"These bugs were stronger than I thought." Wain muttered and canceled the form.

"Hmm? Didn't you defeat them with ease? You missed a few hits, but it's minor damage."historical

"Yeah, maybe, but compared to you, it's nothing. How is that possible?"

"What do you mean?"

"You defeated over a hundred bugs, and yet you didn't take any wounds, and that's even though we're in the same Chronicle now, isn't the gap too big?"

"Huh, you're just too inexperienced and don't understand everything about the Purgatory Zones. The chains were able to lower my power, but not all of it. I still have a small part of it, though that's not the most important thing. My punches are truer, more accurate, and stronger, and I'm more experienced. Anyway, first you should look at the souls you got. I'm sure you'll be surprised." Osvald smiled.

"Hmm?"

A pink soul appeared in Wain's hands, and his eyes went wide.

[Soul of Cosmic Beetle (Destroyed)

Chronicle: Third

Rating: Epic]

"Why do these bugs have such a high Chronicle?"

"They have the same situation as me. Their power was limited, and despite that, you were able to beat more than ten. You should be proud of yourself, strength limitation works, but not 100%. I'd say it's somewhere around 95% for Third Chronicle."

"Got it."

"Okay, go ahead. We need to look around and figure out what's going on here. Maybe we can find a way out of here."

"Hold on. Osvald, if this is the Second Chronicle area, why are the bugs in the Third Chronicle? Is it possible to evolve under these conditions?"

"Good question. The answer is simple. It's not their home, they got here and settled in. But, here's the interesting thing, despite their unique abilities, they don't try to leave here, and I don't understand why. Unlike us, they can open a portal even in such a powerful zone." Osvald said and jumped forward.

"Yeah, I'm certainly not up to his level." Wain muttered, looking at the deep mark in the ground where Osvald was standing.

...

The territory they were a jungle, and the closer they got to the bugs' nest, the thicker it got.

"If there's more than one Soul Pearl here, shouldn't Pearl Hunters have come here?"

"Maybe, but getting through such a dense barrier is incredibly difficult. When I was doing this, I often left with nothing since I couldn't get into the zone."

"Hmm? You were a Pearl Hunter?"

"Yeah, it was a good time. A lot of people don't understand the true value of Soul Pearl. It's the best method to get pure energy and increase your Majesty." Osvald said, pulling the massive plant stems apart.

"What? You can use Soul Pearl to increase Majesty?!"

"Well yeah, didn't you know that? That's the main reason Pearl Hunters came into existence."

"And... how many Soul Pearls does it take to boost Majesty?"

"Huh, I see you're interested in that. Aren't you?"

"Yes, I need to raise Majesty to 5. That's the last condition to start the third evolution."

"How many do you already have?"

"Only two."

"Hmm, I see. In that case, you need three medium-sized Soul Pearls."

"What? That many?!"

"Sure. Majesty is a unique stat, killing Legends is difficult and dangerous, and creating miracles all the time is impossible, so absorbing of Soul Pearls is one of the most effective ways." Osvald shrugged.

"Isn't it easier to fight Legends? If you're strong enough, it's much easier to increase Majesty that way than by stealing Soul Pearls."

"Don't be so naive. Apparently, you've defeated one or two Legends, but do you really think it's that easy?" Osvald grinned, "Your battle must be fought on the border between life and death, or your Majesty will not increase. You can't increase it just because you're strong. You must overpower and surpass yourself, otherwise you will forever remain in one place."

Wain was silent. He pondered Osvald's words.

'Maybe I should become a Pearl Hunter, too.'

Wain thought seriously about it. He knew that they had a bad reputation for destroying other spaces, homes, and cities where people lived, but Wain didn't care.

"Damn, it's hot in here." Osvald took the sweat off his forehead with his hand and walked over to the massive palm tree.

He hit the tree's trunk like he was knocking on a door, and it shuddered, then many coconuts fell to the ground, and Osvald caught a few of them.

"Here you go." Osvald held out one coconut to Wain.

"Thanks." Wain nodded and pressed the coconut opened it, and drank the contents.

"Ah, how refreshing, a real treat, that's why I love the jungle." Osvald smiled contentedly.

"Yeah, it's good." Wain tossed the empty coconut to the side, and suddenly it started shaking and bouncing slightly off the ground.

"Hmm?"

Crackling.

In the distance, the sound of trees breaking was heard.

"Looks like we've entered someone else's territory." Osvald became alert.

The tree crowns swayed, and the ground trembled more and more with each step. Then the foliage parted, and the head of a huge lizard appeared. The monster stepped forward and roared, shaking the air.

The small animals and birds living in this jungle instantly fled as far away as possible. The lizard's powerful aura terrified them.

The lizard was as tall as a five-story building, it had a rugged brown hide and menacing eyes. One detail was unusual, the lizard had white bands of energy emanating from its chest.

"Oh, looks like you got lucky." Osvald smiled.

"Hmm? Why?"

"This lizard absorbed some of the energy of Soul Pearl. If you kill it, you can absorb some of the energy and come close to increasing your Majesty." Osvald uttered and murmured thoughtfully, "But, why is it here?"

"How do I do it?" Wain prepared for battle.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you, but we have to win first. Don't chase the advantage, this lizard is definitely very strong. Unlike us, it is used to the current conditions and can use more of its power than we can."