Chapter 150: Upper World
[Upper World.]
[Wendigos’ Nation.]
The air in the grand throne hall shattered, and a shimmering gateway ripped open.
The Wendigos’ King, a towering, hybrid Wendigo with the sculpted body of an athlete and the powerful wings of a dragon, tilted his head. A look of sharp curiosity flickered in his jade eyes.
"Watch it!!"
Xanor’s curse was a raw hiss as Veer unceremoniously shoved him through the collapsing portal, tossing him onto the polished obsidian floor. Veer followed, his own landing silent and predatory, and then the Second Pillar.
Xanor pushed himself up, his gaze sweeping across the luxuriously appointed hall. His eyes landed on the 8-foot-tall hybrid on the throne, and he froze:
’Is that the king? The energy radiating from him is insane. What rank is he on?’ he thought, a tremor of apprehension running down his spine.
"Who is this, Kelvin?" The King’s voice, a low rumble that vibrated through the air, was directed at the Second Pillar.
"My King, he claims Volkov sent him. He says he is of great value to us," Kelvin replied with a respectful bow, his voice echoing in the vast space.
"Oh..." The King’s intense gaze shifted back to Xanor, his eyes like two burning emeralds.
"Volkov knows the rules. For him to send you must mean something."
He paused, a challenge in his voice: "Did Volkov send you?"
"Yes... Yes," Xanor stammered, the words catching in his throat.
’Why am I trembling? Am I scared? How can I be scared? This Wendigo might be the king, but he’s still a Wendigo,’ he desperately tried to reassure himself.
BAM!!
In the next moment, an unholy pressure descended, a crushing weight of pure power that smashed him to the ground. It felt like the entire world was pressing down on him, forcing the air from his lungs. Xanor coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision blurring as he stared up at the Wendigos’ King in utter horror.
"I hate liars most of all," the King said, his voice now colder than ice.
"You should be dead already, but I like your courage... And your persistence." He raised a hand, a single, clawed finger pointing directly at Xanor.
"Give me one reason I should spare you. If I’m satisfied with your answer, I will listen to whatever you have to say."
Xanor wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, his mind racing:
’This guy is leagues stronger than a God-rank... And it seems he can tell when someone is lying.’ He clenched his fists, his thoughts a chaotic whirlwind.
’Whatever I say now will decide my fate.’
After a few tense moments, he yelled, his voice strained but resolute: "I know everything about all nine races in the Lower World, and also, what can weaken a God-rank warrior!!"
"...?"
A stunned silence fell over the throne hall.
"What can weaken a God-rank?" The King asked, a deep frown creasing his brow.
"My king, I must be alive to reveal this information."
"How dare you?!" Veer summoned his spear in a flash of motion, its razor-sharp blade coming to rest on Xanor’s neck.
"Veer." The King’s single word was a command.
Veer looked up, sighing in frustration before removing his spear and taking a grudging step back.
"Alright... I like your answer. So tell me your goal in coming here."
"I want to be under the King," Xanor said without a moment’s hesitation.
"And why is that?"
"Because I want revenge!" The dark intensity in his eyes was undeniable.
The King’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly nodded. "Okay, Xanor... that is your name, correct?"
Xanor nodded.
"The Second Pillar will get you ready. Meet me here tomorrow afternoon. We still have a lot to talk about."
Xanor nodded in understanding.
"Take him away, Kelvin."
Kelvin bowed, then turned and walked away. Xanor quickly stood up and followed behind him, leaving the throne hall and its crushing pressure behind.
"Veer... I need you to go back to the Lower World. I need feedback on the forces stationed there," the king instructed.
"Yes," Veer said with a bow before he vanished from the hall.
"What can weaken a God-rank... Can such a thing weaken a Fourth Order powerhouse?" The King muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the closed doors.
___
[Two hours later.]
[In the courtyard.]
Xanor stood alone in the quiet courtyard, his mind lost in thought.
"This world is far different from the Lower World," he mused.
"In the Lower World, each race has a planet that belongs only to them, and we need powerful ships to move between them. But in this world, there are only three races—the Wendigos, humans, and Elves—and they all live on this single planet. The lands are divided into three regions, each belonging to a kingdom, which is what they call their nations here. Due to the difference in energy, the people here are much stronger and cultivate faster than those in the Lower World." He sighed, the sheer scale of the difference humbling him.
"But amidst all this, there are countless ruins and secret realms with valuable treasures inside... Clearing a secret realm gives you big rewards, mostly evolution stones. If Kelvin hadn’t explained what these stones are for, I wouldn’t even know." He raised his head to the impossibly blue sky.
"Evolution stones increase the success rate of merging bloodlines. If you succeed... your bloodline gets upgraded. This just completely changed my worldview. It turns out we can also upgrade our bloodlines." He stroked his jaw:
"These secret realms and ruins... I wonder what kind of treasures are waiting inside."
"Excuse me."
Xanor spun around, his eyes locking on a woman staring at him with a deep frown. She was encased in silver armor, her long green hair and matching green eyes fixed on him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice as cold as ice.
’Huh? A human? In a Wendigo castle?? Wait, how did she get so close to me without me noticing?!’ Xanor was stunned, his senses screaming in alarm.
"I am Xanor... a guest," he answered quickly, the woman before him radiating an immense power that made her feel anything but simple.
She raised an eyebrow. "A guest?"
Xanor nodded and glanced over his shoulder at the main gate, spotting two armored Wendigos walking toward them.
’What should I do or say now?’ he thought, a sense of unease growing in his gut.
The two Wendigos stopped the moment they saw the lady. Without a second thought, they bowed deeply to her.
"Welcome back, First Pillar."
’FIRST PILLAR?!!!’
Xanor’s mind went blank with horror:
’Are you kidding me?! The Second Pillar is at the peak of the God-rank!! What rank is this lady on?!!’ he thought, his heart pounding against his ribs.
She gave a brief nod to the Wendigos, her gaze never leaving Xanor: "You’re curious about the Secret Realms, right?"
Xanor blinked, unable to form a coherent answer to the sudden question.
"Come with me, then... I located one a few miles from here," she said, turning and walking past him toward the gate.
"We... only the two of us?" Xanor asked, completely taken aback.
"What?! Are you scared?" She looked at him over her shoulder, a hint of impatience in her expression.
"That’s not it—"
"—Then get moving." She cut him off and continued her walk away.
Xanor blinked, then, on instinct, activated his Cosmic Brain to check her profile.
[Target is much more powerful than Master.]
[Identification failed.]
"What do you think you’re doing?!"
Xanor froze, seeing her staring at him over her shoulder. Her green eyes were now blazing red.
He swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. ’Was... was I discovered?’ he thought, a shiver of pure terror running down his spine.