Two months had passed since Jade entered the Spiritual Realm.
Two months of relentless training.
Two months of hunting.
Two months of fighting creatures that would have terrified ordinary Initiates.
During that time, Jade had pushed his body to its limits again and again.
He had fought until his muscles ached.
He had trained until his essence reserves were completely exhausted.
He had hunted creatures across forests, valleys, mountains, and ruined territories.
And finally—
He had achieved what he wanted.
He had become an Initiated Demon.
Yet despite the strength he had gained, Jade wasn't fighting at this moment.
He was sitting beside a quiet lake.
The surface of the water stretched peacefully beneath the afternoon sky, reflecting the clouds above like a giant mirror. A gentle breeze passed over the lake, creating small ripples that spread outward from the shore.
Jade picked up a small stone.
He weighed it between his fingers.
Then—
Flick.
The stone skipped across the surface.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
It finally disappeared beneath the water.
Jade watched the ripples slowly fade.
For once, there were no monsters attacking him.
No blood.
No desperate battle.
No one trying to kill him.
Just silence.
He picked up another stone.
Flick.
This one bounced six times.
Jade nodded slightly.
"Better."
He was about to search for another stone when a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"I found it."
Jade stopped.
He didn't turn immediately.
He already recognized the voice.
A moment later, he sighed.
"Kelvin."
Behind him stood a young man with long blue hair that flowed down his back.
His physique was surprisingly impressive.
Broad shoulders.
Defined muscles.
A strong chest.
Yet compared to his powerful build, his body was slightly petite, giving him an oddly youthful appearance.
His face carried an almost childish expression.
This was Kelvin.
Jade had known him for some time now.
And there was one thing Jade had learned very quickly about him.
Kelvin was strange.
Very strange.
He could behave like a completely different person depending on the situation.
One moment he could appear serious.
The next...
He would behave like an excited child who had just discovered something amazing.
Jade slowly turned around.
"What did you find?"
Kelvin's eyes immediately brightened.
"I found out where the shadow creatures live."
Jade's expression changed instantly.
He stood.
"You did?"
Kelvin nodded frantically.
"Yes!"
He looked almost like a child who had just received his favorite toy.
"There's a place called Shadow Heart."
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"Shadow Heart?"
Kelvin nodded.
"That's what the locals call it."
"Apparently, it's one of the largest territories where shadow creatures gather."
"Most of the creatures there are extremely powerful."
He paused.
"Mostly Awakened Tyrants."
Jade's eyes became brighter.
Awakened Tyrants.
That meant powerful shadow creatures.
And powerful shadow creatures meant—
Shadow Fragments.
Jade clenched his fist.
Finally.
After two months of hunting almost everything except what he actually needed...
He had finally found them.
"I can hunt shadow creatures..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Finally."
Kelvin watched him for a moment before speaking.
"But..."
Jade looked at him.
"But what?"
Kelvin scratched his cheek.
"If I tell you where the shadow creatures are..."
Jade immediately understood.
"You want something in return."
Kelvin nodded.
Frantically.
Like a child.
"Exactly!"
Jade sighed.
"Of course."
He crossed his arms.
"So..."
"What do you want me to do?"
Kelvin immediately pulled something from behind his back.
A map.
He unfolded it dramatically across the ground.
Jade crouched beside him.
The map was old.
The parchment was slightly yellowed, and several parts were covered with handwritten markings.
Mountains.
Rivers.
Forests.
Citadels.
Danger zones.
And finally—
A large black region.
Kelvin pointed at it.
"Shadow Heart."
His finger moved deeper into the territory.
"There."
Jade leaned closer.
A small red mark had been placed beside a particular citadel.
Kelvin tapped it.
"There's a citadel hidden inside Shadow Heart."
"And there's a treasure there."
Jade looked at him.
"A treasure?"
Kelvin nodded.
"A very good one."
Jade remained silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"So..."
"I help you acquire the treasure."
Kelvin nodded so quickly that his blue hair bounced.
"Yes!"
Jade rubbed his forehead.
"I knew it."
He had expected something like this.
Kelvin hadn't discovered Shadow Heart purely because he wanted to help him.
There was clearly something he wanted.
And Jade didn't particularly care.
If the treasure was useful, he would take it.
If Kelvin wanted something else from him...
They could discuss it later.
"For now," Jade said, "I'll help you."
Kelvin immediately grinned.
"Excellent!"
Jade looked down at the map again.
"So are you bringing anyone else?"
Kelvin's expression suddenly became extremely serious.
Then he smiled.
"Yes."
Jade waited.
"Two sweet babes."
Jade's eyebrow twitched.
Kelvin continued with a completely straight face.
"Two beautiful women to satisfy our desires at night."
Silence.
The wind passed over the lake.
A few leaves drifted across the water.
Jade slowly turned his head.
"...What?"
Kelvin grinned.
Jade raised his hand.
SLAP!
His palm smacked directly against Kelvin's face.
Kelvin stumbled sideways.
"Ow!"
Jade stared at him.
"Are you serious?"
Kelvin rubbed his cheek.
For a moment he looked offended.
Then—
He burst into laughter.
"Of course not!"
Jade's expression darkened.
"You're an idiot."
Kelvin laughed even harder.
"I'm just kidding!"
He raised both hands defensively.
"One is my sister."
"The other is my cousin."
Jade stared.
Kelvin shrugged.
"What did you think I was going to do?"
Jade remained silent.
Kelvin's expression became slightly embarrassed.
"How do you expect me to actually do something like that?"
Jade sighed deeply.
"Exactly."
He shook his head.
"Sometimes I genuinely wonder how you're still alive."
Kelvin smiled proudly.
"Luck."
"No."
"Skill."
"No."
"Charm?"
"Definitely not."
Kelvin placed a hand over his chest.
"You wound me."
Jade ignored him.
He pointed toward the map.
"So..."
"Can we leave already?"
Kelvin's expression suddenly changed.
"Oh."
Jade frowned.
"What?"
"I won't be coming immediately."
Jade stared at him.
"What?"
Kelvin casually folded the map.
"You can go ahead."
"I'll arrive in about a week."
Jade blinked.
"A week?"
Kelvin nodded.
"I have some things to take care of first."
Jade sighed.
"Fine."
Kelvin tossed the map toward him.
Jade caught it effortlessly.
"Wait for me there."
Then Kelvin turned around.
And began walking toward the distant citadel.
Not running.
Not walking seriously.
Playfully.
Almost bouncing from one step to the next.
Jade stared at his back.
"...What a strange guy."
He looked down at the map.
His eyes narrowed.
The treasure location was clearly marked.
Very clearly.
In fact...
It was almost too clearly marked.
Jade studied the map for several seconds.
Kelvin had practically handed him the exact location of the treasure.
Either Kelvin trusted him completely...
Or he simply didn't care.
Or perhaps—
Kelvin was planning to use him to obtain the treasure.
Jade smiled faintly.
"Either way..."
He wasn't bothered.
If the treasure turned out to be valuable...
He would take it.
He wasn't going to risk his life just to hand over a treasure he actually needed.
But that could wait.
There was something more important.
A new shadow.
Jade's expression became serious.
He had recently learned something important.
If he wanted to create another shadow, he needed Shadow Fragments.
And the only way to obtain those fragments...
Was by killing shadow creatures.
Which meant Shadow Heart was exactly where he needed to go.
Jade looked toward the distant horizon.
His thoughts drifted toward Ling.
His previous shadow.
Ling had never exactly behaved the way Jade expected.
Instead of acting like a powerful combat companion...
Ling preferred flowers.
Birds.
Butterflies.
Random objects.
Sometimes Jade wondered whether he had accidentally created a nature-loving child instead of a shadow creature.
He sighed.
"Maybe the next one will be different."
He imagined his future shadow.
Silent.
Disciplined.
Obedient.
A creature that actually listened when he gave an order.
A shadow that wouldn't suddenly wander away because it saw a beautiful flower.
Jade nodded to himself.
"Yes."
"That's what I need."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"A reliable shadow."
He looked down at the map one final time.
Shadow Heart.
A citadel.
A treasure.
Countless shadow creatures.
And potentially—
A new companion.
Jade slowly stood.
The peaceful lake remained behind him.
The surface of the water continued reflecting the sky as though nothing had changed.
But Jade knew that another dangerous journey was about to begin.
He folded the map carefully and placed it inside his storage space.
Then he looked toward the distant horizon.
"Shadow Heart..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Here I come."
Without wasting another moment, Jade stepped away from the lake.
His figure quickly disappeared into the distance.
Behind him, the lake remained silent.
Ahead of him waited an unknown territory filled with shadow creatures.
And somewhere within that darkness...
A new shadow was waiting to be born.