Chapter 114 Before the Ruin (part one)
Zane pulled out a giant fish, dressed it swiftly, and cut it into neat chunks. He gathered wood, lit a fire, and skewered the meat for a simple barbecue.
An hour later, once he’d eaten his fill, he dragged the boat into the stream again and resumed his journey.
This time, however, he didn’t practice. Instead, he lay back, relaxing against the boat’s edge, enjoying the calm flow of the water and the scenery around him while munching on well-cooked fish skewers.
He encountered many fish and aquatic beasts along the way, but none were hostile. He didn’t bother them either, letting the boat drift peacefully downstream.
Eventually, the distant murmur of voices reached his ears.
Naturally alert, Zane sat up. His eyes widened slightly when he saw it—a gigantic, pyramid-shaped monument standing imposingly ahead, its dark metallic surface gleaming with an eerie sheen.
As the boat drifted closer, he spotted tens of thousands of participants gathered around the structure, swarming it like ants around a hive.
"That must be the Titan Ruin," he muttered under his breath.
His laid-back arrival on a boat immediately drew attention. A few people who noticed him were visibly irritated—especially once they recognized who was arriving so leisurely.
Zane casually rowed to the nearest riverbank. After securing the boat and carving his name on its edge for identification, he approached the strange structure, munching on a skewer of grilled fish.
The sky was already tinged with evening hues by the time he arrived.
"That’s Zane Carter! The freshman whose name went viral on social media," a girl exclaimed, pointing.