"You bastard! So you were trying to kill my friend?!" Baron snapped, clenching his fist tightly as he charged at a burly young man he didn't recognize.
He was ready to throw a punch out of anger at the annoying face in front of him.
The burly young man quickly dodged the punch with an annoyed snort. "Tsk! Relax, man. I was just joking!" Casildo defended himself immediately.
"Besides, I don't have the guts to kill this Failed Product. I don't want someone to come and chop off my head," he added with a bitter look, glancing at Kairav, who was unconscious against the cave wall.
Gavin quietly patted Baron's shoulder, sensing his friend's suspicion and wariness toward the stranger. "This guy must be Casildo. Kairav told us about him before. He seems dumb and irritating, but we can probably trust him," Gavin whispered.
Baron nodded in agreement, his eyes scanning Casildo up and down, as if evaluating him. "Yeah, seems like it."
The man they were talking about crossed his arms with an irritated expression. "Huh, I bet this Failed Product only told you bad things about me," Casildo muttered, throwing a scornful look at Kairav.
"Don't take it too hard. Kairav only told us the truth," Gavin shrugged indifferently, which earned him a sharp glare from Casildo.
Suddenly, a loud cough interrupted the banter, drawing everyone's attention to Kairav, who was struggling to regain consciousness. His eyelids slowly fluttered open, though he still appeared weak.
Gavin rushed over, patting his friend's shoulder. His eyes reflected concern as he noticed Kairav's pale complexion. "How are you feeling now?"
Kairav didn't respond at first, his hazel eyes distant and dazed as he tried to piece together the recent events. He slowly scanned the faces in front of him: Baron, Gavin, and then finally...
"Hey there, Brother."
"Dairy Cow?!" Kairav blurted out, his once weak expression lighting up with shock when he saw Casildo standing there, greeting him with a flat expression.
Casildo crossed his arms and frowned. "Tsk! This is the second time I've saved your life, and this is how you thank me?!" he protested.
Kairav let out a long sigh before replying, leaning his still weak body against the cave wall. "Sorry, I thought I was dead and meeting you in the afterlife."
Casildo's face still looked displeased. "You're lucky I'm generous enough to give you this precious thing," he grumbled, holding out a small glass bottle in front of Kairav's face. "Huh, in the end, you're the one who drank it!"
A deep frown formed on Kairav's face as he stared at the small glass bottle with a few drops of dark red liquid remaining inside. "What is this?" he asked curiously.
"Crimson Begonia," Casildo replied bluntly.
Kairav's expression immediately shifted to surprise. "The legendary flower that only grows in the mountains of the Sapphire Peninsula?" he asked, taking the empty bottle and examining the crimson begonia inside.
"You know about it too?" Casildo looked surprised.
Gavin chimed in, "Of course, our team once researched this flower. From what we know, Crimson Begonia has properties that can heal wounds, especially those causing significant blood loss. It's believed to replenish lost blood in the body, almost like a transfusion."
"That's why the local tribes of the peninsula value it so much, since many still rely heavily on traditional medicine."
"But the flower is extremely rare. Several decades ago, the locals came up with a way to protect it from outsiders who wanted to hunt it down. They kept the flower's true habitat a secret, claiming it only grew in certain areas of the mountains..."
Gavin's explanation was cut short when Kairav interrupted, "Which is why no outsider has ever found the flower again. Over the years, its existence has been forgotten, dismissed as a myth."
He turned to Casildo, eyeing him suspiciously. "So how did you get this flower, Casildo? Were you once a local?"
"Tsk! No way," Casildo quickly denied, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Kairav with a bored expression. "My Horned Guardian Clan is nomadic. We've never set foot in the Sapphire Peninsula, since it's already guarded, living there would be pointless."
"Then how did you get it?"
"From the nameless young man."
Kairav furrowed his brow at the mention of the name. "The guy who helped us on Enigma Island?"
"Oh, so you remember," Casildo said flatly.
"Where is he now?" Kairav pressed, eager for an answer.
"He went ahead and is waiting for us in the forest... Wait, I haven't even asked you!" Casildo suddenly remembered something. "Why are you on this mountain? What are you doing here?!"
Kairav let out a slow breath. "I heard someone say, 'If you want to know, meet me in the Forest of Lost Souls when the rainy season arrives.' Do you remember? That was about a month ago after we returned from Enigma Island."
"I was waking up from unconsciousness and heard the voice. It wasn't yours or Prince Arkana's. I didn't recognize it, so it must have been the nameless young man you often mention," Kairav explained. "At that moment, I realized you all were planning something..."
"So you recklessly followed us?!" Casildo snapped, cutting him off. "That's like handing your life over to the ghosts of this mountain, you idiot!" He growled, smacking Kairav on the head in frustration.
"You bastard!" Kairav cursed.
Casildo muttered angrily, throwing the Crimson Begonia bottle at Kairav. "No wonder! The nameless young man must've known you'd wake up, so he gave me this. He knew a troublemaker like you would come after us."
He grumbled at Kairav. "What a cunning guy, dumping this burden on me and Arkana."
"He wouldn't have followed you if you hadn't kept so many secrets! He just wants answers!" Baron spoke up, defending his friend.
Casildo sighed in frustration. "We weren't trying to hide anything from you! We barely know much ourselves!" he insisted. "Didn't we tell you that we're still searching for answers about the origin of our powers?"
"I know! That's why I want to be involved too!" Kairav argued.
Casildo sighed heavily, trying to remain patient. "Sorry, Failed Product, but no offense—you can't even use your powers right now, can you?" he pointed out. "I mean, you don't want to be a burden to the group, do you?"
"But I've used Radiant Soulforge Awakening twice!"
"Yeah, because that's a basic ability all Astral Conjurers have!" Casildo said. "Animal spirits have a sensor when their hosts are in danger, so they automatically come out to protect us!"
"Then teach me how to control my powers!" Kairav demanded.
Casildo shook his head, clapping his hands in exasperation. "Wow, not only are you useless, you're also stubborn," he said sarcastically.
Seeing Kairav getting ready to argue again, Casildo immediately turned away. "That's enough! I don't want to hear another cursed word from you. Speak again if you want me to slap your annoying mouth shut!"
Hearing that threat, Kairav had no choice but to keep quiet, sulking as he leaned back against the cave wall, his frustration boiling.
As his eyes wandered, they landed on the body of a man from the treasure-hunting group lying nearby. The sight piqued his curiosity. "How many are dead?" he whispered to Baron but glanced at Casildo.
When Casildo shot him a glare, Kairav quickly defended himself, "I wasn't talking to you, jerk! I was asking my friend!"
Baron stepped in to defuse the tension. "I don't know, but we've found at least 10 bodies along this tunnel," he answered.
"Did they all die because of the fireflies and those blood-sucking worms?" Kairav asked, frowning as he examined the man's body. "Why are the animals here acting so abnormal?"
"They're just ordinary animals, but they've been influenced by black magic and fed dragon serpent blood, making them this vicious," came a sudden voice from behind them.