Chapter 238: Am unwanted interruption
[5:15 AM]
[1 KM to Destination]
Splash.
Luke’s lips slowly curved into a smile as the distant sound reached his ears.
The ocean.
A salty breeze drifted toward him, filling his lungs with a scent he hadn’t realized he had been searching for all night.
At last, he had emerged from the endless shadows of the forest.
Ahead lay the beach.
Beyond it stretched the ocean itself, vast and untamed, its surface faintly visible beneath the fading darkness of dawn.
For a moment, Luke simply stood there.
The sight made every step feel worthwhile.
Every monster he had fought.
Every exhausting hour spent pushing through the wilderness.
Every moment when the destination had seemed impossibly far away.
All of it had led to this.
Even in his Lunar Warden form, the strain on his body and mind had become immense. Fatigue weighed heavily on him, settling deep into his bones.
He could barely remember the last time he had been this tired.
Yet none of it mattered.
They had made it.
"Synthia..." he called softly.
But there was no need.
She was already peeking out from the tank.
Her fingers clutched the rim tightly as she stared at the ocean in the distance, her eyes shining.
Countless emotions like longing, grief, joy, relief...thet all swirled within her gaze as she slowly took in the endless expanse before her.
Home.
She was finally home.
After so many lonely nights.
And after so many years of yearning.
She had returned.
"I... I can’t believe it," she whispered.
Her voice trembled.
"Without you, Luke... I couldn’t have even imagined making it back here on my own."
Luke let out a quiet chuckle.
"Then thank that snake whose poison led me to your refuge."
His gaze drifted toward the horizon, where the first hints of dawn were beginning to paint the sky.
"Destiny brought us together, and perhaps it was my fate to help you find your way back to your people."
To his surprise, he felt his own throat tighten slightly.
The journey had never been his alone.
They had faced the dangers together.
Shared the uncertainty and endured the hardships.
After everything they had gone through, getting a little emotional felt perfectly justified.
"Well then, shall we go?" Luke said, adjusting the strap around his waist before taking another step forward.
The System had already warned him that his Warden powers would weaken as dawn approached.
It hadn’t been wrong.
What had once felt manageable was now becoming increasingly difficult.
Carrying Synthia on his back felt heavier with every passing minute.
His breathing had grown ragged, and sweat glistened across his forehead despite the cool sea breeze.
Still, he kept moving.
Just a little farther.
Synthia watched him in silence.
Guilt tugged at her heart, but she resisted the urge to say anything.
Stopping now would only delay them.
The best way she could help him was by reaching the ocean as quickly as possible.
So she remained quiet.
Step by step, the shoreline drew nearer.
The crashing waves grew louder.
The salty scent became stronger.
The sight of the endless sea filled more and more of her vision.
Synthia’s eyes gradually moistened.
This scent...that sound...everything was so familiar.
After all this time, she was finally close enough to touch it.
Her heart fluttered with anticipation.
"You stop there."
The voice struck like a hammer.
The warmth in her chest vanished instantly.
Luke’s brows furrowed as he turned toward the source.
Until now, every enemy he had encountered had been a beast.
None of them could speak.
Which made this immediately different and dangerous.
As Luke pivoted, his eyes landed on a towering figure standing between them and the forest they left.
The man was enormous.
At least seven feet tall.
Broad shoulders stretched beneath sun-bronzed skin, making him look less like a person and more like a wall of muscle.
A simple loincloth hung around his waist, while intricate markings covered his tanned body, winding across his chest, arms, and shoulders like ancient symbols carved into stone.
Luke narrowed his eyes.
A human?
This was the first intelligent being he had encountered in this place besides Synthia.
Under different circumstances, he might have welcomed the opportunity to talk.
Not now.
Not when they were only moments away from reaching the ocean.
"Busy right now," Luke replied flatly.
Without another word, he turned away.
His priority was getting Synthia into the ocean before anything else happened.
"I am talking to you!"
The roar echoed across the beach.
At the same instant, Luke’s Domain reacted.
Something was moving dangerously fast.
His body shifted before his mind could fully process it.
Instinct took over.
Boom!
Sand exploded into the air.
The giant landed exactly where Luke had been standing a heartbeat earlier, leaving a shallow crater beneath his feet.
The impact sent grains of sand scattering in every direction.
The man’s posture was openly hostile now.
He appeared predatory.
Luke’s expression darkened.
The exhaustion weighing on him, the sleepless night, the countless battles, and now this interruption.
His patience was rapidly disappearing.
"What do you want?" he growled.
The giant was strong. Luke could tell that much immediately. His instincts screamed caution.
But that wasn’t what caused him to pause.
Above the man’s head floated a familiar tag.
<Lvl 5>
Luke’s eyes narrowed further.
The System had marked him. Just like it marked monsters.
The realization sent a strange feeling through him.
So the System didn’t distinguish between beast and human. Anyone who met its criteria could become a target.
Not that Luke particularly cared at the moment.
After being stopped when they were practically at their destination, he was beginning to feel more annoyed than concerned.
And judging by the way the giant was glaring at him, the feeling seemed mutual.
"You aren’t leaving unless you hand over what you carry." The man said with a savage grin as he took out his short blade and crouched in a battle stance.
Luke snickered, "Until now you looked more like a beast but your words proved it." He unstrapped Synthia before getting into battle position as well.
His eyes gleamed dangerously before he muttered, "You are a human, through and through."
••••••
A/N:- Thanks for reading. A Level Five being is stronger than someone like Terek, if you might be confused.
