The world was split into four massive continents that were separated from one another by the vast, untamed Endless Ocean.

Rhys was currently staying in the extreme north of the Northern Continent, occupying a small, cramped room in an inn inside the grand stone walls of Azure City.

He had rented this room yesterday to prepare for the Annual hunting event tomorrow.

The city itself was a structural wonder of the ancient world, built directly upon a highly unique mountain range that looked exactly like nine giant tails sticking sharply into the gray sky.

To the direct north of this urban landscape, the massive Dragon Bone Range formed a colossal natural wall of black rock and jagged ice, separating the city from the frozen Wastelands.

These cold Wastelands were completely trapped between the jagged, icy peaks of the mountains and the freezing, violent waves of the Endless Ocean.

The weather there was always terrible, filled with endless blizzards and fierce winds that could freeze a man solid in minutes.

South of the city, the deep Whispering Ravine cut cleanly through the rugged terrain, winding downward for miles until it finally reached the bustling port of Grand Anchor Bay.

Right off that misty coast lay a long, dangerous chain of islands where the Vikings lived, always exploring deep into the Endless Ocean and taming the untamed ocean.

Over many generations, humans had slowly tamed the wild, monster-filled areas surrounding Azure City by building four main frontier settlements to act as defensive buffers against the wild beasts.

These fortified settlements were officially known as Iron Ridge, Jade Serpent Basin, Frostwood Hold, and Ember Spire.

Because each frontier outpost was constantly fighting the others over local mining rights, magical herbs, and territory, the landscape was defined by bitter, long-standing rivalries. These tensions always reached a boiling point during the annual hunting event.

Because of this structural setup, the total prize pool for the annual hunting event included rare contributions from all five regional powers.

Except for the Vikings, who completely ignored mainland politics and preferred to stay on their isolated islands, talented mages and young warriors from the other three frontier settlements arrived in massive numbers to participate.

Winning this specific event was considered an incredible moral boost, giving the victorious settlement massive political leverage and pride over their rivals for the rest of the year.

Sadly, the representatives from Azure City itself had a terrible track record, always finishing in the absolute last place during the previous tournaments, not because they were weak, rather because their opponents were stronger and had better experience because of their lifestyle.

"Since the rewards provided by the Azure Lotus Sect are of such incredibly high quality, the same can definitely be said for the grand prizes contributed by the other four settlements," Rhys muttered softly to himself, staring intently at his own clear reflection in the dusty mirror of the local inn he had rented for the day.

He raised his hand and adjusted his collar, his mind calculating the massive benefits he could gain if he swept the entire competition tomorrow.

Three full weeks had already passed since he first arrived in the northern sectors, and tomorrow was officially the day the grand event was scheduled to begin.

The exact coordinates of the hunting grounds still had not been revealed by the sect administration, which made every single competitor highly curious and deeply anxious.

The mystery kept everyone on edge, sparking endless rumors across the local taverns and tea houses. The entire city was completely overflowing with thousands of eager participants, wealthy merchants, and loud spectators who had traveled from distant provinces just to watch the matches.

Every inn was fully booked, and the streets were packed with people arguing about who would win first place.

Rhys turned away from the mirror and sat down on the wooden bed, leaning his back against the wall. A small, confident smile played on his face as he closed his eyes to communicate with his hidden cheat.

"System, it is finally time for the appearance of the Celestial Origin," Rhys whispered into the quiet room, a sharp, knowing grin widening his lips as his eyes flashed with anticipation.

[As your command, host.]

*

* *

Inside a heavily locked, hidden chamber located at the absolute highest peak of the mountain range, an old woman lay completely motionless on a silk bed. The room was freezing cold, and the smell of old incense hung heavily in the air.

Her pale brows were deeply furrowed in absolute agony, her breathing shallow and ragged as her lifeforce trickled away.

Directly before the wooden bed, a mysterious veiled woman floated silently in the cold air, her body completely disconnected from the floorboards. She wore a dark, elegant robe that hid her physical features, leaving only her sharp eyes visible to the outside world.

Behind her back, eight transparent, ghostly tails and one single, perfectly solid physical tail floated and swayed gently in the dim light like spectral appendages.

A continuous, glowing stream of pure green life energy was being forcefully drawn out from the old woman’s chest, drifting through the air like a glowing ribbon until it was smoothly swallowed by the floating, veiled woman.

If any of the powerful grand masters from the other four frontier settlements were to suddenly walk into this room and witness this specific scene, they would be absolutely horrified.

The lifeless, dying old woman trapped on the bed was none other than Sect Master Lotus, the supreme leader of the prestigious Azure Lotus Peak and a renowned Grand Mage of the Northern Continent.

She was supposed to be one of the strongest protectors of the human race, yet she was currently being drained like a common animal.

After a few more moments of intense extraction, the old woman’s frail body suddenly trembled violently. Her eyes snapped wide open, freezing instantly as she gazed up at the floating, veiled woman with a heavy mixture of pure horror and deep, burning hate.

Her dry mouth opened wide, straining to release a warning to her disciples outside the heavy iron doors, but her throat clicked loudly, and she only managed to utter a single, final word before she breathed her last.

"Monster..."

The old sect master’s head fell sideways against the pillow, her vitality completely extinguished as her eyes turned dull, glassy, and lifeless in death.

A small, sudden breeze flashed through the locked chamber, catching the edge of the floating woman’s dark veil and lifting it slightly. The movement revealed a pair of pink, tender lips that instantly curled upward into a slight, mocking smile.

Then, her eyes slowly opened to their full width, revealing a pair of completely transparent pupils. There was absolutely nothing inside her irises except the endless, swirling depth of miniature stars, looking like two private galaxies trapped within her skull.

However, before she could fully enjoy the massive surge of stolen Grand Mage energy flowing through her nine tails, a sudden, heavy frown appeared on her beautiful face.

Her calm expression quickly twisted into a wave of anger as she scanned the spiritual aura of the surrounding city.

"Where in the world did he disappear?" her melodious, bell-like voice rang out sharply, echoing off the cold stone walls to absolutely no one else in the empty room.

"He disappeared!"

The single solid tail behind the veiled woman’s back suddenly swayed violently on its own, and a clear female voice echoed throughout the freezing chamber.

If Rhys had been present, he would have been horrified.

Because the voice sounded exactly like Yuki’s.

"Mm."

The veiled woman slowly turned her head. Although her expression remained hidden behind the black veil, the grinding sound of her teeth was audible in the silent room.

The air temperature dropped several degrees. One of the eight transparent tails suddenly glowed with a soft pink hue.

"Is he really that special?" a sweet, teasing voice asked curiously. The pink tail swayed lazily through the air. "...did our youngest finally get railed?"

"Seduction, shut up!"

The solid tail immediately snapped back. This time, the voice carried obvious embarrassment.

Unfortunately, the embarrassment only lasted for a fraction of a second before it transformed into pure terror.

Because the veiled woman had turned to look directly at her. The solid tail froze.

"Master..." the voice suddenly became much smaller. "...I mean... I didn’t..."

The temperature inside the chamber dropped even further.

"Oh, I know you didn’t," the veiled woman replied softly. Her voice was calm. Far too calm.

"Then why are you blushing? Little bitch."

The solid tail trembled. For several long seconds, no response came. Then, the pink tail began glowing brighter.

"Hehe..." The voice of Seduction sounded incredibly amused. "Maybe our youngest got railed in her dreams."

The chamber instantly became silent.

Even the drifting particles of spiritual energy in the air seemed to freeze. The pink tail immediately stopped moving.

"...I suddenly remembered that I am critically low on energy," Seduction coughed awkwardly.

The pink glow vanished. The tail fell completely silent. The solid tail remained frozen for several more seconds.

Then, in a tiny voice that sounded suspiciously embarrassed, it muttered,

"...I am tired too."

A moment later, the solid tail also lost its glow. Silence returned to the chamber. Only the veiled woman remained awake.

She stood motionless in the freezing air, her brows tightly furrowed beneath the veil.

He had disappeared. Not physically.

She could still vaguely sense that he existed somewhere in the world. But the scent was gone. That intoxicating, irresistible, perfect scent. It had vanished completely.

As though some unknown force had reached into reality itself and severed her connection.

Her beautiful eyes slowly narrowed.

Who dared?

The stars swirling within her transparent pupils began spinning violently.

Who dared to hide him from her?

Who dared to prevent her from finding what belonged to her?

The surrounding air distorted. Cracks spread across the stone walls. The corpse of the Sect Master turned ash under the overwhelming pressure.

For the first time in countless years, genuine anger appeared within her heart.

"Very well," she whispered softly. The smile beneath her veil was beautiful.

And terrifying.

"When I find you..."

The room itself seemed to shiver.

"...I will drink you dry."