CHAPTER 63 THE RUMOURS

"Thanks for bringing us here, Blake; ugh, my body is screaming in pain," Cleo states as he stretches his back.

"Are you that injured yesterday?" Blake was surprised that there was some long-lasting pain caused by the injuries yesterday.

"No, it is because we skipped our meal; our body has to pay for the price." Cleo shakes his head as his stomach starts grumbling.

"Right! Wait for me; I will bring you your food. The two of you need to be full before our turn starts; after all, there are only three of us that are capable of fighting." Blake hurriedly left to order their food.

Carefree frowns; she cannot help but ask.

"Is that Aphrixian still afraid of venturing into the Howling Cave?"

Aranold was still lying like a dead person; the only person that could talk right now was Cleo. Marionette went with Blake to order her and her friend's food.

"Yes, I might not blame him for being afraid, but he is not doing anything to solve his problem; this causes the three of us to carry the burden of fighting against our opponents," he explains with a rather helpless expression.

Carefree snorts; she dislikes this type of person, shaking her head in disappointment. She can only change the topic to avoid getting more dissatisfied.

"Is it true that the two of you have been going repeatedly inside the Nightmare Valley during these past few days?"

He nods.

With his answer, her eyes started shining, and she quickly asked him.

"Did the level of the Nightmare Valley decrease? Is it no longer as dangerous as the other forbidden grounds? What kind of creatures were inside? How many times did the two of you enter the valley? Is there any secret passageway that you used to safely travel back and forth?"

Seeing that she is not stopping, he quickly waves her hand and says,.

"One question! One question at a time, please. Both Aranold and I are drained right now. Our strength might have increased exponentially, but the energy we needed had also increased drastically, causing the two of us to be in a constant state of hunger."

Carefree realising her loss of composure blushes, she bows her head and apologises to him.

"I am sorry; it is just that the forbidden grounds are considered the perfect training ground for us top rankers. Hearing that the two of you had been using the Nightmare Valley as a place for practice causes nearly all the top rankers to want to enter themselves."

Cleo had a look of realisation after hearing this; he finally realised why there are now multiple individuals from different races coming and going inside the valley.

He smiles bitterly and shakes his head.

"So it is our fault that many of the students have perished inside the valley. *Sigh* I wish that they had not underestimated the danger the valley possesses."

He solemnly faces his friend and warns her.

"Unless you have the same ability as Aranold and I, do not enter the Nightmare Valley; only those that have the ability to nullify or absorb your energy are capable of entering the valley. Also, if you have friends that are still interested in entering, tell them not to underestimate the undeads and not to go to the forest of doom."

"What do you mean by forest of doom?" Startled, Carefree hurriedly asks.

"This is the name that I had given this place; before the two of us were capable of travelling on our own, I had asked someone to help us survive inside."

"Who did you ask for help?" Entering a forbidden ground is considered one of the most dangerous tasks, yet someone dared to go inside because Cleo had asked them to help him and Aranold.

"Gold Ranker, one of the Golden Buddhas, goes by the title, Wild Monk."

Her eyes widen. The title Wild Monk is well known in the circles of the top rankers, and she cannot believe that her friend managed to persuade such a person to join them in their perilous journey.

"Even with her help, we still nearly died multiple times, but we managed to survive by fighting back, but the forest of doom is different." His explanation was cut off by a voice.

"In the forest of doom, we encountered a monster that is as strong as the Aces; it might even be more powerful than some of them. We were helpless, but fortunately for the three of us, we managed to barely escape. I still think that it was not some strike of luck, as I had sensed the monster fighting another individual, but that person did not last long before getting destroyed, and my psychic sense is unable to fully see the situation with the monster's suppression."

Cleo turns and sees Diamond approaching their table. His eyes light up, but inwardly, he is shocked by her words. It seems that she has managed to catch a glimpse of Leo.

"Wild Monk!" Carefree instantly recognised her; she is one of her targets. According to the rumours, Diamond is one of the individuals that are going to join the Aces. After some Aces graduate and enter the second realm, they will leave their position and enter a different academy.

"Diamond! It is nice to see you again. I heard from brother Pure that you had entered a secluded mediation; had you broken through your bottleneck?" He quickly asked.

Diamond smiles; she is truly happy with the experience that she has gained since joining the two on their journey into the Nightmare Valley.

"Yes, I am now going to apply for a leave in order to gain more supernatural gene enhancement; when I return, I am definitely going to become one of the Aces!" She proudly announces.

"Bold words from a naive girl! Last time I had seen you, you were still inexperienced in the ways of true combat, but it seems that you had shed this innocence, but in your current state, you are still below us!" Yesha shows herself as she immediately locks on Cleo; she will not let him escape.