*Sigh* "If only we were not stopped by the dark elves, we would have a base already; travelling in this perilous place has truly exhausted me," Aranold complains as he lies on the cold ground.
Diamond chuckles. After many battles, she is now confident that she can reach the weakest Ace of their academy. Of course, she needs to obtain a supernatural gene enhancement before she can achieve her small goal.
She sits down next to Aranold and says,.
"Your bloodline is fascinating; it increased your power by an incredible amount just in a short period of time."
Aranold can agree with this; he, himself, is shocked by how much power his bloodline brings. Unfortunately, as it grows stronger, his requirement for yin stones also increases.
"Yes, without Cleo, I would have continued my lecherous way. I am grateful that he helped me awaken my bloodline and solve my problem regarding the drawbacks that it possesses."
Diamond looks in the direction where Cleo has left; her expression is very serious.
"I am grateful that he only has a minimum amount of gene enhancement; if not, I will be afraid that he has already surpassed me."
Aranold smiles bitterly after hearing this.
"Speak for yourself. I have my perverse bloodline, and yet I am feeling that the distance between us is only decreasing. It will not be long before he can overpower me with ease. I might be stronger than him in terms of pure brute strength because of my gene enhancement and bloodline buff, but if we ever fight, I do not see myself winning."
Diamond laughs; she knows that this is true, which is why, among the three of them, the supposedly weakest member has now become the de facto leader of their group.
Cleo returns with a happy expression, and the two instantly know that he brings good news. They clench their fists and wait for his report.
"It is safe! There are zombies and nightmare creatures prowling about, but I found a spot that the three of us can use." The two heave a sigh of relief after hearing this.
He leads them to the valley walls. They then see a hole high above the ground. The expression of the two turns strange, and they look at him with confusion.
"Cleo, I know that I can jump high, but not that high," Diamond complains, seeing just how high the so-called perfect spot that he had found is.
"That may be, but I have a plan, Aranold. Do you still have the backpack that I gave you?" Because of the hectic situation in the valley, some of the bags were left behind, but one bag was protected by Aranold throughout their journey.
"Yes, of course! You had repeatedly told me that it contains important items; each time I fight, I would throw it to a spot where no one would go." Taking the bag, he throws it to his friend.
Cleo takes out a grappling hook and a very long rope. The eyes of the two light up after seeing this, and they quickly realise what he is planning to do.
"Which of the two of you still has the strength to throw me high enough for me to throw the hook into that hole?" He excitedly asked.
"Me, with my bloodline, I have recovered quickly." Aranold quickly stands up and takes a deep breath, taking in as much yin energy in one breath.
His bloodline goes crazy after clashing with the yin energy. He groans as he feels the power wreaking all over his body.
Cleo jumps into his hand. With his feet meeting his two hands, Aranold pushes him upwards. He flies at incredible speed, and he starts swinging his grappling hook.
He grunts and throws it; he uses the system's calculation to accurately hit a wedge between two giant rocks; and he smiles as he grabs the rope tied into the grappling hook.
He gestures the two to start climbing as he unties the longer rope, the two jumps high and catches the rope, the location is too high for the rope to truly touch the ground, the two still needs to jump with some strength to reach it.
As they reach the cave, Cleo quickly starts investigating the place; it seems that it was naturally formed and not some nest of a flying creature. He heaves a sigh of relief after knowing this.
"Finally! I can rest. Goodnight everyone." After reaching the hole, Aranold quickly lies down and sleeps. Diamond also sits in a meditative position; this is how their race sleeps in a state of meditation.
Cleo is also sleepy. He summons a wolf. Even though their location is quite hidden, he still needs some sort of insurance for their safety. The wolf will be their guard. It might not be able to fight because it is still unawakened, but it can act as an alarm.
It is the pet that Sandra has given him; it is actually an advanced-grade pet, which is not rare in one of the famous strongholds of dark elves.
Soul Blessing: Alpha Shadow Wolf
Type: Pet
Grade: Advanced
Speciality: Shadow Blessing: Capable of entering into the shadows.
State: Unawakened]
Because of it's ability, he does not need to worry about the nightmare creatures discovering it. This is the reason why they are considered great companions; no one might dare put them into their soul slot, but at least they can keep it to help them hunt.
It is already in his soul slot; the requirement for its evolution is the consumption of dark-type objects or living beings. This truly was a great gift, as Nightmare Valley is crawling with dark-type monsters and objects.
Most of them might be yin creatures, but there are definitely some that contain dark attributes in their flesh. As long as he can hunt a suitable amount of such creatures, he can awaken his second pet.
The three of them spend the next ten hours sleeping. Their sleep might not be peaceful because of the horrendous sounds coming out of the cave or the fact that the yin energy in the air makes their dream a bit terrifying, but at least they managed to rest their weary bodies.