Chapter 36: Growth & Confidence

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Growth & Confidence

Eventually, questions about Damon surfaced.

Kane lowered his head.

"I saw him."

"He got separated."

"A beast chased him beyond our range."

He paused.

Then shook his head.

"There was no way he survived."

Everyone accepted those words easily.

After all, countless stronger awakeners had died.

How could Damon, the boy without an element, possibly survive?

Even without finding his body...

Most had already given up hope.

The Calloway family did not even bother discussing him again.

Compared to their recovered genius, Damon wasn’t worth their attention.

But that wasn’t the biggest concern anymore.

Their focus had shifted.

Resources.

Every family had begun questioning their scouts.

"Anything?"

"No."

"Still nothing?"

"No major discoveries yet."

"But signs have appeared."

The reports soon arrived.

Wind ores.

Large Aether crystal veins.

And...

A B rank beast.

Even the scouts needed considerable time to kill one.

This immediately caused the leaders to exchange looks.

A B rank beast.

That meant the zone was much more dangerous than anyone imagined.

But danger also meant opportunity.

The higher the risk...

The greater the reward.

Greed slowly replaced fear.

And soon, the major families reached the same conclusion.

More manpower had to be sent.

Because whatever was hidden inside Tempest Hollow...

It was valuable enough to change the future of Haven’s Edge City itself.

******

Deep inside the distorted zone...

Damon sneezed.

"Huh?"

He rubbed his nose.

"Someone talking about me?"

Freya peeked out from his shoulder.

"Kyuu?"

Damon laughed.

"Probably those old men already holding my funeral."

"But that’s alright."

His eyes turned toward the endless storms ahead.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"By the time I walk out..."

"I wonder what kind of expression they’ll have."

Freya’s tails wagged excitedly.

And together, master and spirit continued forward.

*****

Damon was in a very good mood in the past days.

The storms around them had only grown harsher, yet neither he nor Freya seemed bothered.

Beside him, Freya happily wagged her five tails, still getting used to the newest addition. Every now and then, one of them would accidentally brush against her face, making her blink in confusion before chirping proudly.

Damon laughed.

"Still not used to it?"

"Kyuu!"

Freya lifted her head proudly.

"I know, I know. Five tails already."

He rubbed her head.

"You’re growing too fast."

Over the last few days, after constant battles and cultivation, Freya had successfully reached another breakthrough.

And they already knew what that meant.

More strength.

Another skill.

The fourth tail had brought them the "lingering current" Lightning Art that made their battles against B rank beasts possible.

Without it, they would’ve needed far longer to bring down enemies of that level.

Still, the deeper they ventured, the stronger everything became.

The difference between B rank beasts had become painfully obvious.

Fights that once ended in ten minutes now stretched to twenty.

Sometimes Freya had to detonate her lingering current twice before the enemy finally collapsed.

Yet neither of them felt discouraged.

Instead, they felt excited.

Because Freya had grown again.

And Damon had benefited from the feedback once more.

His body had become stronger.

His senses sharper.

His control over lightning smoother.

And most importantly...

His survival ability had risen again.

"Let’s see what you’ve got for us today."

Freya immediately cheered.

"Kyuu!"

The two continued deeper into Tempest Hollow.

Along the way, Damon gathered wind ores and Aether crystals while keeping watch for their next prey.

B rank beasts remained rare.

But they had become far more common than before.

At the same time, Damon had started seeing traces left behind by people.

Footprints.

Old campsites.

Signs of battles.

Even remains of scouting marks.

"Hm."

"So they finally caught up."

He wasn’t surprised.

The families had resources.

And trained Elemental users.

Scouts existed for a reason.

But seeing those traces made him feel slightly anxious.

He had come too far, he wasn’t about to let someone else snatch away the rewards.

"We need to move faster."

Freya nodded seriously.

"Kyuu."

Soon, their eyes landed on a familiar figure.

Damon’s lips curved upward.

And Freya’s tails immediately stood up in excitement.

It was another Gale Shadow Panther.

The same species that had caused them so much trouble.

But this time...

Neither of them felt like prey.

Instead... They had found an old rival.

Crack!

Lightning burst beneath Damon’s feet.

Boom!

His figure vanished.

The panther’s eyes widened.

The next second...

Slash!

Damon appeared beside it.

His knife aimed straight for its neck.

Yet the beast twisted away at the last second.

The blade barely missed.

Still...

A thin line of blood appeared.

The panther froze.

Damon smirked.

"Still slippery."

"But I got closer."

The beast growled.

It had moved purely on instinct.

An instinct that had saved its life.

Yet even then, it had still been injured.

Whoosh!

The panther disappeared.

Wind gathered around its claws.

But Damon was already moving.

Crack!

His silver lightning exploded.

His speed had increased far beyond what it once was.

He leaned backward as a claw narrowly missed his face.

Then he stepped forward.

Slash!

Another wound appeared.

Boom!

The ground beneath them shattered.

The panther roared.

Its body transformed into a blur as countless wind blades rained down.

But Damon was smiling.

He was having fun.

His body moved almost naturally now.

Every dodge.

Every swing.

Every burst of lightning.

They no longer felt unfamiliar.

He had grown accustomed to this power.

He laughed.

"Again!"

Boom!

He rushed forward.

The panther answered.

Both figures disappeared into flashes of silver and green.

One moment they were on the ground.

The next, they were crashing through trees.

Rocks exploded.

The winds screamed.

Yet after several exchanges, Damon could feel it.

He still lacked the strength to finish it himself.

He had improved. But not enough.

The panther’s body carried several injuries.

But it wasn’t slowing down.

Damon exhaled.

"Alright."

"I’ve had my fun."

"Freya."

Before his voice finished... Five afterimages appeared.

Freya had already understood.

"Kyuu!"

Damon grinned.

Their synchronization had become almost frightening.

He stepped backward.

The panther instinctively chased him.

And at that exact moment...

Boom!