Chapter 155: The First Hunt in the Ashen Reach

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: The First Hunt in the Ashen Reach

Ronan had no intention of leaving Bloodfall City without gaining something from the arrangement.

Varkos had agreed to grant him greater freedom, but the Vampire Lord still expected him to investigate the strange energy spreading across the western territories. That was acceptable. As long as Ronan could pursue his own interests, there was no reason to refuse.

Besides, the Ashen Reach sounded like a promising place to hunt.

If powerful creatures inhabited a region that had remained abandoned for centuries, he might find something worth devouring.

And if the strange energy was responsible for the disappearances, he would eventually encounter something connected to it.

Either way, there was potential for growth.

Ronan stood before the castle’s main entrance, examining the three vampires Varkos had assigned to accompany him.

Unlike the soldiers who had escorted him to Dusk Hollow, these vampires carried heavier weapons and wore armor reinforced with defensive formations. The one standing at the front was a broad-shouldered man with dark red hair and a scar running across his jaw.

"My name is Kharven," he introduced himself. "I’ll be leading this expedition."

Ronan glanced at the other two vampires.

"And what exactly are your responsibilities?"

"To ensure that you reach the Ashen Reach, investigate the locations designated by Lord Varkos, and return alive."

"How reassuring."

Kharven ignored the remark.

"Lord Varkos has granted you permission to move freely within the designated area. However, if you attempt to abandon the expedition, we’ll be forced to restrain you again."

Ronan smiled.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to make sure you can keep up."

He walked past them.

Kharven watched him for a moment before signaling the others to follow.

The expedition had begun.

---

The journey took most of the day.

As they moved farther west, the landscape gradually changed. The barren hills became steeper, the vegetation grew sparse, and the ground acquired a dark, ashen color.

Eventually, they reached a stretch of land where even the trees seemed lifeless.

Their twisted branches extended toward the sky, while their trunks were covered in patches of blackened bark.

Kharven slowed his pace.

"We’re approaching the outer boundary of the Ashen Reach."

Ronan looked ahead.

A line of broken stone pillars marked the entrance to the region. Beyond them lay a vast expanse of dark earth, scattered ruins, and distant mountains shrouded in gray mist.

The place felt different from the surrounding wilderness.

Not necessarily more dangerous, but strangely lifeless.

Ronan had spent enough time in the Abyss to recognize regions where powerful creatures dominated the environment. Such places usually contained traces of their presence: territorial markings, disturbed earth, or the remains of unfortunate intruders.

Here, there was remarkably little.

It was almost as though the creatures living in the region had learned to conceal themselves.

"How far did the previous expedition travel?" Ronan asked.

"Three miles beyond the boundary. They discovered several abandoned structures before encountering a creature they couldn’t identify."

"Did they fight it?"

"They attempted to drive it away. Two vampires died, and the survivors retreated."

Ronan glanced at him.

"What realm was the creature?"

"We don’t know. The survivors couldn’t determine its strength."

That answer was more interesting than Kharven probably intended.

A creature powerful enough to kill two experienced vampires wasn’t necessarily exceptional. The Abyss contained plenty of monsters capable of doing that.

What mattered was that the survivors couldn’t determine its strength.

Either the creature possessed unusual abilities, or the vampires had been too frightened to assess it properly.

Ronan hoped it was the former.

"Let’s continue."

Kharven frowned.

"You haven’t even asked whether the creature is still there."

"If it is, we’ll find out."

"And if it’s stronger than us?"

Ronan smiled.

"Then we’ll have an interesting day."

He crossed the line of stone pillars without waiting for a response.

The others exchanged glances before following him.

---

They had traveled less than a mile when Ronan noticed the first sign of movement.

Something had disturbed the ash covering the ground.

He crouched beside the tracks.

They resembled footprints, but the impressions were too deep for an ordinary creature of that size. Each step had left a narrow depression in the ground, as though whatever had passed through possessed an enormous amount of weight.

Ronan examined the direction of the tracks.

They led toward a cluster of ruined buildings.

"Something lives nearby," he said.

Kharven immediately drew his weapon.

"Stay behind us."

Ronan looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because we don’t know what we’re dealing with."

"Neither do you. That doesn’t make you more qualified to fight it."

Kharven’s expression darkened, but before he could respond, a low growl echoed from the ruins.

The ground trembled.

A creature emerged between two broken buildings.

It resembled a wolf, though its body was considerably larger than any ordinary beast. Its hide was covered in dark scales, and pale gray energy seeped from the gaps between them. Two curved horns extended from its forehead, while its eyes glowed with a dull crimson light.

The creature stopped several dozen meters away.

Ronan immediately recognized that it wasn’t an ordinary beast.

Its aura was powerful enough to make the surrounding air feel heavy.

Kharven’s expression changed.

"That’s the creature from the previous expedition."

The beast lowered its head.

Then it charged.

"Spread out!" Kharven shouted.

The three vampires scattered as the creature slammed into the ground where they had been standing. A shockwave spread through the ruins, shattering several stones and sending clouds of ash into the air.

Ronan stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the debris.

He examined the beast as it turned toward him.

Its movements were fast, but not beyond his ability to follow. More importantly, its strength appeared to be concentrated in its body rather than its energy manipulation.

That made it a suitable opponent.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

He had been looking for powerful creatures since reaching the King Realm, and this one might finally provide something worthwhile.

The beast lunged.

Ronan activated Wind Step and moved sideways, allowing its claws to pass within inches of his body. Before it could recover, he struck its flank with enough force to send it crashing into a ruined wall.

The impact shattered the remaining stones.

The creature rose almost immediately.

A thin crack had appeared across several of its scales, but the wound wasn’t deep enough to hinder it.

Ronan smiled.

Its defense was impressive.

That only made the hunt more interesting.

The beast released a deafening roar.

Gray energy surged through its body, spreading across the ground in a rapidly expanding wave.

Ronan felt the pressure before it reached him.

He jumped backward, but the energy still brushed against his legs. For an instant, his movements became heavier, as though invisible chains had wrapped around his body.

The creature seized the opportunity.

It crossed the distance in a flash and struck him with its shoulder.

Ronan was thrown through the remains of a stone wall.

He landed several meters away, his body scraping across the ground.

Kharven shouted something, but Ronan barely heard him.

His attention was fixed on the beast.

The creature’s ability interfered with movement by increasing the pressure exerted on its surroundings. It wasn’t simply strong; it could also restrict an opponent’s mobility.

A troublesome combination.

Ronan rose and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He had underestimated it.

That wouldn’t happen again.

---

The beast charged once more.

This time, Ronan didn’t attempt to dodge immediately.

He waited until the creature was close before activating Limit Break, forcing his body beyond its normal limits. His muscles tightened as his physical strength surged.

At the final moment, he shifted aside and drove his fist into the creature’s jaw.

The impact twisted its head sideways.

Before it could recover, Ronan followed with a crushing strike to its neck.

The beast stumbled.

Ronan pressed forward, using his superior combat experience to prevent it from creating distance. Each blow targeted a vulnerable point, gradually damaging the scales protecting its body.

The creature retaliated with its claws, forcing him to block and evade.

One strike tore through his shoulder.

Another grazed his ribs.

But Ronan refused to retreat.

His opponent possessed greater raw durability than he had anticipated, yet its movements had become increasingly predictable.

He waited for the beast to unleash its energy again.

The gray pressure spread across the ground.

Ronan immediately leaped onto a broken pillar, avoiding the worst of its effect. From his elevated position, he launched himself toward the creature’s head.

His fist struck directly between its horns.

The beast’s skull cracked.

It staggered, releasing a furious roar as Ronan landed beside it.

He didn’t give it time to recover.

A final strike crushed the weakened section of its skull.

The creature collapsed.

For several seconds, Ronan remained motionless, watching its body for signs of movement.

When none appeared, he finally relaxed.

The battle had been more difficult than expected, but he had won.

And more importantly, the creature’s strength suggested that it could provide something useful.

Ronan approached the corpse.

Kharven and the other vampires cautiously moved closer.

"Is it dead?" one asked.

Ronan glanced at him.

"What do you think?"

The vampire wisely decided not to answer.

Ronan placed his hand against the creature’s body.

He could feel the remaining energy within its flesh, but something about it was unusual. The gray energy had not completely disappeared with the beast’s death. Instead, faint traces continued to circulate beneath its scales.

Ronan frowned.

He had encountered something similar at Dusk Hollow.

However, the energy within the creature was much weaker than the residue left behind by the circular formation.

He decided not to investigate it yet.

First, he would see whether the beast had anything worth acquiring.

---

The familiar sensation of his system activating passed through Ronan’s mind.

He examined the available information and focused on the creature’s natural characteristics.

Its physical strength and durability were impressive, and its ability to suppress movement had clearly contributed to its combat effectiveness.

More importantly, the creature was powerful enough to provide a meaningful reward.

Ronan completed the process and felt a subtle change within himself.

A new trait had been acquired.

Gravity Affinity.

He paused.

The name immediately caught his attention.

The beast’s ability had felt like an increase in pressure, but he hadn’t expected its underlying characteristic to be associated with gravity.

He examined the trait’s effects and found that it could improve his ability to perceive and manipulate gravitational forces.

It wasn’t an overwhelming increase in power, but it was useful.

More importantly, it offered possibilities beyond simply increasing his physical strength.

Ronan smiled.

This was exactly why he hunted powerful creatures.

Every new trait expanded his options, and the right combination could prove more valuable than a straightforward increase in strength.

He wasn’t finished growing.

Not even close.

Behind him, Kharven approached the corpse.

"That creature was stronger than the beasts normally found near the outer territories," he said. "You killed it alone."

Ronan looked at him.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. I’m simply surprised."

"Then try to control your expression. It makes you look inexperienced."

Kharven’s face tightened.

Ronan ignored him and turned his attention back to the ruins.

The creature’s tracks had led directly toward the settlement, suggesting that it had been living nearby for some time.

Yet the gray energy within its body resembled the traces he had encountered at Dusk Hollow.

That raised an important question.

Had the beast always possessed this energy?

Or had something changed it?

Ronan looked toward the distant mountains.

The Ashen Reach was becoming more interesting by the minute.

He had come here expecting to investigate the disappearances and perhaps discover something powerful enough to help him grow.

Instead, he had found a creature whose characteristics offered a useful new trait, along with traces of the same unexplained energy.

He couldn’t yet determine whether the two were connected.

But he intended to find out.

Ronan glanced at the three vampires.

"Let’s keep moving."

Kharven looked toward the ruins.

"Shouldn’t we report the creature’s death first?"

"We can report it when we return. Unless you intend to remain here until another one appears."

The captain hesitated before shaking his head.

"No."

"Then move."

Ronan walked toward the mountains.

His body still ached from the fight, but the pain was manageable. He would recover as they traveled, and the new trait might prove useful against whatever awaited them deeper in the Ashen Reach.

For now, he had gained something worthwhile.

That was enough.

However, as they passed the ruined buildings, Ronan noticed something half-buried beneath the ash.

A narrow stone tablet.

Its surface was covered in the same shifting markings he had seen on the fragment recovered from Blackthorn Outpost.

He stopped.

The gray energy within the dead beast had been faint.

The energy surrounding the tablet was considerably stronger.

Ronan crouched beside it without touching the surface.

For several seconds, he studied the markings.

Then his smile disappeared.

The creature hadn’t been the only thing in the Ashen Reach carrying that strange energy.

And whatever had left the tablet behind might be far more important than the beast he had just killed.

Ronan stood and looked toward the mountains.

His hunt had only just begun.