Kael's hand trembled with his blood still dripping from his palm as he held the now-hatched Leviathan.

The tiny creature uncoiled itself from its egg, its smooth, bluish-white scales gleaming in the dim light of the cave. Its purple eyes met his gaze.

Before Kael could even react, the baby Leviathan opened its small mouth and sank its sharp fangs into the skin of his arm, where the tattoo lay. *Argh*

Kael groaned sharply in pain, but fortunately, it didn't last long. The pain was quickly replaced by a warm, familiar hum of energy, as though a bond had been forged instantaneously.

He felt a surge of connection to the baby Leviathan. His soul was tied to this creature just like the others.

The baby Leviathan then withdrew its fangs from Kael's skin, looking up at him with what could almost be described as curiosity.

"Master?" The voice that rang through his mind was faint, soft, but undeniably clear.

Kael's lips curled into a smile when he heard its voice. "Gently, he reached down and stroked its head. Its skin was warm, almost like molten stone, but the sensation was comforting. "Your name is Levy." He whispered.

The serpent responded by coiling around Kael's arm, its sleek body shifting like liquid metal. "Master, Levy likes the name," it spoke in his hand.

Letting the Leviathan coil gently around his arm, Kael slowly exhaled and dismissed his demonic form.

Immediately, a wave of agony surged through his body like a tidal crash. "Ah, God... This damn side effect..." He buckled, nearly collapsing to the water floor at once, only barely managing to brace himself with a trembling hand while bearing his pain surged from his nerves to the bones.

His skin turned pale. His breathing turned ragged.

"Master…" Levy hissed softly in his mind, its tiny head nuzzling against his wrist, sensing the distress.

Kael grimaced, biting down on the pain, and leaned back against the rocky wall of the cavern. His muscles were still twitching from the overexertion. "It's… fine," he muttered hoarsely, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.

Meanwhile, Cleo had padded away again, the black cat's faint pawsteps echoing softly through the chamber as it prowled the stone floor.

Minutes passed in silence. Cleo was busy walking around while Kael was meditating. Levy is just staring at its master.

His meditation was eventually broken by the return of Cleo to his side.

It walked up to Kael and sat down beside him. "Master," it said in a flat voice, "I can smell a treasure here. But no matter how much I search, I cannot find it. It's strange… The scent is clear, strong… and yet, when I get close, it vanishes. The artifact must be at least semi-divine. Only something of that level could confuse my senses like this."

Kael opened one eye and gave a slow, labored nod. "It's alright. We'll search the place thoroughly once I recover. I trust your senses."

There was a pause.

Then, in a surprisingly unsure tone, Cleo said, "Master… if you don't mind…"

Kael blinked at the rare hesitation in the spirit's voice. "What?"

Cleo looked up at him and asked. "Can you… eat it?"

Kael stared. "What?"

"The leviathan."

Kael blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What!"

Cleo, unfazed, calmly explained, "The Leviathan was a beast that wielded primordial water energy. Its flesh, especially fresh from a corpse like this, still retains remnants of that energy. It might not have great properties as the core, but consuming it might grant you a small chance of inheriting a fraction of its power. Cooking it will not lose its energy. So, you can just feast on it, too."

Before Kael could respond, Levy suddenly lifted its head and hissed at the cat, its eyes gleaming with a sharp fury. *Ssssa*

Kael's face darkened as he glared at Cleo. "Hey! What are you saying in front of Levy?"

He raised his hand and gently patted the baby serpent's head, his tone softening. "Don't worry, Levy. I'd never do something like that. We'll give your mother a proper, honorable funeral."

Cleo narrowed its eyes. "You're turning down the opportunity to gain primordial energy. Primordial water is different from flames and the darkness. You can essentially create lakes to even rivers once you master it."

Kael, however, stood up, wincing slightly but steady on his feet now. "Opportunities come and go, Cleo. But if I have to compromise on my values just to gain strength, then there won't be a difference between me and all those villains that I have slain with these hands for years."

He looked down at his palm, where faint marks from the blood pact still glowed. "Even if I possess a vampire servant or carry a demon's heart inside me, I will never walk the path of evil."

Cleo fell silent at his declaration. She felt it was a pity to let go of such an opportunity. But then, a thought came to her head. "Hmm... he can't consume the flesh, but he can still consume its spirit core to gain the primordial element, right? I hope that primate on the other side hasn't absorbed it. Not everyone would dare to consume a second primordial energy when they already possessed one."

Meanwhile, Kael extended his hand. The primordial flames ignited in his palm with a thought in his head. He stepped forward toward the corpse of the mighty Leviathan and, with a solemn expression, cast the flames upon it.

The sacred fire consumed the colossal remains. Blue scales charred. Bones cracked. Steam hissed into the air, rising with the smoke like incense in a temple.

Levy slithered off his arm and rested on the floor, eyes fixed unblinking on the funeral pyre of its mother.

The flames raged for minutes before settling down into embers, then finally ash.

Kael stood still, watching every second, his head slightly bowed in mourning. He gained a new family member in the form of Levy. The least he can do is to give it proper respect. As for avenging or some sort, he had no plans of doing that. After all, it is a monster. Unlike humans, monsters cannot be categorized as good or bad. They are just monsters. Levy is his family because it was contracted with him.

Meanwhile, Levy coiled beside his foot, pressing gently against him. He bent down, picked it up, and it nuzzled into his chest, hissing softly and expressing its gratitude.

Cleo said nothing more on the matter. Instead, she said. "Master, you are right about one thing. The treasure is in there. The aura from the Leviathan's corpse was too strong—it scrambled my senses. But now that it's gone, I can feel it clearly. Now I'm sure that the treasure is on the other side," Cleo looked sideways at him. "Will you go in? And you can also acquire the Leviathan's spirit core as a bonus."

Kael looked at the portal for a long moment, then down at the baby serpent coiled around his arm, now quietly resting. A small, soft smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head.

"No," he said firmly. "It's alright. I've already found the treasure I came for."

Cleo blinked, confused. "You're serious?"

He simply shook his head with a smile and gently tapped Levy's head. "Let's leave."

Kael turned, his boots lightly splashing in the shallow water as he began walking away from the portal.

But just then...

Vrrmmm.

The portal buzzed loudly and vibrated with energy, rippling like a disturbed pool. Kael stopped mid-step and instinctively turned around, his senses sharpened.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the portal.

A young woman stepped forward, cloaked in light armor, her dark hair damp from residual magic, her elegant sword still unsheathed from a recent battle.

Kael's eyes widened in disbelief.

The woman froze as she saw him, too. "Kael?" she said, blinking rapidly.

He replied slowly, "Princess… Artemis?"

Artemis stared in stunned disbelief, her voice sharp with curiosity. "What are you doing here?"

Before Kael could answer, her eyes dropped to the small serpent coiled protectively around his arm. Then, the ash was scattered on the floor. Her brow furrowed.

"Wait…" she pointed at the baby serpent. "Is that… a Leviathan spawn?" Her gaze swept the surroundings again, piecing together the scene. "It was pregnant?" she muttered. Then her expression twisted into frustration. "Goddammit. I should've known. I only dug out its core..."

The moment those words left her mouth, a sharp hiss echoed in the chamber. Levy's entire body tightened around Kael's arm, its tiny fangs exposed, its blue eyes glowing with fury.

Kael instantly sensed the shift. Levy's emotions, usually calm and curious, were now seething with raw hostility.

"Levy," Kael called firmly, "it's time to rest."

Before the hatchling could protest, Kael pressed his fingers gently against its head and channeled his will. The serpent disappeared into the faintly glowing tattoo on his forearm.

Artemis blinked, clearly startled.

Kael didn't stop. He glanced sideways. "Cleo, you too."

The black cat gave a small, thoughtful nod and prepared to vanish. But before it did, it gave Kael a whisper, "The treasure… is on the woman."

And with that, Cleo faded from sight.

Artemis's eyes widened, watching both the serpent and the cat vanish into thin air.

Her gaze snapped back to Kael, settling on his glowing tattoo. "It's the tattoo," she muttered. "Your tattoo has a hidden dimension inside?"

Kael didn't answer right away. He was still watching her, his expression unreadable.

"Yeah," he finally said. "Something like that."