The Azure Wolf King appeared. It now had only one eye, its body covered in scars. It hadn't been like this before, but its battle against the sky and the earth had left it in this state.
Suddenly, Gene yelled at Clark, "You fool! Your reckless killing intent attracted it! It sensed it and came to fight us!"
Clark laughed. "Ke ke ke ke ke."
"What's so funny,you idiot?"
"What amuses me is that it didn't come to kill us.It's the Guardian of the Legacy. So naturally, it didn't know about us. It
thought we were intruders. Look at it; it still hasn't attacked us."
The wolf approached them slowly. It stood before Clark. Clark raised his hand, and the wolf sniffed it. It began to smell Clark's hand. Soon, it rubbed its face against Clark's stomach.
The wolf shrank in size, becoming normal-sized. Clark laughed and said, "You see? In the end, it was the Venerable One's pet. Naturally, it won't attack us."
Gene replied, "So, are you thinking what I'm thinking? He he he he."
Clark turned to him."You mean we kill it
to gain levels?"
"Of course!It would raise our levels insanely!"
Clark replied,"And what if I don't want to kill it?"
Their gazes at each other were cold.
"So,weakness and softness have entered your heart?"
"Of course not!But this wolf can fly and fought a calamity of the sky and earth. So why shouldn't I make use of it? You're right, we could kill it, but its value alive is greater than dead. Don't think I'm soft and oppose its death."
Clark turned to Gene, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. He continued, "Because if I needed to kill it and gain levels, I wouldn't hesitate for a single moment!"
"Fine,your words are very reasonable. I won't oppose."
Soon, he stood before the stone shelf. Clark asked, "What do you want to do? Don't tell me you want to...!!"
Gene opened one of the shelves and found a new technique, a refinement technique called "Corrupted Saint's Refinement."
A saint can refine life and light energy, but a Corrupted Saint can combine them, extract malice, and implant it in his heart to deepen his power.
It was a bad technique because it takes the souls of the dead, and those souls grow more resentful because, naturally, those dead souls also dwell within your spirit, poisoning it with rot.
But the Venerable One found a solution and created a method to seal the mana and aura heart, allowing one to refine without fear.
Gene laughed loudly. Clark looked at him in bewilderment. "What did this madman find?"
Gene spoke, "I'll be gone for a while. You stay with the furball beside you."
Anger filled Clark's heart, laced with hatred. "What is with this bastard's luck? Every time I think I've caught up, he immediately finds something new!"
Fear seeped into his heart. He thought about strangling the wolf and gaining the levels—a murderous intent. The wolf tried to rub its head against Clark's forehead to soothe... his sadness? Clark's anger surged; he wanted to strangle it.
He thought to himself, "Do you think you can defeat me with emotions? You're just an animal! A damned animal formed in the Venerable One's subconscious! Who do you think you are to make me emotional?!"
Clark moved away from it and went back to the stone shelf. The wolf followed him, but this time, the wolf returned to its massive azure form.
A blade of flame formed, shaped into runic letters. Clark didn't understand their meaning, but he knew it was a runic enchantment. "This wolf is truly special, it's even proficient in magic!"
The shelves split apart as if forming a door, creating a path. Clark entered, but the door swiftly closed behind him—even the wolf didn't enter.
The path was extremely long, insanely so. There was no light, not even a light at the end of the path. Just nothingness, pure void.
Numerous thoughts began to invade Clark's mind: death, life, envy, wrath. All these thoughts rushed into his mind like knives!!! Stabbing into old wounds.
Suddenly, a mirror appeared before Clark. Gene was reflected in it. "You can't compete with me. You hide your weakness in your words, but deep in your soul, you're afraid. Despite your denial, you see yourself as beneath me. Even the Legacy favored me over you. You fear death, of course. You walk a path paved with death, traps set by enemies; you might make the whole world your foe, but in the end, you dread death."
Gene laughed. Clark's eyes widened as if Gene had uncovered a truth buried deep in his heart.
But Clark laughed with a terrifying sound, his maniacal laughter filling the entire tunnel. He said, "Yes, it's true. I'm a coward, afraid, I dread death, just as you said. But I am still made of steel; I do not break. Don't think you can shatter my will. Yes, I have flaws, but I will purify them and walk the path of uniqueness and success. You are a blue dragon, Gene, but I am a phoenix, reborn from my ashes. Also, you are not the real Gene; you are merely an illusion!"
Suddenly, Clark lunged forward with a powerful punch, shattering the mirror. He kept walking and walking, into infinity.
Outside, a week passed. Gene was still training, and Clark was still walking.
Clark described his state in the tunnel: "I'm still walking. I've stopped counting time and minutes. I'm terribly hungry, thirsting for blood. Barren emotions still invade my heart. Overthinking tries to break my will, but I keep struggling, walking and walking on a march whose end I do not know."
Suddenly, someone's scream—majestic and terrifying, yet feminine. The ground shook beneath Clark's feet. He trembled in terrified fear. He felt his body paralyzed in place, unwilling to move. His body shook with terrifying intensity. Clark was afraid.
The ground beneath him began to break apart. Soon, a vast and majestic space formed below him, above him, everywhere. A space covered in stars. Those stars formed into a giant mirror.
But it took the form of a beautiful human woman, her beauty so supernatural it captivated even Clark's eyes—all that remained in his heart after that ordeal was perseverance.
Under her mouth was a small, beautiful mole. Her eyes were blue. She wore a small veil covering her mouth, studded and shining, its pattern resembling stars. Her clothes were white, her hair tinged with blue.
This mirror-being approached Clark, speaking to him, but his body was paralyzed. She said, "Ah, sorry. It seems the pressure of my presence has affected you."
She lessened her power so Clark could move. Instantly, he grabbed her by the throat, attempting to kill her. He threw her to the ground, laughing. "Ke ke ke! You fool! Do you think your beautiful appearance will seduce me? It seems the Venerable One was a pervert!" (Clark thought she was part of the test; it didn't occur to him that the real Constellation of Stars had managed to invade the Venerable One's subconscious.)
The Constellation of Stars looked at him with a slight smile. Suddenly, Clark was submerged. He felt his soul torn from his body, experiencing a fall from a thousand meters high, crashing back into his body a thousand times over. He felt immense pressure on his soul and shouted, "Stop!"
The Constellation spoke, "So, you will let me speak?"
Clark didn't answer,remaining silent.
"Then I will take silence as agreement.I'll say this for your benefit: Just leave. You have endured the unbearable. Free yourself from this stubborn desire. You have suffered enough in your heart and soul."
He asked, "What do you mean? You definitely know something suspicious!"
"I know something...You are still as you are."
She put her hand to her mouth,feeling she had said something she shouldn't have.
Clark yelled, "What did you say, woman? Repeat what you said!"
Clark felt he was close to the truth,but she remained silent.
She spoke again, "You only torture yourself. This path of yours is fraught with danger, like those who came before you. Do you want to end up like them?"
Clark replied decisively, "And what business is it of yours, woman? Women think that by the length of their feelings, they can understand what's in a man's heart! You will remain a female who raises children and beds men—that is your destiny! Don't think you're special enough to give me a polished lecture!"
The Constellation of Stars replied coldly, "You are harsh. Why do you refuse my kindness? I can help you. Just put your hand in mine, and you will be free."
He felt tempted by her words. He reached out his hand, but then suddenly pushed her away with force. "Ke ke ke! You fool! Did you think you could ensnare me now? Get lost from here! I will continue my journey!"
The Constellation of Stars spoke, a tear falling from her eye. "You would refuse my kindness to you? I only wanted to help..."
Clark screamed, unable to hear her, as if something was blocking his hearing.
Several alerts appeared: "Someone is trying to breach the system! Protocol One: Protection!"
A bright light flashed in Clark's face, returning him to the tunnel. But then, something strange happened...
To be continued....