Land Beyond The Mist

Neo heard the splashing of water.

"...It's a river."

He got down from the corpse and gulped.

His body was covered in blood.

Back in the beach, the Gulwaks became frenzied due to his blood.

If he didn't wash himself, he did not know what he might attract.

Just thinking of facing multiple mantis monsters was enough to make him search for the river.

He moved through the mist.

His body was crying in pain.

The healing seemed to have disappeared with the blessing.

"This damned body…"

Using five stacks of Necrotic Touch and Ocean's Embrace left him with less than half of his Divine Energy.

He would regain the Divine Energy slowly in normal situations.

But it wasn't possible anymore.

Because he hadn't eaten anything.

Divine Energy came from the God Blood flowing in a demigod's veins. It replenished by consuming food.

Breathing Divine Energy rich air might help, but it would still take a long time.

Neo noticed the mist thinning.

He hurried his steps and came out of the white fog.

The forest was full of large, ancient trees with thick vines falling from their high branches.

Clouds floated in the sky.

Only then did Neo realize he had no problem with his vision even though Underworld was under a perpetual night.

The forest was silent save for the noise of the river.

He reached the bank with a heavy breath.

The river, full of blood red water, looked ominous to say the least.

Neo slowly lowered his hand and dipped it.

Nothing happened.

The water was not harmful to skin at least.

He removed his clothes and washed himself.

After rubbing himself thoroughly, he tore his jacket and tied it around the wound on his chest and the shoulder.

It stung.

He stared at the reflection in the water.

His cheek healed and the bleeding stopped before he lost the blessing.

But his right ear never regenerated.

The tips of three fingers of his left hand were crushed. He could hold a weapon but his grip was weak.

His shoulder had bite marks.

He was wondering if it might get infected as he had no medications.

His chest's injury, a gash from the top left shoulder to the right waist, was the lightest wound.

It looked vicious, but it barely hurt.

"It would've better it have been if I used the Ocean's Embrace from the beginning."

His low mastery of the Spell was the reason it took him long to active the Spell.

At least, it didn't fail like his first time with Necrotic Touch.

After getting out of the river, he sat under a nearby tree.

He focused inwards and checked the information Barbatos left him.

It was knowledge of how to use Darkness element.

Underworld was where Dark-type elements were present in high concentration.

After spending a long time in Underworld, the souls get tainted by these elements.

The Darkness element had the property to "devour".

Darkness was a colour that took the colors from others and painted them into its colour.

Similarly, those tainted by Darkness, or with an affinity for it, could absorb other souls/body into themselves.

Depending on the mastery and luck, they could gain stats, skills and more from the consumed objects.

It was why the number of souls in Underworld did not overflow.

They consumed each other and kept growing stronger for eons.

Neo had to do the same.

If wanted to survive Barbatos' training, he needed to devour his enemies.

His emotions were calm, but his mind told him it was wrong.

Until a few weeks ago, he was a normal person. He shouldn't accept something like this so easily.

But another part of his mind rationalized his thoughts.

Anyone who spends too much time in Underworld is consumed by insanity.

The monsters were no longer their previous self.

They were now just monsters.

The mantis he fought—

…!

Suddenly, tremors appeared.

They increased in intensity.

The silent forest shook loudly.

"Do earthquakes exist in Underworld…."

Neo could not complete his words.

They were struck in his throat.

He felt it.

The source of tremor was moving towards him.

And.

His senses were crying.

His death affinity warned him.

The thing approaching him was strong.

As strong as Elizabeth, if not stronger.

"An Exalted Demigod…."

The tremors stopped and a huge shadow that seemed to cover the sky fell over Neo.

He didn't move, he didn't breathe, and he didn't run.

He did his best to hide by trying to melt into the surroundings.

The strongest beings in the world of livings.

They were Exalted Demigod.

There was no way he could do anything against someone who was as strong as Exalted Demigod.

Neo did not raise his head.

He waited.

Time passed.

One second, two second, three second….

A huge hand came down from the sky and gouged out the river.

Silence returned.

Neo, fearful, raised his head.

He couldn't believe what he saw.

A humongous humanoid being, someone so giant his torso pierced the clouds, was the source of his death affinity's warnings.

The being drank the river it scooped into its palm.

"My blood… is it trying to drink the blood I washed into the river…?"

Neo recalled Barbatos' words.

His blood was a nectar.

It called out an Exalted Demigod to his location.

The giant finished drinking.

It didn't leave and stood there.

'Is it searching for me?'

Neo could feel his heart thumping crazily.

His Death Affinity was warning him.

Suddenly, everything went silent.

The warnings disappeared.

Tremors appeared. The giant covered an unimaginable distance with each step and left.

Neo lost strength in his legs.

He fell.

He was breathing heavily.

"Damn… that was scary…"

He stood up when the gouged out land began to refill with the help of the flowing river.

"...I'll consume the mantis corpse."

The encounter with the giant straightened his thoughts.

In Underworld, his morals would not protect him.

He couldn't hesitate.

Getting stronger was the bare minimum if he wanted to survive.