"Quick, we can't let them find us."

"Seal the doors! Bring whoever you can with you."

"Help me, he is too heavy!"

Dante regained his senses, disoriented. He was no longer in the place he was before, nor was he alone.

Disciples in sapphire uniforms crowded the room, giving the impression that Dante was back in the castle.

But there was no mistake. The stony walls and the rush of Qi in the air made it obvious that he had not left the cave.

He stood up, trying to put the pieces together. The environment was in chaos, with disciples running everywhere. Something was happening.

"Can you tell me what was going on? I just woke up," Dante said to a cultivator who was near.

"Those idiots from the Draco clan are attacking us along with the monsters! I don't know what they did, but somehow the creatures are aligned with them. We were told to hide until anything new, so we grouped up in the safest places," the disciple replied.

Dante felt his shoulders tense. Sabrina and the others should have warned him in case of an attack! Dante couldn't stop wondering if they were all right.

Trying to hold in his emotions, Dante inspected his surroundings. He didn't recognize many of the cultivators there, but that didn't mean they didn't need help.

For now, the entrance to the room seemed to secure for the moment. They were grouped together in a training room.

Dante felt a unique energy rising in his belongings. He quickly identified that the source of the strange Qi was the artifacts. He frowned as he examined the items.

When Dante touched the objects with his essence, a square shaped in the air. The artifacts slowly fell into place until a new map showed in the air.

Dante scanned his surroundings one last time. He would have to decide. He could stay and help those cultivators, go after his friends in the castle, or go after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Fortunately, the choice was logical.

To stay and help the cultivators, or to go to his friends, Dante knew that would make no sense. He needed to get stronger, to make a real difference in the fight to come.

Some cultivators tried to stop him from leaving the cave, but there was little they could do in the face of a desperate man running. A cultivator, nonetheless.

Every part of Dante longed for him to receive some kind of reward. After all, he was the chosen one, wasn't he? The chosen one to carry a legendary monster after all this time. The chosen one to receive the training of a Slayer who was maybe more powerful than anyone in this lower realm.

The different environments passed like blurs through Dante, who strengthened his body to the maximum. Now was not the time to save his Qi, not at all.

There were no monsters in the way. The disciples were right, it was strange indeed. How could the Draco's control the monsters?

It didn't take long for Dante to find the place he wanted. An opening in the wall emanated Qi, clamoring for the cultivator's presence.

Dante started to get scared when he started losing the battle. The Qi from the artifact overwhelmed him, enveloping his body in a white light, preventing any movement.

When the aura completely enveloped Dante, he opened his eyes in another place.

The environment was like the cave that had served as Dante's home for the past few months. The major difference was a permanent white aura that hung in the air, like a dense mist.

It felt like being in the inner world, but there was something different. Something more.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Long handmade mosaics adorned the walls. Instead of being supported solely by the cave, pillars supported the ceiling.

Even though he was hoping with all his might that this was not another test, he knew it was better to be safe than sorry. Accessing his core, he circulated his Qi through the meridians, watching for any changes.

Wait. Something was wrong. He tried again to access his core. Although he could visualize and touch his Qi, he could not feel any trace of the Phoenix.

As Dante advanced through Silver, the monster was more and more latent in his core. Now, it was as if there was a vacuum present, an absence.

Familiar sounds directed Dante's attention to a corridor ahead of him. A shadow was being drawn in the corridor, as if ink was gathering at the behest of the universe itself.

An eerie chill came over Dante. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Time after time, he had proven that he could use his monster with outstanding success, but no, that was not enough. They could not leave him alone even when his friends' lives were at stake.

Out of the darkness, a figure emerged. The energy solidified slowly. First the legs, until the head of a beast became visible.

Soon, in the corridor, stood the biggest wolf Dante had ever seen. The beast's eyes carried with them a strange sensation. Until then, all the beasts Dante had met were irrational, driven by instinct...

Now it was different. Dante knew, even before any words were spoken. Those pupils seemed to carry much more than just sensations caused by genetic burden. Strangely enough, what came to Dante's mind when he saw the beast in front of him was Ikarus.

By the time he realized it, Dante had instinctively summoned his claws, which crackled against the illumination of the white flames.

The strange sensation seemed to linger for a long time. On one side, the gigantic wolf, with eyes fixed on Dante. On the other, his eyes filled with courage. Courage to go forward and help his friends.

"What am I doing here? I have to leave. There is no time to lose!" he shouted. He had come seeking power, and would not leave without getting it. He would help those who had helped him when he needed it.

"Where do you think you are, human?" A guttural voice came out from within the wolf.

The senselessness of that was testing Dante's patience.

"How should I know? Is this cave part of the one before? Is this just another test of Zay?"

As if flowers were blooming, a movement of the wolf's mouth gave way to white teeth, in a bare resemblance to an attempt at a smile.

"You are completely wrong. We are inside you, more precisely, inside your core. That's why you can't communicate with your little bird."

That was not right. Dante knew that the levels after Gold held with them the possibility of exploring a kind of inner world, but that wasn't right. From the walls to the feel of the environment, nothing seemed to be really inside his core.

"As you may have suspected, we are not literally inside your core. Since the size of your power is still derisory, I borrowed a bit of my inner world so that we can have this conversation," said the wolf.

Although he was rushing to help his friends, Dante had to admit that he was becoming increasingly curious. That was unlike anything so far...entering the inner world of a monster. He wouldn't have imagined that was even possible. After all, how strong would that monster have to be for it to be even tangible?

"As for the why and how, what you need to know is that I am not merely a last test, just like those uncelebrated ones you killed. For the first time, you have a choice, and both will benefit you greatly."

Dante was trying to analyze the situation, but could find nothing. "I am listening. Just let's hurry, please. I have to help my friends outside!"

"Calm down, human. Time here works differently than outside. Normally, for a cultivator to alter time outside his world even a little, he must have a Qi much higher than that of the outside world. Since we are in a lesser world, I can reasonably delay time in the outside. We are still far from infinite, however. So, I will tell you both paths, and then answer all your questions. Your first option is the fastest. Zay has instructed me to inject you with an immense amount of Qi. I possess a rare Qi, called night fire, and this would surely lead you to gold. Although you wouldn't have a full Oversoul right away, you could try to help your friends from who knows what. The second option is unique. Tell me, young man, do you already understand how your physique works?"

That was a simple question, after all the thinking Dante had done over the past few months.

"My Qi strengthens my body according to the injuries I receive. If I am affected by a skill that uses Qi of electricity, for example, a subsequent equal attack would have less effect. The only exception is flames, which seem to serve as fuel for the flames in my core, always strengthening them."

The monster seemed to nod. Of course, at the size of the beast's physique, this simple act was enough to destabilize the air currents in the entire room.

"That is reasonably correct. But, be creative, human. Do you really think that a body generated by a monster the class of the one you have inside your core is capable of only this? That's the second option. I will fight with you, forcing your body to adapt. Since my Qi type is flames, I believe this will be extremely beneficial for your cultivation. If you choose this path, you probably won't get the Gold today, but you might still help your friends.

Dante brought his right hand to his chin, thoughtfully. Neither option was clear-cut. The first was basically to force him to advance, and the second was some kind of empowerment by battle, the outcome of which would be uncertain.

What was worse was that, from a more judicious point of view, the choice was not obvious. Dante knew what the risks were to the future of the cultivation of those who went on to Gold without an Oversoul. It was a risk he was willing to take, but if there was another way...

He looked up at the ceiling of the cave, thoughtfully.

If there was ever a time for some divine sign, it was now.