Reigns scratched his head in frustration.

At least he was able to say "Bloo" out there, but no words came out after that.

Now it was getting scary.

Also, he was now stuck in an awkward situation because the two gazes behind him were probably wondering what the hell he was doing standing there silently.

Coughing lightly, Reigns got up and extended his hand forward.

"Arcane Blast."

A rune glowed above his palm and crackling lightning immediately started gathering around it. Instead of blasting it directly, he condensed the energy and sent a sharp bolt ahead.

The bolt flashed through space and disappeared deep into the darkness while briefly clearing a path through the fog before the darkness swallowed it once again.

For a brief moment, as the arc of light illuminated the surroundings, Reigns felt like he saw blurry silhouettes of massive tentacles moving inside the darkness.

His spine instantly turned cold.

And now he was even more scared.

’I should go back...’

Without wasting another second, Reigns quickly ran back toward them and stopped near Gunther and Nyxara.

Gunther looked at him with a grin.

"So what did you see, champ?"

Reigns sighed tiredly.

"Nothing notable."

Nyxara stepped forward and handed Reigns a water bottle.

He grabbed it and took a sip before asking,"So what should we do now?"

He turned toward Nyxara while wiping his mouth lightly.

"We will hunt monsters..."

Reigns smiled faintly, somewhat expecting that exact line, but the next words made him pause.

"We need to hunt monsters and dump them in the Shattered Canopy."

"What?"

Question marks practically lingered across his face as he stared at her seriously.

"Nyx... I might have misheard that. Can you repeat it again?"

"I meant we need to hunt monsters and devote them to the Shattered Canopy."

She spoke with a firm expression and showed no sign of joking.

Reigns was about to rebuke her, but on second thought, he stopped himself midway.

"Yeah... You are correct about that. The Shattered Canopy is protecting whatever little remains on this land. We should offer our sacrifice."

As he spoke those words, he strangely felt a bitter aftertaste in his mouth for some reason.

Still, he drank the water again, and his expression soon turned surprised.

"This water feels so good... It’s like sweet nectar or better to say an energy drink. I feel so calm and strong."

"Hehee... Why won’t it be? After all, it’s not some regular water but water from the divine fountain of the Shattered Canopy."

Reigns’ brows furrowed for a moment, but then he shook his head and let out a chuckle.

"Of course it would be. I expect nothing less from that divine tree."

Nyxara and Reigns spent the next few hours hunting monsters alongside Gunther.

The creatures roaming around the barren land were vicious and aggressive, but compared to the horrors they had imagined, these monsters were still manageable.

A wolf-like creature with exposed ribs lunged toward Reigns, but he immediately raised his hand.

"Arcane Blast."

Crackling lightning burst forward and slammed directly into the monster’s head, throwing it backward across the black ash-covered ground.

At the same time, Nyxara moved swiftly through another creature and sliced across its neck with cold precision.

Gunther laughed loudly while dragging another corpse behind him.

"Hahaha! Good hunt today."

Several dead monsters soon piled up around them.After gathering enough prey, Gunther suddenly spoke while wiping blood from his spear.

"Come with me tonight."

Reigns looked at him.

"Where?"

Gunther grinned widely.

"To the ritual. You should offer the sacrifices yourselves."

...

"Damn... Such a joyful occasion!"

Reigns shouted happily while looking around.

Tonight, the atmosphere inside the village was completely different.

They were taken toward a massive circular gathering area near the Shattered Canopy. A large crowd stood around a huge blazing fire while holding or dragging their hunted monsters behind them.

The flames crackled loudly and illuminated everyone’s faces while chants echoed through the surroundings.

Some villagers had painted symbols over their bodies while others wore bone ornaments around their necks.Everyone seemed excited and full of energy as if this was some grand festival.

Reigns and Nyxara stood among them while dragging the monster corpses they had hunted.

Soon, the crowd suddenly became silent.

Heavy footsteps echoed from ahead.

A tall gaudy man with tattoos covering almost his entire body slowly walked toward the center near the fire.

His muscular figure towered over the others while several strange wooden charms hung around his waist.

The moment he stepped forward, the villagers lowered their heads respectfully.

Then the man suddenly raised both hands and roared loudly.

"The Great Lord of Shattered Canopy!"

The entire crowd instantly responded with deafening voices. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"THE GREAT LORD OF SHATTERED CANOPY!"

The tattooed man spread his arms wide.

"I, Barbros, am here again to provide the sacrifice!"

His voice echoed powerfully across the entire area.

"Your blessings have protected us from this cruel unknown world. You reinforced our will to live and survive. Without you covering the land above and the ground below, countless abominations would have harvested our lives."

The villagers shouted loudly in agreement.

Randeur then slowly looked around the crowd before his gaze landed on Reigns and Nyxara.

"Today we have new blood among us."

His voice became louder.

"So to show the Lord appreciation, I want to invite the newcomers to lead the procession."

He extended his hand toward them.

"Come on."

"YEAHHHHH!"

A loud cheer erupted across the entire gathering.

Reigns and Nyxara exchanged glances before walking forward while dragging the corpses behind them.

The crowd parted to create a path.

Soon they reached the massive devouring hole beneath the Shattered Canopy.

The roots around it twisted unnaturally while faint green lights pulsed inside the darkness below.

Without hesitation, both of them threw the monster corpses inside.

The moment the offerings disappeared into the depths, the entire ground suddenly trembled lightly.

Then the fountain erupted.

Streams of glowing water burst upward from the divine fountain near the roots of the Shattered Canopy, causing the villagers to erupt into celebration.

"Tribes! Collect the Dew of Heaven!"

"YESSS!"

People immediately rushed forward with containers, bowls, and wooden jars while laughter and cheers filled the surroundings.

A joyful celebration quickly took place.

Some danced around the flames while others raised cups filled with glowing water.

Reigns looked around at the scene with surprise while the warm atmosphere slowly lowered his guard.

But if only he had been more attentive, he would have noticed something strange.

From beneath the ground, a small vine silently crawled upward near his feet.Slowly and carefully, it wrapped around his ankle and formed a small wooden anklet that wrapped around his knee.