[REBOOTING ANALYTICAL SUBROUTINES... SUCCESS]
[BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY AT 45 PERCENT... INITIATING RAPID MENDING]
[ANOMALOUS ENERGY FIELD DETECTED... MAPPING LOCAL DOMAIN]
Kale forced himself into a sitting position, the grinding of his broken ribs making him gasp in renewed agony. He leaned his back against a cold, fluted pillar that rose into the darkness above, his green eyes scanning the environment.
They were in a massive stone chamber, a corridor of soaring arches and half-buried statues that seemed ancient.
The mana here was different from the Tigerwood Forest; it was heavy, oppressive, and felt as dense as liquid against his skin.
Every breath he took felt like inhaling thick, heated oil. He watched the system windows straighten out, the bold white lettering providing the answers he needed to understand their current predicament.
[DOMAIN TYPE IDENTIFIED: BEAST TOMB]
[DEPTH: SECTOR 7... THE BURIED REACHES]
[LOCATION STATUS: LAYER INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN SURFACE AND SUBTERRANEAN WORLD]
Kale wiped the blood from his chin, his analytical mind processing the data with a grim focus. This was a layer of reality that existed beneath the empire but above the true subterranean world where the dragons lived.
This proximity to the draconic cradle was likely the reason why the energy and mana here were so much richer and thicker.
The system continued its report, the text scrolling by with the clinical detachment of a researcher recording a specimen's death.
It explained that Beast Tombs were a sacred and cursed space, created by the world Will of Nergal to contain the remnants of things that should have already passed away into the cycle of rebirth.
Beast Tombs served as the final resting place for the Wills of fallen Peak Mythical Rank beasts. Beings who had achieved such a pinnacle of power possessed Wills that remained almost entirely imperishable even after their physical forms were deleted.
They were entities that defied the natural end, their spirits clinging to reality with a terrifying tenacity.
Because these Wills were too dangerous to be allowed to roam freely, the world Will of Nergal sealed them away in these eternal tombs. There, they could be slowly corroded and diminished over thousands of years until they finally surrendered to the void.
To enter such a place was to step into the shadow of a dying god.
[SPECIFIC SIGNATURE DETECTED: TOMB OF THE FLAME SALAMANDER]
[BEAST RANK AT TIME OF CESSATION: PEAK MYTHICAL]
Kale felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the stone. A Peak Mythical rank beast was an entity that stood beyond any of the Sovereign rank humans, a being capable of altering the geography of a continent with an action.
Even a lingering Will from such a creature was enough to crush a Lesser Apprentice into the dirt.
The system in his vision suddenly flashed with a bright, alarming shade of scarlet, a prompt appearing that seemed to mock his current injured state.
It was a cold calculation of his probability of survival in this ancient graveyard, and the numbers were anything but encouraging for a boy who had just fallen from the sky.
[WARNING: HOST SURVIVABILITY IN CURRENT ZONE IS ESTIMATED AT 10 PERCENT]
[CHANCE OF BIOLOGICAL CESSATION: 90 PERCENT]
Kale let out a short, mirthless laugh that ended in another wet cough. Ninety per cent chance of dying. Those were better odds than he had faced in the hatchery or against the Red Dragon, yet the weight of this place felt different.
It was the weight of a legendary history that was currently trying to swallow him whole.
However, beneath the warning of death, a secondary prompt appeared, shimmering with a tempting golden hue that reflected in his green eyes.
It was the system's way of showing him the path forward, the incentive for a researcher who had always been willing to gamble everything for the sake of the next mutation.
[CHALLENGE DETECTED: TOMB TRIALS]
[OBJECTIVE: REACH THE INNER SANCTUM AND SURVIVE THE RESIDUE WILL]
[POTENTIAL REWARD: OVERWHELMING GENETIC ASCENSION AND ELEMENTAL HARMONY]
The system indicated that if he could complete the challenges of the Tomb, the rewards would be overwhelming to a great extent. He thought of Neo's dormant elemental affinities and his own quest for the Master rank.
This tomb, dangerous as it was, might be the single greatest catalyst he could find to accelerate their growth.
Kale looked at his legs, seeing the Octagon trait knitting the muscle and bone back together with efficient, painful speed. He felt the Beast Force pathways in his body humming with the thickness of the local mana, drawing in the rich energy to replenish his reserves.
"A ninety per cent chance of death," Kale whispered, his voice gaining strength as the internal mending progressed.
"That means there is still a ten per cent chance of winning, buddy. And we have always been good at taking the long odds when the world tries to bury us."
Neo hissed in agreement from all three heads, the hydra standing tall on the marble floor with its necks arched in draconic arrogance. It didn't care about the Wills of fallen beasts or the proximity of the subterranean world.
It only cared about the hunt and the potential to devour the secrets hidden in the dark.
Kale gripped his daggers, checking the edges to ensure they were still sharp after the friction of the fall. He felt the oppressive mana of the Flame Salamander pressing against his chest, but he didn't allow it to slow his pulse.
He stood up, his legs finally holding his weight once more, though his ribs still ached with every move.
He looked down the long, dimly lit corridor, seeing the flickering shadows cast by ancient, magical braziers that had been burning for centuries.
The path ahead was filled with traps, remnants of the salamander's power, and the crushing weight of a Mythical Will. But he had not come this far to die in a hole.
He would take whatever this tomb had to offer. He stepped forward into the oppressive silence, his boots clicking softly on the marble.
Neo flapped its wings and took its place on Kale's shoulder, its six golden eyes tracking the subtle movements of the mana in the corridor. Together, they moved into the depths, leaving the light of the upper world behind.
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