The fierce fight had lasted until dawn began to break, but the sun still hid behind the dense fog. In the air, there was nothing but the aura of killing intent and energy.
Within that dangerous mist, two eyes shone brilliantly. An aura of a completely different level emanated from them. The figure stood perfectly still in its place.
The fox beast now released all the aura it had been absorbing from its surroundings in one explosive burst. Its body shone fiercely amidst that very aura, intensely bright.
And suddenly, the beast opened its eyes. They glimmered like pale white jade, but its entire body, covered in pure white fur, radiated a brilliant shine.
It released a terrifying wave of energy from within itself.
The aura and killing intent around it vanished completely.
The entire unnatural fog and energy phenomenon that had covered the battlefield disappeared, revealing the beast's body clearly before the entire battleground.
But this beast existed in a separate dimension of the battlefield. No other beasts were there, so most wouldn't even know such a dangerous beast existed here.
On the other side, the Asura Wolf, having thrown the illusionary fox away, did not stop. With its huge body, it advanced, tearing into beasts as it went.
Near a ditch, a beast lay dead.
The Asura Wolf reached it in seconds and began to devour its flesh.
Clamping its jaws, it ate the beast's meat ferociously, much like a crocodile savagely shaking its prey. In no time, it had consumed even more than it had of the fox earlier. It was completely covered in blood, its appearance making it a true monster.
The other wolves behind it just watched. None dared to approach, only milling around nervously. On its other side, the Golden Wolf stood, observing this strong beast intently.
As the Asura Wolf consumed the body, a subtle power began to emanate from it—not overwhelmingly strong, but calm and dark.
Not a single wound remained on its body, which had become sharp. Bone spurs protruded from its back. Its head had elongated, as if a horn was about to sprout. Small protrusions appeared on its body. It was evolving.
When it had died, it was already at rank three. Upon revival, it was at the peak of rank three. It should have advanced to rank four, but a healing skill had caused it to revive prematurely. This meant it lacked the absorbed energy needed to break through the rank three wall and level up. That hadn't happened then. But this time, having consumed the illusionary fox's body, it gained some energy, allowing it to evolve now.
Meanwhile, the Two-Tailed Fox was approaching to dig the wolves' graves. It had been far away when the explosion occurred, thrown to a great distance. Perhaps other beasts had dragged it even farther away to eat it.
It was approaching this side with light steps, its tails completely erasing its footprints on the muddy road.
---
Inside the cave, Ji Hoon had entered a different world. Before him was only a sky made of stars, and he floated in the air.
He asked Layla, "Layla, where is my core, by the way?"
Layla said, "From what I know, since you're in your mind right now, just try to focus and feel everything. You'll be able to sense your core and teleport there instantly, learning a lot."
He did just that. He sat cross-legged in the sky, closed his eyes, and tried to feel everything. In his mind, he felt every part of his body, each injury, and all the awakened meridians. Following the energy flow through his meridians, he arrived at an energy... sphere. It was triple its usual size. Though small, it flowed with a dazzling light like a star. It existed within a space, surrounded by many thin rings of energy of different colors, orbiting it peacefully. Two stone-like objects glowed beside it. It looked like a solar system. Ji Hoon floated above it all.
Just as planets orbit a sun, these too were orbiting.
Layla said, "Haha, you did it! Nice. Now—"
Ji Hoon said, "Haha, if I couldn't do it, then who would? Never thought I'd be walking around with my own system inside me." Then, with a confused face, he said, "Haha, that's all fine, but what is this?"
Layla said, "Hmm, let's see." She quieted for a moment, then said, "What you're seeing—that dark blue sphere in the center—is your natural core, filled with Star Qi. And those planet-like stones orbiting it are both your Skill Stones."
Ji Hoon, somewhat confused, said, "Skill Stones?"
Layla said, "Skill Stones are formed from Heaven and Earth Qi, which imbues stones with different powers. They are very natural, but nowadays they've become extremely rare. Most are either man-made or created due to battles."
"These stones are almost like living beings. They can even protect themselves with their own aura. They have different ranks, usually identified by their color or aura."
Ji Hoon said, "Ranks?"
Layla said, "Yes, ranks. Normally, Skill Stones are divided into seven rank types: Common, Epic, Sprite, Legendary, Celestial, and Mystical."
"However, sometimes even rarer ranks are seen."
Ji Hoon said, "Okay, okay, I understand. Six types, plus a hidden type. Got it. Now tell me, which ones are these that I have?"
Layla said, "These are the rare ones, comparable to the Mystical level. But their exact power is unknown; they're just called 'rare' without a clear power relation."
Ji Hoon was very excited and then overjoyed.
He said, "What? They're rare? Wow!"
Layla said, "Haha, I'll tell you more about all this later. For now, just do as I say. Quickly gain control over these two skills, then rejoin the battlefield and get stronger."
Determination joined the happiness in Ji Hoon's eyes. He said, "Alright."
Layla said, "Good. Then first—"
---
Elsewhere, a different scene unfolded. Under a vast domain, nine grand pillars stood in a strict formation.
The pillars were immensely grand. Their size was such that if placed over a village, they would be visible across the entire settlement. Intricate patterns covered them.
These nine pillars stood on a plane as vast as an earth, arranged in a circle.
Upon one black-robed man stood on a pillar, looking as small as an ant before it.
There were thousands of kilometers between them. From the high sky, only the pillars were visible, yet the view was clear.
Energy began to surge from beneath the black-robed man standing on the metallic pillar. The entire pillar started to tremble. The pillar was so high it extended beyond the clouds. It began to shake and, within minutes, started to shine.
Its energy crackled forward like faint lightning, meeting in the center.
Slowly, the energy from each pillar, each of a different color, merged in the center. Over the course of hours, the energies combined, coalescing into a sphere-like form. As the energy merged, all the pillars trembled in unison.