Chapter 190: One More To Go

After staying quiet for a while, Leon spoke. "Should I jump into the volcano now and see if the Blood Dantian Pill really exists?"

"Wait until the fusion deactivates, Master," Frenrir’s voice echoed in his mind.

"Why?" Leon asked.

"According to the ancient legends I’ve heard, the Blood Dantian Pill is meant to be the reward for an extremely difficult trial. No one is allowed to receive outside assistance. Anyone who breaks that rule... meets only death."

Frenrir paused before continuing, "If those legends are true, then you should enter the volcano alone."

"A trial, huh? Alright. Then I’ll wait for the fusion to end."

Leon lowered his gaze to the Crimson Rosemary in his hand. A faint smile appeared beneath the monstrous mask.

’Finally... Two ingredients secured. Just one more remains... and I’ll finally be able to refine the pill for you, Mother.’

What Leon didn’t realize was that two figures were hidden on a distant mountaintop, silently observing everything through a pair of binoculars this whole time.

They were the same two people who had been spying on Leon from the rooftop of a distant building when he was in college. The two who wanted to abduct Jenny.

"What the hell is this?" the young woman exclaimed in disbelief. "That girl... she can travel from one place to another?"

"That’s all you’re focused on?" the man holding the binoculars replied. "Didn’t you see what that boy did before the massacre started? He actually merged with that other person and turned into a monster."

Neither of them was particularly surprised that Leon had killed a Disaster Class knight. They had already witnessed enough to know what he was capable of. But merging with another person...

That was something entirely new, even to them.

The young woman fell into deep thought. After a long silence, she spoke again. "The Martial Grandmaster he just slaughtered... wasn’t that Theo Donovan? A core member of the Great Solar Clan?"

"Not a core member. An accepted disciple," the man corrected. "But his status within the clan was very high. I heard he had already reached the second level of Martial Grandmaster realm. Yet who would’ve thought he would die like this?"

"This boy is full of mysteries." The young woman narrowed her eyes. "Even if he joins the military training camp, dealing with the second princess won’t be easy. Besides, Theo Donovan was also trying to enter the Red Horn’s Nest. If that’s the case, Leon Bale will probably be trying that as well."

She paused before continuing, "We need to inform the royal palace immediately."

"We should notify the Great Solar Clan too," the man suggested. "They’ll never let someone who killed one of their accepted disciples go unpunished. That way, we won’t even have to deal with Leon Bale ourselves. Once he’s eliminated, we can simply bring the Second Young Miss back. And no matter how powerful the Great Solar Clan is, they wouldn’t dare compete with us for the Red Horn’s Nest."

"Good plan. Do it."

The person immediately brought out a mobile and dialed a number.

Meanwhile, back on the mountaintop where Leon was waiting...

A few minutes later, Noira returned.

"Did you get her to the apartment safely?" Leon asked.

"Yes master." Noira replied.

"Good."

After that, they quietly waited for Fusion’s effect to wear off. Nearly twenty minutes passed before a brilliant light enveloped Leon once more.

When the light faded, Leon and Frenrir had separated.

"You two should head back home and protect Jenny," Leon instructed.

"Understood, Master," Frenrir replied. "But please be careful. The trial inside might not be easy."

Leon smiled faintly. "When the reward is something as precious as the Blood Dantian Pill, the trial was never going to be easy. If it really exists, I mean. So, as long as it isn’t impossible, it’s worth trying."

His personality had been changing little by little. The old Leon would never have spoken so confidently about taking such risks. Unbeknownst to him, the influence of the Rare Weakness was gradually affecting his thoughts, decisions, and outlook.

"We’ll wait for your return," Noira said. "Once you come out of the Red Horn’s Nest, I’ll return to bring you home."

Leon nodded.

Without another word, Noira again opened a spatial rift and stepped inside with Frenrir, leaving Leon alone on the mountaintop.

"What’s he planning now?" the young woman on the distant mountain asked as she watched everyone else leave.

"I’m not sure, Young Miss." The man lowered his binoculars briefly. "I’ve already informed both the royal palace and the Great Solar Clan. They should be on their way."

"How long will they take?"

"The Great Solar Clan will need at least half a day. But the palace’s people should arrive much sooner."

"I don’t think this boy will stay here that long."

"We’ll follow him," the man replied calmly. "Wherever he goes, he must be dealt with as soon as possible."

After that, they again started observing.

But, under their watchful gaze, Leon slowly walked toward the edge of the mountain.

About a hundred meters below lay another mountain with a massive opening. The inside was a sea of crimson flames. Molten lava churned beneath the surface, while waves of fire danced across the cavern walls.

Strangely, despite being a volcano, not a trace of heat escaped from it.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, Leon looked down at the opening. The space inside the volcano rippled gently, as though the air itself were distorted.

The moment he saw it, Leon understood.

It was a spatial gate. The heat wasn’t escaping because the place beyond the volcano wasn’t actually there. It was connected to another location...

Perhaps another world, just like the Hidden Realm.

"This Blood Dantian Pill..." Leon murmured. "I hope it truly exists. And I hope I can obtain it."

The next moment, without the slightest hesitation...

He jumped.

The binoculars slipped from the man’s hands who was spying on Leon and crashed onto the rocky ground. The young woman beside him stood frozen in disbelief.

"He... jumped?" she blurted out, her voice trembling with shock.