CHAPTER 57: TRUE BATTLE BEGINS

There were thoughts running through his mind. This skill could only be used on a deceased person or beast.

He also didn’t feel any pain from using it. Could it be that their souls were not powerful enough to cause any backlash? But killing these four beasts just to gain a level in the Foundation Building realm could never be worth it.

If he wanted to advance his soul cultivation to the Elemental Master realm, he would need at least 400 similar beasts to improve another level. That’s when he realized why there was no mention of gaining power from using it on Qi cultivators.

It was simply not plausible.

Seeing the five stat points, his fingers trembled with the urge to upgrade Pocket Space—better spatial items meant more money, and who didn’t love more money?

But he didn’t do it. He knew the most important thing was power—the power he could gain from upgrading fighting skills or unlocking a new ability. He was also anticipating his dark element awakening from soul cultivation.

On the other hand, Tyler was stuck between a demon and a devil. Sometimes, the demon helped him. Other times, the devil worked better.

These "demon" and "devil" were none other than his reasoning and his special foresight skill.

Every move, every fight—it was all about what he would choose.

Until now, he had tried using either one, but nothing was perfect. Even believing in his skill could lead to a definite demise.

But this fight... it was an eye-opener.

In this battle, he had instinctively tried to use his foresight ability.

However, the ability started showing fragmented or contradictory visions, making him question its reliability. It showed him how he would kill the beast in one hit—but also how he would be killed immediately after.

Then he considered shutting off his ability and relying purely on instinct and strategy, but the fear of losing control paralyzed him.

His mind oscillated between trusting the ability and fearing it would lead him into a trap.

He recalled past victories where foresight gave him an edge, but also moments where it had failed him—or nearly gotten him killed.

A flashback or inner voice echoed:

"Next time, never hesitate when you attack. Every attack should be targeted to kill your opponent."

Those were the words of the person who had taken his exam in Megumi City.

It was a lightbulb moment.

The weight of realization dawned upon him. The cloud of confusion regarding his ability vanished.

He understood that his ability should be a tool, not a crutch. Instead of blindly following visions, he needed to integrate them into his natural instincts and battle awareness.

He experimented—closing his eyes for a moment, feeling the battle rather than predicting it.

The fight shifted as he began using foresight in a balanced way—not forcing it, but letting it guide him when necessary.

The moment he accepted the balance between foresight and instinct, something clicked.

His realm started shaking, his Qi refined, and he broke through his mental block—ascending.

His foresight ability evolved, no longer just showing deterministic visions, but adaptable glimpses based on his choices.

As Harry completed his ritual, he looked toward the group where Tyler had just achieved a breakthrough.

He didn’t need to sit or assimilate his new power in any way—it was a smooth ride for him.

When Harry saw this, he was flabbergasted. He couldn’t shake off the memory of his own struggle when leveling up to Elemental Master. It had been a pendulum swinging between life and death. And now, seeing someone else break through effortlessly, without even opening their eyes... It was just painful.

These emotions filled his mind, but soon, his reasoning returned. He silently thanked whatever god existed that he hadn’t faced a bottleneck.

Tyler opened his eyes, feeling all his weariness vanish into thin air. He exhaled a long breath and took a step back—only for his nose to be hit by a pungent smell.

As he touched his nose, he felt something sticky on his fingertips.

"Not again..."

Harry instinctively moved nearly fifty meters away in an instant. This process always left some bad memories behind.

When he turned back, he saw Tyler covered in black impurities. Another shock hit him.

Even though Harry had used a Qi-refining skill during his own breakthrough, he hadn’t been able to expel nearly as many impurities as Tyler had.

Eldrich stepped in to help Tyler clean up.

They were in an open area and had been walking for thirty minutes, yet they hadn’t encountered a single beast or wolf.

"It’s weird," someone muttered.

"Yeah, definitely. Not even a normal beast, let alone wolves."

"Don’t let your guard down," Nephis warned, overhearing their conversation.

"We’re already deep in their territory," she added, noticing the scattered remains of dead beasts.

Further down the path, they spotted a river nestled in the terrain. The landscape was changing—it was now a mixture of mountains and jungle, with small hills in between.

"Not seeing wolves is one thing, but we haven’t found any other beasts either," Eldrich pointed out.

They stopped near the river to plan their next move.

Meanwhile, Tyler was still struggling to determine his affinity. He had tried everything, but nothing was working. He couldn’t sense either his body or the Qi element.

It’s frustrating...

Tyler hadn’t even encountered a single beast to test himself against.

Harry didn’t mind too much—at least the exhaustion from using his element had faded.

He still hadn’t found the limit of how long he could maintain his barrier skill, but one thing was clear: the stronger and longer the barrier persisted, the more it drained him. He needed to test it in extended battles.

"We’re screwed," Nephis suddenly muttered, gripping her sword tightly.

The jungle was shadowed by trees, dimly lit, but if one tried hard enough, they could make out their surroundings.

And in the darkness, they saw them.

Pairs of glowing red eyes, flickering like misty embers.

"One... Two... Three..."

Tyler counted, his voice shaking with every number.

"...Ten."

His voice broke with agitation.