Rex stared ahead.
He couldn’t lie—he was interested in these Shade Crawlers.
In the Spirit Realm, his pack members are only Kraken, One, and Mira.
One was still roaming around in the Black Rift since he couldn’t bring it with him to the Duke’s abode.
Mira was inaccessible for him to use since she’s stronger than him, thus he couldn’t have her do what he wanted. Also, there’s a political barrier between them—now that he is Princess Davina’s fiancé, one that he couldn’t stave off easily.
So, the idea of having more pack members was tempting.
Especially one who was already strong and a Werewolf like these Shade Crawlers.
System, can I make that happen as I am?
<Yes.>
<As long as the user successfully completes—the transformation procedure on the Shade Crawlers, they will be unable to resist the influence of the Silverstar Mark. However, similar to the user’s most recent pack addition, Mira, the user will not possess command authority equivalent to that over a Beta-pack member.>
Rex read this and narrowed his eyes.
He was realizing something.
How do I possess the command authority over her?
<In order to have authority, the user will need to be acknowledged as an Alpha by her.>
And how do I do that?
<A contest of strength—the user will need to be stronger than her in order to be acknowledged.>
Rex was hoping for something else, but it seemed his suspicion was correct.
He’s not a normal Werewolf due to the System, but he couldn’t be all different from a normal Werewolf.
A simple rule of a pack still bound him: only the strong rule.
And to be acknowledged as an Alpha, he has to become stronger than Mira.
It confirmed his suspicion.
Mira is influenced—by the Silverstar Mark, yes, and she desires to be close to him, but Rex doesn’t have a true connection with her yet. At least not like the connection he shared with the others he had turned in the Mortal realm.
Back when he turned Adhara, Kyran, or even Evelyn, the connection was instantaneous.
But with Mira, it wasn’t.
Now he realized the reason.
It was because back then, when he turned the others, all of them were weaker than Rex.
Flunra was the same.
He turned Flunra right after he got the Blood Moon King Mark; thus, the connection was instant.
Mira, on the other hand, is a lot stronger than he is.
So, the connection was faint.
And if he were somehow able to turn the Shade Crawlers, it would be the same thing.
But still, he wanted to try.
Like Flunra, I can put a weakening rune on them and make them obedient. I need to know more.
Rex’s eyes flickered with intention as he gazed ahead.
He was determined to have the Shade Crawlers as his pack members.
Since he was in an unfamiliar realm, danger could practically come—at any time, and having the Shade Crawlers as his backup will certainly help, or at least give him peace of mind. But first, he needed to know exactly what the Shade Crawlers were.
System, do you have any information about them?
<Yes.>
What are they?
<Does the user want to purchase the complete information about Shade Crawlers for 10 million gold?>
10 million gold? So damn expensive. Fine, tell me what they are without giving important details.
<Does the user want to purchase the redacted information about Shade Crawlers for 1 million gold?>
Just take the gold and tell me.
Since Rex got gold from killing the Voidal Prince, he has gold to spare.
Even though this wasn’t a priority right now, he could spare a million for possible future allies.
<Affirmative.>
<…>
<The Shade Crawlers are Werewolves of the Spirit Realm, which have adapted to the minimal moonlight the realm received because of the Black Rift, altering their powers and anatomy. Although the minimal moonlight made them level-headed, the voidal energy surrounding them all the time made them retain the temper of a Werewolf.>
<Unlike Werewolves in general, Shade Crawlers have no packs and recognize no Alpha. Instead, they’re guided by a single Shaman who offers vision and purpose. But by nature, they are lone predators. In the Black Rift, grouping up is a liability, so their way of life has adapted accordingly.>
<In simple terms, the Shaman leads, and every Shade Crawler is an Alpha without a pack.>
Rex read through the answer with great interest.
Adapted…? Is that what those veins are? A product of their adaptation to the Black Rift?
Earlier, Rex recalled one of the Shade Crawlers possessing silvery veins that glowed as it was about to make a move. And oddly enough, the moonlight that it siphoned came from those veins, not from the actual moon above.
It must be the anatomical change that the System mentioned.
Also, it was probably the cause that made the Shade Crawlers different from most beings in this realm.
Not a Voidal Monster and also not a Spirit.
A unique species.
Moreover, it was surprising to know that these Shade Crawlers are all considered Alphas by the System.
Of course, the System was referring to their capabilities as being Alpha-esque. Now I’m more interested.
Rumble!
Rex anchored himself when the ground suddenly shook.
He heard a roar coming from the Voidal Monarch, and also slithering movements from the dark some.
It seemed the Voidal Monarch was able to keep the Shade Crawlers away long enough for the Voidal Prince to resurrect. Perhaps sensing the incoming powerful individuals, the Voidal Monarch became berserk and fought the Shade Crawlers harder.
Now, the two of them were on the move again.
Fortunately for Rex, they weren’t heading for Lorayah Village anymore, so he was in the clear.
But then, his eyes widened when a movement came from the dark smoke.
Abras saw it too, and he immediately ran towards Rex to take cover.
It was a massive tail.
Swoosh!
Rex’s eyes widened as a tail burst from the shroud of dark smoke—the tail of the Voidal Prince, lashing straight toward him. Even before it struck, the sheer pressure of the voidal energy coating it made his skin prickle and his breath hitched.
It was far more than he could endure.
Even when he was at full strength, he wouldn’t be able to block this whip.
Fuck, it’s leaving, but it still decided to do this?! I killed you, yes, but you can resurrect you damn snake!
No need to be petty!
Rex crossed his arms to brace for impact and used the golden halo to protect himself.
But as the tail grew closer, he grew increasingly worried.
He’s still a measly Master Immortal Spirit 1, far from the level of a Voidal Prince like the dragon snake.
I’m going to be crushed, but I should still be able to survive.
BAM!
Rex heard the deafening crash of impact and instinctively braced himself, fully expecting his body to be wrecked, bones shattered into pieces. But as a second passed, he didn’t feel any pain. He looked up and saw the Voidal Prince’s tail sweeping over him, veering off course as if something had knocked it aside at the last moment.
As he looked back down, he saw Princess Davina.
Her translucent emerald cloak covered her entire body as she blocked the whipping tail.
Moments earlier.
Princess Davina was hovering above the clouds as she escaped the Voidal Monarch’s senses.
Since Rex insisted on dying, she wasn’t going to tell him what to do.
But even so, as she waited until the Voidal Monarch came to pass, she grew increasingly troubled.
It was only because of the heat of the moment.
Leaving Rex to die did trouble her, of course it did, but in the heat of the moment, her anger burned a lot hotter than her reason and guilt. “I was trying to help him survive, and he shouted at me—like I was the one being unreasonable. Let him feel the consequences of his own stubbornness.”
Princess Davina said that to no one but herself.
Her voice wavered.
Clearly, she was convincing herself that leaving Rex to die was the right thing to do.
She didn’t understand why Rex would go to such lengths as to risk his own life to protect Kaelthar.
As long as he remains alive, there will always be another chance in the future.
But he persisted.
And that made her feel conflicted.
Princess Davina crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
She remained silent, but eventually, she gestured for Esmeravon to go down.
It has been a couple of minutes already, so the Voidal Monarch should’ve passed the village.
For the first time, she felt as though descending through the clouds took longer than it should.
She didn’t know what awaited her when she emerged on the other side.
For all she knows, Rex could’ve died already.
Once she emerged and went down enough to see what was happening, a frown crept to her face when she couldn’t find Rex anywhere. In his spot, there was only Abras, standing stiffly as if he were in a trance, not moving a muscle.
Princess Davina thought that the Voidal Monarch’s power paralyzed him.
But turns out, he seemed to be stunned by something else.
‘He’s looking ahead. Did Rex go to confront the Voidal Monarch on his own? Is he crazy?’
Soon enough, a blast happened within the shroud of the dark smoke.
One that was so powerful that even Esmeravon was thrown off balance by the shockwave, forcing the princess to cling to her until she stabilized. And in that brief flash—when the explosion lit up the dark smoke, Princess Davina caught a glimpse of Rex in there.
He was fighting a snake monster.
And the shockwave originated from him.
Also, the sound of a hard thud showed that the blast had at least knocked the dragon snake down.
‘Wait, that thing looked familiar. Is that the Voidal Prince?’
Princess Davina frowned as that snake monster looked suspiciously like the dragon snake she had fought.
But since she couldn’t sense its aura, there must really be a Voidal Monarch in there.
After the blast, she saw Rex being thrown out of the dark smoke.
He was battered, but there doesn’t seem to be any vicious wounds that he suffered from the fight.
“How…? How is he able to do that?”
Princess Davina was incredulous as to how Rex, who was merely a Master Immortal Spirit 1 rank, could make such a blast and even knock a Voidal Prince down. It doesn’t make sense, but the proof was in front of her—there’s no denying it.
And when the Voidal Prince was about to slither away, her body eased.
‘He really gets what he wants. I can’t blame him for being that confident.’
…
Rex looked at Princess Davina without any emotion.
He only stared at her with a blank gaze.
For a second, Princess Davina was caught off guard by his reaction.
He should’ve been grateful that she protected him from that whip, but he didn’t look grateful.
Before she could say anything, Rex had already beaten her to it.
“Now, we’re even.”
As soon as he said that, he turned and headed back to Lorayah City.
He didn’t forget to kick Abras along the way for taking cover behind, using him as a shield.
On the other hand, Princess Davina looked at him with a raised brow.
“Even…?” She repeated with confusion. “What did he mean, even? Is it because of earlier?”
Moments later.
Rex returned to the dark chamber where Kaelthar was.
He looked upward, making sure that nobody was watching him, and then groaned in pain.
Both of his legs buckled beneath him—the pressure radiating from the Voidal Monarch earlier was very destructive and suffocating. His Spiritual Vein was clogged, choked by the sheer concentration of voidal energy he had been exposed to, and his body was already in disarray from the suppression.
Even now, he was suffering the residual effects.
His breath was shallow, his ears rang with a dull hum, and his vision blurred at the edges.
It was painful and exhausting, but Rex couldn’t stop.
He must keep going.
He couldn’t afford to be soft to himself.
So, with great struggle, he stood up and began to undo the Spirit Genesis within the chamber.
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