If Rey wanted the Specter Bead and a chance to master Dark Magic, he had to handle this himself. So, after a brief exchange of "be careful," Rey and Terence went their separate ways.
The Specter Bead was a soul-based object. Once the Guide Spirit's main body was defeated, the bead would automatically bond to the victor, embedding itself into the wizard's soul.
A wizard could only possess one Specter Bead in their lifetime. Its function was to stabilize the mind and absorb the negative emotions and malice generated by using Dark Magic.
"What kind of Specter Bead would a Dragon Soul produce?"
Rey pondered this as he walked.
There were very few true Dark Wizards in the magical world. Salazar Slytherin was one of them, and he likely possessed a Specter Bead. Unfortunately, Rey hadn't been given a chance to ask him about it.
Lost in thought, Rey walked slowly.
However, the clinging little chubby dragon at his feet wasn't happy with the pace. Its toothless mouth gummed aggressively at Rey's pant leg, correcting his course whenever he strayed in the wrong direction.
Terence had said that the Guide Spirit was a reflection of the main body. If Rey could study it carefully, maybe he could find the main body's weakness and use it to defeat the beast.
"Study... study!"
Rey muttered, stopping in his tracks to look down at the little dragon tugging at his pants.
After a futile round of biting and pulling, the little guy finally sensed something was wrong. It looked up, its big, adorable eyes trying to figure out why the human had stopped moving.
Just as it looked up, Rey bent down, grabbed its legs, and lifted it to eye level.
The chubby dragon was light, weighing about as much as a small puppy. Its eyes darted around in panic, avoiding Rey's gaze. At this size, no matter how much it struggled in Rey's hands, it was useless.
Big eyes, chubby body, toothless fleshy mouth. No matter how you looked at it, this creature evolved purely to be cute.
Rey simply couldn't imagine how terrifying its main body must be to compensate for this level of cuteness.
After a long silence, staring into the creature's eyes, Rey finally sighed. "I still can't figure out its specific weakness!"
---
Small size meant the main body should be huge.
The cuter it was now, the more vicious and evil the main body would be.
Big eyes meant the main body probably had beady slits for eyes.
Short legs meant the main body likely had long, powerful limbs.
Based on the principle that the Guide Spirit is the opposite of the main body, Rey concluded that he had zero chance of winning. He was going to die a miserable death.
While Rey dawdled, reluctant to follow the chubby dragon to his doom, a solid female ghost walked toward the entrance of the Valley of Evil Spirits from a distant pile of rocks.
If not for the faint spectral glow radiating from her as she moved, no one would have guessed she was a ghost of this valley.
She wore a tattered black cloak, but the hood was down, revealing her flowing black hair and breathtakingly beautiful face.
With every step, the tattered cloak shifted, revealing glimpses of her heaving chest and long, sexy legs, instantly igniting endless fantasies in any man who saw her.
Her exquisite face usually wore a charming smile. But upon reaching the valley entrance, her brows furrowed in displeasure.
As a resident ghost of the valley, she sensed that two wizards seeking Specter Beads had entered not long ago. Before she arrived, one had already chosen a Guide Spirit, so there should be one left.
The remaining one suited her tastes perfectly. Judging by his soul signature, he seemed to be a mature man.
Now that she had arrived, all other ghosts naturally stepped aside to wait.
She was the queen of the Valley of Evil Spirits. The remaining wizard was her prey, and no other evil spirit dared to touch what was hers.
Countless wizards seeking Specter Beads had died at her hands. Even among evil spirits, her kill count was legendary.
After so many years of silence in the valley, she finally had a new toy. But to her surprise, when her avatar arrived, there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Where did he go?"
The female ghost shouted, her voice shaking the entire entrance of the valley. Dust fell from the sky, a testament to her rage.
The human was definitely still in the valley. Although she couldn't pinpoint his exact location, she was certain he hadn't left.
With an angry flick of her scant cloak, the female ghost rose three feet into the air and drifted swiftly away from the entrance, presumably to hunt down the wizard who rightfully belonged to her.
---
The burning twilight sky was a permanent fixture in the Valley of Evil Spirits.
Rey felt like he was walking through a lifeless desert. Luckily, he didn't feel tired or thirsty.
But the little guy under his feet kept bouncing around, urging him on. It was annoying. Rey had the urge to kick it into the stratosphere. But remembering how ferocious its main body must be, he suppressed the thought.
He had to get the Specter Bead. From the moment he entered this place, there was no turning back.
Either get the bead and leave smoothly, or be killed by the evil spirit's main body and have his soul devoured. Or, wander this wasteland forever, avoiding the confrontation until he eventually became just another ghost in the valley.
The Valley of Evil Spirits was full of ghosts; Rey had seen plenty along the way. But without exception, every ghost that saw him—or rather, saw his companion—widened its eyes in terror and fled instantly.
The ghosts were scared. Rey could see it in their eyes.
"They're probably not scared of me," Rey muttered.
He looked down at the little guy on the ground. It was obvious. Those evil spirits were terrified of this vicious, cute-acting monster.
"Sigh. If even the evil spirits are this scared, just how terrifying is this little guy's main body?"
Rey wanted to cry but had no tears. He let out a loud roar of frustration, then grabbed the little guy, plopped it onto his shoulder, and strode forward.
If he was going to die, he might as well die fast! He couldn't find a weakness in this selling-cute dragon anyway.
Better to get it over with than to drag out the fear.
"Show me the way! Which direction? I'm being proactive here, so when you eat me later, make it quick, alright?" Rey tilted his head, staring at the chubby dragon on his shoulder with the air of a martyr marching to his death.
Whether it was scared or understood Rey's meaning, the chubby dragon's big eyes welled up with tears. After a moment, it pointed its short little wing toward a high ridge to the front left.
"Fine. Today, I grant your wish." Rey adopted a fatalistic attitude. Once a person stops caring about consequences, they become either a madman or a hero.
"It's just a dragon, right? I'll slay it."
---
"AHHHHHHH..."
A loud roar echoed across the desolate, Gobi-like landscape of the valley.
The sound carried far, and its direction was roughly discernable. The Valley of Evil Spirits was vast, but sound traveled well here.
Terence heard it. The Guide Spirit beside him heard it too. Terence had arrived at a scorched forest—his Guide Spirit's territory. Once he entered and killed the main body, the Specter Bead would be his.
Looking in the direction of the roar, Terence sighed. He actually sympathized with Rey. But mostly, he was just glad he had chosen first. Otherwise, he would be the one following that dragon right now.
"Good luck!"
Terence offered a pitying aristocratic blessing in Rey's direction, then resolutely stepped into the forest.
As soon as he entered, the Guide Spirit beside him vanished. Terence knew the main body must be within a hundred meters; otherwise, the Guide wouldn't disappear.
Ten meters in, the rotting leaves on the forest floor parted automatically, forming a path.
At the end of the path stood a woman.
Her figure was very similar to the Guide Spirit's, dressed in a form-fitting plain dress. However, she didn't look like a ghost now; she looked like a flesh-and-blood human.
Her face wasn't ugly; in fact, she was smiling. She beckoned slowly to Terence. Maintaining his noble demeanor, Terence approached the sudden lady.
In the clearing beside her, dead leaves gathered and instantly formed a carriage drawn by two horses.
The elegant Terence seemed captivated by the beauty before him. His eyes saw only her.
He walked up to the lady, took her raised right hand in his left, and bowed to kiss her hand.
The lady smiled brightly, as if she and Terence were lovers reuniting.
The wind rustled, leaves danced in the air. The lady turned, and Terence stood by the carriage, holding her hand to help her inside.
But in that instant, the scene twisted. Terence's right hand suddenly drew the rapier at his waist and, with lightning speed, thrust it into the lady's body.
Throughout the entire process, Terence maintained his aristocratic elegance and a relaxed smile. Skewering the woman with his sword didn't disturb his grace in the slightest.
"Waaaah..."
A hysterical cry erupted from the lady's mouth. She looked down at the sword piercing her body, clearly unable to believe this was happening.
With a flick of his wrist, Terence twisted the blade. The woman roared at him in despair, "You lied to me! You lied to me! I curse you! I curse you to kill the woman you love most!"
"Hahahaha..."
The lady screamed her curse, and amidst terrifying, maniacal laughter, she dissolved into a sinister wind.
The wind blew through Terence's body. In the process, a transparent Specter Bead the size of a thumb formed in the air.
This bead, which contained a faint swirl of grey inside, flew into Terence's forehead after the female ghost completely dissipated.
---