Lian remained standing atop the hill for a long time.
The evening sky gradually darkened overhead while distant clouds drifted slowly across the horizon.
Below—
the forest stretched endlessly beneath the fading sunlight.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
Mysterious.
The boy's thoughts remained tangled.
He wanted strength.
That much was true.
Not for glory.
Not for status.
But because weakness felt unbearable.
Helplessness.
Fear.
Watching others disappear while being unable to do anything.
He hated that feeling.
The memory of the forest surfaced once more within his mind.
The Rank Two beast.
Its massive jaws.
The suffocating terror of death.
If Lizarius had not intervened—
he would already be dead.
Lian slowly lowered his gaze.
Then quietly asked—
"…If I go there…"
A brief pause.
"…Will I die?"
The white lizard answered immediately.
"Possibly."
Lian's face twitched.
"…Could you at least hesitate before saying something like that?"
"I see no reason to lie."
The answer came calmly.
Lian sighed heavily afterward.
Right.
Of course.
Still—
after a few moments of silence—
the lizard spoke again.
"But the probability remains low if you stay near the outer region."
"And if I am present."
Lian blinked slightly.
"…You'd come too?"
"Yes."
Simple.
Direct.
Yet strangely reassuring.
The fear inside Lian eased slightly afterward.
Only slightly.
The wind drifted quietly through the hilltop grass while the final traces of sunlight faded across the distant mountains.
Eventually—
Lian awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"…You know…"
"…You really sound like some hidden master from storybooks sometimes."
Silence followed briefly.
Then—
"What is a hidden master?"
Lian stared blankly ahead.
"…You're joking."
"I am asking."
The boy laughed helplessly.
"…It's usually some mysterious old monster secretly guiding the main character."
"Strong."
"Wise."
"Usually hiding in some remote place."
The lizard stared ahead silently for a moment.
Then calmly answered—
"I am neither old nor a master."
Lian nearly choked.
"…That's the part you focused on?"
The lizard ignored him completely.
Instead, he thought inwardly—
Humans truly enjoyed assigning meaning to coincidence.
The two remained quiet for a while afterward.
Then—
Lian finally exhaled deeply.
"…I'll think about it."
The lizard gave no response.
The boy slowly turned away from the hill before beginning the walk back toward the village.
His steps were slower than before.
Thoughtful.
The forest lingered behind him like a silent invitation.
Danger.
Opportunity.
Strength.
The invisible white lizard rested calmly atop his head beneath concealment while quietly observing the darkening sky overhead.
Neither spoke again for the remainder of the walk home.
The dirt path gradually narrowed as Lian approached the familiar outer edge of the village.
Evening had already fully settled.
Warm lantern light flickered softly from nearby homes while smoke drifted upward from cooking fires beneath the darkening sky.
Lian walked quietly.
Thoughtful.
Then suddenly—
he paused.
His expression changed instantly.
The weight resting atop his head…
Was gone.
Lian blinked.
Slowly reaching upward with one hand.
Nothing.
No invisible pressure.
No terrifying presence.
He stopped walking entirely afterward.
"…Lizarius?"
Silence.
Only the wind answered him.
Lian hesitated briefly before calling again, slightly louder this time.
"…Lizarius?"
Still nothing.
The boy carefully touched the top of his head once more, just to confirm.
Gone.
His thoughts immediately became complicated.
*Where did it go?*
*I thought it said it would follow me…*
Lian instinctively glanced around despite knowing he likely would not see anything even if the creature remained nearby.
Nothing appeared.
Only quiet village roads beneath warm lantern light.
The boy stood there for several long moments afterward.
Then slowly lowered his hand.
"…So it just left…"
The words came quieter than expected.
His emotions became strangely mixed afterward.
Relief.
Yes.
Obviously relief.
How could he *not* feel relieved?
A terrifying spirit beast capable of instantly killing powerful creatures had been sitting invisibly atop his head the entire time.
Anyone would feel relieved once it disappeared.
And yet—
another faint emotion lingered beneath that relief.
Disappointment.
Perhaps loneliness.
Strange.
Lian frowned slightly at himself afterward.
*Why am I feeling disappointed?*
*That thing terrified me!*
Still—
the memories surfaced again.
The calm voice.
The strange conversations.
The direct honesty.
The quiet presence beside him throughout the day.
The boy exhaled softly.
"…Maybe because it talked normally…"
Or perhaps because—
despite how terrifying Lizarius truly was—
the creature had never actually harmed him.
Not once.
Lian shook his head afterward.
*What am I even thinking?*
*It's better this way.*
Far better.
Probably.
Eventually—
he sighed before finally continuing toward his home.
The small wooden house soon appeared ahead beneath the lantern glow spilling softly from the window.
Lian quietly pushed the door open before stepping inside.
Immediately—
his mother looked up from near the cooking area.
"There you are."
"I was beginning to wonder where you went."
Lian forced a small smile while closing the door behind him.
"…Sorry."
"I walked around a little longer than expected."
His mother studied him carefully for a moment afterward.
Then frowned faintly.
"You look distracted."
Lian stiffened slightly.
"…Do I?"
"Yes."
She stepped closer before lightly touching his forehead.
"You're not getting sick again, are you?"
Lian quickly shook his head.
"No, no—I'm fine."
Mostly.
Probably.
His mother eventually relaxed slightly afterward before turning back toward the table.
"I finished warming the food."
"Come eat before it gets cold."
Lian nodded automatically.
"…Okay."
He quietly moved toward the table afterward.
But even while sitting down—
his thoughts still drifted unconsciously toward the hill outside the village.
Toward the forest.
And toward the invisible white lizard that had suddenly vanished without explanation.
—
Deep within the forest—
moonlight filtered softly through ancient trees while the scent of blood lingered heavily across the shattered ground.
Several enormous corpses lay scattered nearby.
Broken stone.
Blood-soaked earth.
Violent destruction.
Foundation Establishment beasts.
All consumed.
The white lizard stood calmly among them in his larger form while dark blood stained the edges of his maw.
The final corpse—
a late-stage Foundation Establishment beast resembling a massive horned wolf—
slowly disappeared between his jaws piece by piece.
Bones cracked.
Flesh vanished.
Dense spiritual energy continuously surged through his body during consumption.
Then—
the system voice echoed inwardly.
[Evolution Points Gained: 26,785]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Ironhide Wolf Gene]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Stoneback Lizard Gene]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Stone Fang Viper Gene]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Black Fang Hound Gene]
Warmth faintly spread beneath his scales afterward as the newly acquired genes were absorbed and stored.
The white lizard slowly licked the remaining blood from his maw.
Golden eyes calm.
Only scattered stains remained across the battlefield now.
The corpses themselves had nearly vanished completely.
Then—
his body gradually faded from sight.
Invisible once more.
The lizard remained still briefly afterward while carefully sensing the surrounding forest.
Quiet.
No additional Foundation Establishment beasts nearby.
His thoughts moved calmly.
There truly were not many Foundation Establishment beasts within this region.
It had taken hours just to locate several suitable targets.
Too few.
Too weak.
Eventually—
the invisible lizard moved again.
Fast.
Silent.
The forest blurred around him beneath concealment while gravity carried his body effortlessly through the night.
After some time—
the hidden valley finally appeared beneath the moonlight.
The concealed cave entrance shimmered faintly.
The invisible lizard slipped inside soundlessly.
Dim crimson light immediately illuminated the cavern interior.
The Crimson Vein Blood Tree stood motionless at the center while dense spiritual energy heavily filled the cave as always.
Nearby—
the fox remained curled tightly within cultivation.
Still asleep.
Still continuously refining spiritual energy.
The lizard barely glanced toward her.
Instead—
he dropped the corpse he carried toward the base of the Blood Tree.
A late-stage Spirit Refining beast.
Freshly killed earlier during his hunt.
THUD.
The corpse landed heavily against the stone floor beside the tree roots.
The lizard observed it briefly afterward.
Then—
his body smoothly shrank back into its smaller form.
The immense pressure surrounding him faded considerably.
He floated calmly toward his usual corner before lowering himself onto the cold stone floor.
His tail loosely curled around his body.
Golden eyes half-closing.
Then inwardly—
he spoke calmly.
Fuse genes.
The system immediately responded.
[Beginning Bloodline Gene Fusion…]
Warmth slowly spread throughout his body afterward.
Comfortable.
Heavy.
The lizard gradually relaxed beneath the dim crimson glow filling the cave.
And while sleep slowly claimed him—
something else moved within the cavern.
The Crimson Vein Blood Tree.
Its enormous roots slowly shifted across the stone floor.
Silent.
Almost snake-like.
Then—
sharp crimson roots pierced directly into the abandoned corpse beside the trunk.
Fresh blood instantly spread across the roots.
The tree pulsed faintly.
Dark crimson light slowly traveled upward through the massive trunk while spiritual essence from the corpse began draining away.
The cave returned to silence afterward.
Only the faint glow of the Blood Tree remained beneath the darkness while both beast and tree quietly continued feeding side by side.
—
A week passed quietly.
The village remained peaceful beneath the warm afternoon sunlight while distant farmers worked across the outer fields beyond the wooden fences.
At the outskirts of the village—
near the edge of the forest—
Lian sat cross-legged beneath a large tree.
Eyes closed.
Breathing steady.
Thin strands of spiritual energy slowly drifted toward his body from the surrounding environment before carefully circulating through his meridians.
The spiritual aura nearby was noticeably denser than within the village itself.
Not enough to compare to true cultivation grounds.
But still far better than ordinary mortal land.
Hours passed quietly.
Eventually—
Lian slowly exhaled before opening his eyes once more.
The circulation ended.
The surrounding spiritual energy gradually dispersed afterward.
The boy remained seated silently beneath the tree.
Thoughtful.
A faint frustration lingered across his face.
"…Still too slow…"
The words came quietly.
A week.
It had already been an entire week since Lizarius disappeared.
No sign of him.
No voice.
Nothing.
At first—
Lian genuinely believed the creature was simply remaining invisible nearby.
Watching silently like before.
So he called for it several times afterward.
Quietly at first.
Then more directly.
But no matter how many times he tried—
nothing answered.
The invisible spirit beast had simply vanished completely.
Lian lowered his gaze slightly afterward.
Strange.
The first few days—
he had actually felt nervous without fully understanding why.
As though something familiar had suddenly disappeared from beside him.
Embarrassing.
Still—
he remembered Lizarius' words clearly.
The spiritual energy near the forest truly was richer.
That part had not been a lie.
So despite his fear—
the very next morning after their conversation—
Lian came here anyway.
Carefully.
Cautiously.
Never too close to the forest itself.
Just near enough to cultivate safely.
And the results had immediately improved.
The difference compared to cultivating inside the village was obvious.
Even Village Head Wa Shi's residence could not compare to this place.
Especially after consuming the Qi Gathering Pills.
Lian slowly pulled a small bottle from his clothes afterward.
Then quietly stared at the empty interior.
Three pills.
Gone already.
The first pill had felt incredible.
Warm spiritual energy flooding through his body while his cultivation speed increased dramatically.
The second and third pills had felt slightly weaker—
but still highly effective.
Yet now—
for the past two days—
he had been cultivating without them.
And the difference felt painful.
Slow.
Painfully slow.
The spiritual energy he gathered now seemed insignificant compared to before.
Lian lightly clenched the empty bottle.
"…So this is what resources mean…"
Now he finally understood properly.
Cultivation truly consumed resources endlessly.
Without them—
progress crawled forward miserably.
Lian leaned lightly against the tree trunk afterward while staring toward the distant forest.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
Unknown.
His thoughts drifted once more toward the white lizard.
Toward Lizarius.
The strange creature that had suddenly appeared—
completely changed his life—
then vanished just as suddenly afterward.
Lian exhaled softly.
"…You really just left…"
The afternoon wind drifted quietly through the trees.
No response came.