Some time later, Oliver noticed that his body felt far fresher than before. His facial features appeared more refined, and most of all, he felt lighter, almost as though he could throw himself directly into the wind itself. Although the difference from before was barely fifty percent, he had now surpassed the limitations of any ordinary human.

Just a few minutes ago, he had merely been treading along that boundary.

Now, however, Oliver could clearly perceive the difference.

His vision and hearing had sharpened considerably, and a strange sense of clarity rested upon him.

With this, the natural effects of his Hues were bound to have grown stronger, and now he could finally acquire Stitches since the Garden would fully acknowledge his existence. On the other hand, his Sword was the next thing requiring enhancement, and that process could be accomplished much like forging a weapon.

If he found the correct materials, he would be able to physically strengthen it. Teresa had done something similar to her own sword in the original story, and fortunately, it functioned as a one time enhancement much like a game mechanic.

’Well, I’ll deal with that later.’

Oliver pushed the thought to the back of his mind before focusing on the most pressing issue at hand, crossing the Serpent’s Hollow.

For a Rank 2 Puppet to appear here, there was no doubt another might still be lurking nearby. It could also explain why the valley itself was avoided by Rank 1 Puppets, perhaps because a higher ranked existence resided there.

Absolute power inspired fear.

To lower Rank Puppets, the entities ahead were no different from gods.

Oliver exhaled quietly while watching Rook already move toward the Serpent’s Hollow without needing instruction.

Soon afterward, he followed behind while checking the system.

[Oliver Rothyl]

Race: [Human]

Hue: [Shadow], [Chaos], [Infinity]

Stitches: [None]

Rank: [Rookie]

Fragments: [15/1000]

Keepsakes: [Imperial Sword], [Mother’s War Attire]

His expression darkened slightly, as though the surrounding night had merged with both his thoughts and emotions after seeing the absurd threshold he now needed to surpass before ranking up again.

Truthfully, he was not particularly surprised by it.

This was common knowledge within the Garden.

Oliver understood very well that the higher one ascended within the Garden, the more merciless progression became, which was precisely why most people eventually abandoned the pursuit of greater strength altogether. Many gave up immediately after reaching Rookie upon witnessing something as ridiculous as this.

The threshold had increased tenfold compared to the previous stage, one that was not even displayed.

Glassy and the other three Dogs, individuals considered among the strongest within the Garden, had spent most of their lives hunting relentlessly until they eventually became powerful enough to dominate others, only to surrender their ambition afterward once the path ahead became overwhelmingly difficult.

Along the way, their growing power had slowly corrupted their perspective, convincing them that ruling over newly arrived victims within the Garden was far more achievable than escaping it entirely.

And so, they abandoned the idea of freedom.

It was pure human greed, and the Garden fed upon that greed alongside countless other emotions and desires, gradually corroding people until they became little more than mindless monsters themselves.

That was what most failed to realize.

...There was a reason the oldest person within the Garden was never above the age of twenty two, wasn’t there?

Of course, most people were too blinded to perceive the underlying pattern connecting everything together.

Oliver wanted nothing more than survival and eventually reaching the Inner Ring. At the beginning, the reason he had planned to reach it instead of escaping through the Middle Ring like Teresa and Kaden had done in the original story was because he intended to follow the storyline itself.

But now he no longer possessed a story to follow.

Things had changed completely.

Reaching the Inner Ring was no longer about curiosity or survival alone.

It was the only path that would grant him enough strength to prepare for a catastrophe far greater than anything the novel had originally foretold.

***

Not long afterward.

Oliver and Rook leisurely traversed the valley like free offerings of flesh for whatever creature inhabited the region. Master and beast walked side by side in slow, unhurried steps.

Oliver’s hands rested behind his back while loosely holding the unsheathed blade.

Rather than moving with pointless tension or exhausting themselves through frantic haste without even knowing what horror awaited ahead, they chose to advance calmly, almost like travelers passing through on vacation. Wasting energy here would have been idiotic when they still needed to preserve their strength for far more important matters and perhaps even an inevitable battle later on.

Honestly, the journey currently felt almost like a peaceful stroll through a park, and Oliver was genuinely enjoying the freedom that came with finally being released from so many burdens.

Most notably, Teresa’s terrifying yandere tendencies and the caravan that had constantly weighed him down.

Now, he only needed to worry about surviving.

For the moment, this was probably the most peaceful state he had experienced since arriving in the Garden, so he wanted to enjoy it properly for once, even if the scenery surrounding him consisted mostly of death and decay. Remaining constantly on edge was beginning to irritate him.

His Race was still Human, wasn’t it?

Of course, at their current pace, there was absolutely no way they would finish crossing the valley within the next three hours, but that was part of the enjoyment. The slow walk was helping him considerably, especially when it came to clearing his thoughts.

The next stage of his growth involved finally figuring out how to properly utilize his other two Hues.

Both were absurdly overpowered, and with them, he might eventually possess the ability to walk through danger as though it were insignificant, perhaps someday after becoming an existence powerful enough to rival the horrors of the Garden itself.

A beautiful dream for anyone.

One that promised safety more reliably than even a million soldiers could.

Up ahead, Oliver noticed another pale tree. Its branches were twisted, and its base was surrounded by grey grass, yet that was not the unusual part.

Among the countless dead and withered trees scattered throughout the valley, this one alone possessed a single branch blooming with fresh pink flowers.

Oliver raised a brow slightly.

"Huh? That’s weird... so there really is something genuinely beautiful inside the Garden of Death. I mean, even the name itself practically implies everything here is drowning in death, so why does this thing have pink flowers?"

Seconds later, his thoughts connected instantly as he slowly glanced back toward the mountain they had descended from.

’...Ah. So this is what’s keeping those damned Puppets away from the valley.’

***

Please read the [Author’s Thoughts]. Yes, mine!