NOVEL'S EXTRA: I Will Die at the Peak-Chapter 73: Some rest

The sky had begun to darken.

The horizon stretched beneath a canvas of deepening colors—orange fading into violet as layers of clouds shifted and stacked upon one another.

From the depths of the forest, a thick, metallic scent of blood began to rise.

It drifted from the darkness, carried by an unseen force—drawn relentlessly toward a cursed center.

Ravien quietly returned to his human form.

The parasite nestled itself into a small cavity near the base of his skull, just beneath his hairline.

It moved subtly beneath his scalp, its presence barely noticeable—like a thought that refused to surface.

He tilted his head upward, eyes fixed on the sky now painted in hues of twilight.

Underneath that colored sky, his thoughts drifted.

"That was... enjoyable," he mused.

"There were no limits. No weapons, no commands, no rules... I fought purely on instinct. Maybe... maybe coming to this world wasn’t as terrible as I first thought.

Still, my goal hasn’t changed: I will rise to the top.

There’s no other path left to me. Even if I returned to the old world... there’s nothing left for me there."

At that moment, his gaze caught movement in the distance—a figure slowly shifting.

Asogi.

Though his body resembled a human, the scene unraveling around him distorted that image beyond recognition.

Limbs floated in the air.

Eyes swayed in eerie patterns.

Tongues hung from his mouth, dripping, and irises of strange colors shimmered unnaturally in the dark.

His motions, at first glance, seemed absurd—like something from a twisted dream.

But they danced with a deliberate rhythm, as though obeying some unspoken command.

It was a dance of blood, saliva, teeth, and flesh. Meaningless. Yet mesmerizing.

Ravien began walking toward Asogi.

His feet were bare—his clothes had been completely shredded during the battle.

But the nudity didn’t concern him in the slightest.

With each step, the wolves’ thick, warm blood clung to the soles of his feet, slowing his stride like mud binding him to the earth.

Asogi, seeing his father approach, immediately shifted into human form.

He straightened his posture, placed a wide— almost exaggerated—smile on his face and stood waiting.

When Ravien reached him, the strange movements he had just seen flashed through his mind.

He asked, flatly:

"What were you doing just now, Asogi?"

Asogi scratched the back of his head.

His hair was slightly shorter than before, giving his facial features a more distinct look.

He was beginning to take on a form that felt uniquely his.

"Well, Father..." he began, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"I saw those clapping motions in the memories of some people I devoured. They used it to show support for someone... So I tried something similar. Just for you."

Ravien responded with no visible expression:

"I see."

Asogi’s smile slowly faded.

He lowered his head slightly, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer—almost uncertain:

"Did you... not like it, Father?"

Ravien noticed the faint trace of disappointment in his son’s expression.

He offered a barely visible smile in return.

He had grown used to these odd behaviors.

"No, I liked it. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again now and then.

By the way... where’s Juuhra?"

Asogi brightened immediately upon hearing Ravien’s approval.

But the moment the name "Juuhra" was mentioned, he paused.

The light vanished from his face in an instant.

"He headed deeper into the forest.

He was going to leave, I’m pretty sure of it. But right at the edge...

He suddenly changed direction and went back in."

Ravien turned toward the direction Asogi pointed.

It was the same area where the wolves had gathered before.

"So he went that way... Let’s go have a look. I want to examine this forest a bit more," he said calmly.

Asogi gave a small nod and adjusted his pace to match his father’s.

He had always walked a few steps behind him, but this time, he slowly moved into step beside him.

There was a quiet closeness between them now. One that needed no words.

They moved silently through the forest.

The air was thick with the scent of soil and resin.

Deep claw marks covered the trunks of the trees rising on either side; some had clearly been climbed, others had branches torn off.

The wolves must’ve used this path frequently.

As the trail continued, the dense woods gave way to an open, circular clearing.

The ground was soft beneath their feet, the grass no taller than their knees—

lush and vibrant.

This was clearly where the wolves had lived.

As they stepped into the clearing, the wind finally made itself known.

A soft breeze swept past, pushing Ravien’s hair back gently.

Just ahead, they spotted someone lying on the ground: Juuhra lay flat on his back, unmoving, staring up at the sky.

There was no expression on his face, no reaction in his eyes.

As they drew closer, he spoke without turning his head:

"Welcome, Father," he said simply.

Ravien didn’t respond.

He quietly lay down beside him.

Leaning back into the grass, he tilted his head toward the sky.

Lying next to Juuhra in silence brought him a strange sense of peace.

The sound of the wind, the openness of the sky, the cool touch of the earth...

for a brief moment, time itself seemed to stop.

Asogi watched them for a while.

He didn’t approach.

He didn’t speak.

Then, slowly, he turned around and began to walk away.

Ravien noticed he hadn’t joined them, and called out:

"Where are you going, Asogi?"

Asogi replied without stopping, only glancing back:

"Father, I’m going to cut down some trees for you."

Ravien took a deep breath.

Seeing Asogi mature—even just a little—gave him some comfort.

"Alright. But be careful...

Don’t bother with the small ones or the huge ones.

Cut only the medium-sized ones. Keep it even."

Asogi nodded:

"Got it,"

he said, and turned back toward the woods.

When Asogi identified a set of medium-sized trees, he paused.

Silently, he raised his left arm, eyes focusing on the area below his elbow.

His skin began to twitch, and the muscles underneath stirred.

It looked as if the flesh was moving on its own.

From his fingertips to his elbow, a section of meat suddenly shot outward.

It stretched like a thread, thin at first, then rapidly solidified, hardening into a bone-like structure.

The remaining portion was covered in veins, pulsing faintly like something alive.

In the end, he held a sword—freshly torn from his own body.

It was still warm.

Its base throbbed slightly, as if still connected to a pulse.

When he clenched his fist, the blade contracted, becoming taut.

"Father said something during his fight with the wolves..." he muttered softly.

"Omicron Sword Techniques... I think that was the name."

Asogi stepped in front of one of the medium trees.

He closed his eyes, replaying Ravien’s movements in his mind.

Then, mimicking his father’s stance exactly, he swung the blade sideways in a single motion.

The blade passed through the tree’s side with no resistance.

At first, nothing happened.

Then a faint crack echoed, and the trunk tilted before falling in a clean, even collapse.

Asogi narrowed his eyes, watching it fall.

"I can do better. There are plenty of trees here," he murmured, and moved on to the next one, once again mimicking Ravien’s actions.

---

A short distance away, Ravien and Juuhra were still seated in silence.

Only the occasional thud of falling trees broke the stillness.

It was Juuhra who finally spoke.

His tone was flat, and he didn’t take his eyes off the sky:

"Father, I want to share some of the things I learned from the wolves."

Ravien turned toward him, curiosity in his voice:

"What kind of things?"

Without shifting his gaze from the clouds, Juuhra began explaining.

His tone remained neutral, devoid of emotion.

He skipped unnecessary details, stating only what mattered most:

"The wolves came here running from something they called ’The Empress.’

I don’t know exactly what it is—but they feared it."

He paused briefly, then continued:

"This species of wolf is called Ulfran.

They learned that name from someone called ’ADAM.’

All of them speak of him."

Ravien leaned in slightly, listening more closely now.

He didn’t interrupt, simply waited for Juuhra to finish.

"ADAM taught them something he called ’evolution.’

According to him, when a being’s capacity increases, its form changes.

This new form is called an ’eform.’"

Juuhra listed the details one after another, his voice never shifting.

"If two eforms merge, a new form called an ’enform’ is created.

And from that... a creature is born as an Ulfran directly.

it doesn’t begin as a normal wolf.

It’s born evolved."

After a few seconds of silence, he added:

"And it’s not just wolves.

This applies to all living beings."

That was all he had to say.

He returned to silence, still staring at the sky as if he’d never spoken.

Ravien had listened quietly to every word. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As Juuhra spoke, new questions had begun to stir in his mind.