After a cold shower, Draven went straight to bed, mentally drained from everything, slept for the next three hours, just enough to recover, and spent the following few hours silently meditating, knowing there were a few long days ahead.
Draven left the room with the first light of the morning through the window, but not before leaving ten gold coins to clean the mess he left in the room.
Nero also woke up from his slumber and began to question Draven about various things. To his delight, he learned that he was fully cured and that they were going for Crysindora Arachna.
However, to his disappointment, he was told not to take control of the body unless he wished to feel a world of pain.
He felt frustrated, as he could not feel the changes to his body. He was even denied insight into how Draven would kill a sixth-rank creature, leaving him with no choice but to wait for the answers to be revealed with time.
Draven had breakfast at the local tavern and prepared the needed supplies, which included food, a new rare-grade short sword, hunter potions, and other items that could be helpful before leaving the city for his destination.
He began his march toward the southeast, deep into the Elder wood mountain chain into the territory of Crysindora Arachna.
It was nearly a two-day journey into the area, crawling with strong creatures, but Draven was confident in his abilities and fully prepared for any feasible situation.
---------------
'Four Hours Later'
'Nero POV'
'I can do this with my body,' Nero thought as he watched Shadowclimber monkeys, known for their agility, getting butchered, 'No, no way, I can do this. It's like he has eyes all around his head, and he already knows what they are going to do before they even do it,'
He was in the middle of a dense jungle, the sky entirely concealed by the thick canopy overhead, allowing only a few soft rays of sunlight to pierce through and touch the jungle floor.
The air was cool and damp, thick with the scent of moss and damp earth. The constant sound of rustling leaves and insects accompanied by distant calls created an eerie, almost overwhelming atmosphere.
This was the perfect habitat for the Shadowclimbers, a species of agile and elusive primates that thrived in the jungle's dim, shadowy depths.
Nero could hardly see things in his immediate surroundings, and although he had great eyes for details, he struggled because there was barely any light.
Yet that does not seem to be the problem for Draven, as he easily traversed the unforgiving landscape as if he knew it by heart, and even when a group of eight monkeys ambushed them, he easily avoided them like he could see them coming a mile away.
It took him mere seconds to deal with all four of the shadow climbers who took the lead in ambushing him, leaving them dead or bleeding on the floor in single strikes.
Nero watched as Draven sidestepped, avoiding a claw just in time, before catching the hairy wrist of the money with his left hand, slamming the beast into the ground, and pushing the short sword through his eye, ending his life before he could even react.
The next moment, he sat down, evading the monkey that came from behind, before pushing forth. In a blinding swing, he took the creature's head off clean.
He flicked his sword, cleaning it of any blood, as he stared down the two monkeys who growled and hissed, circling him from both left and right, one holding a sharp pike and the other holding two chunky hard stones.
The monkey roared as he threw a stone at him, closely followed by the other, who hurled his spear before both turned around and sprinted for their lives.
Draven did not bother to chase after the fleeing monkies as he calmly began to collect the six corpses, touching each one with the space ring that distorted the surrounding space of the corpse, blurring it for a moment as it was pulled inside the pocket space.
'Why are you not using those expensive potions? You could get us killed,' Nero said the moment the fear of the ambush faded away.
'As I said before, if I get killed by these weaklings in this natural haven, then that is just fate,' Draven answered, not one bit afraid of making his way through the dense jungle, with death at every step.
Nero was pissed, angry enough to take control of his body, but he knew better, so he took deep imaginary breaths as he took a seat back on the colorless floor.
Draven began to move once more, weaving his way through the thick jungle, which could quickly cause one to lose their sense of direction.
The dense undergrowth tangled at one's feet while towering trees and sprawling vines created a maze of obstacles. Every step was a challenge as the twisted foliage closed in around one, the overlapping branches and hanging moss obscuring any clear path.
It was the kind of place where even seasoned travelers could lose themselves. The landscape shifted with every turn, each corner blending into another in the dim light filtering through the canopy.
Yet Draven could move through the jungle at uncanny speed, and he was doing so at such speed for hours, not even showing a hint of fatigue.
Draven kept moving toward the southeast for the next few hours and when the sun began to settle, he used one of the hunter potions to remove his sent and began to look for his shelter for the night.
He found one of the tallest trees and began the meticulous task of securing it for the night. Using a magically enhanced fishing line, he expertly wove it around the massive trunk and branches, even crafting a tight, web-like ceiling at the top to serve as a roof.
The end of the line was tied to his finger, allowing him to sense any disturbance instantly.
The webbing was intricately designed, with no gaps or obstructions along its path, ensuring that no creature of significant size could pass through without triggering an alert.
He settled on a thick branch that sheltered him from the direct chilly winds, his back against the tree trunk as he stared into the stars.
'I don't even know if I wish to meet you again,' Draven thought, standing atop the tree as he looked toward the moon.
Draven stood at the top of the tree basking under the moonlight, looking over the lush jungle drowned in darkness, hearing the singing of the insects as he felt the cold freezing wind on his face, it made him smile as he remembered some good memories.
'I am giving you control, so just don't kill me by inviting a group of bone wing crows,' Draven said after he was done tying a rope to a solid branch before tying it to his waist.
'Why would I do that,' Nero scoffed, but he was too happy to care that he was finally getting control over his body and could see what changes he experienced after the cure from the wretched blood clots.
"Ow, Ow, Ow, OAAAAA," As his physical senses returned, Nero felt a rush of pain from all over his body, pain so terrible that it reminded him of his long nightless sleep after he was inflicted with the poison years ago.
He was quick to clench his teeth, both his hands shooting for his mouth as he suppressed his desire to scream as he slowly tried to get familiar with the agony his body was undergoing.
'Why did you not wait for the pain to go away,' Nero shouted, his anger directed at Draven, who was quick to retort him. 'What you are feeling right now is just muscle pain, not even a tenth of what you would have experienced in the cleansing process,'
'But more importantly, you better get comfortable with the idea of pain because the path to power is one with Physical and Mental pain,' Draven said, forcing Nero to shut his mouth.
Nero was left speechless at how little all the gut-wrenching pain he felt was compared to the real deal, but he was more surprised by the realization that Draven was traveling and fighting like the pain did not exist.
'What a Monster,' Nero thought, keeping it to himself as he gulped his saliva, trying not to throw up.
Nero was in terrible pain, as every inch of his body felt broken and spent. His breathing was heavy, and it was taking every ounce of strength not to voice out his pain or jump around to somehow lessen it.
He wished he could switch places with Draven but realized that he would either refuse or accept, and even if he accepted, it would only affect him negatively because, in the future, he had to fight his own battles and grow to become dependable. Otherwise, he would just become a puppet and spectator in his own life.
It was a hard truth, but it gave him the will to persevere through the pain without complaining. He pushed himself to sit silently, not complaining, even when he felt the chilly wind cling to his skin.
Nero tried to distract himself with the breathtaking view of the inky black sky dotted with countless stars and the Moon, which shined like a gem, its soft light bathing the massive jungle below.
But all the beauty did little to distract him from the pain and the cold. Even the thought and excitement of getting the Devourer system, a primordial grade gift that would change his life forever, helped little to pass the time.