A shock spread the moment their fists met. Rocks shattered and flew in all directions as the two fighters continued their offense. Waves of pleasure surged through their bodies as the battle raged on, with neither falling behind. Distancing themselves from each other, they prepared for another round, eyeing each other intently.
"Your appearance looks like someone I know, and your smell is familiar as well," Clifford said, charging at Igen, who responded in kind.
"And who is that person?" Igen asked intently, locking hands with Clifford in a strength contest as they tried to push each other back.
"I will tell you if you manage to defeat me," Clifford responded, exerting more strength and breaking the balance, sending Igen back before shouting, "Your strength is not bad, but I'm getting bored."
"Show me everything you've got! You're still holding back!" Charging at Igen, Clifford avoided his punch and caught him by the head, smashing him against the ground. Feeling the pain, Igen gathered Qi around his fist, his thunder element swirling around it. Jumping back up, Igen's speed increased, surprising Clifford as he found himself below him. The powerful fist sent Clifford flying back as thunder coursed through his body, shocking him from the inside. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Clifford landed on the floor feeling slightly unsteady.
"I hope you can withstand this." Fixing himself up, Clifford started enraging his Qi by influencing it with dark force. Witnessing Clifford's fist turning red and hearing his warning, Igen felt an ominous foreboding, prompting him to do his best immediately. Infusing his fist with all the Qi he had and using his three elements, a wind barrier became slightly visible, trapping the lightning around his fist as his scales took on spiky forms.
Watching them prepare for a final attack, Reymond was tempted to interfere and stop them. But knowing that the fourth prince wouldn't appreciate it, he refrained, understanding they weren't aiming to kill each other. Watching in anticipation, Reymond waited for the battle's outcome. Finally, both burst forward toward each other. A huge impact occurred, enveloping both fighters the moment their fists met. Lightning spread through Clifford's body, damaging him from the inside, while the wind left numerous cuts on his skin.
Similarly, the enraged Qi coursed through Igen's body from the inside out. Although they failed to cause severe harm to each other due to their insane body strength, tiredness overwhelmed them, preventing further combat.
"The woman's name is Kheon," Clifford said, throwing the platinum to Igen. Breathing heavily, his body reverted to human form. He decided to answer Igen's question before falling on his back on the floor, remembering his time with Kheon. "She was the one who taught me about cultivation."
Hearing his words, Igen felt a sense of longing, as it had been seven years since his sister left to comprehend the laws after the emperor's advice. Holding the token in his hand, Igen started talking.
"The person you met was probably a leviathan like me," Igen said, catching his breath. He proceeded to reveal his race, carefully hiding the truth about being a prince to prevent Clifford from panicking. "Since you are a newcomer like me, why don't we be friends?"
Lifting himself up, Clifford thought deeply about the benefits of friendship. He realized he could improve his combat skills without killing, as Igen could withstand his strength.
"I will consider it," Clifford replied. Transforming into his wyvern form, he added, "And maybe you will need to reconsider your request later as well." Walking toward the edge of the cliff, Clifford pondered the possible outcomes if Igen discovered his true nature. Spreading his wings, Clifford jumped off, flying high above the dark forest in search of prey to refill his dark force.
Witnessing what happened to the redhead confirmed that aiming for a candidate's life was prohibited, even if it was an unspoken rule. This left Clifford with no choice but to hunt the mud beasts. Strangely, the beasts resembled horses or skeletons, with some having a skeleton's upper body combined with a horse's body, like a plant growing on top of it. Using his eyes to pick a decent target, Clifford noticed that most had a colorless halo, dimmer than mortals and other beasts he had hunted before.
With no other option, Clifford decided to hunt whatever he found, regardless of the halo. Soon, he spotted a seemingly mindless skeleton moving in circles. This led him to think that the beasts here were passive unless approached. Testing his theory, Clifford flew down, aiming at the skeleton.
As Clifford expected, the skeleton attacked him immediately upon spotting him, proving his theory correct. Curious to see if the skeleton's halo increased by regenerating, Clifford began to abuse it. Each time the beast returned to life, it grew stronger and its halo slightly brighter. However, this process was almost pointless as it was a waste of time. Tired of experimenting, Clifford's jaws split wide open, and he devoured the skeleton standing before him.
Unfortunately, the beast had no taste, and the amount of dark force was insignificant. Feeling unsatisfied, Clifford proceeded to hunt the beasts one by one, devouring them all until Reymond noticed his actions. Seeing the beasts meant to challenge candidates getting devoured one after another, Reymond called them off, making them disappear immediately as he felt his life force slowly being stolen.
Although the amount of life force taken was insignificant compared to his total, if all the beasts were devoured, he would have lost a significant portion, decreasing his lifespan. Watching every beast disappear, Clifford was confused. Knowing he was in Reymond's world, he predicted his actions were harming Reymond. In the end, Clifford found himself bored once again.
With nothing to do, Clifford decided to entertain himself by bothering the elder. Transforming into his eagle form, Clifford flew high toward Reymond, contemplating his next move. Shortly, he made up his mind and reached the elder. Watching the bird approaching, Reymond was curious about Clifford's intentions.
"Is that a weapon? And is it special compared to normal ones?" Clifford asked, surprisingly landing on Reymond's shoulder and eyeing the staff.