"What?!"

Finn stared at the runes with utter disbelief, even blinking a few times before his eyes widened again in shock.

Right there before him were the runes Estes had revealed.

[Spirit Will: 8/10]

His Spirit Will had certainly increased by three points just from killing a Corrupted Beast. That alone was a surprise to Finn. However, the next thing was what truly caught his breath in his throat.

[You have unlocked a new weapon.]

"A new weapon? Does that mean another weapon? No longer a sword?" Finn exclaimed, excited and utterly bewildered.

Estes laughed, her voice filled with amusement.

"Why don’t you take a look?"

Finn watched as the runes shifted again at Estes’ command, and his eyes widened once more.

For a man who kills another through its hungry belly, you have received a weapon fitting your caliber.

[Blood Devourer (Admonis): A sword that drinks the blood of its enemies to replenish the strength of its user.]

Finn was both excited and wary of the weapon’s description.

’Hungry?’

He frowned and turned away from the runes, glancing at Estes’ floating eyeball.

"What next? How do I summon this new weapon?"

Estes remained silent for a few seconds before sighing.

"Just think about summoning Admonis and summon it. It’s no different from summoning the mundane swords."

Finn nodded and did as instructed.

He opened his hand.

In the next moment, crimson light and strands of golden mana surged through the air, weaving together like threads of fate. The energies twisted and condensed before forging themselves into a sword within Finn’s grasp.

"This is... just amazing..."

Finn stared at the crimson jagged blade.

The weapon was intertwined with dark obsidian, veins of scarlet pulsing faintly beneath its surface as though blood flowed through it. Its hilt was crafted from a softer, more comfortable material than the crude blades he had wielded before.

It was also lighter.

Much lighter.

As though it wasn’t truly a sword at all, but an extension of his own body.

A thought blossomed in Finn’s mind as he stared at the weapon.

He commanded Estes to summon the runes once more.

She complied.

A smile spread across his face.

[Spirit Will: 9/10]

"Just like you said. The more in tune I get with the sword, the higher my Spirit Will."

Finn chuckled.

"Now I just need one more point to reach ten and undergo my first evolution, right?"

Estes’ eyeball shook slightly in the air.

A moment later, it drifted down toward the corpse of the monster before speaking again.

"Why don’t you test the blade’s ability?"

Finn stared at the corpse of the Hideous Creeper.

Surprisingly—and thankfully—it was still oozing blood across the stone floor.

He approached it and hurriedly searched for an opening in its armor-like hide.

Finding one, he drove the tip of Admonis deep into the corpse and waited.

It didn’t take long for the sword’s ability to activate.

Dark veins visibly formed along the obsidian portions of the blade, spreading like roots beneath black soil.

Then, in the next moment, Finn felt it.

The pain permeating his body.

The soreness in his muscles.

The burning agony in his hands from gripping the hilt.

Everything vanished.

Finn watched in disbelief as the disturbing burn marks covering his hands began to recede, fading away as though they had never existed.

His sword.

Admonis.

It was healing him.

"This is insane," Finn muttered.

Estes’ eyeball bounced happily through the air.

"There is still more to be done, Finn Vaywill. This is not your limit yet."

Finn smiled.

"I love it when you say that."

He pulled Admonis from the monster’s hide and dismissed the blade.

Then he continued forward.

And...

He noticed something.

Estes’ eyeball was not by his side.

Finn quickly turned around, his hand opening instinctively, ready to summon the crimson blade of Admonis.

Then he saw her.

The eyeball was still floating above the corpse of the Hideous Creeper.

Silent.

Motionless.

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"What’s wrong? Estes!"

"..."

"Estes!"

Finally, the eyeball shifted and turned toward him.

It quickly flew to his side before replying.

"Oh, sorry. I was just... tired. Yes, tired. I almost fell asleep there."

Finn narrowed his eyes before shrugging it off.

"Well, tell me before you do that so I can carry you in my arms."

He continued walking.

If eyeballs had cheeks, Estes’ would have been bright red.

---

The two continued through the winding caverns of the labyrinth.

Finn walked in the lead while Estes floated behind him.

Throughout their journey, there had been no surprise attacks like the one the Creeper had launched earlier. At this point, Finn was already beginning to relax.

As much as this treacherous place allowed.

The cavern stretched endlessly around them.

Jagged stone formations protruded from the ground and ceiling like the fangs of some slumbering beast. Shadows lurked between every crevice, while distant droplets echoed endlessly through the darkness.

Sometimes Finn would glance back at Estes, expecting one of her usual comments.

She never gave one.

All Estes did was float quietly behind him.

Finn didn’t want to admit it, but he was beginning to feel lonely.

He missed the abrupt remarks of his guardian.

If only she had an actual face, then perhaps he could determine what had caused her sudden gloom.

But alas, she was merely an eye.

And all Finn gained from studying her was the realization of just how spherical eyeballs truly were.

After a long trek through the labyrinth, Finn finally arrived before a large, ominous door standing at the end of the cavern.

It was enormous.

Constructed from ancient oak reinforced with gold, its height stretched nearly fifty meters into the darkness above.

The door radiated an indescribable feeling.

A strange sense of completion.

Of gratification.

As though everything beyond it was waiting for him.

Finn placed both hands against the massive structure and pushed.

Nothing.

He pushed harder.

Still nothing.

He even summoned Admonis and exerted every ounce of strength his Spirit Will could provide.

The door remained unmoving.

Finally, Estes spoke after her prolonged silence.

"You can’t go through that just yet."

Finn frowned, dismissing Admonis before stepping away from the door.

"You know, you could’ve said that before watching me struggle for several minutes."

Estes let out a soft moan and tilted herself slightly.

"I’m sorry. But you look quite handsome when you struggle. Why would I give up such a little pleasure?"

Finn stifled a groan and ignored her commentary.

"So what now?"

The eyeball drifted closer to the primordial doors, as though studying them.

Then she spoke.

"This is the door back to the human world."

Finn’s eyes gleamed.

For a moment.

Then his expression darkened.

"Then why can’t I leave?"

His hand opened, ready to summon Admonis once more.

Estes remained silent for what felt like an eternity.

Then she finally answered.

"I told you. You can’t leave this place without killing all the monsters present."

Clank.

Clank.

The sound of metal boots echoed through the cavern.

Finn slowly turned around.

His eyes narrowed.

The enemy.

His last enemy.

The final obstacle standing between him and freedom.

Before him stood a knight clad in scarred silver armor, its surface battered and worn by what looked like centuries of endless warfare.

The knight wore no helmet.

Instead, a flaming skull rested upon its shoulders.

Verdant flames burned within its eye sockets, casting eerie green light across the cavern walls.

And in its grasp was a sword.

Long.

Ancient.

Weathered by countless battles.

A blade that looked almost exactly like—

Finn’s eyes narrowed further.

He summoned Admonis into his grasp.

The sword carried by the horrid knight was identical to the blade Estes had once come from.