Chapter 189: Rumors.
From within the ring on his finger, a faint light had shimmered like a panicked heartbeat pounding through metal.
With what little energy he had left, Creed had reached into his storage and pulled out the one item he had long forgotten but never thrown away.
A black and red plaque. It was roughly the size of a palm, made of strange unknown material that felt like obsidian but shimmered like it was alive.
On its surface was the number 3, etched deep into the top corner, and on the back, three red slashes shaped like a triangle; elegant, sharp, and mysterious.
Back during his expedition into the Unexplored Rift, the very place where he had first touched the terrifying power of the Path of Killing, this plaque had been one of three mysterious reward options offered to him.
He remembered them clearly: a red spear that could grow stronger with him, a drop of bloodline essence linked to the Path of Killing, and this plaque.
It hadn’t looked like much back then, but something about it had felt heavy... potent... ancient.
So he’d taken it, figuring he’d unlock its secrets eventually. He never thought "eventually" would be when a Beast King was about to eat his face.
Now the plaque was glowing.
Brightly. Fiercely. Furiously!
The three crimson slashes on its back throbbed with light, beating like three separate hearts, and a strange oppressive force filled the air; a command, not just to Creed but to the world itself.