Rivers of the Night Chapter 427: Focus

Theron was randomly transported into a familiar, yet so very unfamiliar, world. He looked around for a mont, his eyes narrowing.

He wasn’t transported right into the real core of the Secret Realm. Now that was a bit odd. Why would it send him back out here if it reacted enough to open for him in the first place? Was there a flaw? Or was this on purpose?

This didn’t seem like a big deal, but it had to be rembered that this realm was only set to open on a set schedule. When Yonowai entered, it was an entire year before Theron entered. It hadn’t even been half a year since Theron last entered, though.

That was to say, this realm had only opened because it recognized sothing special about Theron, and that special thing should be related to the Secret Realm, that library, and the item spirits that protected it.

So why would it plop him here instead of in the Secret Realm itself?

Theron was one to analyze every detail of everything. Often, minor things were the difference between life and death.

The obvious answer was that the runes were flawed or didn’t have the energy. And while this was plausible, Theron got the nagging feeling that it was sothing else.

The Alpha, maybe? The Alpha wasn’t by his side, but it was in his bracelet right now. Had it detected it and maybe registered the Alpha as an outsider it didn’t want to let in?

There was a good chance that that was the case.

’Let’s see if anything has changed in the world first, then.’

Theron was in a rush, but he wouldn’t allow his rush to be at the detrint of missing sothing important.

Ironically enough, Theron was only finally now at the level he should be to enter this world. Back then, he was still a Bronze Mancer, but his stiffest competition had all been in the high tiers of Silver Mancy.

Now, he was a Quasi Gold Mancer, the best level to enter this world at to have the highest odds of success.

That fleeting thought made Theron wonder whether there was sothing to take advantage of here other than the Secret Realm that he was just unaware of.

’Hm...’ Theron tried to take the Alpha out to see sothing, only to nod to himself when he saw that it was, indeed, impossible. Maybe the realm really had detected it.

Suddenly, his feet ca to a stop.

BANG!

What looked like a javelin fell out of the air, falling so fast it was like a line of black connecting the skies to the earth, its afterimages layering atop one another in quick succession.

But it certainly wasn’t.

’A bird?’

Theron’s head tilted slightly and his steps flashed as it pulled itself out of the ground, its silver beak reflecting the sun like a polished blade.

’Another’s coming.’

Theron only just had the thought, but he had already moved out of the way.

BANG!

The ground cracked and shook.

They were dive-bombing with such speed and coordination. By the ti one of them picked themselves out of the ground, another was coming so fast that Theron didn’t have a chance to try and deal a lethal blow.

Runebound Beasts?

Theron blinked in shock. The last ti he was here, they hadn’t run into any Mana Beasts. If the molten rock variant beast had been even an Imbued Beast, they would all be dead.

Back then, that beast not only controlled an exceptionally powerful Variant Mana, but it was also a Quasi Gold beast on the first step of Gold Mancy. Theron had chosen not to fight it head-on at all. But if it had been a Mana Beast, he wouldn’t have had the choice in the first place.

How did this place go from one of its strongest creatures not even being the lowest level of Mana Beast, to this all of a sudden?

Was this what that place wanted him to wade through? It wanted him to go through the trouble of making it through all of this again?

Theron frowned, not quite understanding the point of it all. Hadn’t he already passed all of its tests? Why was it testing him again?

He didn’t have the ti for this.

Theron took a breath, frowning even more deeply. His thoughts were becoming more childish these days. What was wrong with him?

Focus.

If there was one thing about this world that he had learned, no one would hand him anything. Even if this world had rewarded him before, there was no guarantee that it would do it again. It was his duty to take what was his like everything else in this world seed to.

A cold breath left Theron’s lips at this thought.

Another dive bird was coming, this one even faster than the rest. They were Flux Beasts, their bodies becoming their weapons, strengthened by Flux Mana in ways that made them even sharper and more lethal than any beast Theron had ever seen before.

SHIIING.

Theron unsheathed his blades.

These might be Runebound Beasts, but they were all still at Silver Mancer. Unlike that unnad fish at the bottom of the river, they weren’t capable of pressing him nearly as hard.

They said that even feral beasts were far more powerful than their human counterparts at the sa level. Mana Beasts were practically in a realm of their own, let alone Runebound ones.

But Theron refused to believe that he would lose to anyone in the sa cultivation realm. This ti, it wasn’t the arrogance in him billowing up again. It was a promise he made to himself.

Because if he could lose to soone at the sa level, how would he defeat those far above him and get his revenge?

When he stepped out of this place again, it would be ti.

Chi.

Theron took a step forward and t the dive head-on.

BOOM!

An explosion of air rocked the world in all directions, but Theron only slightly shifted his wrist down, parrying the bird just the slightest bit.

As it dove over his shoulder, his dagger flashed as he pivoted and spun in a controlled circle, slicing the bird’s neck clean through.

One down, dozens more to go.

’Co.’

It was just the sa as always. No one was coming to save him, no one was going to hand him anything.

In that case, he would jsut have to take it.