Chapter 38: Guiding a Sentinel (1)
When Ethan finally tore his attention away from the terrifying landscape surrounding him, his eyes landed on something standing at the very end of the ruined Mental Sea.
A door.
It towered over everything else, its surface covered in countless black cracks that pulsed faintly as though something alive was breathing beneath them. Thick strands of corruption seeped out from the gaps around its frame, spreading across the ground like poisonous roots.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
So that’s it.
If his guess was correct...
That had to be the entrance leading to Drey’s Inner Core.
And if Sentinels were anything like the cultivation book had vaguely described, then the Inner Core should be the very center of the Mental Sea.
Which also meant...
The source of Drey’s corruption was probably inside.
If he wanted to stop this rampage, then he had to get through that door.
Without wasting another second, Ethan started walking toward it.
His footsteps echoed strangely across the cracked black ground. He had barely covered half the distance before a series of sharp screeches echoed around him.
The tiny corrupted creatures from earlier.
Their beady crimson eyes locked onto him simultaneously.
The next instant...
They charged.
"Not again!"
Before Ethan could even react, one of the creatures opened its grotesque mouth and spat out a glob of thick black liquid.
SPLAT!
The corrosive substance landed where he had been standing only a heartbeat earlier, instantly melting the cracked ground into a smoking pit.
"What the hell?!"
Another one spat.
Then another.
Within seconds, dozens of black projectiles rained toward him from every direction.
Ethan’s heart nearly leaped into his throat as he twisted sideways, ducked beneath one attack, rolled across the ground and narrowly avoided another that grazed past his shoulder.
"They’re trying to poison me?!"
The creatures showed no intention of stopping.
Instead, they became even more aggressive. Some continued spitting the corrosive liquid while others leaped directly toward him with claws extended, their razor-sharp teeth snapping wildly.
Ethan knew immediately...
He couldn’t keep dodging forever. Grinding his teeth, he gathered spiritual energy into both hands.
Golden light slowly gathered around his fingertips before stretching outward.
Moments later...
A translucent golden blade formed within his grasp. Without hesitation, Ethan swung.
SHING!
The first creature was sliced cleanly in half before it even reached him.
Another lunged from the side.
He spun.
SHING!
A second body crashed onto the ground.
More came.
Ethan continued swinging, his spiritual blade cutting elegant golden arcs through the darkness as corrupted creatures continuously fell one after another.
Minutes later...
The battlefield finally grew quiet.
Ethan bent over slightly, breathing heavily as sweat rolled down his forehead.
Although he hadn’t managed to eliminate every single creature, the remaining ones no longer dared to approach him. They now perched atop the twisted dead trees surrounding the area, glaring at him with hatred while letting out low, threatening snarls.
"...Yeah. Keep barking from over there."
"I’ll stay over here."
Rolling his eyes, Ethan retracted his spiritual energy, he wasted no more time and continued toward the enormous door.
When he finally reached it, he slowly placed one hand against its cold surface.
The door creaked open with a long, horrifying shriek.
The sound echoed endlessly through the frozen world, almost as though the door itself had been alive... and deeply unwilling to let anyone pass.
A chill crept down Ethan’s spine.
He had truly never seen anything like Drey’s mental sea.
Not in this life.
Not even in his previous one.
He silently applauded himself.
The fact that he hadn’t already fainted from fear was honestly impressive.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan stepped inside.
The moment he entered...
His pupils contracted violently.
The space beyond the door was even worse.
At the center of the chamber stood an enormous black tree.
Its trunk was grotesquely twisted, countless faces appearing and disappearing beneath the bark as if souls were trapped inside, silently screaming. Thick branches stretched endlessly upward into complete darkness, while countless crimson leaves slowly drifted downward like drops of blood.
The roots...
They weren’t buried underground. Instead, they stretched outward like living serpents.
And every single one of them...
Was wrapped around Drey.
His unconscious body hung suspended several feet above the ground, his head lowered lifelessly as though every ounce of strength had already left him.
Black roots pierced through his chest, shoulders, arms and legs before disappearing back into the monstrous tree.
Each pulse from the tree caused those roots to tighten slightly. As though they were feeding and draining him alive.
Countless black chains also bound his body in place, wrapping tightly around his wrists, waist and neck until barely any skin remained visible beneath the corruption.
Drey looked...
Broken.
Completely broken.
Ethan swallowed hard.
"So..."
"This is what Sentinels have to endure..."
His throat suddenly felt dry.
Thank God I transmigrated as a Guide.
He honestly wasn’t sure he could survive something like this. Pushing those thoughts aside, Ethan floated toward Drey.
Almost immediately...
The enormous tree trembled as though it had sensed him.
The entire trunk shook violently before countless thick vines erupted from every direction like gigantic snakes.
One vine lashed toward him with terrifying speed.
Ethan barely managed to summon another spiritual sword before bringing it down.
SLASH!
The vine wrapped around his ankle was severed instantly. He barely had time to breathe before the tree seemed to grow furious.
Dozens more vines erupted simultaneously.
They shot toward Ethan like enraged serpents
"What the—"
Before Ethan could even dodge...
One wrapped around his right arm.
Another around his left.
Two more coiled tightly around both legs.
His entire body was suddenly yanked into the air.
The vines stretched outward, spreading all four of his limbs apart until he hung completely immobilized before the corrupted tree.
"...You’ve got to be kidding me."
"Did I seriously lose to a fucking tree?"
That was honestly depressing.
Ethan struggled with everything he had.
He twisted.
Pulled.
Kicked.
Yet nothing worked. The vines didn’t even budge.
Instead...
Another vine slowly slithered forward.
"No..."
It wrapped around his neck.
Then...
It tightened.
Ethan’s breathing immediately became difficult. His vision gradually blurred as every desperate breath became harder than the last.
The tighter the vine squeezed...
The more clearly Ethan saw flashes of death before his eyes.
Was...
Was he really going to die like this?
His consciousness gradually faded. Just as darkness threatened to consume him completely...
One thought suddenly exploded inside his mind.
No.
There was absolutely no way he was dying like this! There was no fucking way a stupid tree was ending his life!
The next instant...
BOOM!!
An overwhelming burst of brilliant golden spiritual energy erupted from Ethan’s body.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
His scream echoed throughout the chamber.
The vines restraining him exploded apart almost instantly, countless severed pieces scattering across the ground.
The tree recoiled violently.
Without giving it another chance, Ethan gathered the overflowing golden energy into both hands before firing it directly toward the monstrous tree.
The attack struck the trunk head-on. The enormous tree shuddered violently before becoming temporarily paralyzed, every branch freezing in place.
"...Now!"
Ethan knew he didn’t have much time. The corruption itself hadn’t disappeared.
The tree would recover soon.
Immediately rushing toward Drey, Ethan searched frantically for the true source.
His eyes quickly landed on it.
Unlike the countless ordinary roots wrapped around Drey’s body...
One enormous root pierced directly through the center of his chest before connecting straight into the tree’s core.
"...Found you."
Without hesitation, Ethan pressed both palms against it.
Golden spiritual energy immediately poured from his body.
He forced it into the corrupted root.
At first...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Very slowly...
Black corruption began retreating. The roots binding Drey loosened one after another.
"It... it’s working!"
Encouraged, Ethan poured even more spiritual energy into the root.
Golden light spread farther. The corruption continued shrinking.
Drey’s restraints slowly fell away.
Sweat poured down Ethan’s face his breathing becoming increasingly ragged.
His vision spun violently.
His ears rang so loudly he could barely hear himself think. Despite that he forced himself to push harder.
Then suddenly he noticed something that caused his expression to change drastically.
The corruption wasn’t simply disappearing.
It wasn’t simply retreating anymore.
It had begun intertwining with his own spiritual energy.
Like black ink spreading through clear water.
It slowly started traveling back toward him through the very spiritual connection he had created.
Cold sweat instantly covered Ethan’s forehead.
If that corruption entered his body...
He’d be as good as dead.
Before panic could completely consume him...
A weak cough echoed beside him.
Ethan immediately turned his head to find Drey’s eyes opened.
The once raging crimson had faded into a dull brown, exhaustion evident within them as he barely managed to remain conscious.
Using what little strength he still possessed, Drey looked directly at Ethan.
His lips parted slightly.
"...You’re..."
"...not doing it..."
"...right..."
Ethan’s temper exploded instantly.
"You—"
This lunatic actually has the audacity to criticize him?
"I’m risking my life trying to save you and the entire academy from your crazy self!"
"If you know so much..."
"Then come do it yourself!"
Drey looked at him through half-lidded eyes before weakly shaking his head.
"...No..."
"I mean..."
He struggled to finish the sentence.
Then, with the last bit of strength he still possessed, his dry lips finally moved.
"...Kiss me."