Looking at Isha, tears unknowingly welled up in Ryuk’s eyes as he hugged the snowy white head, his fist clenching hard in his palm.
For as long as the second phase of the test had begun, he had felt his connection with Isha completely severed—almost as if Isha was no longer bonded with him.
Even when Isha was away or in the Pet World, Ryuk always felt that connection, that firm link deep in his soul.
But he had lost it after he had descended down that abyss.
His heart had wrenched in agony from losing that connection, and when it suddenly appeared once more, it sent a wave of joy that he couldn’t contain. Tears streamed down his face.
"I... I thought I’d..."
"...Lost you," he mused to himself.
Ryuk had not thought about Isha after that pain, mainly because he had been burdened by his own survival.
But now, Isha was in his arms once more.
Both remained in their position for a while, making the blue-haired lady feel like an outsider. She scraped her leg against the ground from nervousness, briefly warming her throat.
Immediately, the tears from Ryuk’s eyes faded as he slowly left Isha’s embrace before turning back to the lady.
"Thank you for the Soul Flora Sea. It really helped a lot," He thanked.
The lady waved him off while biting her teeth, then glanced back at the Flora Soul Sea, which, compared to its full sea form, now seemed like a mere lake.
"You almost sucked everything dry though" she mused with a grumbling expression.
Ryuk shrugged. "Well, you didn’t really give me a limit on how much to absorb, did you?"
Her eyebrows quivered repeatedly in anger, but she eventually cooled it off. She remained silent for a while before she finally spoke again, looking at Isha, who was now staring back at her.
"Is the Frost Wyvern just a childhood friend of yours, or are you a Beast Tamer?" she asked.
Ryuk noticed her expression slightly turning to disgust upon mentioning the Beast Tamer path—something he hadn’t witnessed before. But he still replied.
She furrowed her brows at him before looking back at Isha, who gazed at her with the same furrowed eyebrows before letting out a huff.
"Good. Well, now that I’m done with the test, can you return me back to the Forest Area?"
"Forest Area?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as Ryuk nodded.
"Yes, I’m going back home," he replied, his heart jumping with joy at the thought—only to go cold when he saw the lady flashing him an interested look.
"Home, huh? Where is your home? What world are you from?" she asked, making Ryuk raise an eyebrow.
"Yes. What world? Or what galaxy, at least?"
"A world called Endearth," he replied.
She shook her head. "Endearth? Never heard of it."
"Okay, That’s good to hear. Now can you send me back to the Forest Area?" Ryuk asked, growing a bit impatient.
"I will... if you tell me the highest cultivation base in your world," she said.
Ryuk looked at her suspiciously.
He didn’t know why she was asking all these questions, but he knew well that the less he told her, the better.
But he also wanted to leave this place, and he had no idea how to get back to the Forest Area.
She was his only key unless he wanted to be stuck here.
So, in the end, he had no choice but to oblige.
"The Eternity Stage. That is the highest cultivation base on Endearth," he said.
She looked him up and down, making Ryuk feel uncomfortable.
"The Eternity Stage is your world’s highest cultivation level? Like, the most powerful person in your world is at the Eternity Stage, right?" she asked.
Even though he hadn’t seen anyone at the Eternity Stage, or even heard of them, even the half-Fallen, the strongest being he had ever met wasn’t in the Eternity Stage yet.
But if such a stage existed, then someone must have reached it before.
"That is shameful," she suddenly said.
Ryuk’s eyes flashed. "Excuse me?"
"Your world’s highest cultivation stage is the Eternity Stage!? That’s just the beginning stage for cultivation in many Upper Worlds," she said.
Ryuk stared at her for a while before bursting into laughter.
"You know, that’s a really good one. I almost fell for it," Ryuk said, chuckling.
The Eternity Stage—the peak of power on Endearth—is just the beginning of cultivation? Now that had to be the funniest joke he had ever heard.
"Your world is a Lower World if the Eternity Stage is your highest cultivation base. Perhaps even a newly awakened world."
"The world where I came from has some infants born at the Eternity Stage."
"If you’re really serious about what you’re saying, then your world level is low. Ridiculously low. Almost like it’s a newborn world," she replied.
Ryuk shrugged it off.
"Okay, fine. My world is a Lower World. I’m fine with that."
"Now, can you send me back to the Forest Area? I go back to my Lower World, and you go back to your so-called ’Upper World.’
"And to give it a happy ending, we both never meet again. What do you think?"
"I’m coming with you to your world," she said.
Ryuk paused mid-step, his mouth stuck in the same position before he forced out
"I said, I’m coming with you to your world," she repeated.
Looking at her face, Ryuk didn’t think she was joking.
"I’m afraid that’s impossible," Ryuk replied without the slightest doubt at all.
Bring an alien back to Endearth!!!?
She might not look any different from Ryuk himself, but he had no idea who she truly was—except that if she was the one who created this realm, she was undoubtedly an ancient monster!
Bringing her back to Endearth!?
He had no idea what her goals were, no idea what her true power level was.
If she wasn’t joking about Endearth being a Lower World and the Eternity Stage being the beginning of cultivation—something Ryuk highly doubted—but if there was even the slightest chance that it was true...
Then bringing her back to Endearth would be like bringing in a new force as dangerous as the Knulls.
He would essentially be the one that brought Endearth to its knees.
’Oh, forget the knees, to its bellies!’
He would never do something like that.
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In and Out_SnowySmoos