Strangely, Elisabeth had already told the old man to come along with them, but he flatly refused.
It was to be expected, though. He was already so connected to the store, and besides, he might slow them down— and that would be a problem.
Zach had no belongings of his own, so he simply went ahead, equipped only with his suit.
On the other side of the iceberg-like island that towered over the frozen sea, Zach stood at the canyon, looking down at the glassy ocean below.
On this edge of the island, there weren't as many monsters as on the other side, but even knowing this, Zach still felt anxious.
"That's a long way down." He gulped, then suddenly realized something.
What am I talking about?
He slapped himself.
"I'm a seeker, dammit!" he reminded himself once again.
Sometimes, Zach's primal instincts kicked in and made him forget that fact.
"Being a seeker isn't everything."
Elizabeth walked up from behind him.
"I've found a better path."
The duo walked along the island's edge until they got to a low spot.
"This edge isn't that high from the ice below." She waved her hand, and a mirage of light gathered before her, forming a long whip.
Zach was deep in thought as he watched Elizabeth tie the whip to a nearby boulder.
"Elisabeth," Zach called.
"What…" she looked at him.
"You mentioned something earlier—about a seeker not being everything." He paused. "What is everything to you?"
Lizzy blinked.
"Well…" she pondered.
"Being a seeker is just extra strength and speed, but it doesn't define a truly strong person."
"Being a seeker isn't where the journey ends. The journey only ends when you become a being capable of perfection."
"But no human is perfect," Zach replied.
"Then I guess you have to transcend what it means to be human." She shrugged.
What she was saying made no sense. Transcend the limits of humanity? Was that even possible?
"Think about the ranks, for example." She explained:
"Ignorance: those who don't know anything about divinity. Then there's Curiosity, then Suspicion. After that come those who have understood divinity—known as Awakened."
"This line follows a systematic progression that tries to escape the very thing that makes us human." She paused.
"Imperfection."
"What about people that reach the stage of Clarity—or Resonance?" Zach inquired.
Elizabeth gave him a glance.
"It's not that easy to evolve, you know." She looked away.
"In the history of humanity, there are only eleven people who stepped into the realm of Clarity." She paused.
"And only seven of them are alive today."
She clearly knew more about the world than Zach. The strongest person Zach had ever seen was the president of the Western Dragon Enterprise—and just her aura alone had nearly made him vomit.
"What about Resonance?" Zach asked.
Eli sighed.
"Nobody has attained that level yet. So I can't say for sure."
There's always someone higher…
"All done." She dusted her palms.
Zach looked—the long rope was tied perfectly to the iceberg.
Apparently, they were going to use this rope to descend down the elevated island.
Normally, Zach would've rejected the idea of trusting a small rope to hold his weight, but calculating his odds now, this was the better choice.
"Elisabeth…" Zach paused.
They both descended down the rope. Despite looking weak and fragile, it was actually quite sturdy.
"Call me Eli," he heard her voice from below.
Zach descended carefully, gripping the rope tightly. One slip and he'd be dead from this height.
This edge of the island was the closest to the ice, but it was still as tall as a skyscraper.
Zach continued down, gripping the rope as hard as he could.
Eli noticed his anxiety.
"Don't look down," she said.
Zach looked down immediately. "Too late."
His hands stiffened, and he froze in place.
She chuckled.
Is this some kind of joke to you?
"You're impossible," she muttered.
"I prefer the word 'thorough.' You told me not to look down, so I had to confirm why."
"Well, now you can't move." She slid down the rope faster, reaching an astronomical distance below Zach in the blink of an eye.
Zach looked down with wide eyes to see the female seeker already standing on the icy floor of the ocean, looking up at him.
He gulped.
"Don't worry too much—this whip can hold an ogre," she called out.
"Good. So when I fall, the whip will be fine." His grip tightened.
He gritted his teeth.
I thought I could outgrow my fear of heights…
Zach trembled.
But I guess I can't. Being a seeker isn't everything.
He looked up.
He was already too far from the cliff to climb back.
There was only one way to go.
Zach looked down once again.
Slowly, his hands loosened on the rope and he began descending—slow and steady.
The fear of heights was normal. The question was: would he overcome it, or live with his imperfections?
Deep breath… He sighed.
Deep breath… He sighed again.
Eli waited patiently. Zach could see her small figure at the end of the rope, but he didn't rush.
He kept descending.
Over time, he got closer and closer to the ice, until at last his feet touched the ground.
Zach's stomach churned. He looked back up, and the top of the ice, where he once stood, was so far away.
"Did I really climb down from there?" Zach was astonished.
"Took you long enough." Eli walked up to him.
"You should've told me you were scared of heights. We could've found a safer path," Eli said, sounding a bit worried.
The truth was Zach hadn't even known he was afraid of heights. This was something new.
"Let's not do that again," his face was pale.
Zach regained his composure.
"So… what do we do now?" he asked.
"Now…?"
"We find the Fissure Anchor. I think I've seen enough of this place already."
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Zach raised a brow.
"No idea." Eli shrugged.
So basically, they were in a dangerous ruin, in the middle of nowhere, with no sense of direction and dangers waiting to rip them apart at every turn.
"Yeah. Great job, Eli. Real thought-out plan you've got going on."