Chapter 41: Reaching The Destination (1)

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Reaching The Destination (1)

Whooosh!

The red flying mat cut through the cold night sky like a blade of woven crimson. Far below, the mountains stretched into dark, jagged silhouettes, their peaks barely visible beneath the moonlit clouds.

The wind roared around the riders, whipping at their clothes and hair as the mat surged forward through the darkness.

Yet despite the speed, the crew remained relatively silent.

Michael sat cross-legged near the center, his eyes closed as he calmly let the cold air rush past him. His high-collared black jacket fluttered behind him, while his snow-white hair streamed wildly in the slipstream.

’Seriously...’ he thought, a small smile forming on his face.

Truthfully, when Kael had first mentioned a "flying mat," Michael’s mind had immediately pictured some sleek Sovereign-realm vehicle—something with engines, controls, maybe even a windshield that was simply nicknamed "the mat."

The reality waiting behind the tavern, however, had been miles away from his imagination.

It was an actual carpet.

A damn carpet with a keyhole in the center, which Michael doubted served any purpose beyond making the whole experience even funnier.

The mat was a thick, rectangular sheet of deep-red fabric that somehow remained rigid and perfectly stable no matter how hard the wind pushed against it. Michael had stared at it for a full three seconds, his eyes wide as he looked like some country bumpkin seeing magic for the first time.

That was why, although the child inside him still wanted to yell at the sheer absurdity of flying through the sky on a freaking mat like Aladdim, he kept his mouth shut.

The last thing he needed was for someone like Emma to make fun of him.

Quiet excitement was safer than looking like an idiot twice in one night, after all.

’But damn, Sovereigns really do get all the perks on top of their power.’

The reason Michael was so sure the flying mat had come from Seraphine’s domain, rather than being something found in any domain, was that one of her core abilities was Sand Mastery. From what he knew, domains usually reflected their lord’s core abilities and will.

If he had to guess, the chain of floating islands and towering peaks might also be tied to her light attribute. In a sense, they were technically being pulled upward, as though the land itself wanted to remain closer to the sun.

For a moment, Michael found himself wondering what his own domain would look like once he finally reached that level.

A dragon’s aerial fortress drifting among the clouds? Or something stranger, born from his Incubus Bloodline?

The second possibility sent a small shiver down his spine. He quickly pushed the thought away. Although the Incubus Bloodline made it sound as though his domain might turn out rather strange, he found some reassurance in the warm, Earth-like starfield of his new Sea of Knowledge.

At least that meant it probably wouldn’t become some literal hellscape filled with chains and a bunch of horny dogs going at it every day.

Michael let out a breath through his mouth, fog spilling from his lips before the roaring wind quickly swept it away.

Although he found it fascinating to think about having a domain of his own, he still needed to keep his mind on the present—specifically, his current predicament on how exactly he was supposed to cultivate and grow stronger with his other two bloodlines.

His Dragon and Incubus Bloodlines were both sitting at the theoretical peak of their respective races, which meant talent was not the issue.

The problem was figuring out how he was supposed to grow stronger from here.

On Earth, cultivation had always been straightforward in the novels: absorb Yuan Qi from the environment, pills, or spirit treasures, then refine it through meditation until the body and spirit crossed each rank threshold.

Here, however, there was almost no usable Qi in the air. There were no pills that could make up for the lack of it, nor were there any body-tempering or soul-refining treasures that could help him break through.

If that weren’t bad enough, the Growth Points from his System only fed his Human Bloodline—the weakest of his three bloodlines. As for the additional growth paths available to the other two races, he couldn’t use them on the move, nor did he even understand how they even worked.

’I guess I just have to make do with what I have.’

Michael leaned back until he was lying flat on the mat and let out a long, quiet breath. ’I swear, getting stronger is a lot harder than the novels made it look.’

As Michael’s consciousness slowly drifted into quiet rest, he suddenly felt a soft warmth slip beneath the back of his head, lifting it slightly before gently settling it back down onto something even softer.

Michael pried his eyes open and glanced upward, only to see Raven’s hands near his hair. Her fingers began smoothing his hair back in slow, steady strokes.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, her voice low enough that the wind nearly carried it away. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Nothing important."

Raven’s golden eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second.

The answer felt distant, almost dismissive. She swallowed the small sting it caused and continued stroking his hair without another word.

"Okay."

At the rear of the mat, Emma watched the quiet scene with open disgust. Her arms were crossed tightly beneath her chest, making the soft flesh press together slightly.

After a moment, she clicked her tongue. "Tch. Some of us are here trying to figure out how not to die, and they’re acting all lovey-dovey up there."

Grolm’s booming laughter rolled back from the front edge of the mat, where he sat like a living boulder. "Grumpy miss, if you’re jealous, just say so! Hahaha!"

Emma’s face flushed a deep red. "You oversized oak! Keep your mouth shut!"

She spun away from them as far as the limited space allowed, her shoulders stiff with embarrassment.

Michael sighed and closed his eyes again. ’This stress is making me miss Rachel and Ivy...’

A small smile curved across his lips. ’Heh... I wonder how Rachel and the baby are doing right now. I bet he’s already giving her a headache. After all, he’s my kid.’

His smile softened slightly. Well... Mom’s probably spoiling her rotten right about now. And Dad’s definitely pretending he isn’t worried while hovering nearby.’

He stared quietly into the night, taking in the fresh breeze for a long moment before finally opening his eyes and calling for his System.

The familiar translucent blue panel bloomed into existence against the night sky.

His eyes drifted down to his Points, where the two Growth Points he had managed to earn over the past month and a half sat unused.

Honestly, he had been thinking about them for a while.

Should he pour both into the F-rank Fire Rune and push it directly to D-rank? Or should he put them straight into his Human Bloodline and climb to Rank 8 (Mid)?

Either choice would make him safer inside the tower. One extra boost to his raw strength or reaction speed could mean the difference between walking out alive and becoming another name on a missing-person list.

Still, something held him back.

A quiet, stubborn instinct kept telling him that the points were better saved for later.

His Dragon and Incubus Bloodlines already outclassed anything his Human Bloodline could reach in the short term. If things truly went south, he could always lean on them.

Michael stared hard at the two points for another long moment before finally waving the panel away with a small gesture.

Raven’s fingers never stopped moving through his hair, never once questioning why he had been staring at his status panel for so long.

After another minute of comfortable silence, Michael finally sat up and looked forward.

Several meters ahead, their destination finally came into full view.

It was far larger—and far more dreadful—than Michael had initially imagined.

A massive red rift tore through the world ahead of them like an open wound, its ragged edges twisting unnaturally as purple and crimson lightning crackled across them in irregular flashes.

The air itself seemed to vibrate with every pulse of energy, while the pressure rolling off the tear was so intense that even the flying mat trembled beneath them.

’So that’s the—’

Michael never finished the thought.

A sudden lance of pain tore through his skull without warning.

His hand flew to his temple, teeth gritting hard enough that his jaw began to ache.

"Michael? What’s wrong?"

He shook his head once, forcing the sudden pain down through sheer will.

The moment he looked at the rift again, the pain vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.

In its place came something else.

A deep, rolling heat ignited in the center of his chest and spread outward through every vein. His blood felt thicker, hotter—almost alive.

Michael’s eyes widened.

’This is...’ His gaze locked onto the massive rift. ’...a reaction?’