With a grim expression, Rezen's legs moved nimbly. He dodged one tree after another, leaped over protruding roots, and ducked his head multiple times.

The vegetation on this mountain was incredibly dense, making movement difficult. If this had been a lower-level realm, Rezen could have moved much faster. However, this realm's suppression was extremely severe.

A distance that would have taken him less than a second to cross in the Savage Beast Realm now required more than a minute.

Fortunately, it seemed that the Great Beast was not targeting him. After running for some time, he could no longer sense the beast's presence, so he stopped in front of a cave entrance.

The entrance was extremely narrow, and even Rezen could barely fit inside. He stood before it, hesitating.

Such a narrow entrance meant there most likely wouldn't be any large magic beasts inside. While it wasn't an absolute rule, larger beasts were more often than not stronger than their smaller counterparts.

The interior of the cave should be relatively safer than the outside world.

However, at the same time, the narrow entrance meant Rezen would have very little room to maneuver. If small magic beasts attacked him, defending himself would be much more difficult.

There was also the option of using magic to widen the passage, but how much effort would that require?

With the realm's overwhelming suppression, he might expend all of his energy in just a few minutes.

"No choice. I have to risk it. The outside is more dangerous. I first need to grow Spirit Plants that can increase my chances of survival before I can go out again."

Rezen was currently only at the early stage of the Senior Rank. Countless beasts in this realm could kill him.

Although his farm had fallen in rank and could now only cultivate first-level Senior Rank Spirit Plants, possessing such plants would still greatly improve his chances of survival.

At most, he was only a slightly stronger early-cycle Senior Mage. However, with enough offensive Spirit Plants, even mid-level Senior Mages would find it difficult to harm him.

As such, Rezen judged that risking the cave was safer than remaining outside.

Not to mention...

"Heh... even if there really is danger, would Ivy... the farm... my so-called golden finger... really let me die?" Rezen thought coldly.

The farm had repeatedly unlocked "extra functions" whenever he encountered dangers he couldn't overcome on his own. If it could help him ascend to a new realm twice, he refused to believe that he would die so easily.

Of course, if there had been a safer option, Rezen would still have chosen it. Nothing in this world was absolute. If the farm were truly omnipotent, wouldn't it be able to elevate him directly to the Noble Mage Rank or even beyond?

Remaining in a combat-ready state, Rezen entered the narrow passage. The sunlight was immediately blocked by the cave walls and ceiling, but such darkness meant nothing to a Senior Mage.

Unless the darkness was created by magic or a supernatural phenomenon, a Senior Mage could see through it as clearly as if it were broad daylight.

Tap... tap...

Only the sound of Rezen's footsteps echoed through the cave. He neither saw nor sensed any other living creatures.

Even so, Rezen did not lower his guard. The most foolish thing one could do before their safety was guaranteed was to let their guard down.

The passage was surprisingly long. Rezen walked for a full ten minutes before it finally widened, much to his relief.

Now that he was truly inside the cave, there was considerably more room to move. He finally had enough space to maneuver and defend himself.

"Wait... could this be an insect nest?"

Rezen's eyes narrowed as he stared at the hundreds of tiny holes surrounding him. Each of them was even smaller than the passage he had just crawled through.

An adult could barely squeeze into one of those holes, and even then, they would have to crawl on their stomach.

"If this really is an insect nest, I need to leave immediately. This place is even more dangerous!"

In the outside world, magic beasts fought against one another, leaving places where someone could hide.

Inside an insect nest, however, things were completely different. The insects were one united family, and Rezen would be their sole enemy—a target that every single one of them would seek to eliminate.

"This is an abandoned insect nest. There are no insects left inside. If I were to guess, they must have sacrificed themselves so that a great opportunity could be born here."

Ivy's voice rang inside Rezen's mind. She had returned to her cold, mechanical state, sounding no different from an emotionless machine.

In the past, Rezen might have felt some goodwill toward her, but all of that had vanished.

His relationship with Ivy and his golden finger had become nothing more than mutual exploitation.

The farm was using him for a purpose he still didn't understand, while he was using the farm to increase his strength and survive. That was all there was to it now.

"Where is this great opportunity? And with my current strength, can I obtain it?" Rezen asked.

A great opportunity in a fourth-rank Noble Realm was undoubtedly far superior to anything he could find in the Savage Beast Realm.

If he could obtain it, his strength would surely soar.

"Follow my guidance," Ivy replied, directing Rezen toward the location where the so-called great opportunity lay.

However, reaching it was anything but easy.

The passage soon became even narrower than before, forcing Rezen to crawl almost the entire way.

"Just how long is this passage?" Rezen wondered with a frown.

He had already spent more than fifteen minutes crawling, yet his surroundings remained exactly the same—nothing but endless stone walls.

If not for his confidence that Ivy would not deliberately lead him to his death, he would have abandoned the journey long ago.

Fortunately, after another ten minutes, he finally saw light.

It seemed he was nearing the end of the tunnel.

As he moved closer to the exit, a sweet, fragrant scent drifted into his nostrils.

His tense nerves immediately relaxed.

A wave of indescribable euphoria washed over him, and he instinctively crawled even faster.

Within minutes, he finally emerged from the narrow passage.

What greeted Rezen was a golden, glistening tree standing proudly in the center of a small blue pond.

It looked breathtakingly beautiful and ethereal, like a paradise from his dreams.

At that moment, it felt as though he had forgotten everything.

His pain...

His anger...

His desires...

They all vanished like smoke.

All he wanted now was to embrace that magnificent tree.

With an entranced expression, Rezen continued walking until he stood right before the pond.

"Take one more step, and you will die instantly."

Those words were transmitted directly into his soul.

They seemed to contain a mysterious power that instantly shattered the trance clouding his mind.

Rezen immediately regained his senses.

His surroundings were still the same, yet everything now looked completely different.

The tree and the pond remained in place, but the illusion had disappeared.

The pond was no longer a flawless shade of blue.

Countless crimson patches floated across its surface like pools of fresh blood.

In fact, the water even carried a faint metallic scent.

The tree was no different.

Its once-pure golden trunk and branches were now marred by blood-red patches, giving it the appearance of a bizarre dalmatian tree.

"You could have awakened me much earlier instead of waiting until I was only one step away from death. Is this your way of warning me? Telling me that only with your help can I continue surviving, and without you, I'd die the moment we separate?" Rezen asked.

The distance between the tunnel's exit and the pond should have taken him several minutes to cross.

It was simply too much of a coincidence that Ivy chose to awaken him only when he was a single step away from death.

Their relationship had already fallen apart, and Rezen had even spoken harshly to her.

It wouldn't surprise him if Ivy were using this as a warning.

After all, it was true.

Without his golden finger, Rezen's chances of survival were abysmally low.

But that didn't mean he would calmly accept being pushed toward the abyss.

If the System truly wanted him to destroy the entire world, then it first had to give him a reason to do so.

For example...

If it allowed his parents to die and only offered him the option of destroying the world in exchange for reviving them...

Rezen took a deep breath.

Too many doubts had already accumulated within his heart.

If he allowed himself to dwell on them any longer, he feared he might completely break down.

Fortunately, Ivy did not respond to his accusations.

Rezen also chose to suppress his thoughts and focus solely on the great opportunity before him.

Although the pond appeared extremely dangerous, he could also sense that it contained an astonishing amount of energy—far greater than any energy reserve he had ever encountered in the Savage Beast Realm.