At first, they were able to keep track of time, but slowly even that started becoming vague.

Amidst this, Gunther suddenly asked him a question.

"What’s your ambition, Reigns?"

"Ambition?"

"I mean your dream."

"You ought to have dreamt of something or someone you want to become."

Reigns frowned slightly after hearing that. He lowered his eyes and thought quietly for a moment.

Honestly, he had never really thought about it.

As someone from Earth, his goal had always been simple. Get a good job, marry a girl, settle down properly, and at the same time enjoy peaceful days while watching anime, playing games, and reading novels.

However, was that truly the kind of peace he wanted?

He did not know the answer.

Then another thought crossed his mind.

Why did people spend so much time watching movies and playing games?

It was because they wanted to see...no, to feel things they had no hope of achieving themselves.

For some, it was love.

For someone like him, it was the act of chivalry.

That sensation when all the hair on your body stood up after reading or watching a high intensity action scene where someone did the impossible. That rush of adrenaline was insane. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

And now, in this world, since he had been given the chance to experience it himself, he wanted to savor that feeling.

Although honestly, till now it still felt somewhat mild.

He had not yet encountered one of those truly heart wrenching and blood pumping scenes.

"I can’t say much about mine because I ain’t sure, but what about yours?" Reigns asked while looking at Gunther.

Gunther paused for a moment and rubbed his chin.

"I wanted to become one of the Pillars. You see, I came from the slums. A lowly bastard child without any background."

He laughed lightly, but the laughter carried bitterness within it.

"I feared being oppressed by the higher clans, so I wanted to join the government, stay neutral, save enough money to buy a home, and enjoy life. But it seems my dreams can only remain dreams."

Behind that chuckle, Reigns could clearly see a trace of regret hidden deep inside his eyes.

The routine they followed every day was tiresome.Wake up, hunt monsters, rest, practice a little, offer sacrifices, and then sleep.

The monsters here were all above Level 10, which made hunting alone extremely difficult. Because of that, most of the residents formed teams before going out to hunt.

At first, the routine felt utterly cumbersome.

Yet as more days passed, it somehow did not feel that bad anymore.Still, despite the calmness around them, Reigns constantly felt restless deep inside.

"Are we really going to just stay here?" Reigns suddenly asked while looking around the snowy forest.

"What else can we do? We have literally searched every patch of land for the boss monster," Gunther answered while shaking his head helplessly.

"What if it’s..." Reigns stopped midway and then suddenly laughed at himself.

"Hahaha! How can I think such an absurd thing? It can be anywhere but in the Heart of Canopy."

The amount of confidence he placed in that sentence was absurd even to himself.

He had asked himself the same question hundreds, maybe even thousands of times already. Yet whenever the thought appeared, he forcefully pushed it away.

**********

Today, they were tracking a four legged atrocity creature through the snow.

It looked similar to a stag, but its hind limbs had bulged with terrifying muscles while black veins crawled all over its body.

"Now that’s some fearsome shit, isn’t it?" Gunther muttered while narrowing his eyes.

Both Nyx and Reigns nodded silently.

"Nyx."

"On it."

Nyx instantly shot forward and slid across the snow at incredible speed. A cold mist spread around her feet while ice quickly gathered in her hand before forming into a sharp spear.

Without hesitation, she hurled it forward.

The stag noticed it at the last second and twisted its body to dodge.

Its terrifying grin widened as its crimson eyes locked onto Nyxara before it suddenly charged toward her.

The snow exploded beneath its feet.

Nyxara calmly stepped sideways while her sword flashed through the air. Ice spread along the blade as she slashed at the creature’s side.

Clang!

The stag’s hardened skin blocked part of the attack, but frost instantly spread across the wound.

The creature roared furiously and swung one of its massive limbs toward her head.

Nyx bent backward and narrowly avoided it before spinning gracefully and slicing toward its legs.

At the same time, Reigns silently activated Shadow Guise.

His figure disappeared into the darkness.

The stag immediately became wary and started scanning the surroundings while continuing to clash against Nyxara.It suddenly lunged toward her again, but Nyx met it head on.

Boom!

Ice and snow exploded everywhere as both figures collided violently.Reigns quietly circled behind it while hiding his presence completely.

Then, the moment he found an opening, his eyes sharpened.Lightning burst violently around his arm.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning shot forward and slammed directly into the dark stag.The explosion blasted its body backward while burnt marks spread across its flesh.

At that exact moment, Reigns used Phantom Step.

His figure blurred and instantly appeared behind the creature.

With both hands gripping the scythe tightly, he swung with all his strength toward its neck.

CRUNGG!

A horrifying crunch echoed through the forest.

The scythe dug deeply into the stag’s neck while dark blood sprayed across the snow.

At the same time, one of the creature’s limbs suddenly lashed out like a whip.

Reigns quickly raised Callous Hands to block.

BANG!

A terrifying impact exploded against him.A tearing sensation spread through his entire body as he was sent flying through the air.

"Darrliiing!"

Nyxara’s cold voice rang out.

The ground beneath the stag suddenly froze solid, and before the creature could even react, an enormous ice blade flashed across the air.

Swish!

Its head was instantly severed.

The giant head rolled across the snow while the body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Gunther hissed sharply after seeing the scene.

’She must be around Level 11, but despite that, I am feeling chills from here.’

And he was not making a random guess.

He was absolutely certain.

If he fought her, his chances of winning might not even reach one percent.

Reigns coughed violently as blood spilled from his mouth.

[You have killed Lv 12 Infected Stag.]

[You have gained 800 days lifespan.]

[You have leveled up.]

His eyes instantly lit up after seeing the notification.

He had finally reached Level 10.

Finally, he had crossed the barrier.

"Yea... Cough..." He tried to shout happily, but blood choked his throat.

He spat another mouthful of blood and forced himself to steady his dizziness.

Nyxara quickly appeared beside him and handed him the Dew of Heaven.

Reigns took several gulps immediately and soon felt a warm sensation spreading through his injured body as the pain slowly eased.

"Are you alright?" Nyxara asked softly while a hint of concern appeared in her eyes.

"No matter how many times I look at it, this really is miraculous stuff."

"Isn’t it?" Gunther replied while staring at the Dew of Heaven in amazement.

After that, they carried the dead body back and decided to call it a day.

As usual, most of the hunted monsters were sacrificed, and after collecting the Dew of Heaven, they returned to their cottage.

For some reason, Reigns felt unusually tired and sleepy today.

Without wasting much time, he retired early.

However, the moment his eyes closed, he was not greeted by sweet dreams.

Instead, he suddenly found himself standing in a strange place.

And before him stood a gigantic tree that pierced through the sky itself while enormous pinkish leaves covered the entire land beneath it.