The entire way for hundreds of kilometers, Lukas stayed silent, not even daring to breathe too loudly. There was something about Zerin that chilled his heart.
If Lukas had to explain, it would be something like how you would look at a chicken growing up, eyes filled with predatory intention.
He felt as if some sort of blade was placed on his throat. As time passed, the moment that he was waiting for didn't arrive, but he could see the genuine confusion in Zerin's eyes. There was something that she could not understand, something that bothered her.
Just like this, they traveled for over a week without stopping even for a single moment. Lukas himself was surprised by his own body's capabilities. After thinking for a moment, he understood—it was because of his talent, the Basic Bonewalker.
Some summoners inherited the traits of their summons. For example, people who summoned fire phoenixes tended to get angry easily, and so on.
Lukas felt at peace when he understood why he suddenly had a godly amount of stamina. Not just stamina—he did not feel hungry as well.
His journey continued. During this time, the two did not exchange even a single word. Zerin seemed to have no interest in talking. Lukas also preferred it this way.
As no monsters attacked them, they covered an insane amount of distance every day.
Finally, on the eighth day, a faint outline of a settlement surrounded by tall white walls emerged in the distance.
"Roaring Dragon Settlement!" Lukas muttered with relief in his eyes.
Never in his wildest imagination could he have thought one day he would feel so happy at seeing a sign of civilization.
Although he knew there was something wrong with her, in the end she had saved him from the tiger and even accompanied him to the settlement. After completing the journey, only now did he know—without Zerin's help, he would have died inside the forest.
So with all these thoughts in mind, he turned his head to thank Zerin.
The next moment, Lukas's eyes widened, a slightly shocked expression appearing on his face.
Except for tall green trees, there was nothing behind him.
At some point, Zerin's figure had vanished completely, as if she didn't exist at all.
"Where did she go?" Lukas muttered under his breath, his eyes searching for Zerin's figure everywhere. But no matter how much he looked, he could not find a single trace of her.
Finally, after looking everywhere, he shook his head and decided to give up.
If she wanted to go, there was nothing that he could do to stop her—not like he had any intention of stopping her in the first place.
Now that he realized Zerin was really gone, instantly his shoulders relaxed and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. Her presence was like a large boulder weighing on his heart.
That woman definitely had some bad intentions.
…
Standing just beside Lukas floated Zerin's ghostly figure. She was right in front of his eyes, but Lukas didn't seem to notice at all.
She ignored his muttering and his relieved expression, but instead her eyes drifted toward the back of his palm, where two stars glittered faintly.
"Strange... why did it fail?"
She questioned out loud, but Lukas could not hear her words.
Zerin's eyes remained on Lukas's figure until he disappeared into the crowd of people gathered in a queue, waiting for their chance to enter the safe haven of the settlement.
…
Lukas, completely oblivious to Zerin, slowly moved closer to the settlement while observing his surroundings.
Star warriors of all ages and sizes moved to and fro, some coming out of the settlement to hunt star beasts, while others going inside to sell their loot.
Surviving in the Star Domain was hellishly difficult, so it was easy to spot people moving in groups of two or three.
Meanwhile, no one paid attention to Lukas at all. He was still dressed in simple clothes that he wore during the awakening ceremony. He might not have realized it yet, but this exposed his identity as a newcomer, as no veteran in their sane mind would move out with this little gear.
Although Lukas was not a genius, after some time he came to this realization on his own, as he spotted multiple young faces looking around warily, their clothing no different than his own. Clearly these were people like him who had just arrived in the Star Dimension.
However, not everyone was the same. Lukas even spotted a few newcomers who looked properly geared. When their gazes met Lukas's, he could see disdain in their eyes.
Lukas couldn't be bothered with them.
Just as he was looking around, his ears suddenly twitched. He noticed someone approaching him.
His body instinctively tensed. Turning around, he saw a fatty looking at him with a forced smile on his face.
"Hello, brother! Did you also awaken your talent today?" Ryan asked in a low voice, trying to hide his nervousness. Just a moment ago, he was with his family, happily celebrating after successfully awakening a talent, when he suddenly arrived here in the Star Dimension. Feeling nervous was only natural.
He was fearful and confused when he spotted Lukas. For some reason, Lukas looked easy to talk to.
Lukas heard this question and nodded. There was no reason to hide.
Seeing him nod, a relieved smile appeared on fatty Ryan's face. Although he already knew, seeing Lukas confirm erased all the doubts in his heart.
"I am Ryan, from Pegasus City."
With Ryan taking the initiative, they immediately hit it off. Maybe it was Ryan's happy-go-lucky attitude, but Lukas found himself trusting the fatty.
While conversing, they followed the direction where most of the newbies were heading.
Meanwhile, Ryan continued to chatter nonstop. "Believe me, you have to make sure that the Roaring Dragon Guild accepts you as their member. If not, you will have to pay a hefty entrance fee of ten star crystals."
Lukas's expression darkened slightly, his gaze unconsciously moving to the back of his palm where two stars twinkled faintly, and then back to fatty Ryan's hand where four stars glittered.
He had a feeling getting inside the settlement was going to be a little difficult.