“I need to go deeper!”Vandal immediately held his breath and dove into the pool.He kept diving deeper and deeper, ignoring the violent splashes and repeated thrusts of the bladed legs stabbing into the water around him.Only when he was more than eight meters below the surface did he dare look up. From beneath, he could clearly see the six black-glass spiders still frantically stabbing and chopping at the water with their razor-sharp legs.I need to go deeper. I’m still too close to those legs, Vandal thought, pushing himself further down.The Mawrot essence had begun decaying him from the inside again. He was forced to activate his Echo Snake Mark, producing toxins to fight back against the rot. However, it was a slow process , the venom took time to accumulate enough strength to fully combat the Mawrot essence.He pushed through the agony when he spotted a dull blue light in the distance, ignoring the blind fury of the spiders still stabbing wildly behind him.What is this blue li

A bright flash of light exploded in Vandal’s eyes, followed instantly by a crushing migraine and a throbbing lump swelling on top of his head.He shrieked inwardly, voice cracking with panic, “Who the hell does this guy think he is? What the fuck is wrong with him?!”When the pain finally faded, he had become someone else. He now stood nine feet tall with massive shoulders and thick, corded muscles covered in coarse hair. The name Alarik Yaegoroth had wrapped itself around his mind like an unwanted second skin.A hundred years passed in what felt like heartbeats. Hammer strikes, scorching forge heat, and the heavy life of a giant swallowed him whole. Alarik Yaegoroth rose to become the greatest blacksmith among the outer members of the Anakim guild.One day, Vandal stood before a massive nine-foot mirror, staring at the bald, bearded giant reflected there. He touched the cold surface with huge fingers. “I have always been this,” the thought whispered. But another voice inside him scr

“So this is my end,” Vandal whispered.The words left him like a final breath. Half his soul already streamed in shining threads toward the abyssal eye. The pull was relentless, a cold hunger that tore at the edges of his existence. He could feel himself unravelling, name by name, memory by memory.Then a searing heat rose in his chest.The small triangular pendant, the family heirloom his father had given him on Earth, burned hot above his heart. Ancient golden light pulsed weakly at first, like dying embers struggling against the dark. But it was enough. The absorption slowed. The shining threads trembled and held.Alarik’s soul froze mid-laugh.His eyes locked onto the glowing triangle. Shock, then raw disbelief, then something deeper and older than rage crossed the giant’s spectral face.“That… that necklace…” His voice cracked. “Where did you get that?!”Vandal forced his fading mouth to move. Every word cost him. “Family heirloom. My father gave it to me before he died.”“Liar!”

“Excuse me?” Elder Bainard wasn’t sure he had heard correctly. Vandal’s faint smile did not waver. “I said I don’t want to join your clan,” he replied plainly, his voice carrying across the clearing like a quiet blade. “And I have no interest in your trial.” A ripple of shock passed through the Green Tempest youths. Fenwick’s face split into a vicious grin while the others exchanged eager glances, sensing blood in the water. Elder Bainard’s eyes narrowed, and his faint testing smile froze into something colder. Perfect. The boy’s refusal gave him the excuse he had been waiting for. That ridiculous bow was clearly a high-grade resonance weapon that no gutter rat could ever afford. It gleamed with suppressed power. The boy’s calm, quiet aura, despite his ragged clothes and white-streaked hair, screamed of a hidden fortune. No ordinary hobo walked around radiating such confidence after slaughtering a Wind Echo Leopard. He suspected the boy possessed valuable treasures. If his inner

Vandal had stepped onto the altar full of confidence. He was at stage-two resonance with abundant and powerful energy, strengthened by his dual cores. The berserker core inside him pulsed with violent strength. He believed that with just a bit of quiet time, he could break through to stage three whenever he wished.The cold surface immediately began absorbing strands of his resonance energy.Yet Nothing happened.The stone bell remained dull and colorless. No light wave appeared. Not even the faintest glow.Vandal frowned and pushed two more strands of resonance energy into the bell. Still nothing. The luminous meter stayed completely dark.Damn. What is this? He had inherited powerful Force Echo techniques and absorbed Alarik's resonance energy.Maybe it is because I have not broken through to stage three yet. He focused harder, preparing to force a breakthrough right there.By now, soft chuckles had already started spreading through the hall. Soon the laughter grew louder.A dark-sk