Lilith deactivated the spell and lay on the ground with a tired sigh.
She had worked hard for more than a week.
Now, she had about three days left, and she had to spend them wisely.
[Do you want to create another spell?]
She heard the questioning voice of her brother in her mind.
Lilith had created three Category 1 Spells of the Soul Pathway: [Soul Flash], [Eye of the Storm], and [The Primordial Sense].
She didn't have an offensive or a defensive spell yet, and her time was running out. The thought of extending the deadline was never considered—new spells would be useless if a powerful person came to find her.
However, she wasn't worried about that.
A defensive spell wasn't that concerning for her, she had [Soul Flash]. What's the point of a defensive spell if the enemy can't catch you? Furthermore, even if she wasn't the toughest physically among Calamities, her constitution wasn't something to scoff at.
To add more, [Eye of the Storm] and [The Primordial Sense] were an excellent pair for running away. If she met something beyond her power, fleeing was always an option. And Lilith was a shameless bastard, she won't hesitate to run away if needed.
Wait, is it really a coincidence that the spells I had created just so happened to be the best for running away? It definitely was a coincidence and Lilith didn't choose to create the premium inventory for cowards unconsciously, definitely...
[No, I'll take a day of rest and climb the mountain tomorrow.] She answered her brother, cutting off her trail of thought.
She wasn't in dire need of other spells. She also had the spear and her ability to touch others' souls, so her offensive capabilities were good anyway.
As she said, she slept.
***
Lilith woke up with a lazy groan, stretching her limbs and arching her spine. She didn't use a bed and simply slept on the rough ground. It didn't hurt her, but it wasn't pleasant either.
[Good morning.]
Her brother said to her, and she was happy that he didn't use a stupid nickname this morning.
[Un, good morning.]
Lilith stood up and stretched her whole body, chasing off the left drowsiness.
During her stay in this cave, not a single soul bothered her. Partially because it was in a hard place to get to and because her presence wasn't noticeable.
Any other Heavenly Ascender would've had a hard time here.
Nevertheless, it was time to leave.
Crack!
She lifted her arm, and reality broke like a mirror. The jagged edges of the broken fabric of reality twisted and formed into a magnificent spear.
It had an obsidian metal shaft, and a sharp tip that shone like silver. The weapon had an intricate design of rose engravings that covered its whole deadly frame.
She put her bag on her back, with only the Dragonblight's Legacy inside it.
She headed to the exit, not wasting any more time.
Lilith passed by the white eagle—or what was left of it.
The corpse of the beast was basically just a pile of bone now, with a few chunks of flesh that Lilith didn't want to eat.
She noted that she had to find another thing to eat, and approached the entrance of the cave.
She stood at the edge and looked down with her ghostly-blue eyes. The cold air played with her hair, brushing against her clothes gently.
The forest was below her, and it stretched for many kilometers. Her senses weren't that strong yet, so she couldn't see if there were any possible pursuers or scouts.
It was morning already, but the sun failed to penetrate the thick grey clouds completely, turning the world into a grim shade of grey.
Steeling her mind, she also put the spear on her back. She stepped out of the side of the entrance and began climbing up the cliff with her sharp nails.
Multiple minutes passed like that in silence, and Lilith climbed higher and higher.
Eventually, she reached the edge and jumped up, landing on the ground with her feet.
She had climbed close to a kilometer vertically.
Lilith took in the terrain.
The ground was covered in snow, and the mountain was populated by another vast forest. Trees that had dark trunks and were turned white by the unceasing snow tried to reach the sky, each one no less than 100 meters high. They stood closely together, forming a tight maze.
Lilith stared at the forest for a few moments, then grasped her spear from her back. [Eye of the Storm], [The Primordial Sense].
She cast both spells, and nearly all her available output was occupied by them.
Her presence was impossible to notice, and her senses spread far beyond what she naturally can.
Seeing that there wasn't anything for her to be wary of, she advanced through the forest.
Lilith sprinted silently, and even her feet didn't leave any marks on the snow.
Upon reaching the trees, she jumped up on the trunk of a tree, then jumped up to the branches of another.
Like that, she advanced from one branch to the other. She was a silent predator that dwelled where preys feard the most.
The mountain was huge, so it would take a considerable amount of time to reach its peak.
After traveling many kilometers, Lilith stopped and looked down. Her senses had picked up something.
Almost a hundred meters below her, a wolf was walking silently through the forest.
It had white fur and blue beastly eyes. It was large, five meters high and twelve long. Its mouth was big enough to swallow Lilith in one bite.
However, that wasn't what picked up her interest. She had seen several other creatures, but she ignored them on her way.
What caught her eye was the constitution of the wolf.
It was spectral in nature, giving it a great advantage.
However, it wasn't a natural ability. Lilith didn't think that the wolf was using the Soul Pathway, as it had the aura of the Water Pathway on it.
It wasn't a normal beast.
Thinking of that, Lilith pointed her spear down, adjusting its direction slightly. Then, she stepped gently off the branch and hugged the shaft of her weapon, embracing it alongside the pull of gravity.
Boom!
A deafening sound echoed through the silent forest, putting its inhabitants on alert.
A big smoke was on the place that Lilith landed, white from the snow. After a while, it cleared, and the prey and the predator were revealed.
Lilith stood above the corpse of the wolf, the spear still lugged on its skull. The beast turned into its material form after dying.
She was about to start harvesting its meat and Soul Core, but she quickly disappeared and used [Soul Flash] a few times.
She appeared back high in a tree, and cast back [Eye of the Storm] and [The Primordial Sense].
After waiting for several moments, the ground below her moved.
Several beings appeared, and a large pack of wolves came to the place. They looked exactly like the one she had killed.
She didn't know wolf language, but she was sure that they were angry.
Nevertheless, she observed them with her emotionless eyes, and then, a sinister grin crept into her face.
It was time to test her power.