He knew the location of the ten Spirit Nodes after gaining the knowledge of Exorcist Trainee Academies.
As he pulled the Cursed Energy, the noises increased.
They were no longer murmurs.
He could hear them.
Kill me.
Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!
Why do we live? Does living truly matter?
I want to rip them apart! I want to see blood!
Emotions that weren't his own invaded his heart and mind.
With Buddha Mind, his heart did not fluctuate in the slightest.
He continued to absorb Cursed Energy calmly.
Unlike normal Exorcists, who gathered Cursed Energy slowly, because collecting too much too quickly could affect their sanity, Cayden did not hold back.
He withstood the onslaught of temptations like an unmoving mountain.
He opened the first Spirit Node after one hour.
Endless strength seeped into his body, giving him the illusion of invulnerability, and he felt rejuvenated.
By the time the Safe Zone reached its time limit, he had unlocked his second Spirit Node.
His senses grew incomparably sharper and his physique underwent a profound transformation.
His bones became sturdier, his skin turned fair, and his muscles grew denser.
In just a day, he made two breakthroughs!
It was all thanks to Buddha Mind which allowed him to absorb Cursed Energy without worries!
[Fate Points: 0]
[Rank: Second Spirit Node]
Information appeared in his mind after he focused on the Fate Point Mark on his left hand.
It was time to look for his brother.
…
After descending from the hill, he entered the forest of bones.
He made sure to not enter the mist.
While he did not know the mist's abilities, it had to have perception inhibition and getting lost right now would be the worst outcome.
"I need to find a totem pole if I want to search for Hein."
Totem poles were present in every world.
One could see the progress of their task, buy materials, or return to the human domain through them.
They could create permanent safe zones and they were a necessary item for humans to survive in demon worlds.
Totem Poles allowed people to search for a person they had met before.
The currency used to access Totem Poles benefits were 'Fate Points'.
Cayden had zero Fate Points as of now.
He was officially an Exorcist after opening the First Spirit Node, so he could hunt demons to earn Fate Points.
Hopefully, he should be able to fight weaker demons.
The lack of a weapon was problematic though.
"I'm getting hungry."
Consumable fruits, capable of human sustenance, existed in the demon world, and these fruits were rich in cursed energy.
There was just one problem.
They grew in the heart of demons' territories.
It was not easy to find them.
He moved through the forest at slow pace.
Soo, he heard the noises of battle.
He did not rush immediately to the site.
It could be a trap set by the mist or a demon.
The safest choice was to ignore the noises.
But it was not the best choice.
Only students from Exorcists Trainee Academies, or those with Exorcist-related background, could fight demons just after a day of entering the demon world.
If they weren't either, he could still ask them if they had seen Totem Poles or Hein.
The choice was clear.
Cayden was not the type of person to hide from challenges just because it was dangerous.
Having made his decision, he ran towards the source of the noise.
…
The area was filled with dense Cursed Energy.
Three boys were facing a demon.
They had similar clothes; as they were from the same Academy.
The demon had the face of a snake, torso of a human, two arms with pointed claws, and spider-like six legs.
It was covered in black scales and was 4 meters (13 feet) tall.
"I'll cover you! Go!" Tamir shouted, banging his sword against his shield to draw the demon's attention.
It worked.
The six-legged beast charged, claws swinging.
Tamir raised his shield, barely blocking the blow.
But the oppressive wave of Cursed Energy froze him in place.
He couldn't move.
An arrow struck the demon's temple.
"Snap out of it, Tamir!" Khrone's shout broke through the haze.
Ignoring the call to retreat, Tamir roared and charged, ramming his shield into the demon with all his strength.
"Don't hold back!" he shouted.
"Are you deaf?!"
Khrone cursed, firing arrows to keep the demon off Tamir.
The arrows hit their mark but barely scratched the creature.
Meanwhile, Leo crept behind the demon.
He leaped, aiming to sever the creature's neck.
His sword struck—but only sank an inch deep.
Before he could react, the demon's backhand sent him crashing into a tree.
His vision blurred, but Leo forced himself up.
They couldn't win.
They had to run.
When he made it back, the demon had Tamir in its crushing grip.
"Stop!"
Leo's heart sank as Tamir bled from every orifice.
Khrone, out of arrows, charged with a shortsword.
"D-don't! Run!" Tamir croaked, freeing his hands to buy time.
But the demon threw him like a rag doll, sending him crashing into Khrone. They lay in a growing pool of blood.
Neither moved.
"Are.. they dead?"
Leo wanted to deny the truth before his eyes
Hissing, the demon approached him.
"Arghh!!!"
Leo dashed at the demon madly in rage.
Just when they were about to clash, a shadow jumped out from the cover of the thicket and pulled him away from the demon.
"Calm down. Your friends are alive."
The boy put Leo down.
Only then did Leo notice that Tamir and Krhone had been moved away.
They were laid next to a tree, unconscious, but their chests were moving.
"I'll borrow your weapon for a bit," said the boy.
"S-sure?"
The boy picked his sword.
He had ash white hair and sea-blue eyes.
His appearance was so striking that no one could forget him after meeting him even once.
He wasn't an Azure Exorcist Trainee Academy student.
If he was, Leo would've definitely known.
He could be from the other two Exorcist Trainee Academies.
Still, only high-ranked students could solo defeat a demon so early.
High-ranking students were famous. So the boy, unknown to Leo, wasn't one.
Leo and his group were among top 100 students in Azure Exorcist Trainee Academy and they couldn't put a scratch on the demon.
The white-haired boy had no chance.
"Wait! Don't fight it! Just leave us and run!"
Leo came to his senses and tried to stop Cayden.
He failed to notice the change in the demon's demeanor.
It had been playing with Leo and his group before.