Chapter 317 - Zelsh's Shock

Shrouded in darkness, Zelsh climbed down the unlit stairs winding down the circular cavern. He maintained his hidden appearance as he resumed watching over Oli's training. 

However, the moment he jumped to the bottom of the chasm, Zelsh's body froze from shock. 

"This is for Oli's own good and the sake of my plans…"

Unable to pull his gaze away from the sight before him, Zelsh didn't bother searching for the source of that voice. He didn't even reply. The sight was so alien to him that Zelsh didn't even know what to ask.

"This will boost Oli's affinities," stated the shadowy man, appearing beside the stunned king. "I'm not sure how long this will take or whether his mind will make it out of the torment. But it had to be done."

"This… helps affinity?" Zelsh questioned, still perplexed. "What sort of essence is this?"

"It's raw energy, the sort of energy that essence can't compare to."

"Th-- What do you mean?"

"Oli is currently trapped inside his soul jade. He won't regain control of his physical body until it's finished adapting to the energy in the formation," stated the man. 

"But… How come I don't know about this energy? And what kind of formation can do this?!"

"Those are things you don't need to know. Survive to see Oli fulfill his role and I'll explain more."

"..." Finally, Zelsh turned away from Oli and looked at the man. "Then… if this energy isn't essence, does that mean it's not from Dominus?"

But the man shook his head. "No. The energy is from this world. It's just being filtered on a very small scale."

"Filtered?"

"I said it was raw, so of course it needed to be filtered to get to that point. And since Oli is still so weak, it doesn't take a lot of energy to fuel this process. But this may take a few moons or even a year. And it won't increase his cultivation… So, hopefully, he can finish adapting before it's too late…"

Sensing the unexpected, genuine concern in the man's sigh, Zelsh blinked. "Why are you so fixated on Oli?"

"Because he's the only person who can fulfill this role."

"What role? To be the next champion? Couldn't you help anyone with a formation like this?"

"Possibly… But the championship is merely a means to an end, a chance for Oli to grow and a way to get Oli to Devil's Canyon."

"Why not just train him in secret? Wouldn't you be able to do that too?"

Nodding slowly, the man softly chuckled, "That's very true, but Oli would end up despising me if I did that. He's still young and naive, so he'll hold grudges for the sake of pride. Oli would rather be turned into someone to shield his family, even when his family wants to do that very thing to help Oli."

"If it involves his family, why not just take his entire clan with you? Can't you hide them?" Zelsh asked. 

"I could… but not forever."

"What?!" 

Keeping a sarcastic grin, the man abruptly laughed, "Thanks to a stupid ape and his prideful laziness, there's no way for Oli's clan to stay hidden forever. The only way history will fully forget them is after they've either gone extinct or become the world's conquerors. That's just how it is."

Tilting his head to the side, Zelsh tried to piece together some speculations. "You mean Dioro?"

"No."

"Then… It's not Bradok's fault, is it?"

Chuckling, the man shook his head. "He's prideful but not lazy."

"Then…" Little by little, Zelsh's pupils began to stretch and his eyelids peeled back. "You… Is that where Oli gets it?"

"That's right. And because of that stupid ape's indecisiveness, his only surviving descendants are waiting to be discovered and snuffed out. It would've happened already but Dioro's rise to the championship put his race in the global spotlight. With that, their sudden extinction would've become suspicious to the various gods," explained the man.

"But the bounty--"

"There's a difference between sending bounty hunters and leading a secret task force. One is at least acting in public. The other always hides ulterior motives, which is what the various gods would want to investigate."

"Then--"

"Oli's race has been running the clock for a few generations now and their executioners are finally beginning to move in for the kill. And the moment I take them away is when a certain someone will understand what's really happening and try to find me out. That would be the worst outcome at the moment, not while Oli's still too young and weak to fulfill his role."

Turning his back to Oli, the man began to walk away. He tossed a void ring into the air, adding, "Make sure to change out those bags every day. I'll supply however many we need."

"I--"

"I've already been away for too long. I need to hurry back and handle my other responsibilities." With that, the man's silhouette dispersed like a dark cloud being scattered by the wind. 

Zelsh sighed, catching and storing the ring. Still taken aback, the king looked back at Oli with a curious stare. 

It was unknown to Zelsh what sort of pain or discomfort Oli was currently experiencing. All Zelsh saw was a motionless body sitting cross-legged on a cushion. Oli's expressionless face was unable to portray the agony he felt as his pores were being abused endlessly by the barraging energy. 

All Oli could do was wallow in the pain at the center of his soul jade. The pain hadn't lessened at all despite an entire day passing, showing no signs of a fast adaptation. 

But Oli had a plan. Soon after the pain began and he was unable to escape the soul jade, Oli embraced his inescapable environment.

Despite the swirling energy pulsing through his body, the scenery in the soul jade was constantly changing. Mountainsides came and went. Lakes appeared and disappeared. Open fields and cities alike filled Oli's view constantly. The only constant among the countless changes was a single gorilla always appearing in front of Oli.

"I… Won't… Lose! …"

Oli's focused on his father's memories became an integral part of his determination, fueling Oli's motivation and giving him something else to focus on, or to at least try to focus on.