Rose and Nora stayed there for another week.
By then, Cynthia and her cohort had already left the area two days ago.
The camp had become noticeably quieter after their departure.
Rose spent most of her time practicing her swordsmanship.
Every day, she trained until her movements became smoother and more precise. She repeated the same techniques over and over, correcting even the smallest flaws in her stance.
Nora, meanwhile, continued practicing Ocean God Sealing Sorcery.
She had made considerable progress.
Controlling water was no longer difficult for her.
She could move it.
Shape it.
Gather it.
Even maintain its form without losing concentration.
But something was still missing.
The sorcery she created looked similar to Ocean God's sealing sorcery, yet it lacked the mysterious authority carried by the original.
Nora could feel the difference.
She simply didn't understand what was causing it.
Still, she wasn't discouraged.
She believed that with enough practice, she would eventually understand.
That night, Rose packed her belongings.
She tightened the straps on her equipment before looking toward Nora.
"We're about ten kilometers away from Eden Valley."
Nora opened her eyes.
Rose continued.
"I'm sure Cynthia has already killed some of the creatures inside the cave."
She paused.
"After Eden Valley, we'll reach Goldsteel Shelter."
Nora nodded.
Rose's expression became more serious.
"As for the cave inside Eden Valley..."
"You need to be prepared."
Nora looked at her.
"The creatures?"
Rose nodded.
"Yes."
"The training you've gone through inside the underground statue should give you some idea of how difficult they'll be."
She adjusted her sword.
"I won't be able to enthrall everything."
"My ability has limits."
"I'm still only an Awakened."
Nora understood.
Rose's seductive aura was powerful, but it wasn't absolute.
The stronger the creature, the more difficult it became to control.
And against large numbers of powerful creatures, even Rose couldn't rely on her ability forever.
Rose looked at Nora.
"This journey won't be fruitful unless we get our hands on the River Spawn eggs."
Nora nodded.
"Got it."
Before leaving, Nora walked toward the Great Ocean.
She crouched beside the water and filled a small container.
She carefully sealed it before placing it inside her storage pouch.
She might need it again.
Especially for her Ocean God Sealing Sorcery.
Rose watched her.
"You really intend to keep practicing?"
Nora looked at the container.
"Until I understand what I'm missing."
Rose smiled faintly.
"Then let's hope you figure it out before we reach Goldsteel Shelter."
Nora stood.
"I will."
---
A day later, they finally reached Eden Valley.
The valley was quieter than Nora had expected.
After walking for a while, they eventually found the entrance to the cave.
Darkness swallowed the passage ahead.
Nora stared into it.
Then sighed.
"Here goes nothing."
Rose glanced at her.
"That's usually what people say before things go wrong."
Nora gave her a brief look.
"Thanks for the encouragement."
Neither said anything else.
They entered.
The cave became darker as they moved deeper inside.
Dust covered the ground.
Broken stones were scattered across the passage.
Occasionally, Nora noticed small movements between the cracks.
Insects.
They continued walking.
After traveling roughly one kilometer into the cave, they finally saw something lying on the ground.
A skeleton.
Human.
The bones were scattered across the stone floor.
Rose stopped.
She examined the remains for a moment.
"What kind of abomination killed this person?"
Her expression became slightly darker.
"There's almost nothing left."
Nora didn't answer.
Something had caught her attention.
She felt movement against her leg.
Nora looked down.
A tiny insect was crawling across her boot.
Then another appeared.
Then another.
Within seconds...
Hundreds of them were moving around her feet.
Nora's eyes widened.
"What..."
The ground suddenly seemed to move.
A flood of insects poured from the cracks in the cave.
They crawled over one another, covering the floor like a living black carpet.
Nora immediately shook her leg.
The insects clung to her boot.
She tried again.
They wouldn't let go.
Then she noticed something worse.
The material of her boot was beginning to deteriorate.
"They're corroding it."
Rose immediately released her aura.
A soft pink energy spread outward.
The insects froze.
Their movements slowed.
Then, one after another, they turned away from Rose and Nora.
The swarm began retreating.
Nora looked down at her leg.
Her boot was already damaged beyond repair.
She sighed.
"So much for that."
Rose glanced at her.
"At least you still have your foot."
Nora didn't respond.
Instead, she summoned her Blind Owl Armor.
Dark armor spread across her body and covered her legs, replacing the protection she had lost.
She looked at the retreating insects.
"It's convenient that you can control them."
Rose didn't answer.
Her expression had suddenly changed.
Her eyes narrowed.
Then she shouted—
"Run!"
Nora froze.
"What?"
"I said RUN!"
The insects suddenly turned around.
The entire swarm surged toward them.
Nora didn't question Rose again.
She immediately ran.
Rose followed.
The creatures were small.
Too small.
And there were far too many of them.
They crawled across the walls.
Across the ceiling.
Across the ground.
Some even fell from above.
Nora's expression tightened.
Killing them individually would take too much time.
And there were simply too many.
Rose released another wave of pink aura.
This time, however, it was different.
The aura wrapped around the swarm.
Instead of enthralling them completely, it began draining their essence.
The insects' movements gradually became slower.
Their speed decreased.
Their charge weakened.
For several moments, it worked.
Then Rose frowned.
The creatures had finally noticed something was wrong.
The swarm began retreating.
Nora looked back.
"Why are they leaving?"
Rose's expression became serious.
"I don't know."
They continued running.
But they didn't get far.
Something else was approaching.
A powerful presence emerged from deeper within the cave.
The insects moved aside.
Then—
A gigantic creature appeared.
Its body was covered in obsidian scales.
Its massive frame filled the passage.
Two enormous horns curved from its head.
Its eyes glowed with a terrifying golden light.
The creature slowly raised its head.
Nora immediately felt the pressure coming from it.
Rose's face became pale.
"That's..."
The creature opened its mouth.
A terrifying glow appeared within its throat.
Nora's eyes widened.
An enormous wave of black-red flames erupted from its mouth.
The fire spread across the cave, swallowing everything in its path.
The heat struck them like a wall.
The entire passage was illuminated by the terrifying flames.
The Obsidian Dragon had attacked.