In the eastern part of Star Dou Forest, the trees grew thickly, and the sunlight broke into scattered patches on the ground. It was a quiet place, clearly home to few Soul Beasts.
This was already the outermost region. A few kilometers farther out lay the area where humans lived.
In an inconspicuous spot, a boy who looked about ten years old walked cautiously through the woods.
He had a well-proportioned build and wore simple, clean gray clothes. A small bundle was slung over his back, and his short black hair gave him a neat, tidy appearance.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble without warning.
Two meters ahead, cracks appeared in the earth. They gradually widened, turning into deep fissures.
A faint golden-white light shimmered from within. Threads of icy chill seeped out of the cracks, and the temperature around them began to drop noticeably.
The fissures spread wider and wider. In no time, they had reached more than five meters across, and the golden-white light finally revealed itself.
A round, fleshy head emerged, more than a meter in diameter. It squirmed as it slowly crawled out, its body stretching to a length of over seven meters.
As it appeared, wisps of icy mist filled the surrounding space, and the cold spread everywhere. A Ten-Year Soul Beast nearby shivered uncontrollably.
It looked just like a silkworm, except it was countless times larger than an ordinary one.
Its entire body was the color of white jade, crystal clear. Though it had emerged from the earth, its smooth skin was completely free of dirt.
Light shimmered beneath its skin, and a pair of tiny, golden eyes gleamed on its head.
Most remarkable of all, beginning half a meter behind its head, golden rings encircled its body at regular intervals. There were ten