from the weakest hunter to the strongest SSS rank-Chapter 53 - Fifty-Three

This creature... is torn apart! There are bleeding wounds on its face, and its neck is severed from the front, connected only by the back of its neck.

Those wounds, Alven and Elena were the ones responsible for them. Why is this creature no longer intact like it was in previous encounters?

Alven drew his sword and severed the head with a single strike, which rolled slightly before falling into the river. Unlike the head, the body remained standing, its blood-stained hands dangling at its sides.

"Ah!" Meryl screamed in panic as the body slowly moved, then leaped from the boat towards Alven, blood pouring from the empty neck.

Alven lifted his leg and forcefully kicked the body, sending it crashing against the wall on the opposite side of the river.

It rolled several times before falling into the river as well. "Are you okay?" Elena asked with concern.

Meryl sighed with a trembling heart before saying, "I'm sorry about that. I was scared when it moved without a head."

Tulip took her hand and pointed to himself, writing: "I was scared too."

"Let's leave." Alven spoke, then stepped onto the flying carpet and rose back up to the ceiling, while the others continued walking. The path was longer than they expected, to the point where Elena felt like there was no end to it.

That creature returned several more times, each time in worse condition, its red blood staining its once-sky-blue fur, darkening it.

Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel. And here, another shock awaited them. There were three tunnels ahead of them, each one illuminated in a different color.

The tunnel on the right glows with a shiny black hue, the one in the middle glows green, and the one on the left glows purple. Additionally, there was something else that caught their attention.

There was a distinct animal sculpture carved at the entrance of each tunnel: a snake, a rat, and a bat, starting from the right.

"I feel like all three lead to death," Meryl said nervously as she examined the snake coiled around the right tunnel.

"I have the same feeling," Elena muttered near her. Then, louder, she asked, "Which one is the right tunnel?"

Alven scrutinized the three animals; all of them symbolized betrayal, treason, and evil. In other words, it didn't matter which path they chose, they would end up being betrayed.

And surely, they would return to the starting point, with much less life energy than before.

That is, if they didn't die. Amidst his thoughts, Alven recalled the planet 'The Chattering Ant,' which had given him the ability to remember scenes from past days.

He looked at one of the cameras and said, "Planet 'The Chattering Ant,' can you tell us which tunnel will lead us to our destination?"

Elena and the others lowered their eyes to the planetary chat system to read the planet's reply.

[I can. But, what will you give me in return? As you know, nothing in this world is free.]

A message from 'The Chattering Ant' in the public chat.

"What do you want?" Alven felt that this planet had a request, and it was taking advantage of their critical situation to ask for what it wanted.

[Elena... I want Elena.]

[Are you willing to sacrifice her to get out of this place, Alven?]

A message from 'The Chattering Ant' in the public chat.

Meryl felt her heart tighten with intense anxiety. What did this planet mean by this request? Why did it want Elena?

Unlike her, Elena didn't seem worried at all, even when Tulip grabbed her hand and wrote her a message: "Don't go!" Elena only showed a small smile and lightly played with the child's hair.

"Go to hell, woman!" Alven spoke in a cold tone with sharp eyes. "We don't need you."

[In that case, you will all die.]

A message from 'The Chattering Ant' in the public chat.

"Our lives and deaths are none of your business. Keep your nose in your own face and don't meddle in ours," Alven said in the same tone as before.

Meryl sighed in relief when she heard Alven's response. She turned her head to look at Elena, sure that she was happy with this response.

But... Elena's features were expressionless, to the point that Meryl couldn't guess what was going through her mind or the emotions she was feeling in this moment.

If it had been Meryl, she would have felt overjoyed. It's beautiful to have someone who holds onto you and refuses to let go of your hand.

Why does Elena seem so cold toward Alven? Why doesn't she show any noticeable emotions when he says things like that, or when he runs toward her to protect her?

Tulip rubbed his hands together nervously, looking at his friends. Each of them seemed lost in their own thoughts.

The idea of interrupting them was a bit confusing to him, as the atmosphere felt incredibly tense after the request from that planet.

"Guys, Blue Bell wants to tell you something important." Tulip wrote hesitantly for a moment, then sent it, hoping to move past what had just happened.

"What is it, Tulip?" Elena was the first to speak, while the other two simply moved closer to the small one and listened to him.

"Blue Bell says he knows some information about these creatures, but it's not confirmed since it's from unreliable sources. It can never be verified!" Tulip finished, waiting for them to tell him to continue. Alven encouraged him, saying, "What is this information?"

"Blue Bell says: These creatures are called 'Zama,' and they are fiery beings. Fiery creatures are known for their treachery, betrayal, evil, and corruption. In a lost era, they were allies of the Drivalisk creatures. When that person appeared, and the Drivalisk helped him, the Zama joined the battle alongside their friends."

"After the angels wiped out the Drivalisk, the Zama were punished by being cursed, transformed, and exiled from all realms. Now, they live in a part of the void. This means that this tunnel is actually in the void."

"The Zama creatures have the ability to turn time back by one day every time. Their power is very limited, and it drains a lot of their energy. That's why they feed on the life energy of other creatures."

The three adults stared at each other for a moment, their minds filled with astonishment! Creatures that could turn back time by one day?

That was certainly amazing. But why hadn't the angels stripped them of their power?

For Alven, there was something even more intriguing. That mysterious person. First, the Drivalisk, and now the Zama. Both had been incredibly powerful in the past.

If only he could figure out the identity of this person who caused all this damage! Alven felt as though his curiosity was consuming his mind if he didn't learn the identity of this person.

"There's something very important!" Tulip's body trembled slightly from fear, and Alven quickly embraced him, offering psychological support and reminding him that he wasn't alone.

Once the child felt reassured, he continued: "Blue Bell says there are a number of these creatures who managed to escape from the void, and those living here take the life energy of creatures and give it to those who escaped."

"There's a possibility... the Zama are trying to turn back time to... resurrect the Drivalisk."

"Why would they want to bring the Drivalisk back to life? I don't think evil fiery creatures would care about friendship!" Meryl wondered in surprise.

Memories of that day flashed in her mind... That Drivalisk was beautiful, but powerful enough to crush her bones with a single strike.

And all of this, it was a combination of several creatures. So, what did the real Drivalisk look like? And how powerful was it really?