Emma shook her head frantically. "No, that's not it at all. But you're attempting sothing that even our fathers and forefathers never accomplished, and they're considered the peak of human achievent..."
Her voice trailed off as the true magnitude of what Alaric was proposing began to take flesh in her brain. He wasn't just trying to advance through existing pathways—he was attempting to pioneer an entirely new thod of spiritual advancent, one that might fundantally change how power was acquired and wielded in the entire world if he succeeded
The risks were beyond calculation, but so were the potential rewards.
And despite her terror for his safety, Emma couldn't deny that if anyone had the capability to attempt such an impossible feat, it would be Alaric.
"Fine!" She let out a shaky breath in exasperation before gently grabbing his hand and staring deep into his eyes with intense emotion. "If you dare to die on ... I will kill you."
Alaric's expression softened as a warm smile ford on his face. "Wouldn't I already be dead by then?"
"Shut up, you fool," she muttered, her eyes glistening softly as their gazes remained locked. "I'll kill you a second ti, in a second life."
The mont beca tense almost imdiately, as silence stretched between them. Slowly, Alaric's face began moving gently closer to Emma's.
Emma's heart started pounding so violently in her chest she was certain it might break through her ribs. 'Finally! This dense idiot finally got the hint! He's actually making the first move!' she scread internally, closing her eyes in anticipation of the kiss she'd been waiting for—
Seconds passed, but Emma's lips remained disappointingly alone.
Frustrated and confused, she opened her eyes to see what Alaric was doing instead of kissing her in such a mont.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded, her voice rising in pitch as she stared at Alaric, who was now holding a small leaf in his hands.
"You had this stuck in your hair, so I carefully removed it for you," Alaric replied innocently, blinking in confusion at her reaction.
"You...!" Emma gritted her teeth in pure exasperation before delivering a solid kick to his backside, propelling him forward several steps. "Get your dense butt into that river right now, and don't let see your face again without significant improvent! Do you understand ?!"
Alaric, now positioned a few steps ahead thanks to the kick, looked back at her with total bewildernt. "What did I d—"
"You an what you did not do!" Emma shouted, marching over to open the sealed gate herself. "I'M ENTERING FIRST! YOU CAN CHICKEN OUT ALL YOU WANT, YOU OBLIVIOUS FOOL!"
With that declaration, she stord into the chamber. The mont she crossed the threshold, her surroundings imdiately shifted as her body was transported to an unknown location in an unknown part of the spiritual realm.
The massive gate began slowly closing behind her.
Before it could seal completely, Alaric stepped forward and entered as well, his body vanishing just like Emma's had monts before.
When Alaric's vision cleared and his surroundings returned, he found himself standing beside the very familiar river that flowed endlessly through the void. The mystical river continued its long stream toward a destination that could sohow be perceived yet never fully comprehended.
Alaric took a deep breath to center himself and achieve the proper mindset for what he was about to attempt.
He began walking down the established path, following the route he'd traveled before until he reached his previous milestone—the furthest point of advancent he'd achieved.
Once he arrived at that point, Alaric stopped following the predetermined route entirely. Instead, he turned slightly away from its direction and began the terrifying process of carving out his own path through the spiritual void.
Although he was ambitious and determined to create an independent route to power, Alaric wasn't foolish enough to steer significantly away from the established path imdiately. Such recklessness would indeed be suicide by any reasonable mind.
Even deviating by a few inches from the proven route was considered practically impossible by experts and his own experience. Attempting an entirely new path from scratch would be beyond madness.
'Slowly but surely, I'll steer away from this predetermined route, Baby steps are crucial at this stage. I cannot bite off more than I can chew, no matter how ambitious my ultimate goals might be.'
With an unbroken mind guiding him, Alaric began the painstaking process of trying to walk away from the established path. His spiritual aura flared around him as he pushed against forces that seed designed to keep him contained within its boundaries.
Every step away from convention was a battle against the system.
But Alaric had never been one to accept limitations simply because others deed them insurmountable.
With gritted teeth, and blazing eyes he marched forward, attempting sothing that very few ever thought of, and even fewer dared to do.
♢♢♢♢
It had been a full week since Moon departed from the Jeju Swamp.
During that period, Moon had maintained an unyielding focus on his advancent goals. He rested little, fought hard, and pushed both himself and his Direhorse to their limits. The poor creature was being worked like an absolute beast, struggling to match the demanding pace Moon required for his ambitious hunting schedule.
However, Moon wasn't cruel to the animal despite his urgency. He consistently provided it with high-quality food, stamina restoration potions, and regular healing to maintain its health and endurance. With this careful maintenance, the Direhorse was sowhat able to keep pace with his demanding rider.
'I could have traveled to more locations and killed significantly more beast if Mirage was my ride,' Moon thought, shaking his head wryly. 'But unfortunately, he's still deep in his slumber.'
His companion was taking considerably longer to complete his transformation than Moon had initially expected. While this extended absence was sowhat disheartening from one perspective, it also generated trendous excitent about what kind of remarkable evolution Mirage was undergoing.
The longer the process continued, the more powerful the changes were likely to be when he finally erged from his state.
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