Chapter 53: No Way Out But Forward!
Reon stood frozen for a moment, his heart racing as the heavy stone door sealed behind them.
"What the hell just happened?" he breathed, eyes wide with disbelief. His gaze darted around the chamber, taking in the flickering light.
"This is it, then," he muttered, a mix of exhilaration and dread churning in his stomach. "No way out but forward."
Cloudia's low growl broke through his thoughts, snapping him back to the present. He turned to her, a newfound determination sparking in his eyes.
"Well, I guess it's time to face whatever this place has in store for us." With that, Reon took a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenges that lay ahead.
He had come to face the guardian of this cave—the powerful presence he could feel thrumming through the stone itself. Reon steadied himself, feeling the weight of unseen eyes watching his every move.
Suddenly, a crisp notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! The Host has awakened Instinctual Awareness from successfully dodging the traps in the narrow passage.]
Reon's eyes widened in disbelief as he glanced at the translucent panel floating before him. Instinctual Awareness—the first level of instinct, the Initial Awakening.
He had unlocked a hidden potential, one that most cultivators only dreamed of achieving. Even the protagonist, Yang Lie, had only awakened it after becoming an Inner Sect disciple.
This skill could be his greatest ally in the trials ahead, a safeguard against unseen threats and a guide through unknown dangers.
He quickly absorbed the information appearing in his mind. At this early stage, a cultivator experiences the first hints of instinctual awareness.
It wasn't a skill to be called upon consciously, but rather a sharpening of the senses—a "gut feeling" that whispered of nearby danger, hidden pathways, or latent power sources.
At times, it would come as a brief flash of clarity, the kind of intuitive leap that could mean the difference between life and death.
With Instinctual Awareness, Reon would be able to sense nearby enemies, detect malicious intentions.
It was a rare gift and a perfect advantage for someone like him. After all, without memories of Xue Taiyang, his former self, he didn't fully recognize the faces of old foes. This heightened awareness could help him identify threats by their hostile energy alone.
Reon's gaze settled on the center of the cavern, where a dull, pulsing energy seemed to concentrate.
He stepped forward, cautiously examining his surroundings. The chamber was vast, almost barren except for a scattering of faint carvings on the walls.
There were no visible doors to lead them further. For a moment, he questioned how he would proceed, but suddenly, his new instinct pulsed, nudging him to remain still, and in that moment.
The cavern responded three doors appeared in front of him and Cloudia, emerging seamlessly from the stone.
The two smaller doors on either side were unadorned, but the central door was larger, looming with an almost regal menace.
As Reon instinctively gripped his sword tighter, dozens of demonic beasts began pouring from the two smaller doors.
Each was a high-ranked demonic beast, their eyes glowing with predatory intent, filling the air with an oppressive aura.
"Is this… the power of Instinctual Awareness?" Reon muttered, feeling a rush of both dread and thrill.
Cloudia was already in motion, slipping between the beasts like smoke. Her Mist Illusion ability cloaked her figure in a shroud of vapor, obscuring her from the creatures' sight.
She moved with deadly precision, weaving in and out of the throng as if guided by an invisible hand.
One by one, she took them down with swift, precise strikes, her movements deadly and graceful, dispatching each beast with ease despite their numbers.
Meanwhile, a deep, rhythmic pulsing sound filled the cavern, instinctively drawing Reon's attention toward the massive central door.
Beyond it, he sensed a presence—a raw, immense energy that made even the high-ranked demonic beasts seem insignificant.
It was intense, and brimming with power, a force far greater than anything he had faced before.
This was no ordinary demonic beast; it was something otherworldly, a creature whose strength radiated through the cave walls and seemed to reach into his very bones.
Reon took a steadying breath, knowing that the true test lay beyond that massive door. The fierce energy beyond it pulsed, beckoning him forward with a challenge he could not ignore.
After Cloudia dispatched the majority of the demonic beasts with her swift and deadly precision, Reon stepped in to help her finish off the last few stragglers.
The fight was over quickly, and he took a moment to gather the corpses of each fallen beast, storing them carefully in his spatial ring.
With a faint shimmer, they vanished, leaving only the vast chamber and the looming presence that awaited them beyond the massive door.
Reon and Cloudia moved toward the large central door, which towered over them like a monolithic wall, almost as tall as a five-story building from Earth.
Its surface was adorned with intricate carvings—symbols of power that seemed to pulse faintly as they drew near.
Together, Reon and Cloudia pressed their weight against the door. It resisted at first, creaking under their combined effort, as if it hadn't been opened in ages.
But with a final, determined shove, it gave way, swinging open to reveal the hidden depths within.
As he stepped inside, Reon's eyes widened in astonishment.