Spirit_Alphabet

Chapter 109: Instant Mind Time

An eternal tranquility enveloped the Archive of Dreams. The air inside was cool and perfectly dry, steeped in the unique scent of old paper, faint incense, and the aroma of the ancient wood used to build the towering shelves. Only the dim, gentle light from memory crystals and the soft footsteps of Owen disturbed the serenity of this place.

Owen looked down at the ancient yellow tome in his hand again. His thumb traced the rough texture of the ancient paper.

[Instant-Mind Palm: Mercy of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva]...

'The name... doesn't sound much like a combat skill,' he mused, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion. 'It leans more toward religious philosophy... But why... does it capture my attention so completely?'

The feeling of calm and clarity the tome provided was a stark contrast to the fierce, destructive power of the [Sun God's Gauntlets] he possessed. Yet, that contradiction created a strange balance in his heart.

His curiosity intensified. Owen took a deep breath of the ancient knowledge before carefully opening the tome, as if afraid the ancient, thousand-year-old paper would crumble in his hands. And when he found that "translation tags" were neatly tucked into every page, amidst the squiggling ancient script, he let out a sigh of relief.

'Great! Without these, I wouldn't be able to read a single word.' Owen felt genuinely grateful for the dedication of Tenzin and the previous caretakers. Without these translations, the priceless knowledge before him would be nothing more than inked paper.

Owen scanned the short "introduction" on the first page... The opening paragraph alone gripped his full attention.

"Humans are bound by the limitations of their physical bodies. Within a single breath... how many times do you think a human can attack?"

"A commoner's fist may strike once... a martial artist's may strike ten times... or a grandmaster's fist may achieve a hundred maneuvers... but whether one or a hundred, as humans, they all have limits."

Owen nodded in agreement as he read. This fact was something he was well aware of; a physical body has limits that cannot be easily surpassed.

"But with the Instant-Mind Palm skill... you will no longer be limited by the 'speed' of your body. Because the thing faster than your limbs and muscles... is your 'perception' and 'thought'."

It was like a small bolt of lightning shot through Owen's brain! The moment his eyes hit the words "perception and thought," the [Brain] evolution path instantly popped into his head! A new wave of excitement began to build from the depths of his calm. He quickened his reading pace to understand more, his breath catching slightly.

"Before you can move to attack... your mind must first perceive the target and environment, then plan what you will do, and only then does your body finally move to attack."

"Or even if you are a grandmaster who has reached the 'essence' and can move to attack without needing to think... you still need to 'perceive' first. Otherwise, you are just a madman attacking aimlessly."

"By now, you see how important 'perception' and 'thought' are, don't you? They are the beginning of all movement... And with this Instant-Mind Palm skill, your perception and thought will be expanded immensely!"

"You will perceive everything with clarity, every detail within your perception... be it the dew on a blade of grass, an insect on the ground, or even the water vapor in the air."

"You will see every movement of all things, as if the world is moving in slow motion. 1 second of outside time might be stretched to 10 seconds in your mind... This state is called 'Instant Mind Time'."

'This is clearly Bullet Time mode... but the real thing might be even better,' Owen analyzed from a gamer's perspective.

"And with this Instant Mind Time... even if you only have a normal body that can attack 1 time in 1 second... you can attack 10 times with this skill!"

Owen's eyes sparkled as he reached the final sentence of the introduction.

"And if you become a true master of this skill... you will be able to attack 1,000 times in 1 second!"

Owen's brain rapidly processed and analyzed the logic behind this skill... He admitted that physical speed had a clear ceiling; no matter how fast, there was a limit the body could endure. But "speed of thought" was different. Its limits were hundreds or thousands of times higher than the physical body, almost incomparable.

'This... is a skill clearly born for the [Brain] evolution path.' A small smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth. 'And its potential looks even better than choosing pure speed…'

The scales in Owen's mind, which had been wavering, now clearly tipped away from [Speed] toward [Brain]. If he chose [Speed], he would still be stuck within physical limits. But if he chose [Brain] along with "this skill," it would completely shatter the body's ultimate speed limit…

Owen hypothesized that the attack in "Instant Mind Time" might be a form of energy wave or psychic power sent out directly, without even needing to rely on muscle movement. Doesn't that seem to fit perfectly with his [Avatar of Asura]?

Fwip!

Owen slowly closed the tome. The sound of paper brushing paper echoed softly in the archive's silence.

'I'll look around a little more...' He held the tome a little tighter. 'But if there's nothing more interesting than this skill, I'm definitely taking it back to train during these 2 weeks of evolution.'

He looked up from the book, the hesitation and confusion that had filled his eyes earlier now completely gone... replaced by the fierce determination of someone who had found their "path."

Owen's footsteps continued to echo among the towering shelves. He became an explorer in an ocean of wisdom, discovering new possibilities hidden in countless books, scrolls, and stone tablets.

Whether it was the "Blink Step" technique that allowed movement in short bursts as fast as a phantom, the "Origin Runes" tome, a science of powerful ancient sigils, or even "Gravity Magic" that could help train his body better than any weight equipment.

Each one was a treasure trove of power that even high-level mages or Awakened would fight and die for.

But... Owen simply shook his head softly, returning those tomes to the shelf with a sense of regret.

'Hmm… It's not what I need right now.' Although they were all interesting, none of them "paired" with his chosen evolution path as well as [Instant-Mind Palm]. It was the most perfect puzzle piece for his overall picture at this moment.

'I'll save them for later…' he thought with a smirk. 'Once I master this skill, it won't be too late to come back and learn them… It's not like this place is going anywhere.'

Owen gripped the old yellow tome in his hand tighter, before turning and walking out of the Archive of Dreams. He had decided... His evolution path was [Brain], without a doubt.

...

Saturday morning, the first day of the new month. At Rosy's house.

Morning sunlight streamed through the clear glass window, filling the living room, which was filled with the aroma of fresh coffee and newly baked bread. Owen, in comfortable casual clothes, walked over to greet Alicia, who was busily wearing an apron in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mrs. Alicia," Owen smiled cheerfully.

"You're in a good mood this morning," she said to him gently. "Rosy said she's waiting in the basement."

"Understood. I'll be in your care as always," Owen bowed his head to her politely.

He walked past the sofa and straight to the basement lab where Iris was waiting.

Ting!

A notification sound chimed from his phone just as he reached the first step of the stairs. Owen pulled out his phone. A smile immediately appeared on his face when he saw the notification from his bank.

[ Bank Transfer Received: $150,000 from OnlyStar (Monthly Revenue Share) ]

"Finally..." he murmured softly, chuckling in his throat. This income was enough to make his financial situation fluid again. And more important than the money was that today was the first day of the new month...

[ Temporary Covenant Quota: 3/3 ]

The fully restored number made Owen let out a quiet sigh of relief. The reassuring feeling of having all 3 "trump cards" back in his hand greatly reduced the stress that had built up all month. From now on, he wouldn't have to be so worried when facing a tight spot.

Owen took a deep breath before stepping down into the basement with a heart more resolute than ever. The next two weeks would be the start of the biggest change of his life.

Fwoom...

The moment Owen entered the password and placed his palm on the scanner, the thick steel security door slid open automatically, with the familiar sound of pressurized air being released.

A heavy mass of cool air hit his face. The fragrant smell of coffee and warm toast from Alicia's kitchen was cut off, replaced by a clean, sterile scent. And the atmosphere in the lab today was completely different from usual.

It wasn't chaotic and filled with scattered documents or experimental equipment lying about like last time. The entire room was organized so neatly it was almost creepy. Every metal table was spotless, every tool put away. It was like an operating room that had undergone maximum sterilization, awaiting a critical surgery.

In the center of the room... a new piece of equipment stood tall, replacing the old lab table.

It was a large, futuristically shaped "Capsule Bed." Its surface was a material like pearly white porcelain that looked almost alive, with hundreds of multi-colored cables snaking down from the ceiling and up from the floor... It didn't look like a machine, but more like a "cocoon" or an "altar" for a sacred ritual.

And next to that altar, Iris was waiting for him...

She was in a clean white lab coat that was slightly form-fitting, and wearing thin-framed glasses (which Owen was sure was just cosplay to set the mood). She stood with her arms crossed, her slender fingers tapping her arm in a slow rhythm. The beautiful face behind the lenses was visibly excited... It was the look of a genius scientist about to start the biggest project of her life.

"You're here, my love~" she greeted him. Her voice wasn't seductive like usual, but instead held a sharp, intellectual enthusiasm.

"I've prepared everything for you..." She gestured to the capsule bed behind her. "It's perfect... safe... and maximally efficient."

Iris adjusted her glasses slightly with a slender finger, before getting straight to the point.

"All that's left is your final answer... Have you decided? Which 'path' of evolution will you choose?"

The air in the room fell silent for a moment, their gazes locking meaningfully. A few seconds later, Owen smiled and nodded slowly.

"I've chosen," he said as he set down his backpack, unzipped it, and carefully pulled out the old yellow tome he had borrowed from the archive. He placed it on the nearest metal table.

"I choose the [Brain] path..." he replied, his voice firm and steady.

"...and I also have some important 'homework' to do during this two-week nap."

—-------

Chapter 108: The 5 Evolution Paths

In the "Archive of Dreams," a place filled with mystical knowledge from countless dream dimensions.

The air inside was surprisingly cool. The scent of ancient paper, preserved for millennia, and the aroma of the ancient wood used to build the bookshelves mingled harmoniously in the air. Soft, gentle light shone from magical lanterns high above, causing tiny dust motes floating in the air to dance slowly, as if time itself had stood still in this place.

Owen sat cross-legged on the polished old wooden floor in the middle of the vast hall, perfectly still. He was deep in thought...

Around him were towering wooden bookshelves stretching as far as the eye could see. Ancient scriptures, papyrus scrolls, and leather-bound journals... Knowledge from fallen dimensions was collected here...

He had come here with a clear purpose: to find some skill or combat technique that aligned with the evolution path he would have to choose. Tomorrow, he had to return to Iris's lab to begin the body evolution process, which would take a long two weeks.

Therefore, with a nature that adhered to maximum "efficiency," there was no way Owen would just "sleep" idly and let time pass in vain. While Iris was upgrading his body, he would use that time to its fullest. Even if his body was "pinned" to machinery or Iris's biological tentacles, his "mind" and "consciousness" were still free. He could use this opportunity to learn new skills or combat techniques...

His goals now were twofold: first, choose 1 of the 5 evolution paths Iris had offered; second, find a "skill" or "technique" from this archive that was suitable, aligned with his chosen evolution path, and, importantly, could be trained through "learning and understanding" without needing to move his body.

In Owen's quiet thoughts, the 5 "choices" Iris had given him appeared clearly… [Strength], [Defense], [Speed], [Bio-Weapon], and [Brain].

He felt like a streamer sitting down to read the "Patch Notes" for a newly updated game, analyzing the best "Build" for his character...

Analysis of Option 1: [Bio-Weapon]

This was the first option he tossed aside without a second thought... because, in his mind, it was no different from a "Gacha roll." He still remembered Iris's warning clearly.

“I have to warn you about one thing, my love~ Even though the name sounds good, its serious drawback is that you can't determine what it will be. It could be a poison gland, claws, bone blades, or even a nuclear heart that generates immense energy for you. It could be anything, depending on what your body wants, not what you want. Understand, my love?”

Owen knew all too well how terrible his "gacha luck" was. He never won big prizes and always got unexpected results in the worst way...

'There's no way I'm risking my future on this salty gacha roll...' he thought, annoyed as he recalled the various gacha games he'd deleted after just a few days.

'What if I roll a "stink gland" or "tentacles" that grow from my face?... Or worst of all, what if it creates "claws" or "bone blades" that make me unable to wear the [Sun God's Gauntlets]?' Just thinking about those terrible scenarios made every hair on his body stand on end.

That would be a disaster... He didn't want to leave his future to stupid "fate" like that.

...Option [Bio-Weapon] was cut.

Analysis of Option 2: [Defense]

He considered it for a moment... Having higher defense or skin as tough as steel was certainly a good thing. But... his combat style wasn't being a "Tank" that stood still and took hits...

'The best defense is not getting hit in the first place.' That was his principle.

He saw it as an option that was “nice to have, but not essential.” If he could dodge attacks fast enough, or kill the enemy before they could even attack, he wouldn't need to "endure" that attack and waste time.

…Thus, option [Defense] was cut.

Analysis of Option 3: [Strength]

This option was quite interesting... More powerful attacks were always good. A single heavy punch was better than a light one. But then... a principle he'd heard from many anime and novels flashed into his head: "Speed is power."

'Too bad I can only choose one evolution...' Owen mused.

If he had to choose only one, [Speed] was more "cost-effective." When he attacked faster, the destructive power would naturally increase from the momentum. Plus, he already had the [Reinforcement] technique to supplement his attack power.

Therefore, choosing [Strength] seemed like an investment with a lower return...

...Option [Strength] was cut.

At this point... only two "best" and "most efficient" options remained in Owen's mind...

1.[Speed]: This was the most "cost-effective" physical option. It was a 2-in-1 upgrade. He would get both "attack power" from momentum and better "evasion," which would substitute for the [Defense] he had just cut. It was a direct upgrade that would make him "stronger" with "immediate results" after leaving the lab...

2.[Brain]: This was the most "interesting" option and the "hardest to predict."

He recalled Iris's words: “It doesn't just make your memory better or make you think faster, my love. It also increases your speed of 'learning' and 'perception'…”

'If I can learn faster...' Owen's thoughts began to race. 'I'll naturally be able to train skills faster, especially [Mana Armor]!'

He thought of the grueling training with Nova... It was hard. Very hard... Even now, he could only manage "30% of the standard" Nova had set...

Upgrading [Speed] would make him "stronger" today... But upgrading [Brain]... was an investment in the "future." It was a "Multiplier" that would affect everything he did from now on. It would make him a genius at learning...

...

Owen slowly opened his eyes... His mind was in turmoil. He was still stuck at the crossroads, unable to decide. [Speed] was an excellent "physical" upgrade with immediate results. [Brain] was a "potential" upgrade that would grow over time.

'Damn it... This is harder to choose than I thought.' He felt slightly frustrated at not being able to find the "best answer." Owen let out a long sigh, then stood up to stretch his tense muscles from sitting for so long.

'Maybe... some knowledge or technique in this place will have the "answer" for me...'

Wasn't that why he came here in the first place? With that thought, Owen began to seriously scan the towering bookshelves around him for the first time. His eyes were searching for "inspiration" or "help" in making his crucial decision…

The sacred silence within the archive began to be disturbed by the sound of his footsteps on the ancient stone walkway, creating a faint, rhythmic echo. Owen walked down the narrow aisles between the towering shelves...

'There has to be something...' He scanned his surroundings. 'A skill that suits me... A fist technique... or some movement technique to improve my evasion.'

He kept searching... scanning the spines of books and scrolls arranged chaotically. Most were in ancient languages he couldn't decipher a single letter of. But fortunately, it seemed Tenzin or the previous caretakers had left small, handwritten "translation tags" on almost every book.

A few hours later... Owen felt like he was drowning in an endless ocean of knowledge. He had walked past hundreds, perhaps thousands of bookshelves...

The sacred silence of this place began to feel "heavy." The scent of old paper and ancient wood, which had been refreshingly cool at first, now felt like the dust of time settling on him.

He saw a title like [The Art of Alchemy: Toxic Blood-Explosion]... He immediately ignored it. 'Alchemy...' he thought. It required a lab, complex ingredients, and the patience for experiments. It was more suited for someone like Iris...

He walked on... and found a text: [Sword of the Moon Elves: Seven Star Dance]... 'Looks pretty...' he admitted to himself, seeing the line art on the cover. '...But it's not my combat style.' He had the [Sun God's Gauntlets] as his main weapon. Starting over from scratch with a sword skill now was "inefficient."

He walked deeper into an older-looking section... [Tome of Forest Summoning: Pixie Covenant]... 'A summoning tome?' Owen opened it with some interest, but when he saw it had troublesome limitations like “Must not harm trees” and “Must help every animal you see,” he dismissed it immediately. The limitations from [Avatar of Asura] were already giving him enough of a headache.

Not far from that... [Chant of the Titan: Adamantine Steel Body]... 'Just from the name, I can tell this is a skill for a tank.' He huffed and put it back without even opening it.

And next... [Advanced Fire Magic: Phoenix Chant]... 'This is even less suited for me.' Owen sighed, exasperated. He imagined himself standing there chanting a spell while an enemy was attacking. 'Magic at this level requires "talent" in mana, plus the "cast time" is too long. The enemy would probably kill me before I could even shoot the fire out…'

None of this matched his fast, decisive, close-quarters combat style at all… And as time slipped by meaninglessly, the frustration he had tried to suppress at first began to grip his mind again...

'Or maybe I should just choose [Speed] and find a movement technique instead?'

Owen let out a soft sigh... His thoughts were starting to lean. He was about to give up on the [Brain] option, which was hard to measure, and was thinking that the "tangible" [Speed] option might really be the "safest" and most "cost-effective" choice after all...

The frustration that had built up for hours was clouding his judgment… But just as he was about to turn and leave the area, a strange feeling arose in his mind. A feeling like a "pull," something calling out to him...

He looked toward a corner of the bookshelves that was rather dim, a corner he had almost walked past…

On a high shelf, almost forgotten... between two imposing, thick-spined books of black and dark brown, there was "an old, yellow tome" "wedged" in, as if by accident.

It didn't fit in with the others at all... like an ordinary book placed among tomes of black magic. It thus stood out like a "beacon" shining in the darkness. Owen frowned. He unconsciously stepped closer and reached out his hand to take it...

Fwip!

A small cloud of dust scattered as he pulled it out. And the moment his fingertips touched the rough paper cover… the frustration... the hesitation... and all the "noise" in his head suddenly "disappeared" as if it had never existed...

He now felt strangely "calm" and "clear"… His mind suddenly felt cool, as if cold water were being slowly poured over his feverish brain.

Owen took a deep breath and looked down at what was in his hand...

What appeared before his eyes was a book that wasn't very thick. Its cover had a simple illustration: the image of a "palm," exquisitely drawn with a single, flowing brushstroke… It wasn't a "clenched fist" signifying power, but an "open hand" signifying "giving," "comforting," and "stopping." It looked both delicate and gentle at the same time...

Beneath the palm was the image of a "lotus flower" blooming beautifully...

And on the spine of the book was the "title," written in an ancient language he wasn't familiar with. It looked complex and beautiful, somewhat resembling the language of the dragon country...

Of course, he couldn't read it. But at the very bottom, a small "translation tag" was neatly affixed. With neat, easy-to-read handwriting, it had translated the name of the book:

[Instant-Mind Palm: Mercy of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva]

—-------

Chapter 107: 5 Days

Owen stood motionless... Iris's last words still echoed in his ears. The atmosphere inside the cool lab instantly grew hot. The scent of ozone from the machinery and the faint smell of chemicals mingled with the alluring fragrance from Iris's body, while Owen's mind processed everything rapidly.

This offer to evolve his body to B-Rank... it was another massive leap in power. Its only downside was that he had to stay in the lab with Iris for one to two weeks. He had to eat and sleep here. Once the project began, he couldn't stop midway or leave for outside business, as it might cause the evolution to become unstable.

With that much time... disappearing from the outside world and bringing all his work and duties to a halt was definitely not a good thing. Therefore, he needed to plan and prepare in advance before starting this project. Wasting time was a severe and inefficient act or plan.

Owen was well aware that he had "work" that was pending and needed to be "organized" first...

One: 'Victoria'

This was the most urgent. The [Chain of Lust] that bound her was not yet complete... but it was very close. If he spent just "two more days" with her, her affection would finally reach 100 points. After that, he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. No matter how long he disappeared, her affection score would never drop again. Therefore, he had to "close the job" with her first...

Two: 'OnlyStar'

This was his and Clara's main source of income... It absolutely could not be allowed to stop. Clara's popularity was skyrocketing every day. He needed to spend at least two to three days "filming" content for her, to stockpile clips in advance for uploading while he was gone.

Three: 'Stream Channel'

Although his income from the stream channel wasn't as much as OnlyStar... it was the starting point that had gotten him to where he was today, and he "loved" it very much. He couldn't just abandon his viewers. Therefore, he had to record clips of him playing story-driven games to post during that time. Of course, his video editor, 'Julian', was definitely going to have a heavy workload during this period.

He even idly thought that maybe... if Iris's research lab allowed it, he might find time to do a short stream to talk with his chat during the "project"...

And Four: 'Training'

He still had an appointment to train [Mana Armor] with Nova, and indispensably, training to control the [Essence of Dreams] with Tenzin at the temple, which was a new mission he had just received after clearing the "Nightmare Knot"...

Thinking about this list, Owen couldn't help but sigh... If he didn't manage it or just stopped, it would definitely cause problems later. He had to "clear" everything first, before starting the body evolution project with Iris...

After prioritizing everything in his head, Owen looked up and met the purple-red eyes that were staring at him with hunger. His own gaze remained steady and clear.

"Okay... I understand everything," he said in a flat tone. "But you're not thinking I'm starting this project with you today, are you?"

He paused slightly. "You should know I have a lot of work to clear first..."

Hearing that, Iris's seductive smile faded slightly. The red spark of lust in her eyes was replaced by a spark of "understanding" a few seconds later. She studied him. From a queen's perspective... "organizing" resources and "managing" his broodmothers properly before starting a major project was necessary and maximally "efficient"...

Owen smiled when he saw she seemed to understand without him having to explain. He stepped closer and pulled her slim waist into a tight hug, drawing her soft, warm body against his strong chest...

"I need 5 days..." he whispered. "To 'organize' everything first, and then we'll start this project, my love~"

Iris met his gaze at close range... His scent captivated her, and the warm touch of his embrace mesmerized her. Soon, she slowly nodded in understanding, while enjoying his intimate touch.

"As for today..." Owen smirked, the cunning smile he liked to use. "I can only 'please' you..." His hand began to stroke her smooth back...

"...by quenching your 'thirst' first."

Those words... acted as an ignition switch...

Iris's eyes returned to a sparkle of thirst, even stronger than before. She laughed softly in her throat. "Don't just talk, my king~"

She raised her arms to wrap around his neck, pulling his face down. "Just your scent... it makes me want to 'devour' you right now!"

That undisguised, hungry gaze didn't frighten Owen in the least. He met the challenge with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Really?" his deep, low voice sounded. "But I think the one who's going to be 'eaten' ...is you, Iris."

Fwip!

He didn't hesitate for a second. His two strong arms swept her soft body up into his arms securely. Her body flew from the floor. He took only a few steps before placing her body down on the nearest metal table!

Thud!

"Ah...!" Iris let out a soft cry as her back hit the cold metal surface. The stark temperature difference made her body shiver, and before she could even steady herself, Owen leaned down, crushing his lips against hers fiercely and savagely, silencing her hungry moan with a deep kiss.

His tongue invaded her warm mouth, conquering possessively, but Iris was not one to give up easily. In the next second, she responded just as fiercely. Her tongue intertwined, fighting back for rhythm and space. It became an evenly matched battle with neither side backing down.

Owen's hands began to roam her body... The once-clean, odorless atmosphere of the lab exploded with intense heat and the strong scent of lust.

Soon... the sound of heavy breathing, the harsh slap of flesh on flesh, and low moans suppressed in the throat rang out softly. Both were waging "war" against each other, competing with the hum of the machinery throughout the quiet lab. It was the most primal and passionate "down payment" to temporarily quench the queen's insane "thirst"...

...

About two hours passed, until noon...

Owen was standing and straightening his clothes. His t-shirt was slightly wrinkled from the recent battle. He felt tired... but it was an incredibly good kind of tired. Releasing energy and desire with an "equal" opponent had drained a massive amount of his energy.

On the same metal table... Iris, completely naked, slowly and gracefully sat up.

Her smooth white skin had several faint red marks, but they weren't the marks of someone who had been acted upon one-sidedly. They were "medals of honor" from the battle. Her eyes, which had been glowing bright red with lust, were now calm... cool... and shining with ultimate "satisfaction."

Owen turned to pick up his backpack and sling it over his shoulder, preparing to leave and do what he had planned.

"That was an excellent 'down payment', my king," her composed, cool voice sounded, back in the mode of the wise and powerful queen.

"Go 'organize' your business..." She leaned back slightly, using her arms to prop herself up on the table in a pose that was relaxed yet full of authority. "But don't make me wait too long..."

Owen nodded... He didn't need to say anything else. The battle just now was the answer to everything. He turned and walked straight to the lab's exit, leaving only the elegant queen savoring her satisfaction on her cold, metal throne.

Whoosh...

The thick steel security door slid shut behind him quietly. It absorbed the air pressure and muffled all the sounds of the "battlefield" completely... The thick, fishy smell of love juice, the scent of sweat, and the aura of power that filled the lab were perfectly cut off from the outside world.

Owen walked up the stairs one by one until he reached the living room door, and as soon as he opened it, the atmosphere changed abruptly. The bright noon sunlight streamed in from the large window, along with a fragrance that hit his nose hard!

It was a warm, mouth-watering aroma... The smell of garlic and thyme being expertly sautéed in olive oil. The fragrant smell of pasta sauce being simmered to perfection. It was the smell of "lunch." A smell that was so ordinary and peaceful.

Owen blinked rapidly to adjust his eyes and his mind. He scanned the room and saw Alicia standing with her back to him at the stove. She was wearing a cute floral apron, humming softly in a good mood, skillfully stirring the sauce in the pan with a wooden spoon.

That sight made Owen quickly "switch modes" to become the "good boyfriend of the daughter."

He glanced at his t-shirt... It was clearly wrinkled from the earlier battle. He tried to pull the hem and smooth it out one last time, trying to put on the most normal and polite face he could.

"Wow... lunch smells amazing, Mrs. Alicia," he started with a compliment. "It's a shame I can't stay to eat. I have some urgent business to take care of, so I have to get going."

Owen's warm voice made the happily moving figure pause. Alicia stopped stirring the sauce before turning back to him slowly with a "gentle" smile, the kind every mother should have...

But her eyes were something else... Those beautiful purple eyes, the same as Rosy's, were now shining with an unconcealable "cunning."

She scanned Owen. Her gaze was as sharp as a scalpel. It traveled from his slightly damp hair, past the abnormally wrinkled t-shirt (even though he had tried to fix it), and finally... her gaze stopped dead on the "faint red mark" on the side of his neck that Iris had left as a souvenir, which he hadn't noticed.

"Oh, leaving already?" Alicia smiled wider. The smile looked innocent, but her tone was the exact opposite.

"Today, my daughter's 'project'... looks like it was especially 'intense'," she emphasized the words "project" and "intense" clearly... before letting out a soft "giggle" in her throat.

'Shit... That tone... That smile... She must know what we just did!' Owen nearly choked on air. 'Just like a mom, damn it!' He could only laugh drily and think to himself helplessly.

Right now, he felt like he was fifteen again, caught by his mom hiding something embarrassing. The image of the young man who was the pillar of the family vanished instantly, leaving only an embarrassed young man who didn't know how to handle the woman in front of him, only able to laugh to cover it up.

"Haha... uh... yes... the 'project' was... a bit complicated..." Then he pretended to look at his watch. "But it's getting late, I really have to go! See you later!"

Owen didn't wait for a reply. He quickly bowed his head to her slightly before hurrying his steps out of the living room, practically "bolting" out the front door, leaving only Alicia's giggling, victorious, and fond laughter echoing behind him.

He walked quickly until he was outside the house before letting out a huge sigh. 'Damn it...' Owen raised a hand to wipe his face. 'The mother and daughter are exactly alike in their love of teasing... The only difference is the level of cunning, and Mrs. Alicia is light-years ahead of Rosy!'

.....

Five days passed... as fast as a raging storm.

It was the most chaotic, packed, and "efficient" five days of Owen's life. His internal clock seemed to run twice as fast as everyone else's. Every second was precisely allocated to "organize" all his missions...

Mission One: [Chain of Lust] (Days 1-2)

The first two days... Owen spent all his time immersed in his "love nest," in Jessica's apartment.

The atmosphere in the room was thick with the smell of sweat, expensive perfume, and the pungent, fishy smell of love juice, so thick it had almost become the room's permanent scent.

He spent time with "Victoria" closely and fiercely... It was a heavy and continuous "reward." When he saw how diligently she had trained to control her power and mana, improving by leaps and bounds, Owen "injected" her reward without mercy, until the proud slave girl nearly fainted in his arms, time and time again.

And during the breaks between "rewarding"... while Victoria lay panting weakly on the bed... Owen didn't let the time go to waste. He opened his laptop and started typing. He was planning content, writing scripts, and professionally organizing the OnlyStar filming schedule for Clara.

Two days passed quickly... and finally...

Ting!

…

[ Notification! ]:

[ System: 'Victoria's' affection has increased to 100/100! ]

[ Condition for "Chain of Lust" successfully completed! ]

[ Victoria has become your complete "Loyal Slave." Affection will no longer decrease. ]

[ Due to reaching 100 affection, you have fulfilled the condition: "Eternal Love" for Victoria! ]

[ You have received a reward: [Reality Warp] x 1 ]

…

Mission One... Clear...

Mission Two: [OnlyStar] (Days 1-3)

After planning everything well for two days... day three arrived. The day of "filming."

Owen had already scheduled it with Clara. He picked her up at her house at 7 AM... and that was the beginning of their most intense "work."

The two of them frantically traveled to film new "content"... It was a battle against time and morality.

They started with soft scenes in the "bedroom" of a luxury hotel... moved on to the private "poolside" he had rented... before finishing with the most dangerous "risky game": filming in a rather secluded public parking lot. The thrill of fearing someone would see them made Clara express her "emotions" in the most realistic way...

By 8 PM, both were exhausted... but the results were worth the effort...

Dozens of short 2-5 minute clips that didn't even need editing, along with a set of over 30 thrilling photos of Clara in various revealing outfits... It was enough stock to upload continuously for two full weeks.

Mission Two... Clear...

Missions Three and Four: [Training] and [Stream] (Days 4-5)

The last two days were for "refining" himself...

Morning to evening of Day 4... he went to "Nova" at her private gym. He trained [Mana Armor] with her relentlessly. Nova never held back. She beat him until he was sore. His body was bruised and aching, but his mana armor grew stronger every time it was broken...

Morning to evening of Day 5... he traveled to the quiet "temple" to train [Essence of Dreams] with Tenzin. It was a battle within his mind, no less exhausting than the physical battle. His mind was refined until it was sharper and calmer...

And in the evenings until midnight on both days... after his body and mind were nearly broken, Owen still dragged himself back to his computer at home. He found a popular, short indie story game to play. He turned on the recording software and played for hours until he finished the game... before sending all the raw files to "Julian" with a short brief.

Missions Three and Four... Clear...

—-------

Chapter 106: The Conditions for Evolution

The thick steel security door slid open sideways with a low, soft 'Whoosh...', the sound of pressurized air being released.

Owen stepped past the threshold, pulled along by Rosy.

The atmosphere changed instantly. The faint, fragrant aroma of Alicia’s coffee from the kitchen vanished, replaced by a cool, clean, odorless vapor... It was perfectly filtered air, tinged with the faint smell of chemicals and the unique scent of ozone from machinery running twenty-four hours a day.

As Rosy continued to chatter endlessly about her streaming plans... Owen’s eyes automatically scanned the lab, and he frowned slightly.

Although the lab's general appearance was similar to his last visit... something new had been added.

In one corner... a "surgical bed" now stood, bristling with multiple robotic arms tipped with small blades. Its silver metal surface gleamed, reflecting the LED lights on the ceiling... and next to the main server rack, a new supercomputer set was installed, emitting a low, powerful hum...

'That must be her new toy...' Owen thought. His suspicion from the drive over had just become tangible reality.

'This equipment... just looking at it, I know it's incredibly expensive... It's clear she must have some "funding" source she doesn't want me to know about.' The "Hidden" status he saw on the [Relationship Meter] was undeniable proof.

"And when I hit a thousand subs! I'm thinking of..." Rosy was still talking excitedly, her small arms clinging to him like a koala. She led him to the center of the room...

And just then... she stopped talking. Her cheerfully moving body suddenly stilled. The grip on his arm loosened slightly... changing from the "clutch" of an excited girl to a "placement" that was composed and filled with confidence.

Rosy blinked just once... and her personality shifted in a heartbeat. The bright, cheerful sparkle of a twenty-year-old was replaced by the calm, cool, deep, and powerful gaze Owen knew well.

"Iris" was now in control of the body.

"You're here, my love~" Her voice was soft and sweet. Even though it was Rosy's voice, it was used with a calm, intelligent cadence that Rosy didn't possess.

"How was camping with your friends?" She studied him. "It's unfortunate Rosy had an important matter at the university... Otherwise, we would have gone with you."

'A matter at the university...' Owen smiled internally. It might have just been her excuse, since Julian, who went to the same university, was able to come.

"It went well," Owen replied curtly. "Although there was a small problem."

He unslung the backpack from his shoulder, placed it on the nearest metal table with a soft 'Thud', then unzipped the main compartment and took out the inert [Mechanical Heart].

"I got this from the dream dimension," he said, getting straight to the point, placing it on the table in front of her. "It's quite similar to the dimension of chaos you were in... It has its own world and story."

He paused slightly before continuing. "I cleared it... and this is what the guardian of that place left behind before she left. That place was filled with advanced technology... far beyond our world. So I brought it back, thinking you could make use of it."

Iris froze for a moment. Her usually calm, cool eyes instantly changed to a sparkle of "interest."

She stepped closer... her gaze fixed on the ebony object. Her long, slender fingers slowly stroked its cold, complex metal surface.

"This is..." she murmured softly to herself as she picked it up for a closer look, before stepping quickly to the "Material Analyzer." She carefully placed it on the scanning platform.

"Begin scan," she ordered in a flat voice.

Whirr...

A bright blue laser light flashed, quickly scanning the object in a grid pattern. A few seconds later, the screen on the machine filled with red text.

[ ERROR: Material composition unknown ]

[ ERROR: Unable to read structural data ]

The high-quality material and structural analysis had failed completely.

Iris looked at the failure display and smiled slightly at the corner of her mouth. It was the smile of a researcher who had just found the most challenging puzzle of her life.

"Amazing..." she turned back to Owen, her eyes filled with an exciting spark of challenge. "This technology... its structure is outside any database our world knows... Not just public ones, but also the data I 'procured'."

"It's 'amazing'! My king~" she continued, her voice still full of unabated excitement, as she reached out to take the [Mechanical Heart] from the scanner, staring at it as if it were a priceless diamond.

"Even though it's completely out of power... the data remaining in its architecture... is decades ahead of our world. No... maybe even a hundred years."

Iris turned to smile sweetly at him, a smile full of genuine fascination.

"This is the best gift for my research, my love~" she said. "I'll start analyzing its structure in detail after this... It might take some time..."

She set it down gently before turning back to Owen, her cunning gaze returning. "But for now... I have some 'good news' for you as well."

"Good news?" Owen raised an eyebrow, his heart beating a little faster with anticipation.

Iris didn't answer immediately. She kept that cunning smile... walked around the metal table to the main server rack that was humming softly. She picked up the connected tablet, her slender fingers swiping across the screen a few times.

Fwip!

The large monitor on the wall, which had been dark, flashed to life, displaying a mass of complex data. It was "Owen's" body data.

Owen saw a 3D model of his cell structure rotating slowly, bar graphs showing stats, and a network of red fibers showing his "mana system." And next to it, there was comparative data with what looked like a tiny 'parasite embryo'...

"From continuous research on your cells..." Iris began, her voice smooth but laced with an undisguised "pride," like a master artist about to explain her masterpiece.

"Including the analysis of the 'product' you and Talia created..." she continued. "Finally... I have managed to decode and discover a way to make your body evolve to the next level." Her eyes gazed at the graph on the screen, full of fascination with her own work.

"The previous evolution I gave you... that was just the 'beginning.' That C-level strength didn't satisfy me at all."

She turned back to meet his eyes with a wider smile. "But now... my king, if you cooperate with me, within one to two weeks... your 'base' body could evolve to be on par with a B-Rank enhancement-type Awakened."

Owen's eyes widened slightly.

"And of course..." Iris continued, "this is 'raw power.' Power that comes purely from your biological structure. Your muscles, blood, heart, and bones... they will all be rebuilt. Power that doesn't require even a single drop of your mana for reinforcement."

Owen's mind raced. "'Raw power'?" he repeated. "That means... if I use my mana to reinforce my body on top of that... I'll have strength and durability naturally greater than a B-Rank Awakened."

"Exactly, my love~" Iris chuckled softly in her throat, a sound that was sweet but chilling at the same time. "This good news... does it please you?"

Owen nodded slowly, trying to suppress the smile that was about to split his face. This was more than pleasing! "It's the best news."

"You're amazing... Iris," he praised her sincerely. This was what he wanted! More power!

"But..." Iris put the tablet down, her voice turning serious again.

"This research of mine isn't complete yet. It's still in the experimental stage. That means... it can't evolve all aspects of your strength at the same time. You must 'choose' a path."

She swiped the screen again... On the monitor, 5 symbols appeared in a row.

"Strength... Defense... Speed... Biological Weapon... or..."

The last symbol lit up. It was a picture of a "brain."

"...A brain?" Owen stared at the five choices. It was exactly like a character upgrade screen in a game. She must have intentionally shown it this way to make it easy for a gamer like him to understand...

"And there is one more condition..." Before Owen could analyze which path to choose, Iris's voice cut in again.

"A condition you need to know... my king..." This time, she wasn't standing by the screen anymore.

Step... step...

The sound of light footsteps echoed on the lab floor, along with a strange fragrance. A scent like flowers, but not... Iris's unique scent, which was growing stronger as she walked closer and closer to him.

Until... her body stopped right in front of him, so close Owen could feel the warmth of her breath. Her slender arms slowly snaked up to wrap around his neck...

"Do you remember... the first time we merged as one?" Her voice, whispering by his ear, was hoarse and moist. Her eyes, staring at him at point-blank range... were glowing with a faint, unsettling red light.

She smiled... a smile full of lust and a "hunger" he remembered well. "When I 'forced' you to evolve into my perfect 'sire'... Yes, my love. We need to do that again." Her thumb lightly traced his lower lip.

"So that I can use my core power... to analyze and improve your body 'closely' and with maximum 'efficiency'." She deliberately emphasized those words, before leaning her face in until their noses touched.

Hearing that, Owen's eyebrow twitched. An awful memory... no... a 'semi-awful' memory, flashed into his head.

The first time he 'merged' with her in her disgusting parasite queen form... the mating that was no different from hell, lasting 7 days and 7 nights. Even though his body was forced to feel pleasure to the breaking point, his mind was empty and exhausted. It was a hollow, pointless pleasure.

But... he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. 'This time is different...' he repeated in his mind.

This time, there was a clear 'goal': it would make him "stronger" by leaps and bounds. And most importantly... this time, it wasn't that hideous parasite queen body. It was the body of his beloved Rosy.

When he thought of her smooth skin, full breasts and butt, and her faint, sweet shampoo scent... Owen swallowed hard.

'Uh... It should be fine,' he concluded. 'In fact... it might even be a 'vacation' that lets me stop thinking about the chaos of the outside world.'

As he was trying to rationalize it, he noticed something in her words. "Wait..." Owen narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Saying it like that means... you've already done something strange to Rosy's body, haven't you?"

At his words, Iris's seductive, red-glowing eyes instantly extinguished. The cunning spark vanished, replaced by the eager look of a child who wanted to tell her parents her sister was bullying her.

Rosy was back in control!

She started to pout cutely, her cheeks flushing red as she quickly spoke. "That's right, Owen! Iris is always secretly modifying my body! Every time I wake up, I find weird things I can't control!"

She crossed her arms and complained about Iris openly. "Even though I didn't mind at first, because she just made me stronger, lately she..."

Before Rosy could finish, her eyes changed again. "Hmph~" Iris was back, huffing with clear irritation.

"You're just a university student with little knowledge! What do you know, Rosy!" Iris said to herself (or Rosy). "We agreed not to talk about this in front of him!"

She then turned back to Owen, her expression shifting back to a seductive smile. "It's just a special organ I created specifically... for 'you', my dear king."

With that, she pulled off her t-shirt and tossed it carelessly to the floor, revealing a sexy white bra and her perfectly flat stomach.

"Wait, what are you do-" Owen didn't get to finish before something terrifying happened!

Fwip!

On Iris's smooth white back, something moved under the skin. The next second, dozens of bright pink biological tentacles "tore" through her skin. Each one was at least two meters long. They whipped and moved in the air, full of life, their tips ending in sharp, glowing red needles.

Owen instinctively held his breath, his brow twitching violently.

"This 'minor' body modification is unavoidable," Iris continued smoothly, as if having tentacles sprout from her back was perfectly normal. "And even though Rosy pretends to complain, deep down, she understands it's necessary. So you don't need to worry about these trivial matters, my love~"

'That's 'minor' to you?' Owen couldn't help but worry about what would happen if she modified it any further. He started to feel genuinely concerned for Rosy.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

After explaining, Iris retracted the biological tentacles back into her smooth white skin. The torn wounds healed instantly, as if nothing had happened, as if her skin was designed to do just that.

At this point, Owen seemed to understand the general process. "Simply put..." he said, his voice controlled and flat as possible, "I have to let you use those 'tentacles' to connect to my body... throughout the entire evolution process."

"Exactly, my love!" Iris replied, laughing softly. "Very good, you catch on quick." She walked close to him again.

"But it's not just my 'tentacles' that make this process go smoothly..." she whispered. "My body... also needs something 'hard', 'hot', and 'big'... 'inserted' back into it..."

"....." Owen stood still. Of course, he knew exactly what she meant.

—-------

Chapter 105: The Goal

The faint early morning sunlight struggled to pierce the improperly closed curtains of the luxurious apartment in the heart of Titan City...

Owen awoke with a groan. He felt a weight on his chest... but it was a "satisfying" weight of the highest order.

The air in the room was still thick with the pungent, fishy smell of dried love juice, mixed with sweat and the unique scent of a woman... It was the smell of a "battlefield" that had just seen a fierce battle.

The entire room was in a state of "after the storm." The expensive satin sheets were crumpled beyond recognition, piled at the foot of the bed. Several pillows were scattered on the floor. The thick, soft wool carpet was covered in sticky stains...

The clothes of all three Jessica's dress, Victoria's sexy form-fitting outfit, and Owen's casual wear were torn to shreds and piled on the floor like wreckage... It was proof that the "war" to reclaim the 5 lost points had been fierce and lasted all night.

And Owen's main focus after waking was the soft body lying on top of him...

Victoria... She lay naked on top of him, her beautiful, proud face, now makeup-free, resting peacefully on his chest. Her breathing was even...

And even in sleep... her slit, slightly swollen from heavy use, was still "connected" to his massive cock. It was still lightly twitching against him rhythmically, as if her body was confirming that the [Chain of Lust] condition had been satisfyingly fulfilled.

Meanwhile, to his right... Jessica also lay naked on her side. One of her hands held his waist tightly, while her sharp, beautiful face rested on his shoulder. Her full lips were curved in a truly happy smile... confirming that she had fully "joined" the war as a loyal secretary.

Owen looked at the scene, satisfied... The mission to "pump up" the 5 points lost from the camping trip was a resounding success.

He thought back to last night... when he arrived at the apartment after dropping everyone off. Victoria was waiting for him, furious, both pouting and so horny she was nearly insane. She pounced on him like a mad dog. The war on the bed erupted instantly.

He had to spend the entire night "comforting" her with his sire's core, feeding her his semen again and again, until her fury gradually dissipated... And of course, Jessica, who was waiting to welcome her master back, didn't miss the chance to "help" her master "manage" Victoria.

It started as two against one, but in the later stages of the war, after Victoria had been tamed and Jessica's primal instincts were awakened... he became the one being ganged up on by the two "starving" women.

Owen smirked as he recalled it all. It was a worthwhile battle.

He glanced at the clock... Still early, but he had important business to attend to.

He slowly and carefully began to sit up, trying to pull his still-erect cock from Victoria's slit, which was still "sucking" him tightly like a machine.

Schlick...

A wet, embarrassing sound of withdrawal echoed softly in the quiet room.

"Mmm... Don't... pull it out... Master... Araa~" Victoria moaned in her throat. She murmured in her sleep, instinctively trying to wrap her long legs around his waist, but the exhaustion from being "ravaged" all night made her unable to resist, and she sank back into deep sleep almost immediately.

And of course, his movement woke Jessica beside him... She opened her eyes groggily, blinking to focus. When she saw it was him, she gave him a sweet smile.

"You're awake... darling~"

Owen leaned down to kiss her forehead before whispering, "I have important business to take care of. Get some rest... You 'worked hard' last night."

Jessica nodded in understanding, her face blushing slightly at the thought of last night's "work." "Mmm… You too~ Be safe."

Owen got out of bed, stepping over the naked bodies of the two women who were now cuddling each other happily. He stood still for a moment, looking at his "handiwork" scattered around the room, before turning and walking quietly into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later... he was standing in front of the mirror, dressed in casual clothes he had prepared.

'Alright... time to go see Iris,' he thought as he adjusted his collar. 'Hope she can make use of this,' he thought hopefully, picking up the "Mechanical Heart" to look at it. No matter how many times he saw it, it was always filled with the beauty of "technology."

Fifteen minutes later...

Inside Owen's SUV, cruising the streets of Titan City. The low hum of the engine was a soft backdrop. The air inside the car was cool and clean from the AC. The morning sun slanted through the windshield, giving a feeling of clarity and comfort.

Owen, in clean casual clothes, was driving with one hand steady on the wheel. His face was neutral, his eyes focused on the road, but his mind was working hard. His brain was churning over his current problem. A problem named... Iris.

'That lab...' Owen thought, his index finger tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel... tok... tok... tok... '...it was upgraded too fast.'

He frowned slightly... He wasn't an idiot. Making money through "normal" channels, whether white or gray, was never this fast... Not fast enough to buy that high-level equipment... processing servers, surgical robotic arms, bio-culture tanks... All of that required massive capital, and it was all installed within a few weeks.

He thought back to the last time he asked her about it...

"I have my 'special' ways... darling."

Her tone then... it was "evasive" and "concealing" on purpose... Her eyes held that familiar cunning look... the look of a queen who didn't want to show her hand. And the most suspicious point...

The massive "underground debt" Iris took from the mafia... it had "gone silent" suspiciously.

'It's been over a month now...' he calculated. 'Even if the deadline is three months... with the mafia's normal system, they wouldn't just wait until the deadline to collect, right?'

No... they weren't a charity. They should at least come once a month to intimidate their debtor... to apply pressure... But there was nothing... Quiet... as if the debt never existed.

'She must have done 'something'...' Owen concluded with certainty. 'Something she doesn't want me to know.'

This feeling of "not being in control" frustrated Owen...

He knew her 80 affection points, gained from "distorting reality," weren't enough... Even if she acted like she loved him, was infatuated with him... willing to offer her body to him as her "King"... Iris was still the "cunning and intelligent Parasite Queen."

She didn't care about "human morals"... For her, the goal was always more important than the method... Therefore, him not knowing what she was doing behind his back... was no different than a "time bomb" waiting to explode.

'And Rosy right now...' Owen thought of Rosy with a little worry. '...she seems to be going along with it. She must have been persuaded by that Queen.'

He thus made a firm decision... The most urgent mission right now was to "increase Iris's affection" to the absolute max…

'I have to get it to 100... to break down her final 'wall of secrets' ... and to control her so she doesn't cause problems behind my back...'

And he had a tool to help with this... Owen remembered his "Choice System" had upgraded to version 2.0 after he obtained the [Sun God's Gauntlets]. It had a new function he had barely used... [Relationship Meter].

'It should be able to check her current affection score... so I can see my progress...'

He had already checked how to use it... It had one very simple condition...

'It only works when I 'see the target' with my own eyes.'

A few minutes later, Owen's luxury SUV pulled up smoothly in front of a two-story house. The engine's low hum died. Silence filled the car...

Owen sat still for a moment... his gaze fixed on the familiar house... a place that looked so ordinary in a quiet suburb. But who would know that deep beneath it... hid the most advanced and dangerous lab he had ever seen.

He leaned down and opened the backpack on the passenger seat... His fingers touched the cold metal of the "Mechanical Heart" he got from the Sentinel. He made sure it was still there... before zipping the bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and getting out of the car.

His feet hit the concrete walkway... straight to the front door... He rang the bell.

Ding-dong!

He didn't wait long... No... you could hardly call it waiting...

Before the bell even finished fading, the door was suddenly yanked open!

"Owen!"

A clear voice full of joy called out as a small body ran towards him. Rosy was in an oversized t-shirt with a game controller print and tight black shorts. Her sweet, makeup-free face... was beaming with unconcealed happiness.

Thud!

Before Owen could even say hello... her soft body jumped at him. Her two arms grabbed his left arm, hugging it tightly as if afraid he'd disappear. The soft, supple, and warm feeling of her chest pressed hard against his upper arm...

"You came just in time! My stream was amazing last night! My sub count went up by hundreds! And so many people donated..."

Rosy started chattering excitedly without stopping. She pulled his arm, leading him into the house, her eyes sparkling like a child showing off a new toy... The faint scent of shampoo drifted from her black-and-purple hair...

Owen could only smile at her enthusiastic voice... It was a genuinely warm smile... His worries about Iris were temporarily filed away in the face of this brightness.

"Haha, I knew you had a talent for this, Rosy~" he replied naturally.

He nodded along as she dragged him through the hall... "Mhm... awesome... You'll probably overtake my channel soon…"

Outwardly... he was the good big brother sharing in her success. But in his mind, he was focused on something else...

"...And I think I'll try the new horror game this Monday! The atmosphere is super creepy! What do you think, Owen?..."

Just as Rosy turned to get a drink from the fridge, still talking, Owen used the opportunity to activate the new function on her.

'System... activate [Relationship Meter] on her.'

Ting!~

A translucent blue window appeared in Owen's vision... it floated, superimposed over Rosy's body as she turned back with a water bottle…

…

[ Checking Target: Rosy | Iris ]

[ Relationship: Rosy ]

[ Affection: 100/100 (Max) ]

[ Current Status: Eternal Love, Excited (to see you), Expectant (wants to show off stream) ]

…

[ Relationship: Iris ]

[ Affection: 85/100 ]

[ Current Status: Love, Expectant (wants you to become the perfect king), Hidden (Currently executing a plan you don't know about) ]

…

Owen raised an eyebrow slightly...

'85... up from 80 at first.' His thoughts raced... 'This means my past actions worked... showing strength, indulging her, visiting often... it increases affection naturally.'

He felt pleased... But then... his eyes locked onto the last line of Iris's status...

"...Hidden (Currently executing a plan you don't know about)..."

'Bingo.' The word echoed in his head...

This was what he had been suspecting... It was confirmation of his hypothesis in the car... Iris was really hiding "something" from him. A smirk flashed across his face. It was his challenge to find the truth. 'I have to find out what she's doing...'

"...Owen? Owen! Are you even listening to me!"

Rosy's high-pitched voice pulled him back from his thoughts. She was shaking his arm, pouting, her thin lips pushed out slightly.

Owen blinked... The system window vanished...

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed to cover. "What did you say? A horror game? That's a great idea."

"Really!" Rosy's eyes sparkled again. "Then you have to stream it with me! Please, please!"

"We'll see. I'm not really good at horror games," Owen chuckled softly.

Just then... they both walked into the living room... Alicia, Rosy's mom, who was making coffee at the kitchen counter, turned to smile at them gently.

"Oh, Owen, you're here bright and early~"

"Hello, Mrs. Alicia," Owen greeted her politely as always.

"Let's go!" Rosy didn't wait a second. "Down to the basement... Iris has something to talk to you about! She has something to show you!"

With that... she dragged Owen straight to the familiar basement door, ignoring her mother's gaze... Alicia could only shake her head, exasperated by her daughter's impatient nature...

Owen followed her pull obediently... but his eyes now held a clear determination...

—-------

Chapter 104: Taking 'Responsibility' [R-18]

Silence fell over the forest for a moment...

The only sounds were Clara’s heavy breathing and the rustle of dry leaves in the wind... The smell of damp earth after a rain and pine resin hung in the air, mingling with something more potent... a unique, sharp, sweet scent... the scent of raw lust radiating from the woman before him.

Owen looked deep into Clara’s pleading, glistening eyes... eyes that, just moments ago, were filled with the panic of being caught. Now, they were replaced by a raw, savage desire she couldn't hide. The flames of need burned openly in them.

A controller's smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "Responsibility? Of course..." His deep, seductive voice cut through the silence, low and slightly hoarse. "But since this is your 'urgent business'... shouldn't you be the one to 'present' it to me?"

Owen’s words were the ignition switch! Clara's last thread of sanity snapped... Raw instinct and the lust that had been pent-up for an hour exploded.

She understood his hidden meaning instantly!

Fwip!

Clara pulled away from Owen’s chest, her eyes darting around frantically... and she found it... another large oak tree on the opposite side. It was the perfect stage! She said nothing more, turned her back to him, and walked straight for it.

The sound of the zipper on her cream-colored shorts being pulled down echoed, "ZRRK!" She yanked them down, letting them pool at her ankles, revealing her rounded buttocks wrapped in tiny black lace panties... which were now soaked through, clinging seductively to the cleft of her plump mound...

Drip~

A single drop of her arousal couldn't resist gravity... falling onto the dry leaves below.

Clara leaned forward, bracing one arm against the rough tree trunk. She felt the coarse bark scrape her soft palm, a small stimulus that drove her feral mood even higher. She slowly struck an incredibly erotic pose, arching her hips and thrusting her full buttocks toward him as deliberately as possible.

The pose... it was a blatant and challenging invitation!

Clara turned her face, as red as a ripe tomato, to look at him over her shoulder... She bit her lower lip seductively, her breath coming in ragged pants.

"Please..." her voice was trembling and hoarse. "Take your big cock and slam it into me... I... Ah... I want your cock so badly I'm dying!" She stared at him with eyes pleading desperately.

Seeing this, Owen could only smile, satisfied with her 'presentation.' He slowly closed the distance, approaching her from behind...

Crunch... rustle… The sound of his footsteps on the dry leaves. Each step he took was like a drumbeat sealing her fate. The closer he got... the stronger the sweet scent of her excitement hit his nose...

The "Sire" instinct within him was fully awakened!

His eyes were fixed on the "target" she had offered... her slightly trembling buttocks and the black lace, soaked wet, revealing the curves within.

He didn't need to say another word...

Smack! His large hands landed on her rounded hips, squeezing them hard until his fingertips sank in. Soft, supple flesh spilled out between his fingers.

"Aah!" Clara cried out, her hips swaying from the sharp pleasure.

Owen ignored it... He used just his thumb... hooked the waistband of her tiny lace panties... and pulled them mercilessly to the side!

"Ah!" Clara flinched, her body tensing.

The sight that appeared before him made Owen's breath catch for a moment...

Her slit was red and swollen from his fingers earlier... Now it was wide open, waiting for him. The inner walls were glistening, reflecting the dappled sunlight... Her love juice was flowing out nonstop...

And the best part... that entrance... it was twitching...

Twitch Twitch Twitch~

Like a small, hungry mouth... begging him to fill it right now!

Seeing that, Owen didn't wait any longer...

He stood tall behind her, positioned himself, and grabbed his 12-inch cock, which was now as hard as a red-hot steel rod... Veins bulged, throbbing as if alive...

He used it... to "greet" her first...

Smack! Smack!

Owen used the side of his cock to slap her trembling buttocks a few times. The sound of flesh on flesh, "Smack!", wasn't loud, but it was firm enough to leave faint red marks on her pale skin.

"Ah! Ummm~"

Clara couldn't help but moan, her breath hitching. When she looked back over her shoulder, her eyes were filled with ultimate expectation... It was the look of someone ready to be devoured.

Owen smiled... He pressed the flared, crimson head of his cock, slick with his own pre-come, right against her tight, wet entrance... He ground it lightly, letting the juicy head meet the sweet nectar flowing endlessly from her...

Squelch~

"Oh... Owen... please... Ah..." Clara moaned, her voice trembling. She arched her hips, swaying slightly, trying to take in that tiny bit of contact...

And he answered her request...

By thrusting all the way in... in a single stroke!

Sliiiide! THUD!

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!" Clara screamed at the top of her lungs!

Her entire body was slammed forward by the massive force, causing her huge breasts to crash hard against the rough bark of the oak tree! "Ugh!" The sharp pain from the bark mixed with the breathtaking fullness and pleasure that filled her abdomen in that split second, making her mind go white...

She could feel his enormous cock head ramming past her tight channel... slamming directly into her cervix deep inside!

Owen didn't give her a second to breathe. He started moving his hips immediately!

It wasn't gentle fucking... It was a "slamming," violent, savage, and primal!

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The sound of wet flesh colliding echoed loudly in the quiet grove... It was the release of all their pent-up emotions...

Owen gripped her hips firmly, pinning her body to the tree... and hammered his cock into her like a madman. He was staking his claim on his best friend's wife...

The feeling of fucking her savagely in the woods... while her husband sat drinking coffee less than 200 meters away... It was so thrilling it almost drove him insane! His "Sire" instinct roared in delight!

"Ah! Ah! Aah! Owen! Harder... Harder! Aahh! Fuck me... fuck my slutty slit harder! Aaaaaah!"

Clara was completely pinned. All she could do was cling to the tree and take the relentless pounding. She was moaning shamelessly, forgetting everything... Damian, the outside world...

She only wanted the big cock that was bruising her sweet spot with every precise thrust!

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

Who knows how long passed, maybe twenty or thirty minutes... Having been aroused since the camp and now being pounded relentlessly... Clara's body couldn't take it anymore.

"Owen! Aah... I... I can't... going to... come... Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the woods! Her body spasmed violently…

Twitch Twitch Twitch~

Her slit clamped down on his large cock, squeezing insanely as if trying to milk every last drop out of him... The violent convulsions deep inside her... it triggered Owen's own climax!

"Aaaaargh!" he roared deep in his throat... accelerating his rhythm, slamming into her faster than ever! Hammering deep into her womb that was spasming around him like a machine!

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Aah! Aah! Aah! Owen! Ummm!" Clara almost died from the pleasure.

And at the deepest point of his thrust... he "released" it!

Splooge Splooge Splooge Splooge~

A massive amount of thick, white semen, the product of his Sire power, was shot violently into her womb... It wasn't just a release... it was an "injection," continuous and powerful...

Gush Splooge Splooge~

Pumping hot fluid into her body again and again...

"Aah... Aaaaaah... Hot! So hot! Ummmm!"

Clara screamed again, her mind, which had just started to clear, went blank once more... She felt it... the hot liquid shooting inside her nonstop... It filled her womb until a warmth spread through her entire body... Her body began to convulse again... Twitch Twitch... It was a multiple orgasm, born from being truly "filled"!

Owen didn't pull out immediately. He kept his hips pressed forward, his cock buried deep... letting her feel his shaft still throbbing inside... Throb Throb... wringing out every last drop into her...

A moment that felt like an eternity passed... until he was sure she had taken all of it. He then slowly pulled his still-hard cock out...

PLOP!~

The withdrawal made a loud, obscene sound... and in the next second... a massive amount of thick, white liquid flowed back out of her entrance… It ran down the cleft of her buttocks, coating her inner thighs in a long trail before dripping onto the dry leaves below...

Drip... Drip...

"Pant... pant... pant..."

Clara was completely spent. Her legs were shaking so hard she couldn't stand... Her body slid down the tree... collapsing onto the grassy ground, leaning against the oak and panting heavily... Her eyes were vacant, her mind still blank from the most intense orgasm of her life.

Owen looked at his "handiwork" splattered on her legs and the ground with a satisfied smile.

He crouched down slightly... leaned in close... and slapped her reddened butt lightly...

Smack!

"Did you enjoy me 'taking responsibility', my love~" he whispered sweetly by her ear...

Clara, her mind still not back, could only nod blankly, her breath still hitching...

Owen chuckled softly in his throat before kissing her damp forehead gently. "Let's get back to the camp... before Damian starts to wonder about your 'urgent business'."

He stood up and looked at the sight of Clara, still leaning against the oak, panting heavily. Her legs were still trembling, and the thick, white cum was streaked down her inner thighs... It was an incredibly satisfying image.

He reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulled out a small pack of wet tissues... and handed them to her. "Hurry and wipe yourself, my love..." His voice was still laced with a tease. "Our 'handiwork'... it's all over your legs."

Those words snapped Clara back to reality... Her face flushed crimson again. She looked down at her own shameful state... A large amount of white cum was still seeping out, making her thighs feel incredibly sticky... She swallowed hard before frantically taking the tissues and ripping the packet open...

Rip! The faint, clean scent of the tissue hit her nose... It was a stark contrast to the potent smell of sex that still hung heavily around her.

She quickly began to wipe herself, embarrassed... but her legs were still shaking so much she could barely do it properly.

Owen watched her fondly for a moment before helping pull her t-shirt, which had ridden up to her chest, back into place. He brushed the dirt and dry leaves off her back.

Clara took a deep breath, trying to gather her remaining strength, and clumsily pulled her wrinkled shorts back on. When she tried to stand up... her legs betrayed her instantly...

Stumble...

"Ah!"

Owen sighed softly. "Hah... Guess I was a bit too 'responsible'."

He closed the distance in a single step, sliding his strong arm around her waist... pulling her soft, weak body against his to support her...

"You okay?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Mmm..." She could only nod weakly, burying her hot face against his broad chest.

The two supported each other as they walked out of the woods... The sight of Owen holding Clara's waist as she limped slightly looked exactly like a couple who had gone for a walk where the woman had an accident.

As they emerged from the dense tree line... a familiar voice rang out.

"...I'm telling you, Julian! The 'Matcha Latte with Red Bean Paste' formula... it's gotta be the answer for those caffeine-addicted university kids!" Damian and Julian were passionately debating "coffee formulas for university students"...

"You're back..." Damian turned to greet them... before his sentence froze as he saw their condition.

"Hmm? Clara! Are you okay, my love!? Why is your face so red? And... and why does Owen have to support you back!?"

Crap! Clara's face went pale. She had completely forgotten to think of an excuse... She was about to speak, but nothing came out...

Luckily, it seemed Owen had already prepared the perfect excuse. He walked up and slapped his worried friend on the shoulder, "Smack!", to snap him out of it... while slipping into his role as an actor.

"Calm down, buddy... It's nothing serious... just a small accident," he said in a soft tone to downplay it. "Turns out the phone signal was the problem. We had to walk pretty deep to find one..."

He paused, letting Damian process, before continuing. "She was in such a hurry she 'slipped.' Luckily, I 'caught' her in time... but it looks like she 'hurt' her ankle a bit."

Owen's alibi was perfectly natural... Clara, having just regained her wits, quickly grabbed Owen's arm to support herself, putting on a slight show of pain in her ankle to match the story...

"Y-yes! I just slipped a little... but the 'work' is all done! Thanks, Owen, for 'helping' me." She deliberately emphasized the word 'helping' so much Owen almost laughed...

"Phew! Close call!" Damian let out a sigh of relief. "You have to be more careful next time, my love! Thanks so much, buddy! You really helped her out!" Damian slapped Owen's arm gratefully... completely unaware of how savagely his best friend had just "helped" his wife...

While Damian was busy helping Clara to a chair... Owen glanced over and saw Julian, who was wearing a clearly suspicious expression. The clever young man was looking back and forth between Owen and Clara, who was still faintly blushing, his eyes narrowed slightly... He seemed to 'guess' something... but he didn't say anything...

"Alright!" Owen clapped his hands, grabbing everyone's attention. "Now that Clara's business is settled... it's time for us to pack up and head home! This camping trip... I'd call it a great success!"

Half an hour later, everyone was helping to pack up quickly... The atmosphere was filled with relief and new hope.

Soon... Owen's SUV was heading back to the heart of Titan City...

Owen was humming happily... driving in a relaxed, chill mood amidst the fading afternoon sun... He glanced to his side, seeing Clara sitting there smiling to herself. Then he looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Damian and Julian engrossed in a mobile game together. It was a sight that truly made Owen's heart feel good...

And right at that moment... the translucent blue screen of the "Choice System" appeared in his vision, along with a notification…

…

[ System Message ]:

[ 'Victoria's' affection has decreased by 5 points! ]

[ Reason: [Chain of Lust] condition not met for over 24 hours. ]

[ Victoria's Current Affection: 85/100 ]

…

Owen saw the notification... and just shrugged lightly...

He already knew this... He had calculated this outcome before he even decided to come camping with his friends...

'5 points...' he thought to himself, in a great mood. '...that's a cheap price... for such an excellent weekend.'

A cunning smile appeared at the corner of his lips...

'Don't worry, Victoria... Master is on his way back... and all day tomorrow... I'm going to 'pump' that affection score right back up... until you're begging me for mercy...'

Owen closed the system window without a care... before stepping on the gas, sending the SUV speeding back towards Titan City, as rock music played along the whole way...

—-------

Chapter 103: Urgent Business

The late morning sun cast a warm glow, chasing away the last remnants of the mysterious early morning mist. The air around the campsite felt refreshingly clear, a welcome change. The scents of damp earth, cool pine resin, and faint smoke from the newly lit fire mingled perfectly. The crackling bonfire radiated a gentle warmth over the conversation circle.

The rich aroma of fresh coffee wafted from the stainless steel mugs in everyone's hands, creating an atmosphere of relaxation and contentment...

"That location is absolutely prime, Julian," Damian chimed in, his voice brimming with an enthusiasm unseen in ages. His eyes sparkled with a renewed hope; after surviving the hallucinatory crisis, he seemed full of life again. "If we can secure that corner spot right in front of the university... I've run the numbers. Sales will be explosive, guaranteed."

"Exactly, Damian!" Julian agreed, his excitement matching Damian's. "Students pass by all day long. And if we turn the second floor into a co-working space... Oh man, I can't even imagine!"

The conversation, filled with dreams and future plans, continued with lively energy...

But for two people sitting pressed closely together on a log, sharing a single blanket... their world was being rocked by an entirely different situation.

Owen smirked as he sipped his black coffee. He feigned nods, pretending to follow his friends' conversation, but his entire focus was on what was happening beneath the thick wool blanket draped over his lap... and hers.

His right hand was stroking and kneading the inside of Clara’s thigh, enjoying the sensation. He felt the smooth skin tense slightly beneath her shorts, but soon, he slowly moved his hand away...

This made Clara, who sat stiffly beside him, let out a quiet sigh of relief... but it was only momentary. The next second, her eyes widened in panic as she felt that warm, rough hand hadn't gone far... In fact, it was invading her body even more intensely!

His palm moved past the elastic waistband of her shorts, sliding underneath to press flat against her thin lace panties... landing directly on her most sensitive, damp spot!

"Ah!"

She instinctively tensed her hips, almost letting a moan escape. Fortunately, she managed to raise her coffee mug to her lips just in time. The steam from the coffee momentarily concealed her crimson face.

"Are you okay, Clara?" Julian asked, concerned by her strange reaction.

"Ah... I'm fine. The coffee's just a little hot," she replied, her voice trembling, forcing the most natural smile she could muster.

Clara gripped the stainless steel mug in her hand... so tightly her knuckles turned white... using it as an anchor to stop herself from giving anything away.

'Damn it... He... How can he be so bold!' she screamed internally. 'We're outdoors! Damian and Julian are sitting right here! Isn't he afraid they'll catch on!'

She tried desperately to nod along with the conversation about the coffee shop, but her face was turning as red as a ripe tomato. Her breathing grew noticeably short, and small beads of sweat formed at her hairline, even though the air wasn't hot at all.

And then, it got worse... Owen's rough fingers beneath the blanket began their "work," playful and merciless.

His thumb pressed down on her mound, deliberately grinding against the hard nub that met his touch through the damp fabric, while his firm middle finger began to slide into the wet entrance of her sex, which was already twitching hungrily for him!

Sliiiide...

The pleasure that shot from that spot straight to her brain stem made Clara's mind go blank. Heat flooded her body until she felt feverish. Her legs began to tremble, and she had to use all her strength to squeeze her thighs together, trying to clamp his hand and stop it from invading deeper... but it seemed to have no effect.

The rhythm of his fingers was slow... deliberate... yet firm and precise... He was tormenting her cold-bloodedly.

'I... I can't take much more of this...' Clara bit her lower lip, her body twitching slightly with the rhythm of his fingers. 'If... If I accidentally come right now... Damian will definitely notice!'

Clara realized in that instant that if this continued, everything would be ruined!

The pleasure surging from Owen's fingertips was too intense. It was about to shred her last bit of self-control. If she let an embarrassing moan escape, or worse... if she orgasmed and convulsed violently in front of Damian... that would be the end.

She had to find a way out of this situation... No...

She glanced at Owen's handsome, teasing face. He was still sipping his coffee, completely at ease, pretending to listen intently while one hand was 'punishing' her with relish...

...She had to find the perfect 'excuse' to drag this 'culprit,' who was smiling so nonchalantly, away and settle this! Her body was screaming for him... She wanted his big cock, right now!

Clara took a deep breath, trying to regather her scattered wits. She pretended to shift her seating position slightly (which only ground Owen's fingertips harder against her most sensitive spot) before pulling her smartphone from her pocket, feigning a serious email check.

She stared at the bright screen for a moment before pretending to widen her eyes and exclaim in shock, "Oh! Good heavens! How could I have forgotten something so important!"

Her sudden outburst worked like a charm! The lively discussion about the coffee shop stopped abruptly. Damian and Julian turned to look at her, surprised.

"What is it, my love?" Damian asked immediately, concerned.

Clara looked up, playing her part flawlessly. Her face was a mask of fake panic (which was almost indistinguishable from her real excitement). "I... I completely forgot! The client for my photoshoot sent an urgent email confirming the contract! I have to answer him right now!"

She deftly used the "photoshoot" a side job Damian already knew about as her excuse. Before anyone could interject, she turned sharply to Owen, who was watching her with a knowing, sly smirk.

"Owen! You have to come with me!" she said, her tone serious, decisive, and so urgent it was almost a command. "You're the one who manages all my contracts. I can't do this alone... Ugh! But the phone signal here is terrible. Maybe it's better up on that hill."

She pointed toward the dense line of trees in the distance... a perfectly secluded spot.

Clara didn't give anyone a second to question or object. She tossed the blanket aside, shot to her feet, grabbed Owen's wrist tightly, and immediately started pulling him along.

"You two keep talking! This is really urgent! We'll be right back!"

Owen put on a show, sighing and shrugging at Damian and Julian, as if to say, 'Can't be helped, work is work.' He then allowed himself to be dragged away by Clara's surprising strength (fueled by her overwhelming desire).

The two of them quickly disappeared into the dense trees, leaving behind two bewildered men sitting by the fire.

Julian watched them go with a slightly confused look. "Wow... What's the big rush? Must be a really major client."

Damian just shook his head and smiled, not suspecting a thing. He remained optimistic and always trusted his wife. "Well... work is work. It's a good thing Owen is helping her with the contract. Clara's never been good with that sort of paperwork."

He took a sip of his coffee before turning back to Julian, the fire of the entrepreneur back in his eyes. "Alright, where were we? The location in front of your university, right? I think that spot..."

Damian returned to his business plan enthusiastically, completely unaware that the real 'urgent business' was just getting started in the woods not far away.

.....

Clara dragged Owen deeper into the dense woods, her pace frantic. She stumbled over roots and pushed through low bushes, ignoring the small branches that scratched at her arms and legs. The desire she had held back for so long had finally burst forth like a broken dam. All her consciousness was incinerated, leaving only the raw, primal instinct that now consumed her.

This part of the forest was thick and silent, about 200 meters from the campsite. The sound of the stream and the men's voices had faded completely, replaced by the whisper of wind through the pines and the smell of damp earth mingling with another, unique sweet fragrance... the scent of her own fully aroused body.

She stopped abruptly, glancing around quickly to be sure... and as soon as she was certain they had reached a perfectly hidden spot... behind a thick cluster of bushes and a massive oak tree...

...Her breaking point arrived.

She let go of his wrist... and spun around, using all her strength to shove Owen against the trunk of the massive tree!

THUD!

Owen's broad back slammed against the rough bark with a dull thud, but he felt no pain. He stood still, letting her pin him between her body and the tree... and gazed at his 'handiwork' with a satisfied smile.

Clara's face was flushed as if she had a high fever. She was panting heavily, the ragged breaths escaping her parted lips, causing her full breasts to heave violently beneath her thin shirt. Her eyes were glazed with desire. All her shame and fear (of Damian finding out) had been completely overwhelmed by a raw, savage 'hunger.'

"You... You're insane!" she forced out a voice that was shaky and hoarse. "Do you have any idea how much I've been suffering... how much I'm craving you right now!"

Clara didn't wait for Owen to reply. She lunged forward and kissed him!

Mmmph! Chwop! Mmm~

Her hot, wet tongue plunged into his mouth, aggressive and famished, chasing and tangling with his own tongue in a frenzy. She sucked at his lips as if trying to inhale his very soul... The taste of his black coffee mixed with her excitement was intoxicating.

Owen smiled into the kiss, meeting her assault with equal fervor. One hand slid into her soft black hair to cup the back of her neck, forcing her to accept an even deeper, more savage kiss. His other hand moved down to squeeze her rounded hip, digging his fingers in.

While they were still locked in that primal, tongue-tangling kiss... Clara's hands worked with trembling urgency. She fumbled clumsily for his belt... the metal buckle clicked as she finally undid it... and she ripped the zipper of his jeans all the way down with a loud 'ZRRRIP!'

The instant the zipper was down... Owen's 12-inch, rigid cock sprang 'POING!' free, slapping against her flat stomach... Even through the fabric, she could feel its searing heat and unyielding hardness pressing into her!

"Oof!"

Clara recoiled slightly in shock. She looked down at 'that thing' which now stood tall, pointing right at her... It was huge... scalding hot... and veined so thickly it was frightening... Her gaze was a mixture of terror and unconcealable fascination.

She swallowed hard... a loud 'Gulp'... before she gathered her courage... and reached out her trembling hand... gripping it firmly in her palm!

Fwump!

She felt its overwhelming size and frightening heat... It throbbed in her hand as if it were alive...

Clara looked up to meet his eyes again, her own gaze now even more watery and bloodshot.

"I can't wait anymore... my love~" Her voice was a desperate, breathless plea. "You have to take responsibility for me... right now!"

—-------

Chapter 102: Replenishing the Spirit

Owen stepped through the cool curtain of the waterfall… Soft, late-morning sunlight shone down onto his face.

The Blackwood Forest he saw before him had changed completely… It was no longer a place oppressed by a terrifying presence. The "veil of mist," once as thick as a living nightmare, had completely dissipated, leaving only fresh, clear morning air. The cheerful chirping of birds sounded from the distant treetops, and the scent of damp earth was clean and fragrant… The forest had returned to the peace it should have always known.

He turned back to look at the secret path hidden behind the waterfall… The memory of the amazing archive was still fresh in his mind. But now, he had a more urgent matter.

'How long was I gone?'

The thought flashed into his head instantly. In Owen’s perception… the battle with the iron beast, the confrontation with the Sentinel, the plunge into the dream dimension that felt like an eternity, plus returning to the monastery to heal and talk with Tenzin… at least half a day should have passed.

'Damn it… Clara and the others must be going crazy.'

He realized immediately that he needed a reasonable "excuse" for his disappearance… And then he remembered that before the mist had become thick and everything turned chaotic, he had told everyone he was going to gather more firewood.

'Firewood… That's it!'

Owen didn't wait. He quickly surveyed the area, scanning for dry branches he could break off and gather. Although his body was still weary, his external wounds were almost completely healed. He spent only a few minutes gathering a decent pile of firewood… At least this would make his return look more plausible.

...

A few minutes later, Owen walked back to the campsite.

The sight he beheld made him stop in his tracks…

It was silence…

The campfire they had lit last night… was now completely extinguished, leaving only cold, grey ash. No smoke rose from it anymore.

And most worrying… was the state of his friends.

Damian… sat on a large log, clutching both his temples… His face was noticeably pale, like someone with a severe hangover.

Clara… sat hugging her knees beside the extinguished fire, her eyes staring blankly into the ashes… Her eyelids were slightly red and swollen… as if she had just been crying, or perhaps because she was still lost in some lingering, confusing emotion.

As for Julian… he sat slightly apart… holding the latest smartphone model, tapping the screen over and over with a clearly frustrated and confused expression… trying to find a signal that wasn't there.

And Julian was the first to look up and see Owen. His expression changed from confusion to immediate "relief"…

"Owen! You're finally back!" Julian almost shouted. He shot to his feet instantly. "I tried calling you, but there's no damn signal… We were really worried, you know!"

Julian's voice snapped Damian and Clara out of their trances. Both whipped their heads around to look at Owen as one. Clara's eyes trembled with clear relief.

Damian slowly looked up, letting out a long sigh. "Hey… you were gone a long time, buddy…" His voice was a little hoarse. "...gone for an hour and a half… If it wasn't for that crazy mist, we would have gone looking for you. I was afraid someone else would get lost too, so we agreed to wait until the mist cleared… Good thing the mist is gone now, and you're back just in time… Don't make us worry like this, Owen."

Owen froze for a moment… his brain rapidly processing those words.

'An hour and a half…?'

'Only an hour and a half!?'

How was that possible?! The fight with the iron beast… the confrontation with the Sentinel… healing the Nightmare Knot in the dream dimension… returning to the monastery to heal with Tenzin… visiting the archive… All of that… was just an hour and a half!?

And then… the amazing truth dawned on him.

'Time!'

Time in the dream dimension and the real world… was different! The battle that felt like hours in Arcadia… might have only taken a few dozen minutes in the real world! That meant most of the time he was gone… was the time he had spent recovering and talking in the monastery with Tenzin!

This truth, far from troubling him… actually made his excuse even more perfect!

Owen immediately put on a weary and confused expression (which was partly true). He dropped the firewood he was carrying beside the extinguished fire.

"Sorry…" he said in a tired voice. "The mist got so thick I lost my bearings… I just kept walking in circles. I only managed to find my way back when the mist started to clear up."

The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. Getting lost in a foggy forest for an hour and a half was entirely plausible.

Owen paused to catch his breath before turning to look at his friends, who still looked drained and pale. He frowned slightly with concern. "But what about you guys… Are you okay? Why do you all look so pale? What happened while I was gone?"

Owen's question seemed to pull the three of them back from their dazed state. Julian shook his head vigorously to clear the confusion, while Damian raised a hand to massage his temples again.

Clara was the first to answer… her voice still trembling slightly.

"Owen… while you were gone… it… it was so strange… All of us…" She swallowed hard, trying to gather her thoughts. "We… we saw hallucinations…"

Clara's words made the atmosphere, which had just begun to relax with Owen's return, instantly tense and silent again. The extinguished fire in the center of their conversation became a symbol of the chill that gripped everyone's heart at that moment.

Damian nodded slowly, confirming his wife's words. His face was still pale, his hand massaging his temple nonstop, while Julian looked half-confused, half-disbelieving.

Owen stood still. He knew he was the only one who hadn't faced what they had while he was gone. He feigned a serious frown, meeting Clara's eyes before slowly scanning Damian and Julian.

"Hallucinations?" he repeated, his voice as steady and comforting as he could make it. "What do you mean? What exactly did you see? Tell me."

He deliberately used an open-ended question… He needed them to "vent" it out.

Damian spoke first. He raised a hand to massage his temples again, hard, as if trying to squeeze the terrible memory out of his head.

"It… it was terrifying, Owen," his voice trembled noticeably, unlike the strong middle-aged man he usually was. "I… I saw myself… back at the old office… the day everything fell apart." He gasped for breath. "And the creditors… they were banging on the door… they were looking for me… but their faces… god… they looked like demons! Red eyes… it felt so real… I…" He couldn't continue, only shaking his head back and forth. His mental state looked terrible and extremely fragile.

Owen nodded slowly before turning to Julian, who was scratching his head awkwardly, looking quite different.

"Terrifying?" Julian repeated. "Not for me… It was… kind of cool, actually." He looked strangely embarrassed. "I felt like… I was talking to… uh…" He waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind, it sounds really stupid. But I was really happy then. Felt excited, like I was about to do the greatest thing in my life."

Owen nodded again… Julian's symptoms perfectly matched his fun-loving and easily excited nature. And if it weren't for his strange tastes… he'd actually be a decent young man. Before Owen's gaze stopped at Clara, who was still sitting with her knees hugged, head down, refusing to meet his eyes directly.

"Clara?" Owen called her softly.

She flinched slightly before answering in a voice as faint as a whisper. "I… I was the same."

She looked up for a moment before quickly averting her gaze back to the ashes. "I didn't see anything scary… not like Damian… But it felt… strange." Her cheeks flushed a faint pink. "Felt… warm… and… unbelievably happy."

She would never tell Owen that the image she saw was of marrying him… of having several small children together… It was the deepest desire of her heart being projected, and the overwhelming emotional impact still lingered intensely within her.

Owen listened to all three stories in silence, but his mind was analyzing rapidly.

'Just as I thought… That mist didn't just create hallucinations… it amplified the deepest desires and fears within each person's heart… Damian's fear is failure and debt… Julian's happiness is excitement and being important… And Clara's… is us.'

He nodded slowly, pretending to process this shocking information.

"Sounds like that mist was toxic," he said in a firm voice, offering the most plausible (and completely fabricated) theory an ordinary person could come up with. "Maybe it was spores from poisonous mushrooms, or strange pollen from around here that got blown together. When the mist got thick, the concentration was high enough to make us hallucinate… We're really lucky it cleared up."

He paused before smoothly linking it to his own excuse.

"No wonder I was lost for an hour and a half… That damn mist must have made me dizzy too. While I was walking in circles, I felt like the world was spinning the whole time."

This explanation was what everyone needed to hear… a tangible "answer."

Damian and Julian immediately nodded, accepting the theory. It was plausible enough to put their minds "at ease." "Mushroom spores? Huh… Yeah, that's possible," Julian mumbled.

Only Clara remained silent… She accepted the explanation… but deep down, she couldn't help but wonder if the feeling of "warmth and happiness" she had just experienced… was really just the effect of mushroom spores…

Owen looked at the dejected state of his three friends… Even though his "mushroom spore" theory had eased everyone's anxiety somewhat, the overall atmosphere was still heavy and gloomy. And he could feel everyone's "lack of spirit"... And not just them... himself included.

The battle with the female Sentinel and the plunge into the Nightmare Knot hadn't just drained his physical energy or mana… it had drained his spiritual energy almost completely. He was tired… tired to the core… He decided in that moment… he had to "replenish everyone's spirit," including his own!

And the best way to replenish spirit wasn't resting alone… but creating "happiness" and "normalcy" around oneself. Owen switched modes instantly. He straightened up, clapped his hands loudly once, "Clap!", grabbing everyone's attention.

"Alright!" he said, his voice brighter and louder than before, making the three of them flinch slightly. "The bad stuff is over, the mist is gone… What all of us need most right now…"

He bent down and pulled a silver camping coffee pot from the luggage. "...is a nice, hot cup of strong coffee!"

He didn't wait… grabbing the large pile of firewood he had brought back, tossing it onto the cold ashes, before skillfully using his fire-starting skills to relight it.

Crackle… Crackle!

In just a few moments… orange flames flared up again. The soft crackling of the wood and the warmth radiating out began to slowly chase away the coldness and gloom that had gripped the camp. Owen quickly set the water to boil. The rich aroma of roasted coffee grounds began to waft through the morning air.

While waiting for the water to boil… Owen began his "work."

He sat down on the log opposite Damian and Clara before smiling at Damian. "This reminds me of that time… Remember, Damian? When we tried to fix the kitchen pipes ourselves because we didn't want to pay a plumber… Ended up breaking the pipe, flooding the kitchen until Clara almost killed us both."

The story, coming out of nowhere, made Damian, who was sitting glumly, freeze for a moment… before the disastrous memory returned… and he burst out laughing.

"Oh yeah…" Damian shook his head. "God… that day was a disaster. The parquet floor swelled up completely, haha." This was his first laugh of the morning… It was like a small spark of happiness that slowly spread to those around him.

Julian, who was starting to cheer up instinctively, quickly added, "Hey! But I helped bail out the water! I remember using that paint bucket!"

"You spilled the bucket on the carpet, Julian!" Clara retorted instantly, but a faint smile had appeared on her face now.

She looked at Owen, who was smiling and turning to make the coffee… This man… he was doing it again… He was pulling all of them back from despair and gloom… just like he always did. Her heart, which had been shaken by the strange dream… now began to warm with a real feeling… the love and admiration she had for him.

Their conversation continued, led by Owen. Both lame jokes and old embarrassing stories were dug up by Owen until the atmosphere in the camp began to improve by 80%.

Everyone got a cup of hot, fragrant coffee. The warmth from the cups in their hands and the aroma of the coffee helped melt away the remaining tension completely. They started talking again… Damian began to talk enthusiastically about his plans for the coffee shop, saying he had just negotiated a new batch of coffee beans from Brazil.

Owen smiled with satisfaction… 'Success.'

He felt his own spirit slowly recovering along with his friends' laughter… And when the tension in his mind disappeared… another kind of "desire" began to creep in.

He glanced at Clara…

She sat on the log opposite him, slightly offset. She was turned towards Damian, smiling faintly at her husband's coffee shop plans. The orange light from the fire danced on her face and body…

Her body in casual camping clothes… tight dark shorts and a thin white t-shirt, now slightly dirty from sitting on the log… Her hair, once beautifully styled, was now casually tied back… It looked so raw and incredibly seductive… especially when he knew that beneath that smile of a good wife lay a burning desire she had for him.

Owen slowly lifted his coffee cup and took a sip before standing to his full height. He walked back to his tent, took out a thin blanket, and walked back… And at the moment everyone was focused on Damian's story… he sat down on the same log as Clara.

He sat down beside her… very close… until their shoulders touched.

Owen unfolded the blanket, draping it around her shoulders and his own simultaneously, bringing them together in the same warm space as naturally as possible.

“…The air is getting cold again,” he said flatly, the perfect excuse.

Clara froze slightly… Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden closeness. The warmth from his body radiating through their clothes was clearer than the warmth from the fire.

"Th-Thank you," she said softly, trying to keep her voice from trembling. And she didn't move away… On the contrary, she used that moment to lean her head lightly against his shoulder, as naturally as possible, like siblings warming themselves by the fire.

On the other side of the fire, Damian was still unaware. He was enthusiastically explaining the complex flavors and aromas of the new coffee beans to Julian. “…And you have to understand, Julian, that a medium roast brings out the 'fruity' notes of the beans best…”

Owen pretended to nod along attentively… He lifted his coffee cup for another sip…

Before his left hand… hidden under the blanket… slowly began to move…

The first touch was the warm blanket… but as his palm moved past it… it lightly brushed against the smooth skin of Clara's inner thigh…

'…!!!…'

Clara's body flinched lightly at the sudden, unexpected touch. The heat from his palm contrasted sharply with the cool air, making goosebumps rise all over her body. She whipped her head around to look at him instantly.

She narrowed her eyes… glaring at him accusingly for "daring" to molest her right in front of Damian…

But the act failed completely… Her lips, pressed tightly together to stifle a moan, trembled… Her cheeks flushed rapidly… And her gaze, as she looked at him… instantly grew moist with excitement.

Owen completely ignored her fake accusatory gaze… because she herself had started this "game" with him before… He gave her a challenging smirk… signaling 'My turn to play.'

While his hand under the blanket… began its real "work."

His fingers didn't just rest there… They began to caress… deliberately grinding against the smooth, delicate skin of her inner thigh. The warm touch of his palm pressed against her aroused skin, creating a thrilling sensation that made Clara involuntarily hold her breath. She had to grip the coffee cup in her hand tightly… so tight her knuckles turned white… using it as an anchor to stop herself from doing anything suspicious.

He moved his hand slowly higher… every millimeter an agonizingly sweet torture…

His middle finger traced over the soft, resilient skin that was growing hotter and hotter… feeling the muscles tense in response to his invasion… It headed towards its destination… the edge of her tight shorts, just a few centimeters away…

A blatant and audacious molestation… under a blanket that should have provided warmth… but now had become a curtain for a heated sin… amidst the laughter and normal conversation of her husband.

—-------

Chapter 101: The Archive of Dreams

At the heart of Blackwood Forest… in the spot where the veil of mist had once been thickest.

Owen lay sprawled on the damp, cool grass, his body so spent he barely felt the small branches poking his back. The exhaustion from the battle in the dream dimension was as heavy as a stone slab on his chest. The true pain from his wounds began to return, reminding him of reality… but one hand still clutched the "mechanical heart" tightly.

Tenzin stood before him, his once-ramrod straight back now slightly relaxed. He looked down at Owen’s form… and for the first time, Owen saw it… eyes filled with overwhelming relief and pride.

"…You have done much better than I thought… Guardian."

Tenzin's voice, tinged with an unprecedented warmth, was like a key unlocking the final chain… All the tension Owen had been carrying shattered in an instant. He felt a wave of immense success crash over him. Though too exhausted to even get up, he nodded… and let out the breath he had been holding until his lungs were empty.

And the moment that acceptance was complete…

As if the entire world had been waiting for this signal…

The thick "veil of mist" that had once shrouded the forest like a living nightmare suddenly trembled violently… before rapidly "evaporating" and dissipating into the air! It curled upwards like steam scorched by intense sunlight, revealing the true scenery of Blackwood Forest.

The trees, once twisted like paintings in a nightmare… slowly straightened and stretched their trunks towards the sky, as if awakening from a long slumber. The chilling whispers and crazed wails that had once echoed on the wind… were completely "erased"…

An uncomfortable silence hung for only a moment… before the "true sounds" of the forest slowly returned…

Rustle… The soft sound of a gentle wind blowing through the leaves sounded for the first time… it was faint and gentle.

Chirp… Chirp… The sounds of small birds, hidden away, began to timidly sing… before becoming a cheerful chorus full of life…

The air, once chilling to the bone, was now replaced by the fresh morning air… the familiar smell of damp earth and leaves after rain… the scent of "life" had returned.

Owen, still lying on the ground, could only watch the rapidly changing scenery around him, stunned. He had only just realized… how quiet and beautiful this place truly was.

And then… the first light shone down…

Soft, golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, which had now parted… shining down on the forest for the first time in hours… Tenzin looked up at the clearing sky… The old monk closed his eyes for a moment… before opening them again with a smile that was calm and truly blissful.

He turned back to look at Owen, who was bathed in that soft sunlight.

"The world is thanking you… Guardian."

Tenzin's words pulled Owen's consciousness back from its stunned state. The soft sunlight bathing his body was warm and full of life… but it also awakened the throbbing pain throughout his body.

The true exhaustion, which had been suppressed by adrenaline, now crashed down on him. Every muscle screamed in protest, as if he had just been through the most grueling battle of his life for days on end.

"..."

Owen gritted his teeth, gathering what little strength remained to slowly push himself up. Every joint felt heavy and stiff, but finally, he managed to stand… However, just for a moment… The moment he stood to his full height, the effects of massively overusing his psychic power attacked him. The whole world spun for a moment, his body swaying uncontrollably to the side.

Thump!

Tenzin's strong arm caught his upper arm just in time, helping him stand steady.

"You are injured… and have used too much power," Tenzin's voice returned to its calmness but was laced with concern. "Return to the monastery. I will heal you."

Owen nodded weakly, letting Tenzin help support his body back towards the secret entrance behind the waterfall.

Walking through the curtain of water this time felt completely different… It wasn't the chilling and formidable feeling of a testing ground anymore… but the feeling of passing through a familiar energy curtain… the feeling of "coming home."

The atmosphere inside the hidden monastery was now peaceful and safe. The dim light shining into the stone hall felt warm instead of mysterious like the first time. Tenzin led Owen to a simple guest room. Inside was only a low wooden bed and meticulously woven tatami mats.

"Sit down first."

Owen sat on the edge of the bed. Tenzin left the room for a moment before returning with a small stone mortar and pestle, and a wooden tray filled with various dried herbs.

The moment he opened the herb packets… a unique, cool fragrance wafted through the room. It was the scent of herbs Owen didn't recognize mixed with a faint earthy smell… a scent that strangely relaxed and calmed Owen's exhausted mind.

Tenzin slowly ground the herbs together gently until they became a dark green paste. He scooped it up… before gently applying it to Owen's bruises and deep cuts.

The cool freshness from the herbal medicine slowly seeped deep under Owen's skin. It chased away the stinging pain. A moment later… the throbbing ache that had been tense under his skin began to subside… replaced by a warm sensation that spread out slowly…

It wasn't just a physical healing, but its unique cool fragrance also helped wash away his mental fatigue, little by little. The atmosphere inside the simple guest room was quiet, with only the soft sound of Tenzin grinding herbs at a steady rhythm.

The comfortable silence lasted for a moment before Tenzin broke it with a voice that was more thoughtful and deeper than usual, as if his words were being distilled from a long period of time.

"The power of nightmare that invades our world of reality… it has calmed."

The old monk spoke without looking up from the mortar in his hand, but Owen could feel the weight in every word.

"Calmed in a way I haven't felt in decades." Tenzin stopped his hands, placed the pestle gently on the wooden tray, before looking up to meet Owen's eyes directly. His gaze was filled with depth and sincere respect.

"To help you understand… most previous Guardians… including those I trained myself… they were undoubtedly determined and strong," Tenzin clasped his hands in his sleeves. "But their main goal when facing a 'Nightmare Knot' was to 'destroy' its core as quickly as possible. It's an effective method… fast and decisive."

He moved closer, scooping up more herbal medicine to gently apply to the scrape on Owen's arm. "Destroying the core… if I were to compare it, it's like using a hot iron to sear a wound to stop the bleeding," he explained. "It closes the wound… it prevents you from bleeding out… but it doesn't heal it completely. It always leaves an ugly and painful scar. And waits for the day it will tear open again when the time comes."

"But what you did… Owen…" Tenzin looked up to meet his eyes again, the old monk's gaze shining like never before. "…It was far beyond my expectations."

"You didn't 'destroy' it… You didn't use force to clash with that despair… but you chose to face it directly… You chose to 'heal' and 'liberate' the heroic soul that was imprisoned and tormented in that cycle of failure."

Tenzin's words made Owen think of the golden Sword of Memory he had used to fight the Failure Incarnate… and the final image of the female Sentinel dissolving into motes of light peacefully.

"Your actions…" Tenzin concluded in his firmest and most resonant voice, "…didn't just close the wound… but they 'healed' the seal from within. They cleansed the pain that had gnawed at the dimensional tear for so long, making it much more stable again. So much so that even I can hardly believe what I'm sensing."

And then came the crucial revelation…

"Normally, the world would be invaded by the fully accumulated power of nightmare… which would happen regularly once a month…" Tenzin paused, letting Owen absorb every word. "…But now… it might take up to three months… before the negative energy can accumulate and gather enough strength to invade the world of reality again."

Like a lightning bolt striking his heart… Owen, who had been relaxing from the effects of the herbal medicine, shot his eyes open with joy. All his exhaustion was blown away in an instant.

Three months!

At first, he thought he had just "won" this battle… just completed another mission… But now he realized instantly that what he had received was much better than he'd thought. He hadn't just won… he had bought "time" for himself and everyone!

Three full months to train… to prepare… to live peacefully without worrying about the imminent threat.

Tenzin watched Owen's reaction with understanding. He waited until Owen came back to his senses before nodding with admiration and respect.

"Only a few generations of Guardians have been able to do this… Healing the seal… is the highest honor of a Guardian," the old monk finished, before slowly standing up. "And now… you possess that precious three months…"

"Use it wisely… Guardian."

Owen sat motionless on the edge of the simple wooden bed, letting the words "three months" seep in and echo within his mind. It wasn't just a timeframe… it was space for him to breathe. An overwhelming feeling washed over his chest, not just racing joy, but immense "relief"…

He looked down at the dark green herbal paste applied to his wounds. The stinging physical pain that was miraculously subsiding now intertwined with the mental tension that had been completely lifted. The coolness from the herbs spread throughout his body, just as peace spread throughout his spirit.

He had time… and time was what he needed most!

Owen looked up to meet Tenzin's eyes. The gaze that had been weary and weak was now filled with a determination that was clearer and calmer than ever before.

"Don't worry… These three months… I will use them to their fullest!"

Tenzin nodded with satisfaction at the answer. A faint smile appeared at the corner of the old monk's lips before quickly fading, replaced by a serious look once more.

"This time is precious," Tenzin added. "But it is not for laziness… It is time for 'preparation.' The negative power that was cleansed… it will begin to accumulate anew. And in three months, when it returns… you will have to face it again. And of course, it always comes in unpredictable forms."

The old monk moved closer. "And the first thing you must do… the most important thing… is to control the new power you have just received."

He looked deep into Owen's eyes, his voice growing stern. "As a Guardian… you have a duty to train the [Essence of Dreams] within you. That power is immense… and extremely dangerous if uncontrolled," Tenzin emphasized. "The fact that you were able to use it to heal the seal this time was partly due to instinct and fate… but next time, you might not be so lucky. You must learn to control it… not let it control you."

"Therefore…" he declared firmly. "At least… one day a week, you must come to this monastery to train in controlling that power directly with me. This is mandatory training!"

One day a week…

"Agreed," Owen nodded, accepting the terms instantly. It was a very reasonable offer. He himself knew well that the power he had used in the nightmare dimension was too raw and immense for him to comprehend.

"Good," Tenzin nodded with satisfaction, before continuing. "But controlling power is only one part of fighting the power of nightmare… The rest is 'knowledge' and martial arts… Follow me."

Tenzin led Owen, who was now feeling much better, out of the guest room, deeper into the monastery… through dim stone corridors Owen had never seen before. The air grew colder and drier.

Finally, Tenzin stopped before a large stone door that looked even more ancient than any other part of the monastery. It was a single slab of smooth black stone with no seams and no visible mechanism for opening.

Owen frowned with curiosity… but Tenzin simply raised his right hand and placed it flat against the cool stone slab.

Vwoom…

The old monk closed his eyes… circulating his pure dream power. Mysterious inscriptions hidden on the stone door suddenly flashed with lines of soft blue light, like circuitry… before the heavy stone door slid silently to the side… revealing a massive room within.

Owen held his breath… It wasn't an ordinary room… but an "archive" that towered so high the ceiling was almost invisible! Shelves made of polished stone and jet-black ebony stretched upwards into the darkness for dozens of meters. But what filled those shelves weren't ordinary books…

This place was filled with thousands upon thousands of ancient scrolls, neatly tied… stone tablets engraved with strange characters… old, ancient books arranged in perfect order. And most incredibly… countless memory-recording crystals of faint blue and purple hues, twinkling dimly in the darkness like stars in a night sky.

The air inside the room was cool and dry… filled with the unique scent of old paper, the faint, calming scent of incense… and the aura of immense, slumbering power… the aura of "knowledge" accumulated over thousands of years.

Owen could only stand stunned before the stone door… His breath caught in his throat. His wide eyes tried to take in the grandeur before him as much as possible. The dim blue and purple light from the countless memory crystals reflected in his eyes like sparkles, as if he were standing before a galaxy of knowledge contained within this room.

Tenzin stepped silently beside him. The old monk's eyes shone with deep pride and reverence for this place.

"This is the 'Archive of Dreams,'" Tenzin's voice sounded softly, yet it echoed through the silent hall. "It is the legacy that past Guardians have 'salvaged' and gathered from collapsed dream dimensions… over thousands of years."

He gestured around as if introducing his vast kingdom.

"On those shelves…" he pointed to the neatly arranged scrolls, "…you will find martial arts and combat manuals that our world does not possess… or has forgotten over time. Sword techniques that can cut the wind… fist techniques that can shatter mountains… Everything is here."

His gaze shifted to the ancient stone tablets standing tall. "Over there… are formulas for potions and elixirs from dream flora, capable of curing even ailments our world cannot heal."

"…And most importantly," Tenzin turned to meet Owen's eyes directly, his gaze utmost serious. "Is the knowledge contained within those crystals… The art of sealing, the art of formations, and the art of defending against nightmares specifically. It is the knowledge that will make you not just a 'fighter'… but a true 'Guardian.'"

The old monk paused, before concluding with a firm voice.

"All of this… is open for you to study freely."

Those words were like another lightning strike. But this time, it wasn't shock… it was extreme excitement that shot through Owen's body! His eyes blazed like fire.

This wasn't just a library… it was a "treasure trove"! An armory! Everything he needed to elevate himself and protect everyone he loved!

The image of Nova moving gracefully and powerfully in the dungeon flashed in his mind… 'There must be techniques here that can make me equal to her!'

The image of Iris intelligently analyzing data… 'Those memory crystals… they might hold knowledge that could help her!'

Here… might be the answer to everything he needed!

Owen turned back to Tenzin quickly. All hesitation in his heart had vanished completely, replaced by a determination as firm as steel.

Tenzin saw the fire in Owen's eyes and nodded with satisfaction. "One day a week is mandatory training with me, to control the Essence of Dreams," he said. "But I recommend… if you truly wish to become stronger… spend… at least three days a week in this monastery."

"Absolutely!" Owen accepted immediately without a second's hesitation. "I'll follow your advice, Caretaker. I'll find the time to come here!"

After the decision about the future had been firmly laid… Owen's thoughts returned to the present reality… The worry that had been suppressed by excitement suddenly returned to his heart.

"But for now… I'll have to go back first," Owen's voice softened slightly, his eyes filled with concern. "My friends… they're still at the camp… and I've been gone for a long time…"

He didn't finish the sentence, but Tenzin understood immediately. The old monk nodded with understanding. "Go then… Your duties in the world of reality are just as important."

Owen looked deep into Tenzin's eyes… and for the first time… he no longer saw just a stern monk or a formidable caretaker, but a truly respectable person.

He bowed to Tenzin…

It wasn't a bow out of politeness… but a bow from the heart… His back lowered with the deepest respect… to thank the old man who had given him both valuable advice and a new path.

Before turning… stepping out of the amazing archive… heading back towards the waterfall… back to his friends who were waiting anxiously.

—-------

Chapter 100: The Mechanical Heart

At the center of the ruined command center… silence fell once again, but it was a completely different kind of silence.

The warm, golden light from the Sword of Memory in Owen’s hand had chased away all the shadows and rot, revealing the tragedy of this place clearly for the first time… the wreckage of broken control consoles, the skeletons in uniforms, and the massive cracks in the walls. The light didn’t just expose the devastation… it also brought a strange peace to the souls that slept in this place.

The “fear” the “Failure Incarnate” had shown a moment ago, when it had taken a step back… had now transformed into confusion… and from confusion… it had transformed into a crazed “rage”!

Its brilliant red lens trembled violently, staring at the sword in Owen’s hand with a tangible hatred. It didn’t understand… wouldn’t accept… how a creature as fragile and flawed as a human could create such a disgusting light of hope.

[N-No… Not possible!!!]

It shrieked, its voice torn and distorted with a rage and an absolute denial of reality! The sound wave of hatred slammed into everything around it, sending debris flying.

[Hope… is just a lie the weak use to console themselves! In the end, everything must fall! Every life must meet with failure! Just like me! Just like Arcadia!!!]

At the end of its roar, the “Failure Incarnate” shot towards Owen again. Its shadow body shattered into a storm of hundreds of chains of guilt and despair, each one a reflection of the pain that had gnawed at the Sentinel’s mind for all eternity.

Owen responded with a strange calmness. His eyes were steady and cold. He no longer saw it as an enemy… but as a sick soul in need of healing.

He swung the Sword of Light to meet them. Every time the blade touched a chain, it didn’t cut… but “embraced” and projected a good memory to directly counteract the negative energy.

Schlick!

The first chain, woven from “failure” (the image of Damian, hopeless amidst his debt), shot in… but the moment it touched the blade… Owen’s sword flashed brightly! And it projected an image of “pride” (the image of Damian raising a champagne glass and declaring him the new pillar of the house) to clash with it! That chain shrieked as if being cleansed by a holy fire, before dissolving into the light.

Schlick!

The second chain, woven from “shame” (the image of Clara crying painfully in front of the camera), shot in… Owen’s sword flashed again! Projecting an image of “love” (the image of Clara smiling happily in his embrace under the moonlight) to cleanse it! That chain melted away like ice under heat…

Seeing that a one-by-one attack was ineffective, the “Failure Incarnate” grew even more crazed! It couldn’t bear to see this hope any longer!

[Disappear!!!]

It roared like a mortally wounded beast, before fusing all the remaining chains of terrible memories into one! The darkness in the room was sucked into its body, forming a massive, dark “tsunami of shadows” before him. It was all the Sentinel’s despair, guilt, and self-hatred, combined into one, ready to swallow everything and plunge it into the void.

Owen looked up at the giant black wave that was about to consume everything. The air around him turned chillingly cold. He knew a normal slash couldn’t resist this immense power of despair.

But instead of retreating… he did the opposite…

He took one step forward, planting his foot on the cold steel floor, before firmly plunging the Sword of Light into the ground before him!

Fwoom!~

The sound of a warm wave of energy resonated. Golden sparks scattered from the sword like shooting stars.

He closed his eyes… ignoring the giant wave of despair that was crashing down, but focusing on all the feelings he had for those he loved… The warmth from Clara’s embrace… the trust in Damian’s eyes… Rosy’s bright smile… the silent loyalty of Jessica and Victoria… the pure desire to protect everyone…

Instantly, the Sword of Light plunged into the ground responded to his heart! It exploded with a brilliant golden energy, forming a massive “Dome of Memories”! The surface of the dome wasn’t smooth but shimmered with a thousand precious memories… images of smiles, sounds of laughter, and all his happy moments were spinning on it like a long movie.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The warm, golden dome clashed with the tsunami of shadows! The collision of the two purest emotional energies made the world of memory tremble so violently it was about to shatter! The steel floor beneath Owen’s feet shook as if in an earthquake. The surrounding debris floated into the air before being crushed into dust by the invisible pressure.

It was a “cancellation” of two polar opposites…

Owen’s golden dome didn’t destroy the tsunami of shadows… but was gently “cleansing” the darkness… and at the same time, the tsunami of shadows was “devouring” that light with a ravenous hunger…

Light and darkness… Hope and despair… each ate away at and embraced the other… until finally, both energies dissipated at the same time…

Vwoosh…

Leaving only a perfect silence… and the aftermath of the battle…

The “Failure Incarnate” was heavily damaged. Its shadow body flickered violently like a signal about to be lost… The chains of sorrow that had once bound its body had almost completely dissolved… It sank to its knees, weakened… and for the first time… it showed true “defeat.”

On Owen’s side, he was also heavily exhausted… The “Sword of Light” in his hand had dimmed to a faint golden spark, like embers about to go out… He stood panting heavily, feeling his power almost completely drained… He knew he only had enough strength for “one final act.”

The “Failure Incarnate” tried to gather its last ounce of strength… It released the few remaining chains of guilt… but this time… they moved slowly and weakly… like the final echo of a pain that was about to fade.

And Owen chose not to dodge or parry them at all…

He chose to walk forward and “face” that pain, and to overcome it with his own strong heart…

He stepped forward slowly… walking through the chains that shot at him… Every time a chain touched his body… it didn’t create a wound… but it showed him the failures of his past again… the image of Damian… the image of Clara…

But this time… Owen was no longer in pain…

He had “accepted” it…

Those failures were a part of him… they were what had forged him into a better, stronger person… and one who could love others with all his heart… He walked through them as if walking through a thin veil of mist…

Until… he came to a stop before the “Failure Incarnate,” which was kneeling, completely spent…

The Sword of Light in his hand shone brightly once more… before he slowly reached out… and “plunged” it into the “core” of the Incarnate, gently and slowly…

The “Failure Incarnate” didn’t resist…

It looked up at Owen… and for the first time… Owen saw the superimposed image of the Sentinel’s “true face” beneath the distorted shadow… a beautiful but pale face… stained with the tears of acceptance…

The warm, golden light from the sword spread throughout the shadow body from within… not burning… but “cleansing” and “healing” all the wounds of guilt… The cracks on the armor of shadows were slowly filled with the golden light… The final chain that bound it slowly melted away…

The wailing screams stopped… and the once-distorted synthetic voice returned to a trembling but calm human voice… The voice, filled with the sincere thanks of the Sentinel, echoed in Owen’s mind…

[Thank you… At last… I can finally rest…]

She slowly looked up at Owen gently… before her body dissolved into millions of pure white motes of light… floating up and disappearing into the darkness… which had now transformed into a beautiful, starry sky…

Owen stood alone amidst the floating motes of light… The Sword of Light in his hand dissipated at the same time… And then… the distorted world of memory began to shake and shatter…

Owen’s spirit was about to be “ejected” back into the real world with a recoil so violent he could barely brace himself. It was the feeling of a diver being pulled from the bottom of the ocean to the surface in a single instant!

And then… reality came rushing back…

SZZZZZZZZZZZ!

The whistle of the wind through the ruins… the crackle of twisting metal… and the chilling hum of the energy sword returned, thundering in his ears once more! The excruciating pain from the wound in his side shot through him as if he had been branded with a hot iron. The ache in his back from the impact was still there… and most terrifying of all… was the heat searing the skin on his neck!

Owen opened his eyes and found himself still leaning against the ruined wall…

And the energy sword that was about to plunge into his neck… had “frozen” in mid-air!

The hot tip, so hot the air around it shimmered in waves, was less than an inch from his skin… He could clearly see his own distorted reflection on the blade of death.

He slowly looked up… The Sentinel’s single red lens, which had once been filled with a crazed killing program… was now flickering rapidly like a signal about to be lost. The chilling red light was fighting a blue light that flashed from within…

And finally… the red light went out completely…

Replaced by a “bright blue” light that was calm and full of intelligence…

The immense pressure and killing intent that had radiated from her body like a storm vanished in an instant… leaving only a palpable peace and exhaustion…

The Sentinel slowly lowered the sword in her hand… Her movements were no longer fierce and fast… but filled with weariness… like a warrior who had just ended a war that had lasted for a centuries…

She didn’t look at Owen…

But slowly looked up at the purple “moon of catastrophe” in the sky for the last time… It was a look filled with sorrow… as if bidding farewell to the world and the duty she could not protect…

And then… the once-broken synthetic voice returned to a graceful and clear human voice… The voice was filled with sincere thanks… and sounded softly in Owen’s head…

[Thank you… visitor…]

The moment the voice ended… her armored body began to deteriorate…

It started with the armored gauntlet on her right hand… Small, web-like cracks appeared all over it… before it shattered into a faintly glowing silver dust that was blown away by the wind… The broken half of the energy sword fell to the ground and shattered immediately after…

The deterioration slowly spread up her arm… to the chest plate… and her legs… Every piece that had once made up the great knight now broke off and dissolved into motes of silver light before Owen’s eyes…

He watched the scene with a mixture of awe and respect… It was a sight that was both beautiful and sad at the same time… the sight of the true liberation of the last guardian of Arcadia…

And then… as the deterioration reached her upper body… it revealed a “mechanical heart” glowing a soft blue at the position where her heart had once been… A spherical object that shone from within, a faint blue electric current running across its surface… and pulsing with a slow rhythm… like a final breath.

A few seconds later… the last of the silver motes of light had faded with the wind…

Leaving only silence… and the “mechanical heart” that had now fallen onto the wreckage below. It lay motionless amidst the twisted metal, the once-bright blue light now extinguished, leaving only a cold and lifeless sphere.

Owen watched the scene for a moment before kneeling with respect and gently picking up the mechanical heart.

It was cool and smooth in his hand… but when he looked inside, he could still see the complex and beautiful miniature circuit boards, like a small universe… It was a technology hundreds of years ahead of his world.

‘This is… her heart, isn’t it…’ he thought, before the image of a certain young woman flashed in his head… a young woman who was a genius researcher and his queen. ‘Technology at this level… maybe… maybe Iris could make use of it…’

That thought made him decide to carefully keep it.

And the moment Owen did so… as if that act had cut the final thread supporting this place…

CRACK!

A strange sound thundered from the sky!

Owen looked up and saw the purple “moon of catastrophe” in the sky… a large crack had now appeared on its surface… and those cracks began to spread across the entire moon like a spiderweb!

And then… the entire dream dimension began to shake violently! The ground beneath his feet split into a deep chasm! The skyscrapers that had once stood tall began to collapse like a house of cards! The entire world was about to come crashing down!

The [Essence of Dreams] in Owen responded to the collapse automatically! It vibrated violently in his soul…

A brilliant golden gate of light tore open before Owen! And the familiar, immense “pull” sucked his body back into the gate automatically! To “protect” its master from the collapse of this dream dimension.

Owen felt like he was being thrown from a violent vortex… His hand still clutched the mechanical heart tightly… and the last thing he saw was the necropolis of the sky, shattering into fragments of light and darkness…

…..

Owen collapsed onto the damp grass… The smell of damp earth and leaves hit his nose with force. The pain from his physical wounds came rushing back… and when he looked up… he found himself back in the forest, filled with a thick veil of mist…

And “Tenzin” was still standing there, waiting for him… in the same position, unmoving… like a stone statue that had been waiting for a long time. His demeanor was no longer as calm as before… The hands that had once been clasped peacefully were now clenched tightly behind his back… and the once-deep eyes were fixed on him with unconcealed worry and anticipation.

When Tenzin saw that Owen had returned safely… his once-tense body instantly relaxed. He let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with true relief. It was the first time Owen had seen this calm monk show his emotions so fully…

“You… have returned,” Tenzin’s voice was a little hoarse but filled with joy. “I could feel the collapse of the dimension… I was afraid that you…”

He paused for a moment before looking Owen over from head to toe. And then… his eyes widened slightly with surprise.

“Your spirit… it hasn’t dimmed at all… On the contrary… it is shining brighter and is stronger than ever before.” Tenzin nodded slowly at Owen, his eyes filled with a deep acceptance and pride. “You didn’t just ‘destroy’ the Nightmare Knot… you ‘healed’ it… You have freed a soul that was imprisoned in a nightmare for a long time… You have done much better than I thought… Guardian.”

—-------

Chapter 99: The Sword of Memory

In that instant…

The hot, vibrating tip of the energy sword was less than an inch from Owen’s neck… but he closed his eyes calmly. His mind was no longer focused on the impending death, but was concentrating all its power inward… to the [Essence of Dreams] that was vibrating violently in his soul, like a struck bell.

The whistle of the wind and the hum of the energy sword slowly faded… replaced by the sound of a heartbeat, “Thump… Thump…” like a war drum thundering in his senses. It wasn’t just a sound… it was a vibration he could feel from within… and at the same time… a thousand incomprehensible whispers flooded Owen’s head like a tsunami of despair. They were the voices of every soul lost in that tragedy…

The image of the ruined plaza and the Sentinel's shattered face slowly melted and distorted… becoming a tunnel of purple light and black shadows, swirling madly. Owen felt as if his body wasn’t moving… but it was his “spirit” that was being “sucked” into something deeper and more complex than a normal dimension… It was a journey of consciousness, being dragged into the depths of a shattered memory…

And then… the frantic journey came to an abrupt halt… Everything fell still and silent…

Owen opened his eyes again… but the place he was in was no longer the plaza filled with corpses…

He was standing in the center of a modern and grand “combat command center”… Everything around him was still in perfect condition… The polished metal walls shone, beautifully reflecting the blue neon lights… All the control panels and hologram screens were fully functional…

But the atmosphere in the room was anything but calm…

WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO!

The sound of an emergency alarm blared throughout the area, deafening! Red lights flashed rapidly, bathing the room and creating an atmosphere as tense and oppressive as being in a submarine about to sink to the bottom of the ocean!

On the giant hologram screens all around him… images of the chaos that was happening throughout the metropolis were being displayed… He could see the horde of monsters from another dimension rampaging through the city… hear the screams of the people… and see the beams of battle that lit up the sky… It was a live broadcast of the end of the world…

He tried to reach out and touch the nearest control panel… but his hand passed right through it like thin air…

‘Am I… in a memory?’ he understood instantly… He was just a non-existent “observer” in this event… just a spirit watching a past tragedy repeat itself…

And then… the automatic door of the command center opened… and a familiar figure appeared…

The “female Sentinel,” still in perfect condition… Her silver armor was still shining beautifully, without a single scratch… She stepped into the room with a graceful and resolute gait… but in her eyes… was an exhaustion and despair she could not hide…

Owen turned to face the “memory” that was the source of everything… He was about to see with his own eyes… what happened on the final day of the metropolis of Arcadia…

Owen, as a non-existent observer, watched the “female Sentinel” in her perfect state… She stood, giving resolute commands in the center of the command center, which was in a state of chaos.

She seemed to be the center of a raging storm… Amidst the blaring alarms and flashing red lights… she moved with a fluid grace and authority. Her long, slender fingers danced across the holographic control panels, giving orders to the various screens that showed the damage across the city. Her voice remained firm, trying to keep the situation under control.

“Move the forces from the eastern sector to reinforce the central bridge! Now!”

“Medical unit! Respond! Why has the civilian evacuation at the main station stopped!”

“Activate all automated turrets! Fire at everything in your path! Don’t worry about ammunition anymore!”

Every command was decisive… but Owen, standing there… as a spirit who could see through the outer shell… he could feel the exhaustion and despair hidden beneath that strength… He noticed her hand trembling slightly when no one was looking… and the bead of sweat that trickled from her temple…

She was a commander on the verge of defeat… but she was still fighting to the very last second…

But then… the worst reports came flooding in from all directions like a broken dam…

Screams and despair cut through the static, non-stop…

“Guardian! The final defensive line on the east side of the city is about to break!”

“We… we can’t hold them back! There are too many of them! You have to run! It’s over… (static…)”

The voice from the communication system cut out… replaced by the chilling sound of static…

The Sentinel stood motionless before the main hologram screen, which displayed a three-dimensional map of the metropolis… On the map… the blue dots representing the allied forces slowly winked out, one by one… one by one… before being swallowed by the crimson wave that represented the horde of beasts…

Like candles being blown out by a storm, one by one…

Until finally… the last blue dot went out…

Now… the entire map had turned a brilliant red… She was the only one left…

The alarm still blared… but the center of the command room fell into an uncomfortable silence… the silence that comes when all hope is lost.

Owen saw it with his own eyes… her gaze slowly changing from the determination of a warrior… to the shattered despair of a young woman who had to bear the fate of an entire world on her shoulders…

A single tear slowly trickled from her eye… tracing a path down her smooth cheek before dropping onto the armor on her chest… It was the final tear for a metropolis that was about to fall.

She wiped the tear away quickly… Her gaze turned hard again… but this time, it wasn't the strength of a leader… but the hardness of one who had already given up everything.

She opened the city-wide emergency communication system for the last time… and sent out her final message… Her voice trembled but was still full of responsibility…

“[Emergency alert! … Our frontline forces can no longer handle the invasion!… All citizens… evacuate… immediately…]”

After sending her final message… she turned her back on the now-useless control panels… and walked straight to the exit of the command center…

She picked up her energy sword… and walked out with a firm stride… Every step was heavy and resolute… This wasn't an escape… but a walk out to the “central plaza”…

To fight for the last time…

To buy time for her citizens to evacuate…

Even if it was just for a few seconds…

Owen watched her elegant and lonely back as she walked out the door… He knew that the next scene he would see… was the final battlefield he had just left…

But the moment her form disappeared from his sight… the memory of the command center began to “distort.”

The once-perfect metal walls began to crack, and black, web-like shadows spread across them rapidly like a disease! The red lights that had once been just a warning now looked evil and alive like the eyes of a demon! And the siren began to warp, its frequency twisting until it became an incomprehensible, wailing scream…

The clear memory was rotting and becoming a tangible nightmare!

The form of the Sentinel in the memory, who had just walked out… appeared again in the center of the room… but this time, it was no longer her perfect form… Her body slowly dissolved into a jet-black shadow like ink dropped on water…

That dark shadow began to “absorb” everything around it! It absorbed the red lights that flashed like a heartbeat… absorbed the wailing screams… absorbed all the despair that lingered in this command room… and formed a new monster…

It was the “Failure Incarnate”…

It still had a form similar to the Sentinel… but a distorted and horrifying version… Its armor wasn't made of metal… but of the hardened shadow of “guilt,” with cracks all over its body like glass about to shatter… Under its helmet was only an empty darkness and a brilliant red lens filled with self-hatred…

And in its hand was no longer a sword… but the “chains” of sorrow… Jet-black chains that vibrated and scraped against each other constantly… They were the chains that bound her soul to this final memory for eternity…

The uncomfortable silence in the rotting command center was suddenly shattered…

Not by an explosion… but by a slow and chilling movement…

The “Failure Incarnate,” which had been standing motionless in the center of the room, slowly turned its distorted head towards Owen… Every one of its movements was stiff and unnatural, like a doll with rusted joints. The brilliant red lens under its cracked helmet slowly lit up… and fixed directly on him.

In that instant… Owen felt as if he had been yanked from his “observer” status and thrown into a beast’s cage. He could feel an immense, invisible pressure radiating from that being. The air around him grew heavy and cold, as if the temperature had dropped by dozens of degrees in a flash. He was no longer a spectator… but an “invader” in this private world filled with pain… a foreign object that had to be eliminated.

And then… it began its attack… with the most vicious weapon… the negative power of its “despair.”

It was the shattered, synthetic voice of the Sentinel… distorted by the static of despair and coated with a self-hatred so bitter it had become a poison…

[…You… you saw it, didn’t you?...]

The voice didn’t come from any direction… it echoed directly in Owen’s head as if it were his own thought.

[…My pathetic state… My weakness… I am a failed guardian! I couldn’t protect anyone! I am worthless!!!]

Every word was as sharp as broken glass! And as the final roar ended… a jet-black chain shot from its shadow hand like an unleashed serpent! It didn’t move with the laws of physics but slithered through the air like an evil spirit, leaving a trail of darkness in its wake…

Schlick!

The chain shot through Owen’s “chest” silently… creating no physical wound…

But in that split second… Owen’s entire world “shattered”…

He felt no pain… but a chilling cold that ate its way to the core of his soul… as if all the warmth and hope in his life were being “sucked” from his body… The vision of the distorted command center shattered into fragments of light and darkness… and his body sank into his own “nightmare”…

…

The first image that appeared was of Damian…

He was sitting in an old office chair amidst piles of bankruptcy documents that surrounded him like a paper graveyard. The light from a desk lamp illuminated his gaunt-cheeked face and his empty eyes… Owen stood there… in the office he knew so well… He could smell the cold coffee and the musty scent of failure that hung in the air…

And the voice of the “Incarnate” echoed in his head like a demon’s whisper…

[Look… you were there… but what did you do? What could you have done to help him? …Nothing… All you could do was watch… His ruin… is your sin!]

The image changed… as if an unseen hand had changed the channel…

This time, he saw Clara… She was sitting in front of a webcam… in the first black lace lingerie she had bought to do OnlyStar… She was forcing a smile… a smile that was beautiful but broken… And Owen saw it… a small tear that silently trickled down her cheek… before she quickly wiped it away…

The serpent’s whisper sounded again… colder and more ruthless than before…

[She is so beautiful… in that shame… The dignity she had to throw away for a pittance… it’s because of your worthlessness! Every time she forces a smile… it’s your failure, hammered home!]

“Aaaaaaaaaargh!!!”

A tsunami of despair and guilt slammed into Owen’s mind so violently he had to clutch his head! His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto a non-existent floor! His body began to tremble uncontrollably… The determination to “liberate” the Sentinel he’d had a moment ago… now wavered and shattered like glass struck by a sledgehammer!

Before him… in the darkness of his collapsing mind… the “Incarnate” slowly raised its other hand… It was “reveling” in his pain…

And then… as if in response to Owen’s weakness… the shadows around him came to life!

[Surrender… Sleep… in your failure… forever…]

Its voice echoed one last time… not a roar… but a whisper as seductive as a lullaby of death.

A hundred chains of sorrow shot from the shadows around him like an army of serpents unleashed from hell! They didn’t bring physical pain… but the aura of an endless regret… The scraping sound of each chain link was deafening… It was the lament of a surrendered soul…

They shot towards Owen… ready to bind him… to his own “failure”… for eternity…

But then… in the split second Owen was about to close his eyes and accept his fate…

A flash of light appeared in the darkest recess of his mind…

He did what the “Incarnate” had not expected… He didn’t scream… he didn’t struggle… but he thought of the “light” in his life…

‘No…' A thought as faint as a whisper but as firm as a mountain sounded in his mind. ‘I’m not someone who drowns in past mistakes… I’m not someone who surrenders to failure!’

CRACK!

Like shattered glass! The illusion of failure the “Incarnate” had created began to be overlaid and torn apart by Owen’s true memories!

The image of Clara forcing a smile and crying in shame… shattered… replaced by the image of her seductive and loving smile on the night they held each other under the moonlight… There was no shame in her eyes then… only a love she was ready to give him for the rest of her life…

The “Incarnate” tried to project a new nightmare… but the image was interrupted! It was replaced by the image of Jessica laughing openly… her playful and sincere eyes on the day she had accepted him unconditionally…

The image of Damian, hopeless amidst the documents… faded… replaced by the image of his blissful face as he raised a glass of champagne high, proudly proclaiming… “To the new pillar of the house!”

The image of Rosy, practicing singing for her stream with fierce determination… the image of Talia, working out with resolved eyes… and the image of Victoria, circulating her mana with a face full of sweat… Everyone was fighting for him!

Thump…

Suddenly! The [Essence of Dreams] vibrating in his soul responded! It vibrated violently… not with pain… but in joyful response to his overwhelming positive emotions!

Warm, golden particles of light began to bloom around Owen, who was still kneeling… It was the light of hope… the light of love… and the light of a will to protect… The light slowly chased away the cold and darkness in his mind…

The moment this light appeared… the hundred chains that were shooting towards him froze in mid-air as if time had stopped… before they were incinerated by the golden light, letting out a wail, and dissolving into black ash in an instant!

The “Incarnate” froze in shock! It stopped its attack completely for the first time!

Owen slowly looked up… His eyes no longer held any despair… They shone with a faint golden light, filled with a fierce love and determination. He slowly held out his right hand…

And then… all the golden particles of light flowed into his palm like a river of stars… forming a beautiful “Sword of Light”…

Its blade was transparent and shone as if made from millions of stars, brought together… The hilt felt strangely warm, as if he were holding a lover’s hand… It was a weapon not forged from steel… but woven from all the “good memories” of his life.

Owen gripped the hilt of the light sword tightly and slowly rose to his feet, steady…

The warm golden light from the sword shone throughout the dark command center… chasing away the shadows and the rot, revealing the true ruins under the light of hope for the first time…

The “Failure Incarnate” took a step back by instinct…

For the first time… it showed “fear”…

Its brilliant red lens widened with panic and disbelief… It stared at the Sword of Light in Owen’s hand… a weapon born from something it had never understood…

Light and darkness… Hope and despair… were about to truly clash…

—-------

Chapter 98: The Guardian of Arcadia

Silence…

It was a silence as heavy as an invisible sheet of molten steel, pressing down on everything in this plaza of death. The wind whistling through the skyscraper ruins did nothing to ease the atmosphere. On the contrary… it sounded like the lament of a dead city.

Owen stood motionless amidst the wreckage of the final battlefield. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the lone knight kneeling before him for a single second. Her broken, sorrowful, synthetic voice still echoed in his head like a reflection from a deep well…

“…Have you… come to destroy what remains…?”

Her single red lens was still fixed on him, unblinking. It was a cold, emotionless gaze, as if she were assessing and judging his every move with a kill program that had been faithfully running for an eternity. It was the gaze of a machine… but deep beneath that emptiness, Owen could feel an immense, hidden pain… the pain of a trapped soul.

Owen’s heart pounded a heavy rhythm in his chest, but he felt no fear… What he felt now was pity… and a heavy responsibility that had been thrust upon him without warning.

He hadn't come here as an enemy… but as one who would release these bonds.

Owen took a deep breath. The smell of rust and ozone in the air was a reminder of the devastation around him. He slowly raised both his hands to chest level… Every movement was slow and deliberate… to show that he had no intention of fighting… he came in peace.

Seeing that she had no reaction, Owen decided to be the one to start the conversation. He spoke… his voice as soft and sincere as he could make it, trying to send his feelings to the shattered soul before him, not with power… but with humanity.

"I didn't come to destroy…" he said, slowly shaking his head. "I came to help… I came to set you free."

His words vanished into the silence, but Owen continued. He paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on her, unwavering.

"I saw it… I saw the memories of this place… I saw Unit 734…"

The moment that name was spoken… the red light in the Sentinel's eye flickered for a moment… as if something in her damaged programming had been triggered… as if a fragment of her past self was trying to awaken from a long slumber.

And Owen saw that reaction… It was hope…

"I understand…" he continued quickly, before correcting himself. "…No, I can't say I fully understand, because I've never faced the pain you all had to face. But drowning in it won't make anything better. So… you have to stop, and rest now."

He tried to send all the empathy he had, hoping it could penetrate the armor of despair that enveloped her…

But then… that faint hope was extinguished…

Her red lens returned to being cold and emotionless, as if Owen's words were just junk data that had been meaninglessly deleted.

And then… her broken, synthetic voice sounded again, but this time it wasn't a question… but a sad mumble she repeated to herself over and over… the sound of the final protocol still running in her broken body… the sound of a duty she had failed…

"[Alert… Unidentified lifeform detected… Analyzing… Intent cannot be determined…]"

"[Threat level… unknown… but must be eliminated…]"

"[Civilians… must be protected… Failure… is no longer an option…]"

Owen frowned, a chill running down his spine. ‘This is bad… she's in no state to talk at all… It's like… she's stuck in a loop of her final, failed duty…’

Her spirit was no longer here… What stood before him was a broken machine, repeating its final command over and over… for eternity.

And in the split second Owen was about to say something… perhaps a plea… or a prayer…

The Sentinel's body vanished from his sight!

No warning… no preparatory movements… She just disappeared from where she had been kneeling, like an illusion dissipating into the air!

Fwip!

The sound of air being violently parted came from above! His raw instincts, honed from life-or-death battles, screamed a frantic warning! Owen looked up and saw her form appear in mid-air above his head! She was dropping down with the broken half of her energy sword, which was now glowing a brilliant red… an attack meant to split his body in two in a single blow!

No time to think! Owen's body reacted before his brain could command it. He threw himself to the side with all his might! It wasn't a graceful dodge… it was a clumsy roll to save his life!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Her energy sword slammed into the concrete floor where he had been standing a split second before with immense force! It wasn't a slash… but an impact as violent as a small meteor! The massive force shattered the ground and caved it into a shallow pit! An invisible shockwave exploded in all directions!

"Urk!"

Even though he had escaped being split in half… Owen's body, which was rolling on the ground, was hit by that shockwave and sent flying several meters! His back slammed into the corpse of a monster so hard it knocked the wind out of him! But worse than that… a piece of shrapnel-like concrete, as sharp as glass, had flown with the explosion and embedded itself in his side… right in the old wound that hadn't fully healed!

A searing pain shot through his body! Owen gritted his teeth and quickly pushed himself up. He pulled the blood-stained concrete fragment from the wound… Fresh red blood gushed out again, staining his clothes a brilliant red…

His eyes widened with a mixture of shock and pain…

He knew instantly that negotiations were completely over…

And the female Sentinel before him didn't seem to be giving him a second to breathe!

Fwip!

The figure in the shattered silver armor shot towards him again! But this time, it wasn't an attack from above… but a horizontal assault as fast and continuous as a raging river!

Her attack pattern was completely different from the iron beast's. It wasn't a heavy but slow attack… but a "rhythm-less sword dance" perfectly blended with unarmed martial arts. It was a movement that was both beautiful and terrifying… fluid yet unpredictable…

She started with a precise thrust to his neck! Owen twisted away just in time, but before he could counter… she changed her stance in a flash! Her body spun into close range, her armored elbow slamming into his ribs!

THWACK!

Owen felt like his entire ribcage would crack! But that pain was drowned out by a new danger… As he was losing his balance, she used that moment to swiftly sweep his leg! And as Owen's body was about to fall… the broken half of the energy sword in her hand slashed horizontally, aiming to take his head from his shoulders!

Every one of her movements was filled with the utmost killing efficiency. It was a perfect dance of death!

In that split second between life and death, Owen didn't have enough time to regain his footing! His final instinct ordered him to raise his right arm, wearing the Gauntlets of the Sun God, to parry with all his might!

He didn't "block" the attack head-on… but twisted his wrist and used the edge of the gauntlet to "deflect" the sword's trajectory upwards at the last second!

CLANGGGGG!

The sound of metal on energy was deafening! Brilliant red sparks scattered like fireworks!

Even though he had deflected it from the vital point of his neck… the immense impact that was transferred was still too much for his off-balance body to handle!

Owen's body was hit by that force and sent rolling across the cracked concrete floor for several meters! His back scraped against the wreckage, a searing heat across his entire back!

But he wouldn't let himself be a sitting duck for long… The moment his momentum stopped, Owen used his hands to push off the ground and sprang back to his feet like a spring! His eyes no longer held any shock… but were filled with the unyielding spirit of a fighter!

And at the moment he stood up… he saw it!

After the Sentinel had slashed horizontally with all her force… she had a momentary opening in her defense…

Owen didn't hesitate for a second. He used that moment to shoot forward like an arrow! His right fist, wearing the iron gauntlet, was pulled back to its limit, before shooting out, aiming to punch her in the torso!

But then… it was a "trap"!

The Sentinel, who had seemed to have lost her balance from the previous attack, used one foot as a pivot and spun back with unbelievable speed! Her body spun like a killing top, easily dodging his punch!

Owen's fist hit nothing but air… and at that same moment… the hilt of the broken sword in her hand slammed back into his stomach!

THUD!

"Oof!"

Owen doubled over in pain! He felt like his internal organs were twisting into knots, all the air driven from his lungs in a single gasp! He glanced at his own gauntlets in despair…

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 0/6000 units]

'Damn it!' His thoughts were filled with panic. ‘This is a completely one-sided attack! I can barely fight her… Every one of her movements is perfectly calculated for maximum efficiency! If this keeps up… there's no way I can accumulate enough energy for the gauntlets before I'm killed!’

And throughout the fierce and desperate battle… her sad mumble still sounded in Owen's head periodically. It wasn't a voice speaking to him… but an echo from the past… the voice of someone trapped in a repeating nightmare…

"[Alert… highest level… must evacuate civilians…]"

CLANG! Owen managed to raise his arm to block her slash, but the impact still forced his knee to the ground!

"[Why… why can't I stop them… Am I… not strong enough?...]"

Fwip! He twisted away from a counter-thrust by a hair's breadth, the tip of the energy sword whistling past!

"[I… am the last guardian… I cannot fall… I must eliminate the threat!!!...]"

And in that moment… Owen realized…

He wasn't fighting a bloodthirsty "warrior"… but a "wound" that had never been healed. She had no hatred or intent to kill him as a "person"… but saw him as another "threat" she had to eliminate… to "protect" a city that had already fallen… to complete a duty she had failed…

But that understanding didn't make the fight any easier… On the contrary, it made Owen's heart feel heavier than ever before.

The Sentinel didn't let him rest or dwell on his thoughts for long. She shot towards him at top speed again, this time her attacks even more fierce and violent! As if her threat-elimination program had elevated his danger level.

She slashed her sword continuously like a storm! Owen could only raise his gauntlets to defend himself desperately!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of metal on energy thundered! Every time he blocked… the immense impact forced him back a step… and another step… His heels scraped against the cracked concrete, leaving long marks.

And finally…

THUD!

His back slammed into the ruined wall of a collapsed building! Concrete dust rained down on his head…

He was cornered!

Suddenly, the Sentinel stopped her attack… She stood motionless before him at close range… as silent as a statue of an ancient warrior, before slowly raising the broken half of the energy sword in her hand… The hot, slightly vibrating tip was aimed at Owen's neck…

The red light from the sword reflected in his wide eyes… He could feel the heat radiating from it, stinging his skin…

He had been completely defeated… and there was no way to escape…

Time in Owen's perception seemed to slow… He could see the small details clearly… the cracks on her shattered helmet, the sparks that flashed on the edge of the sword, and the dust swirling in the red light that shone out…

The hot, vibrating tip of the Sentinel's energy sword was aimed at his neck, so close he could feel the heat radiating from it, stinging his skin. The red light from the sword reflected in his wide eyes, revealing an image of defeat and impending death.

His mind was filled with despair and an acceptance of his fate. ‘This is it… I've lost… Speed… experience… I can't compare to her at all…’

The Sentinel didn't hesitate. She raised the sword slightly… preparing to thrust down and end the "threat" before her.

But in the instant the sword was about to lunge… the image of the mist-filled forest… and the calm old monk named "Tenzin" suddenly appeared, superimposed in Owen's mind…

And then… his wise voice echoed in Owen's mind, which was about to give up… It was as clear as if he were standing and whispering in Owen's ear right now…

"...Trust in the power of a Guardian... do not trust what your physical eyes see..."

Those words were like a sledgehammer to his heart! Like a lightning bolt in the darkness! Owen's eyes flashed with a sudden understanding!

'Physical eyes… that's right…' His thoughts changed from despair to a complete understanding in a flash. ‘All this time, I've been trying to fight what my "eyes" were seeing… a warrior in shattered armor… a broken sword… a fast attack…’

'But that's not the real enemy! Tenzin already told me! The real enemy is the 'Nightmare Knot'!'

'I can never defeat "her"… She is the Guardian of Arcadia… the ultimate warrior of this place… But maybe… maybe I don't have to defeat her at all!'

'My enemy isn't the "female Sentinel" in front of me… but the "sorrow"… the "guilt"… the "failed duty" which has become an endless loop that consumes her mind! I don't have to defeat "her"… I just have to defeat her 'Nightmare Knot'!'

The Sentinel's sword was already lunging… The hot tip was less than an inch from his neck…

But instead of trying to dodge or defend himself desperately at the last second… Owen did the craziest thing…

He closed his eyes…

His eyelids shut calmly… a sight that was a stark contradiction to the blade of death that was about to arrive… He no longer cared about the outside world… but was focusing all his concentration "inward"… to the [Essence of Dreams] that was vibrating in his soul… trying to "see" through her physical body… to find the "crack" or "weak point" of the Nightmare Knot hidden within…

He stopped looking with his eyes… and for the first time… he began to truly "see"…

—-------

Chapter 97: The Female Sentinel

The eerie purple light from the "moon of catastrophe" in the sky cast down like a veil of tragedy, bathing Owen's body as he still sat leaning against the container wreckage amidst the ruins and a silence that consumed everything.

His eyelids twitched slightly before slowly prying open. The first sensation he registered was the chill of the steel plate against his back and the burnt smell of ozone that still hung in the air, a reminder of the fierce battle that had just passed.

The excruciating pain from the high-voltage electric shock had subsided to a mere occasional twinge. The mana in his body had recovered to almost full, allowing him to feel the current of power circulating throughout his body once again. But what had changed the most was his mind... The final memory of "Unit 734" had transformed the flames of rage into a cold determination to "liberate" this nightmare-filled place, not just to "destroy" it anymore.

He inspected the minor and major wounds on his body and found they were almost healed, thanks to the amazing regenerative power of the parasite king's body that Iris had given him. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, gazing at the wreckage of the iron beast, which had now cooled and gone still, before giving it a slight nod, a sign of respect for its final will.

After collecting his thoughts, he decided to walk out of the warehouse.

And the moment he stepped past the warehouse's boundary... the air around him suddenly changed. It was several times colder and heavier than before, as if he had walked through an invisible curtain. The atmosphere was eerily silent... It wasn't a silence of peace, but a complete absence of life.

And then... he saw the full view of the "Necropolis of the Sky" for the first time...

It was a scene of a catastrophe so grand and tragically beautiful... it was beyond anything he could have imagined.

Before him were the ruins of once-beautiful skyscrapers, which were now no different from the skeletons of titanic beasts. They were twisted and bore massive scars as if clawed by the talons of a god. Their broken tops leaned against each other like the branches of dead trees. Below, the multi-layered roads had collapsed into a heap, becoming a ravine of steel and concrete. The wreckage of flying vehicles was sunk in the ruins like a school of fish beached on a shore of devastation.

Around him, damaged holographic advertisements still flickered with distorted, repeating images... images of the smiling faces of people from the past, torn and flashing intermittently in the darkness, like digital spirits trapped in a loop of memory. And above... was the same purple "moon of catastrophe" that cast its cold light down, bathing everything in an atmosphere that seemed to have been torn from a nightmare.

Owen stood stunned by the immense scene of devastation. He felt small and powerless compared to it.

'This is... too vast... If I just wander aimlessly, I'll get lost and die in here for sure...'

He realized instantly that he could no longer rely on his ordinary sight or instincts. He decided to try the new power he had just received... the power of the [Essence of Dreams].

He closed his eyes... cutting himself off from the despair-inducing scene of devastation...

He focused all his concentration on the core of his mind... and tried to "listen" to the voice of this dimension... not with his ears... but with his soul...

At first... there was only a cold vacuum and a silence that tried to consume his consciousness...

But then he began to feel it... a "vibration" as faint as a whisper... It was a symphony of pain and despair that still lingered and echoed in every particle of this place...

And among the millions of echoes... there was one "voice" that was the most powerful and clear... It wasn't a scream... but a faint "call"... an invisible "pull"... a feeling as if a thread of fate was tied to his soul and was gently but firmly pulling him in a certain direction... It was a compass pointing to the "epicenter" of all the despair.

Owen opened his eyes again. His gaze was no longer confused. It was sharp and full of purpose. He looked straight in the direction the pull was leading him... deep into the heart of the necropolis... before he began to walk forward with a steady stride...

He stepped on the ruins of the main road, which was shattered to pieces. Every one of his footsteps echoed in the uncomfortable silence, as if it were the only sound confirming that life still remained in this graveyard.

The moment he stepped past the wreckage of an overturned flying vehicle... the scene before him was suddenly overlaid with a faint blue holographic light...

He saw the image of a small "little girl" in a brightly colored dress, giggling and chasing a tiny "mechanical butterfly" that sparkled in the air... The image was beautiful and full of life... The little girl's smile was of the utmost purity and innocence. Her clear laughter wasn't just heard, but was a feeling that echoed in his head for a moment... a sound of happiness that was a complete contrast to the current silence of death.

But then the image flickered rapidly before dissipating into the air... leaving only the ruins and the coldness as before. Owen stood still, his heart jolting... This was what was lost... This was the price of tragedy... The heart-wrenching sense of loss made his determination as strong as steel that had been repeatedly forged.

And as he was lost in that beautiful memory... the black shadows on the ground and on the walls of the nearby ruined buildings began to move... They stretched and flowed together... forming distorted, translucent, human-like shapes. They had no faces... only empty white eyes and mouths agape as if in a silent scream... They were the "echoes of despair" of the citizens who had died that day.

These shadows shot towards Owen silently... but their movements weren't filled with hatred... but with confusion and pain... as if they were looking for someone to release them from their suffering.

Owen didn't see this as a fight... but as a "liberation."

These enemies were weak and fragile. Even though his body wasn't at a hundred percent, he could still handle them with ease. He smoothly dodged the slow attack of the first shadow figure before countering with a mana-infused punch to its torso.

Fwip!

There was no sound of impact... only the feeling of punching into a mass of cold smoke. The moment his fist made contact, the distorted shadow figure disintegrated into motes of pure white light that floated up towards the purplish-black sky... like a soul that had just been freed from its bonds.

'Rest in peace…' Owen thought, before turning to face the remaining shadow figures.

His journey continued... and it became a pathetic cycle. He walked past the wreckage of a roadside café and saw the image of a "young couple" sitting, sipping drinks, and laughing together under a holographic parasol... and the moment that image dissipated... the distorted shadows of the couple appeared and rushed at him... forcing him to release them to their peace.

This cycle of past happiness and present pain made Owen understand the depth of this tragedy even more. It wasn't just a fight with monsters... it was the healing of the wounds of a shattered world.

Owen continued to follow the "pull," which was now so strong it was almost "yanking" his soul forward. The atmosphere around him changed completely... The ruins grew denser until there was almost no path, the once-beautiful holographic illusions now became images of people fleeing for their lives, and the desperate screams grew continuous and clearer in his head, as if he were walking back in time, closer and closer to the tragedy.

He walked past the wreckage of an energy barrier that was shattered like glowing glass and stepped into the innermost area... "the central plaza of Arcadia."

The moment he stepped in... the sight before him made him stop and almost hold his breath...

It wasn't just ruins... it was a "graveyard of beasts" so grand and horrifying it was beyond imagination.

Across the once-beautiful plaza... were now the corpses of "monsters from another dimension," piled as high as small hills. They had shapes so distorted and terrifying they shouldn't have existed... Some had claws as sharp as blades, some had tentacles that still twitched lightly even in death, some had hard, insect-like shells that were riddled with holes...

The entire area was filled with the signs of a fierce battle... The plaza floor was split with long, deep gashes from an energy sword, the walls of the surrounding skyscrapers had large holes from explosions, and the corpse of every monster was in a pathetic state... Their bodies were covered in grievous wounds from a powerful energy weapon.

But the most chilling thing was the "silence"... It was the silence after a storm had passed... a silence that told the story of a war that had ended in a complete defeat.

And at the very center of that beast graveyard... at the point where the corpses were piled the highest... he saw her...

The "female Sentinel" in her shining silver armor was "kneeling" on the corpse of the largest monster. She was looking down... One of her hands gripped the hilt of a broken energy sword that was still embedded in the corpse... Her other hand rested limply on the ground...

Her once-beautiful and shining armor was now dull and covered in battle scars. Some parts had shattered, revealing the artificial skin under a torn and blood-like-fluid-stained black suit.

Even from a distance and without seeing her face... Owen could feel a wave of sorrow, guilt, and immense despair radiating from her body like an invisible storm... It was so intense it made the air around him heavy and hard to breathe...

This was the epicenter of all the despair... and she was its source.

Owen stood motionless at the entrance to the plaza. He gazed at the image of the Sentinel before him... a lone knight, kneeling amidst the works of war and her own failure...

'So this is it... the center of everything…' he understood instantly... This wasn't a "monster" he had to kill... but a "shattered soul" who was both the cause and the victim of this tragedy.

He slowly began to walk into the corpse-strewn plaza... Every step was filled with respect and understanding... He wasn't walking in as an "enemy"... but as a "visitor" who would bring liberation...

His feet stepped on the fragments of broken armor and over the corpses of monsters from another dimension. It was a walk through the final battlefield of the "Guardian of Arcadia."

Owen walked until he was standing about ten meters from her... a distance safe enough not to be a threat, but close enough to clearly show his intent.

Silence fell for a moment... There was only the sound of the wind whistling through the ruins like the cries of a dead city...

And then... there was a sound...

It wasn't a voice... not a roar...

But a faint and cold "click..." the sound of a mechanism inside a damaged helmet that began to work again after being silent for so long.

The Sentinel's once-still head slowly lifted... Every movement was slow and painful... like a doll with rusted joints...

She turned to face him... revealing the state of a helmet that was more than half-shattered... and in the darkness beneath the shadow... a single red lens that was still working... slowly lit up... and fixed directly on him...

Instantly, her cold and sorrowful synthetic voice sounded in Owen's head... not a shout... but a faint and broken whisper...

"...Invader... Have you... come to destroy what remains...?"

—-------

Chapter 79: Rosy's First Livestream

Sunday evening… inside Julian's bedroom. The room, once a gamer's paradise with RPG and pop artist posters, had now been fully converted into a temporary streaming studio. Wires snaked across the floor, two large ring lights cast a soft white glow, and a large green screen was stretched across one entire wall.

Owen was busy with the final checks on the OBS settings, his fingers moving deftly over the keyboard, professionally adjusting audio levels and color balance, while Julian helped with the final lighting placement to ensure no shadows fell on Rosy's face.

"This is amazing, Owen," Julian praised, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the professional-grade equipment. "Everything for this stream is as high-quality as what the pro streamers use. Even your own channel doesn't have stuff this fancy. You've really invested a lot in Rosy!"

"Of course," Owen replied without looking away from the screen, a small smirk on his lips. "It's her first stream. Everything has to be perfect."

The air in the room was thick with a near-boiling excitement. While the two were busy preparing, Julian, with a moment to spare, picked up his phone to kill time. But his casual expression quickly turned into a frown.

"Hey… Owen, look at this!" He held the screen out for Owen to see. "Big news. On Friday night, there was a huge mafia gang war in the middle of the entertainment district. Almost twenty people died."

Owen frowned and leaned in to read the headline. "Iron Python Gang wages a fierce battle, The Velvet Shadow collapses in a single night… The Awakened Association had to intervene to stop the war?" After quickly reading the summary, he couldn't help but complain with a bit of emotion. "Damn... This is the middle of the city. How could they start a war like they own the place, with no fear of the law?"

"I know, right?" Julian added with a concerned look, still staring at the images of the damage in disbelief. "It's scary. Good thing we weren't anywhere near there recently."

Rosy, who had been standing by quietly, flinched slightly upon hearing the conversation. Her body went rigid for a moment, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest, afraid that Owen would find out what she and Iris had done. A cold sweat began to form on her temples.

'Hmph... A war? That was just taking out the trash,' Iris's cold voice echoed in her consciousness.

Rosy could only swallow hard. She quickly pretended to whistle nonchalantly and immediately bolted from the conversation. "Uh… Um... I'm gonna go change into my cosplay now. It's almost time!" she said, her voice trembling slightly, before quickly grabbing the costume box and disappearing from the room to change in the bathroom... If she stayed any longer, she was sure she'd give something away.

A short while later, when Rosy returned to the room, she took both Owen's and Julian's breath away.

Rosy walked in, looking a little shy but also filled with pride in her full 'Demon Lord Girl' cosplay, made by Finley. She twirled slowly, delightedly. The jet-black velvet fabric made her fair skin stand out even more. The exquisite ancient patterns, embroidered with golden thread, glittered as they caught the light. The strikingly realistic black demon horns made her look both elegant and dangerous at the same time.

"Whoa… The damage is devastating," Julian muttered, his eyes wide. "You look like a final boss that just walked out of an RPG, Rosy!"

Owen smiled with satisfaction. He wasn't just impressed by her beauty, but by Finley's skill and Rosy's ability to perfectly embody the role. "Amazing, Rosy. It's like you were born for this costume."

The compliment made Rosy blush slightly. "I didn't think the costume would be this beautiful either! Finley is a real genius," she said excitedly, adjusting her skirt.

But when Owen glanced at the clock on the computer screen and said, "Alright everyone, ten minutes to 7 PM. Get ready," Rosy's excitement began to visibly turn into nervousness. She started fidgeting again.

"Wait, Owen!" she turned to him, looking panicked. "What am I supposed to do? How do I greet the viewers? What if no one talks to me? Do I just sit in silence? You didn't give me a script or anything!"

Owen chuckled at her flustered state. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders to reassure her. "Listen, Rosy," he said, looking deep into her eyes with a warm gaze. "This isn't a play. This is you presenting yourself. The people who come to watch don't want to see an actress reciting lines. They want to see 'Rosy,' the cool rock girl who just happens to be in a demon lord's body."

He gave her an encouraging smile. "Just be yourself. Talk the way you like, have fun playing the game, laugh when you mess up. That's all it takes... and they will love you for who you really are. No matter what you do, they will watch and support you for sure."

Those sincere words made Rosy feel a great sense of relief. She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Okay… I'll try!"

Julian walked over and patted both their shoulders lightly. "That's right! You guys can do it. Give it your all!" he said with a seemingly genuine smile, but his eyes held a hidden, unreadable glint… a cold glint, anticipating something that was about to happen.

…..

"Five minutes," Owen's voice broke the tense, exciting silence.

Rosy, sitting at her computer, took a deep breath, trying to calm the war drum that was her heart. Her hands were cold and slightly clammy. She looked at her own image in the preview window, an elegant demon lord, but inside, she felt like a small girl about to step onto a huge stage for the first time.

Owen came to a stop behind her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Remember what I said, right? Be yourself," he winked at her through the screen's reflection. "And… have fun."

7 PM sharp…

Owen went back to his seat and hit the "Go Live" button instantly. His screen lit up with the streaming interface. The viewer count shot up from 0 to the hundreds, and then to a thousand in less than five minutes. The chat scrolled like a waterfall with greetings from his regular fanbase.

He gave Rosy the signal. She hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip lightly before mustering all her courage and hitting "Go Live" on her own channel. Her viewer count slowly climbed… 1… 5… 12… Her heart pounded so hard it almost leaped out of her chest.

Without delay, Owen started his promotion plan. "Alright, everyone! Today we have a very special guest I want you all to meet," he said with a charming, wide smile. "She's my best friend, and today is the debut of her own stream! Please give a round of applause for… Rosy, from the channel 'Rosy Nocturne,' the girl who comes with the songs of the night!"

He posted the link to Rosy's channel in the chat. "Everyone, please go follow my friend. I guarantee you'll fall in love with her!"

Almost instantly, the viewer count on Rosy's channel shot up from the tens to the hundreds. The once-empty chat began to fill with a stream of messages that blurred her vision.

'Don't look like a startled rabbit, Rosy. You'll just encourage the chat,' Iris's mocking voice sounded in her head.

Rosy flinched. She took a deep breath and turned to the camera with her brightest smile. "H-Hello, everyone!~ I'm Rosy!" At first, her voice trembled slightly, but as she began to talk about her channel's direction, her confidence slowly returned. "The 'Rosy Nocturne' channel will focus on cosplaying characters I like, talking about anime, singing rock songs, and playing fun games! Please take care of me!"

Her bright and natural charm, which contrasted with her cool demon lord look, made the viewers in the chat begin to send a flood of compliments.

…

[ Chat ]:

[So cute!]

[The cosplay quality is amazing!]

[Such a cute voice!]

…

The first wave had begun… Owen's fans who had followed him over were impressed by Rosy's cuteness and her perfect cosplay. They started sharing her stream link with their friends and on their social media.

Before long, the second wave hit… Die-hard fans of the anime "Demon Lord Girl," who saw Rosy's high-quality cosplay through the shares, started flocking to watch. The hashtag "#DemonLordRosy" quickly began to trend among anime lovers.

And then… the third wave, the one that set off the explosion, arrived. The streaming platform's algorithm detected the abnormal growth and began to recommend Rosy's channel on the front page under the "Trending New Channels" category.

Rosy's viewer and follower counts skyrocketed. The numbers on the screen spun shockingly fast. From the hundreds, it became a thousand… two thousand… three thousand… Rosy's jaw dropped in astonishment at the numbers on her screen.

She was so happy she didn't know what to do as she saw the chat scrolling too fast to read and the non-stop sound of donation alerts.

Owen, who saw her reaction on his screen, quickly sent her a private message: "Breathe, Rosy. You've got this. They're here to see 'you.' Just talk to them."

The message brought Rosy back to her senses. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again… this time, her eyes were filled with determination and a truly confident smile.

"Thank you all so much!" she said, her voice bright and full of energy. "I'm so glad you all like the costume! This is the work of a genius designer named Finley!"

She began to greet and answer questions in the chat naturally and charmingly. She had overcome her fear and become a new star, shining at her brightest, ready for the amazing performance in the next scene.

…..

After chatting with the viewers to her heart's content and feeling much more at ease, Rosy turned to nod at Owen as a signal… It was time for the highlight everyone was waiting for.

"Alright, everyone!" she said with a charming and fully confident smile. "To thank you all for the overwhelming support you've shown me today… I'd like to sing my favorite song for all of you!"

The chat exploded with excitement. Owen picked up his jet-black electric guitar, holding it at the ready. His fingers ran skillfully along the fretboard before he struck a powerful rock chord as a familiar intro. It was the song "Shadow Under the Moonlight" by the band "The Eclipse."

And then… Rosy began to sing. The voice that had been so bright at first now transformed into one that was powerful, husky, and filled with the true spirit of a rocker. She sang with the graceful posture and style of the university's famous singer. Her voice blended flawlessly with Owen's electric guitar, as if they had played together countless times.

The chat exploded with frenzy. Donations and subscriptions skyrocketed to a record high as the notification sounds went off nonstop. Everyone was stunned by the talent hidden beneath her cute face and cool cosplay.

…

[ Chat ]:

[ Wait!? Is that the same person with the cute voice from earlier? So powerful! ]

[ A true Demon Lord Girl has to be like this! Not just pretty, but she can sing rock too! So cool! ]

[ Look at Owen playing the guitar… What's with the way he's looking at Rosy!? I'm shipping this! ]

[ I surrender! I'll do anything! Just let me hear you sing again! ]

[ Donated $50: A heavenly voice! Here's some pocket money! Sing again! Sing again! ]

…

Two hours passed like a dream…

"Thank you all again! See you next stream! Bye-bye!~" Rosy waved goodbye to the camera one last time before hitting the stop stream button.

The moment the stream cut off, she collapsed into her chair, exhausted but blissful. "Hah… hah… I didn't think it would be this tiring."

"But you were amazing, Rosy!" Owen put his guitar down and turned to smile at her. "Look at your follower count."

Rosy turned to look at the numbers on her screen and her jaw dropped… 5,428 Followers… "No way… This is… in just two hours!?"

"This calls for a celebration!" Julian said cheerfully. He walked over to the mini-fridge in the corner of the room and took out three ice-cold cans of beer he had 'prepared'.

He handed a can to Owen and Rosy before raising his own. "To the success of 'Rosy Nocturne'!"

"Cheers!"

The three clinked their cans and drank in celebration, happy. Owen and Rosy didn't notice… that beneath Julian's friendly smile… his eyes were glinting strangely.

After drinking for a while, Julian pretended to look at his watch and exclaimed, "Oh! Crap, I have an urgent errand I completely forgot about. Excuse me for a bit, you guys can keep celebrating without me!"

Owen was a little surprised by Julian's unusual haste, but due to his exhaustion and happiness from Rosy's success, he didn't think much of it.

Julian left the room quickly… The moment the door closed, the friendly smile on his face vanished, replaced by a twisted, excited grin. He quickly took out his phone and opened the app connected to the cameras he had secretly installed…

…waiting with bated breath for the premiere "show" he had orchestrated himself… to begin.

Not long after Julian left… the atmosphere, once filled with happiness and success, was slowly replaced by a strange heat. Something hidden in the drinks began to work quietly… fanning the flames of lust from within before they even realized it.

Owen felt a baseless heat flash through his body. The blood in his veins pumped so violently he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears. The slumbering Sire instinct roared madly, ordering him to see the woman nearby as merely a beautiful "broodmother," ready for reproduction.

Meanwhile, Rosy began to breathe rapidly. Her face was flushed, her body hot as if with a fever. A thirst she had never known before surged through every cell. Her slit began to moisten uncontrollably.

The two turned to look at each other instinctively… and in the other's eyes, they saw only the crazed, blazing flames of desire. They were pulled towards each other by an irresistible force… crushing their lips together, deep and hot.

"Mmph…" Rosy moaned in her throat, blissfully. She wrapped her arms around Owen tightly, her tongue intruding wantonly, like one who had been starved for a long time.

Owen did not let himself be passive. He lifted her body to sit on his lap, his large hands roaming over the curves under the Demon Lord Girl costume with a burning heat. He tore off the golden cloth belt without a care and began to frustratingly undo the complex hooks and buttons of the cosplay. His rough touch against the velvet fabric sent her arousal spiking even higher.

"Ah… Owen…" she moaned his name, her voice trembling. Her consciousness was fading. She helped him clumsily remove the cumbersome parts of the costume until he could finally slip his hand inside and touch her hot, smooth skin.

Cut to Julian… He stood behind the house, pretending to unhurriedly shake out and hang laundry, but in his hand was a mobile phone, showing a live feed from 3 cameras he had secretly installed in his own room. He watched the image of Owen and Rosy all over each other on the bed, his eyes blazing, his breath coming in ragged gasps…

"Success… My plan worked…" he whispered to himself, before looking left and right. When he was sure no one was around, he unzipped his pants, pulled out his fully erect, 5-inch member, and began to stroke it with bliss… watching his best friend and his girlfriend about to give each other a wonderful night… exactly as he had planned…

—-------

Chapter 96: Fist of the Rising Sun!

That split second lasted for an eternity...

The moment the “crack!” of Owen’s Mana Armor, his final barrier, shattered like glass… his entire world was plunged into excruciating pain!

SZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

The massive amount of static electricity that had been held back now surged from the metal floor into Owen’s body with the mad frenzy of a broken dam! His vision went white for a moment. His ears were filled with a high-pitched shriek that almost drowned out all other sound. Every muscle in Owen's body convulsed violently, almost to the point of tearing. Pain shot through every nerve fiber as if a million needles were piercing him at once, nearly causing his consciousness to black out.

Before him… the iron beast, now glowing red-hot like a lump of metal from a furnace, had raised its massive claw to the sky. All its red eyes shone with the full light of destruction. It was about to tear his body to pieces to end this long battle!

But in that moment between life and death… Owen’s well-honed primal instincts worked faster than the pain!

‘Not yet!... It’s not over yet!’

Owen reacted much faster than the iron beast’s attack. Even though his body was shaking so violently from the electric current he could barely control it, he used his final ounce of willpower to endure all the pain! He gritted his teeth so hard his jaw almost broke… planted his numb feet on the searing metal floor, and dropped low like a spring compressed to its limit…

BOOM!

The metal floor beneath Owen's feet dented in an instant! He used it as a launchpad, exploding with all the power from both his legs, launching his body straight up like a cannonball! His body tore through the air and the swirling curtain of dust with a fierce and powerful momentum!

In that same instant… the Gauntlets of the Sun God on his right fist, which had accumulated a full 6,000 degrees Celsius of thermal energy, unleashed their true power! From the familiar orange-red, they now transformed into a “brilliant orange” so bright it was blinding, like the surface of the sun, shrunken down onto his fist! An immense heat radiated out until the air around it distorted like a mirage!

And at the moment his body was at its highest point in mid-air… in the instant that fist was about to be thrown… he roared from the deepest part of his soul!

“Fist of the Rising Sun!!!”

Owen threw the blazing fist with all his might… his target was the “blue energy core” pulsing in the center of the iron beast's chest, with full force!

There was no deafening explosion… no violent impact…

Silence fell over the battlefield in a flash… but then, a sight that was both horrifying and beautiful at the same time occurred!

A brilliant orange light exploded from Owen’s fist like the sun rising at dawn! Befitting its name, the “Fist of the Rising Sun,” the 6,000-degree thermal energy that made contact with the target incinerated the nightmare energy coating the armor, before “melting” the alien steel armor in a single instant!

SZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! FOOM!!!!~

The sound of metal being melted until it boiled rang out violently. White steam from the evaporating metal gushed out, obscuring his vision for a moment.

Owen’s fist sank through the iron beast's chest as if he were plunging it into a soft block of butter. He felt no resistance at all… only a slight viscosity from the molten metal that was boiling and splashing around his fist!

All of the iron beast’s movements froze in mid-air… The claw that had been raised to the sky remained in that position…

All its red eyes blinked rapidly… like a failing signal light… It was a signal of a machine's confusion, unable to process the damage it had sustained… before all the red lights went out in unison…

The nightmare power that had enveloped its body dissipated in an instant… like smoke blown away by the wind… revealing its true structure for the first time.

Its powerless body… now just the pathetic wreckage of a cargo-moving robot… fell to the ground, lifeless, under the pull of the world’s gravity…

TUNG! KRA-BOOOOOOOOM!!!

The sound of the heavy iron body crashing onto the broken floor… In the middle of its chest was a large “hole,” its edges still molten and glowing red-hot… Molten silver metal gushed from the wound like blood… dripping onto the floor with a “plink… plink…” forming a small “pool of molten metal” that was bubbling on the warehouse floor… sending a strong, burning smell throughout the area…

All of this happened before Owen's eyes… as his body was falling back to the ground, completely spent…

CRASH!

The pain from the impact and the residual electric current shot through his body, but he didn't even have the strength to cry out. All his exhaustion crashed down on him like a giant wave. His eyelids were as heavy as if weighed down by lead. His consciousness began to fade and was about to sink into darkness…

But then… in the instant the nightmare energy had completely dissipated… another kind of energy, calmer and more profound, flowed gently into his head…

It was the power of the [Essence of Dreams] that had now awakened within him. It was about to show him the “memories” of this place…

Owen’s vision, which was about to go dark, suddenly flared bright again… but the image he saw was no longer the ruins of an abandoned warehouse…

…..

…The image that appeared was of a warehouse, still new and grand. The white walls reflected the bright lights until there were almost no shadows. The air inside was clean and pure, filled with the faint smell of metal. The sound of machinery working systematically was a steady rhythm like a grand orchestra.

And at the center of the orderly chaos… was a “cargo-moving robot” of the same model he had just fought… but it was still in a perfect and gleaming state. It was moving actively and precisely, lifting a massive cargo container to arrange on a shelf that soared to the sky, following the commands of its “human” supervisor.

“Excellent! Unit 734! Right there! Set it down gently, my friend!” a middle-aged man in a grey uniform shouted orders energetically, a proud smile on his face.

Unit 734 gently placed the cargo container on the shelf, before turning its clear blue sensor eyes to its supervisor… as if waiting for the next command…

Suddenly!

WEE! WEE! WEE! WEE!

An alarm blared throughout the entire metropolis! The soft white light in the warehouse was replaced by a brilliant red light that flashed rapidly like a throbbing blood vessel!

And on the giant hologram screen in the center of the warehouse… the image of a graceful woman in shining silver armor appeared… the Sentinel of Arcadia… but now her once-beautiful face was filled with panic and despair. Her armor was dented and had several scorch marks.

“[Emergency alert! Detected… (static…) an invasion from another dimension not in the database! Destructive power… (static…) beyond our ability to handle! All citizens… evacuate… immediately… (staaaaaaaaatic…)]”

The image on the screen was cut… becoming just an empty hologram…

And in the next second… the entire world shook violently. The ceiling of the warehouse began to crack and collapse!

KRA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

“Watch out!!!” the supervisor yelled!

Unit 734 reacted instantly! The “Protect Assets and Personnel” program embedded in its core activated at full capacity. It charged in to use its strong body to protect its human supervisor…

But it was too late…

A massive piece of wreckage collapsed and crushed the human’s body until it was pulp… Fresh red blood splattered everywhere… staining the once-gleaming silver armor plate of Unit 734.

…..

The last image Owen saw was of the robot, standing motionless amidst the flames and ruins… Its blue sensor eyes stared at the spot where its supervisor had once stood… along with a faulty warning signal that repeated over and over from its damaged speaker…

“[Mission… click… failed...]”

“[Protection… click… unsuccessful...]”

“[Mission… click… failed...]”

“[Protection… click… unsuccessful...]”

…..

The last image of the vision… the faulty warning signal repeating over and over… faded away along with Owen’s consciousness, which was about to black out…

The moment the connection to the memory was severed… the adrenaline that had been flooding his body to keep him standing suddenly ran out!

And then… the harsh reality crashed down on him like a giant wave!

“Aaaargh!”

Owen screamed for the first time. The pain from the electric shock he had endured now came back to claim its due. Every muscle in his body trembled violently, almost uncontrollably. The gash on his side, cut by a metal fragment, sent pain shooting through his body. And worst of all… was the exhaustion from using his mana to the very last drop. It was a feeling of emptiness that was eating him from the inside out until he was almost breathless.

His last remaining instinct told him he had to find a hiding place… somewhere safe enough for him to recover…

He dragged his battered and trembling body, slowly crawling across the still-hot metal floor. Every movement brought a pain as if his body would be torn to pieces. Fresh red blood dripped in a trail where he crawled…

His target was the wreckage of a twisted and mangled container not far away… It looked to be the strongest and safest cover in this devastated battlefield…

And finally… he reached it…

Owen used his last ounce of strength to lean his back, drenched in blood and sweat, against the cold steel wall of the container… before slumping down, completely spent…

The last thing he saw was the jagged ceiling of the warehouse, revealing the distorted, purplish-black sky of the nightmare dimension… before his eyelids became too heavy to resist… and all his consciousness blacked out…

…Several hours passed…

The first sensation that returned to Owen’s awareness was the throbbing pain in his body… but it was a much-subsided pain, not the excruciating agony from before…

He slowly opened his eyes again…

The dim light from the moon of catastrophe shone down through the hole in the ceiling, just enough for him to vaguely see his surroundings. The air inside the warehouse was frigid and silent.

He tried to move his body… The pain was still there, but it was at a tolerable level… He could feel the “ocean” of mana within his body, which had now recovered until it was almost full again… This feeling of fullness and power made him feel much safer…

But he knew he couldn't stay here long… The nightmare dimension was not a place for rest…

And then… the last memory he had seen came flooding back clearly…

He understood everything now…

That robot… the iron beast he had just fought a life-or-death battle with… it wasn't the “source” of this nightmare… It was just another “victim” of the tragedy… just an echo of the pain and failure that still resounded in this place, over and over…

But the true “source”… the energy that had created this powerful Nightmare Knot… was the final despair of the guardian…

It was that female sentinel…

“...evacuate… immediately…”

Her last, broken words still echoed in Owen’s head… It was the sound of the despair of someone who knew they were about to be defeated and could not protect what they loved…

Owen clenched his fists… His once-weary eyes now shone with a renewed determination…

He had to find her… or at least her “echo”… to end this whole story!

—-------

Chapter 95: The Breaking Point

The situation had flipped into a stalemate in the blink of an eye.

Owen stood outside the danger zone of the lightning dome, his hair slightly standing on end from the intense static in the air. He looked at the fortress of lightning with a heavy sense of pressure. The roar of a thousand lightning bolts circulating within thundered like a raging storm. It wasn't just a defense... it was a declaration of a death zone that permitted no trespassers.

To test its severity, Owen picked up a nearby piece of sharp metal wreckage and threw it into the dome with all his might...

CRACKLE!

The moment the metal scrap entered the radius, a dozen bolts of lightning shot out and struck it in mid-air, burning it red-hot in an instant! It was a confirmation that charging in without any protection was true suicide.

‘Damn it! It created its own fortress! If I get any closer, I’ll be roasted alive for sure... but if I don't go in, I can't accumulate any more heat... There has to be a way... a way to get past its defenses...’

Countless thoughts raced through his head, but instead of sinking into the pressure, Owen forced himself to calm down and began to "observe." He moved slowly around the edge of the dome, his enhanced eyes focusing on every detail of the frantically dancing lightning.

And then he saw it... the "rhythm" of the lightning erupting from the floor wasn't random... it was "synchronized" with the pulsing glow of the "blue energy core" on the iron beast's chest! Every time the core flashed... the lightning on the floor would erupt with exponentially greater force.

A thought shot through his head like a lightning bolt!

‘Wait... it's not directly creating a lightning wall... The lightning isn't striking from the air... it's erupting from the floor! It's using the warehouse's steel floor as a conductor! The energy from that core is sent into the floor first, then erupts into the air to create the lightning dome... That means... if I can protect myself from the electricity coming from the floor, I can get inside!’

That thought made Owen think back to his brutal training with "Nova." He recalled the image of her creating an emerald-green "Mana Armor" to envelop her body, and his own near-death pain as he tried to do the same... until the final second of training... the second he had stumbled and crawled until he was almost unconscious... but had managed to squeeze out all his power and successfully create "Mana Armor" to envelop one of his "arms" for the first time!

Suddenly... what he had once thought was an "incomplete success" had now become the single "key" to solving this situation! He didn't need to create a full-body armor... he just needed "armored boots" to act as an "insulator" against the electricity from the floor!

But Owen knew well that maintaining Mana Armor required a massive and continuous amount of mana. It was a huge gamble...

‘It's a race... between my mana running out... and the heat energy I have to accumulate... Let's see who runs out first!’

He stepped back, stood still, and closed his eyes for a moment to focus on circulating all the mana in his body to flow and gather at both his feet... A few seconds later, his eyes opened again. They were filled with a fierce determination, and both his feet were now enveloped in a faint red light, the color of his personal mana... It was an incomplete Mana Armor... but it was his only hope right now.

The faint red light from the Mana Armor shone slightly, a contrast to the dark metal floor and the flashing blue sparks before him. Owen took a deep breath. The strong, burnt smell of ozone stung his nostrils, but he paid it no mind. He gathered all his courage...

And took the first step into the lightning dome.

SZZZZZZZZ!

A sound like red-hot iron being plunged into water hissed around his feet. Blue sparks from the floor swirled around the Mana Armor like a swarm of hungry snakes. They coiled around his ankles, trying to find any way to seep in, but they couldn't penetrate to harm his skin in the slightest. It proved that the Mana Armor had successfully acted as an "insulator" against the electricity from the floor!

Confident now, Owen shot forward!

He used his top speed to circle the slow iron beast, using the Mana Armor on his feet to skate across the electrified metal floor, like a skater performing a dangerous routine in the middle of a lightning storm. His main goal was to "dodge" all the primary attacks and find an opening to counterattack to accumulate energy for his gauntlets.

The iron beast, seeing its prey invade its territory, grew even more frenzied. It roared until the warehouse trembled before swinging its massive claw at Owen relentlessly!

CRASH! CLANGGG!

Every time its attack missed and slammed into the floor or the warehouse wall, a large amount of sharp metal debris would shatter and fly out like shrapnel, shooting at Owen from all directions like a hail of bullets.

And in that moment... Owen activated [Avatar of Asura]!

Four translucent, dark red Asura arms appeared in the air around him with shocking speed, weaving patterns to "parry" the dangerous debris from his path. The sound of metal fragments hitting the Asura arms rang out, "Clang! Clang!" continuously like a rain of steel, but it couldn't slow Owen's speed in the slightest.

Not only that, but he also used these Asura arms to push off the floor or walls to change direction abruptly, or to launch himself away from an attack in a blind spot with amazing skill. It was an application of his power to increase his "agility" to the absolute limit! Owen dodged a claw that slammed down and caved in the floor before using one Asura arm to push off a warehouse pillar and launch himself forward, sliding beautifully and breathtakingly under the iron beast's arm to the other side!

And the most important difference... was that activating [Avatar of Asura] this time was seamless, just by thinking it. There was no lag or feeling of "squeezing" the energy out of an empty body like when he had F-Rank mana. He felt as if he were just moving his own limbs normally. The vast capacity of his B-Rank mana allowed him to fully concentrate on dodging and finding his timing, without worrying about his power running out soon.

The battlefield in the abandoned warehouse had transformed into a stage for a dance of light and color. The sound of clashing metal echoed like a distorted song. The blue light from the lightning dome cast their long, dancing shadows on the crumbling walls like phantoms.

Owen's attacks would happen in the "split second" the iron beast missed and was off-balance... the moment it swung its arm to the end of its arc or the moment it was slowly pulling an arm stuck in the floor back up.

Owen would shoot in like a shadow, using both his real hands, wearing the Gauntlets of the Sun God, to rain down punches on the iron beast before him!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The dull sound of mana-packed fists hitting the thick steel plates created shallow dents and flying sparks. His punches didn't cause serious damage, but they were a "transference" of thermal energy to be accumulated in the core of the gauntlets, before he would launch himself back to maintain his distance before the enemy could recover.

The heat energy numbers slowly but surely climbed, because each time, he only had a few seconds to attack. It was a fight that required the utmost patience and concentration.

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 2550/6000 units]

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 2600/6000 units]

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 2650/6000 units]

The image of Owen's breathtaking dance around the iron beast continued. He dodged deadly attacks by a hair's breadth time and again, and countered with machine-like precision. The red light of his mana and the blue light of the enemy's lightning flashed across the abandoned warehouse, creating a scene of combat that was both beautiful and deadly.

Several long minutes passed... The dangerous dance continued.

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 3000/6000 units]

…

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 3500/6000 units]

…

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 4500/6000 units]

…

‘Just a little more! Only 1500 units left!’

But as Owen was focused on his near-complete goal...

Flicker!

The faint red Mana Armor on his feet blinked for a moment before returning... it was a warning that made Owen's heart jolt.

He glanced down and saw that the once-steady Mana Armor was now wavering and noticeably more transparent...

‘When... did I use this much mana!?’

The harsh truth slammed into his consciousness. Even with his B-Rank mana capacity, which was like an ocean... maintaining an "insulator" that had to constantly resist a massive amount of energy from the floor was like leaving a faucet running nonstop!

His time and his mana... more than half had been used... without him even realizing it!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

But the iron beast also seemed to have reached its limit. It realized that its old attack patterns, powerful but slow, were no longer effective. It began the process of "adapting" once again!

Crackle! Sizzle! CRACK!

The blue energy core on its chest flashed violently, like a failing heart! The sound of short-circuiting electricity came from all over its body, followed by boiling steam that gushed from the joints. The steel plates all over its body began to turn red-hot from the rapidly rising temperature... as if being burned from the inside out!

It had entered a state of "Overload" completely!

And to demonstrate the power it had just unleashed... all its red eyes fixed on a large H-beam that had once been a structural support for the mezzanine, which had partially collapsed from the earlier fighting.

It charged its red-hot body towards the steel beam, used both its arms to grab it tightly, before "twisting and tearing" it from the structure it was still attached to!

KRAKKKKK... GRIIIIIIIIIIIND!!!

The sound of metal being twisted until it snapped was deafening. Finally, the 5-meter-long steel beam came free in its hands, becoming a brutal and formidable giant club!

The situation flipped in an instant!

The iron beast, now as red-hot as steel fresh from a furnace, began to move with a noticeably increased speed. It was no longer walking, but "stomping" as it ran at Owen. It began to swing and smash the steel club with twice the speed and frequency as before. The attacks weren't more powerful... but they were "faster" and so "continuous" there was almost no room to breathe!

Owen's "predictions" of its attack patterns were now useless, because the rhythm and speed had completely changed. He was forced to rely on his raw instincts to dodge for his life. The once-graceful dance had now become a heart-pounding run for his life.

But Owen knew he couldn't back down! He had to take more risks. He had to use the split second after the steel beam had just swung past him to rush in and counterattack, even knowing his body might come into contact with the heat radiating from the enemy's body.

WHOOSH! THWACK! THWACK!

Sizzle! Owen's sleeve was instantly singed as he got close enough to land two punches. He had to quickly pat out the fire before rolling away to narrowly dodge the iron beast's counterattack.

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 4700/6000 units]

He didn't stop. He ran up the crumbling wreckage to create a new attack angle. His cheek stung as if seared by a hot iron from the radiating heat, but he endured it and countered again.

The fight had changed from a beautiful dance... to a brutal and painful exchange of blows!

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 5000/6000 units]

…

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 5350/6000 units]

…

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 5700/6000 units]

…

And finally... the long battle dragged both of them to the breaking point...

Owen stood panting, his body heaving, his lungs burning as if on fire. The mana that had once been like an ocean was now almost completely dry. Meanwhile, the iron beast was no different. Its processing system had been overworked until its logic core was completely damaged. It stopped swinging the beam with a "target"... and began its final, crazed, and truly "unpredictable" attack pattern.

It began to use the steel beam in its hand to "smash" the ground around it, frantically and without direction!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The continuous explosions were like cannon fire. The warehouse floor was punctured until it was riddled with holes. Metal and concrete debris flew in all directions like a hail of bullets. It was a perfect random attack... the final rampage of a mortally wounded beast!

Owen had to dodge clumsily amidst the devastated battlefield. He rolled away from a steel beam that slammed down just a hand's breadth from his body. Flying concrete fragments cut his cheek, drawing blood. He used the moment the steel beam had just been pulled up from the ground to rush in for the last attack in this set!

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 5950/6000 units]

'Just one more punch! Just one more punch!'

Owen stood panting amidst the frantic smashing. The red light on his feet flickered more and more frequently, like a candle about to go out. He had only enough strength for "one more punch"... and his mana was almost completely gone.

He waited for the moment... staring intently at the raging enemy... the split second the steel beam was slammed into the ground with all its force and was about to be pulled back up... that was the only "opening" he needed!

"Hyaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

He roared, throwing all his remaining strength into a charge like a red meteor! His body shot through the curtain of dust and debris in a straight line!

In the instant his final punch slammed into the enemy's abdominal armor...

Crack!

The Mana Armor on his feet "shattered" into a spray of red light at the same time! Owen's body convulsed as the residual electricity on the floor shocked him!

But even so... the clear blue system screen appeared before him... the one thing that confirmed his success in that instant...

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 6000/6000 units]!!!

—-------

Chapter 94: The Dance of Steel and Fire

GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

The distorted scream of metal echoed through the abandoned warehouse, signaling the start of the battle.

The iron beast began by demonstrating its destructive power for him to witness. Its hydraulic muscles tensed, lifting the vehicle wreckage above its head before hurling it at Owen as if it were a mere pebble! The mass of steel that was once a vehicle was now a meteor of rust and death, tearing through the air. The whistling wind pierced the eardrums like the screams of a hundred souls.

WHOOSH!

Owen, already prepared, shot sideways, dodging just in time. The vehicle wreckage flew past where he had been standing a split second before, crashing violently into the warehouse wall behind him.

KRA-BOOOOOOM!

A deafening sound of twisting and tearing metal erupted. The warehouse wall caved in, creating a massive dent. Metal debris scattered everywhere like shrapnel, a clear demonstration of the enemy's raw destructive power.

And before the dust from the explosion could even settle, the iron beast moved again...

Thump... Thump… Thump...

The echoing sound of the hydraulic pistons was the rhythm of a heavy, merciless killing machine. Every step it took toward him made the concrete floor beneath Owen's feet tremble violently.

It was a cold and relentless advance... and when it entered attack range, it began to swing the sharp metal "claw" from its other arm in a brutal, horizontal sweep!

Owen saw the crude movement clearly. He quickly dropped low, letting the sharp claws slash through the air just inches above his head. He could feel the heavy air pressure and hear the screech of metal on metal, sparking brightly. If he had been a split second slower, his body would have been torn in two.

‘What the hell is this destructive power!’ Owen thought as he pushed himself back to a steady stance.

Vwoosh... Fwip!

The iron beast continued its relentless assault on Owen. Its same clawed arm was raised high, pointing to the sky, the joints creaking as if straining against their limits, before it slammed straight down where Owen stood!

Owen shot sideways to dodge out of the attack's radius.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The warehouse floor caved into a deep pit instantly! The violent tremor made Owen, who had just lunged away, stumble and almost fall. Dust and concrete fragments from the explosion still hung in the air, blurring his vision.

A few seconds later… the ringing in Owen's ears slowly faded, replaced by a horrifying scraping sound, the sound of heavy metal dragging against broken concrete.

Owen quickly pushed himself back to a steady stance, his eyes fixed on the center of the newly formed pit... and in the moment the iron beast was struggling to "pull" its arm from the crater… Owen began to see "something" hidden beneath the frantic assault.

It was an "opening."

Not just any opening... but a flaw as clear as if it had 'Attack me' written on it.

Its movements were violent and deadly, true, but every motion seemed like a pre-programmed machine. It had a "fixed rhythm"... a clear "delay" between one attack and the next.

‘Its attacks are powerful... but too slow and predictable.’

The thought flashed through his head. Owen realized instantly that this was its only weakness. Trading blows head-on with this level of destructive power was suicide. Therefore, he had to use his "speed" to seize these "openings" and turn them into his advantage.

With that, Owen decided to test the strength of the enemy's armor, along with another important goal... he had to "land a hit" to begin accumulating heat for his gauntlets.

Owen waited for the moment the iron beast slammed its claw into the ground again, and in the second it was slowly pulling its arm back... he quickly circulated his mana, using the ‘reinforcement’ technique on his right arm and both legs!

Owen dropped low and kicked off the ground with the force of an arrow loosed from a bow, the concrete under his feet cracking into a spiderweb! He closed the distance in an instant, his right arm pulled back, twisting his waist to send power to his shoulder, before his fist exploded into the iron beast's body with full force!

"Hyaaaa!"

BANGGG!! CLANGGGGG!

The sound of metal on metal was deafening. An invisible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, making the air tremble, but the result was disappointing... On the thick, alien metal armor, only a faint "black scorch mark" appeared. It had done almost no damage. The massive recoil shot back, making Owen's entire right arm go numb.

But at the same time, he felt it! A faint "warmth" formed on the gauntlet for the first time, and a small system window appeared in the corner of his eye.

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 50/6000 units]

Owen's eyes widened. ‘Damn it! A full-power punch with B-Rank mana only gets 50 units! Does that mean... I have to punch it a hundred more times to fully charge it!?’

It seemed his attack was no different from a mosquito bite to the iron beast, but it was enough to annoy it. It roared furiously, all its red eyes snapping to him with rage, before it began to attack with a mad frenzy!

This time, it wasn't a single attack, but a coordination between both its arms! The clamp arm tried to grab and crush him, while the claw arm slashed to cut off his escape.

Owen had to use all his concentration to dodge. He became like a dancer, dancing on the razor's edge of death. Each attack was violent and heavy, but the more he dodged, the clearer he saw its "pattern"... Every movement was still heavy and clumsy. It was the only opening he had... speed and agility.

A clear battle plan formed in his head... ‘Not a fight to destroy... but a fight to 'accumulate power'!’

He got into his fighting stance again, but this time his eyes held no recklessness. They were filled with a cold and focused concentration. He looked past the thick armor, focusing on the exposed joints and cables on the iron beast's body... The real fight... one that required speed, endurance, and intelligence... had only just begun!

The iron beast responded to Owen's changed stance with an even more furious roar. The storm of coordinated attacks it had just begun grew even more frantic and violent! It was a closing circle of death, aiming to crush the prey that dared to oppose it.

But amidst the frantic assault, Owen was no longer just dodging to survive... he began to "dance" with its attacks.

With cold eyes and unwavering focus, he saw the fixed "pattern" clearly and used his speed to move with the "rhythm" of the killing machine. When the clamp arm shot out, he smoothly dodged like flowing water. When the claw arm slashed past, he ducked low, letting it pass. Every movement was smooth and efficient.

And as the claw arm slashed violently through the air again with a whistle, Owen didn't retreat but used that moment to shoot into the "opening" that had appeared! He used his left fist, reinforced with glowing mana, to punch the "hydraulic joint" at its shoulder, quickly and precisely!

CRACK!

A sound like a small thunderclap rang out. Thick, black hydraulic fluid sprayed from the crack. Although it didn't cause serious damage, it made the arm's movement stutter for a moment. And most importantly...

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 100/6000 units]

GRRRRRR...!

The iron beast roared with pain and fury. It no longer saw Owen as just an annoying "insect," but as a "threat" that needed to be eliminated. Its attacks grew more violent and frantic. It began to destroy everything in its path. Concrete pillars were smashed to pieces. Vehicle wreckage was thrown around like toys. Metal fragments and concrete chunks flew everywhere, becoming obstacles to Owen's movement.

But that played right into his hands! Owen used his intelligence to fight. He ran up the crumbling walls as if weightless, leaped over the wreckage in his path, and used the broken pillars for cover and as launch points. He had impressively created a playground of death amidst the ruins.

Every time the iron beast missed and left an opening, Owen would rush in for a counterattack. Each punch aimed at a different weak point... an exposed cable, a moving joint, or a slightly revealed circuit board.

BANG! BANG! CRACK!

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 350/6000 units]

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 600/6000 units]

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 900/6000 units]

As the energy level rose, the "Gauntlets of the Sun God" began to change visibly... From a faint warmth, they now glowed a steady orange-red. The ancient patterns on the gauntlets appeared as glowing lines, and a faint white smoke began to rise from his knuckles with every punch. It was a sign that the destructive energy was slowly being awakened.

After being hit with countless hit-and-run attacks... the iron beast's distorted AI began to "adapt."

It suddenly stopped its scattered attacks, making Owen raise an eyebrow in suspicion. He could clearly feel an abnormal change in the atmosphere.

The armor plates all over the iron beast's body vibrated violently before sliding open, revealing a blue "energy core" hidden within, which was pulsing madly like a second heart! A high-frequency energy hum pierced the ears. All its red eyes narrowed at once before flaring up again, many times brighter than before!

Owen's instincts screamed a warning of the highest danger!

The iron beast slammed both its arms into the steel floor like anchors!

KRRRANG! BOOOOOOOOM!!!

The blue energy core in its chest exploded with a bright light! An immense amount of static electricity erupted from the floor like a fountain of lightning! Countless blue pillars of electricity shot up around it, creating a "dome of a lightning storm" that roared thunderously!

Blue sparks shot across the dome like a thousand serpents, forcing Owen to leap back instantly to escape the danger zone. He landed dozens of meters away, and when he steadied himself, his hair was standing slightly on end from the intense static in the air. He looked at the scene before him in shock... The iron beast now stood calmly in the center of its own lightning storm.

At the same time, he glanced at his own gauntlets, which were glowing a continuous orange-red. The heat radiating from them was so intense it slightly distorted the air around them.

[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 2500/6000 units]

‘Damn it!’ Owen swore internally. ‘It learned my attack pattern... so it turned itself into a fortress instead!’

The enemy had changed from a stationary target waiting to be attacked into a formidable fortress he couldn't approach. The fight had escalated to a much more dangerous level... and now... it was Owen's turn to adapt!

—-------

Chapter 93: The Nightmare Knot

After Owen's resolute declaration echoed through the underground stone hall, Tenzin nodded with an expression that was both serious and respectful.

"Very good..." the old monk pointed to the staircase leading to the outside world. "...Then let us go. The 'Nightmare Knot' you perceive is the 'wound' that has torn open into the world of reality. You must go to that location yourself to be able to use your [Essence of Dreams] to open a path inside."

The two said no more, but quickly headed out of the central hall, back up the ancient stone staircase that led upwards.

The moment they stepped out of the monastery's secret entrance into the outside world, the atmosphere changed completely... The "veil of mist," which had once seemed like a natural phenomenon, now seemed to have a "presence" and "malice." It was thick and moved slowly, like a breathing beast. The chilling mist pierced the skin like a thousand needles, and the surrounding trees had begun to take on unnaturally distorted shapes.

Owen heard incomprehensible whispers on the wind and saw strange shadows moving in the corner of his eye. It was the effect of the nightmare slowly eating away at reality.

He clenched the fist wearing the "Gauntlets of the Sun God" tightly, feeling the searing energy circulating within, which was restlessly responding to the evil energy around him. The feeling made him both confident and nervous at the same time. ‘This is my first fight as a Guardian... and the first fight without [Scales of Covenant] to back me up...’ The thought made his heart a little heavy.

"Do not let it disturb your concentration," Tenzin's voice sounded from beside him, as if reading his mind. "What you see and hear now are merely reflections of your own fears, magnified by the power of the nightmare."

Owen nodded in acceptance of the warning. He closed his eyes, ignoring the distractions around him, and focused all his concentration on the [Essence of Dreams] to "lock on" to the "scream" he had heard in his vision. Instantly, he could clearly sense the direction of that evil energy... as if an invisible compass had appeared in his mind. He began to lead Tenzin, forging a path into the deepest and most dangerous part of the forest.

The deeper they went, the thicker the mist became, until visibility was no more than two meters. The whispers grew louder and began to sound like the voices of "people he knew," calling for help... which he knew was just a mental trap.

"We're getting close," Owen said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I can feel the energy getting stronger up ahead."

Tenzin, who had been following silently, nodded. "I can feel it as well... Prepare yourself, Guardian... Its true face... may be far more terrifying than you can imagine."

Tenzin's warning still echoed in the silence. The two walked a few more steps... and suddenly... the dense forest opened into a clearing in its heart... revealing a sight that made Owen stop and hold his breath without realizing it.

Here... the mist wasn't just floating, but was swirling violently around "something," like a small, soundless tornado. Every tree around the clearing was twisted and dead, their withered branches pointing straight to the center of the misty storm like the arms of corpses pleading for help.

And at the center of that misty storm was the image Owen had seen in his vision... "a jet-black tear, ripped in mid-air."

It was truly a "wound" on the body of the world. Its edges were constantly twisting and splitting. A dark purple energy gushed from it without pause, like blood that would not clot. And most chillingly... the tear had "no depth." It was a void that absorbed everything, even light, making it look like a two-dimensional black hole pasted onto the fabric of reality.

Tenzin stopped at the edge of the energy's reach, his face grim and a little pale. "That is your target... I cannot go in with you. That world will reject anyone who is not a 'Dream Traveler.' ... Everything depends on you now."

But before Owen went in, Tenzin placed a hand on his shoulder and said in the most solemn voice, "Be careful... The land you are about to enter was created from the intense memories and despair of a shattered soul. Trust in the power of a Guardian... but do not trust what your physical eyes see. A previous Guardian was defeated by an illusion of someone he loved... Do not repeat that mistake."

Owen nodded in acceptance of the warning. He stepped forward with determination and held out the hand wearing the "Gauntlets of the Sun God." He focused all his concentration on the [Essence of Dreams] he had just received and imagined "opening a door" into the tear. Not by destroying it, but by "accepting" and "connecting" with it.

A faint golden energy radiated from his body and connected with the black tear... The tear, which had been twisting madly, calmed for a moment... and opened wider, like a mouth inviting him in.

Owen glanced back at Tenzin one last time before turning to face the chilling dimensional gate. He didn't hesitate for a second... He stepped into the darkness...

The moment he crossed the invisible threshold... all sound vanished... followed by light... and finally, sensation... Owen's body was completely swallowed by the darkness of the tear, as if he had never been there at all.

…..

The first second he crossed the invisible threshold... all sound vanished... followed by light... and finally, sensation...

The next second... he opened his eyes.

Before him was no longer Blackwood Forest, but a sight that made his heart stop for a moment... He was standing on the ruins of a giant suspension bridge made of a white metal, like ivory. The thousands of cables that had once held the bridge were now snapped, hanging down into the bottomless abyss below like the roots of a dead tree. When he looked down, he saw nothing but an eternal darkness.

And when he looked up... he saw it... "The Necropolis of the Sky."

It was the ruin of a city built on hundreds of massive floating islands, connected by bridges and walkways that had mostly crumbled. The spires of skyscrapers made of a white, porcelain-like material soared into a "sky" that was not a sky... but a ceiling of purplish-black clouds that had formed into unnatural, still clumps, like a painting. The only light in this dead world came from the "void tear" visible in the distance... It floated prominently on the cloud ceiling like a "moon of catastrophe," weeping tears of dark purple energy that shone down on everything.

The air here was frigid and tasted of ozone and ancient dust. He inhaled and could feel a sorrow so heavy it was almost tangible... It felt like walking through a futuristic metropolis that had been abandoned for hundreds of years.

Owen stepped forward cautiously. The sound of his sneakers on the metal floor of the bridge echoed uncomfortably in the silence. He crossed the ruined bridge to the city's main entrance... and the sight he saw was even more shocking.

The wreckage of strangely shaped vehicles sat motionless on the roadside like a graveyard of cars. The once-beautiful hanging gardens, now with their trees and flowers turned into sharp, brittle, black crystal. The glass walkways that had once connected buildings were shattered into a spiderweb that glittered in mid-air.

As Owen was walking through the central plaza that had once been the center of prosperity, he noticed something that broke the sad symmetry of the ruined city...

It was a "footprint."

But it wasn't an ordinary footprint... It was a massive impression, as large as a car tire. It was pressed so deep into the plaza's alloy floor that it had sunk into a shallow pit. The edges of the footprint were distorted and had faint traces of melting, as if it had been stamped with high heat... and most importantly... the dust of ages that covered the entire city was completely absent from this footprint.

It was a footprint that had just been made... not long ago.

And in that moment... he "felt" it.

It wasn't a sound he heard with his ears, but a "vibration" that traveled through the metal floor to the soles of his feet... It was a steady, heavy, and cold rhythm...

Thump... Thump...

It was the heartbeat of a massive industrial machine... and at the same time, his [Essence of Dreams] began to vibrate violently... He could feel a raw and crazed "malice" not far from here. It wasn't the sorrow that pervaded the entire city, but a targeted "rage"... and it had just awoken from its slumber... because of his visit.

The vibration transmitted through the metal floor was Owen's only compass in this dead land. He abandoned his aimless exploration and began to follow the rhythm of the machine's "heart" with determination.

The path led him from the central plaza into a narrow alley flanked by towering, ruined buildings. On the walls of these buildings, he noticed massive scratches that ran in long lines... marks made by metal scraping violently against metal with enough heat to melt the building's surface, which then re-solidified into ugly scars.

He followed the vibrations to the industrial sector of the sky city. Here... the environment looked different. It was filled with the ruined structures of giant warehouses, lined up like a graveyard of titans. The roofs of most of the warehouses had collapsed, revealing twisted steel frames that pointed to the sky like the ribs of a dead beast.

And the vibration... was the strongest... coming from the largest warehouse at the very end of the industrial sector.

Owen stopped in front of its dark entrance. The giant steel doors had been ripped from their hinges as if they were mere cardboard. Their wreckage was piled pathetically to the side. From the darkness within... he could feel the intensified aura... the smell of burnt circuits, rusted iron, and a liquid that smelled like a mix of motor oil and blood.

He decided to step into the darkness...

The inside of the warehouse was dim and silent. Only the purplish-black light from the "moon of catastrophe" shone down through the holes in the roof in beams, revealing a picture of complete devastation. The wreckage of cargo vehicles had been crushed and piled up like broken toys. Steel containers had been torn open, revealing the goods inside, which were now nothing but worthless trash.

And at the center of the wreckage... under a purple moonbeam... Owen found the source of the vibrations.

It was a "cargo-moving robot," over 5 meters tall... and it was no longer in its original state... It had been consumed by the "nightmare" and fused with the surrounding wreckage until it had become a horrifying iron beast!

Its original structure was twisted and deformed. One hydraulic arm had fused with sharp metal debris to become a massive "claw" that still sparked with blue electricity. The other was still a clamp, but it was now gripping the wrecked vehicle tightly as a weapon. Black, vein-like cables had sprouted from cracks all over its body and were pulsing to the "Thump... Thump..." he had heard. The most terrifying part was its head... The multiple sensor eyes that had once been blue now glowed a blood-red, and a thick, viscous black liquid seeped from the joints like tears that never stopped flowing...

It was the image of "something massive and terrifying" he had seen in his vision, exactly!

The moment Owen stepped into its range of perception...

The "Thump... Thump..." sound suddenly stopped...

An uncomfortable silence fell over the abandoned warehouse in an instant... All the red eyes snapped to fix on him at once... before it let out a distorted roar... It wasn't the sound of a machine, but the scream of metal, full of pain and madness!

"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

The iron beast lifted the wrecked vehicle above its head... preparing to throw it at Owen... a full-scale opening to the battle!

Poll: How do you feel about the new, slower pacing?

—-------

Chapter 92: The Gauntlets of the Sun God

The dimension of ash was as silent as a graveyard of stars…

Owen stood motionless before the translucent blue system screen that floated prominently in the void. The two words glowing upon it, [Accept / Refuse], were another of the most critical turning points in his life. The roar of the Berserker Fist King still echoed in his soul. The atmosphere around him was so heavy it was as if all the air had been sucked away, leaving only him and the choice that would decide everything.

His spiritual heart pounded as two lines of thought waged a fierce war within him.

‘Sacrifice the “Permanent Covenant”… for a full year!’ the voice of reason screamed frantically. The power that was one of his most important trump cards… the power that helped him grow and strengthen by leaps and bounds. For the coming month, he had already planned to use it to exchange for the ability “Martial Arts Genius” to elevate his skills to another level… Losing it wasn't just losing a power; it was the complete and utter destruction of the entire plan he had so carefully laid out.

But then… another voice, one from his raw instincts, roared back…

The images of a terrified Clara, a confused Damian, and a desperate Julian in the veil of mist superimposed themselves on his thoughts… ‘And what if I refuse? What will I use to fight that nightmare? Will I be able to protect them in time?’ He needed power… decisive power that could be used instantly, not power he had to wait for!

Owen closed his eyes, inhaling a non-existent breath into his spiritual lungs. And when he opened them again… his gaze held no more hesitation. It was filled with a resolve as cold as polar ice.

“Just one year… in exchange for the power to protect everyone right now… it’s more than worth it!”

He had made his decision.

Owen raised a spiritual hand that had been trembling slightly, before clenching it into a tight fist to stop the shaking. He then extended his index finger and pressed down on the word [Accept], firmly and steadily.

The moment he confirmed it, the [Accept] symbol on the screen flashed as bright as the sun, before the entire screen dissolved into dozens of “chains of black energy.” Those chains shot towards Owen's spiritual body with great speed, binding themselves completely to his power core. He could feel that “something” important had been “locked” and “sealed” away so tightly he could no longer access it.

The Berserker Fist King, who had been watching, nodded slowly. The crazed look in his eyes had calmed slightly, as if some of his vengeance had been released along with the forming of this covenant. His roar softened but still retained its power.

“A firm decision… But remember… from this moment on, you can only rely on your own true strength… Use my power… and go ‘protect’ what you desire!”

With those final words, the Fist King’s spirit raised a palm and pushed violently at the empty air before him. Although there was no physical contact, Owen felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a giant. His spirit was thrown backward, returning to the real world in an instant!

Owen opened his eyes again. He was panting heavily as if he had just broken the surface after being underwater. His mind was still dazed, confused between the image of the barren land and the reality before him.

But then… he froze… as he felt an unfamiliar “weight” on both his hands.

It wasn't just the weight of ordinary metal, but a solid feeling, filled with immense energy. He slowly lowered his head to look… and found that the “blood-red armored gauntlets” that had been on the stone pedestal… were now fitted perfectly onto both his hands!

He tried to move his fingers slowly… and the blood-colored metal joints moved according to his thoughts, flawlessly. It didn't feel like he was wearing any equipment, but rather… as if these were his real hands from birth. He could feel a raw, searing energy circulating within the gauntlets like boiling blood… waiting for the day it would be unleashed with a mad frenzy.

And as Owen was stunned by the feeling of being one with his new weapon, he heard a shaky, abnormally loud gasp…

Tenzin, who had been watching, stood with his eyes wide in a shock he had never shown before! His rock-like composure had shattered in an instant. He was trembling slightly, his lips parted as if to say something, but no sound came out. He stared back and forth between Owen’s face and the cursed gauntlets, in utter disbelief.

Finally, he managed to force out the words, his voice hoarse and trembling. “Im… impossible… After almost a thousand years… finally… finally, it has… accepted its master.”

His eyes were filled with a mix of emotions: shock, disbelief, and a slight dread of what Owen had traded away… But as a caretaker who had seen the world, he would not ask such an intrusive question directly. Instead, he chose to give a warning out of genuine concern. “Use it with caution, Guardian. Do not let it devour your true self… As the caretaker, this is all I can warn you of.”

But Owen didn't pay much attention to Tenzin's reaction, because right now… he could feel the immense power flowing from the gauntlets into every particle of his body. It was a raw and unbelievably powerful feeling. He flexed his fingers and opened his palm, feeling as if it had always been a part of him.

Driven by instinct, he decided to test it…

Owen got into a firm stance and threw a right punch into the empty air before him… It was a punch without any complex technique, just a straight punch.

Vwoom! Fwip!

Even though it was just a punch without his full strength, an incredible phenomenon occurred! The air in front of his fist was compressed until a “shockwave,” visible to the naked eye, shot out! The wave of power flew straight ahead and slammed into the stone wall of the armory, dozens of meters away.

TUNGGG!

A dull sound echoed, accompanied by a light tremor in the floor. And on the strong, ancient stone wall… a small “crack” appeared!

Owen looked back and forth between his handiwork and his right fist in shock, before that shock turned into the utmost satisfaction… The corners of his lips lifted into a smile that grew wider and wider… ‘This is it! This is the power I wanted!’

And as Owen was reveling in his new power, the familiar system notification sounded in his head. But this time, it wasn't the simple “Ting!” as usual, but a sound that was much more excited and grand.

A translucent blue screen appeared before him, with a message that made his heart pound.

….

[Congratulations! You have fulfilled the conditions for System Upgrade Level 1!:

1. Raise anyone’s “Affection” to 100 points (Rosy, Jessica)

2. Raise anyone’s “Angel Path” or “Demon Path” to 100 points (Victoria) 3. Receive a large amount of energy from a high-level power source (Essence of Dreams)

4. Possess a Legendary-level object (Gauntlets of the Sun God)]

[System Upgrade Conditions Met!]

[Upgrading ‘Choice System’ V.1.0 to V.2.0…]

[…10%…50%…99%...]

[Upgrade Complete!]

[New Ability Unlocked: [Status Window]]

[New Ability Unlocked: [Relationship Meter]]

…..

Owen stood stunned for the second time in just a few minutes, but this time it was a shock that came with the utmost excitement. He stared at the system window as it slowly faded… One thought rose clearly in his mind…

‘This damn system… it can upgrade itself!?’

That thought was like a lightning bolt to his heart!

This fact opened his world up even wider. It meant his power still held many secrets waiting to be unlocked. And the decision he had just made… might have been the best decision of his life! The slight worry in his eyes was now replaced by a blazing anticipation he had never felt before.

He didn't wait, giving his first command in his mind with curiosity, ‘System! Open Status Window!’

Instantly, a familiar-looking blue holographic screen, but with much more complex details, appeared before him. It was a status window format, just like the games he was so familiar with.

…..

[Name: Owen Marlowe

Awakened Rank: B+

Strength: C+

Speed: C

Intellect: B

Mana Capacity: B

Charm: B

Luck: ??? (The Test of Fate)

Combat Skills (Unarmed): B

Abilities: [Choice System V.2.0], [The Sire], [Scales of Covenant], [Avatar of Asura], [Essence of Dreams], [Warp Reality 1 time], [Status Window], [Relationship Meter]

Equipped: [Gauntlets of the Sun God] ]

…..

Owen scanned his own stats quickly, before his brow furrowed when he saw the name of his equipped item…

‘Gauntlets of the Sun God? Not the ‘Gauntlets of the Fallen King’?’

He didn't wait, immediately ordering the system to display its details.

…..

[ Gauntlets of the Sun God:

Level: Legendary (Can grow)

Description: A cursed weapon born from the dark despair of the Berserker Fist King. But upon accepting a master with the qualities of the ‘Sun’ (one who desires power to protect those they love), the curse was transformed into a blessing, unleashing the true power that slept within.

Unlocked Abilities:

1. [Fist of the Rising Sun]: Every time a physical attack makes contact with a target, the gauntlets will begin to accumulate thermal energy. Can accumulate up to 6,000 degrees Celsius (equivalent to the surface temperature of the sun). The user can then release all the energy in a single attack.

2.[Locked]

3.[Locked] ]

…..

When Owen finished reading the description of the first ability, his jaw dropped in the utmost shock!

“Six… Six thousand degrees Celsius!”

He repeated the words out loud without realizing it. Destructive power at this level was insane! This wasn't just an ordinary punch anymore… it was like releasing a miniature sun from his fist!

After the excitement from his new power began to calm down, he turned his attention back to the status window again. And this time… his eyes were drawn to the strangest stat of all…

[Luck: ??? (The Test of Fate)]

‘The Test of Fate?’ Owen repeated the words in his mind. Their meaning was vague but felt strangely familiar. He tried to think back on the path his life had taken… and he began to see a clear pattern…

It started with being a million dollars in debt overnight… that was the ‘bad luck’ that had pushed him to the edge of a cliff. But at the bottom of that cliff… he had received the ‘Choice System’… which was the ‘good luck’ that had changed his life forever.

Then there was being trapped in the dimensional gate of chaos, almost dying at the hands of the parasite queen… that was the most terrible ‘bad luck.’ But because of his struggle to survive that time… it had brought him ‘Iris’ as his strongest ally… and that was the unbelievable ‘good luck’ that followed.

And most recently… having to sacrifice his most important power for a full year… that was the ‘bad luck’ of a great loss. But the price he paid… had brought him this legendary weapon… and this was the greatest ‘good luck’ of all.

Suddenly… he understood its meaning completely! Without even having to press to see its description from the status window!

‘It’s not a stat… it’s the story of my life!’

His life wasn't determined by normal good or bad luck, but by repeated gambles with fate… The greater the hardship and despair he faced, the greater the reward he would receive after overcoming it… His luck… could therefore not be measured by a normal scale (F-SSS).

That thought sent a chill down his spine… but at the same time… it made the blood in his veins boil with an excitement he had never felt before!

…..

The atmosphere in the armory fell silent again after Owen realized the meaning of his “Test of Fate.” His eyes had changed. They were deeper and filled with an understanding of his own path like never before.

Tenzin, who had heard Owen exclaim about the gauntlets’ power, walked over slowly. His shock was gone, but the gaze he now had for Owen was filled with a respect he had never shown before. He no longer saw Owen as just a “successor” to be trained, but as a true “Guardian” who had passed a test no one had ever passed before.

“It seems you truly are one chosen by fate… The power radiating from those gauntlets… it is greater than any record in this monastery has ever described.” Tenzin then said in a more serious tone, “But we have no time to admire your new toy… Your friends are in danger.”

The old monk led Owen out of the armory, back to the center of the monastery… and stopped again before the jet-black pool that reflected like a mirror. The atmosphere returned to one that was solemn and sacred.

Tenzin turned to face Owen. “Now that you have a ‘weapon,’ next is how to get to the ‘battlefield’… The veil of mist outside is not the true enemy. It is merely a symptom. Its true source is a ‘Nightmare Knot’… which is the wound that connects the world of reality with the Dream Dimension.”

“Close your eyes…” he continued. “…Do not use your physical eyes to see, but use the [Essence of Dreams] which has now become a part of you. Perceive the world around you… not as matter, but as energy… as interconnected dreams… Then focus, and you will see it… the point where peaceful dreams have been twisted into a distorted nightmare.”

Owen followed his instructions. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He focused on the ocean of mana within his body and felt another, different kind of energy… the strange and profound power of the [Essence of Dreams].

The physical world slowly faded from his senses. He no longer “saw” the monastery hall, but “perceived” it as a mass of calm and stable energy. He slowly expanded this perception beyond the monastery walls… through Blackwood Forest… He could feel the “dreams” of the trees, the stream, and the small creatures sleeping there… It was a beautifully harmonized song of nature. But amidst that song… he heard the distorted, wailing “scream” of an intrusive energy!

He focused all his concentration on that scream… and then its image appeared clearly in his head! It wasn't an object, but a “gaping wound torn upon the fabric of reality”… a jet-black tear whose edges were constantly twisting and splitting. A horrifying, dark purple energy was gushing from the tear like blood that wouldn't stop… and deep within that tear… he saw the shadow of “something” massive and terrifying moving about!

Owen’s eyes snapped open. A bead of sweat trickled down from his temple. The vision he saw was so terrifying and powerful it had almost drained him. His eyes no longer held the excitement of a young man who had just gotten a new power… but the eyes of a soldier who had just seen the true face of his enemy for the first time.

He turned to Tenzin, his face impassive but his eyes hard. “I see it,” he said flatly.

Tenzin nodded, his face solemn but also tinged with pride. “Good… that is your target. You cannot destroy it from here. You must go inside… and destroy its core from within… Are you ready… Guardian?”

Owen’s eyes glowed with a faint gold, reflecting the power of the gauntlets on his hands. He slowly clenched both fists… until the sound of the metal gauntlets scraping together was faintly heard.

“I’m ready… I’ll be the one to get rid of this nightmare!”

Poll: What are your thoughts on the accelerated plot progression in the recent chapters?

—-------

Chapter 91: The Weapon

Silence fell over the underground stone hall once again, but it was a completely different kind of silence. It was no longer the sacred tranquility of an ancient monastery, but a silence as heavy as an invisible iron curtain. The air was still thick with the faint scent of ozone, like the smell of earth after a thunderstorm, a remnant of the immense energy that had just been transferred and fused into Owen’s body.

He was still sitting on the cold stone floor, but the chill no longer penetrated his body. On the contrary… he felt a heat circulating within him like never before. He was trying to regulate his breathing and familiarize himself with the “ocean” of mana that had now become a part of him. It was no longer a shallow F-level puddle, but a vast, deep expanse, unbelievably calm and powerful… The feeling was both awesome and captivating at the same time.

Tenzin unclasped his hands. He straightened up with a smile of genuine delight. The smile softened the wrinkles of age on his face. “Congratulations, 69th Guardian… You have accomplished what few could. The Essence of Dreams has now accepted you.”

However, the smile remained on the old monk’s face for only a moment before it quickly faded, replaced by a look of urgent concern, as if an alarm was ringing in his mind. The sudden change made Owen, who was about to express his thanks, stop the words at his lips.

“I do not wish to rush you like this…” Tenzin said, his voice returning to a solemnity, deeper than before. “Especially after your spirit has just been through the most grueling of tests… but the situation is no longer favorable.”

The old monk spun around to the staircase leading to the outside world, his gaze seeming to pierce through the dozens of meters of thick stone walls to the forest above.

“Some ‘nightmares’ have already escaped from the seal of the Dream Dimension.”

Those words made Owen’s heart jolt as if it had been yanked. The air that had just felt so powerful now turned chilling.

“I can still contain them for now within the ‘veil of mist’ you saw,” Tenzin pointed in the same direction. “But it is merely buying time. They are gnawing at my seal as quickly as a swarm of starving termites. If this is left for much longer… I fear even I will not be able to control it.”

He turned back to meet Owen’s eyes directly. The gaze that had always been so calm was now filled with unconcealed urgency. “And when that happens… your friends and the others trapped in there will no longer be facing mere ‘illusions’ from their subconscious… but they will become ‘tangible’ beings… monsters from nightmares that will hunt them down and tear them to pieces, to savor the taste of fear and despair.”

Immense pressure slammed into Owen. He felt as if a heavy stone was crushing his chest, making it hard to breathe. The images of Clara, Damian, and Julian in mortal danger flashed clearly in his mind. He had to go save them… now!

But then another harsh reality intruded on his thoughts…

‘Damn it… my quota for [Scales of Covenant] this month is already used up!’

The thought made cold sweat bead on his hairline like mushrooms. The feeling of power from a moment ago vanished in an instant. To fight tangible “nightmares” without his most powerful trump card was no different from sending an unarmed soldier to war. The confidence he had just gained was shaken to its core, but there was no way he would let Tenzin know this secret. It was the one weakness that could ruin everything.

Owen swallowed hard, trying to hide his anxiety behind the calmest expression he could muster, before choosing to bring up another real problem he had. “I understand the situation,” he said, pushing himself to his feet with a steady motion. “But… I don’t even have my own ‘weapon.’ How am I supposed to fight with just my bare hands and a power I can’t even control well yet?”

It was a perfectly reasonable excuse for a newly awakened… and the only part of the truth he dared to speak.

Tenzin nodded slowly, as if he had already anticipated this. The trace of worry on his face relaxed slightly, becoming one of understanding. “I know,” he said in a calmer voice. “That is what I am about to arrange for you… A Guardian cannot fight with bare hands.”

The old monk turned and led the way to another stone wall on the other side of the hall. “Follow me. I will take you to… the ‘Dream Armory’… a place filled with the weapons of past Guardians… and the place where you will choose your new partner.”

…..

Tenzin led Owen down a dim stone corridor that branched off from the main hall in silence. With every step deeper, the surrounding atmosphere grew noticeably colder. Only the faint, orange glow from magical torches that blazed at intervals along the walls cast their two shadows, long and distorted, upon the ancient stone walls like formless, dancing phantoms.

Finally, they came to a stop before a massive stone door. It was a door with no handle, hinges, or any visible mechanism. The door was carved with complex patterns of stars and waves that seemed to move slowly, as if alive.

Tenzin placed his palm gently on the center of the door. A soft blue energy spread from his hand, flowing along the carved lines until the entire door lit up, before the stone door, which must have weighed several tons, slid open silently as if weightless, revealing only a darkness as deep as a starless night.

The moment the door opened, the air inside rushed out to hit Owen. It was a dense and complex aura… the smell of old metal, of dry and brittle leather, of the dust of time, and most distinctly, the “aura of power” that was so dense it was almost tangible. It made the ocean of mana in Owen’s body vibrate slightly, as if responding to the call of its kin.

Tenzin stepped inside and lit a new magical torch in the center of the room. The flame flared, chasing away the darkness, revealing a sight that made Owen’s eyes widen to their absolute limit…

They were standing in a large circular hall, nearly fifty meters high. The surrounding walls were filled with shelves and display stands holding hundreds, even thousands of “weapons.” Each piece was shrouded in a faint aura of power, making the entire room look as if it were filled with a collection of multi-colored stars.

There were longswords that shone with a silver light like the moon, spears with heads of ice crystals that emanated a faint chill, bows made of wood as black as night, a giant scythe with a terrifying purple aura, and countless other strangely shaped weapons he had never seen before in his life. Every piece looked ancient and had been through countless battlefields, bearing the marks of honor.

Tenzin swept his gaze around with respect. “This is the ‘Dream Armory’… the repository for the arms that past Guardians received from the Dream Dimension.” He turned to Owen, his voice tinged with solemnity. “As the new Guardian, you have the right to choose one weapon from this place… But remember… you are not always the one who chooses the weapon. Sometimes… it is the weapon that chooses its master. Use your heart to feel… and you will know which one is your true partner on the battlefield.”

Owen felt like a child who had stumbled into the largest toy store in the universe. He swallowed with excitement, but at the same time, felt an immense pressure. He had to choose the best weapon… and the fastest… to go save his friends.

He began to walk slowly down the aisle, his eyes sweeping over the incredible array of weapons. But he knew in his heart that his combat skills lay in his fists. He was therefore only looking for weapons like knuckles, bracers, or gauntlets.

After walking around for a while, he noticed something unusual… in the center of the room, there was a jet-black stone pedestal, standing alone. There were no other weapons within a radius of several meters, as if they were either “afraid” or “showing respect” to what was on that pedestal.

On the stone pedestal, a pair of “blood-red armored gauntlets” lay. They were iron gauntlets, crudely made but looked strong and durable. Every part was covered in nicks and scratches from frantic battles. Sharp spikes protruded from the back of the hands. They had no visible aura of power like the other weapons… but Owen felt a strange and powerful “pull” from them, stronger than anything else in the room, as if a voiceless whisper was calling to him from the depths of his soul…

When Tenzin saw that Owen was walking straight to that cursed pedestal without hesitation, the atmosphere around the old monk suddenly changed completely. The warmth and kindness from a moment ago vanished, replaced by a coldness and solemnity, like a stone statue.

“Please stop, Guardian…” he said, his voice flat, yet it echoed throughout the hall. “I do not recommend you choose that weapon… No… I must warn you, do not even think of touching it.”

Owen turned back, surprised and confused. He had never seen Tenzin act like this before.

Tenzin sighed softly before clasping his hands behind his back with a solemn air. “You are not the first to be drawn to it… and likely not the last,” he said, glancing at the blood-red gauntlets with a complex expression.

“The monastery’s records state…” Tenzin began to recount, his voice changed, as if he were relaying words from ancient pages. “…long ago, in a lost dimension, there was a legend of the ‘Berserker Fist King’ of an ancient barbarian tribe. A man born with unparalleled combat talent. The power of his fists could shatter mountains and split the earth. He fought to protect his tribe, his family, and his land with all his might, until he was revered as a god.”

“But his excessive power became a double-edged sword…” Tenzin continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. “…The elders of the tribe, and even his own wife and children, began to fear his ‘limitless’ and ‘uncontrollable’ power. They saw him as a monster in human form who could destroy everything at any moment… So, they planned to betray him in the cruelest way imaginable.”

The old monk’s eyes shone with sorrow. “On the night of a victory festival, they poisoned his food. But with a body stronger than any mortal, the poison only weakened him… and in that moment, the ones he loved and trusted most made their move… His own son led the soldiers, spearing him from behind.”

“The pain of such a crushing betrayal made the Fist King’s emotions explode… sorrow, disappointment, vengeance, and a dark despair. He released all the power he had in a single ‘punch’ to the sky… A brilliant white light covered the entire land, and when it faded… everything was erased from history, leaving only a massive crater and the scorched remains of a land… and these gauntlets absorbed all of his emotions, creating one of the most powerful ‘Nightmare Knots.’”

Tenzin concluded in a serious voice, “It is a cursed weapon. Everyone who has tried to use it has had to ‘pay a price’ of the most twisted kind imaginable. Some past Guardians said it whispered for them to carve out the hearts of their own wife and children as a sacrifice. Some were ordered to kneel before it for 5 years without eating or drinking, and some were ordered to sacrifice a thousand innocent lives to unleash its power… all prices that no one could pay.”

Tenzin looked deep into Owen’s eyes. “To this day, no one has been able to use it… It is not a weapon, but the cruelest spiritual test… You may try, but I do not recommend choosing a weapon with no ‘certainty’ in such an urgent situation, because it may devour you before you even have a chance to act.”

…..

Owen stood motionless before the jet-black pedestal. Tenzin's terrifying warning still echoed in his head… ‘it may devour you before you even have a chance to act.’

Every rational part of his brain screamed at him to turn back… to run and grab another, “safer” weapon… one without a horrifying legend and a crazed curse attached.

But his instincts screamed louder…

He looked deep into the blood-red armored gauntlets… and he could feel it… the echo of the violent emotions hidden within… The pain of betrayal… the endless rage… the dark despair… and at the center of that crazed emotional storm… he could sense a core of “protection” that still remained… a pure desire to protect those he loved… now buried under the ruins of despair.

The faces of Clara, Damian, and Julian, trapped in the veil of mist, flashed in his mind. He clenched his fists… He didn’t have enough time to learn or train with an unfamiliar weapon. He needed power that was “decisive” and “immediate,” and deep in his heart, he felt these gauntlets were the answer…

It was the most dangerous shortcut… but it was the only path he could see right now.

Owen took a deep breath, deciding to trust his instincts. He ignored Tenzin’s worried gaze, stepped forward with determination, and placed his palm on the blood-red armored gauntlets without hesitation.

The moment his skin touched the cold metal…

Owen’s entire world shattered!

The sound and light of the armory vanished in an instant, replaced by a deafening silence and complete darkness. He felt his spirit being yanked from his body at high speed… torn to pieces and reassembled in another dimension.

When he came to, he was no longer standing in the armory… but on a land of death. The ground beneath his feet was cracked, black ash. The sky was a distorted blood-red, like an open wound that would never heal. The entire area was filled with the scorched skeletons buried under piles of ash. The air was filled with the smell of burning and a sorrow so heavy he could barely breathe.

And in the center of that barren land… Owen saw “him.”

The figure of a tall, powerful man with fiery red hair and eyes that blazed like embers. He wore only old leather pants, his upper body bare, covered in muscles and countless scars. He was kneeling on the ground, one fist pressed into the cracked earth, as if bearing all the pain of this world alone.

The moment Owen appeared, the man slowly looked up. His fiery eyes fixed on Owen directly. An immense, invisible pressure radiated from his body, making Owen feel as if a whole mountain was pressing down on him, nearly forcing him to his knees.

The Fist King’s voice sounded directly in Owen’s head. It wasn’t a spoken voice, but a roar that shook his very soul.

“Another fool… drawn in by the aura of my pain… You desire my power? The power that destroyed everything I loved… Answer me… what will you do with this power!”

Owen gritted his teeth until his jaw trembled, resisting the immense pressure. He stared back into those fiery eyes without fear and replied with a clear and firm thought.

“I want the power to protect… to protect the ones I care for… to protect them from tragedy… and I am certain my end will not be like yours!!”

The answer made the Fist King’s crazed eyes grow calm for a moment. He saw something in Owen… a determination similar to his own in the past… before everything collapsed.

The Fist King rose to his full height. His body was as large and formidable as a giant from legend.

“Protect? Fine words… All power has a ‘price’… My power was born from the loss of everything… If you truly desire my power… you must prove to me that you are ready to ‘pay a worthy price’!”

The Fist King’s eyes shone brightly, as if seeing through Owen’s body to the core of his deepest, hidden power.

“That power you hide… that power of the covenant you cherish like a priceless treasure… Give it to me… Not for a day… not for a month… but give it to me for 12 months! After this, you will be able to rely only on your own ‘true strength’!”

Suddenly, the familiar choice system screen appeared before Owen. But this time, it didn't give three options as it usually did. It was a “Spiritual Covenant” with only the words “Accept” or “Refuse.”

[The spirit of the ‘Berserker Fist King’ has acknowledged your potential.]

[He offers you the right to possess the ‘Gauntlets of the Fallen King.’]

[Price: Forfeit the ‘Permanent Covenant’ quota of [Scales of Covenant] for a period of 12 months.]

[Warning: This is a spiritual covenant that cannot be reversed or canceled.]

[Do you accept?]

[Accept / Refuse]

—-------

Chapter 90: The Origin of the Story

[Character Illustration: Tenzin]

Tenzin’s words were like a sledgehammer to Owen’s head. He stood frozen, his brain trying to process information too immense to handle… Spirits and demons… the Dream Dimension… a Caretaker… and a Guardian… This whole story was too much for him to bear… and now, he was being unavoidably pulled in to become a part of it.

He took a deep breath to collect his scattered thoughts. After steadying himself, he looked up to meet Tenzin’s eyes. His gaze was no longer confused but filled with skepticism and a need for clear answers. He chose to ask the most logical question.

“Wait a second…” Owen began, his voice firmer than before. “You said this qualification appears every twenty to fifty years… so how did you know it was me? How did you find me?”

Tenzin gave a faint smile, one that showed his satisfaction with the intelligent question.

“I did not find you… it was the ‘Monastery’ that discovered you,” he answered. “On the day the qualification of a ‘Dream Traveler’ first awakened within you several months ago… the ‘Essence of Dreams’ responded to you more violently than it has in a hundred years.”

The old monk pointed to the jet-black pool in the center of the courtyard. Owen followed his finger and could feel an invisible pressure emanating from it. “It released an immense amount of energy to open the most stable ‘path’ directly into the ‘Dream Dimension’ for you. I only knew that you had traveled into it… but I do not know what or whom you encountered there.”

The words “immense amount of energy” and “open the path” struck Owen’s senses like a lightning bolt!

Memories that had been hazy exploded in his mind like a movie being rewound at high speed… The image of the nexus dimension filled with multi-colored fog… The image of the mysterious old man in a grey robe whom he had thought was Gandalf… and the old man’s question, which still echoed in his memory…

‘And where did you get such a vast amount of energy? To be able to travel to this place?’ the old man had said.

‘Immense energy… open a path… That old man! The one who asked me about traveling through the Dream Dimension!’ Thoughts raced through Owen’s head frantically.

‘So… the reason I was able to meet that old man was because of the power from the ‘Essence of Dreams’?’

‘And because I got there… I had the chance to sign that crazy ‘contract’… and choose the ‘Choice System’ power! Damn it… The origin of everything… it all started from here!’

Owen’s eyes widened, his jaw hanging open. He felt as if the stone floor beneath his feet was trembling, his entire world spinning as all the pieces of his life that had seemed like coincidences were assembled into a single, perfect picture… a picture far larger and more terrifying than he had ever imagined.

Tenzin watched Owen’s reaction as he discovered the whole truth and nodded slightly, as if he could read his mind. He waited until Owen’s confused gaze became steady once more before his tone suddenly shifted to one that was grave and serious.

“Now… that you understand everything, it is time for you to learn of the crisis that is about to occur.”

“The death of the previous Guardian has caused the seal to begin to weaken… Although no large monsters have been able to escape, small ‘nightmares’ have begun to leak into the outside world… The mist your companions are facing is one of those effects.”

Tenzin met Owen’s eyes directly, his own gaze filled with a heavy truth. “As the only qualified person in this era… you are the only hope to stop the coming catastrophe.”

‘What the hell is this? Are they just going to dump a world-level responsibility on me just like that?’ Owen thought to himself. He clenched his fists, feeling as if a heavy stone had been tied to his body.

Tenzin gestured towards the jet-black pool in the center of the courtyard. “I understand your hesitation… Therefore, before you make any decisions… you should first experience the true ‘burden of duty’ for yourself.”

“Place your hand upon the surface of that water… The ‘Essence of Dreams’ will show you everything… the duty, the power you will receive, and the price you will have to pay.”

Owen looked at the still, black pool. He could feel a chilling pressure emanating from it. He thought of the image of a terrified Damian, a madly laughing Julian, and Clara's blissfully rapturous face… Was all of that just the “beginning” of the disaster?

‘At the very least… I need to know what I’m up against,’ he decided firmly.

Owen took a deep breath, then slowly extended his hand towards the black surface of the water to “face the truth”…

And the moment his fingertips touched the surface, which was as still as a black mirror…

A strange, freezing sensation shot up his arm from his fingertips! It wasn't the coldness of water, but a chilling cold that seemed to suck all his feelings away… The image of his surroundings seemed to slowly fade.

Owen’s consciousness was violently ripped from his body, pulling him into a strange, endless dimension. It was complete darkness… no sound… no light… not even the sensation of his own body. He floated in that terrifying emptiness… and then, a vision of a future that “might” happen flashed clearly in his mind like a movie.

The vision of refusal…

He saw himself turning his back on the monastery, returning to a normal life with his friends and lover. Everything seemed to return to peace… but then the image changed rapidly. He saw small news reports about strange incidents happening all over the city… He saw the shadows of dream monsters beginning to appear in the real world more frequently… Even though the Awakened tried to fight them together, their numbers continued to increase until they were overwhelmed. “Peace” had vanished from the lives of ordinary people… and the final, terrifying image was of Clara and Jessica screaming in fear before a dream creature that had successfully escaped.

The vision of acceptance…

The image changed again… He saw himself traveling through countless dream worlds. He saw himself fighting dream beasts that swarmed him like an ocean. He saw himself facing life and death while his strength grew by leaps and bounds… but his eyes were also filled with the utmost exhaustion…

And as he was sinking into those visions…

The moment the Choice System sensed the immense energy from the “Essence of Dreams” and the critical turning point Owen was facing, it began to manifest its power instantly!

Ting!

The familiar blue screen appeared before Owen in that empty dimension, indicating that this was a “critical situation” where he had to make a decision.

…..

[You are about to connect with the ‘Essence of Dreams,’ which will permanently affect your destiny.]

[Will you accept your fate as a ‘Guardian’?]

[Choice 1: Refuse]: You will be returned to the normal world. Your friends will be safe (for now), but the seal will continue to weaken, and the era of nightmares will slowly begin.

[Choice 2: Accept]: You will become the 69th Guardian. Your destiny will be bound to the Dream Dimension forever… (Enters the path of the Dream Traveler | Reward: Gain the ability [Essence of Dreams] Level: ???, your mana capacity will be instantly upgraded to Level B.)

…..

Owen was still floating in the empty dimension before the blue choice system screen.

The vision of refusal… the image of Clara and Jessica screaming in terror… still replayed in his head, as if to emphasize his own failure.

‘What good is a peaceful life… if, in the end, I can’t protect them? It’s meaningless!’ The thought was as sharp and resolute as a sword’s edge. All the hesitation he once had vanished completely. ‘Even if it’s risky… even if I have to fight until I’m half-dead… it’s still better than sitting by and watching them face that hell while being unable to do anything!’

His will was fixed firmly on the second choice.

The moment he chose [Choice 2: Accept] in his mind…

Ting!

The blue screen shattered into millions of digital fragments, and his consciousness was violently yanked back into his body in the real world!

The black pool, which had been as still as a mirror, suddenly erupted with violent waves! A jet-black energy, which looked like a liquid but wasn't, shot up from the center of the pool like a venomous serpent. It coiled around Owen’s arm, which was still touching the water's surface, and began to seep into his body through his palm with a mad frenzy!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!”

Owen let out a scream louder than any he had ever made in his life! It was a pain beyond imagination… a feeling as if his body was being torn to pieces. The mana channels throughout his body, which had been as small as threads, were being violently ripped and expanded by the immense energy until they became great rivers!

The blood in his body burned like lava. Every muscle convulsed until it was as hard as stone. Millions of memories and nightmares from the “Dream Dimension” flooded his mind until he was almost mad. It was the most brutal and cruel process of “rebirth.”

Throughout the process, Tenzin remained standing in the same spot with a calm demeanor. He watched Owen, who was writhing in pain, with an impassive gaze… as if this were a necessary and unavoidable test.

After about five minutes, which felt like an eternity… the frenzied black energy subsided and flowed back into the essence at the center of the pool, completely.

Owen’s weakened body collapsed onto the cold stone floor. He lay panting heavily, his body shaking. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just been through the most grueling battle of his life.

But then… he felt it… a completely different sensation. He closed his eyes… and sensed an “ocean” of vast and quiet mana that had now become a part of him. It was no longer a shallow F-level puddle… but a great well!

Ting!

The system screen appeared again, confirming the result.

…..

[Your mana capacity has been upgraded to: B]

[You have gained the ability: [Essence of Dreams] Level: ???]

…..

Owen used his trembling arms to slowly push himself into a sitting position. He looked at Tenzin with changed eyes… they were eyes that were deeper and filled with a power they had never held before.

Tenzin clasped his hands and bowed to him humbly, a sign of the utmost respect.

“The Essence has accepted you… Congratulations. You are now the 69th Guardian!”

Owen looked down at his own palm. He slowly clenched and unclenched it, feeling the immense power circulating in every particle of his body… His life… had been changed forever.

Poll Title: Quick question about the plot!

Poll Description:

Hey everyone! I'm a little unsure about this plotline, so I'd love to get your thoughts. As my amazing patrons, your feedback is incredibly valuable! What do you think of Owen getting this power-up?

—-------

Tenzin

Tenzin

Chapter 89: The Veil of Mist

Inside the tent, still shrouded in dimness, the air was much warmer than outside. The first light of dawn seeped through the canvas as a pale gray, just enough to reveal the two figures sleeping in an embrace on the sleeping bag. The air was thick with the warmth of their close bodies and the faint, musky scent of their lovemaking, mingled with the smell of earth and damp leaves… irrefutable proof of the “sin under the moonlight” that had just occurred.

Owen opened his eyes in the darkness. The first thing he perceived wasn't the ceiling of the tent, but the weight and warm skin of Clara, who was lying facedown on his chest. As his mind slowly processed, trying to recall the events of the previous night, he remembered the fierce and prolonged sex that had left him feeling overwhelmingly satisfied.

His arms were still loosely wrapped around Clara’s slender waist, feeling the soft resilience of her full breasts pressed intimately against his abs. Every time she moved, that softness would brush against the faint nail marks she had left on him last night, awakening a stinging sensation that came with a strange satisfaction… a confirmation that all the passion that had transpired was real.

Feeling the embrace tighten, Clara began to stir slightly. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open before she looked up to meet Owen’s eyes in the dim light. Her position brought their faces so close their noses almost touched. The hesitation and guilt were gone from her eyes, replaced only by an overflowing love she could no longer hide.

She reached out to gently caress Owen’s cheek before whispering, her voice still trembling.

“I love you, Owen… I really do… You’re my everything now.”

Owen smiled, then leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. “I love you too, Clara…” he replied, his voice deep and firm. “From now on… I’ll be the one to protect this family.”

Those words weren't just a comfort, but a vow… It was his complete acceptance of the position of the “new pillar of the house.”

As the light grew a little brighter, making the surroundings clearer, Clara knew she had to go. She propped herself up on her arms, lifting herself from his chest with reluctance, her eyes full of regret.

“I have to go… before Damian wakes up,” she whispered faintly.

Owen nodded. He placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for one last kiss… It was a deep, lingering kiss, not as fiery as the night before, but filled with love, concern, and an unseen promise that now bound the two of them together completely.

Clara slowly rolled off Owen’s body, silent as a shadow. The pale gray light of dawn shining through the canvas painted a dark silhouette of her beautiful figure as she quickly grabbed her clothes and dressed. Every movement was hurried, yet still held a strange elegance.

Once dressed, she turned to look at Owen one last time, giving him a smile that was both sweet and sad… a smile that said everything the bliss, the love, and the uncomfortable truth that their private time was over… before she slowly zipped up the tent and crept safely back to her own.

The soft sound of the zipper closing was like a signal, severing their sweet, private world from the other.

Owen let out a soft sigh, a smile still lingering on his face. He subconsciously raised a hand to his lips, letting the taste of her kiss and her sweet body scent, which still clung to him, serve as a reminder of the bliss that had passed. He lay there for a while, letting the images replay in his head… until the soft rumble of his stomach pulled him back to reality.

‘I’m starving…’ he thought, laughing to himself.

It was time to start a new day… with a new responsibility he was more than willing to bear.

He decided to sit up and unzipped the tent all the way… and in that instant, the smile on his face was replaced by sheer surprise.

The sight before him was a veil of mist, stark white and unnaturally thick. It was so dense he couldn’t see the forest beyond. His visibility was limited to no more than ten meters. The sounds of birds and the stream he had heard before were now muffled, as if from a great distance. The atmosphere was both beautiful, like a dream world, and unsettling at the same time.

‘What the hell is this mist? It was just a light drizzle last night. It shouldn't be this thick,’ Owen frowned. His instincts were screaming that this was not a natural phenomenon. He tried to peer deeper into the thick veil, but he could see nothing but an empty and suffocating white.

Before long, the zipper of the large tent was pulled open. Damian stumbled out first, massaging his temples and grumbling.

“Ouch… my head is killing me. That champagne last night packed a punch.” He finished speaking and stretched his arms out wide, then froze when he saw the conditions. “Whoa… a thick fog. Anyway, who wants some hot coffee?” His demeanor seemed particularly cheerful, blissfully unaware that his best friend and his wife had just fucked each other raw.

Clara followed him out, looking noticeably brighter than usual. When her eyes met Owen’s, a faint blush rose on her cheeks. They shared a brief glance, a greeting only the two of them understood. Julian was the last to emerge, dazed, from his tent.

Everyone was surprised by the unusually thick mist, but no one thought much of it. Damian simply concluded it was because of the light rain the night before, making the air especially humid. Owen then volunteered to go find firewood to start a fire for coffee.

As Owen walked deeper into the forest to find wood, he could feel that the atmosphere was strange. The silence was unusually heavy. The sound of his own footsteps on the damp leaves seemed to echo unnervingly. He shook his head to clear the paranoid thoughts but couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him from within the thick white mist.

When Owen returned to the camp with an armful of firewood, the first thing he noticed was the silence… no one was talking or doing anything. He looked around, and the sight that met his eyes made his blood run cold…

Damian was squatting behind a log, trembling, his eyes wide with absolute terror. He was muttering to himself nonstop, “Get away… demons… monsters… Don’t come near me!”

Julian was sitting in the same folding chair, but he was giggling softly and chatting animatedly with “thin air,” as if conversing with an old friend he hadn't seen in ages. His happiness seemed twisted and eerie amidst the oppressive atmosphere.

And Clara… she stood motionless by the extinguished campfire, one hand extended as if to touch a warmth that wasn't there. Her face was vacant, adorned with a blissful, rapturous smile, as if she were reliving the sweet memories of last night over and over again.

“What the hell is going on!?” Owen swore internally. He quickly dropped the firewood and rushed to Damian. “Damian! It’s me! Wake up!” He shook his friend, but Damian only screamed in fear and violently slapped his hand away. Owen realized it instantly… This wasn’t an ordinary mist. It was some kind of psychic power or magic that had trapped everyone in their own illusions.

Owen clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Helplessness and rage boiled in his chest. He made up his mind… no matter who or what was behind this strange mist, he would use all the mana he had to snap everyone back to their senses!

But just as he began to circulate the energy in his body… he froze.

The veil of mist that had been still before him began to move unnaturally. It wasn't drifting with the wind but was swirling together as if the center of a small storm had formed right there… The clusters of mist began to condense, slowly forming a human shape… from a blurry silhouette… to the complete form of an old man who appeared before him, like a painting being colored to completion in the blink of an eye.

There were no footsteps… no approach… the old man simply… appeared there, amidst the terrifying silence.

The old man was in a Tibetan monk's robe of a deep crimson color, which looked ancient but immaculate. His bald head and a face full of the wrinkles of time gave him a venerable look. In his hand, he held a large set of dark wooden prayer beads. His eyes were calm and as deep as an endless ocean.

The old monk looked at Owen with a tranquil gaze before speaking, his voice deep and resonant. “Your companions’ minds are lost in a veil of slumber.” He paused briefly. “They are safe… I was merely ensuring they would not interfere with our business… As for you… follow me…”

As he finished speaking, the old monk turned his back to Owen, and at that same moment, the thick veil of mist before him parted as if an unseen hand had drawn a curtain, revealing an ancient stone path covered in moss, which stretched deep into the woods… a forest that now looked strange and full of a magic it had never possessed before.

Owen glanced back at his friends and his lover, still trapped in their trances, before turning back to the mysterious path before him. He clenched his fists… He knew he had no choice but to follow.

…..

Owen followed the old monk down the ancient stone path with the utmost caution. Every step was firm and steady. He intentionally kept a certain distance, not too close to seem threatening, and not too far to lose sight. One of his hands was clenched tightly in his pocket, ready to use [Avatar of Asura] the instant the old man showed any sign of deceit.

The deeper they went, the stranger the scenery became, making Owen feel a mixture of awe and suspicion. The trees here looked much older than in the rest of the forest. Some were so gigantic it would take ten men to encircle them. Some were twisted into bizarre shapes like creatures from a fairy tale. And some were covered in a dark green moss that glowed with a faint blue light in the spots where the sun couldn't reach.

The air around him was cool and so pure he could feel the mana was many times denser than outside. It was so thick he could “feel” it on his skin, as if he were walking through an invisible curtain of energy.

‘What the hell is this…’ Owen thought to himself. ‘This isn't the Blackwood Forest I know anymore.’

The old monk led him to the face of a large cliff with a waterfall cascading down as a backdrop. The roar of the water echoed throughout the area. It seemed to be a dead end.

But instead of stopping, the monk walked straight into the curtain of water without the slightest hesitation. Owen hesitated for a moment, weighing the risk of following him into what could be a trap against the risk of leaving his defenseless friends behind… In the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to follow.

The moment he stepped through the frigid curtain of water, Owen’s entire world fell silent. The thundering sound of the waterfall vanished instantly… The sight that appeared before his eyes was an ancient “monastery” hidden inside a giant cavern. It was an architecture of simple stone and wood, giving off a strange feeling of stability and peace.

The interior was dimly lit by countless butter lamps placed in niches in the stone walls, casting a warm, soft light. The scent of incense and ancient herbs he didn't recognize hung in the chilly air. Everything looked ancient… so ancient it seemed to exist outside of time.

The monk led him to a polished stone courtyard in the center of the monastery before turning to face him.

“Welcome to the ‘Monastery of Eternal Slumber’,” the old monk said, his voice calm yet echoing throughout the cavern hall. “My name is Tenzin. I am the 37th ‘Caretaker’ of this monastery.”

Tenzin observed Owen's wary posture with a placid gaze before continuing. “This monastery was built about a thousand years ago… in an era when your world did not have what you call ‘dimensional gates’ or ‘Awakened,’ but was filled with what our ancestors called ‘spirits and demons.’”

Owen frowned slightly. The ancient tale was interesting… but it wasn't what he wanted to know right now.

“I don’t want to know about the history of this place…” Owen cut in, his voice hard, his eyes fixed on Tenzin, unyielding. “What I want to know is… what do you want from me?”

Owen’s harsh gaze didn’t faze Tenzin in the slightest. The old monk remained as calm as a cliff face that had been weathered by wind and rain for a thousand years. He looked deep into Owen’s eyes… a gaze that seemed to pierce right through to his soul.

“Patience… young one…” Tenzin said evenly. “All your questions will be answered… but you must first understand the origin of it all.”

Tenzin continued, “In truth… the beings our ancestors called ‘spirits and demons’… are inhabitants from the ‘Dream Dimension’ who have escaped into the world of reality.”

‘The Dream Dimension?’ Owen raised an eyebrow slightly. The words sounded like they were from a B-grade fantasy novel rather than reality.

The caretaker led Owen to a small pool of water, so still it was like a black mirror. “This monastery has two important duties. One is to ‘seal’ the ‘Essence of Dreams’… It is like a dimensional gate that connects the Dream Dimension to our world of reality,” he said, pointing to the pool. “And two… is to serve as a training ground for the ‘Guardians,’ whose duty is to enter and exit the Dream Dimension through this seal, to prevent monsters from nightmares from escaping.”

After waiting for Owen to process the information, Tenzin began to speak again. “And the duty of a ‘Caretaker’ like me is to find and train those who have the qualifications of a ‘Dream Traveler,’ a talent that is exceedingly rare and appears only every twenty to fifty years, so that they may take up the duty as the next generation of Guardians.”

The old monk let out a soft sigh. It was the first time Owen had seen him show any emotion other than calmness. “But sadly… the 68th Guardian has just recently passed away while on duty in the Dream Dimension… leaving this monastery without a Guardian for the first time in decades.”

The caretaker turned to meet Owen’s eyes directly, his own gaze sharp and filled with a powerful expectation.

“And that… is why I had to hurry to find the next qualified person… which is you.”

The words were like a sledgehammer to Owen’s head. He stood frozen, his brain trying to process information too immense to handle… Spirits and demons… the Dream Dimension… a Caretaker… and a Guardian… This whole story was too much for him to bear… and now, he was being unavoidably pulled in to become a part of it.

—-------

Chapter 88: Sin Under the Moonlight [R-18]

Night had completely fallen over Blackwood Forest. The atmosphere around the camp was silent, with only the chirping of crickets and cicadas harmonizing into a song of the night, and the soft crackling of the embers in the dying campfire. The pale moonlight filtered through the clouds and tree branches, bathing the two tents, which stood not far from each other, in a faint silver light.

The large tent belonging to Damian and Clara was completely still, while from the smaller tent next to it, Julian's soft snores could be heard at a steady rhythm... a confirmation that everyone had sunk into a deep sleep... everyone except for one person.

Inside the large tent, Clara lay with her eyes wide open in the darkness. She lay motionless beside her husband, Damian, listening to his steady breathing... but tonight, it felt like an invisible chain binding her. In her mind now, there was only the image of Owen... his words... his actions... The love, the gratitude, and the raw desire that had been awakened were burning her from the inside until she was almost mad.

The battle in her mind ended quickly... Desire had incinerated everything... She couldn't take it anymore.

Clara slowly moved, as slowly as humanly possible, carefully sliding her arm out from under the blanket. Her every movement was meticulously calculated to make no sound. She sat up and crawled out of the tent like a wildcat, every second fraught with the risk of waking Damian.

The moment her bare feet touched the cool, dew-damp grass, a thrill shot through her body like a static charge. She stood up in a flimsy, jet-black satin nightgown that fluttered in the night breeze, revealing her alluring curves under the moonlight. She slowly made her way to Owen's tent, every step filled with risk and a fiery determination.

Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would explode...

She came to a stop in front of Owen's tent... the final bastion...

She reached out a slightly trembling hand to the zipper pull and slowly slid it down...

Zzzzzzzip...

The sound of the zipper in the silence was like thunder in her ears, but luckily, it didn't wake anyone.

She slipped into the tent, which was filled with a masculine scent, silently... The faint moonlight shining through the canvas allowed her to see Julian curled up in a sleeping bag on one side, and Owen, feigning sleep on the other...

He was still awake... because he knew she would come to him tonight from the result of the choice he had made…

Clara slipped through the small opening of the zipper into the tent as quietly as possible. She quickly zipped it closed with a soft hand before crouching down in the darkness, which was thick with tension.

The atmosphere inside this tent was completely different from outside. It wasn't just a sleeping place, but Owen's "personal space." The air inside was filled with his familiar body odor, mixed with the faint scent of the tent's canvas. It was a scent that violently stimulated her primal instincts, making her body flush with heat.

Her heart pounded in her chest as if it would burst out. She took a deep breath, gathering all her courage, before she began to move...

She crawled on all fours as silently as a wildcat stalking its prey. Every movement had to be so careful that all her muscles tensed. The feel of her palms and knees on the cool tent floor contrasted with the heat radiating through her body. Julian, curled up a short distance away, was a reminder of the "danger" and "sin" that was just an arm's length away... but it only made her more excited.

Finally, she came to a stop beside Owen...

She knelt beside him in the darkness, looking at the handsome face sleeping under the faint moonlight. The closed eyelids... the well-formed lips... everything looked calm but held a raw power that could tear her to pieces at any moment. She leaned in until her lips almost touched his ear, her breath trembling with lust.

"I... I can't take it anymore, my love~"

It wasn't just words... but a moan, suppressed to its lowest volume, filled with a lust so dense it was about to explode.

Without waiting for him to wake... Clara's full body slowly moved to straddle him, as silently and defiantly as possible. She used both her knees to press down on the tent floor on either side of his body, before slowly lowering her plump buttocks to grind against his crotch... She intended to wake him in the most agonizing and heated way...

She began to move her hips, grinding slowly... intending to use her wet slit to rub against his crotch through the thin fabric of his pajamas...

She did this for a moment... savoring the thrill of the illicit act and the upper hand of being the one in control...

But then... she felt something was off...

The abdominal muscles beneath her... they were tensing in rhythm with her movements... It wasn't the tensing of someone asleep, but a deliberate tensing...

Clara froze for a moment... a cunning and heated smile appeared on her face in the darkness... ‘You cunning man... pretending to be asleep, are you?’ Her excitement shot to another level! He wasn't asleep! He was waiting for her!

Knowing that... she no longer needed to wake him!

She leaned down, crushing her lips against his, fiercely and passionately!

Mwah! Smooch! Smooch! Slurp! Mmmph~

Owen responded to the kiss instantly! Their tongues tangled in the darkness, a soundless but fierce battle. Every time their teeth lightly scraped or the wet sound of a kiss was too loud, they would both freeze for a moment, paranoid that Julian would wake, before crushing their lips together again, even more frantically.

"Mmmph... Owen..." Clara moaned in her throat, her voice hoarse and full of lust while their lips were still locked. "I need you... I need you to slam into me right now!"

That desperate command was like fuel on a fire!

"I know..." Owen growled back in a whisper just as hoarse, his hot breath washing over her face, before he used that moment to slowly break the kiss, his eyes still locked on her glistening ones. "I need you too... Clara... Your slutty body is driving me insane!"

Owen's last words were like a spark that lit a fuse!

She wouldn't let his desire remain just words! Her trembling hands moved to rip off her own satin nightgown, frantically but as quietly as possible. The black satin was torn from her fair body under the faint moonlight. It was a decisive shedding of the "outer shell" of being Damian's wife!

The full figure hidden within was revealed to his eyes... Gigantic, fair, and heavy breasts trembled with her heavy breathing, their light pink nipples hard and erect with lust. A slender waist met flared, firm hips... Every part of her body was screaming for a frantic fucking!

Her hands began to roam his body, wantonly and greedily. She squeezed every muscle, traced her nails over faint scars, before tearing his pants out of the way without a care. Owen let her do it... watching his friend's wife, who was about to become his, with the satisfied eyes of a possessor.

When their naked bodies pressed together, the heat from his skin seeped into her until she almost melted. Clara grabbed his 12-inch cock, which was hot and so hard it was frightening... squeezing it so hard the veins bulged even more, before guiding it to her wet, throbbing slit.

She slowly pressed herself down... slowly... agonizingly...

Shlurp... Shlurp...

[Image: Clara x Owen 1]

Every millimeter of his glistening, flared head as it penetrated, parting her soft folds, was a pleasure so intense she had to dig her nails into his chest, biting her own lower lip until it bruised to stifle the slutty moan that was about to escape. Her love juice coated his shaft, making it glisten under the dim light.

"Ah... Ssshh... Fuck!... Your pussy is so fucking tight, Clara!" Owen growled in his throat, his whisper filled with pleasure.

"Your cock... it's too big!! It's filling up my whole stomach… Aaaahh!~" she replied, her voice trembling, but it was a compliment, not a complaint.

Shlurp! Thwack!

Finally... his cock slammed all the way in for the first time that night. Clara sat motionless on top of him, panting heavily, adjusting to the tightness that was piercing her from within.

And in that moment, Owen reached up... cupping the massive, trembling breasts before him in both his hands. He squeezed them hard, as if to crush them, feeling their soft, heavy weight overflow from his palms.

"Ah!"

Clara jolted, instinctively arching her chest to meet the rough touch. A thrill shot from her nipples through her entire body like an electric current. Owen didn't wait. He pulled her body down...

Slurp! Mwah! Mwah!

He devoured the hardened nipple, sucking it into his mouth hungrily, using his tongue to lick and his teeth to gently bite until Clara was almost crazed.

"Mmm... Aah... Owen... right there... Ssshh~" she moaned, her voice trembling, trying to bite her lip to suppress the shameful sound, but her treacherous body only arched her chest further into his mouth with overwhelming pleasure…

[Image: Clara x Owen 2]

The silence in the tent was dominated by the sound of heavy breathing and the heat radiating from two bodies that had merged...

After a moment of stillness, absorbing the feeling of being filled until she was about to burst, Clara began to move her hips slowly. It was her true "ascension to the throne." The moonlight filtering through the canvas bathed her naked, sweaty body, making her look like a goddess of the night. In her eyes, as she looked down at Owen, was a fiery love and an unconcealed possession.

Now... she was in complete control of the game.

Thwack... Thwack... Thwack...

She began to ride his large cock, moving her hips slowly... but deeply and heavily. Every movement precisely ground against his pleasure spots. His hard shaft slammed against her cervix every time she pressed her hips down, until all he could do was moan in his throat with bliss, closing his eyes to savor every touch she gave him. The feeling of being controlled by the woman he had always desired was a thrilling and blissful experience.

"Ah... Clara... Fuck!... Just like that... Ssshh..." Owen moaned in a hoarse whisper. He raised his hands to caress her smooth back with fascination, feeling the muscles clench and twitch with every grind of her hips.

Meanwhile, his mouth was still suckling her hard, erect nipple like a hungry baby. He bit and licked it violently, alternating left and right without tiring, until she couldn't help but arch her chest to willingly meet his touch. She teased him with a seductive smile, her face flushed, but her eyes sparkled with the light of a victor.

"Aaaahh No matter how hard you suck... there's no milk coming out, my love~"

[Image: Clara x Owen 3]

She stared deep into Owen's eyes, communicating all her love and desire through her gaze instead of the cries she had to hold back. Her body writhed with the building pleasure. She began to quicken the pace of her hips, little by little... deliberately grinding her slit against his shaft, intending to wring every last drop of pleasure from him... and from herself…

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

The wet sound of flesh on flesh continued in a slow but heavy rhythm inside the silent tent. Clara was still in complete control of the game. She used every movement of her hips to grind and wring the pleasure from the man she loved, who lay beneath her. The feeling of sin had completely vanished, replaced by the raw desire to possess him, and him alone, tonight.

But then... suddenly!

"...that raccoon... give me back... my sausage..."

The voice, mumbling in sleep, sounded clearly from a dark corner of the tent, causing all of Clara's movements to freeze instantly! Her body tensed as if turned to stone, her heart dropping to her stomach. She stared at Julian's shadowy form with the utmost fear. The adrenaline of fear shot through her, making her feel numb all over.

However... Owen remained strangely calm.

He slowly pulled his lips from her hardened nipple, before moving one large hand that had been squeezing her breast down... to cup her plump, trembling buttocks. He squeezed them hard and firmly. It was a wordless comfort, a signal that everything was still under their control... and at the same time... his rough thumb began to grind slowly and deliberately on her clenched ass crack!

"Ah!"

Clara jolted, instinctively biting her lower lip to stifle a shameful moan. The new and forbidden pleasure was so intense it almost completely erased her fear.

Snore... Zzzz...

When Julian's snores returned to a steady rhythm, Clara let out a sigh of relief. But... the adrenaline that had been born from fear now became the perfect fuel, fanning the flames of her desire until they blazed even more fiercely! The risk of being caught had become a first-rate aphrodisiac that made the blood in her veins boil!

She no longer needed to hold back!

Clara began to move again, but this time her rhythm had completely changed. It was no longer slow and steady, but fierce, hot, and desperate! She rode him with a crazed frenzy, as if to assert her victory and crush all fear under the force of her lust!

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

The sound of flesh on flesh was now much heavier and wetter, but it was perfectly masked by Julian's loud snores! It became the most perverted and exciting soundtrack in the world!

"Owen... I'm... I'm gonna... Aah... I'm gonna cum!" she moaned in a hoarse whisper, shaking her head in an agony of pleasure that was about to peak.

"Together, my love..." he growled back in his throat, before thrusting his hips up to meet her rhythm just as violently!

As the final wave of bliss was about to crash down, Clara leaned down low, looking deep into Owen's blazing eyes, before crushing her lips against his, more deeply and frantically than ever before. She wasn't just kissing... she was about to swallow all their moans!

Mmmphhhhhh!!!

The growls from both their throats sounded in unison, sealed by lips that crushed together so hard it was almost painful. Their tongues tangled fiercely, as if in a final battle.

Thrust! Twitch! Twitch!

Owen thrust his hips up one last time, slamming his large cock into the deepest point, as if to bury himself in her body!

And in that instant... both their worlds exploded into a white light!

GUUUUUUSH!

SPLOOGE! SPLOOGE! SPLOOGE!

Their bodies convulsed violently, coming at the same time. Owen shot a massive amount of cloudy white semen into her womb until it was full. Clara's back arched until it almost broke, her nails digging into his chest, leaving red marks, while every muscle in Owen's body tensed as hard as stone.

[Image: Clara x Owen 4]

[Image: Clara x Owen 5]

[Image: Clara x Owen 6]

A minute later, when the feeling of bliss had passed…

Clara rested her face, wet with sweat and tears of joy, on Owen's strong chest. She panted heavily, letting her trembling body slowly calm down. Inside her hot slit, the muscles still clenched his cock in a rapid rhythm, refusing to let him go, as if to wring out and drink every last drop of him.

The sound of their panting and their pounding hearts was like a war drum. It was the only sound in their ears. Their sweat mingled, and the hot, cloudy white semen overflowed from Clara's slit nonstop... It trickled down, staining Owen's taut stomach... a testament to their union, which had just occurred under the cover of darkness and risk…

—-------

Clara x Owen 6

Clara x Owen 5

Clara x Owen 4

Clara x Owen 3

Clara x Owen 2