Chapter 219: When Staring Contests Go Too Far
We stepped out of the house, the air outside cool and still. After everything we’d learned, it was time to regroup with Ana and tell her what we’d pulled out of Marcus.
I turned to Steve and said, “Here.”
I handed him the ring containing the captured Abomination.
He took it, raising an eyebrow. “What’s this?”
“I caught some Abominations for you,” I said. “Figured you could use it to level up.”
He stared at the ring for a second, then sighed. “I’ll take it… but I don’t like how thoughtful this is. Makes me uncomfortable.”
I chuckled. “I’ll be sure to never do it again.”
Steve nodded, though his face stayed serious. I nudged him lightly and grinned.
“So, how’s Ana? You like her?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Who wouldn’t? She’s gorgeous, sounds like an angel, and she’s a Feran. Kinda hard not to.”
I nodded. “Fair point.”
He gave me a casual wave. “Alright, I’ll go deal with this thing. You go talk to Ana.”
“Got it.”
We split paths, and I started walking toward the house she was staying in, already thinking about how I’d break the news to her.
I found Ana in her house, sitting on the wooden bench with a small knife in hand, cutting slices of a bright orange fruit. Her black hair was tied up loosely, and her white wings were folded neatly behind her. The room smelled sweet from the fruit and calm from her presence.
She looked up and smiled when she saw me. “Hey. Done torturing?”
I gave a tired grin and walked in. “Yeah. We got what we needed.”
She placed a piece of fruit in her mouth, chewed slowly, and tilted her head. “And?”
I sat across from her and spoke calmly. “The Ferans. They’re alive. But they’re being kept in a secure facility inside the prison—one that can only be accessed using special tokens. Only a few people have them. One of them is Grandmaster Hugh.”
Her smile vanished. “So they really are inside…”
“There’s more,” I said. “They’re running experiments. Trying to find a way to use Ferans to control the Abominations.”
Ana’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Apparently Ferans are evolved forms of beasts that turn into Abominations. So, the Holts and whoever’s working with them believe there’s a link, something they can exploit.”
She placed the knife down and stared at the table. Her voice was quiet. “I’ve heard rumors. In other worlds where Ferans aren’t strong, they’re treated like property. Slaves. Some rulers even tried experimenting with their bloodlines to control monsters or awaken blood powers. But this… using us to control Abominations?”
“It’s not just rumors now.”
She let out a long breath and met my eyes. “What’s your plan?”
“I’ll level up,” I said. “Find more Holts, kill them, and push past Level 100. Once I do, I’ll head for the ruins.”
Her expression hardened, but there was resolve in her voice. “Then I’m coming too. I need to hit Level 100. I’ve been stuck at 93 for a while now.”
I nodded. “Good. Once we both hit 100, we go together. The ruins might give us answers to awaken the guardian.”
Ana nodded and leaned back. “Alright. But how exactly do you plan on reaching the ruins? I’ve seen them—floating miles above the trees. There’s no path up.”
I smirked. “That’s a secret.”
She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Oh really?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow. Be ready by sunrise.”
She picked up another fruit slice and popped it into her mouth. “I will be.”
We didn’t say much after that. Just sat in silence for a while watching her wings shift slightly with every breath, her eyes focused on the fruit but clearly lost in thought.
I sat in silence, my thoughts spiraling in too many directions.
The idea of freeing the prisoners gnawed at me. If we wanted a full-scale war against the Holts, we’d need numbers and right now, we were just a handful of beasts, humans and a single Feran hiding in the shadows.
Even if we managed to awaken the Guardian Beast, it still wouldn’t be enough. The Holts had Grandmasters, Abominations under watch, and this entire realm as their playground.
No matter how strong I became, we’d be crushed if we faced them head-on without a real army.
Then there was the matter of the escape. We’d need to secure the portal room, that much was clear.
But Hugh’s portable teleportation device worried me even more. If he used that to bring us in, what else could he do with it? Could he flee with key prisoners? Reinforce from other worlds? Or worse—destroy it to trap us here?
And above all, there were the Contractors. I still didn’t know who they really were or what their endgame looked like. But one thing was obvious, they weren’t just bystanders. Would they let us unravel everything they’d worked for? Or would they step in when we got too close to the truth?
Too many unknowns. Too many pieces on the board I couldn’t see clearly yet.
I let out a long breath and stood up. I gave Ana a nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She smiled gently, sensing the weight on my mind but not pressing. I stepped out and made my way to the temple, hoping the stillness there might help me think.
I sat down on the temple steps, stretching my legs out and leaning back on my hands. My mind buzzed with plans and risks and worst-case scenarios. I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing my thoughts to slow down.
When I opened them, I noticed movement near Ana’s house.
The King Ape was sitting cross-legged in the grass, a massive fruit in one hand. He tore off a chunk with his teeth and chewed lazily, his large eyes fixed on me.
We stared at each other.
He didn’t blink. Just shoved another exaggerated slice into his mouth, chewing slowly, dramatically—as if mocking me.
The air grew unnaturally still.
Our eyes locked, unblinking. The faint sounds of rustling leaves and flowing wind fell silent, as if the realm itself sensed what was about to happen.
Then, with no warning, our auras surged.
A wave of pressure burst out from me, crackling with invisible threads of control as my Essence stirred.
Across the field, the King Ape let out a low grunt, and an oppressive wave of bestial power exploded outward from him like a rising storm. The ground trembled slightly beneath the weight of our clashing wills.
The air between us shimmered, bent by the sheer force of our presence.
And then we moved.
In a blur, we both launched forward—feet cracking the earth, bodies blurring into motion. Our fists met mid-air with a thunderous boom, a shockwave rippling out from the collision point and scattering the nearby grass and leaves like a sudden gale.
Our feet skidded back slightly from the recoil. The King Ape bared his fangs, chest rumbling with excitement.
A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.
I activated [Psynapse Overdrive].
A sharp hum echoed in my ears as my perception expanded, my will flooding into the world like a tide. The particles around me bent to my command, sharpening my awareness, tightening my control.
Essence coursed through my limbs like fire.
The ape tensed, sensing the shift.
We clashed again—faster, harder. Our forms blurred as we met in the air once more, fists crossing paths in a flurry of motion too fast for normal eyes to follow. Each strike cracked the air like thunder. His brute force met my refined precision head-on.
Boom!!
Boom!!
Boom!!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!