Like always, the passage of time remains constant.
Soon enough, three days had passed, and Colt and the rest found themselves before a deep ravine.
Colt stood above the ravine, and he had to ask the cat, "Are you sure you're not asking me to kill myself?" to confirm if it had hidden hate for him.
"Nya!"
"You're sure? You can feel it, down there?"
Colt was doubtful. Peeking over the ravine, Colt couldn't see its bottom. Once more, he looked at the cat who gave him a thumbs-up as if to say, "You got this."
'There are more dangerous things I can imagine.' but something else was bugging him, 'This Ravine…this is where the World Tree is supposedly located, right?'
The Ravine of Darkness. A place where the presence of death is strongest in the Valley of Death.
'The World Tree's presence sucks up the life essence of everything around it.'
The World Tree is a mythological treasure. Even from the ancient people's perspective, the World Tree is something close to a myth.
It was once the Heirloom of the Ancient Elves, or otherwise known as the Genesis Family of today.
'A treasure with the unparalleled ability to heal everything it touches. It was said that the treasure has a mind of its own. It will pick its Master and then become a mark that will be etched on the body. It will grant an ability that's close to Immortality…hmm, that sounds a lot like this thing.'
Colt stared at the spiraling cloud tattoo of the World Devouring Mark.
'It latched itself to me and became a mark. I want to think it's a Mythical kind of treasure, but...if that's the case, then why didn't it happen to the protagonist in the novel? He should have been the 'worthiest' to wield it.'
Colt's mind was clouded with many thoughts. But then, he felt someone hold his hand. It was Julius staring at him with fear apparent in his eyes.
"Are we going down there…Young Master?"
"Well, you can stay here with Sera if you want. But I have to go down there and retrieve something very important."
"I-I will go with you…please, let me go with you." Julius pleaded as he turns to look at Sera only to tremble in fear.
A peal of dry laughter came out of Colt.
"Teacher, can you please scout the place below?"
"Understood."
Butler Neun didn't hesitate to jump down the ravine. Scouting the area, Neun returned and gave the okay to descend.
Colt and the rest cannot descend on their own. Neun had to carry them down. Though their combined weight was over 200 kilograms, Butler Neun didn't even break a sweat as he descended with the rest.
The Ravine of Darkness. It was referred to as such because it was so deep that light from above couldn't reach the bottom.
Because of this, everywhere you look, there is only darkness. But Colt came prepared. Without Mina, he has no source of light, but before coming here, he made sure to prepare something.
He brought out a pearl from the backpack Sera was carrying. Having his aura circulate inside of it, a bright light exploded from within. Light was provided.
They regained their vision and saw the rock formation around them. The walls on both sides were oppressing.
The overall width of the area was surprisingly spacious. Even if twenty men stood side by side, it would be enough to accommodate them all.
But then, Avern sensed something off.
"Young Master…there's something here."
"…I know."
As soon as light appeared, Colt felt a wave of malice swept the area. Colt could tell that something was coming. He swallowed his accumulating saliva and then…
Swoosh!
An undead came from the side!
Colt was dazed. He couldn't react even though his fate was about to be sealed. But then, a gust of wind pass by Colt. Neun, who had drawn an ordinary sword, had already cleaved what seemed to be an undead warrior with rotting flesh.
With a body that has a beautiful formation of muscle, the undead that attacked just now was not normal. It was faster and stronger than the others. It was much more dangerous than the rest.
"Holy…what the hell is that? A Master Class undead?" Avern jumped back, startled at the horrific sight.
Neun however, merely creased his brows.
"Young Master, when I say run, go run. If anyone hesitates, all of you are doom. Avern, can you seize control of an undead at the Master Class?"
"…I can, but only for ten seconds. After that, the body will disintegrate into nothingness."
"That's unusable then…you can detect the aura of the undead, right? If so, then you'll be leading the Young Master's path. Young Master, carry him, he's a mage he can't move so well. Sera, carry the cat and the cat boy, they also can't move that fast."
"Okay!" All of them answered without question.
Though Avern was embarrassed to the point of wanting the world to swallow him whole, he still has a job to do, and he's not going to fail Neun and Colt's expectations of him.
Also, Avern didn't need much explanation because he could feel it. A suffocating amount of Master Class undead was coming their way.
Neun could smell it much better. As Alpha stayed by his side, Neun could tell that there's a tide coming.
"…Tsk, it seems like I can't face them with just this alone."
Neun whispered and then knocked on Alpha's head.
The Bulldog known as Alpha felt the intent on Neun's eyes and then started jumping around, "We're doing it!? We're doing it!? We're doing it!? We're doing it!? We're doing it!? It's been so long since you called upon me!"
"Yes, now shut up and help me with this one."
"How about the other two!? Are you not going to ask them for help!? If they learn of this, they'll break your arms later!"
"I can't sustain too many at a time. I'm already old, you useless mutt! Also…I need to simply move faster than I currently am so that I'll be able to protect them all."
"Got you, partner."
Neun nodded his head, and Colt, who stood by the side, intently listening to this exchange, stared at the dog and human combination.
His eyes were glittering from the anticipation.
Neun tightly held onto his sword. Holding it by his side, the ground under him began showing web-like cracks.
Alpha, who was jumping around, began to tremble. A large amount of Zara flowed out of its body as its body grew bigger by the second.
From a Bulldog, it turned to a proper beast. Its lower jaw expanded, and its lower fangs protruded out of its confines. Its body grew as big as a car's, well-defined muscle structure became more apparent, and on its back was a row of protruding spine.
From an adorable pet, Alpha became a full-blown monster.
"Zara Manifestation…" Colt whispered while his mouth remained open.
With the flow of Zara, which is instinctively kept at bay upon becoming a Soul Partner being fully unleashed, the Magical Beasts tamed to become docile will return to its original form.
Alpha was a Magical Beast known as the Nightmare Hound, a beast whose body can grow as big as two meters high. Colt could already see its majesty.
This was the first time he had seen a full-blown Magical Beast, and it awed him to no end.
"However…this is just the first part…"
Alpha roared and shook the ravine. A surge of Zara exploded out of its body, and Butler Neun who stood adjacent to it, absorbed all of that Zara.
The Aura and Zara inside his body began to mix, at first, it fought against each other, but then it started coexisting.
Mana, Prana, and Aura cannot coexist in one body, and the same goes for Zara.
However, in the case of two beings having a deep connection through their souls could bypass this law. But that's not all…because aura has some properties like changing body structure similar to Zara, they could coexist in the human body.
With two souls enters the same wavelength, and then Zara and Aura began to mix without conflict, a phenomenon unique only to Warriors appears.
A part of their body will show change. It will transform according to their partner.
And as Butler Neun and Alpa synchronize with each other, Butler Neun's feet became black before swelling and deforming.
From his knees to foot, his feet changed its shape.
His toes became more prominent, his toenails were now sharper than a blade, and the natural red color of Zara created an artificial vein.
BooM!
The ground finally caved. The undead eyeing Neun and the rest eventually grew past their fears and started coming at them.
With speed faster than a fully drawn arrow, the undead flew out to take out Colt's group.
It was then, that Colt saw it…a black-red light disappeared from his sight and before he could tell what's happening Neun already killed three undead.
Neun then shouted, "Now, Run!"
Neun told them to run, and run they did.
With Avern showing the way and Neun using the two walls on the side as a foothold to send himself flying over to any undead that comes close to Colt and his ground, a bloodbath began.
Colt wanted to watch Neun's movement.
His fast and accurate maneuvering was a sight to behold that sends chills down his spine. He wanted to learn by watching.
But he couldn't for he has another job. He needed to sense and pinpoint the location of the Egg and the World Tree.
The World Tree is somewhere in this place. It was said that it would show when an earthquake happens, and a part of ravine collapses.
However, Colt has no time for that.
'I'll ask Teacher to create that earthquake later. For now, I need to find where this connection leads.'
Colt could feel it, a kind of connection he couldn't understand.
"Meow!"
"Yes, I can somewhat feel it. But it's terribly weak, is it still too far away? Well, no matter…let's just follow it and see what comes of the situation."
No use crying over it now.
He smiled and continued running.
All the while, this was happening, the ones watching over them were having quite the eyeful.
There were five people in total. All five were standing on a short sword sticking out of the stone wall.
"We were told to wait…but should we move now?" A man wearing all black asked. He had been itching to leave the place.
"Reel in your bloodlust, that old man has acute senses. I doubt we'll be able to get under his radar. He had been able to react to the Captain's leaking intent. That old man is not normal." A lady's voice echoed.
They continued watching as they wait for the opportune time.
They may or may not make a move.
They will act according to the situation. They will act according to orders.