Seed of Titan-Chapter 164: Dust in the Wind

The Lightning King kept giggling, feeling elated from successfully maiming its cocky foe. The ape thought that even if he were to fall today, he would live rent-free in Drai’s head for the rest of his life, mocking him from the grave every time the hairless biped looked at his missing fingers.

At that moment, Drai’s hand began to sizzle, and the ape’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the rapidly regenerating stubs.

Just then, the ape felt a cold shiver. It blurred in haste just in time to evade a wrathful punch that blasted a large part of the wall into smithereens.

The ape let out a trembling breath as he clung to another protrusion, feeling extremely grateful for being prudent enough to maintain his costly empowering skill after his surprise assault. Based on the result of Drai’s attack, the ape was sure he would’ve gotten gravely injured had he failed to dodge.

Meanwhile, Drai had actually been distracted from his anger by the freshly made hole right before him—a large stream of red liquid was flowing out of it, with clumps of fleshy paste rolling out along its current.

Drai sniffed his reddened punching hand, and a sharp metallic smell immediately struck his nose, causing him to frown.

"What the—blood? Is this weird wall really made of flesh?"

Suddenly, an incredibly loud and deep hum resonated through the primate pair, buckling them slightly due to their organs being thoroughly shaken. Then, a powerful tremor rocked the wall and presumably the entire place.

Seconds later, the Lightning King started to cough out blood due to internal injuries. Drai, on the other hand, fared better. He only felt dull throbs across his innards, but overall, he remained unhurt.

Soon, the ape couldn’t stand it anymore. He deactivated his impulse amplification and whimpered pitifully, hoping that Drai would take him away from this strange, tormenting place.

But before Drai could scold him for being utterly shameless, the ape’s body was hit on multiple spots almost simultaneously, which instantly restricted his movements and caused him to fall into the viscous liquid below before sizzling once more.

Not even a second later, Drai was also frozen in place—not from being struck like the Lightning King, but by a gleaming, razor-sharp black blade pointed between his eyebrows, mere millimeters away.

Despite his tremendously increased toughness from Nexus Augmentation, Drai could somehow sense that the blade’s tip would still manage to pierce his skull, hence his swift surrender.

Just then, a weird sounding whistle was suddenly heard, and a few seconds later, the tremors and loud hum stopped completely.

"No wonder Konagi got upset. You just blew a hole in his stomach," said a male’s gruff voice.

A bead of sweat ran down Drai’s forehead. He still couldn’t see the blade’s wielder nor did he find his voice menacing—in fact, it sounded quite nonchalant and was higher in pitch than Liam’s voice but way hoarser. What worried Drai greatly was the implication behind the man’s words.

’This strange place is inside the stomach of a beast, which must be monstrously huge, and this person somehow had it named as if it were a pet... He probably stopped the commotion too. Who the hell is this guy?’ Drai quietly pondered.

At the same time, muffled whimpers could be heard from below.

"How could such a young man end up here? I haven’t gone to the surface for some time—has this area finally been explored and opened to the public?"

Drai had no idea whether the question was rhetorical or not, but he still answered, "No, sir. This area, Siyeun Mountains, is still closed off—I got sent here through a portal without my consent."

"Portal? Skill or device?" the voice questioned without moving his blade a bit.

"Skill, sir. The one who sent me here is a spatial mage."

"Really? If so, that means you’re not that woman’s crony."

"Woman? Do you mean Madeleine, the one living in Misty Forest?" Drai asked, quite surprised that the man knew of her.

"Madeleine, Madelout—who cares, but how come you know her if you got here by chance?"

"She invited me to her house several weeks ago. She also gave me a couple of tasks, which was how I ended up here—I was supposed to bring back three lightning apes, but that golden ape meddled in and got my captives killed, so we eventually got into an underwater fight," Drai admitted. He had a hunch that lying wouldn’t do good for him—not that he’d be able to convincingly lie before the threatening blade in the first place.

"Sounds reasonable. Still, I can’t let you live after meeting me. So, forgive my ruthlessness, O’ nameless youngster. I’ll make sure to give you a proper burial."

While the man’s last syllable was still ringing in the air, the black blade moved in for the kill, leaving no time for Drai to protest or retaliate. However, a faint crimson light suddenly pulsed from Drai’s chest, which made the man retract his thrusting hand almost instantly.

Blood dripped from a tiny slit on Drai’s glabella. Meanwhile, a slender, wrinkled hand silently emerged from the darkness and slipped into Drai’s clothes before carefully pulling out a black pendant—Christo’s family emblem.

A brief silence ensued before the man eventually asked, "Are you a member of this family?"

Unsure of what had just happened, Drai honestly replied, "No."

"Then how did you get hold of this?"

"My friend gifted it to me."

"What’s his name?" the voice pressed further.

"His full name is very long, so I can’t exactly tell you, but he mostly goes by his first and last name, Christopher Maglan."

"Maglan... Are you two from the same country?"

"Yes," Drai answered, still unsure why the man was so interested in this matter.

"And it’s not a kingdom," the voice stated.

"Well, it used to be one a few hundred years ago, but now it’s a democratic republic."

Another silence ensued, this time a bit longer.

Despite not seeing the blade anymore, Drai had no intention to flee or attack lest he agitate this unknown person who seemed to be less willing to kill him ever since he discovered Christo’s pendant. Instead, he inspected the person’s arm.

’It’s a bit too slender for a man, but maybe he’s a really old gramps since his arm is even more wrinkled than Madeleine’s. Maybe I can win against him in a strength contest, but I don’t think I can beat him in a fair fight—I definitely sensed the man’s immeasurable prowess emanating from that black blade earlier. Besides, his cut was so clean that I didn’t even notice it at all until I felt my blood dripping.

’Anyway, did I really get saved by Christo’s pendant? Hmm... Seems like it. Well, I should probably treat him to some steak after I get back. But what’s with all these old-timers living around here? Is Siyeun Mountains actually a secret retirement area? Will I end up discovering another geezer hiding inside an enormous beast’s belly or some random cave?’

Just then, the man’s hoarse voice pulled Drai out of his thoughts. "Since you’ve been given this emblem, you’re trustworthy enough to let me release you with a warning."

Drai sighed in relief, but he quickly added, "Uhm, I believe the pendant had only been temporarily entrusted to me, not completely given away."

"Don’t care—I trust my judgement. Now, let’s send you back to the surface," the man said as he slipped Christo’s pendant back inside Drai’s clothes. Then, a long whistle resounded once more though with different inflections compared to the previous one.

"What do you want to do with the ape?" the man asked after the whistle ended.

Drai, who was currently wiping off blood from his face, replied, "I want to take him back to Misty Forest to prove that I haven’t been loitering around."

"Very well." A second later, the Lightning King’s large, charred head dangled in front of Drai, with the old man’s hand gripping the ape’s scalp hair.

"T-thanks!" Drai muttered as he took over the passed-out ape, opting to grab him by the scruff. At the same time, a notification appeared before Drai.

"Uhm, sir, can I use a skill to restore my flying skill duration? It’s running out of time," Drai said.

"Yes."

"Thanks." The white aura immediately flickered. At this point, Drai had spent quite some essence, so he wondered if he still had enough to fly over the Endless Blue or if he should gather some more before crossing.

Moments later, a low hum sounded briefly, and the voice said, "We’ve arrived. Grab my hand tight."

Drai complied and grabbed the man’s hand hanging in front of him. Immediately, his vision blurred as a powerful force dragged him away. Drai tried to make sense of their passage, but perhaps due to the darkness, he failed to clearly see anything.

’Wait, I’m still in my max augmentation mode,’ Drai suddenly realized. ’This skinny old guy is actually strong enough to drag me and this ape bastard with ease? Damn... Luckily I didn’t actually fight back earlier when he was quietly holding the pendant—that would’ve probably spelled the end of me.’

Just when Drai was mulling over the beast’s size that allowed them to travel this long in its stomach, he could smell a hint of freshness. The blurry surroundings rapidly brightened, and shortly after, they emerged to the sunny surface.

Drai instantly closed his eyes, which were being blinded by the sun, and hastily cycled his breath, attempting to freshen his lungs that had been sullied by the rancid and putrid air earlier. Still gripping the Lightning King’s scruff, he got tugged upward before landing on a smooth, solid surface a couple of seconds later.

Amidst the strong winds, Drai released the man’s hand and slowly opened his eyes. He was immediately startled by the view, as they were standing on a high place, facing a vast land that seemed to be the meadows.

"I’m grateful for the free crossing, but how are we this high up? Isn’t this a water beast?" Drai asked as he turned to his right. But again, he was immediately startled.

As expected, the old man was lanky and very old—his straight long hair and beard was completely white. He only wore crudely woven pants and held an unsheathed black katana with his right hand.

But what startled Drai wasn’t all this—it was the fact that the man’s whole torso was covered in scars nastier than anything Drai had ever seen on a person. Aside from that, there was also the man’s missing left leg that didn’t seem to affect his steadiness at all. And finally, what shocked him the most was the horrid facial scar that carved deeply across both his eyes.

"I-I didn’t know you’re blind..." Drai reflexively remarked as he felt extremely sorry for the man’s physical state.

"I need not your sympathy, youngster," the man replied expressionlessly.

"I’m sorry, sir, I misspoke. Thank you for letting me off with my life," Drai said with a deep bow. He didn’t know the man at all, but he respected such a person who could remain stoic despite experiencing these many inhumane wounds.

"If you weren’t such a peculiar youngster, I wouldn’t have shown you mercy. Besides, I have some ties with the family your emblem represents. And most of all, I have neither given you my warning nor request, so don’t thank me too quickly—you might end up regretting it."

"No, I won’t regret it, sir. Whatever happens from this point onward, it doesn’t change the fact that you spared my parents from losing their only child. Furthermore, I was the one who disturbed you in the first place. Lastly, ever since you approached me, you haven’t emanated any bloodthirst at all, so there must be a special reason for your ruthlessness—that’s why I hold no grudge for your actions."

Behind the old man’s thick beard, a faint smile couldn’t be seen.

"So be it. First, my request, consider it a price for your release. But I won’t completely take advantage of you—in fact, you’ll probably gain a lot if I could somehow reach my end goal."

"As long as it doesn’t involve committing evil," Drai replied.

"How would you even determine that? It’s a highly subjective construct."

"Uhm... Let me revise my words then. I’ll help you as long as I don’t find your requests evil."

"Fine. My initial request is for you to grow much stronger and return to me when Atria is embroiled in chaos."

Drai immediately furrowed his brows. "Chaos? Are you saying there will be war across the continent? Do you know exactly what’s gonna happen?"

"You’ll know in time, youngster. For now, just focus on getting stronger quickly, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to secure the safety of your loved ones, let alone aid me," the old man replied enigmatically.

Drai was really curious, but he decided not to press the issue. From his experience, if these people really want to convey the details, they would’ve already done so.

’Maybe I need to learn how to speak mysteriously like this. I don’t want to admit it, but despite being quite annoying, it’s actually pretty cool,’ Drai thought before replying, "Okay. But how do I even find you?"

"Just go back to the shore where Konagi often snacks. She told me she saw a tiny creature that looked like me last night. It must’ve been you, right?"

"What do you mean? I didn’t see anything snacking at both shores aside from—oh."

Glancing downward, Drai finally realized what the smooth surface they were stepping on was.

"We’re on top of that monstrous carp-eel’s head, aren’t we?" he asked, to which the old man simply nodded.

Drai needed a few seconds to recover before he finally said, "Okay, I’ll wait for Konagi at the same shore when the time comes. But will you still be there years later—or decades, even? The continent is still mostly peaceful after all."

"Worry about yourself. I’ll be waiting even for another hundred years if the continental upheaval haven’t dawned yet."

Drai didn’t have anything more to say, so he nodded in agreement.

"Next, my warning. All that you’ve seen and heard since meeting me is for you only. Do not reveal anything, even to your closest and most trustworthy people. Stay away from those with mind-reading and manipulative abilities—I won’t accept negligence as an excuse. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Total silence, complete denial—I get it."

"No, you haven’t. Denial means refuting something. I am not something, I am nothing. Silence doesn’t signify disconnection. What you need to do is to simply treat our encounter like a dust."

"A dust?" Drai asked in puzzlement.

"Recall the first dust you encountered this morning. What did it look like? Did it smell? How did it get to you? Where did it go? Where is it now?"

Drai was silent. Let alone the first dust this morning, he couldn’t even picture any dust currently sticking on him. Finally getting the man’s message, he nodded once more.

"Good. Now, to prevent any seed of betrayal from flourishing, let me show you what I will inflict to you, your loved ones, and your countrymen if I ever find my presence leaked by or from you."

Drai watched quietly as the old man lifted the black blade slightly. Drai expected a terrifying power to abruptly surge at any given time, but so far, nothing had changed from the man’s subtle aura.

The man then swung his blade diagonally upward in such a manner that seemed to slow down time. Surprisingly, what followed were loud explosions coming from below.

Drai floated forward and higher to get a clearer sight on what was happening below, and to his shock, he discovered that the part of Endless Blue ahead of him had exploded into towering water pillars that spanned at least a few kilometers long. And above the pillars were countless aquatic creatures of varying sizes that had been launched to the sky by the torrents.

At this moment, the black blade thrust forward, and right after, an invisible force pierced above the river, shredding the poor aquatic creatures into bits.

Drai’s jaw dropped as he watched a segment of the vast river turn into a slush of meat, bone, and blood, slowly carried away by the current.

"Keep your words, ’O nameless youngster. Remember, I am but an ephemeral phantom—a speck of dust in the wind," the man’s hoarse voice whispered in Drai’s ear.

Drai quickly turned around, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, the monstrous carp-eel’s head was plunging toward the fresh slush, eager to devour the rare treat.

***