Chapitre 54: Chapter 54: W-What... Is It Doing Here?

Reon's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. The vast chamber beyond the door was unlike anything he had expected. Beyond the doorway lay a cavern even grander than the last. He could not see the end of this room.

The air inside was thick, charged with a primal energy that crackled faintly around them, sending shivers along Reon's skin.

Towering crystal formations erupted from the floor, casting a cool, bluish glow that danced across the walls, illuminating intricate carvings that spiraled along the chamber's stone surface.

Strange symbols and ancient inscriptions, almost pulsing with a life of their own, were etched in every corner, their meanings long lost to time.

In the center of the room stood an altar draped in the roots of an ancient tree that seemed to grow out of the stone itself.

A soft, otherworldly mist hung low, curling around the base of the altar, as if protecting whatever rested upon it.

Reon could just make out the silhouette of a small, glowing object nestled there, radiating a powerful energy that sent a faint tremor through the ground beneath his feet.

Cloudia let out a low growl beside him, her eyes fixed on the altar as if sensing the potency of the magic it held.

Reon swallowed, feeling the weight of something grand and dangerous pressing down on him. This wasn't just an ordinary hidden chamber—it was a place of ancient power.

Reon took a cautious step forward, his gaze fixed on the glowing object atop the altar. As he approached, he could feel the power radiating from it intensify, a tangible pulse that seemed to match his own heartbeat.

Beneath the twisting roots, a faint shimmer hinted at protective wards that had endured through the ages, holding back whatever lay within.

Reon reached out, fingers hovering just above the mist that curled around the base of the altar.

The mist shifted slightly at his touch, as if aware of him, swirling in hypnotic patterns that revealed more inscriptions hidden on the floor.

He glanced back at Cloudia, who kept her gaze firmly on the altar, her ears perked, every muscle tense and ready.

Taking a steadying breath, Reon slowly extended his hand toward the glowing object, feeling a tingling warmth spread up his arm.

As his fingers brushed its surface, a surge of energy raced through him, nearly overwhelming. He had the sudden sense of unlocking something, like releasing a floodgate deep within himself.

The glow around the object flared brighter, and the room responded in kind—crystals shimmering, the walls vibrating with an unearthly hum.

A low, resonant voice seemed to echo from the walls themselves, as if acknowledging his presence.

"Seeker of strength… do you dare to claim the power that lies within? If so, pass the challenge."

The voice held both a warning and a challenge, reverberating through the chamber, stirring the mist at his feet. Reon gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the object resting on the altar.

He glanced at Cloudia, who let out a low growl of encouragement, and then nodded, steeling himself. This was no ordinary test; he was standing on the edge of something far greater than he'd anticipated.

"Yes, I will," he said, his voice laced with determination.

The instant he confirmed his intent, a sudden gust swept through the chamber, cold and biting, stirring the thick mist at his feet into spirals.

The bluish glow flickered, and shadows twisted ominously along the chamber walls. A low, guttural growl sounded from deep within, a warning filled with raw, primal power.

Reon's hand froze mid-reach, his instincts screaming danger. This was the threat he had sensed from the start. Cloudia lowered her body into a defensive stance, her eyes locked on the source of the sound, her form ready to protect him.

From behind the altar, a massive figure stepped forward—a wolf-like creature, yet so colossal that it matched the size of the Shadow Claw Bear he had faced before. But unlike the bear, this beast radiated elemental power.

Reon's eyes widened in recognition. He'd seen a sketch of this creature at the Skyreach Mission Pavilion.

"W-What... what is this beast doing here?" he muttered, a mix of shock and disbelief in his voice. "Isn't it supposed to be in Ironclaw Valley, deep in the Whispering Grove?"

The Ironclaw Direwolf—a Mid-Ranked Demonic Soldier with mastery over wind energy. Reon had been briefed on its habits and territory by the Mission Assignment Counter. This was the very beast he needed to defeat to complete his mission.

Its sinewy limbs were sheathed in sleek, storm-gray fur, tinged with a faint bluish sheen, almost as if it were charged with latent storm energy.

Its eyes gleamed with a cunning intelligence, more aware and focused than any beast he'd encountered, and its form radiated a swirling aura of wind energy, a tempest held within flesh and bone. Every motion hinted at the unleashed force of a storm.

This was no ordinary foe. Its power dwarfed that of the Shadow Claw Bear, which had been formidable but unaligned with any element.

Reon knew that a beast at the Demonic Soldier Rank could naturally awaken an elemental affinity, while human cultivators had to reach the Elements Refining Realm to start refining Elemental power.

This wolf represented the raw energy of the wind, a foe shaped by nature to wield its force with precision.