"You’re back," Zara said when Nox returned to the break world. She had been absentmindedly watching everything from the side.
"Yeah," Nox responded, feeling the familiar rush of wind. It took a bit of time for him to adapt to Earth’s gravity. Despite spending only a few hours in the astral, to Nox, it felt as if a decade had passed by in the blink of an eye.
Pushing all irrelevant thoughts aside, he focused his gaze on the screens flickering in his retina, the boons brought by the evolution causing a smirk to creep up to his lips.
On those screens was a list of rewards.
...
[New Skills Unlocked]:
❖ Astral Ward (Active): Creates a protective field that absorbs a portion of incoming damage and redirects it as energy-based counterattacks.
❖ Celestial Pulse (Active): Emits a pulse of cosmic energy that disrupts enemy movements and weakens their defenses.
❖ Starpiercer (Active): Condenses cosmic energy into a focused lance, capable of bypassing most magical and physical defenses.
[Enhanced Skills]:
Spatial Tentacles/Void Grasp(ultimate tier): Can now pull objects or enemies through space, distorting their positions.
Gravity Field(ultimate tier): The gravity-altering ability now extends to bending time slightly in localized areas, making enemy movements sluggish.
Stellar regeneration/Starforged Immortality(ultimate tier): Astralux’s body is an eternal manifestation of the cosmos, reforming instantly from stardust. Wounds vanish before they form, and even total annihilation is meaningless—she simply rebuilds itself as if nothing happened.
Reality Distortion/Eclipse Shift(ultimate tier): Instead of merely dodging attacks, Stellaluna momentarily phases into another dimension, becoming completely untouchable.
...
Evolution Path (2/8) – Stellaluna → Cosmic Eclipse Harbinger
New Evolution Requirements:
✔ Reach Peak King-Tier (incomplete)
✔ Absorb a Starborn Leviathan Core (incomplete)
✔ Collect 20 Voidflame Nebula Petals (/20)
✔ Endure a black hole’s gravitational pull for 10 minutes (Incomplete)
---
[Cosmic Eclipse Harbinger - Future Evolution Description]
Ascending to the Cosmic Eclipse Harbinger, Astralux transcends ordinary celestial beings, embodying the balance between light and void. This form grants near-absolute mastery over space, time, and cosmic energy, allowing it to distort reality, summon stellar calamities, and manipulate gravity at will. It becomes a harbinger of celestial destruction, its mere presence warping the battlefield into an ever-changing astral domain.
---
Nox’s eyes lingered on the flickering holographic display. He noticed Zara’s curiosity and held her hand.
"Huh?" Zara seemed slightly taken aback, not expecting this action from Nox at all. She felt uncomfortable... but it was a feeling she couldn’t quite describe. It was pleasant.
"Look," Nox said to her as he wished for her to see the status screen of Astralux. This was the only way Awakened could share their status screen with each other—by holding hands and wishing for the other person to see. A very intimate act.
Zara leaned forward, and her eyes flashed when she saw the stats.
"It’s more than I imagined," she murmured.
Nox exhaled slowly, feeling the gravity of Earth’s pull reclaim his limbs after that timeless sojourn in the astral realm.
"I know," he said in a somewhat weak voice and yawned. "Let’s camp here. In the morning, we’ll leave."
Nox stretched as he settled onto the hard ground after making a crude-looking campfire, which crackled softly, its embers sending tiny sparks upward into the night sky.
Zara naturally stayed far from the crackling flame. As a Frost Dragon, fire was her number one weakness.
Nothing eventful happened that night, and at the first light of day, Zara, in her dragon form with Nox mounting her, continued their journey.
After traveling for two days, they soon arrived at a valley flanked by two mountains. As they soared over the valley, Nox gazed down at the sprawling landscape and noticed the presence of several monsters below.
Those monsters... they seemed to be in a fight—a rather brutal one at that—and it wasn’t just in one spot. Nox’s gaze swept around, and he noticed that the fighting was occurring all around. It was a chaotic ecosystem where beasts clashed for dominance, their roars and cries capable of destroying an eardrum.
"This place is a goldmine for leveling up," Nox muttered, narrowing his eyes. The valley was rich with mana, likely an anomaly that caused the monsters here to grow stronger than usual.
Zara beat her wings, gliding in slow circles as she observed from above. "It’s also dangerous," she noted, spotting the hundreds of monsters. The place seemed like a battle royale of sorts.
She continued, her beautiful voice ringing in Nox’s head. "If you get surrounded, it won’t be quite the hassle to leave."
Of course, after witnessing Nox’s prowess, Zara didn’t think Nox couldn’t deal with them. She only felt it would take a bit of time.
Nox stroked his chin and muttered, "True, but it’s a good chance for my pets to grow stronger. And who knows? I might find a powerful beast here."
According to Zara, their current location was the outskirts of the Valerian Kingdom, which also acted as a border between the human domain and the non-human continent. Meaning they were very close to exiting the human continent.
It also meant one thing... stronger monsters would be nearby. It was common knowledge that stronger monsters were found in the non-human continent, as the mana there was much denser. Naturally, a few of those monsters had migrated here.
Nox’s eyes lit up as he looked down at the valley. It was a complete war zone. Huge Razorclaw Apes were tearing into Rockfang Boars, their claws and tusks ripping through flesh like it was nothing. Not far from them, a pack of wolves prowled around a massive bear, over two meters tall, waiting for the right moment to pounce. The whole place smelled of blood and dirt, and the sounds of fighting echoed everywhere.
Zara, still circling above, observed Nox’s growing excitement. "You’re really going down there, huh?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Nox smirked. "Of course. I’d be stupid to waste such an opportunity."
Zara clicked her tongue. "I thought as much."
Nox snapped his fingers, and several portals appeared.
"If you’re calling them, you’re planning on a full-scale massacre, aren’t you?" she said in a somewhat helpless voice. She knew, in a way, that Nox was doing this in preparation for the fight in Snowhelm, but still, she couldn’t help but feel slightly upset.
She missed home. Zara missed home dearly. If it were within her power, she would have hastened their journey instead of these frequent stops.
"Not quite," Nox said, cracking his knuckles. "This will be a controlled hunt. I want to see how much they’ve grown. You can stay up here and watch."
Zara huffed. "No, I’ll help. Let’s get this over with quickly."
Nox grinned before leaping off Zara’s back, free-falling through the air for several seconds before activating Runic Dominion.
Blood-red constructs flared to life, forming a series of floating platforms midair, allowing him to slow his descent before finally landing with a light tap. Dust swirled around him as the ground trembled, and monsters turned their attention toward the new intruder.
The first to react was a Rockfang Boar, its beady eyes locking onto him. With a furious snort, it charged, its tusks glowing with earth-attribute energy.
Nox didn’t even move.
Runic Dominion—Blood Spear Barrage.
A dozen crimson spears materialized and launched forward at high speed. The first one pierced through the boar’s skull, followed by another through its chest. The beast skidded to a halt, its body lifeless before it even understood what had happened.
This sight made the other beasts shrink back, horror in their eyes.
"I’ll clear out a section first. Stay back and watch my back for now," Nox instructed his pets, including Zara, who grunted but didn’t argue. She knew Nox well enough to understand that once he made up his mind, there was no changing it.
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The fear in the beasts’ eyes was brief, and their expressions soon turned ravenous again. Nox’s presence had attracted the attention of all the monsters nearby.
The ground trembled slightly as a pack of wolves emerged from the underbrush, their crimson eyes gleaming with hunger. They weren’t alone—further ahead, a massive Ironhide Bear lumbered forward, its steel-like fur bristling as it noticed Nox’s intrusion.
Nox cracked his neck.
"Let’s see how much I can push myself this time."
With that, he dashed forward, his weapons launching toward the beasts with deadly precision.
---
Further down the valley, hidden within the dense foliage, a pair of keen eyes observed the battle.
"An outsider?" a gruff voice muttered.
The observer was an orc clad in rugged armor. He adjusted his monocle, enhancing his vision. He watched as Nox single-handedly slaughtered the creatures with ruthless efficiency.
"Impressive," he admitted. "But what’s a human doing this deep in monster territory?"
Behind him, several other trolls stood ready, gripping their weapons.
"Should we engage?" one asked.
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The leader, a high orc with a battle-scarred face, stroked his chin in thought.
"Not yet." He held his staff embedded with a glowing purple crystal tightly, then looked up at the Frost Dragon circling the valley. A strange gleam shone in his eye.
"Let’s see what he does first."
Little did Nox know, his actions had already drawn the attention of the valley’s true inhabitants—the hidden orc encampment.