Chapter 38: A Silent Welcome

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: A Silent Welcome

"You need to rest."

"Kyuu."

"No, staring at me isn’t going to work."

The fox immediately climbed onto his shoulder.

Damon laughed helplessly.

"You really think I’m weak, huh?"

Freya nodded.

Which made him burst into laughter.

"You’re honest, aren’t you?"

Eventually, after much persuasion and the promise of a few remaining snacks from the Calloway mansion, Freya finally agreed.

She happily nibbled on them before entering the second core.

Damon smiled.

"Good girl."

The little fox curled up comfortably inside.

Over the past days, he had noticed another change.

The time needed for Freya to grow each tail had become longer.

Far longer.

Still, every growth brought feedback.

His control over Aether improved.

His body absorbed ambient energy more naturally.

Now, even without sitting down to cultivate, his body slowly drew in surrounding Aether.

His recovery speed had become frightening.

And the second core continued to nourish Freya little by little.

Their growth had become connected.

By midnight, Damon ended his cultivation.

He never truly fell asleep.

He simply rested.

Ready to wake up at the slightest movement.

Fortunately...

Nothing happened.

*****

Before sunlight fully rose, Damon and Freya resumed their climb.

Damon stretched his body.

"So much for a peaceful vacation."

Freya stretched beside him.

Her five tails rose proudly behind her.

"Kyuu!"

"Exactly."

Both had completely recovered.

Damon could feel his Aether overflowing once more.

Freya’s silver fur looked brighter.

Even the fatigue she carried yesterday had disappeared.

The second core had once again shown its terrifying usefulness.

Freya still remained cautious.

But the anxiety from yesterday had lessened.

Now...

Excitement had replaced it.

Damon smiled seeing her wagging tails.

"Curious?"

"Kyuu!"

"I’m curious too."

Hours later...

They finally arrived at the giant door.

Damon stood still.

It was massive.

Ancient.

Covered in countless runes and cracks.

Yet what surprised him wasn’t its size.

It was already open.

Not fully.

Just enough for a human to pass through.

Someone had already entered.

Damon narrowed his eyes.

"So I was late."

He took a deep breath.

Then nodded toward Freya.

"Stay alert."

"Kyuu."

Together, they stepped inside.

And immediately...

Both froze.

The atmosphere changed. The excitement vanished.

Even Freya’s tails stiffened.

Damon slowly stopped walking.

His eyes widened.

Bodies.

There were bodies everywhere.

Not just footprints or broken armors.

Corpses.

Some leaned against walls.

Some lay face down.

Some no longer looked human.

Bones.

Blood.

Pieces of flesh.

Broken weapons.

Deep claw marks.

The smell of blood still lingered in the air.

Damon slowly moved forward.

His face turned serious.

The clothes.

The insignias.

Different families.

Different cities.

He even recognized one from the Calloway family.

His steps slowed.

The body had almost been ripped apart.

One arm was gone.

The chest had collapsed inward.

The skin had been peeled away by something terrifying.

And judging from the Aether fluctuations...

The death wasn’t old.

It had happened recently.

Very recently.

The hair on Damon’s body stood.

Something powerful had happened here.

Something beyond these scouts.

His eyes slowly swept across the ruins.

The stone floor was cracked.

Massive claw marks stretched along the walls.

Some pillars had collapsed.

It looked less like a battlefield.

And more like a slaughterhouse.

Damon quietly swallowed.

"They found the ruin first..."

"But something found them."

His expression became ugly.

If anyone escaped...

Then the news had definitely reached the outside world.

More people would come.

And whatever killed these scouts...

Was still here.

Just then... something moved.

Damon instantly raised his knife.

One of the bodies.

No.

Not a body.

A man.

Barely alive.

His breathing was weak.

Blood covered his entire body.

His eyes had already lost focus.

Yet when he saw Damon...

Panic appeared.

His shaking hand stretched toward him.

"R-run..."

Blood flowed from his mouth.

His eyes widened in terror.

"Get..."

"Out..."

Before Damon could move, the man’s hand dropped.

And life left his eyes.

Silence returned.

Damon’s pupils shrank.

Then...

His instincts exploded.

Freya immediately jumped onto his shoulder.

Both their hairs stood.

Pressure.

Terrifying pressure.

It swept over the hall like a tidal wave.

Boom!

The broken walls shook.

Heavy footsteps echoed.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

And then... It appeared.

A giant wolf.

No.

Calling it a wolf felt wrong.

Its body was nearly four meters tall.

Black fur mixed with dark green wind currents.

Its muscles bulged beneath its hide.

Six sharp horns curved backward from its skull.

Its eyes glowed blood red.

Long scars covered its body.

And around it...

The air itself twisted.

Wind blades floated naturally around its body.

Like servants protecting their king.

A High B rank Aether Beast.

Six-Horn Tempest Wolf.

The pressure alone was enough to crush ordinary Elemental users.

Compared to the Low B rank panther Damon fought before...

This creature felt like an entirely different species.

A king among predators.

Yet before Damon could even finish processing it...

Another pair of footsteps echoed.

Thud.

Thud.

And then...

Something even larger emerged.

Its body was covered in dark silver scales.

Its limbs resembled those of a lion.

Its head looked draconic.

Four wings folded behind its back.

Lightning and wind twisted around its body.

Its golden eyes held intelligence.

And violence.

It slowly walked beside the wolf.

Calm.

Proud.

As though everything inside this ruin belonged to it.

The pressure doubled.

No.

Tripled.

Cracks spread beneath its feet.

The blood on the floor began floating.

Even the wind around the ruin grew chaotic.

Damon’s breathing stopped.

Freya’s five tails stood upright.

Neither moved.

Neither breathed.

The difference between the Low B rank panther and these monsters...

Was like comparing a cat to ancient kings.

The corpses around them suddenly made sense.

These scouts hadn’t stood a chance.

Not even together.

And now...

Those terrifying golden eyes slowly turned toward Damon.

The draconic beast narrowed its eyes.

The Six-Horn Tempest Wolf growled softly.

Damon felt death standing right in front of him.

Yet strangely...

His heartbeat became faster. And deep inside he knew that the greatest threats inside Tempest Hollow...

Had finally revealed itself.

And it was looking directly at him.