Chapter 606: A Dreadful Forest

Chapter 606: A Dreadful Forest

‘This forest… it’s alive in more ways than one.’

Whatever power guarded this section wasn’t just natural or spiritual—it was temporal. Space and time were being manipulated here like threads in a deadly web.

Max’s expression darkened as he stepped lightly around the beam, his senses sharper than ever. If he wasn’t careful, the next figure suspended in time might be him.

Taking a deep breath, Max pressed forward, his steps slower now, more deliberate. He knew the laws of dangerous lands better than most—where the threat was greatest, the rewards were often the most precious. And this place… this eerie, silent part of the forest, laced with crimson beams of space-freezing light, was undoubtedly one of those places.

The tension in the air was suffocating, but Max didn’t falter. Step by careful step, he moved through the thickets, dodging spiritual vines, weaving around roots that pulsed faintly with life.

Not long after, he spotted another peak Expert Rank warrior—like the last—frozen in time, his body stiff within that same red light, eyes open in silent horror. Max didn’t slow down. He had no intention of ending up like them.

However, just as he planted his next step, he felt it—the ground gave way beneath his foot ever so slightly, light as if he’d stepped on a dried leaf.

Instantly, alarms flared in his mind. Both his Three Dimensional Body and his Green Soul screamed in unison, shrieking danger in a voice clearer than thunder. Trusting his instincts, Max didn’t hesitate. “Concept of Space!” he muttered sharply. In a flash, his body warped and vanished, teleporting ten meters away in a ripple of distortion.

The moment he reappeared, Max’s eyes snapped toward the spot he had just left.

There, a red light crackled into existence, forming rapidly in a vertical beam that shimmered with deadly precision. It pulsed once… then dispersed, unable to lock onto its target. The trigger had failed. Max had escaped.

His body trembled slightly, sweat forming across his brow as his heart pounded like a war drum in his chest. He exhaled slowly, his gaze still fixed on the now-empty space of crimson death.

“That was too close,” he muttered under his breath. One heartbeat slower, and he would’ve been frozen—trapped in a prison of unmoving time, fully aware but completely helpless. A fate even he knew was worse than death.

And yet, even after that narrow escape, Max’s eyes lit with fire.

Because it confirmed one thing.

He was getting closer.

As Max pushed deeper into the forest, his pace slowed to a crawl, his every step laced with vigilance. With his Concept of Space constantly activated and his Three Dimensional Body alert, he became a phantom—moving through shadows, slipping past danger with inhuman precision. He never let his guard down. Not for a moment.

The deeper he ventured, the more treacherous the terrain became. And yet, he pressed on, a silent hunter among the trees. He passed two more peak Expert Rank warriors, both frozen in crimson beams, their bodies still upright, locked mid-motion like grotesque statues. A grim reminder of what awaited him if he faltered. His expression darkened, but he didn’t stop.

Suddenly, a beam of red light shot from his blind spot. But Max wasn’t like others. His Three Dimensional Body allowed him to perceive everything around him in perfect clarity—360 degrees of constant awareness.

Without even looking, he twisted his body and teleported half a meter sideways. The beam sizzled past him, missing by inches. His brows furrowed. ‘That light again… was it really freezing both space and time?’ He didn’t dwell on the thought. There was no time. He kept moving.

As he moved deeper, the attacks intensified. Red beams came from all directions, piercing through trees, shooting from the sky, even bursting from the ground. But Max moved like liquid wind, dancing through the onslaught.

His body was in perpetual motion, guided by flawless instinct and absolute spatial control. The beams never touched him. He saw through their patterns, anticipated their trajectories, and vanished from their reach before they could graze his skin.

Eventually, the forest began to clear. The noise of chaos faded slightly, replaced by the soft sound of flowing water.

“A river…” Max whispered. He paused at its banks, recognizing it instantly. “I’m close.”

With a burst of speed, he followed the river’s edge, weaving between rocks and old trees until he came upon it—a massive entrance, weathered by time, hidden behind a curtain of ancient vines. The same entrance Silus had seen in his memories. ‘This is the place,’ Max confirmed inwardly.

Without hesitation, he stepped through the threshold.

And just like that, the world shifted.

The forest vanished. The air changed. Max found himself standing inside a grand, dimly lit hall made of ancient stone and swirling runes. But he wasn’t alone.

Across the chamber stood four figures. Two of them he recognized instantly—Elias and Aria, the powerful heirs of the Xuan Family. The other two were the commanders, Silus had brought with him to the citadel. All four of them stared at Max in stunned silence, their expressions caught between disbelief and wariness.

Because they had watched everyone else perish.

Three Master Rank warriors—gone in a blink. The other four frozen in space. Their group reduced to just four survivors, all of them at the peak of power in this place.

And yet now… a boy. A mere level 8 Seeker Rank had arrived.

Alive. Unscathed.

It was impossible.

And yet there he stood—calm, composed, and dangerous.

Elias narrowed his eyes, disbelief etched deep into his expression as he stared at Max. “How did you come here?” he demanded, his voice sharp with incredulity.

It made no sense to him. A level 8 Seeker Rank boy appearing here, unscathed, alone—after everything they’d gone through just to reach this chamber. It defied logic.

Max, unbothered by the tension, responded with a calm shrug, “I was just wandering around and stumbled upon this place.”

His tone was light, almost casual, as though he’d simply taken a stroll through the park and happened upon a hidden realm. But beneath that nonchalance lay an iron-clad will and the secret knowledge gained from Silus’ stolen memories—truths he had no intention of sharing.

“Are you kidding me?” Elias snapped. His anger erupted in a wave of pressure, his aura—5th level Master Rank—unleashing like a tidal wave crashing against the stone walls of the hall. His patience shattered. The lives of their guards, the near-death trials they endured, the crimson beams of space-time death—they had paid with blood and fear to get here. And this boy claimed to have just… wandered in?

Max, still steady and unshaken, raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to fight here?” His tone remained even, but there was a hidden warning buried in his words. “If you disturb the palace spirit of this secret world, he might just expel you from this place.”

The pressure dropped almost instantly.

Elias clenched his jaw and exhaled slowly, reigning himself in. Max had a point. The chamber was barren—no treasures, no altars, no inheritances in sight. It was eerily pristine. Too pristine. The only explanation was that a spirit governed this space, and angering it could ruin everything.

Elias didn’t want to risk losing the opportunity after coming so far.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!