An hour had passed. Han Yu now trudged through the forest in a grievous state, one hand still clamped over the wound in his abdomen. His sole purpose was to hunt an aberrant capable of healing, exactly as Aevum had described. The forest lay shrouded in gloom despite the midday hour, its colossal trees barring every ray of sunlight.
Han Yu sharpened his senses, probing the surroundings. Seventy-eight meters to his left, an anomalous presence pulsed—undeniably an aberrant, yet utterly motionless. Suspicion coiled in his chest. He darted toward it. Upon arrival, confusion struck; not a single aberrant stood in sight.
"Could my detection ability have failed me?" he wondered silently. "Moments ago, I sensed an aberrant here with perfect clarity."
He scanned again. The result mirrored the first—an aberrant lingered in that very spot. A jolt of surprise coursed through him when the presence drew perilously close. Focusing his senses, he visualized its form. Shock widened his eyes: the aberrant was a massive plant, nearly two meters tall, concealed behind a towering tree. As he edged nearer, roots erupted from the soil in a frenzied assault. Han Yu anticipated the strike and evaded it with desperate agility.
"That tree… it lives?"
Bewilderment gripped him. How could a mere tree attack? He had detected no aberrant signature from it. Another approach triggered a blind barrage of roots.
"This tree is no aberrant. The plant behind it radiates the signature—likely the one controlling the tree to strike. Could this be the healer Aevum spoke of?"
Han Yu retreated several paces to maintain distance. This time, he sought to test the aberrant's rumored gift. He manifested an ice sword and laced it with Etherion, forging a blade of lethal strength and edge.
He lunged forward, severing the onslaught of roots—yet his efforts proved futile. The severed tendrils regenerated before his eyes. A thrill of triumph sparked within him; this was the power he desperately needed. But as he prepared another strike, his legs buckled, and he collapsed.
"Damn it! I forgot I'm still wounded… my body is utterly spent," he hissed through clenched teeth.
He struggled to rise, knees trembling. The roots surged anew. Han Yu bit his lip in frustration—before they could reach him, he melted into his shadow. The shadow darted swiftly; the roots grasped only empty air. In an instant, he reemerged behind the great tree, flesh solid once more. His gaze pierced the plant-aberrant before him.
"Troublesome creature. You've truly made this difficult. No wonder—even a Rank D aberrant could kill me in this state," he uttered coldly.
Roots lashed out once more to shield their master, but Han Yu froze them solid with a surge of ice. The backlash struck him hard—blood seeped from his nose, eyes, and ears.
Unobstructed now, he touched the aberrant. Through physical contact, he copied its healing ability.
"You're helpless without your guardian… pathetic!" Han Yu sneered.
With the healing power replicated, several of his wounds began to knit. He smiled at his improving condition. Once more, he forged an ice sword and delivered a lightning-fast slash that diced the aberrant into fragments.
"Farewell—and thank you for the gift," he said, his stare icy upon the mangled remains.
Then he walked away.
"This healing ability is remarkable. I thought it would mend only flesh and bone, but it restores Etherion as well. Though not instantaneous, my stamina will return soon enough."
Moments later, while still navigating the forest, Han Yu sensed a fierce battle. He extended his detection to investigate. Aberrants clashed—this was the first time he had witnessed their kind fighting one another. Curiosity compelled him to observe.
Upon reaching the scene, he scaled a giant tree trunk and merged with its shadow, watching from above. Two aberrants waged war with savage intensity. A colossal spider, eight-eyed and ten meters tall, relentlessly battered its opponent—a two-meter-tall humanoid mantis.
"Is this the extent of your power, Vyralith? You are unworthy to rule this domain!" the spider snarled, grinning as it pressed its assault.
Though the mantis was repeatedly driven back by sheer size, its expression remained serene, enraging the spider further. The arachnid unleashed a blind barrage of webs.
"Do you know, Kalydra, that a praying mantis succeeds in nearly every hunt?" Vyralith evaded and parried every strike with effortless grace.
Hearing both aberrants speak stunned Han Yu.
"That spider can talk? Its form bears no resemblance to a human. Aberrants capable of speech and humanoid shape are usually Luminary Rank A or higher. And that mantis—it toys with its foe. The aura is terrifying." His courage faltered before Vyralith; he knew the true threat lay there.
"The moment I arrived, I merged with the shadow, sinking my body and energy between the real world and the realm of shades. In that state, all traces of my presence—breath, heat, energy—vanish completely. No detection ability or sensor can find me. This serves me well."
Han Yu focused on the duel. Neither combatant yielded. Now Vyralith struck—appearing atop Kalydra in a blur, its scythe-like arms slashing down. Kalydra merely smiled; a web shield blocked the blow from above.
Vyralith reeled in shock at the web's resilience—even Han Yu, watching, could scarcely believe a mere strand withstood such a strike. Vyralith vanished, creating distance. It remained calm, offering a faint smile—then, in a heartbeat, it became four. The sight stunned Kalydra and Han Yu alike.
"Since when could that aberrant multiply into four? So fast—is this cloning, duplication, or something else? Aberrant abilities truly vary wildly," Han Yu murmured, mind racing.
Facing four foes, Kalydra laughed derisively. "Have you run out of ideas, forcing you to duplicate yourself? Pathetic. Numbers alone won't grant you victory!"
Han Yu fixed his gaze on Vyralith, eager to see how the three duplicates would act. Kalydra stayed composed, irking Vyralith slightly. With blinding speed, Vyralith and its three copies charged. Kalydra formed a web shield, but the three duplicates wielded distinct powers—binding chains, raw energy, and paralysis. They struck in perfect unison. One halted Kalydra's movement; another bound it with chains. Then Vyralith and the energy-wielder unleashed simultaneous slashes of pure force. The attack landed cleanly on the immobilized spider.
Han Yu's eyes widened; he had assumed the duplicates were mere decoys. They possessed unique abilities.
"H-how is this possible?! They… have powers?!"
Kalydra reeled in confusion. It had dismissed the copies as useless fakes.
"Did you think them false? How pitiful. As the spider king, you cannot even think broadly. They are me, and I am them. Nothing here is fake—all are real! Naturally, they wield my abilities—powers I have never revealed until now!" Vyralith declared, gazing down upon Kalydra.
"Hah… hahahahaha! Fascinating! You hid your strength well, mantis king. Very well—I won't hold back either!" Kalydra laughed, exhilarated.
Han Yu, still concealed, puzzled over those words. He had thought only Vyralith restrained itself—yet Kalydra had done the same, though he had sensed no such restraint earlier. Questions swirled in his mind.
Vyralith, too, hadn't expected such a response. Panic flickered as it realized Kalydra had never unleashed its full might. It retreated cautiously.
The eight-eyed spider grinned horrifically. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed in an instant, startling Vyralith with its abrupt ferocity.