Reon's eyes widened as he took in the sight beyond the ancient doorway.
The chamber was far larger than he had imagined—grander even than the last—vast, echoing with power, and shrouded in a mystical stillness.
"This place… it's enormous," he said, his voice swallowed by the charged silence.
The air was thick with spiritual energy—so dense it shimmered faintly, crackling like static along his skin.
Towering crystal formations erupted from the floor, casting a cool, bluish glow that danced across the walls, illuminating intricate carvings that spiraled along the chamber's stone surface.
Strange symbols and ancient inscriptions, almost pulsing with a life of their own, were etched in every corner.
At the very center, an altar rose from the ground, half-consumed by the twisting roots of a tree that seemed to grow directly from the stone.
A pale, silvery mist curled around its base, shielding the object that rested atop it with an almost reverent grace.
Reon's breath caught.
"What is that…?" he thought, squinting toward the heart of the altar. "Something's glowing."
There, nestled in the roots, was a small, radiant object—its light flickering like a living flame, sending gentle tremors through the ground beneath his feet. Its glow was warm… and familiar.
Beside him, Cloudia growled low, her hackles raised, eyes fixed on the altar with sharp intensity.
Reon swallowed hard. The air itself seemed to hum with danger.
"I need to be cautious… nothing about this place is ordinary."
He stepped forward. With every step closer, the object's energy pulsed stronger, resonating with something deep inside him—a response, almost instinctual, like a key fitting a long-forgotten lock within his soul.
The roots covering the altar shimmered faintly. As his hand reached toward the glowing object, the mist stirred—swirling in slow, deliberate spirals, revealing ancient sigils carved into the stone floor beneath.
He hesitated, glancing back.
Cloudia remained crouched, tense, her cyan eyes unblinking.
He turned back and slowly extended his hand, the warmth from the object inside already crawling up his arm.
The moment his fingers brushed the surface, a shock of power surged through him.
"It feels like an Energy Stone… but it's different from Spirit Stone. It's reacting with Xue Taiyang's body..."
The glow around the object flared brighter, and the room responded in kind—crystals shimmering, the walls vibrating with an unearthly hum.
A low, resonant voice seemed to echo from the walls themselves, as if acknowledging his presence.
"Seeker of strength… do you dare to claim the power that lies within? If so, pass the challenge."
The voice held both a warning and a challenge, reverberating through the chamber, stirring the mist at his feet.
Reon gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the green object resting on the altar.
Cloudia growled again, this time with something almost like encouragement.
He gave a small nod.
"Let's see why this stone is reacting with Xue Taiyang's body. I'll pass this test or whatever."
His voice was steady. "Yes… I will."
The chamber reacted instantly.
A sudden gust tore through the air—cold, fierce, and laced with spiritual pressure. The mist coiled into violent spirals, and the bluish glow from the crystals dimmed, flickering like candlelight in a storm.
ROAAR!
The growl was low, yet it carried the weight of wind pressure.
Reon's body froze, instincts screaming in alarm. This was the threat he had sensed from the start.
That sound… it hadn't come from the mist, nor from the walls.
It had come from behind the altar.
Cloudia lowered her body into a defensive stance, her eyes locked on the source of the sound, her form ready to protect Reon.
From behind the altar, a massive figure stepped forward—a wolf-like creature, yet so colossal that it matched the size of the Shadow Claw Bear he had faced before.
But unlike the bear, this beast radiated Elemental power.
"No way… that's—"
Reon's eyes widened in recognition. He'd seen a sketch of this creature at the Skyreach Mission Pavilion.
"The Ironclaw Direwolf..."
"But... what is this beast doing here?" he muttered, a mix of shock and disbelief in his voice. "Isn't it supposed to be in Ironclaw Valley, deep in the Whispering Grove?"
Reon had been briefed on its habits and territory by the Mission Assignment Counter. This was the very beast he needed to defeat to complete his mission.
The Ironclaw Direwolf—a Mid-Ranked Demonic Soldier with mastery over Wind Elenment.
Its sinewy limbs were sheathed in sleek, storm-gray fur, tinged with a faint bluish sheen, almost as if it were charged with latent wind energy.
Its eyes gleamed with a cunning intelligence, more aware and focused than any beast he'd encountered, and its form radiated a swirling aura of wind energy, a tempest held within flesh and bone.
This was no ordinary foe. Its power dwarfed that of the Shadow Claw Bear, which had been formidable but unaligned with any element.
Reon knew that a beast at the Demonic Soldier Rank could naturally awaken an elemental affinity, while human cultivators had to reach the Elements Refining Realm to start refining Elemental power.
He narrowed his eyes at the creature.
"It might have already mastered the first stage of Wind Element. This fight… will be far more dangerous than anything I've faced before."