'It's worthy of being a three-star Secret Realm.'
Not much time had passed since Izroth was transported to the Secret Realm; however, he had already come across an SSS-ranked quest!
Of course, it was not without risks. Losing five levels would be a huge setback. In addition, if he were automatically ejected from the Secret Realm so soon, he would miss out on countless opportunities.
Nevertheless, the penalties could be considered rather mild for an SSS-ranked quest. After all, it was not uncommon for a failure to lead to an existence wipe.
There was also the issue of having to relinquish a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree as part of the quest.
The Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was a priceless pseudo-divine material that could be used to craft items or enhance their effects. To give that up would be the equivalent of letting go of tens of high-quality items that players would spill blood over.
But, more important than anything, siding with Astratis now would put Izroth on his side through whatever dispute existed in this Secret Realm. Such a thing could work to hinder his movements or future gains. However, Izroth never stopped observing Astratis from the moment their paths crossed.
While he did not fully understand what secrets or troubles were tied to Astratis, there was one undeniable truth—he was not someone with ill intentions. Otherwise, he would have never offered to guide Izroth to the village earlier or handed him over to Thanasia without question.
Since Astratis was willing to stick up for him and showed no signs of a wavering resolve, Izroth decided to return the favor.
Not to mention, the thought of running away at the first signs of danger never entered Izroth's mind! If the risk was great, the reward was bound to be just as good!
Izroth accepted the quest before sweeping his gaze over the four new arrivals.
According to the quest information, those four were called the anzeyta. And, from Thanasia's scowling remark, Izroth knew they acted as soldiers or hunters of someone called Ourami.
'Ourami… If I recall correctly, they are one of the four pillars that rule over a part of this Secret Realm—the Pillar of the West. I already had a feeling Astratis was not on good terms with the pillars given his reaction when talking about them; however, it seems to be more than just simple displeasure.'
Izroth shifted his attention to the leader of the four new arrivals.
'The three in the back are roughly equivalent to the Right Hand of Siren, Enigma. However, in terms of battle experience and ability, although our blades have not crossed, I can already sense a clear gap between those three and Enigma. As for the one in the front… He's a bit more troublesome.'
Name: Warrior of Death, Vrys(???)
Level: 0
Name: Warrior of Death, Evgos(???)
Level: 0
Name: Warrior of Death, Edaros(???)
Level: 0
Name: Head Warrior of Death, Maragos(???)
Level: 0
Just like Astratis and Thanasia, the anzeytas levels were displayed as zero.
At this point, this solidly confirmed Izroth's previous speculation that, for whatever reason, levels did not work normally in this Secret Realm. Naturally, this made it difficult to quickly grasp a decent insight into what to expect when facing an enemy. Fortunately, Izroth's Energy Vision Sense reduced and Deep Insight skill managed to shed some light on the mystery.
"The Son of Thunder has stolen the Wings of my Ambrosia Tree! Are you hunting dogs not afraid that my sisters and I will cancel the agreement?!" Thanasia's voice erupted in anger as the snakes that made up her hair violently hissed.
The leader of the anzeyta, Maragos, did not even spare a glance towards Thanasia as the battle aura around him exploded forth with unstoppable momentum!
Maragos' aura alone was enough to cause Thanasia to retreat two steps back.
"Hmph, just a beast who only knows how to rely on tricks in the end. If you have a complaint, you can take it directly to our master! We, the anzeyta, will carry out the orders given to us by our master. If you want to interfere, then we will have no choice but to consider you an obstacle. And—we will remove all obstacles." Maragos stated.
Thanasia grit her teeth as she held back her anger. In truth, she was not afraid of Maragos or the other warriors of death; however, the one behind them was another story. It was not something she could decide on a whim.
"Good…! It appears that your master does not put the Ateleigos and my eldest sister in their eyes..! This grievance—I will remember it!" Thanasia said coldly.
The next moment, Thanasia's body was enveloped in Ethos that took the form of a large serpent.
…
The large serpent made of Ethos slithered away at great speeds, acting as a vehicle of sorts for Thanasia.
At the moment, she was heading towards the mountains located near the outskirts of the Ancient Wilderness.
"This is not over! Hmph, just wait until I speak with my eldest sister!" Thanasia internalized.
"As for that mortal… he will have no choice but to seek me out with the 'gift' I left him. The more he resists, the greater the desire. When that time comes—I'll be sure to quell some of this anger!" Thanasia's eyes flashed with killing intent as she increased her pace.
…
Meanwhile, after Thanasia unwillingly took her leave, only Izroth, Astratis, and the four anzeyta remained.
"Surrender yourself, Rebellious Son of Thunder, and perhaps my master will be merciful in their judgment. Resist and we will be forced to apprehend you with force." Maragos said with a calm yet strong authority in his tone.
"Enough. My answer has been made clear. If you wish to fall under my hand, then I will be more than happy to oblige." Astratis responded without hesitation.
Then, without taking his eyes off his enemies, Astratis said, "Leave this place, Izroth. The anzeyta only follow the orders of their master. As long as you do not interfere, they will ignore your presence. For dragging you into this mess and not being able to properly escort you to safety—you have my apologies."
There was a hint of guilt in Astratis' voice as he spoke. The Ancient Wilderness was a dangerous place even for celestials such as himself, let alone a mortal. Nonetheless, Astratis understood that it was safer for Izroth to take his chances in the Ancient Wilderness rather than face certain death being caught up in his fight against the anzeyta.
Astratis could not help but release a helpless sigh. But, what happened next caused him to turn nearly speechless.
"I overheard your conversation just now. I do not understand the exact details, but, with this, you should be able to recover enough strength, right?" As Izroth spoke, a rich and sweet smell filled the atmosphere.
"You- How is this possible..?" Astratis asked as his eyes widened in shock.
It should have been impossible for a mortal to get their hands on it, but Astratis knew that his eyes did not deceive him. Without a doubt, Izroth held in his hand a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree!
"You must have quite a few questions; however, they will have to wait. All I can say for now is that I am an ally." Izroth said as he handed the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree over to Astratis.
Astratis was left momentarily dumbfounded by Izroth's sudden reveal as he accepted Izroth's gift. It turned out Thanasia had the right idea, but the wrong target!
Maragos narrowed his eyes as the smell entered his nostrils.
"Futile…" Maragos growled under his breath.
Even if Astratis consumed a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, he would still need some uninterrupted time to recover. But, would they just sit back and give him the time? In Maragos' eyes, it was nothing but an extension of false hope. After all, who would protect him? That weak mortal by his side? How laughable!
While it was impressive that a mortal managed to get their hands on a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, in the end, it was bound to have been the result of an unprecedented amount of luck.
Astratis quickly snapped out of his shock as he shook his head disappointingly. Indeed, the item in Izroth's hand would help him recover if he consumed it along with the Immortal Nectar; however, it was too late. Even if he had some methods to protect himself, it would not last long enough for the effects of the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree to kick in.
Astratis furrowed his brows as he thought to himself, "Do I no choice but to risk it?"
Just as this thought went through Astratis' mind, Maragos' voice sounded, "Warriors! Go and carry out the order of our master!"
"The Head Warrior's orders have been received!" The three anzeyta behind Maragos answered as they moved to encircle Astratis, cutting off his paths of retreat.
As for Izroth, needless to say, neither Maragos nor any of the anzeyta put him in their eyes. They had not even spared him a single glance. Right now, their only purpose was to subdue Astratis!
Suddenly, a strong burst of wind erupted from Izroth as he removed the Sword of the Storm from his inventory and unsheathed it.
"You need time, right? Then-" Izroth said as he stepped in front of Astratis.
The instant Izroth walked before Astratis, the air around him changed—there was a deathly calm that lingered about.
The aura around Izroth was so sharp that it felt as though it could physically cut into those within the vicinity.
When this change took place, for the first time since his arrival, Maragos set his gaze to Izroth.
"I will buy you as much time as you need," Izroth stated without looking back.
