Marcus Monroe hummed softly, no longer dwelling on the matter. The most important thing now was getting out. "It’s too dark. We’ll have to feel our way around. I’ll go this way, you go that way. Let’s scout our surroundings first."

Paige Summers let out a breath of relief and agreed, preparing to feel her way toward a wall. Suddenly, without warning, the ground started shaking violently. It wasn’t just the ground; even the stone wall she stumbled against seemed to tremble. The movement sent waves of pain through her back, forcing a muffled groan from her lips.

Just then, Marcus Monroe rushed back to her side, throwing an arm around her. "Don’t move!"

He deployed an Energy Shield to protect them both. Paige Summers heard the intermittent CRUMBLE of falling stones and clumps of earth.

’This isn’t a landslide, is it?!’ She bit her lower lip in frustration.

The small but intense tremors continued for about two or three minutes before another massive jolt shook the valley. Even with the Energy Shield, a shudder ran through them. Then, with a thunderous ROAR, a section of the cave wall not far from them collapsed!

"There’s light," Paige Summers said, looking over with delight. The other side of the collapsed wall was unexpectedly open, and a faint light filtered through, making the cave less dark.

Marcus Monroe’s heart skipped a beat. "Go!" Ignoring the persistent tremors, he pulled her to her feet and sprinted toward the opening.

With his help, they quickly navigated the piles of fallen rock and entered another cavern at the valley floor. Actually, "cavern" wasn’t quite right. It was more like a tunnel—and there was more than one.

With barely a moment’s hesitation, Marcus Monroe headed down the right-hand path.

Paige Summers didn’t ask why. Her own intuition told her it was the right way to go.

The light grew dimmer, yet their pace quickened. They both sensed it now—a faint aura of energy permeating the air. It was so pure, so... tempting, stirring the deepest, most desperate craving for power!

So when the plant appeared at the end of the tunnel, they both felt a jolt. It was less than half a person’s height and emitted a faint, blue glow.

"Earth Immortal Fruit..."

Paige Summers stopped and looked at Marcus Monroe, who was muttering to himself. "Earth Immortal Fruit?"

His expression dazed, the man stared at the plant. "Yeah. That’s the fruit on it. I saw one once before. It’s said to allow a person to Promote, regardless of their current Level."

’Promote regardless of Level?’ Paige Summers frowned. The plant certainly looked unusual, and the glow enveloping the small blue fruit was breathtaking at first glance. ’But the amount of energy needed to Promote varies drastically between Levels. How could it possibly do that?’

As she puzzled over this, Marcus Monroe suddenly took several steps back, his expression turning strange.

"What’s wrong?"

She looked over and saw that something was definitely wrong with him. Under the blue glow, his eyes lost their focus, yet his face was a mask of tension, vigilance, disgust, and other emotions she couldn’t decipher.

"Marcus Monroe!" Paige Summers shouted.

He didn’t react at all, as if he were lost in his own emotions, unable to break free.

Then, the unexpected happened. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Marcus Monroe abruptly raised his arm and began unleashing his superpower, one blast after another.

Paige Summers was horrified and hastily dodged aside.

Fortunately, the attack wasn’t aimed at her but at the plant. Still, a white blast that resembled a Sharp Blade grazed her arm, leaving nothing more than a superficial wound.

Even so, she pressed her back against the wall, quickly drawing her Short Sword and holding it defensively before her chest.

Marcus Monroe paid her no mind, continuing to attack the plant like a madman, his expression constantly shifting. Finally, it settled into a look of immense anger and disappointment.

’There’s something wrong with this plant!’

Despite Marcus Monroe’s powerful superpower attacks, not only was the plant completely unscathed, but it also appeared to be thriving. Even the blue light it emitted grew brighter.

’Is it absorbing all that energy?’

Paige Summers’s grip on her sword tightened.

’No, this can’t go on! If this continues, it’s only a matter of time before his superpower runs out and he dies of exhaustion!’

She edged along the earthen wall until she was behind Marcus Monroe.

She watched him, hesitating. ’If this doesn’t work and he counterattacks... in my current state, I’d be killed instantly!’

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a handful of Second-order Crystal Cores from her small pouch and absorbed them. A moment later, the Crystal Cores crumbled to ash in her hand. She then channeled what little energy she’d recovered, raising her right arm and the sword within it.

She approached him without a sound. The moment she was close enough, she reversed her grip on the sword and brought the hilt down hard on the back of his neck.

Marcus Monroe froze, his hand suspended in midair. He turned his head slowly, jerkily, like a robot. His eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and an indescribable pain, as if he had just been betrayed by someone he held most dear.

Paige Summers retreated several steps, pressing her lips together as she watched him, her heart pounding in her chest.

’Why isn’t he falling? And... are those feelings directed at me? They can’t be... I’m saving him! Surely he can’t mistake such an obvious act of goodwill for betrayal!’

After staring at her for a moment, Marcus Monroe’s brow furrowed deeply. Then, with a THUD, he collapsed to the ground.

’Thank goodness...’ Paige Summers heaved a huge sigh of relief. As she started to move forward, she noticed the plant’s blue glow had vanished. In its place were seven or eight brighter, knuckle-sized points of blue light. They had been scattered across the plant’s branches and leaves, but now they were falling to the ground, rolling about.

’Are these really the Earth Immortal Fruits?’

Paige Summers wondered, but her body was already moving before her mind could catch up. She strode over, gathered the points of blue light, and stuffed them into her pouch.