In the cave.


    Nellis was utterly drained, slumped in her chair, her body limp. Yet, her eyes betrayed a deep fear of Enzo, a fear that seemed to prate her very being.


    Trembling, she asked, "Who exactly are you?"


    Enzo studied Nellis intently before calmly replying, "You seem afraid."


    "No." Enzo shook his head, "You''re not afraid of me. You fear the power I wield."


    Enzo had effortlessly broken free from the crimson threads moments ago.


    These threads, manifestations of Nellis''s own energy, were fundamentally energy constructs, susceptible to Enzo''s power of energy absorptionwhich could absorb energy.


    So when he exerted this ability, the threads binding him dissolved.


    And Nellis''s loss of physical strength wasalso due to this reason.


    However, now it seemedthat this hadbrought Nellis an unpleasant experience.


    Now, Nellis sat with vacant eyes, her body trembling slightly, clearly enduring some form of intense mental anguish.


    Taking this in, Enzo released a surge of life energy.


    With the infusion of life force, Nellis instantly recovered.


    Though she remained physically weak, as if she had witnessed something inconceivable.She lost consciousness and said, "It can''t be! ording to Professor Kelheim''s research, abilities like energy absorption and life energycannot coexist! How did you do it? Tell me!"


    Nellis became incredibly emotional.


    After a while, her emotions settled, and she turned to Enzo, asking, "What do you want to know?"


    Enzo fetched a chair and sat in front of Nellis. "First question: why did youe looking for me?"


    Nellis suddenly smiled, pointing to herownchest, a seductive grin on her lips, and teasingly said,"The reason is right here. If you want to know, you can find out for yourself."


    Enzo frowned. "Are you trying to tempt me?"


    Head held high, Nellis chuckled softly. "You could say that."


    The next moment, before Nellis could react, her breasts were grabbed by Enzo, and the animal skin strapless was torn open, causing the huge breasts to sway.


    But this doesn''t arouse any sexual desire in people.


    Nellis smiled bitterly and said, "Isn''t it ugly?"


    On that pair of twin peaks, ck threads stretch together like wriggling insects, making the scalp tingle.


    Nellis continued, "This thinges from the Coull ruins, it''s a curse that can''t be removed by ordinary means. And it''s extremely dangerous. Once these ck threads enter the heart, death arrives. Though to some, it''s not death but rebirth."


    Enzo looked up, gazing at Nellis.


    Nellis went on, lost in her own thoughts, "When the ck threads enter the heart, consciousness fades. But instead of dying, the body transforms into a terrifying monster. These creatures start without intelligence, but over time, they recall memories of their former bodies. Thus, they develop a belief that they are the true owners of that body, not dead but reborn."


    Nellis''s words left Enzo silent for a long while.


    Seeing this, Nellis scoffed mockingly, "Scared, are you?"


    Enzo raised his head again and asked Nellis, "Do you know about the Barren Mountain Tribe?"


    "I don''tknow about that." Nellis replied.


    Enzo then recounted a tale, "Eight hundred years ago, there was a powerful tribe in the Barren Mountain region, known as the Barren Mountain Tribe... Later, the tribe disappeared. All the people of the Barren Mountain Tribe died in a disaster called ''the Curse.'' Those affected by the curse would turn into monsters and kill each other."


    Nellis''s emotions red again.


    She pressed, "Is the Barren Mountain region and the Barren Mountain Tribe still in the outside world?"


    Enzo nced at her and retorted, "You asked a rather foolish question."


    Unperturbed by Enzo''s sarcasm, Nellis mused aloud, "So, Servolk Market and everything in the ruins appeared because of that disaster..."


    But even if she knew, what difference would it make?


    She couldn''t leave anyway.


    And the curse couldn''t be removed; she felt the ck threads could enter her heart at any moment.


    That meant death.


    In her despair, Nellis regained some calmness and asked Enzo, "Do you have anything else to ask?"


    Enzo replied simply, "Plenty."


    Nellis chuckled softly, "I don''t have that much time."


    Despite her statement, Nellis proceeded to answer many of Enzo''s questions.


    For example, outside the Servolk Market, there are ruins.


    Within these ruins lie many opportunities but also numerous dangers.


    Among them, the curse was the most terrifying.


    Compared to the curse, even powerful supernatural beingswere not as fearsome.


    Inside the ruins, the curse was notlimited to just the ck threads. ording to Nellis, therewasalso a curse of ck spiders, distinguished by dark spider-like patterns appearing on the forehead. Those afflicted with this curse experience rapid aging of consciousness and body within three days, as if time were being drained away.


    Apart from the ruins, there''s also the Servolk Market.


    ording to Nellis, its existence was notmerely for trade.Itwasa part of a vast ritual. However, nobody knewhow to activate this ritual, not even her deceased teacher Kelheim had found the answer.


    "Is there anything else you want to ask?" Nellis inquired.


    Enzo nced at her and asked his final question, "Where does your feare from?"


    This question caught Nellis off guard.


    She looked at Enzo andplimented, "Among the people I''ve encountered, your insight is the most acute. But unfortunately, I don''t wish to answer that question."


    "And besides, there''s no time left."


    Pain etched across Nellis''s face again.


    She lowered her head slightly, watching the ck lines on her chest begin to writhe once more, on the verge of entering her heart.


    Just then, a warmth enveloped her.


    She saw Enzo''s handnd on her chest, and a terrifying suction drew the writhing ck lines out from her skin, coalescing into a ball in Enzo''s palm.


    "How did you do that?" Nellis eximed.


    Enzo didn''t reply because this wasn''t his ability.It was Bookstaver''s ability.


    Bookstaver, long dormant, stirred again but didn''t awaken. Instead, itmunicated telepathically, informing Enzo that he could use the original form of Bookstaver—the stone tablet of the barren mountain—to cleanse these curses.


    Of course, there wasalso the truth behind these dark curse lines.


    This was not a true curse.


    This wasa soul seed contaminated by a curse, infused with the power of the curse. When the twobine, they exhibitedsuch eerie effects.


    Enzo had no intention of revealing such secretive information to Nellis.


    As he watched the ck lines being expelled, Nellis felt a surge of joy at surviving. However, when only one ck line remained, Enzo abruptly stopped.


    Thatst line continued to writhe towards her heart, a process that would likely take some time toplete.


    Nellis lifted her head to re at Enzo, her eyes filled with resentment as she demanded, "What do you mean by this?"


    Enzo replied indifferently, "While you may not have intended to kill me before, your attempt certainly posed a threat to me. By the rules, I should have killed you. Yet, I saved you. The reason I didn''t fully remove the curse is to remind you that your life was spared by me."


    Taking a deep breath, Nellis asked, "What do you want?"


    Enzo nced at her and smiled, "You will brew potions. Conveniently, I need a servant skilled in potion-making."


    It was precisely for this reason that Enzo chose to spare Nellis''s life.


    Potion masters were extremely rare, no matter where one went.


    Even though the current Crimson Star Tribe had acquired the potion recipe, sessfully producing it was as difficult as reaching the heavens.


    Once they left this ce, Nellis could be the tribe''s potion master.


    Thusthe tribe''s strength were bolstered once more.


    However, that was a story for another time.


    The immediate concern was how to leave this ce.


    Sensing most of the curse dissipating and recalling Enzo''s abilities, Nellis lowered her head in respect and called out to Enzo, "Master."


    Enzo nodded, satisfied.


    He then continued, "Now, can you tell me where your previous fear originated from?"


    Nellis took a deep breath and began to recount the story of her past fear.


    "Servolk Ruins is the most dangerous of the three ruins, but it also holds the most special items hidden within. During that expedition, my teacher, Mr. Kelheim, and I discovered the truth about the Servolk Market, which is part of a ritual. It was then that a terrifying monster appeared, known as the Helingmoen, a monstrous giant."


    Upon hearing this, Enzo could roughly anticipate what happened next.


    The name Helingmoen, like Cedric, wasn''t just a single name but a designation for an entire giant n. Just as Cedric was the name for the Giant Mountain Turtle n, Helingmoen referred to the Giant Devil Moth n. They possessed abilities such as energy absorption, illusion crafting, and adeptness in psychic attacks, making them extremely powerful.


    ording to Nellis, the Giant Devil Moth she encountered was a staggering thirty meters in length.


    In the world of giants, size often corrted with strength. Enzo estimated that this particr Giant Devil Moth likely possessed strength equivalent to the Level 4or even Level 5 .


    However, if they could manage to defeat it, the essence of the giant they would obtain...