Neo was wide awake when the blue crystals began to light up once again.
He gradually loosened his tight grip on his spear and sighed in relief.
Last night had served as a wake-up call for Neo.
He realised that he had let his guard down a bit.
After being in the underground world for hours without seeing any beasts or hearing any roars, Neo had subconsciously lowered his guard and allowed himself to relax too easily.
Even if he was going to sleep, he could have done so in a more threatening manner.
Yes, by holding his spear and faking a cautious posture, Neo would have been able to get a few hours of sleep while still deterring most beasts from attacking him during his dreams.
This was all part of what they had been taught in the Spirit Realm basics classes.
It was a mistake on his part.
'But what was that, though?'
The image of that spooky being of shadows slinking in the darkness gave him chills.
Had his instincts not alerted him and woken him up in time, Neo was sure that beast would have come for him.
In fact, Neo was certain the beast had been gradually approaching him when he woke up.
He would have died without even knowing how or what had killed him. All his grand dreams would have been gone, just like that!
Unacceptable!
Although Neo only slept for a few hours, coupled with the nourishment from the pink fruits, he was able to restore his energy and was ready for the day.
First things first, Neo needed to scavenge.
He had to go to the surface one more time and confirm whether the monkey was still around the blue rock. He also needed to search for any useful items from the bodies of the dead party members.
Neo's face grew downcast as he thought about the dead party members.
Just a day ago, they had been alive and kicking, and now they were probably already digested in the bowels of those uncommon-grade gorillas and tree beings.
The reality of how dangerous the life of an adventurer was dawned on Neo at that moment.
It wasn't a peaceful job at all. Death could come knocking at any time.
But Neo felt something was different from what he had been told...
Were uncommon-grade beasts so common nowadays that one could be seen at the outer edges of just any zone?
Neo didn't think so...
In that case, it must have been...
"My bad luck..." His voice was bitter and laced with guilt. He had caused their deaths.
It had been he who had brought the disaster, and yet he was still alive.
Although most of them were arrogant pricks who thought too highly of themselves, they were still human.
They had families, friends, goals, dreams—all of that.
Neo sighed.
Thinking about what his future would look like almost brought him to tears.
He could already picture his lonely life...
After all, anybody who followed him was going to suffer alongside him.
'How dare my f*cking author choose the loner character trait for me?!'
Neo wanted to shout but didn't know who to direct his anger towards.
He felt like he had been robbed of his future by the mysterious beings who had placed a curse on him.
He hadn't even asked to get chosen for their prophecy nonsense!
He only wanted a super cool life with a lot of money, fame, girls, and awesome strength!
Was that too much to ask for?
Neo sighed once again.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Neo picked up his spear and made for the blue pond.
As he approached the shimmering blue pond, Neo's heart couldn't help but palpitate. His body wanted to turn around and give up, but he marched on with a stoic face.
He had to verify that he was not trapped here. He couldn't afford to live here for the rest of his life!
He would actually die after just a year here!
Neo didn't want to die from soul corrosion, so he had to find a way out...
'Cold...'
Neo gently dipped a palm into the viscous pond and felt its cold temperature.
Splash!
Neo dived in before he could change his mind. The moment he entered the pond, Neo tensed his muscles and prepared to swim with all his strength but was left baffled when the expected pulling force didn't occur.
Could he really enter and leave the pond freely now?
Was that like a test?
Neo didn't know why or how it happened, and he didn't care. He dove deep into the pond and saw the blue rock once again.
As soon as he touched it, Neo was sucked in as usual and found himself back on the surface a few seconds later.
His eyes darted around cautiously as he prepared to slap the rock at the slightest hint of danger.
He only sighed and breathed freely when he confirmed that he was alone.
That gigantic gorilla had gone...
With that out of the way, Neo quickly moved into the forest. He tried to find the way back to the battle site based on how he had run that night, but it was proving difficult.
It had been too dark at the time; he could barely avoid the bulging roots shooting out of the damn trees as he ran...
Wait a minute!
Neo's eyes lit up as he saw a familiar path. He remembered tripping at this exact cluster of roots.
He remembered the cluster of roots so well because it was shaped like two huge breasts...
Neo's mind was sharp, quite alright!
After recognising the first identifiable spot, the rest was easy. Neo was able to retrace his path and was soon back at the tree where he had witnessed the brutal murder of the party leader...
Right here...
There were still dried blood stains on the white grass. It looked like ketchup on rice and was extremely bizarre.
Neo spotted a red katana buried in the ground and felt his chest tighten. The party leader had fallen last and had had to watch as his teammates were brutally murdered one by one.
Neo could envision the anguish the man felt as he struck his katana into the ground. It was a terrible moment of extreme despair.
With red eyes, Neo briskly picked up the items he could find.
He was so angry that his teeth were clenched.
He picked up everything without bothering to check them and only stopped his mechanical movements when everything was scraped clean.
He tied everything up into one satchel using the torn and bloodied jacket worn by the last guy in the party. Neo slung the satchel over his shoulder and quickly made his way back to the underground world.
He still hadn't made a sound, and his eyes were still red with fury and guilt.
He wanted to cry but couldn't. It was too disrespectful, in his opinion.
He made a promise to himself to get revenge on the monkeys and gorillas in this whole zone when he had enough strength. Until he avenged them, he wouldn't allow himself to cry.
After narrowly avoiding smashing into a tree trunk from tripping, Neo abruptly halted in his tracks.
He had accidentally veered a bit off track and had stumbled upon something shocking...
Right before Neo was a sleeping gorilla baby.
Its common-grade pressure was still a bit shaky as it slept, proof that it had just been born. Its parents had probably gone to look for food for the beast...
Neo stared at the sleeping gorilla for minutes before suddenly smiling coldly.
Neo was going to kill his first beast.