Chapter 202 202 - Sand
When that night was over, Ryan was in bed with a beautiful girl lying on his arm. Lux was fast asleep, breathing calmly and making a rhythmic sound of air flowing.
* Fuu * Fuu *
'Is she trying to say Fuck asleep?' Ryan thought, laughing to himself. Ryan's face quickly became more serious, and looking up, he focused on the window that had been opened earlier.
With just the thought, that window appeared in front of him. The blue and white system that he normally used, tied together as a natural blessing from humans, was actually a system given to him by the guardian of life.
Now that Ryan had completed his quest, a congratulatory message appeared in front of his eyes.
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[Congratulations on completing your mission]
The guardian of life is watching your actions with affection. As a reward, you have received a sacred energy production bonus, as well as a temporary 2x XP boost after eliminating monsters. The effect ends in 72 hours from sunrise.
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Ryan's eyes skimmed over the entire message, but then settled on the beginning of the message. "The guardian of life is watching your actions," he said aloud, thoughtfully.
Activating his shadow form, Ryan got out of bed without disturbing Lux. Walking across the cold floor of his house, he looked out of the window at the full moon shining in the sky.
"You're too young to have so much trouble," said the fox girl, who appeared beside him. Placing her head on Ryan's shoulder, Ayumi's body heat warmed the boy's skin.
"I need you to teach me how the fox blessing works," said Ryan, his voice more serious than usual.
Taken aback, Ayumi's eyes widened. "Of course, it's not a problem," she said. Opening his inventory, Ryan took out a jacket, walking to the entrance, he put on his sneakers and opened a portal.
"Do you want to see this, now?" The fox girl said, and Ryan just nodded yes.
* * *
On the other side of the portal, the white-haired Kitsune was frightened by the sight she was seeing. No matter which way she looked, the desert never seemed to end.
"This place. You managed to create a portal to the second world?" she shouted in surprise.
Ryan nodded, "It was Sylvanna who discovered it, but she wasn't the first to have access to this kind of magic. The guild has known about it for a long time, and the Silvermoons are no exception," he concluded.
Taking his sword from his inventory, Ryan wielded the weapon and began to strike blows against the sand. As he swung his sword, the desert sand moved a little, it was creating small eddies.
"Take a deep breath," said Ayumi, "It all depends on your breathing. The blessing of a nine-tailed fox only depends on your concentration."
Closing both eyes, Ryan began to concentrate on how the air entered and flowed out of his lungs, that flow calming the boy's hot blood. Waving his hands, he launched an attack with his eyes closed.
The wind this time didn't create a whirlwind, but kept going as it split the desert sands in half for several kilometers. When Ryan opened his eyes, he saw that straight line gradually being torn apart by the desert wind.
Ayumi then approached Ryan and kissed him on the neck. The two began to exchange more intense touches and kisses, and Ayumi's energy was being sent to Ryan. Pulling away with a dangerous smile, Ayumi looked deep into Ryan's eyes and said "Now, you can start"
Shouting with all his might, Ryan channeled his new form of energy. His hair gradually turned white, while his body created a bluish energy around his body. The energy of the fox's blessing enhanced his sense of smell and perception, and when Ryan activated his Demon Form, he became even more powerful.
A tremor appeared in the desert, and from a distance, Ryan could already understand what was happening. "I can see it," he said, "My strength is more concentrated."
About two hundred kilometers away, a desert worm was approaching. The creature had a mouth more than six hundred meters long, as well as an overall size that could easily reach more than forty kilometers in length. Unlike their snow sisters, these creatures could swallow cities with ease.
"So they're all over this desert too," he said aloud in surprise. About thirty minutes later, the gigantic monster was close enough for tremors to be felt in the sand.
'Sandworms don't normally move around much, but this is a good opportunity'
Ryan felt a tightness in his chest, his mind making a point of remembering what had happened in the battle against the flying snake. "I can do it," he repeated to himself, and activated his legendary skill, The Flaming Hero. Ryan was burning and exuding a strong energy.
When the worm got close enough, Ryan saw that gigantic mouth swallowing sand as it moved with speed. The monster's speed was astonishing, even with its gigantic size it was still as fast as a sand lizard.
"Extending his sword, Ryan transferred the energy of the black flames from his Demon Form to the blade of the weapon. The fire from the Flaming Hero skill connected with the sword, creating an even greater aura.
The energy from Kitsune's form made a layer of protection around the weapon, so that the equipment wasn't damaged by the fire, which reached over ten thousand degrees Celsius. As he walked, the sand turned into a glass crystal.
The sandworm was less than twenty meters from Ryan, all the sand in that place was being pulled into the creature's mouth. The monster's teeth were spinning like an electric claw, grinding down anything that came close enough.
But with a single step, Ryan burst into flames. The heat was so great that the sandworm's skin began to burn instantly, melting with a nauseating smell of rotting flesh. The monster stopped moving for a few seconds.
"He stopped a sandworm?!" Ayumi said, incredulous. Even though they lived in a remote region, these creatures were known as one of the most powerful monsters ever recorded.
With a swift swing of his sword, Ryan launched an attack of wind and fire that cut across the horizon. The entire visible part of the monster was ripped in half, causing the creature to scream in pain.
The sound caused all the sand to vibrate, and soon afterwards, a jet of sand and hot air shot out of the creature's mouth. With a leap backwards, Ryan narrowly dodged the attack.
"You're smarter than I thought," said Ryan, who returned to his defensive position. The sandworm returned to the bottom of the earth, leaving a silence in its wake. The severed part was squirting a greenish liquid into the sand, burning the sand and creating a visibly toxic acidic fume.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan began to channel all his energy into his sword. The future connected with his eyes, giving him the answer to the exact moment when the sandworm would return to the surface.
Within moments, the creature leapt out, emerging at such a high speed that it was impossible to understand what was happening. It was as if it was trying to swallow the clouds, the creature climbed until it reached the blue desert sky.
Ryan swung his sword, from the top of its head to about an inch above the sand. With a single movement he launched a beam of fire that cut through the creature's entire body. Unable to react, the sandworm's body fell beneath the desert.
An explosion erupted on all sides, creating a typhoon and gale soon after. When the situation calmed down, Ryan could see the monster's carcass for several kilometers.
"I need to check on the desert village," he said.n..0Ve1bIn
Walking alongside the creature, Ryan looked out over the horizon of that sea of sand, searching for the direction of a place he had been avoiding for some time. "Are you going to leave me alone?" shouted Ayumi.
"Come with me, I'll need some ice!" He said with a smile.
The girl followed him in confusion, "Where are we going? And honestly, you didn't have to put on all that show. My tail is now completely dirty with sand, we couldn't have just gone to a forest, or rather, an island"
"But on a beach your tail would get sand all over it too," said Ryan, who started laughing at Ayumi's embarrassed face.
"I know that," she shouted, "but the sea is still much better than this place."
* * *
The two of them walked for a few more kilometers. In the middle of the desert, Ryan stared at a rock. Holding out his hand, he clapped it five times.
The sound was enough to attract the attention of the guards. About a minute later, the sand split, revealing a gigantic ravine. When the two guards looked at Ryan, their eyes widened and they bowed.
"Ahssahabdi Kruktahmi" said one of the guards.
A few minutes later, Ryan and Ayumi were sitting in front of a table of alcoholic drinks. An elf with beautiful golden hair was pouring one for him from a glass.
"You haven't visited us for twenty days, we were worried," said the elf.
'Twenty days... I knew that time was paused, but I didn't imagine that it would progress so little even with my exploration'
"I need your help," said Ryan, staring into the elf's eyes.
"You need our help?" she asked, confused.