Time was running out for Kreyn, and this feeling made his blood boil, but he understood that he was not invulnerable, far from it.

Vaarh's destruction of the eastern bridge and stopping Fran's group was his last way to buy time. After that, the Wurhen Family would have no choice but to throw all their forces at the Dark Hand Prison and deal with Kreyn.

Since the Elder of the Arakta Worms himself was now involved, Ardur would join the battle as well.

One, maybe two days was the limit Kreyn had. That would be enough time for the Wurhen Family to gather all their forces and reach the prison from the north.

Only one question remained: Would Kreyn be able to find a weapon powerful enough to wound Ardur himself in that time?

"So, this is it?" Kreyn looked at the cave entrance as the red mist came out, caressing their faces.

Malin nodded with a serious expression.

"Be careful. There is one Second Manifest Monster in these caves. I hope you don't encounter it, but if you do." He stared at Kreyn. "Don't go near the village. This is your business, and it must not turn the lives of our people into piles of ashes, alright?"

Kreyn tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The Second Manifest, huh? Do you know anything else about this monster besides its power level?"

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Malin scratched the back of his head, trying to remember anything worthwhile.

"Well, we've never encountered it and haven't tried to enter the depths of the Crystal Crimson Cavern. There's nothing of value to us there, only flames, crystals, and explosions. But... We know that the Wurhen Family once tried to establish control over the caves."

"Hmm? Tried?" Kreyn raised an eyebrow.

Malin nodded. "They even wanted to make a deal with that monster, but something went wrong. I heard that the monster turned out to be too greedy...?"

He spoke uncertainly, as it was all just rumors from the villagers.

However, for some reason, that was enough to bring a satisfied smirk to Kreyn's face.

"A greedy monster, huh? And strong enough not to fear the Wurhen Family? Good, that's just what we need."

Tap.

Kreyn patted Malin on the shoulder and headed forward.

"Thank you. Remember our agreement. Our people are already working on the first shipment of the Worm Crystals!"

Malin clenched his fists as he watched their receding backs.

'Tsk. The Worm Crystals? You're going against the Wurhen Family! First and foremost, you should be thinking about how to survive, not trade!'

Malin may have had the heart of a merchant, but it was a kind heart.

...

"So..." Groza looked around as they entered the cave. "What are we looking for here?"

Kreyn waved his hand. "Anything. Anything that can help us in the fight against the Wurhen Family. Maybe we'll find another Echo, maybe we'll find some kind of Artifact. Daren's lighter and Judith's sword definitely made them stronger."

Daren nodded in agreement.

"Artifacts can't compare to the Catalyst, that's for sure, but they can definitely help you win in a situation where your death is inevitable."

Groza narrowed her eyes. She understood their plan, but there was nothing around them but bright red crystals and mist that prevented them from seeing.

In the distance, streams of flame could be seen coming out of cracks in the ground, and with each step they took, the temperature rose.

For them, this manifested itself in a few drops of sweat running down their foreheads, but if an ordinary person had come too close to the stream of flame, his skin would have been burned.

Crack.

A pebble fell next to Daren, who, strangely enough, had decided not to smoke this time. It was hot enough here.

"Hmm?"

Before Daren could realize it, a shadow loomed over him. Two red eyes narrowed, and a wide jaw opened, ready to devour him.

Crack.

Groza's fist slammed into the shadow's head, throwing the monster aside.

"What the hell is that?!" Groza stamped her foot in annoyance. "We haven't even gone a hundred meters!"

Daren, noticing the saliva on his shoulder, nodded to Groza. "Thanks. I didn't even notice it."

"Hah, for someone who almost died, you look surprisingly calm."

Remembering his years of work in the Worm Mines, Daren just shook his head.

"It's nothing more than an old habit, nothing to be proud of."

A stream of flame burst from the ground, casting light on the monster that had attacked them.

The lizard, with its long tail curved like a hook and red scales covering its body, stared at them. The monster moved toward the wall, realizing that its sneak attack had failed and now it was alone against three Origins.

Crunch.

Groza cracked her knuckles.

"I'll make this quick. There's no point wasting time on this weakling."

She could turn the lizard into a bloody mess with her bare fists, and the monster knew it.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Just a few seconds ago, the dangerous monster was now trembling with fear, seeing Groza as nothing more than a menacing shadow with piercing purple eyes.

"Wait."

The calm voice puzzled the monster and made Groza turn around.

"What? That lizard almost killed Daren!"

Kreyn nodded, striding confidently toward the monster.

"Yeah, I know. You're right, that one is weak, but quite smart, otherwise, he would have attacked again long ago, and you would have cut him to pieces."

A shadow fell over the red lizard, which now looked more like a guilty puppy than a terrifying monster as Kreyn towered over it.

"I doubt you understand me, but I think we can find a way to communicate."

Without fear, Kreyn lowered himself so that his eyes were level with the lizard's.

"If you want to live, show me the most valuable thing here. I'm sure you know this cave better than anyone else, don't you?"

Kreyn was right, the red lizard only heard words unfamiliar to it, but it was in moments like these that its instincts worked at their best.

If the Origins hadn't killed it, then they must want something else.

All the red lizard could do was lead them to the bright streams of flame where one of the most valuable things in the Crimson Crystal Cavern was hidden, and hope to escape afterwards.

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