Chapter 31: A New Day, New Dangers

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: A New Day, New Dangers

Then Damon’s attention shifted towards the second core.

A thought crossed his mind.

He opened his eyes and looked at Freya.

"Wanna help me test something?"

Freya tilted her head.

A moment later she understood.

Without resistance, she returned to the second core.

Her body dissolved into silver light and disappeared.

Damon immediately felt her presence Inside him.

The connection became even clearer than before.

Warmer and closer.

Freya seemed quite comfortable there as well.

He could even feel her satisfaction.

Almost like she had found her favorite place to sleep.

Damon continued cultivating.

Aether flowed steadily into his white core, as the enlarged core slowly recovered from the battles of the day.

The process lasted deep into the night.

Nothing dramatic happened.

No sudden breakthroughs.

No unexpected discoveries.

Yet Damon still noticed something.

Whenever his white core absorbed Aether, the second core seemed to react.

And whenever the second core reacted...

Freya benefited.

The feeling was faint.

Very faint.

But it was there.

Damon stored the observation away.

He would test it properly later.

For now, there was no rush.

Tomorrow would bring more battles.

More answers.

And probably more trouble.

With that thought, Damon finally lay down to rest.

Inside the second core, Freya lazily curled into a ball.

The little fox looked completely content.

Damon smiled.

Then slowly closed his eyes.

Outside, the storm winds continued to howl through Tempest Hollow.

But for the first time since entering the distorted zone, the night felt calm.

*****

The night passed quietly.

Damon never truly fell into a deep sleep.

Even while resting, a part of his mind remained alert. Out here, comfort was dangerous.

Freya was no different.

Although her main body rested comfortably inside the second core, she had left one of her afterimages outside their small campsite. The silver fox lazily wandered around the area, keeping watch while its tails swayed in the wind.

Fortunately, no Aether Beast disturbed them.

When dawn arrived, Damon opened his eyes immediately.

He stretched his arms overhead and rolled his shoulders.

Crack.

Crack.

His joints loosened.

"Still alive."

Freya immediately popped out of the second core.

The little fox landed on his shoulder.

Yip!

Damon laughed.

"Good morning to you too."

The fox rubbed her head against his cheek.

After a quick meal from the remaining supplies the maids had packed for him, Damon began his usual warm-up.

Simple footwork.

Body reinforcement.

Aether circulation.

A few combat drills.

Nothing fancy.

Just enough to wake up his body before another day of fighting.

The moment he finished, he looked deeper into Tempest Hollow.

The winds were already louder today.

The deeper parts of the distorted zone looked darker than before.

Almost as if the place was alive.

Damon smiled.

"Let’s see what you’ve got."

Freya immediately raised her tail.

Yip!

Then the two headed forward.

*****

The first battle arrived less than ten minutes later.

A Windfang Lizard emerged from behind a broken rock formation.

The beast was nearly two meters long, covered in green scales that blended perfectly with its surroundings.

Before it could launch an ambush... Damon moved.

Lightning flashed beneath his feet.

Crack!

His body vanished.

The lizard barely had time to turn its head.

A knife pierced straight through its eye.

The body collapsed instantly.

Damon pulled out the blade and nodded.

"Still smooth."

Freya didn’t even bother moving.

She simply sat on a nearby rock. Watching and judging every move.

Damon pointed at her.

"Don’t look at me like that."

The fox yawned.

Clearly unimpressed.

Damon could only shake his head in resignation.

Then they continued.

As the day progressed, the battles became more frequent.

Storm Talons.

Windfang Lizards.

Galehorn Boars.

And several beasts Damon had never even read about before.

The deeper regions of Tempest Hollow were filled with creatures that weren’t recorded in beginner textbooks.

Most likely because students were never expected to come this far.

Yet Damon didn’t panic.

If anything, he was becoming more comfortable.

Every battle taught him something new.

Every fight improved his control over lightning.

Every victory made him stronger.

The silver lightning flowing through his body felt more natural now.

Less like borrowed power.

More like his own.

Sometimes he reinforced only his legs.

Sometimes only his arms.

Other times he coated the knife itself.

He kept experimenting, and so kept learning and growing.

Whenever he encountered stronger beasts, Freya would occasionally help.

Usually after watching him struggle for a few minutes.

The little fox seemed to enjoy it.

Damon was certain she found his suffering entertaining.

"You’re definitely doing this on purpose."

Freya looked away.

Completely innocent.

At least that’s what she pretended.

*****

The deeper they travelled, the more dangerous Tempest Hollow became.

The windstorms grew stronger.

Sometimes entire sections of forest bent beneath violent gusts.

Other times sharp currents of compressed wind sliced across the landscape.

One wrong step could leave a person seriously injured.

Even Damon stopped taking the environment lightly.

Several times he was forced to hide behind stone formations while violent winds swept across the area.

The distorted zone itself felt hostile.

Like it wanted intruders gone.

Still, they pushed forward.

Stopping occasionally to recover Aether.

Collecting materials.

Hunting beasts.

Searching for resources.

Days began to blur together.

Fight.

Train.

Rest.

Repeat.

It slowly became their routine.

And Damon enjoyed every second of it.

Far outside Tempest Hollow, however, things were far less peaceful.

The situation had already reached Haven’s Edge City, and the surrounding cities.

Representatives from multiple noble families had gathered near the entrance of the distorted zone.

Tension filled the atmosphere.

Several rescue teams had already entered and returned.

Some brought survivors.

Others brought bodies.

Neither outcome made anyone happy.

A middle-aged noble slammed his hand against a table.

"You called this a beginner exploration mission?"

His voice echoed through the command tent.

Several others immediately joined in.

"The reports were wrong."

"The danger assessment was wrong."

"We lost too many prospects."

"Someone needs to answer for this."

Arguments erupted from every direction.