. From now on, you may walk into these other places and try your luck with it. Just leave ‘a little’ something for the other folks keeping those doors at bay as a gift.”

Heian Ciemnosc tilted his head to the right as he understood, amidst its hidden meanings, what the dragon referred to as various places appeared in his head. With the Semi-Dimension’s territory, the directions the dragon showed him via a mental message displayed on the former. He looked at the dragon thankfully and nodded. Before bowing and bidding farewell to the dragon, whose eyes suddenly became sleepy, Heian Ciemnosc tentatively asked it. “Senior, are there others like you in this Semi-Dimension?”

“There are,” the dragon said, clearly about to fall asleep like a mountainous log. Its eyeballs rolled to look at Heian Ciemnosc before continuing in a loud but deep voice. “Were it not because of us, this door would’ve created another reckless volcano here. Don’t fret. The last time it did so was on another continent before my birth. Since I came into this Semi-Dimension, I have been watching over this thing. Now… it seems I might not have to do it in a sexagenary cycle. It would be good if it could be the same for the rest… We want to see the world, too.”

“...” Heian Ciemnosc fell silent as he heard this. The world’s powerhouses were forcing the Semi-Dimension’s creatures to remain within despite it not having such qualities? After all, only a Dimension could have life forming inside without any qualms. The owner, or owners, would have to place Fauna and flora inside time and again if they wanted the previous batch of living beings to continue surviving here.

Somehow, Heian Ciemnosc simply didn’t like it. He then looked up at the dragon and nodded, “Senior. Thank you, I will visit them as soon as possible. Thank you for this opportunity. I’ll make sure to pay you when I become stronger than you. Rest assured.”

“Hmm, what makes you think you haven’t already?” The dragon said as its eyes heavily narrowed. Heian Ciemnosc was startled. The dragon was definitely not talking about the bloodline vestige like the one he gave it. This was about his dark blood essence. The realization made Heian Ciemnosc further silent, but he didn’t dwell on it and bowed. Turning around, he took to the skies to find a place to recuperate entirely.

Whooosh~! Swiiish~...

Heian Ciemnosc’s figure disappeared in the afternoon sun as it began hiding from everyone’s eyes and all life forms. The dragon looked at his back for a minute, even after Heian Ciemnosc disappeared from the naked eyesight, before returning to coil around the door. Its body noiselessly fell to the ground and started slumbering. As a few minutes passed, burning ashes started floating upwards from the ground, causing a seemingly rising magma river to encircle the dragon and the door to the surface…

… On the other hand, it was quickly getting dark as Heian Ciemnosc exited the prairie and began to fly into a desert. There were still earthly hills and some forests within the desert as if trying to expand their liveliness there, too. Heian Ciemnosc kept flying and found a place just 7,000 km from where he currently flew through. It was fully desert around that spot, but it had a cold and empty, long cave under a rocky hill.

Whoosh! Heian Ciemnosc changed his direction and moved towards there. As he did, he found a couple participating teams. He ignored them and proceeded towards his select place, already taking out a few pre-inscribed array formations, as he was not in the mood to work. His capabilities were heavily limited after such a continuous battle. His dark Power Energy reserves were also low.

“!” But just then, from one of the participating teams, his Spirit Sense caught on, and one of the list’s most substantial ingredients was discovered! It was 200 kilometers from where he wanted to rest. Keeping his pace so as to not pause in case his body had to go through momentary rest, Heian Ciemnosc thought again how much more lavish and disordered everything would be if one’s spaceships were allowed in the Semi-Dimension.

Before, when the map was given to everyone to memorize, it was alright, and they knew the distance between each continent would be ginormous. They wouldn’t be able to cross to another unless they wanted to waste this extremely one-of-a-kind chance to encounter as many resources as possible. It wasn’t meaningful to gain a dominant score. Most participants wanted to get as many resources as possible before coming out. Nothing else mattered.

Half an hour later, Heian Ciemnosc’s speed allowed him to somewhat catch up to the team chasing a Fauna. It was a Monster, so it had incredible physical endurance, while the team chasing it was not. The strongest among them was a Broken Crystallization realm 3rd stage. When Heian Ciemnosc was finally catching up, they were 700 km away from the spot he selected as his resting cave.

… This team consisted of 18 members, each in the Broken Crystallization realm. Their leader was a female with a ribbon around her forehead without tying her luscious, long, curly hair as she rushed towards their target. Most of them were tailing behind it, while the rest were at its sides and slowing it down while being careful. It was in the Broken Crystallization realm 4th stage, after all.

“Gerno, spear Arts… now!!” The leader shouted. In response, a small group gathered pure energy before turning it into their rigorous Power Energy without entering their bodies. Several spear shafts formed as the wind created spearheads at their extreme fronts. They flew forward and targeted the 4 meters tall, 2 meters wide, but bulky and fiery-looking can running with its four legs, leaving flaming trails behind. It wasn’t a natural occurrence, but one where it used its rigorous Power Energy to flee faster and leave mini-traps for its predator to suffer.

Stolen novel; please report.

However, it was only faster and dangerous when on the ground since it hadn’t touched upon the Neutral Energy yet. Thus, it was barely helpful against these cultivators, chasing it to no end and injuring its legs and butt repeatedly. It had a tiny mane whose tips sent short-lived orange flames. Although it looked like a typical tiger with black fringes. Its ears stiffened, and its body prepared to receive the next bout of attacks as its tail, furry, flat, and in the shape of a pine tree, swatted against the ground.

Wheesh, wheesh, wheesh… swoosh! Cuuuh- … … … … PAM, WHOOOSH, PHHSHK.

The can felt bursts of wind passing everywhere around its butt. It shook them all off with effort, even having to jump at times. Its speed never slowed, but its rigorous Power Energy reserves were shortening again. Although annoyed, its hunters gloated seeing the Monster getting tired a bit more. At this moment, after the spear Art attacks from the group finished, only a couple spears bit the can’s dust, impaling themselves in the sand and hard desertic land.

Just then, a much more powerful threatening force surged from its back to the left. The can’s Spirit Sense worked hard to find an incoming cultivator with fish and thin ears, wielding a 7 meters-long Mortal trident and riding a pelican to sneak attack it. The can was helpless this time. It couldn’t execute another maneuver after repeating the process several times and exhausting its reserves for its little life.

As it hoped to deviate from the incoming charge and gain enough time to plan an escape from these persistent and ingenious cultivators, the can suddenly turn its head to the right, only to see a two-headed serpent head towards it. One head aimed at its belly, while the other aimed at the male Beast trying to charge towards him.

“Who?!” - “Where the-” - “How could we not notice him? This thing isn’t working!” As Heian Ciemnosc made his act of presence, their team leader loudly shouted. Someone was stunned, looking at what the sudden self-invitation of a person caused before their eyes. Lastly, someone looked at a device in their hands, throwing it to the ground but not breaking it out of fury. As this all happened, an incredible sight unfolded before them.

The can, whose hopes were still optimistic and even more now that an irregularity had occurred, felt the worst doom of dooms in its life. The head aimed towards its belly penetrated and forcibly jerked its body to where the dark’ snake came from. It instantly felt its organs churning and slurping in while its fur was left intact along with its limbs. On the other hand, the male Beast couldn’t stop himself in time and crashed head-on against the 4 inches thick ‘tentacle’ at its pelican’s maximum speed.

The pelican continued flying forwards before slowly receding, but its rider had been tackled down by Heian Ciemnosc’s Vocón Link. His body fell backwards on the desertic ground while everyone else stopped and took a defensive formation without grouping up. Lest this new busybody wanted to strike them before they could re-organize. Looking at Heian Ciemnosc, their fellow male Beast teammate couldn’t stand up, and even his stomach was caved in, with his lower ribs broken into several parts, mingling everywhere.

“Aaaaah~~!” The male Beast screamed as his teammates could only give him a side glance before immediately returning their gaze to Heian Ciemnosc. They were extremely wary, so much so that they couldn’t bother helping their teammate. Heian Ciemnosc, on the other hand, was at ease as he held the Ignitis Can’s corpse while it continued to shrink. Its limbs were finally torn off its body as Heian Ciemnosc destroyed them in his mouth, enjoying the extra nutrients and a meal after fighting off an annoying opponent. He hadn’t had time to either feast or wantonly release. This was his first action after holding himself back.

“Nom, nom nom… GULP.” Heian Ciemnosc finished eating the Ignitis Can and looked at the team before him without expression. A woman stepped out of the line to direct her slightly angry voice at him. “That Ignitis Can have been chased by us for a long time. Even if we can’t deal with you now, Heian Ciemnosc, you’ve attacked us first! We will all lose our qualifications to keep going. Do you want that?!”

‘My reputation precedes me,’ Heian Ciemnosc felt comical as he thought. Their team leader wasn’t puny or shady as she faced Heian Ciemnosc alone. But not for long, as her team members stepped up and stood shoulder to shoulder with her. Heian Ciemnosc was even sure the male Beast at the side would do the same if it wasn’t because he couldn’t breathe properly or circle rigorous Power Energy within its body.

“It’s my fault, I know.” Heian Ciemnosc kept the Ignitis Can’s whole fur and spoke. His words didn’t surprise the team, even making them relieved, but they were still on guard. Their team leader spoke out for them again, “You’ve already infringed the event’s rules. How can you speak as if you want to mend it?”

“I didn’t attack,” Heian Ciemnosc innocently portrayed his case. “He simply crashed with my accidental slip of my innate Supreme Art. My bad, I recognize it. I was too focused on getting this can. I couldn’t let anyone else have it, and I felt like asking for it wouldn’t work. I acted recklessly. Let me help you pay for it and your effort with these.”

“Wow…” - “Team… team leader… maybe we should…” - “So many? How come…”

Heian Ciemnosc took a few pill batches from his Covert Space bags and presented them from his hands to float in the air before the team’s faces, just 1 meter away. They were all top-notch quality and were the best in terms of First Step and Broken Crystallization realm cultivators. The team leader felt conflicted but also pressured not because of her team members’ words and excitement upon seeing those pills, clearly more substantial than hunting down an Ignitis Can.

“Take these as a gift, an extra.” Seeing her conflicted mind of understanding the value of these pills, which would help them continue the harvest with some easiness, Heian Ciemnosc took another pill batch with an intricate and unique medicinal fragrance. They floated towards the male Beast writhing on the ground. Heian Ciemnosc finally saw her face relax, and her eyes looked at him understandingly. She nodded at him and spoke to him before ignoring him, letting her people take all the pills without saying another word, and walking to the injured male Beast.

“I hope whatever you’re trying is worth these pills because they are a nice start for my team.”

With those words, Heian Ciemnosc nodded and offered no more comments. He felt his dark Power Energy replenish by 2% and eased up. Turning around, he flew to the spot he had marked as his with pre-inscribed array formation devices in his hands again. As Heian Ciemnosc left, the female team leader looked at his back without expression. Her eyes squinted, and she ‘mockingly’ half-harrumphed with her nose and throat before attending to the male Beast.

… Heian Ciemnosc quickly scanned his cave again. After confirming no threats or Fauna was around, he installed array formations all around and within it. Once done, he chose a place within the cave, reformed it with his dark Power Energy, gobbling away the surrounding rock, dirt, and a few smallish organisms, and formed a pool in the middle with a stone bed-like seat at its center. The pool was 15 meters in diameter and 3 meters deep. It had step-like designs at the sides but was only for helping the following process become slightly faster and less hardworking.

There was a spot to the side in case Heian Ciemnosc wanted to feel clean, where another Fauna’s fur formed a bed for one person. Most of the cave room was for the pool, which Heian Ciemnosc began filling with the blood and mushed flesh of several faunas he captured during his short trips to the fire door and towards the next one. Just as he was using another living being’s corpse to turn into part of his pool, Heian Ciemnosc’s head flinched up, and he became dazed.

His mind went back to when he left the village, his home for 10 years, and where he met the most important beings in his life. Even now, he wasn’t sure if, with all the ruckus his potential made when entering the Academy, had entered into his Sister’s ears or eyes. He didn’t know if she was still alive or even anywhere nearby. It was simply impossible to know, and since there was no bloodline connection, no matter how many times Heian Ciemnosc experimented with his victims, he couldn’t make something work out.

His eyes drooped as his thoughts went back to the warmest period of his life where his mother had begun treating him like a child who could understand him and teach him many, many things from the get-go. She loved him so much. But even then, she was more than willing to send him to an organization to accept him so he could start his cultivation path. The one she wanted him to so he could rule over the world for her.

She taught him as many things as possible, wholeheartedly believing he could learn everything. Heian Ciemnosc responded to the notion in his head, in his darkest heart. ‘I did, Mommy. I always knew and could learn. Rest assured.’

He couldn’t tell, but Heian Ciemnosc’s inner voice sounded childish yet was not. It was adorable and heartwarming. His darkest eyes then lost focus as he randomly threw the remaining Fauna to completely fill his gory pool. Sitting on his bum, his right leg inside the red, rosy pool, slowly beginning to boil, he thought again as he felt warm deep inside him. And as a touch of heat emanated from his Dantian and Psychogenic… and where his Spiritual Bosom is supposed to exist. Where his current Spirit Image should rest.

‘I don’t know how you knew so much despite knowing our world was broken, Mother. But don’t worry. After I make the world mine, turn the skies darker, and set a new ground, I will bring you back if I can’t find you alive somewhere else… By then… nobody and nothing will ever manage to stop me… First, I’ll just make you really proud. Alright?’

‘... Goodnight, Mommy.’

Thud.

Heian Ciemnosc closed his eyes and intertwined and semi-intertwined his fingers to start meditating on top of the pool’s center, where his seat was just 1 millimeter from being covered by the goriness. After fighting the rocky creature, his solidification path was already at the early level! He just wanted to recuperate fast and make use of this ‘breakthrough’ in order to advance as much as possible. With a command, his Spirit Sense drove his Soul to draw a checkmark on the Ignitis Fur, identical to the one now beside the Fire Core name on his list.

…