Sierra hesitated at the edge, her eyes searching mine one last time as if trying to confirm whether I truly meant what I said. I didn’t waver. My gaze remained steady, firm enough to answer the doubt she couldn’t put into words.She turned her head slowly and looked down into the bottomless cliff. The darkness below swallowed everything, leaving no sense of depth or distance. Her fingers tightened around her staff as I spoke quietly.“Don’t stop mid-air.”She inhaled deeply, steadying herself.“For the feathers that are to fall…”Her staff rose high as the transparent crystal atop it glowed, green mana swirling within. The energy responded to her call immediately.“…provide guidance and listen to the call—Levito.”The moment her chant finished, green mana erupted behind her. The backless robe revealed her toned back as particles of energy gathered and took shape. First, faint outlines of feathers formed, flickering like unstable fragments of light. Then, in an instant, two fully grown

We moved deeper toward the eastern stretch of northern Naturia, the forest slowly swallowing us whole with every step forward.Life was everywhere, not loud or chaotic, but present in a way that made the air feel heavier.The deeper we went, the more the forest changed. It no longer felt like an ordinary forest—it felt like something closer to a tropical rainforest, dense and layered, breathing in slow, humid rhythms.Colonies of ants marched across the forest floor in organized lines. Their bodies shimmered in vibrant greens, glowing faintly through translucent exoskeletons as they carried leaves twice their size above their heads. Each step they took left behind a faint pulse of mana.Higher up, massive beetles clung to tree trunks, their shells painted in patterns of sky blue and white. Their eyes followed us silently as we passed, never blinking, never looking away.Watching.Always watching.After a while, Sierra suddenly crouched to the right, her curiosity flaring again. Her ey

The tree houses loomed above us as Lilia and I moved through the clearing of the Aslucian territory, our steps quick, almost impatient as the urgency of Sierra’s situation pushed me forward.My mind was still spiraling from the effects of their food.Every bite had forced growth into my body at a rate that felt unnatural. Unlike evolution fruits that gave one level at a time, this… this was different. It stacked. It surged. It didn’t wait for the body to settle before pushing further.Even now, I could feel Helis circulating inside me more aggressively than before, sharper, denser, almost as if it had gained a will of its own.But none of that mattered.Sierra did.My steps almost turned into a run before Lilia’s voice came from behind me, calm and steady as always.“There is no need to rush, my lord. Without your presence, the trial will not begin.”My ears twitched at her words as a breath of relief escaped me.At least she was still alive.And that was enough to slow my steps.As m

[King’s Bedroom, Capital Bearda]Dargon sat by his study desk near the royal bed, the quill in his hand moving at a steady pace over a blank page. The scratching sound of ink against parchment filled the quiet chamber as the silver gleam of the moon poured in through the open window opposite the desk, bathing the room in a pale glow.Knock! Knock!A hurried knock echoed against the closed door, sharp enough to break his concentration instantly.“Who is it?”His voice carried clear irritation as he lifted his gaze toward the window, his brows tightening slightly.“It’s Acherous… your majesty!”The reply came quickly, but there was tension in Acherous’s voice—something urgent, something wrong.Dargon stood up immediately.With quick, controlled steps, he crossed the room and pulled the door open. Acherous slipped inside without waiting for further permission.He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as if he had rushed across half the capital to reach here.Dargon frowned.

The purple mana lanterns flickered along the staircase, casting an unsteady glow as William Lionsmane descended into the vast underground hall of Floor Zero. The dim light stretched across the metallic structures, reflecting faintly off the glass pillars that stood aligned in perfect order.At first glance, nothing seemed different.The towering pillars remained intact, each one containing a human body suspended within a translucent liquid. Thin pipes extended from the ceiling, steadily feeding streams of negative Helis into the chambers. The unconscious bodies floated motionless, their presence unchanged, their condition preserved exactly as before.William stepped forward slowly, his gaze moving across the rows of pillars that resembled massive test tubes. Each one appeared stable, untouched, functioning within expected parameters. There were no visible disturbances, no signs of forced entry, and no irregular fluctuations in mana density.Everything appeared normal.That was precise