Fully dressed in the remaining usable pieces of armor and clothing, Langdon wore a high-collared white shirt, formal in style and with a hood. The collar and cuffs had shining violet details, and over his chest rested a medium-sized black chestplate. His arms bore matching black bracers, and on his legs, he wore loose black pants reinforced with white iron plates on the knees and shins, giving extra protection. To keep the pants fitted at the waist, a belt with a demon sculpted into the buckle held them tight. The outfit was genuinely stunning.
"Damn, not even when I was alive did I have clothes of this quality. I'm surprised at how stylish this outfit is," Langdon said, admiring the details.
"Yeah… it's from a top-tier armorer back in my time. I personally chose the style and details, but only he could bring it to life exactly how I wanted. It's pretty tough gear, but it'll still wear out if you don't take care of it!" Ewan explained, his tone half-scolding. "When you're in battle, inject stardust into the fabric—it'll repair most tears and damage as long as part of the outfit remains intact... Hehe, if you get vaporized, though, there won't be anything left to regenerate."
Langdon also picked up a large hammer as his weapon—Ewan was no help in that department since he was just a broken sword. As the sun was already setting, they decided to return to the base and sleep there for the night. The next morning, they set off toward the forest once again. Ewan stayed constantly alert, scanning everything within roughly a one-kilometer radius. They slayed beasts, and Langdon cultivated steadily along the way, maintaining a solid pace of travel.
Until—
Ewan's voice suddenly screamed in his head.
"Oh SHIT! Kid, pack everything up! Shrink down and start digging a hole—now! Move it!"
Langdon's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't hesitate. Instantly, he morphed his hands into three sharp claws and began digging into the earth. Though naturally cautious and not one to trust blindly, he knew Ewan's abilities were real—and that his survival mattered to the sword spirit. So, without wasting time on questions, he followed instructions.
Once they had dug about two meters deep, Langdon finally asked,
"Alright, what the hell is going on? What's out there that made us dive into a hole like moles?"
"It's not a what, kid. It's a who!" Ewan hissed. "I just felt the aura of a Star Master! I'd estimate level six—maybe even seven. We don't stand a chance against someone like that. And we don't even know if he's the honest type. Most of them aren't. They're greedy bastards, hungry for new powers and magic items. Killing a few people—or beasts—is nothing to them."
"But this ground is rich in mana, and many creatures are buried here. That might mess with his detection spells. Hopefully. If he's human, he'll definitely kill you. If he's an elf, he'll definitely kill you. And if—"
"Alright, alright! I get it—he'll kill me," Langdon interrupted, exasperated.
"Actually, I was going to say, if he's an alchemist, he'll probably use you for experiments. Which could be even worse."
"Oh, for the love of the stars… Can we not get caught, please?"
"Yeah, yeah. Now shut up. When he gets close, I'll let you know—then we figure out our next move."
So they stayed hidden, waiting for the powerful stranger to pass by without noticing them.
Moments later, a figure flew overhead, descending slowly toward the ground as he began investigating the area. He was a man with long, blood-red hair, a mature face, and piercing blue eyes. A well-groomed red beard adorned his jaw, and he wore an entirely black outfit with white boots and red details embroidered throughout. A long crimson cape flowed behind him.
"Hoho... Thought I heard a little rat scurrying around my territory. I wonder what treasures that rat's carrying… Hmm, maybe I was wrong. No, no… I pride myself on my detection magic. He's definitely here," the man said, his voice smooth but menacing.
Following his instincts, he scoured the area, finding footprints and broken twigs—clear signs that someone had been there.
"Hoho, I'm not crazy. Someone was here. These tracks prove it. The strange thing is, they end right here. Only explanation is they took flight. But if that were the case, I'd have caught them already. Anyone at my level wouldn't run—so they must be weaker. Just to be sure, I'll summon a scout to search the skies. I'll keep looking on the ground myself."
He closed his hand and whispered a silent command. Blood trickled from his palm, and a crimson gargoyle-like creature materialized with a deep growl.
"Fwoosh!" It shot into the sky.
"Shit, kid!" Ewan warned. "He's not leaving. And he uses summoning magic—that's an airborne scout. If he figures it out, he'll realize we're underground! We must've accidentally stepped into someone's claimed zone!"
"Oh no! So what the hell do we do now? Is there any way out of this shitty situation?"
"Listen up—I've got two plans. One if everything goes to hell, and one we can try now! About four meters down there's a giant ant nest. Those ant monsters are level four beasts—we can't beat them, but I can hide you from them."
"Oh Hide me? In an ant nest?"
"Yup. We drop straight into the egg chamber. I'll cloak you with concealment magic. When that old bastard comes by, he'll think the ants dug this hole and leave. He'll shift focus to the sky. We wait a few days, then sneak back up to the surface."
"Alright, just point me in the right direction—I'll dig."
Carefully, making sure the tunnel didn't collapse, they kept digging down, deeper and deeper, until they broke through into the ant colony. Then, they dug further into the chamber where the eggs were stored—holding their breath as they prepared to hide and wait.