Mist Valley

A month and a half later, the two of them arrived at a lakeside clearing in the forest.

They hadn't bathed in over a month and stank to high heaven, so they eagerly jumped into the lake.

For most of the past month, Linley had done the fighting. Garen only stepped in now and then when they encountered a Sixth-Level Magical Beast, testing out his swordsmanship. They still hadn't come across a Seventh-Level Magical Beast.

Garen wasn't in a hurry. Following Linley, he was bound to find Mist Valley. There would be plenty of high-level magical beasts there, and plenty of experience to gain.

After all, even in the heart of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the higher-level magical beasts lived in areas with lower population densities. Sometimes there were only a few beasts within several kilometers. When Garen wanted to hunt, he often spent more time searching than fighting.

As Garen, Linley, and Bebe were bathing and playing in the lake, the ground began to tremble in the distance.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud..."

"A large magical beast is coming."

The two of them hurriedly leaped out of the lake.

Before long, a Seventh-Level Magical Beast—a Velociraptor over ten meters tall and more than thirty meters long—appeared before them. Its lantern-sized eyes glowed red as it spotted the two men and the little beast.

Bebe cried out excitedly, saying something to Linley.

"All right, this big guy's yours. But be careful," Linley said, sounding a little worried.

Garen wasn't worried at all. He understood Bebe's strength better than Linley did.

A few minutes later, Bebe chased off the massive Velociraptor and called out to Garen.

One look at Bebe's smug expression told Garen he was bragging.

Garen smiled and said nothing.

With a Seventh-Level Magical Beast around, they had reached the central region.

A few days later, they encountered a Level Five black-clad assassin. After Linley killed him, they hadn't gone far before Garen spotted more than a dozen red dots on a tree ahead.

"Could they be a flock of flying magical beasts?"

When the two of them approached, they saw more than a dozen black-robed men. They were probably members of the same organization as the assassin they had killed earlier.

Garen and Linley hadn't made any effort to conceal themselves, and the black-robed men had spotted them too.

"Hmm? Two teenagers? Number Two, go take them out."

One of the leaders gave the order.

"Yes, sir."

A black-robed man jumped down from the tree and charged at them at Extreme Speed.

Judging by his speed, he was probably a Level Six Warrior.

"I'll handle him."

Garen drew the God-Slaying Blade. After its evolution, the blade was now a full five meters long and weighed a thousand pounds, making it a heavy weapon.

As the black-robed man closed in, he swiftly swung a short black blade.

"Hmph."

Garen gave a cold snort. His blade moved after the other man's, yet struck first.

The God-Slaying Blade seemed to drift lightly, moving slowly. But when one looked closely, there was only a flash of light before it appeared directly above the black-robed man's head.

It gave the strange impression of being both slow and fast.

"Swish!"

The blade met no resistance as it cleaved the black-robed man in two from head to toe.

Both sides were stunned.

Garen's eyes lit up. That was the feeling! After all this time, he had finally sensed it. The instant his blade swung, his strength erupted, and the God-Slaying Blade's own weight helped fuel that explosive force.

He had finally reached Weightless Strength.

Linley and Bebe could tell the strike was powerful, but they didn't understand what made it so impressive.

Doehring Cowart's voice sounded in Linley's mind.

"This little fellow is truly a genius. At such a young age, he's already grasped Weightless Strength. Even ordinary Level Nine Warriors have trouble reaching this level. Remarkable, truly remarkable."

"Grandpa Doehring, what is Weightless Strength?" Linley asked curiously.

"Weightless Strength is a higher level of mastery that a warrior grasps after perfecting the basic techniques. You're still a long way from it at your current Warrior Level. Don't get ahead of yourself. Focus on practicing magic."

On a nearby tree, the dozen assassins wore grave expressions.

They still couldn't understand the level of that strike, but the boy had killed a Level Six Warrior so easily with a single blow. He was at least a Level Seven Warrior, and would be a troublesome opponent.

"Go. Don't engage them."

The black-robed leader was extremely cautious. He leaped to another branch, and the dozen black-robed men followed. Within a few breaths, they vanished into the forest.

Garen was in a good mood and didn't chase after them.

As they continued on, Garen felt relaxed. He had more or less accomplished what he'd set out to do. All that remained was to find some high-level magical beasts and gain some experience.

The two of them walked for half a day, encountering only a few Level Six Magical Beasts along the way. Garen had lost interest in fighting, so Linley and Bebe killed them.

Suddenly, Linley, who was walking ahead, shouted.

"Look! There's a strange valley here."

Garen hurried over to the cliff's edge.

"Sure enough, it's Mist Valley! Haha!"

Garen was overjoyed. He had finally found the perfect place to hunt.

Between two mountains lay a deep ravine that widened farther down. White mist churned within, obscuring everything, as if a giant monster were breathing in and out.

The two of them followed one side of the mountain for four or five miles. The cliffs on either side drew closer and closer, until they were only a meter apart.

Linley looked down. Suddenly, his expression froze, and he stared blankly at a spot in the valley.

"Blue Heart Grass! It really is Blue Heart Grass!"

He cried out in excitement.

Garen followed his gaze. Sure enough, a small blue plant shrouded in a faint, shimmering haze swayed in the wind on the cliff face.

"Linley, what's wrong? Blue Heart Grass is valuable, but it's not worth getting this excited over, is it?"

Garen pretended to ask.

"You don't know the whole story, Garen. My Baruch Clan is one of the Four Ultimate Warrior Clans—the Dragonblood Warrior Clan. The Dragonblood Secret Manual passed down through my family says that clan members with too little Dragonblood can activate their bloodline and become Dragonblood Warriors by drinking the living blood of a Saint Realm dragon. And this Blue Heart Grass is the only divine herb that can counteract the Saint Realm dragon's living blood."

Linley thought for a moment, then spoke proudly.

A Saint Realm Dragonblood Warrior clan with a legacy stretching back more than five thousand years certainly had reason to be proud.

"What? You're from one of the Four Ultimate Warrior Clans, the Dragonblood Warrior Clan?"

Garen asked in delighted surprise.

Then he laughed and continued.

"Then it really is fate that brought us together. Look."

As he spoke, Garen transformed into a Tiger-Striped Warrior.

The surge of his aura made Linley take several steps back, while Bebe was startled too.

"Linley, can you tell now?"

Garen asked excitedly.

"Could it be... Could it be that you're from the Tiger-Striped Warrior clan, one of the Four Ultimate Warrior Clans?"

"That's right. I didn't know about the Four Ultimate Warrior Clans at first, but when I was a child, on the way to Ernst Magic Academy, some bandits pushed me to the brink and awakened my Tiger-Striped Warrior bloodline. Later, I looked up the records and learned that I was a Tiger-Striped Warrior, one of the Ultimate Warriors."

"No wonder your Warrior Level is so high. That explains it."

Now that they knew each other's secrets, the two felt even closer.

"Come on, I'll cover you while you pick the Blue Heart Grass. Just think—in the future, we brothers could both become Saint Realm Ultimate Warriors. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Haha."