It was that golden light!

Rode suddenly became excited.

There was hope!

He was about to rush over, grab the blade of light, and stab the monster to death like last time.

But the golden light dissipated.

The monster, torn in half, turned around and took a step toward him.

Boom.

The ground seemed to shake. Half of the monster's body dragged on the ground, with only a small part of the lower half still connected. Black viscous fluid flowed from its severed body, and two glowing red eyes stared at him from two large angles.

It wasn't dead yet!

A chill exploded in his soul. Rode clenched his gun tightly, instinctively channeling his spiritual energy.

The spiritual pressure gauge soared, and the gun's muzzle flashed with spiritual light.

Bang!

A white line shot out, instantly hitting the side of the monster's body. The high-speed real silver bullet drilled into the pure black viscous substance filling the body, releasing its energy and blasting large chunks of black matter away.

The black monster staggered but quickly steadied itself, still moving toward him.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Rode fired five shots in quick succession, emptying the bullets.

All five white lines hit the severed part of its body. The silver light from the exploding real silver bullets flickered continuously, scattering black viscous matter like a mischievous child throwing firecrackers into a cesspool that had been fermenting for ten thousand years.

Click.

Rode swiftly unloaded the gun shell and reloaded seven real silver bullets in an instant.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Seven shots rang out almost simultaneously, and seven real silver bullets accurately hit the monster's wound.

Rode's focus was unprecedented, with spiritual energy flowing continuously in his soul like breathing, a natural instinct like muscles releasing power.

Click.

Seven real silver bullets were reloaded again.

Seven gunshots rang out once more.

Rode felt his entire being was burning, his soul restless, spiritual energy surging, and even the "Raven" began to heat up, unable to withstand his frenzied infusion.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

After another round of seven gunshots, the monster finally fell.

When its massive body crashed to the ground, its innards were almost completely blown away.

A strange humming sound echoed in the air, as if something had departed.

The monster's corpse began to evaporate, countless black dust rising into the air, and the scattered viscous matter on the ground also started to decompose.

Black dust filled the sky, obscuring vision, but Rode clearly saw a huge black line composed of countless black dust entering his body.

Then, on the black altar, a black fire larger than any before appeared.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

Moments later, the black dust vanished, dispersing into the air.

The dreamscape returned to its original state, all traces of the monster's existence disappeared, the distant black mist also dissipated, leaving a gray and tranquil thin mist flowing gently, without any ripples, stretching infinitely as if to the end of time.

Everything was so peaceful, as if the invasion had never happened.

But the excited yet exhausted mind, the hot handgun, and the real silver bullets still in his hand reminded him that it was not an illusion.

Finally!

It's finally over!

I survived once again.

I've overcome another crisis.

Rode let out a long breath, and as his mind relaxed, fatigue washed over him like a tide, making him want to collapse and sleep right there.

But that was impossible; he still had many things to do.

Rode grumbled discontentedly.

Why do I always feel like I'm constantly in crisis and busyness?

My dream was clearly to be a quiet and handsome man, sitting alone by the window reading in rainy weather, with a warm fire, soothing music, steaming coffee, and a young lady in black stockings dancing.

That's all.

Such a simple dream, so close, yet why has it turned out like this?

Rode sighed deeply, climbed onto the altar, and cast his gaze on the black fire about the size of half a fist.

[Twisted Demon Flesh's Soul]

[A soul from the dark side of Twisted Demon Flesh]

[Black blood wraps around the remains and dead souls, a spiritual essence that fell from a greater existence, forming a demon after drifting in the River of Eternal Death for countless ages.]

Rode furrowed his brow.

This soul had an additional line of description compared to before, suggesting it was related to something significant.

He carefully noted down every word, planning to study it further later.

Then he listened intently to the soul for half a second, confirming it was indeed a cacophony of maddening glass-scratching noises.

Rode immediately stopped listening, resolving never to listen again unless it was a human soul.

He jumped off the altar and approached the obelisk, worried to find it hadn't healed as quickly as last time.

The blue-gray surface was covered in cracks, with huge claw marks everywhere. Tiny blue-gray ashes were gathering from the air toward the stone, slowly filling the gaps.

But the speed was very slow.

A persistent pain came from deep within his spirit, but it was much less intense than at the beginning.

As expected, my spirit is already bound to it.

Perhaps it is my soul.

Rode reached out and gently touched its surface.

The deep night sky appeared once again on the stone, countless points of light reappearing on the pure black background.

So, this is actually the interior of my soul?

Rode speculated, and everything outside belongs to me?

But why are the words and information on my belongings presented in the way I understand best, while the points of light inside my soul are in completely unfamiliar and strange scripts?

This question had no answer for now.

Rode could only bury it deep in his heart, hoping to uncover the truth someday.

Shifting his gaze, Rode saw the dark red "Dark Devourer" at the center and the light blue point of light nearby.

"Dark Devourer" couldn't accommodate any more souls.

I can only invest in the light blue point... Rode focused his gaze on the point of light.

The glow faded, and the black hole appeared before him again.

Six dust-like flames drifted within, the six souls he had invested last time.

Rode's spirit connected with the altar, and with a thought, the black fire flew into the obelisk. A black meteor appeared in the night sky, following Rode's gaze into the black hole.

In an instant, the entire black hole ignited, and the seven souls turned into burning flames, lighting up this star.

The point of light stabilized from its ethereal state, the light blue glow deepening and taking on a tinge of azure.

Now, two stars shone brightly in the night sky.

In their illumination, other stars were barely visible.

A line of text emerged from it.

[Frigid Azure]

[Status: Weakly burning, about to extinguish]

[Star Energy: Revival of the Soul]

[Injection: Unknown]

[Intensity: Unknown]

[Description: Unknown]

The text on this point of light differed greatly from the Dark Devourer, with many words Rode didn't recognize, and many descriptions were different.

What concerned him most were the words "weakly burning, about to extinguish."

The Dark Devourer had "eternally burning."

Why is this? Did it just ignite and now it's about to go out?

Is it because there aren't enough souls?

Rode speculated.

He could already feel the changes this star brought him. The mental fatigue was significantly reduced, the throbbing nerves were calming, and even the obelisk's recovery speed seemed slightly faster.

It seemed its function was recovery and healing, though the specific scope was unknown.

He needed to quickly figure out what the three lines of text below meant.

And find a way to obtain more souls.

Rode noted down the tasks, lowered his hand, and the dark night sky disappeared, revealing the cracked blue-gray stone surface.

"Hmm... I also need to find a way to restore the obelisk. What if there's another invasion and it shatters at a touch?"

Rode thought, moving to the left side of the obelisk and lightly touching the surface.

The pure black color appeared on the stone, then settled down, stopping at about halfway up.

No different from before.

However, the right side of the obelisk had changed.

Previously, the golden color on the stone surface stayed around one-third, but now it was less than one-tenth, just a thin layer.

In an instant, Rode linked it to the golden light that had saved him twice.

"Did it come from here? Some kind of life-saving charm? Appearing in times of crisis to save me? Now it's used up?"

This was very bad news.

It led Rode to some unpleasant associations.

He moved to the last side of the obelisk and touched the surface. Instantly, blood once again trickled down from the spire, forming many blood-red words.

Though unrecognizable, this time they seemed much more normal, no longer in an alarm-like structure, nor flashing.

Rode felt slightly relieved, noted the shapes of the words, and left the dreamscape.

The crisis was temporarily over.

In the days that followed, life finally calmed down.

The atmosphere at Kimberly Academy was actually quite good. Here, Rode could feel the royal city's dedication everywhere. The academy was not only fully equipped, but even the teachers were exemplary in both virtue and skill.

There were no rough or uncouth individuals or those of poor character, and no one used the cliché "you are the worst batch I've ever taught." Instead, it was "just a bit more effort, you can do it," or "you are the best batch I've ever met."

Encouragement and positive feedback were the norms. The teachers were not only enthusiastic but also very responsible for each student, never showing discrimination, and offering help, support, and personalized teaching to struggling students. The academy even established a student committee to combat any bullying within the academy.

Life here was essentially carefree, with the academy covering all the students' basic needs, even providing training materials.

Even students with a ninth-level salary wouldn't feel a lack of resources as long as they didn't waste them.

Of course, if you wanted to eat better, use better things, or train faster, it wouldn't be enough.

However, the academy had special salary advancement exams, allowing students to progress from ninth level all the way to special level.

The division of salary levels upon admission was more of a motivation for underperforming students, establishing an atmosphere and belief that effort would be rewarded.

If it weren't for the troubles entangling him, Rode would have loved to live here forever.

Such a pure environment was becoming increasingly rare everywhere.

But unfortunately, he couldn't fully enjoy it now; he had too many things to do.

First, he had to study diligently.

Knowledge was not only power to him now but also life.

He needed to understand this world, this kingdom, and this royal city more comprehensively and deeply to formulate targeted strategies and survive better.

Then, he had to train diligently.

The battle with the invading monster exposed his true self; he had no strength, no combat knowledge, and would be instantly killed on the battlefield.

The life-saving golden light was used up, and if there was another invasion, he could only rely on himself.

Lastly, he had to find a way to earn money.

A weekly salary of forty-two silver soles was far from enough, not to mention he needed to buy training and combat materials, leaving a significant gap.

Thus, Rode attended classes during the day, self-studied the common language and Ancient Scripts at night, took a spin in the dreamscape before bed, occasionally spent time with Wayne and the green-haired Zales, who were gradually becoming close friends, and brainstormed ways to make money. That's how his days passed.

It was a fulfilling life.

The only annoying thing was Kassan. She was increasingly taking on the role of the Tenth Group's big sister, bossing everyone around, and no one dared to speak against her.

But to be fair, she was only urging everyone to study and complete their training on time and in quantity, though her attitude was arrogant and her methods a bit rough, making people uncomfortable.

Rode could understand this.

Learning and growing were very painful, while freely falling was easy and much more enjoyable.

Of course, if it were just for one's own future, there was no need to push so hard. There were many paths to success, and a bright future wasn't limited to just one direction.

But if it involved the future of the nation and the survival of the race, Kassan's strictness was understandable.

Therefore, on this issue, Rode sided with Kassan, even using a famous saying to encourage the struggling Wayne and the green-haired guy:

"Shed more tears in peacetime, bleed less in wartime."

This simple and understandable phrase quickly spread and earned Kassan's great favor, and Rode's diligent learning attitude also pleased her, making him one of the few in the group not subjected to Kassan's reprimands.

But what annoyed Rode was that this girl had completely taken his dormitory as her own home.

She often barged in without knocking, worked or studied in his dormitory, and left a bunch of things she didn't usually use there, occasionally coming in to get them or simply asking him to deliver them.

If it weren't for her paying his water tower bill on Fire Hammer Street, he would definitely change the lock.

But these were ultimately minor issues. Rode's diligent study and hard training weren't due to his self-discipline but because he would die if he didn't.

But peaceful days never last long.

On the third day after the investigation ended, Overseer Lauren specifically came to see him, informing him that the Internal Affairs Tribunal's investigation into Gray Cat Alai and Bass was ongoing.

The evidence found so far was unfavorable to him, and he should prepare for prolonged interrogation.

This gave Rode a great sense of crisis, and he tried to inquire about Miss Blue's address, hoping to deepen their connection.

But Lauren mercilessly refused.

"The Guardian's residence is inaccessible to combat personnel below level three."

Rode was frustrated; let alone a level three combatant, without a high-ranking officer's lead, he couldn't even leave the academy gates.

The second issue was that he discovered his second star was indeed about to extinguish.

Its light was growing dimmer, almost transparent.

This made Rode anxious; how could the star he had ignited with great effort go out?

But where could he find souls to plunder in such a short time?

He couldn't possibly go on a killing spree in the academy, could he?

Even if he were willing, even if he went mad, the academy, with its seemingly relaxed but tightly secured defenses, would apprehend him immediately.

What to do?