The forest suddenly went quiet.
Even the insects seemed to disappear.
Aether tightened his grip around the metal rod.
Lyra stood beside him.
Lightning slowly gathered around her fingers.
Nyx lowered its body.
Its golden eyes remained fixed on the trees.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive tree was thrown into the air.
It crashed onto the road.
The survivors stumbled backward.
Something emerged from the forest.
It was enormous.
Nearly four meters tall, even while standing on four legs.
Its body was covered in dark gray fur.
Thick stone-like plates covered its shoulders and back.
Two long horns curved from its head.
A pair of crimson eyes stared at the group.
The Origin System activated.
[Origin Analysis]
[Species: Stonehorn Bear]
[Rank: C]
[Attribute: Earth]
[Ability: Stone Armor]
[Ability: Tremor]
[Ability: Earth Recovery]
[Potential: B]
[Threat Level: High]
Aether studied the beast.
"C Rank."
Rowan swallowed.
"That's a C Rank?"
He took several steps backward.
"We can't fight that."
One of the survivors grabbed his arm.
"Then what do we do?"
"Run."
Rowan pointed toward the opposite side of the road.
"Everyone, move!"
The survivors immediately began running.
Aether didn't stop them.
He couldn't protect everyone.
And he had no reason to throw his life away for strangers.
The Stonehorn Bear suddenly roared.
ROOOAAAR!
The sound shook the trees.
Lyra covered one ear.
"That's loud."
Aether smiled faintly.
"Stay close."
Lyra nodded.
The beast lowered its head.
Its horns began glowing with a dull brown light.
Aether's expression changed.
"Move!"
The Stonehorn Bear charged.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath its feet.
Aether jumped aside.
The beast passed within inches of him.
Its shoulder smashed into a ruined vehicle.
The vehicle was crushed instantly.
Lyra raised her hand.
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Lightning gathered around her arm.
"Let's see how tough you are."
A bolt of lightning shot forward.
BOOM!
The attack struck the beast's shoulder.
Smoke spread through the air.
The Stonehorn Bear staggered.
But it didn't fall.
Lyra's expression changed.
"That barely hurt it."
Aether looked at the damaged stone armor.
"Then don't attack the armor."
He pointed toward the beast's legs.
"Slow it down first."
Lyra understood.
She moved to the side.
Several bolts of lightning struck the ground around the beast.
CRACK!
The Stonehorn Bear stumbled.
Its movement slowed.
Aether rushed forward.
The beast swung one massive claw toward him.
He ducked beneath it.
The claw passed over his head.
Aether drove the metal rod into the beast's exposed leg.
CLANG!
The rod bent.
The beast barely reacted.
Aether jumped backward.
"Harder than I expected."
The beast turned toward him.
Its eyes flashed red.
Aether immediately sensed something.
"Something's coming."
The ground beneath him shook.
[Origin Analysis]
[Ability detected.]
[Tremor]
[Warning: Area attack.]
Aether jumped.
BOOM!
The ground exploded.
Stone and dirt shot into the air.
Aether was thrown several meters backward.
He landed hard.
Pain spread through his shoulder.
He rolled onto his feet.
Lyra rushed toward him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Aether looked at the cracked ground.
That attack had covered a huge area.
Directly blocking it would be dangerous.
Then Nyx moved.
The small beast stepped forward.
Aether immediately noticed the change.
The silver fur along Nyx's body began glowing faintly.
Golden energy appeared around its paws.
The Stonehorn Bear noticed Nyx.
Its attention shifted.
A low growl escaped its throat.
Aether frowned.
"Nyx?"
Nyx didn't look back.
The golden eyes remained fixed on the larger beast.
Then the system appeared.
[Origin Beast Synchronization: 3%]
[Unique response detected.]
[Nyx has recognized a higher Origin signature.]
[Temporary ability access detected.]
Aether's eyes widened.
"Ability access?"
Before he could understand it, Nyx disappeared.
It moved far faster than before.
The Stonehorn Bear swung its claw.
Nyx slipped underneath it.
A streak of golden light crossed the beast's front leg.
CRACK!
A thin crack appeared in the stone armor.
Aether immediately understood.
"Nyx can damage its armor."
Lyra smiled.
"Then let's use that."
She raised both hands.
Lightning gathered around her body.
Aether moved at the same time.
They attacked together.
Nyx continued striking the beast's legs.
Lyra's lightning targeted the cracks.
Aether watched every movement.
The Stonehorn Bear became increasingly unstable.
Its attacks were powerful.
But they were becoming slower.
Aether waited for the right moment.
The beast raised one claw.
Lyra immediately fired.
BOOM!
Lightning struck its shoulder.
The Stonehorn Bear staggered.
Nyx attacked its leg.
Another crack appeared.
Aether moved.
He didn't attack the armor.
Instead, he drove the bent metal rod directly into the crack created by Nyx.
CRACK!
The stone armor shattered.
The beast roared in pain.
Aether pulled the rod free.
"Now!"
Lyra understood.
Lightning gathered around her entire arm.
"Thunder Break!"
BOOM!
The lightning struck the exposed area.
The Stonehorn Bear collapsed onto one knee.
But it wasn't finished.
Its body suddenly began absorbing energy from the ground.
Aether's expression changed.
[Ability detected.]
[Earth Recovery activated.]
[Warning: Target is recovering.]
The broken armor slowly began repairing itself.
Lyra stared.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Aether looked around.
Then he noticed something.
Several strange crystals were embedded in the ground beneath the beast.
His eyes sharpened.
"That's where it's getting the energy."
Lyra followed his gaze.
"Those crystals?"
"Yes."
Aether pointed toward them.
"Destroy them."
Lyra didn't hesitate.
She fired.
BOOM!
The crystals shattered.
The Stonehorn Bear's recovery stopped.
Aether rushed forward.
Nyx attacked from the opposite side.
Lyra followed with another lightning strike.
The three attacks landed almost simultaneously.
The Stonehorn Bear let out one final roar.
Then its massive body collapsed.
The forest became silent again.
Aether stood still for several seconds.
The Origin System appeared.
[Stonehorn Bear defeated.]
[Origin Energy +18]
[Origin Energy absorption available.]
[Host has defeated an opponent one major rank above current confirmed cultivation.]
Aether stared at the final message.
"One major rank above..."
His cultivation was still at the early stages of Origin Awakening.
Yet with his physique, Origin Adaptation, Lyra, and Nyx, he had managed to defeat a C Rank beast.
But Aether wasn't satisfied.
He knew exactly what this battle had shown him.
There was still a huge gap between strength and understanding.
Power alone wasn't enough.
Abilities mattered.
Environment mattered.
Information mattered even more.
Lyra walked over.
She looked exhausted.
"That was insane."
Aether nodded.
"Yeah."
She glanced at Nyx.
"Especially that little guy."
Nyx looked back at her.
Its golden eyes slowly returned to normal.
The strange glow around its body disappeared.
Aether crouched beside it.
"You used an ability."
Nyx tilted its head.
Aether smiled.
"Apparently you understand more than I thought."
The system appeared again.
[Origin Beast synchronization: 4%]
[New information recorded.]
[Nyx's ability remains unidentified.]
Aether frowned.
Still unknown.
Whatever Nyx truly was, the system couldn't completely analyze it.
That made him even more curious.
Suddenly—
A sharp pain spread through Aether's head.
He grabbed his forehead.
Images flashed through his mind.
A massive forest.
A black sky.
Hundreds of glowing beasts.
And at the center of it all—
A giant silver beast standing beneath a strange golden symbol.
Aether's breathing stopped.
The image disappeared.
"What was that?"
Lyra looked concerned.
"Aether?"
He slowly lowered his hand.
"I'm not sure."
Nyx suddenly stared at him.
Its golden eyes reflected the same symbol Aether had just seen.
For a brief moment, the mark beneath Nyx's fur glowed.
Then it vanished.
The Origin System appeared.
[Unknown memory fragment detected.]
[Source: Origin Beast synchronization.]
[Analysis incomplete.]
Aether stared at Nyx.
So the connection wasn't only giving Nyx abilities.
It was showing him something.
Something from the past.
Or perhaps—
something from the future.
A distant roar echoed through the forest.
Then another answered.
And another.
Aether slowly stood.
Lyra looked toward the trees.
"That doesn't sound good."
Aether activated Origin Analysis.
The results appeared.
[Multiple Origin signatures detected.]
[Estimated number: 27]
[Several signatures exceed Rank C.]
Aether's expression became serious.
"The fight attracted them."
Lyra tightened her grip.
"How many?"
"Twenty-seven."
She stared at him.
"Twenty-seven?"
Aether looked toward the dark forest.
"Yeah."
Nyx moved closer.
Aether turned toward the road.
"We're leaving."
This time, there was no argument.
The three of them quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Behind them, the forest began to move.
Something had awakened.
And among the approaching beasts was one signature that the Origin System couldn't analyze.
Aether didn't know it yet.
But the battle with the Stonehorn Bear had done more than reveal Nyx's first secret.
It had also announced their presence to the deeper parts of the Origin world.