“Are you sure it’s the direction?”
“I’m sure. It’s right ahead.” Claire answered weakly.
Aleen frowned briefly. He was not sure if their plan was a good one, but it was worth trying.
Moreover, they did not have many options.
When Claire woke up, she told Aleen that she knew where the only level-three monster in this game was. Moreover, according to her, they would not be attacked by any monster during the rest of the game, including the level-three.
Aleen was curious about the source of her confidence, but he had the feeling that it had to do with the bird that attacked the fog. After all, they had not been attacked by monsters from then.
When he asked Claire, she told him that the bird was the creature that was living inside her. Apparently, it had intimidated the fog and most of the other monsters when it attacked, so the monsters did not dare to come near it.
Aleen thought that it was incredible, but he did not want to trust the effects of the intimidation too much. After all, maybe there was a monster that did not fear the bird.
Unfortunately, he had to bet their lives on the intimidation being as useful as Claire said.
“is it not better if you make the bird appear again? If it’s so strong as to intimidate a level-three monster easily, then it’s probably strong enough to kill one too, right?” Aleen asked.
“This…” Claire hesitated for a while and fell deep in thoughts. It seemed as though she was speaking with someone. Aleen knew it was probably the bird. “It can, but according to it, my body cannot resist too much of its power. At most, it can attack once at 20% of its strength, but I’ll be gravely injured after it.”
Aleen fell silent hearing it.
“Don’t worry, I granted you a bit of the bird’s aura, so you probably will be safe later. Besides, I can use the bird’s true power in case of an emergency.” Claire smiled softly.
Aleen nodded in understating.
He then concentrated on the path ahead and continued advancing. He also kept a watch of their surroundings to knows instantly if one of the level-three catches up with them.
Finally, after running another kilometer, they reached their destination.
“Is it here?” Asked Aleen.
“Yes.” Claire answered without hesitation. “Their core is here. It’s also the place where it’s at its strongest.”
Aleen nodded in consent. He then put Claire down and sat in the ground to meditate and recover his mana. “I hope the plan works.”
“It will.” Claire declared confidently and too sat cross-legged to adjust her condition. They had to be in their strongest state if they wanted to beat their pursuers.
Aleen and Claire did their best to get their bodies in optimal condition and prepared for the coming battle. They knew that their odds of victory were low, but precisely because of it, they had to give their all.
Finally, after resting for ten minutes, they heard the sound of footsteps.
A blue-skinned man wearing a long robe walked out the fog and looked at them with an indifferent. “Are you not going to continue running?”
Aleen opened his eyes and looked firmly at the man. “What is the use of running? We know you will catch up with us sooner or later, so it’s better if we prepare ourselves to fight a decisive battle and search for a path of survival amidst the danger.”
“A wise choice.” The dran replied. “But unfortunately useless. I’m sorry, but you two had zero hopes of surviving past today. Of course, if the girl agrees to go with me, I’ll let you go, what do you think?” The dran stared at Aleen seriously.
“I’m sorry, I will not sacrifice my sister.” Aleen replied without hesitation.
“I see. A shame.” The dran shook his head with a look of pity and let out a sigh.
Aleen then stood up and grabbed his sword. He circulated all his mana around his body and lowered his stance. Aleen seemed like a calm beast about to attack its enemy.
The dran, on the other hand, continued looking at them leisurely.
“Can I ask you a question?” Aleen opened his mouth. There was something that was making him curious, and he wanted to know the answer if it was possible. “Why are you so interested in Claire? Is it due to the creature inside her?”
The dran made a strange expression and looked at Aleen as though he was someone ignorant. He then looked a Claire and a brief greedy light passed through his eyes.
“I guess there is no harm in telling you… You are right. The creature inside her is something very valuable for anyone. Unfortunately, you are unable to keep it, so it’s normal if other people tried to grab it for themselves.”
“What is it?”
“… An Eternal Flame. You don’t need to know what an Eternal Flame is, but I can tell you that it can create one level-six with enough luck.”
Aleen opened his eyes wide when he heard it. Level-six was the true pinnacle through the dimensions. Only a planet with a level-six had the right to maintain its independence.
Even until now, Aleen never has seen a level-six. Of course, there is the possibility that the gamemaster is one, but Aleen was not sure.
So, hearing that the flame inside Claire could create a level-six, the astonishment inside Aleen's mind was not small.
“Now that you understand the reason of your death, it’s time for me to start.”
Instantly, tens of blades flew from below the man’s robe.
Aleen gripped his blade tightly and took a step forward.
The plan won’t work simply because there are two smurfs after them, not just this one. But good luck anyways