Ever since Adam began venturing into more distant lands far beyond the Dead Lands, he had occasionally encountered creatures that far surpassed him in strength.
However, the monster standing before him now was different from Goen, Ramilo, or even Zargos.
Kaerno was not his friend, at least not yet, and his aura exerted such powerful pressure on Adam that it made his knees wobble.
"Young man..." Kaerno rasped. "I asked you a question. Or does a quick death interest you more than these lands?"
Adam had no ti to think, nor any options. If he wanted to survive, he had to comply with Kaerno’s demand.
"Adam Vinter, that is my na. As for the second question... The last person I was in contact with was Gladius, after which his monster Operator knocked out, and I woke up here!"
When Larth first heard Adam’s na, there was no reaction on his face other than confusion.
But now, his eyes widened in disbelief, and shivers ran through his body.
Unlike Adam, who had entered this world as a Phantom just under two years ago, Gladius had been on the scene much longer.
Any monster strong enough, no matter how far away its territory was, had to know about the Second Rank Phantoms. They were a force that could appear nearby at any mont and turn the territory into scorched earth if they had a reason to.
"W-What? How is that possible?" Larth muttered with difficulty.
Unlike him, Kaerno wasn’t as shocked, though what Adam said made him blink.
"Hmm, it doesn’t seem like you’re lying, Adam Vinter. Unfortunately, I don’t know your na. News of new talents rarely reaches these lands, especially at a ti like this. Everyone here is preparing for the World Wipe, but for you, life has only just begun. How ironic."
Adam gulped. He told everything exactly as it was. He saw no point in lying in front of a monster like Kaerno. The only thing he didn’t ntion was Queen Elisa’s blood.
"What now?"
Before answering, Kaerno looked around. His gaze remained serene. These lands were familiar to him, even ho, unlike the young Phantom standing before him.
"Tell , Adam Vinter. Do you know where you are? Did Gladius or Xyrea tell you where they’re sending you?"
Adam shook his head.
"No. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Gladius, but he’s not the type to answer every question. He did what he wanted."
Kaerno nodded.
"You couldn’t have put it better. I can sense your aura, Adam. It’s unstable. Are you preparing to evolve in the near future? To take the next step on the path to power?"
"Y-Yes." Adam gulped. He was afraid that Kaerno might discover Queen Elisa’s blood within his inner space.
"I see. In that case, I understand why Gladius sent you here specifically, though it was a risky decision, I won’t hide that. Here, you’ll have to beco stronger, Adam Vinter, or... you simply won’t be able to get out of here."
"Agh? Won’t I be able to leave here? What does that an?"
However, Kaerno did not continue their conversation. Instead, he turned and glanced at Larth, who had not yet risen from his knees. He was afraid of showing disrespect to Kaerno.
"Larth, Adam Vinter is now our guest. For the ti being, he will live in our pillar."
His expression showed he was surprised, but Larth didn’t dare defy Kaerno’s order.
Step.
Kaerno glared at Adam over his shoulder.
"How fast can you go?"
Adam touched the back of his neck. "Pretty fast if I use my energy."
"Good. Follow us. I’m willing to accept you into my domain, but I won’t be your babysitter."
Tremble.
Kaerno’s fra trembled as he vanished the next mont. In the blink of an eye, he was more than ten ters ahead, and his speed was only increasing.
Even for Larth, this was no easy walk, especially given his wounds. He had to grit his teeth and follow Kaerno, struggling to keep up the pace.
’Hey, doesn’t any of you want to discuss this with ?’
Adam muttered to himself before dashing forward, gradually catching up to Larth.
’Without Silvana, I feel like I’m all alone.’
Strangely enough, a displeased, rather arrogant voice imdiately echoed in his mind:
’Argh? What the hell does that an? You nearly died, and instead of thinking about a plan, you’ve decided to whine about how lonely you are?’ As always, the Silver Weaver got straight to the point.
But soon, another voice sounded in Adam’s head:
"Don’t be so harsh. Adam is actually in a difficult situation. I feel a tremor running through the Evolution Vein. I’m sure Silvana is suffering much more," Lone Blaze purred.
Adam smiled faintly. That was exactly what he needed in such a difficult mont.
’What do you think? It seems Gladius knew that instant death wasn’t waiting for here. Still... I still don’t understand what I’m supposed to do.’
The Silver Weaver nodded.
"That monster, Kaerno, he ntioned sothing called the Pit. First and foremost, you need to find out about that, as well as those flying monsters with the big amber eyes. Most likely, it was that very monster that brought Kaerno here, or at least passed the information on to him."
Lone Blaze touched her chin thoughtfully.
’His words are troubling . He said that Adam won’t be able to leave these lands unless he becos stronger, but it seems there’s so hidden aning here.’
The Silver Weaver nodded again.
’Yeah, he’s not talking about pure power, or about so monster standing in Adam’s way and not letting him return to the Citadel. There’s sothing more complicated here.’
A few monts later, Adam took a deep breath, recalling everything that had happened to him over the past few minutes.
The flying monster, the bull with the bone mask, the serpent, and the monsters that were so focused on the upcoming trial, they didn’t even notice him.
’There are so many things here I’ve never seen before. Well, we have no choice but to keep going, right?’
The Silver Weaver and Lone Blaze smiled.
’Sure, keep moving forward until you win.’
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