SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer-Chapter 56: Because we aren’t dead

Ricky wasn’t aware of Noctyss’ dilemma. Given his personality, even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared. His crystalline wings beat soundlessly as he moved through the heavy air, his thoughts adrift elsewhere, far from the struggling figure trailing behind him.

The sudden emergence of this forbidden land weighed heavily on Ricky’s mind, chilling his usually sharp instincts with unease.

His compound eyes darkened.

The crevice had appeared like a scar tearing open reality itself—if not for Ricky’s proximity to that ridge, he might have missed it entirely. A cold shudder traveled down his spine as he imagined the consequences.

"I have to do something about it..." he murmured internally, the thought clear and heavy.

The forest stretched for thousands of kilometers, an endless sprawl of vibrant life and hidden death. Monitoring every inch of it was a pipe dream, yet Ricky knew that if he wanted to truly survive, he couldn’t afford blind spots.

As he drifted through the thickening mist, an idea sparked within him, flickering like a dying ember suddenly fanned into flame.

"That should work out..."

His compound eyes gleamed with a cold brilliance.

He would fill the forest with sleeper cells—silent watchers hidden among the lifeforms. It wouldn’t solve everything, but it was better than moving blindly through the dark.

Moreover, after his recent minor breakthrough, his control over these sleeper cells had grown exponentially. His bloodline had advanced, weaving an even tighter web of domination over his creations.

Resolved, Ricky’s body began to glow faintly, emitting thin, nearly invisible smoke. The mist spread out in all directions, carried by the gentle forest winds, disappearing into the foliage like a ghostly tide.

Behind him, Noctyss caught sight of the strange phenomenon. Still huffing and puffing like an exhausted beast, she stumbled after him, her muscles screaming in protest.

"What is this pest doing now..." she muttered under her breath, dodging the almost imperceptible tendrils of smoke.

She had been sprinting relentlessly, pushed beyond her comfort. Though a peak Stage One entity, covering such vast distances without rest ate away her stamina.

Even worse, her instincts flared in alarm as the ghostly particles brushed past her skin, every fiber of her being warning her of some hidden threat.

Noctyss gritted her teeth, frustration boiling beneath her skin. Every step felt like a small humiliation.

But just as her internal curses reached their peak, Ricky abruptly came to a halt ahead.

Still lost in her own disgruntled thoughts, Noctyss nearly crashed into him.

Her frown deepened when she noticed the shift in the atmosphere.

The surrounding mana had thickened—dramatically so. It was almost tangible, wrapping around her skin like a moist, unseen blanket.

What had once been a dry and brittle land now felt lush and brimming with primal energy.

She narrowed her amethyst eyes dangerously, her senses sharpening.

"Such pure and refined mana..." she breathed, momentarily stunned.

The transformation was so sudden, so complete, it sent a ripple of unease through her mind.

It felt as if she had stepped from a dying wasteland into the heart of a living, breathing paradise.

Just as her instincts screamed in confusion, a cold, commanding voice echoed in her head.

"Come here..." Ricky’s tone allowed no argument, a decree as inevitable as the setting sun.

Despite herself, Noctyss moved. Her body answered before her mind could resist, stepping toward Ricky like a moth drawn to a flame.

But her mind raced frantically behind her calm face.

"Don’t tell me... it’s really true..." she thought, the idea seizing her heart with a mix of dread and awe.

Not long ago, they had discussed Forbidden Lands.

Back then, after thinking for a moment she had dismissed the notion. The possibility of such a place appearing in this mana-starved region was laughably low.

Yet here they were.

Noctyss’ heart beat faster with each step until she arrived beside Ricky, who stood still with an eerie calmness, his wings lazily flitting.

What she saw next stole the breath from her lungs.

Some distance away, a vast crevice split the earth like a bleeding wound, stretching tens of meters across.

It pulsed with a dim, otherworldly light, as if something ancient and malevolent strained against the veil separating worlds.

From within that terrible fissure, mana poured forth in an endless torrent, crashing against the forest floor like an invisible river, filling the world with raw, chaotic life.

Noctyss’ body stiffened, her instincts screaming at her to flee, yet she remained rooted, transfixed.

"Holy cow...!" she gasped aloud, her voice shaking slightly.

If this truly was a forbidden land... why was she still alive?

Her past experiences with such places were nothing short of catastrophic. Every encounter had been a brush with death, each one closer than the last. Since then, she had sworn to steer clear of them at any cost.

Behind her, Ricky observed the crevice with calculating eyes, noting the swirling currents of mana and the faint, bitter smell of otherworldly energy.

He heard Noctyss’ awestruck murmur and couldn’t help but twitch his mandibles in exasperation.

"If I knew for sure, would I have brought you here?" he thought sarcastically, but remained outwardly silent, maintaining an expression of cold indifference.

Meanwhile, Noctyss mustered her courage and carefully approached the crevice, dropping to one knee and examining it with a sharp, critical eye.

She narrowed her gaze, feeling for things unseen.

"Hmmm! Truly, this isn’t a forbidden land..." she muttered, although traces of doubt still lingered in her tone.

If she still had her spiritual field, she could have confirmed it instantly.

The thought of her lost power made her turn her head, glaring resentfully at a certain unbothered mosquito.

As Noctyss worked, Ricky watched in silence, noting the faint shift in her expression.

The moment relief flickered across her face, he seized upon it.

"Tell me what you found," Ricky said bluntly, cutting through the thick atmosphere with a voice as cold as steel.

Noctyss stood and took a steadying breath before answering, her voice serious.

"This doesn’t look like a forbidden land... but—"

"Wait, wait, how do you know it’s not?" Ricky interrupted sharply, lifting one of his forelimbs slightly as if emphasizing his demand.

Noctyss gave him a look of grave seriousness before replying in a flat, almost too-casual tone.

"Because we aren’t dead."

Ricky froze, his wings stiffening mid-flap. His mind blanked for a solid second as he stared at her.

"Huh...?"

A sound of pure disbelief escaped his mandibles, and he nearly toppled to the ground in shock.

Damn you, woman!

What kind of reason is that!?

Catching his stunned reaction, Noctyss allowed a tiny smirk to tug at her lips before she cleared her throat and continued.

"Okay, listen. I’m serious this time."

"It’s easy to tell if it’s a forbidden land," she explained patiently. "Most of the time, those areas are soaked in an overflowing aura of resentment—like a plague that taints every particle of mana."

Ricky fell into contemplative silence, absorbing her words carefully.

Aura of resentment?

That was something new, something important.

The crevice before them pulsed ominously, a mystery yet to be unraveled.

And in the heart of that mystery, Ricky’s instincts stirred restlessly.

Something was coming, weather a foe or friend, it wasn’t clear.

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