The afternoon sun barely penetrated Blackspine Valley's dense canopy, casting dappled shadows that shifted like living things as Ella and Samuel pressed deeper into the wilderness.
The corpse of the shadow wolf lay far behind them, a stark reminder of of the valley's cruelty—and of Ella's growing mastery over her psyche power.
Her mana hummed in harmony with her soul now, the 65% conversion rate feeling less like a limitation and more like a foundation, the remaining 35% (once wasted, now harnessed) fueling her psyche's sharp edge.
Samuel led the way, his boots crunching over fallen pine needles, his eyes scanning the rocks and underbrush for signs of danger.
"Vine serpents are most active at dusk," he muttered, tapping the map again. "We need to reach the northern clearing before sunset—higher ground, fewer places to hide."
Ella nodded, her psyche spreading outward in a wider net. She'd unlocked the new "Psyche Lure" skill after defeating the wolf, and already she'd tested it—drawing a small, harmless mana hare into the open to confirm its effect.
It was subtle, a faint pulse of psyche power that mimicked the aura of a weak, wounded beast, and it would be invaluable for flushing out hidden predators.
But now, her focus was on detection, not deception.
She could feel the valley's magic growing thicker, wilder—raw mana swirling in eddies, tainted by the same Nether energy that clung to Leah.
"Something's off," she said suddenly, her steps slowing. "The forest is too quiet. No birds, no insects—even the wind stopped."
Samuel froze, his hand dropping to his sword hilt. "Vine serpents.
They can manipulate plant life to muffle sound. We're in their territory."
Before he could finish, the ground rumbled.
The rocks beside them shuddered, and thick, thorny vines erupted from the soil, coiling upward like angry snakes.
They moved with unnatural speed, their thorns glinting with a viscous, green venom that reeked of Nether taint—exactly like the scrolls had described.
"Move!" Samuel shouted, swinging his sword to slice through a vine that lunged for Ella's ankle.
The blade cut through the plant's flesh, oozing a black, sticky sap, but more vines erupted to take its place, weaving a wall around them, trapping them in a circle of thorns.
Ella summoned her psyche power, silver light flickering at her fingertips, but she hesitated.
The scrolls warned that vine serpents didn't hunt alone—they were pack creatures, using their vines to corner prey before striking. If she wasted power on the vines, she'd be defenseless against the serpents themselves.
"Find the core!" she yelled to Samuel, her eyes darting across the writhing green mass.
"The main serpent controls the vines—kill it, and the rest will fall!"
Samuel nodded, his sword moving in a blur as he parried another vine. "It's hiding in the rocks to the west! I can see its mana signature!"
Ella's psyche locked onto it—a large, coiled shape nestled in a crevice, its mana thrumming like a drum.
The serpent was massive, easily twice Samuel's length, its scales a deep, forest green that blended seamlessly with the rocks, its eyes glowing yellow with hunger.
It hissed, a sound like steam escaping, and the vines tightened, their thorns pricking at Ella's arms through her cloak.
She didn't have time to hesitate. She channeled her psyche power into a concentrated beam, sharper than any blade, and aimed it at the serpent's core—the soft, unarmored spot just behind its eyes.
But the serpent was faster, twisting its body to dodge, and the beam struck the rock beside it, sending shards flying.
"Psyche Lure!" Ella shouted, activating the new skill. She sent a faint pulse of power toward the clearing Samuel had mentioned—weak, tempting, like a wounded beast's mana.
"Draw it out!"
The serpent hissed again, confused, but its hunger won out. It slithered out of the crevice, of the crevice, its body gliding over the rocks, the vines moving with it, narrowing the circle.
Samuel lunged, his sword aiming for the serpent's neck, but the beast reared back, its jaws gaping to reveal fangs dripping with venom.
That was Ella's chance.
She focused every ounce of her psyche power, merging it with the faint mana she'd learned to control, and unleashed a dual strike—silver psyche energy coiled around a thin thread of golden mana, a combination no beast in Blackspine had ever faced.
It struck the serpent's core dead-on.
A ear-splitting shriek echoed through the valley. The serpent's body convulsed, its scales shimmering as its mana collapsed.
The vines went limp, falling to the ground like dead rope, their thorns losing their venomous glow. The serpent crumpled, its yellow eyes fading to gray, and lay still.
Ella collapsed to one knee, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her psyche power felt drained, but not empty—like a muscle that had been worked hard, growing stronger with use. She could feel it already regenerating, faster than before, her soul absorbing the valley's wild mana to replenish what she'd spent.
Samuel knelt beside her, offering a hand. "You did it. That's two high-rank beasts." His voice held a new respect, not just for her power, but for her strategy—using the lure, combining psyche and mana, outthinking the serpent instead of just overpowering it.
Ella took his hand, pulling herself up, and grinned. "Two down. One to go." She glanced toward the setting sun, its orange light painting the tops of the trees. "We need to reach that clearing before dark. Who knows what hunts at night?"
As they stepped over the serpent's body, the system's chime sounded in her mind:
[DING!]
[Trial of the Blackspine Valley – First Objective Progress: 2/3 High-Rank Beasts Defeated]
[Psyche Power Level Increased: Lv.2 (Max)]
[Mana Conversion Rate Permanently Boosted: 70%]
[New Skill Unlocked: Psyche-Mana Fusion – Merge psyche power with mana for amplified, dual-element attacks]
Ella's eyes widened. 70% conversion rate—finally, half of her once-wasted mana was fully under her control. And the new fusion skill? It would make her next fight, whatever it was, that much easier.
But as they walked toward the clearing, Ella's psyche prickled again.
Not the sharp, focused danger of the wolf or serpent—something deeper, darker, more ancient. She glanced at Samuel, who had also tensed, his hand back on his sword.
"The void stag," he whispered. "It's nearby. I can feel its mana—cold, empty, like a black hole."
Ella nodded, her grin fading into a determined frown. The final trial. The most dangerous beast in Blackspine Valley.
And when she defeated it, she would not just survive—she would become unstoppable.
The sun dipped below the horizon, and the valley fell into darkness. Somewhere in the shadows, the void stag waited.
And so did Ella.