Step to paradise

Flauros closed the document, stood up, and stretched a bit. No matter what the outside was like, he couldn't act without being alert.

This room, although it belonged to a bounty hunter organization, was still fully furnished. The black and gold color scheme gave off a feeling of both luxury and mystery.

A large sofa, a neatly arranged wine cabinet, and soft, magical lights shining on the paintings hanging on the wall, all of which proved that the owner of this place was not an ordinary person.

He took off his cloak, put his weapons on the table, and then threw himself onto the large bed with soft mattresses.

'Not bad…'

However, he still couldn't relax completely. His eyes were half-closed, but his mind remained alert.

Tonight, he would have to act. If that item was related to his necklace, then letting it fall into someone else's hands was not an option.

The rest period wasn't long, but it was enough to regain stamina before nightfall.

'Even if it's the same pair, I don't intend to get involved with it, ancient relic? Just hearing it makes me feel troubled.'

'And on top of that, he's also a forbidden magic user. I don't know what his abilities and Mana supply are yet.'

Mana supply is what allows forbidden magic users to convert something negative into Mana for use.

There are many different sources, such as blood, flesh, death energy,... and Flauros's is negative emotions, a source that is extremely easy to find and fill, even while fighting.

It is what makes Flauros almost an eternally circulating Mana reactor, something that every magician desires to have.

Of course, there are still many more powerful and mysterious sources. And without knowing the opponent's true strength, Flauros would not risk snatching something for an unnecessary item.

'Forget it, I've been wet all day, it's uncomfortable to the point of dying.'

As a cat, he was neither noble nor fond of being wet.

Flauros entered the bathroom, letting the warm water pour down, washing away all the remaining dirt and fatigue. Steam rose, obscuring the large mirror in the room.

He reached out, wiping the water from his long black hair, the old wounds on his body had also completely closed, thanks to the stable amount of mana in his body.

After finishing his bath, Flauros put on a new set of clothes, a dark shirt with delicate silver buttons, over which he wore a dark green cloak with a classic pattern, lightly draped over his shoulders. He pulled up the hood, partially covering his sharp face.

'It's already 6 o'clock...'

The distant church bells rang out, echoing in the chilly evening air. Flauros adjusted his gloves, grabbed his bag, and left the room without looking back.

He stepped out onto the cobblestone path, joining the crowd that was beginning to pour out into the streets as night fell. The magical lanterns gradually lit up, casting a faint glow on the ancient walls.

'Alright, let's go.'

Flauros walked quietly through the cobblestone streets, the lights from the stalls casting shimmering streaks of light on the wet ground.

The festive atmosphere was bustling with the melodious sound of string instruments, blending with the rhythmic beat of drums, young girls in long flowing dresses twirling to the music, holding hands with their mothers or sisters.

The night food stalls were equally bustling, the aroma of grilled meat, freshly baked bread, and the market's signature soups mixed in the air.

Flauros paid no attention to the bustling sounds, his eyes only swept over them once, then turned to a small stall by the side of the road.

"Give me any portion, anything that fills my stomach."

The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a bushy beard, who was turning a large skewer of meat over a charcoal stove. He glanced at Flauros with a smile and nodded.

"A beef stew sandwich, with vegetables and hot sauce? You look like you need something filling."

Flauros did not refuse, just silently nodded. A moment later, a heavy meat sandwich was placed in his hands.

The crust was crispy, inside was tender beef stew mixed with a rich hot sauce, accompanied by fresh lettuce to balance the taste.

He took it, took a bite, and the spiciness immediately spread to the tip of his tongue. While eating, Flauros slowly considered his next step.

'It's too spicy... is all the food in Ozone this spicy?'

Flauros frowned as the spiciness rushed straight to his throat, leaving a burning aftertaste on the tip of his tongue. He was speechless about his decision to buy something, so he finished chewing the sandwich and turned to find a nearby drink shop.

The small wooden-roofed stall had a few rustic lanterns hanging from it, and on the counter were rows of colorful juice bottles, with a faint aroma.

"A glass of juice." Flauros said, his eyes scanning the drink list.

"Which one would you like? There's refreshing Ilexa juice, slightly sour Mavari, or sweet Zyphora." The vendor asked with a smile as she wiped the cup.

Flauros didn't need to think much.

"Ilexa."

The girl quickly poured a glass of pale green juice, slightly viscous, with a pure scent like young grass and mint wafting up.

Flauros handed over the coin to pay, then took it and took a sip. The stinging sensation on his tongue gradually disappeared, replaced by a pleasant, cool feeling.

Speaking of currency, this place had a common currency law among empires. It used a system of metal coins, with three main types.

Copper (Dero) - The most common currency, used in daily transactions.

Silver (Silven) - Has a higher value than copper, often used for large transactions or in luxurious areas.

Gold (Aurin) - The highest-grade currency, mainly used by nobles, wealthy merchants, or special transactions.

Each silver coin is worth 10 copper coins, and one gold coin is equivalent to 100 silver coins.

Speaking of Flauros, he has a lot of gold coins, but that amount of money cannot be maintained forever. So this job can also earn a little, and at the same time, learning more about the Black Crow headquarters will help him learn more about some underground business connections.

Their profits are higher, and there are no mandatory constraints.

A strong person like him, who has nothing to fear losing, is more suitable for this job than anyone else.

Flauros walked through the bustling streets, the lanterns shining brightly on the wooden eaves, reflecting on the wet cobblestones after a light rain.

The smell of street food, the faint scent of perfume from the ladies passing by, added to the lively atmosphere. But he didn't care about that.

His hand tightened around the compass, a small but extremely exquisite magical artifact. The compass face did not have a conventional direction indicator, but instead a pale blue circle of light that slowly rotated with each step he took.

He stopped under the streetlight, gently flipped the lid of the compass, and infused it with a bit of Mana. Immediately, the magic characters engraved on the metal surface glowed, the trajectory of the circle of light suddenly changed, drawing a straight line towards a small alley leading to the outskirts of the city.

'In that direction...'

Flauros retracted the compass, pulling the hood of his cloak up to cover most of his face. He walked faster, turning into the narrow alley. Compared to the bustling night market behind, this place was much quieter.

The old stone walls were covered with green moss, and a few wooden signs with faded letters hung on the closed doors.

The cold night wind blew past, carrying the steam from the nearby river. He stopped by a small stone bridge, where he could see the water flowing slowly under the faint moonlight. Flauros opened the compass again.

This time, the circle of light spun wildly and then suddenly stopped, pointing straight down at the river below.

'Down there...'

He leaned his hand on the bridge railing, his eyes fixed on the dark water surface. The small ripples reflected the starlight. This was not an ordinary river, he could feel the Mana fluctuate slightly in the water.

Flauros curled his lips, taking a step back. If the item he was looking for was really at the bottom of this river… it wouldn't be as simple as picking it up and leaving.

Flauros narrowed his eyes slightly.

This feeling… was exactly like last time.

When he was still traveling across the continent, he had accidentally found a small cave hidden in a dense forest. From the outside, it was nothing special, just a natural crack in the cliff, covered by tree roots and dense vines.

But as soon as he stepped inside, Flauros knew he was wrong.

The space inside the cave was not a quiet, abandoned place, but a magically sealed area, the energy field there was distorted, causing him to lose his direction.

The deeper he went, the more unusual things became: stone walls carved with ancient characters, abandoned magical structures, and a strange aura that kept clinging to his body, as if something was watching from the darkness.

'It's a good thing that it didn't involve corpses and those living demons...'

That time, Flauros's premonition made him retreat immediately. And this time, it was telling him something too.

He looked down at the river again.

'It can't be a normal place.'

His eyes grew cold, his hand tightening on the compass. The black water under the bridge looked calm, but Flauros could feel the faint currents of energy circulating below, a strange fluctuation, unlike any natural flow.

He took a step back, took a deep breath, and jumped in.

A cool feeling washed over Flauros as soon as he touched the water.

But there was no water.

There was no resistance to the flow, no wet feeling clinging to his clothes or skin.

Instead, he felt as if he had just passed through a thin layer of invisible cloth that covered the passage, hiding another world below.

For a moment, the space around him was empty.

No gravity. No sound. No light.

There was only a feeling of free fall that lasted for a split second, before his body gently landed on a surface as soft as a bush of flowers.

'A teleportation formation?'

Flauros quickly stood up straight, raising his hand in alertness. Before his eyes, the darkness was gradually shifting, as if this space was adjusting itself to welcome an uninvited guest.

Flauros frowned, feeling very strange.

There were no Mana fluctuations, no traces of magic. If this were a teleportation spell, he should have sensed the flow of Mana in the space. But here… there was nothing.

An absolute void, as if he were being swallowed by the darkness itself.

'Is it a natural phenomenon? Or something beyond my understanding?'

He clenched his fingers and stepped forward cautiously. With each step, the ground below him echoed with strange sounds, not like the sound of stone or metal, but like a hollow echo from a faraway place.

Suddenly.

From within the darkness, something moved.

Flauros stepped deeper inside, the blue light from the bioluminescent plants reflecting off his cloak, creating a mystical glow.

The air here was damp and cold, but there was no sign of water. The ground beneath his feet was soft, as if covered in a thick layer of moss over centuries.

His eyes stopped at the densest flower growth in front of him, an ancient door.

The door was tightly closed, covered with flowers, and entwined with tree roots. On the surface of the door, ancient patterns glowed softly, as if reacting to his presence.

Flauros gently touched them.

Immediately, a small vibration spread from the door, as if it had just "awakened" after a thousant-yeth-long sleep.

Flauros frowned slightly as he felt the change from the necklace.

It was not just a simple vibration, but also emitted an invisible vibration that spread through the space.

At the same time, the tattoo on his body, which had been engraved into his flesh when he first connected to this necklace, suddenly emitted a bright red light, and each line seemed to be burning from within.

A warm feeling spread throughout his body, but it was not burning, but like a stream of energy awakening something that was sleeping.

The door in front of him shook slightly, and the glowing patterns on the surface became even more brilliant.

Then suddenly.

BOOM!

A powerful stream of air burst out, dragging a feeling deep into Flauros's mind.

Flauros opened his eyes wide, feeling every magical fluctuation spreading in the space.

The red light was not simply a phenomenon, but like a key to awaken the past.

Everywhere it passed, moss-covered stones suddenly shed their old layers, returning to their original tiled form, still bearing ancient patterns.

The giant stone door that seemed to have been abandoned for millennia now seemed to breathe. The carved characters on it glowed with each deep, fiery red beat, as if the heart of time was beating again.

Flauros tightened his grip on the necklace, feeling the strange connection between it and the door.

"What… is this?"

It seemed that he was not only opening a physical door, but also pulling back the curtain of the past, awakening something that had been sealed for a long time…