After a few hours of much-needed rest, I groaned and slowly sat up, my entire body aching. As I stretched, I could hear my bones crack and pop loudly—pain still lingered, but it was manageable. Now, it was time to reap the rewards of my hard-fought survival.
I made my way toward the most valuable prize of them all—the Voidscale Fish. But just as I was about to begin dissecting it, something strange caught my eye. There weren't just one... there were two Voidscale Fish lying there.
At first, I was confused, but then it dawned on me—they were a mating pair. Male and female. I was overwhelmed with joy. Not only had I killed one, but I now had double the meat, double the resources, and possibly even more treasure.
I quickly got to work. I wasn't able to control my dagger yet, which would've made the task easier, so I had to use my spear once more. Despite the awkwardness, I managed. The meat was rich, thick, and unlike anything I had seen before. The smell alone told me it was something precious. As I carved through them, I piled the meat onto a large cloth nearby, blood soaking through, but I didn't care.
Piece by piece, I packed everything into my storage ring. Then I discovered something incredible—the female Voidscale Fish had a special pouch, something like a built-in storage ring within her body. It was small on the outside but unbelievably spacious on the inside—far larger than my own ring.
My eyes began to glow golden, signaling that something extraordinary was inside that pouch. I was practically laughing with excitement, the sound echoing through the cave as I worked. I didn't leave a single part behind—every usable organ, every edible piece, even the bladder and... yes, the testicles. Everything was carefully stored. The aroma of the meat, even uncooked, was heavenly. I wanted to devour it right there, but I didn't have time for that.
Once I finished with both fish—each having its own beast core—I turned to the giant snake-like beast I had slain earlier. I didn't need much from it, so I carved out its heart, already pierced by my attack, and took the beast core. It was male too, so I harvested what I could from its lower region as well.
After that, I was about to head out and continue collecting the spirit stones, but something made my heart race—the Dracoleon! My eyes lit up. I rushed to its corpse and dissected it as quickly as possible, gathering everything of value.
Then it hit me—I hadn't taken the Voidscale Fish eggs yet!
Without wasting a second, I dived back into the pool. It was a bit deep, but I found the eggs quickly and collected them all. I leaped out of the water and resumed my spirit stone hunt. Over the next week that follows, I managed to gather almost all the surface spirit stones and beast cores from the monsters that died in the cave.
It was time to move on.
I headed back to the Water Hall and dove into the river, swimming along the current that led through the cave. I'm a strong swimmer, and after about thirty minutes, I saw light ahead. My heart pounded with hope
The sight left me speechless—an untouched wilderness lay before me. But I knew I wasn't safe yet. The cave I had just exited marked the boundary between the inner wilderness and its deepest unknown parts.
I saw no threats for now. Lying on the grass, I looked up at the sky, lost in thought. Only I knew what I was thinking.
Then my stomach rumbled.
"Heh," I muttered. "Let's see what magic this Voidscale Fish really holds."
I took out a portion and began to eat. The flavor was beyond anything I had ever imagined. Tender, rich, wild—every bite felt like consuming power itself. I even washed it down with the Voidscale Fish eggs, which had a thick, sweet liquid inside.
Even the female fish had a milk sack—unbelievable. I drank from it, curious and amazed.
As I finished the last drop, a powerful force began stirring within me. My body trembled. I wanted to stay awake, to stay aware—but I couldn't stop myself from slipping into unconsciousness.
Then... it began
While he slept, something incredible was happening inside him—though he was unaware.
Black blood began seeping from his pores. His body visibly grew taller, reshaping itself as if being re-forged. The smell coming from him was so foul that nearby beasts avoided him entirely, turning away in disgust. His body was evolving, rapidly improving. His scars vanished before the naked eye, and his muscles became denser, stronger.
Days passed as he underwent a full metamorphosis. The blood coursing through him was now visibly flowing—strong, alive. This was the "Blood of Eden" tempering his body from within. But something felt strange—it was as if this blood had a mind of its own.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The vial of Primordial Godblood stored in his ring suddenly floated out and entered his mouth in a stream, merging with the blood already in his body. The transformation intensified.
Just then, a golden flash burst from the female Voidscale Fish's pouch. That was the treasure his golden eyes had sensed before—its signal had been guiding him.
But what emerged wasn't golden. It was black and in a strange, liquid form. Instead of entering Lin Wei's body like everything else, it hovered around him.
Suddenly, Lin Wei found himself in a different cave—larger than anything he had ever seen.
But something was off… something about this cave wasn't right.