The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Draven was already on his way to the Blue Plane.
The cab driver dropped him off a safe distance away, unwilling to venture closer to the infamous valley teeming with monsters. Draven didn't blame him—no sane person would risk it, even though the creatures never strayed beyond the Blue Plane's boundaries.
Finding a secluded spot, Draven changed into the black, scaly attire he had purchased. The fabric clung to his frame like a second skin, its texture both smooth and resilient. Once dressed, he approached the edge of the Blue Plane.
The valley stretched out before him, a surreal landscape bathed in an otherworldly blue glow. The light emanated from behind a central mountain, spilling over the valley like an ethereal sea. From above, the ground was a chaotic web of ravines, as if a giant had scribbled across the earth with a massive blade.
Draven pulled out his map, studying it carefully until he located the ravine he had marked as the path. Satisfied, he tucked the map away and sat at the boundary, waiting.
About an hour later, groups of Elites began to arrive, clad in various armors and carrying an assortment of weapons. Draven observed them carefully, assessing their strengths and weaknesses.
'Too experienced. They might see through me.'
'Looks tough.'
'Too weak. They might not survive long enough to be useful.'
…
Finally, his eyes landed on a group that seemed just right: a young man, a boy, and a teenage girl. Draven stood and approached them with a confident smile.
"Good morning," he greeted.
The young man, presumably the leader, nodded. "Morning."
"You're here for the legacy, right?" Draven asked casually.
"Everyone here is," the boy chimed in. "It only happened once, and the Earth Warden rose to the peak because of it."
Draven's smile widened. "I have a way to get you safely to the legacy. It'll cost you five hundred million credit units. I won't explain how—I'll lead you there myself. And since I don't want to die stupidly, trust me, it's a solid plan."
The young man raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you get it for yourself, then?"
"I'm not an Elite," Draven replied, his expression unflinching.
There was no record of unawakened getting a Legacy, so it sounded truthful.
Under their skeptical gazes, he pulled out a folded paper from his pocket and handed it to the young man. The man scanned the bottom of the document with his phone, which beeped in confirmation. After reading it, he exchanged a look of disbelief with the others.
"You'd rather risk your life than live paralyzed?" the girl asked, her tone laced with suspicion.
Draven chuckled but didn't respond. The paper was a slightly altered version of his diagnosis—instead of stating he would die in four months, it claimed he would be paralyzed, with only one cure that cost five hundred million credit units.
"Show me something concrete before I'll believe you," the young man demanded, his tone skeptical.
Draven hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket and handing over the map. "This is a detailed map of the Blue Plane. I've researched every ravine, every possible path, and even the monsters that inhabit them. That red line? It's the safe route to the legacy."
The young man unfolded the map, and the three Elites huddled around it, their eyes scanning the intricate markings. When they finally looked up, their expressions were a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
Draven wasn't worried about the plan leaking—the map only made sense to him. Its chaotic scribbles and cryptic symbols were indecipherable to anyone else.
"Psychotic…" the boy behind them muttered, his voice low but filled with awe as he stared at Draven, his gaze almost entranced.
The young man finally spoke. "You'll lead the way. I'm Reece, this is Jordan, and she's Sera." He gestured to the boy and the girl. "But remember, you'll explain the plan along the way before we execute it."
Draven nodded and turned toward the valley.
'He agreed easily?' Draven thought on his way.
He anchored a rope to the edge and lowered himself into the ethereal blue glow. The moment he descended, a bone-chilling cold enveloped him.
The ethereal blue glow will stop anybody above the Transient rank.
When his feet touched the ground, he noticed the valley floor was hard and dry, as if untouched by moisture for centuries. The blue light painted everything, including his face, in an eerie hue—everything was blue in the valley.
He pulled out a vial of Berserker Z1 and downed its contents in a gulp. Instantly, his body surged with heat, his muscles tightening, his heart pounding like a drum. He felt his body growing stronger. Though the strange cold persisted.
Reece was the first to reach the ground.
"What's the plan?" Reece demanded, his voice low but firm.
"Let the others catch up first," Draven replied.
Reece's expression darkened. "You should know this place isn't just filled with lower-rank monsters. There are Primal rank creatures here. Even a First Order Primal monster could wipe us out. So, I hope your plan is foolproof."
Draven nodded. "I know this place only allows Transient rank outsiders. The plan accounts for that."
Jordan and Sera caught up.
Once the group was assembled, Draven began. "As you all know, moving on the surface is suicide. Here's the plan: this area is inhabited by Mud Serpents—snake-like monsters that burrow in the ravines. They're eyeless but highly sensitive to sound and vibrations within a seventy-meter radius. I have tested it. However, that ravine…" He pointed to a deep, narrow fissure. "...is about a hundred meters deep and a meter wide. We'll descend about twenty meters and crawl along the walls, using our hands and feet to brace ourselves on both sides of the ravine. It's a suspended crawl—quiet and careful, so we don't alert them."
"You'll lead the way, and I'll be right behind you," Reece said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Draven met his gaze with a calm smile. "Of course. The ravines branch out, and I know the correct paths, so I will have to lead. Otherwise, you might hit a dead end."
The group exchanged uneasy glances but followed Draven as he began the descent. The ravine was more like a deep, narrow pit, its rough walls towering ominously on either side—a giant fissure carved into the earth. Draven positioned his bag in front of him for easy access and started crawling forward, the three Elites close behind, their movements cautious and deliberate.
Luckily, it wasn't dark because of the blue light.
From above, they looked like moving 'X's, inching their way through the labyrinth. Draven focused on the path ahead, moving as quietly as possible. Below, the ravine seemed peaceful, but Draven knew better—Mud Serpents lurked in the bottom, ready to strike at the slightest disturbance.
When they reached branching paths, Draven confidently chose the correct route, only leading them to a dead end once. The rest of the time, his choices were spot on, earning him cautious trust from the group.
With the effects of Berserker Z1 coursing through him, Draven maintained a steady pace. About forty minutes later, they reached a section of the giant ravine where Draven knew the Mud Serpents no longer lurked.
'So far, so good. Nothing's gone wrong. Sigh… I came with the Elites because I thought something would go wrong, but now that everything's fine, I'm starting to regret bringing them along. Ditching them won't be easy—and they might actually be useful at the end,' he thought, keeping a wary eye on Reece behind him.
Just as he turned to face forward, a loud yell erupted from behind, followed by a deafening roar from below. Draven's head snapped downward to see Jordan and Sera falling, while massive Mud Serpents—each twice as thick as his body—surged upward at terrifying speed.
Instinctively, Draven vaulted forward, but a vice-like grip clamped around his ankle.
'Shit! Reece!'