Time passed like that, and soon the academy resumed again. But for Ash, it held no importance because his path was already set on a different journey.
He felt heavy in his heart about leaving Elysia behind, but in the end, he forced himself to accept it. It was like pressing a boulder onto his chest and deciding to carry it no matter how much it weighed him down.
His Primordial Serpent, Snow was already crossing the ocean on his behalf, so he could not simply call her back just to stay by Elysia’s side.
He needed to gather the remaining runes as soon as possible. For reasons he could not explain, an unsettling instinct told him that something terrible was approaching.
The world itself was being pushed in a direction far different from what was written, and no one could guess what awaited them now. This unknown future pressed against him like a storm, making the urgency to act even greater.
Still, he had prepared what little he could for Elysia. He had left her his anchor and a ring, a small artifact designed for her safety. The ring’s function was simple but powerful.
Should Elysia’s mana fall drastically or her life be placed in danger, the artifact would shatter its enchantment, becoming nothing more than an ordinary ring.
The moment that happened, Ash would sense it and be able to rush back to her side instantly. It was only a fragile thread of protection, but enough to give him a little peace of mind.
Among the runes, the one hidden within the Neutral Continent was the most crucial. Obtaining it would trigger a chain reaction that would make finding the others far easier.
The rune in the dwarven continent was different, however. Even though Ash knew exactly how it looked, finding such a small object in such a vast land was a challenge without any method to confirm it would be like looking for a needle buried under a chaff.
The rune hidden in the deep sea was even worse.
Ash had no knowledge of its location, since in the novel it had only surfaced after the world had already collapsed.
To search for it blindly would be impossible. That was why the rune of the Neutral Continent was so important—it was the key to everything else.
With these thoughts weighing on him, Ash boarded a train bound for the border of the human continent, the very place connected directly to the Neutral Continent. The trip took two days.
He could have used teleportation repeatedly to shorten the trip, but he chose not to. For once, he simply wished to travel by train, to experience the stillness of the ride before plunging into what awaited him.
When the train finally stopped and he stepped out of the station, his figure flickered and vanished.
.....high in the sky, Ash appeared again, his gaze already fixed toward the Neutral Continent as he flew swiftly in its direction.
It did not take long before he came upon the colossal wall that separated the two lands. Stretching endlessly across the horizon, it was not just a border but a defense built to withstand calamity.
The Neutral Continent was no ordinary place. Even before the birth of dungeons, it was already called a Death Zone.
From above, Ash could see why. The land below was wild and merciless. Thick forests stretched endlessly, their canopies twisted and dark.
Mountains rose like jagged teeth, and rivers cut across the land with violent force, their waters too dark to reflect the sky. Every shadow seemed alive, and even from the air, Ash could sense the weight of countless eyes watching him.
This was a land of beasts, a place where survival itself was a war. Countless times in history, monster hordes had poured from this continent, crashing into the walls like waves against stone, testing the limits of mankind’s defense.
Those were stories of the past, but as Ash crossed over the wall and entered the land, he could feel the truth of them lingering in every breath of air.
Crossing the Great Wall and the border, Ash teleported as deep as he could into the wild, and after a certain point, he finally stopped, appearing in a small clearing surrounded by trees.
The trees of the Neutral Continent were large. They were not as towering as the ones in the elf’s territory, but compared to the human continent, these still grew taller, thicker, and spread their roots wider, giving the whole forest a wild and untamed feeling.
Alright, now I just need to cross the bottomless valley to reach my goal, but before that..... shouldn’t I stretch my body a little...
For the past months, although he had fought some roaming monsters and cleared a few low-ranked dungeons, he had not faced anything that could truly challenge him.
His body had been restless, and now, standing in the Neutral Continent, he could feel it stirring with anticipation.
Here, there were bound to be monsters worth fighting, high-ranked dungeons waiting to be cleared, and countless broken dungeons spread across the land.
Of course, most of these so-called unclaimed dungeons were already in the hands of criminals and shady organizations. They thrived in this continent, hidden away from normal sight, using these dungeons as a constant source of growth and power.
"It has been a while... let’s stretch some muscles, shall we," Ash muttered quietly, a small smile forming on his lips.
He already knew where to head. The Neutral Continent was cut diagonally by a massive valley, stretching like a scar across its length. No matter which direction one started from, walking straight would eventually lead to it. His destination lay beyond that endless valley, so it did not matter where he began, as long as he moved forward.
"And wasn’t the base of the demonic humans and demons located in the Neutral Continent too..... I should deal with them after I take the rune," Ash said to himself as his gaze sharpened.
Dressed in simple clothing, a comfortable pair of lowers and a loose black shirt, he stepped deeper into the forest. His casual walk slowly shifted into a jog, then into a faster run, and soon it turned into a full sprint.
Ash darted through the forest like a streak of white, weaving smoothly between the thick trunks. With his recent advancement to the first stage of weapon mastery and the control over his body he had gained, his movements had grown sharper, almost like a dance. He could shift direction at even the sharpest of angles without losing momentum, and that alone thrilled him.
Teleporting was efficient, but running... running was something else entirely.
The wind brushed against his face, cool and sharp, while the world around him blurred into streaks of green and brown. His blood rushed with excitement, his heart pumping harder with every step. The forest bent before his speed, yet in that rush, he felt a strange calm, as if everything else was moving slowly while he alone raced forward.
This feeling... this is freedom.
Just as he was enjoying that rhythm, something suddenly changed. The forest around him warped, and the flow of air grew heavy. His speed faltered little by little, and before he realized it, he was forced to stop in place.
Ash narrowed his eyes as the surroundings grew unnaturally quiet.
A dungeon break.....
Of course, the dungeon break had not happened recently, which was clear from the state of the surroundings.
The land had blended itself with the forest over time, the scar hidden beneath the growth of trees, shrubs, and creeping vines.
Even in the areas where the earth was unnaturally altered, fresh greenery had spread across it. It was proof that a very long time had passed since this break.
The soil here was darker, not the deep black, but a heavy shade of brown that stood out against the normal earth. What stood out even more was the grass and plants within the area, all of them carrying an eerie shade of blue instead of green.
Ash extended his will outward. He did not possess any true sensing ability. Omni Thought heightened his body and sharpened his vision, but it was not the same as an actual sensing skill.
Still, his will had always been sharp, able to stretch and feel the world beyond his eyes. Yet even with that reach, he sensed nothing unusual nearby. The forest remained calm, the faint chirp of distant birds and the sway of branches being the only sounds to answer him.
He continued moving deeper into the woods. After some distance, the soft rustle of leaves broke the silence.
Eclipse was already in his hand, the sheath resting lightly at his waist. Ash straightened his body, his stance calm and steady, like a sword waiting to be drawn.
He was trying to take things step by step, increasing his pace slowly rather than rushing forward blindly, so for now, he chose to remain still.
He let his will stretch again, focused carefully on the bushes where the sound had come from.
And soon, the full image of the creature formed in his mind.
It was a strange fusion of bird and dragon. Its head was that of a rooster, complete with a sharp beak, a bright red comb rising proudly from its crown, and fleshy wattles swaying beneath its chin. Its eyes gleamed with a piercing light, filled with a sharpness that gave it an almost predatory expression.
The body beneath that head was encased in hard, blue-gray scales that glimmered faintly like tempered metal. From its back spread wide, leathery wings, their stretched membranes and twisted veins clear even in the dim light filtering through the trees.
Its front limbs were thick, ending in long claws that curved like blades, while its hind legs resembled those of a rooster, strong and scaly, the talons gripping the ground with unnatural strength. A long, snake-like tail stretched out behind it, coiled in movement, its length covered in scales patterned with darker stripes.
At the very tip, a stiff fan of feathers jutted outward, sharp and jagged, giving the tail a strange, menacing finish.
The odd mix of bird and dragon gave the beast a shape that was both unnatural and striking, as though it did not belong to the forest, nor to the world itself.
Its size too, made it more unsettling, standing tall like an ostrich from his previous life, though it was crouching right now.
As if trying to ambush him.
What the hell is that..?
***
One today, three tomorrow.