Chapter 287: The Fifth Night
[Ruvian’s POV]
The rest of the fifth day slowly passed by.
The sun continued to move farther until its golden light turned into a copper-colored glow. Before long, the last light disappeared, and darkness slowly covered the island.
And with that, the fifth night of the examination silently began.
Ordinarily, this was when scholars would choose to rest instead of making their way toward gathering points. There was little benefit in pressing forward through such unnatural darkness, where even seeing a few steps ahead had become difficult.
More importantly, the danger simply was not worth the risk. So rest was, by far, the wisest option. However, Ruvian could not afford such a luxury.
[You have slain a ’Black Reliquary’]
[You have slain a ’Crimson Hornbeast’]
[You have slain the ’Sorrowful Screecher’]
[’The Endseeker’ has devoured a soul and grew stronger...]
...
...
Another heavy impact shook the ground beneath Ruvian’s feet.
Twisting his body aside, he narrowly avoided a massive claw that tore through the place where he had been standing.
The impact blasted soil into the air, spraying dirt across his clothes before the creature’s arm buried itself deep into the ground.
’Feels like I’m getting the hang of this strength now.’
Pushing himself backward, Ruvian created several meters of distance between them. His breathing had grown heavier after hours of relentless fighting, but his grip around the sword remained firm.
The creature slowly pulled its claw free.
It was a large Voidspawn covered in thick plates of dark hide. Its body resembled that of an oversized wolf, though its forelimbs were far too long, forcing its shoulders to rise above the rest of its back.
Several pale eyes covered the left side of its face. They moved independently beneath the darkness as they searched for him.
Without his [Night Vision] spell, Ruvian would not have been able to see any of it.
Fortunately, the spell had long since reached Advanced Mastery. So compared to before, its effectiveness had improved dramatically — allowing him to see with remarkable clarity even across a considerable distance.
Refocusing on the battle, Ruvian watched the creature close the distance within seconds.
Its jaws spread wide as it lunged forward, exposing several rows of crooked, jagged teeth. Ruvian stood his ground until the foul stench of its breath reached his face.
’Danm, you stink...’
Then he moved.
Slipping beneath the descending maw, Ruvian thrust one hand toward its lower jaw and cast — [Wind Burst]. The moment wind exploded from his palm, the creature’s lower jaw was driven upward. Its head tilted back, leaving its throat completely open.
Refusing to let the opportunity slip away, Ruvian tightened his grip around [The Endseeker]. Then, the pitch-black blade flashed through the darkness in a single, fluid arc.
Slash!
A clean slash swept across the creature’s throat.
The beast staggered, black blood burst from the wound. It let out a hoarse, choking cry before its massive body crashed onto the forest floor.
Thud!
[You have slain a ’Many-Eyed Ravager’]
[’The Endseeker’ has devoured a soul and grew stronger...]
Ruvian let out a long breath as he walked toward the fallen beast. Sweat ran down his face, and every step felt heavier than the last.
[Child, you have already hunted down fifteen Lesser Voidspawns from noon until night. Your body needs rest.] Morvayne’s voice echoed inside his head, scolding him. [Stop pushing yourself so hard. You are not made of steel.]
Crouching beside the corpse, Ruvian drove his hand into the torn flesh. His fingers searched through the warm remains before finding the familiar crystal hidden inside. "I know, I know, but this will be the last one, I’m also tired, and it’s not like I’m planning to hunt all night."
Morvayne tiredly sighed inside his head. [You said that before this evening, when you had already hunted down ten of those!]
Pulling the dark Voidshard free from the beast’s body, Ruvian chuckled. "That was because I still felt good enough for another round. But now, I’m really tired. I swear."
Then, he slipped the Voidshard into his storage ring before slowly stood back up.
[Good.]
Silence followed as Ruvian continued walking.
Morvayne had not spoken since noon because she had been resting after forming their pact. Now that she was awake again, a question that had been sitting in his mind finally surfaced.
"By the way, Morvayne, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask ever since we made our pact." He paused for a moment, waiting for her reply.
[Then ask, child.] Her gentle voice echoed through his mind. [There is no need to hesitate before me, and no question is too small if it weighs on your heart.]
Ruvian nodded. "You said before that you wanted to learn about my life, right?" He tilted his head slightly. "Does that mean you want me to tell you everything about it?"
Morvayne frowned; her voice carried a hint of disbelief. [Child, how dull do you think I am? Must I sit and listen while you tell stories one by one?]
Ruvian blinked. "Then how?"
Morvayne smiled warmly.
[Simple, child, I have a spell for that, one that will let us look through your memories together.] Her voice remained gentle as ever.
[Memories are far more honest than words, and I would rather see the life that shaped you than make you retell every little piece of it.]
Ruvian’s expression immediately changed. "Hold on, isn’t that basically looking through my private memories without permission?" He raised an eyebrow. "That sounds a little wrong, doesn’t it?"
Morvayne let out a soft sigh, almost as if she had expected that answer. [Oh, my poor child, what kind of person do you take me for?]
Her voice softened even further.
[You and I will walk through those memories together, and I will always ask for your permission before we begin, because even an old soul like me still has manners.]
"Yeah, whatever, so when are you going to do that?"
[After this island examination is over.]
Morvayne answered without the slightest hesitation.
[The spell requires both of our consciousness to leave the present and enter your memories, so your body must remain asleep in a safe place, because I refuse to let anything happen to you while your mind is elsewhere. We will wait until you can truly rest, then we can take our time without any danger.]
Ruvian nodded as he looked around.
"Sounds good to me. Anyway, Morvayne, do you happen to have a spell that can make a safe shelter for me to rest without getting jumped by creatures?"
Morvayne hummed to herself for a brief moment, searching through countless memories. Then, she smiled proudly within his soul.
[Lucky you, child, because I do have one — it just so happens that I learned more than a few useful spells over the years, so I believe this one will suit your situation quite well.]
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[Chapter 287: The Fifth Night]
Plot Points= 62,000