Nathan and Argentius arrived at a secluded area deep within the forest, beside a cliff face. The cave where the explosion had occurred earlier was obscured by intertwining vines. The trees in front made it even harder to spot. Under normal circumstances, no one would pay enough attention to discover such a hidden cavern.

  At the entrance of the recently exploded cave, debris littered the ground. Evelyn glided across an undulating ice bridge conjured from her right palm. Her left hand shot out three mana tethers to pull her battered teammates away from danger.

  Callum had lost consciousness and an arm. His body was covered in small bloody wounds as if stabbed repeatedly. Reza was in slightly better condition, still conscious. However, his face bore the expression of someone who had witnessed the most terrifying thing in existence, his lips muttering incomprehensible words.

  Mirela had lost a leg, the wound cauterized through one of her electrical techniques. Her face was pale, but her arm still extended forward.

  At the cave entrance, tendrils of lightning lashed out, trying to ensnare the creature's feet as it attempted to escape the cave. Smoke and dust obscured its form. What could be seen were rainbow-like reflections of light, maddened screams, and violet eyes enough to make anyone tremble in fear.

  Nathan signaled for Argentius to land near Evelyn. She was sliding swiftly and decided to jump down when she spotted the rescue team. She too was exhausted, her face as pale as the others. Though uninjured and maintaining her composure, she seemed to accept that their planned mission had failed.

  "You're okay?" Nathan asked, extending his hand to help the wounded.

  "I'm fine," Evelyn whispered. "If possible, I hope you can help get them to safety."

  "What about you?"

  "I'll stay here to cover the rear," her eyes determined. "The Nightmare Weaver may be strong, but I can still hold it off."

  "But..."

  A long shriek piercing through the night made Nathan break off mid-sentence, turning his head toward the cave entrance.

  Triggered [Tingling Sense]. One credit given.

  Triggered [Adrenaline Boost]. One credit given.

  He leaned to one side, his eyes barely catching something white shooting past his face with incredible speed.

  A clang rang out beside him. When he looked again, he saw Evelyn had created an ice shield in front of them to block the monster's attack.

  "I'm sorry," she said.

  "For what?" Nathan asked, confused.

  "For not being able to extend the shield to protect you."

  Only then did Nathan notice the borders of the ice shield. It was still trying to extend but couldn't. Evelyn had exhausted her energy.

  Snorting in amusement, Nathan said, "I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me, just rest a bit."

  Evelyn maintained her stern expression, her crystal-blue eyes somewhat dimmed.

  "I need you to get my teammates to safety."

  Nathan was about to suggest they could all run together when Argentius signaled that the Nightmare Weaver had spread its web around the area. If they didn't break through the web networks in time, they would easily be caught by the monster.

  "Shit!" Nathan exclaimed.

  Beside them, Mirela let out a groan, reaching her limit. She lost all strength and dropped her arms, the electrical tendrils dissipating, leaving small flames in the air.

  "Sister Evelyn, run!"

  Evelyn showed concern, immediately running to support the small girl.

  Nathan let Mirela rest in Evelyn's arms. His mind was racing to find a way for everyone to escape in one piece.

  At that moment, a gust of wind threw everything around them into the air. Nathan had to stomp his feet forcefully to avoid being swept away. One hand gripped the clothes of Reza and Callum. The other extended toward Evelyn, leaving the choice to grab it up to her.

  Nathan looked ahead through the windstorm. His right hand felt human skin. Cold and soft. But he had no mind to dwell on the sensation. Letting out a roar, he had to use 15% of his Berserker state just to remain steady.

  Argentius was surrounded by a different air current, resisting quite easily.

  After a minute, everything gradually stabilized. The smoke and dust cleared, leaving only empty ground around them. Vines and trees had been blown far away.

  Nathan collapsed, breathing heavily. He turned his head to look back. Evelyn still maintained her composure. She couldn't grab Nathan's hand because she had to channel mana to protect Mirela. Nathan startled as he looked at the two despicable ones remaining. Callum and Reza had been battered even worse than before by the Nightmare Weaver's attack. Blood wounds appeared all over their bodies. Reza had gone from muttering to himself to joining Callum in complete loss of consciousness.

  "Could you let go of my hand?" Evelyn reminded him.

  Nathan startled and complied. The cold from Evelyn still lingered on his hand.

  This cold is something else, he thought to himself.

  Argentius roared, warning Nathan of the enemy's presence.

  The Nightmare Weaver appeared under the moonlight with a terrifying and horrific form. Its spider body was even larger than Argentius. Its legs scraped against the ground, covered in what looked like silver needles. Nathan guessed those were what had shot at him just moments ago. Its purple eyes were arranged chaotically, unlike normal spiders. Looking closely, one could see scenes hidden behind them - the dreams of those who had fallen before the monster. Its jaws and teeth were razor-sharp, protruding and vibrating with each angry breath.

  The monster's posterior abdomen was constructed like crystals, reflecting in the moonlight. From afar, it might be an attractive sight. But up close like this, just its appearance alone was enough to give nightmares, let alone being hit by its techniques.

  The fur around its neck trembled as it hissed at Argentius.

  Nathan learned that the Nightmare Weaver was questioning what Argentius was doing. As a Lord of The Forest, Argentius should help it kill these humans.

  Becoming irritated at being treated as a subordinate, Argentius growled back. The gist was that what it did was its own business, and the disgusting spider shouldn't question it.

  God damn it! Nathan cursed internally. Can you put aside your pride in this situation?

  Argentius pretended not to hear, continuing to face off with the Nightmare Weaver.

  "I will hold it back for you," Evelyn spoke up. "You need..."

  "Stop!" Nathan couldn't help but snap despite not wanting to. "Trust me, if we could run, I would have already. That's what I'm best at. What did you all do to make the Nightmare Weaver spread its web to prevent escape?"

  Evelyn was confused by the irritation of the young man before her. Clearly, she wasn't used to being treated this way. She had thought Nathan had feelings for her based on how he treated her hours ago. It seems she was mistaken.

  "We retrieved a lost Artifact of Azure Lake Academy," she answered honestly.

  "Was it worth it?" Nathan replied curtly.

  "Are you suggesting we return it to the monster?" Evelyn frowned.

  "Bingo!"

  "That's impossible!" Evelyn protested. "This is a precious and important item. Not just for the Academy but for me."

  "And because of you, we should die here?" Nathan glanced at her askance.

  Evelyn was speechless. She knew Nathan's point and truly felt it was a sensible choice. They had overestimated themselves and underestimated the monster's strength. She still had her trump card, but even then, victory wasn't assured. The Nightmare Weaver wasn't just a Tier 3 monster, but possibly a high-level Tier 3, at Phase 5 or six. She couldn't understand why the sects had allowed a monster to develop to this level. The information at Azure Lake Academy only indicated the monster was at peak Tier 2.

  "Will they arrive in time?" Nathan suddenly asked.

  "Who?" Evelyn asked somewhat stupidly.

  "Your teachers or elders? Through PsiLink?" Nathan shook his head. He wasn't too worried since he had Darkan, but was just trying to knock some sense into the girl.

  "I haven't contacted them yet," Evelyn stammered.

  Hearing this, Nathan shook his head even harder.

  Evelyn seemed to be hiding something, as he didn't believe she wouldn't think of such a simple solution. The monster had exceeded Moirath Forest's limits, so intervention from the elders would be normal.

  You two done fighting yet? Argentius irritably asked.

  "We're not fighting," Nathan defensively retorted.

  She knew about you, Argentius continued without minding his partner's response.

  "What do you mean?" Nathan mouthed.

  Our battle. Nightmare Weaver saw it all.

  "So it's afraid?" Nathan's eyes lit up.

  Wary, not afraid. If we really fight, remember the odds I mentioned before.

  "So can we negotiate?"

  That's exactly what Nightmare Weaver wants, Argentius replied.

  Nathan looked at the Nightmare Weaver. Those unevenly distributed eyes that never blinked made his whole body shudder. Remembering the energy release that created the windstorm earlier made him fear it even more. If possible to kill it, he might consider trying once, especially when he could test his luck to get [Mind of Tranquility]. But at the same time, he also trusted Argentius's assessment.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The contract between them posed a problem for the tiger monster. If Nathan was injured to death, it would also suffer unimaginable pain. That could make it drop cultivation levels, from peak Tier 2 back to Tier 1. So it had no reason to lie to him.

  Suppressing the nausea in his stomach from the Nightmare Weaver's appearance, Nathan stepped forward to stand alongside Argentius, signaling his acceptance of negotiations.

  Evelyn was about to speak when she saw his waving hand and immediately fell silent.

  "What does it want?" Nathan asked Argentius.

  Protection. She requests we take her away from the forest and find her shelter.

  The Nightmare Weaver had used up the Artifact's power. Sooner or later, someone would come to capture or kill it. It had hidden long enough, and Evelyn's group had exposed its lair.

  Nathan could obviously let Darkan handle it. But that wouldn't help him negotiate conditions with Evelyn.

  "And it really trusts we can do it?"

  She has no other choice. Currently only you and I can communicate with her so she's taking a risk asking for help. Remember, only when monsters reach Tier 4 can they communicate normally with humans, through speech or spirit. Below Tier 4, they can only use voluntary contracts like us, or be forced by a Beast Tamer.

  That made Nathan think about the feasibility of this. He had Darkan so he could ask his master for a Monster Storage Pouch. Then, put the Nightmare Weaver in and release it somewhere convenient. After all, he was already planning how to take Argentius with him.

  Darkan communicated directly into his brain.

  "Alright."

  Just that simple, Nathan felt warmth in his heart. His master didn't seem too bad after all.

  "Tell it we can do it," Nathan said to Argentius.

  You'll have to make a Binding Promise with her, Argentius warned.

  "That's fine."

  Remembering Orin's sickly appearance, Nathan wanted to do this even more.

  The Nightmare Weaver's eyes lit up upon hearing the information relayed by Argentius. Behind it, a purple cloud appeared, forming a strange symbol.

  "Binding Promise," Evelyn whispered.

  She stepped forward, speaking to stop Nathan.

  "You don't need to do this. I just need to return the Artifact."

  "It doesn't need the Artifact anymore," he shrugged.

  Evelyn's eyes brightened, her mind wasn't slow to understand, immediately realizing where things were heading.

  "Then let me make the Binding Promise," Evelyn hurriedly said. "This was because of me, so let me take it."

  Nathan was surprised by Evelyn's speed of reaction and reasoning. It made sense though, she was still intact among the four so she must truly have ability. Not just in judgment, but also a steadfast mind, to resist the monster's skills. That was creating nightmares and breaking people's psychology.

  "But it wants me," Nathan laughed in response. "It doesn't trust the one who invaded its home, for one. Who knows if you might have a Tier 5 intervene in the Binding Promise. And it wants someone who can communicate with it to make the promise. You see, Argentius is vouching for me to the Nightmare Weaver. It trusts me because of this tiger friend here. They can sense the bond between us. But having Argentius vouch for you doesn't seem possible."

  Evelyn wasn't offended by that explanation. A Tier 3 monster already had intelligence, so its wariness of her and the powers behind her was completely understandable. She looked at her teammates. Mirela wasn't a concern. But the teachers responsible for Callum and Reza might come after the Nightmare Weaver to eliminate it after she completed the Binding Promise. Only Nathan here had no major conflicts, making him the best choice.

  "Then I owe you this time," Evelyn said solemnly.

  Nathan had been waiting for just such an assurance.

  Raising his hand to receive the symbol from the purple cloud, he completed the Binding Promise with the Nightmare Weaver. The monster would wait for the day he left Moirath Forest and follow him. As for choosing Nathan as its master, a Tier 3 monster like it wouldn't accept that. Even with Argentius's invitation, it still didn't trust this human to that extent.

  The Nightmare Weaver vanished from everyone's sight, retreating to its cave by the cliff.

  "Thank you," Evelyn said when Nathan returned, his hand still flickering with purple light from the symbol branded into his skin.

  "It wasn't anything difficult," he waved it off. "How's Mirela?"

  "She's fine. She's taken healing medicine, it's just that her mind was attacked too heavily."

  "What about you? Are you okay?"

  Evelyn nodded, though her weak breathing suggested otherwise.

  "So what do you want?" she didn't dwell on this issue too long, asking. "If it's within my power, I'll help you."

  "I need your blood."

  Nathan immediately felt the surroundings grow cold.

  "To heal someone dear to me," Nathan quickly added.

  "Choose another request," she said, as if not allowing any objection.

  Not giving up, Nathan still clung to the old topic.

  "Do you have the Frost Sovereign Constitution?"

  "No," she said curtly.

  "Then something lower? But still ice-related?" Nathan had guessed he wouldn't be so lucky, but he could deduce. Just needing a special ice constitution, even if not Frost Sovereign, it might still help Orin.

  "That's none of your business," Evelyn, usually calm, began showing irritation.

  "Then I don't need anything," Nathan's face fell, feeling his intervention in this had become pointless.

  "Very well," Evelyn didn't want to say more. "Add me on PsiLink and message me what you want when you think of it."

  Nathan turned off his PsiLink's interference feature, accepting Evelyn's friend request.

  Seeing Nathan's dejected expression, Evelyn wanted to say something but stopped herself. His help today was significant, but not enough to demand such a thing. Especially when she possessed a constitution higher than Frost Sovereign. Giving away her blood like that to someone not very familiar would only be the action of a fool.

  "Well, I'm going," Evelyn announced. "If fate allows, we'll meet again."

  "Goodbye," Nathan responded indifferently.

  Seeing his uncaring attitude, Evelyn felt strange. The male disciples around her usually rejoiced at receiving such a promise. Only he remained so cold.

  Evelyn had been gone for a while but Nathan still stood there. He was still troubled that his efforts had been for nothing. It wasn't that he didn't think about romance. But he had learned from experience with beautiful, radiant girls like Evelyn. That was to stay as far away as possible. Beauty would only bring trouble. If not now, then later. It was clear that his high school and college days hadn't been pleasant at all.

  Letting out a deep sigh, Nathan returned to his dwelling with Argentius.

  A few days later, Nathan felt like he just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

  The articles on PsiLink had pointed out how dangerous it was to voluntarily give blood to someone. Unless it was someone truly trusted, the consequences were unimaginable. Blood-focused cultivators could utilize the obtained blood to cause adverse effects. Or more dangerously, apply it in forbidden techniques that could lead to death.

  Nathan suddenly remembered he had "voluntarily" given blood to Darkan. Thus, he had placed himself in an uncontrollable position in someone else's hands. However, now he could only trust his master.

  Blood lost from wounds would be less effective when collected. Not just because of contamination but also because the spirit imprint following the blood doesn't allow deep interference. A miraculous protection that Spirit Cultivation provides. Of course, high-level cultivators could still easily overcome this barrier.

  Physical Cultivation had a similar mechanism, but it needed to reach Tier 3 to develop completely. At this stage, after cultivating the skin in Tier 2, Tier 3 would cultivate blood, helping the circulation in the body become increasingly perfect.

  Therefore, many assassins in this world highly valued cultivators with blood aspects in mana usage. In the opposite direction, one of the common features incorporated into protective items was ensuring that if blood did escape, it had already been interfered with to become unusable.

  Nathan felt like he had discovered a treasure trove of knowledge, continuously reading to understand more deeply about how cultivators had gone so far and the fearsome nature of the blood aspect. This wasn't considered a rare aspect, so the possibility of encountering them was quite high.

  Remembering his Titan bloodline, Nathan felt somewhat confident. The stronger the bloodline, the higher the resistance possessed. Because it carried the lineage of generations. Wanting to overcome the defensive barrier of powerful and ancient souls protecting their descendants was a huge challenge. One thing that made bloodlines so sought after.

  Nathan kept hovering over the PsiLink screen, debating whether to message Evelyn or not before giving up. He had thought wrong about many things because he didn't expect to encounter an ice constitution so early. From there, he had created a not-so-good impression. The result couldn't be changed, so just let everything end like that.

  Waving his hand aside, he pushed this matter out of his mind. If even now Orin still couldn't find ingredients for healing, then clearly it wasn't easy at all. He would find another way. Just consider the recent events as doing good deeds without expecting returns.

  "Time to go, kid," Darkan announced one day when Nathan was collecting essence water from Thunder Crystal Frogs. "Something important has happened at the Sect."

  He nodded to signal understanding. He still wanted to stay in Moirath Forest longer. But all fun times must come to an end.

  Initially, he had really hated this place of sacred forests and poisonous waters. It felt like just yesterday he was scared by the Crystal Mauler, left with tooth marks by the Ripple Hunters, then hunted by the Blood Thirster pair to near death. Each defeated monster floated past his eyes like a slow-motion film.

  I've come very far, he told himself.

  Nathan Reed (24 years old -- male)

  Spirit Cultivation Level: Tier 1 (Initial), Phase 4.7.

  Physical Cultivation Level: Tier 2 (Iron Skin), Phase 3.9.

  He proceeded to collect the materials he had gathered in large, messy bags. Among these, most important were the jars of wine he had painstakingly prepared for Orin and future use. The cold weather had created obstacles but finally [Cooking] still provided additional methods so he didn't lose everything.

  The issue when leaving was Argentius.

  Currently, the Nightmare Weaver was no longer staying in the forest, so the responsibility of maintaining order could only fall on the tiger monster's shoulders. More importantly was Argentius's attachment to Moirath Forest, the place that had provided it food all this time and freedom that nowhere else could give.

  If brought back to Verdant Spire Sect now, Argentius wouldn't be able to run and play freely like here. It would either be sent to The Garden or have to stick close to Nathan to avoid harming disciples. More negatively, it could create conflicts with the monsters residing in The Garden. Argentius might be strong but there would always be someone stronger. It was rumored that the monster following Sect Leader Alaric had already reached Tier 4. Just one of its snorts would be enough to put Argentius in the infirmary for months.

  Therefore, Nathan decided to let it stay in Moirath Forest, then would take it away after it found a new replacement. He could only shake his head that he himself was Lord of The Forest but hadn't done anything, also not paying much attention to the order of this ecosystem. The thought of having a power base was quite attractive. However, he didn't have time. This could only be a plan for later.

  Darkan dropped a small gold-trimmed pouch down to Nathan from above.

  He caught it and examined it in his hand. Unlike storage rings, Monster Storage Pouches usually had quite cramped space, mainly because all the technology had been dedicated to allowing monsters to reside without leading to death. Storage ring space had no oxygen, so if forcing monsters in there, the result was self-explanatory.

  After a period of time, owners also needed to let monsters out to breathe and eat. Although monsters could enter an energy-saving state, it couldn't be maintained forever. Therefore, when owners died and Monster Storage Pouches were lost, the fate of the monsters inside was also considered sealed.

  The Nightmare Weaver didn't resist much when Nathan came. He opened the pouch's mouth, and it voluntarily quickly crawled in. The giant spider monster suddenly became small, flowing with a wind straight into the pouch. Nathan tightened the pouch's mouth, considering the first part of the procedure complete.

  Darkan descended from the sky beside Nathan. His feet still hovered a distance from the ground. Different from his usually gruff appearance, he preferred to move smoothly and gently like now.

  "Well done, kid," Darkan opened his mouth to praise, his gaunt face somewhat smiling.

  "That's me," Nathan wasn't shy to speak up.

  Immediately, he was hit on the head with a resounding thunk. Though he had grown stronger, he still felt sore, as if his head had just swollen into a bump.

  "Tone it down," Darkan as always, didn't let Nathan stay excited for long. "That Zeryn kid lasted three months before leaving Verdant Spire."

  "I know," Nathan grumbled.

  The information on PsiLink these days was all about Zeryn and his achievements. Though not holding top positions or records, Zeryn's results were much better than others. Because he was the only one who had lasted so long when entering Verdant Spire for the first time. This unprecedented event stirred up all Sect members.

  Zeryn had already been a bright star admired by everyone even before passing the trial. So now, his reputation was like the midday sun, dazzling to the point no one dared look directly. Although currently, Zeryn was still a Tier 2, but the future was undebatable. The mental obstacles when breaking through to Tier 3 or Tier 4 that people usually encountered would be nothing more than a walk in the park for Zeryn.

  And he's my friend, Nathan silently rejoiced.

  He was truly happy for Zeryn, and no longer felt self-pity like before. Geniuses had the path of geniuses. Ordinary people had to find their own way to rise up. Just months ago, Nathan still didn't know if he could continue on the cultivation path or not. But now, he could kill Lunar Shadow, defeat a Lord of The Forest.

  He would try harder, and harder still. Because now, trying wasn't synonymous with hopelessness anymore. It had taken on a different meaning. Hope and future.

  Looking around one more time, Nathan smiled. The Vermilion Apes surrounding him all didn't want Nathan to leave. They received Argentius's protection at Nathan's request. However, they still wanted to eat well. Now raw meat was no different than maggot-infested smell.

  Argentius was lying lazily, its mouth licking its front paw.

  "I will return," Nathan said to his partner.

  In response, the tiger monster let out a huge roar. Other species responded in turn. Moirath Forest followed the command and all raised their voices. Trees swayed from the monsters' actions. Birds filled the sky from the noise. But this noise made Nathan smile.

  The farewell ceremony for the Lord of The Forest was complete.

  It was time to return to Verdant Spire Sect and find new glory.

  Only, Nathan still didn't understand. The meeting with Evelyn and helping the Nightmare Weaver seemed like trivial matters, yet created unexpected karma in the future.