An entire week had passed by since the big battle, and Damien and Ruyue were making haste towards the mountains they saw in the distance.
There were 50 mountains total in this mountain range, but from their starting point, they only had 5 they could choose from. With their time in this danger zone limited to 7 months maximum, it'd be difficult to fully explore more than two of these behemoths, and that's if they completely abandoned their plans to visit the massive tree in the center.
At first, the two of them considered moving towards the central area and choosing a mountain among those there to climb, but they quickly discarded the thought. Just like human society, the central region would be where the most powerhouses were gathered.
Although it was rumored that there were 3000 Beast Kings residing in the mountain range, their positions were never mentioned. While it would've been nice if they were evenly spread out among the mountains, with 60 of them on each, that was nothing more than a dream.
With these thoughts in mind, the two headed towards the farthest mountain within their perception range. The decision wasn't random though. They were able to at least get a baseline read on the terrain of each mountain from the ecosystems they could see at a glance.
The 5th mountain happened to be covered in ice and snow, creating a beautiful scenery. Damien didn't have a strict elemental requirement for his training, while Ruyue would benefit immensely from the frosty atmosphere, so it ended up being the best choice.
As they traveled, they were constantly besieged by beasts from all sides, though the battles never reached the scale of their very first one within the mountain range. Instead, it was mainly just small groups of beasts that saw them as easy prey and ended up being demolished.
The duo did their best to use as little mana as possible as they fought, knowing that they had to constantly be wary. No matter how inferior these beasts were, they were still at 3rd class. Even if the ones they had run into so far had been trash, there was no saying that every single beast would be the same.
Their cautiousness didn't seem to be necessary though, as even by the time they finally reached the base of the mountain, they had met not a single worthy beast.
Now, however, it'd be different. The massive mountain in front of them was filled with icy trees that seemed to be made of glass and plants of the same nature. The flora seemed like it would shatter at a mere touch. But when Damien actually pushed his hand against it, he realized it was a facade.
In reality, the trunks of these trees were incredibly dense, and the second his hand touched its surface, a layer of permafrost began to cover it. If he had been any weaker, he might've been forced to amputate his entire hand from his careless action.
"Damn, even the environment is so ruthless," Damien commented with a wary tone.
"Why are you speaking as if you're scared while smiling like an idiot? It's creepy." Ruyue quipped back.
"Eh?" Damien brought his hand up to his face and touched his lips. He truly had been smiling.
"You didn't know? It's not just right now, you've had a smile on your face since you found out that Zara was okay."
Damien furrowed his brows at her words. Why had he been smiling like that for no reason? 'Well, it's not like it really matters. If I smile, I smile. I have no worries so it's only natural, right?'
He tried to convince himself inwardly, but even he didn't believe such a lame excuse. Truthfully, he just didn't want to admit to himself the reason.
'No. I have to stay true to myself. If I keep acting like a wuss and running away from my problems, I'll never change for the better.
He knew the reason behind his smile. He had known ever since that massive battle what the reason for his giddiness was.
He had lost his edge over the years. It had started on Apeiron, but became even more pronounced after he healed his mother successfully. He had lost that certain feeling that made him the person he was.
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Whenever he thought back on the dungeon, he would always do so in the context of "wow, that was a shitty time compared to now" and he reveled in the fact that he escaped.
But it only took a single battle to bring him back to reality.
This environment was a lot like the dungeon. It was more expansive and definitely more mysterious, but the atmosphere was entirely similar. This kind of ruthless killing environment where it was every man for himself, if he was being completely honest, he missed it.
But many of his memories from the dungeon had been repressed. He knew of it, but didn't try to pry open that side of himself because he was mildly afraid of what would happen.
It wasn't the personality he developed back then that left a spot, but rather the experience he had in the blood world.
When he was trapped in his own consciousness while his body was being controlled by his bestial instinct, he was terrified. He was forced to mature in some ways, but remained the boy he was in others.
This kind of change was extremely disconcerting for his mind, making him unable to properly establish a sense of self, so when he recovered from that state, the memories became blurry.
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That wasn't to say he didn't remember it, he remembered it clearly. Instead, it was as if the negativity tied to those memories had been dispersed and sealed away.
And even now he feared his bestial instincts. But at the same time, he missed them. His metaphorical blade had been dulled through his travels that weren't wrought with true danger. Even when he fought intense battles, they were usually against people who weren't enemies.
But now, he was left in such a situation as he was in now. And he ended up smiling. Smiling at the prospect of regaining his former self, his true self. The self that had been untouched by the niceties of the outside world.
He hoped he could regain some of those qualities, but he knew he couldn't keep all of them.
After all, he didn't want to go back to being socially inept and pretending to be a cultivation novel main character. That was extremely embarrassing in hindsight. Also, he had true relationships that he wanted to keep.
It was for similar reasons that he had neglected the Void Heart Sword Law. His travels with Ruyue had helped him clear some emotional burdens that had been weighing down on him. Now, becoming emotionless didn't have the same appeal as it did a few months ago.
He had already decided to stop running away under the soft moonlight of that night in the forest, and he was planning to stick to that promise.
His power would not be influenced by his instability. And it wasn't a prison that would accomplish that, but his own efforts.
Now that he had thought about all of this, he figured that having Ruyue here with him was a sort of blessing in disguise. Perhaps, her presence would mean he could gain an equilibrium in his shifty personality and become the person he truly wanted to be.
His contemplation didn't last that long, as he and Ruyue were still at the base of the mountain, but it had been enough. It cleared away some doubts that he had been having and allowed his thoughts to once again roam free.
Looking at Ruyue, his smile became a bit gentler. "Shall we head up the mountain now?"
Although she was surprised by his suddenness, she didn't pay it much thought. She was also itching to see what was in store for them.