Chapter 527: Exploring floor 29(3)
Once I had defeated the monster leaders, I allowed myself a day of rest. But the excitement—and a gnawing sense of curiosity—quickly got the better of me. I couldn’t contain the urge to push my limits any further. The recent victories against the monster leaders had filled me with a dangerous confidence. I felt certain I could take down the vulture-like beasts, too.
That day, I was seated inside the cave, meditating, trying to recover the mana I had spent during the battles. The stillness of the space offered some peace—until I noticed movement near the entrance.
Lilith.
She stepped inside the cave quietly, and for a moment, I was genuinely baffled.
"When... when did she leave?" I muttered, startled.
"Lilith," I breathed out, almost in disbelief. After all this time, it seemed like the Spirit Amulet was finally working. Or so I thought.
But just as quickly as hope had filled me, it vanished. She returned to her usual posture—expressionless and detached, like a puppet waiting for a command. There hadn’t been a flicker of will in her eyes. Still, the fact that she had moved without instruction left me confused.
When did she start moving on her own? I questioned inwardly. Was she always able to do so... or had I simply failed to notice until now?
The second possibility seemed more likely. I had been too focused—my thoughts consumed by a singular goal: the Dragon’s Heart. I realized that, even after all this time, I couldn’t recall her ever attending to nature’s call. I always left her in safe zones whenever I went scouting or hunting through the deeper floors.
She would eat silently beside me when I prepared meals, and I had brushed off her passive behavior without thinking much of it.
Still, that brief flicker of action from her stirred something in me.
I don’t know what gave me the confidence—maybe it was instinct—but despite not being fully recovered, I found myself leaving the cave and heading back into the forest. I made my way toward an open field, and upon arriving, I used mana manipulation to erase my presence from the surroundings, blending into the natural mana currents of the area.