The wooden sign creaked in the wind, its message clear and ominous.

  [Entering the deeper parts of this mountain is prohibited.]

  Below it, written in red paint that looked disturbingly like dried blood:

  [Going further inside can be fatal.]

  Aarav looked at the sign, then at Rudra, disbelief written all over his face. "Looks like we've come to the right place? And I think you are insane!" he snapped instantly. "Can't you see what's written there? Going deeper means death!"

  Rudra replied calmly, without losing his composure. "Aarav, you didn't read it properly. It says going too deep is dangerous. We're not going deep. We'll stay in the outer area, near the lower slopes, and just look for herbs."

  He smiled confidently. "Trust me. Come on."

  With that, Rudra stepped forward, crossing the invisible line of safety.

  Aarav let out a deep, frustrated sigh. "You're going to get yourself killed," he muttered, then added with a dry laugh, "and you'll probably take me with you."

  He pointed a warning finger at Rudra. "But remember one thing if I say run, you run. Immediately."

  "Alright," Rudra nodded.

  At that moment, Genesis's voice echoed inside Rudra's mind.

  [He's right. I can sense extremely dangerous energy in the central regions of this mountain. You must not enter those areas yet. If you do, you will not survive.]

  [I'm not going there,] Rudra replied silently. [I only need herbs.]

  [Very well. But remain cautious.]

  Rudra looked around. The forest was dense, a chaotic sea of green.

  'There's one problem,' he thought. [There are so many plants here… How am I supposed to tell which herb is which?]

  Genesis answered immediately, his tone bordering on impatience. [After unlocking Chemist Level 1, you gained a sub-skill. Use it.]

  [What skill?] Rudra asked.

  [Fool. Say Scan.]

  "Okay," Rudra said aloud. "Scan."

  Instantly, everything that comes into his eyes started to lit up. Glowing names began to appear above the trees, grass, and plants around him, floating in the air like magic.

  Rudra's eyes lit up. "Whoa! Look, Aarav Blueleaf Grass! We found it!"

  [Collect one hundred stalks,] Genesis instructed.

  "Got it."

  A short while later, Genesis spoke again. [One hundred meters to the left Mistflower.]

  "Understood." Rudra started moving in that direction.

  "Hey, Rudra," Aarav called out, looking confused as Rudra navigated the forest with strange confidence. "Tell me something what should I do?"

  Rudra paused. Right Aarav was with him.

  "You collect Blueleaf Grass too," Rudra said, pointing to the patch he had just left. "Exactly one hundred stalks. After that, come to me."

  "Alright," Aarav replied, getting to work.

  Rudra reached the next area and stopped. A patch of delicate, pale purple flowers swayed in the breeze.

  "Wow…" he murmured. "These flowers are beautiful."

  [They're ordinary,] Genesis said dismissively. [You'll see far more beautiful ones in the future. But remember this: These flowers bloom only in the morning. They wither very quickly. If you don't harvest them in time, they become useless.]

  [They aid in smooth mana flow, but overuse can cause dizziness,] Genesis added. [Take as many as possible.]

  Rudra began picking them rapidly. By then, Aarav had arrived and started helping him collect. Within minutes, the flowers began to curl and turn brown.

  "Stop," Rudra said quickly. "They're useless now. They must only be harvested while blooming."

  After a short pause, Genesis spoke again. [Now we need to find old trees. That's where Softmana Moss grows.]

  Rudra relayed the message to Aarav.

  Aarav pointed ahead. "Look something's growing on that massive oak. Pink leaves?"

  [That's it,] Genesis confirmed. [Softmana Moss. It absorbs and releases mana naturally.]

  Hearing the Genesis reply Rudra said to Aarav "Aarav on that tree there are some Softmana Moss can you climb and collect some."

  Aarav climbed the tree without hesitation, his movements agile and sure, and began collecting the moss.

  Soon, their harvest was complete nearby they collected:

  200 Blueleaf Grass 350 Mistflower 250 Softmana Moss

  [Now go straight ahead,] Genesis guided. [There's a waterfall. That's where you'll find Clearwater Leaf.]

  Rudra informed Aarav, and they moved toward the sound of rushing water.

  The Waterfall

  The moment they reached the clearing, both froze.

  "Wow…" Aarav whispered. "It's beautiful."

  Water thundered down the rocks, mist filling the air with a chilling breeze. It was a serene, breathtaking sight.

  [Be careful,] Genesis warned sharply. [There's a monster in that water.]

  Rudra stiffened.

  [You stay here. Tell Aarav to collect ten Clearwater Leaves from the rock face above the water.]

  Rudra hesitated, worry gnawing at him. [Will he be alright?]

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  [Idiot,] Genesis snapped. [He's Fighter Level 8. He's fast enough that the creature won't catch him. Send him.]

  Rudra took a deep breath and looked at Aarav. "Aarav," he said, his voice low and serious. "I need you to do something."

  Aarav didn't hesitate even for a second. He looked straight at Rudra and replied calmly, "Just tell me what to do."

  Rudra pointed toward the damp rocks near the crashing water. "I need those leaves and be careful there may be some monster nearby those leave."

  Aarav nodded. The sound of crashing water filled the air deep, constant, overwhelming. Mist hung thick in the atmosphere, cold against the skin.

  Without another word, Aarav turned and began moving toward it. Slowly.

  Each step felt heavier than the last. The ground beneath his feet was slick with moss and wet stone. Every sound seemed louder than it should have been the crunch of gravel, the rush of water, even his own breathing.

  His heart began to pound. Not fast. Not wild. Just… heavy. Like an unseen force was pressing down on his chest.

  'Calm down,' he told himself. 'You've faced worse. Just imagine Aunt Naina's angry face.'

  Somewhere inside the hospital, Naina sneezed. "Oh my, someone must be remembering me?"

  But this felt different. The closer he got, the colder the air became. The mist thickened, clinging to his clothes, blurring his vision. The waterfall loomed ahead massive, relentless, alive.

  Aarav paused just for a heartbeat. Not out of fear. Out of instinct. Every fiber of his body screamed a warning.

  'Move fast. Don't stay here.'

  He bent his knees slightly. Tension coiled through his muscles.

  Then, Aarav lunged forward.

  In one swift motion, his hand shot out, grabbing the leaves from the rock face above the rushing water. He didn't stop. He didn't count. He didn't even look.

  The moment the leaves tore free, only one thought exploded through his mind.

  'Run.'

  He spun around and bolted away from the waterfall, feet slamming against the ground, lungs burning, heart hammering now like a war drum as if something behind him had finally noticed.

  For the first time in his life, Aarav felt pure, empty fear. His breathing became frantic. His heart felt like it would tear through his chest.

  Then-

  CHHHHHSSSS-

  The water beneath the waterfall exploded outward.

  Its body was thick, covered in stone-like scales. Its yellow eyes were cold, devoid of life. From the crashing spray emerged a massive snake. Hungry.

  Its mouth opened wide-

  HISSSSS-

  Aarav didn't look back. He ran.

  His feet slipped over wet rocks. Stones cracked beneath him. His breath broke apart.

  Behind him—thud—thud—thud—

  The heavy body of the serpent crushed the ground as it chased him.

  Aarav sprinted toward the treeline where Rudra waited. The moment he crossed the boundary of the clearing, the snake stopped. It refused to move further into the forest.

  After one final, bone-chilling hiss, it slowly retreated back into the water.

  Aarav nearly collapsed. His legs trembled violently. When he realized the monster was gone, he stumbled back to Rudra.

  "Ohh boy…" his voice shook. "I was this close to dying."

  Rudra exhaled slowly, his own heart racing. "I told you to be careful."

  Aarav stared at him, then burst out laughing fear and relief mixing together. "Yeah… I get it now. That was insane."

  He placed a hand on Rudra's shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

  Behind the waterfall, a faint hissing sound still echoed, as if the mountain itself had noticed them.

  "Forget it," Rudra said after catching his breath. "Tell me how many leaves did you get?"

  Without saying a word, Aarav held out his hand. In his palm was a thick branch, covered with leaves.

  Rudra counted quickly. "About a hundred leaves…"

  Genesis's voice echoed immediately. [With that amount, you can create 100,000 Mana Recovery Liquids. More than enough.]

  Rudra's mouth fell open. [Seriously?]

  [Yes. Now let's move on.]

  "Wait- what's that?" Aarav suddenly exclaimed.

  They both turned. Beneath small trees nearby, a soft glow pulsed from the ground. It looked as if the earth itself was breathing.

  "Wow…" Rudra whispered.

  [It's evening,] Genesis explained. [That's why the Glowroots are active. Harvest them carefully. Do not damage the plants.]

  [First, gently move aside the soil around the plant. Then pull the root slowly and lightly. No force. It will detach naturally. Collect ten.]

  "Understood," Rudra whispered.

  As they harvested the Glowroots, a faint light pulsed from each one, like living mana.

  After a while, Genesis spoke again, his tone serious. [That's enough. It's getting late. Return to Ashfall Orphanage. Staying here after dark is not safe.]

  Rudra said to Aarav "It's getting late we should go home."

  "Agreed," Aarav said quickly, checking the sky.

  They turned to leave when Rudra suddenly stopped.

  His eyes had locked onto a massive tree standing alone nearby. It was enormous its shadow alone covered a hundred meters. Beneath it lay countless glowing red seeds, scattered like rubies.

  Rudra's heart raced. 'What is this…?'

  He asked silently, [Genesis… what are those?]

  Genesis responded instantly. […Amazing.]

  [Rudra. Do not leave behind a single seed. Even if you have to stay here tonight.]

  [There are nearly 1.5 million seeds here.]

  Rudra froze. [What?!]

  Genesis's voice grew heavy. [These are called Ember Seeds. They are incredibly rare. Even the highest-tier medicines require them to stabilize potency.]

  [A single seed can amplify an entire solution beyond imagination. These seeds take one thousand years to form. The value of just one seed is more than enough to buy a Tornado-level beast core.]

  Rudra's eyes widened. A Tornado-level core? The thing he needed to fix his veins? And there were millions here?

  [So Hurry. Collect everything.]

  Rudra looked at Aarav, his eyes shining with urgency. "Aarav, we can't leave yet. We need those seeds below the tree, they area called Ember Seed."

  Seeing the seriousness on face of Rudra, Aarav didn't ask a single question. Seeing the look on Rudra's face. He opened his bag.

  And together, they began collecting the Ember Seeds, unaware that they weren't just gathering herbs… they were gathering the future of Rudra's destiny.

  The wind around the mountain grew stronger. As if something unseen was watching them.

  The mountain wind slowly began to grow stronger. It slipped through the leaves and branches, carrying a strange, heavy pressure as if someone unseen was watching everything from afar.

  Rudra and Aarav were still busy collecting the glowing red Ember Seeds when Aarav suddenly stopped. He straightened up, brushed the dirt from his hands, and looked at Rudra with clear curiosity.

  "Hey, Rudra," Aarav said hesitantly. "Can I ask you something?"

  Rudra nodded while picking up another glowing seed and dropping it into his bag.

  "Why are we collecting all these Ember Seeds?" Aarav asked. "I get that they're rare, but what do they actually do?"

  Rudra paused. He slowly closed his bag and looked straight into Aarav's eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper.

  "Listen carefully," he said. "These Ember Seeds are extremely valuable. So valuable that if anyone finds out we have them… people won't hesitate to turn into our enemies overnight. Not because they hate us, but because power makes people blind."

  Aarav's eyes widened slightly. "Seriously? They're that expensive?"

  Rudra replied with a single word. "Yes."

  After a short pause, Rudra asked, "By the way… do you know how much a beast core is worth?"

  Aarav's expression turned serious. "Look, a Fighter-level beast core isn't considered legendary or anything, but it's still worth around one thousand Vells."

  Rudra froze. "One thousand Vell?! That's insanely expensive!"

  Aarav gave a faint, dry chuckle. "It has to be. Fighter-level beasts sound normal because we hear about them often, but they really aren't."

  He crouched down, picking up a seed and inspecting it. "Beasts also have levels and stages, just like humans. But here's the difference: A normal Fighter-level human cannot easily kill a Fighter-level beast."

  Rudra frowned. "Wait… so if you're Fighter Level – Stage 8, you still can't defeat a Fighter Stage 8 beast?"

  Aarav shook his head immediately. "Forget defeating it. I wouldn't even go near it. A beast's real strength is always much higher than its stage suggests."

  "For example," Aarav explained, "a Fighter Stage 8 beast possesses raw power closer to Stage 9 and beyond. They are physically superior to us. They are still weaker than an Elite, but far stronger than any normal fighter."

  Rudra slowly nodded. "So only an Elite-ranked person can properly kill a Fighter Stage 8 beast?"

  "Exactly," Aarav said. "It's not impossible for fighters to kill beasts, but those cases are extremely rare. And most of the time, the human ends up critically injured… or nearly dead."

  Rudra fell silent. "I see…"

  Aarav continued, lowering his voice. "Think about it. Have you ever seen a Tornado-level person around here? Even seeing an Elite in this area would be shocking."

  Rudra thought for a moment. "But you reached Fighter Stage 8 so quickly. So why is everyone else here so low-level?"

  Aarav exhaled slowly, looking at the dark canopy above. "Because Fighter Level is just the foundation. To reach Elite, you need an enormous amount of mana. And once someone reaches Fighter Stage 7 or 8, the body itself starts telling you 'This environment doesn't have enough mana anymore.'"

  Rudra's eyes lit up. "So that's how it is…"

  For the first time, he truly understood. This world wasn't just about talent or effort. It was about resources. It was about the environment. And above all… it had limits.

  The mountain wind suddenly surged again. Leaves rustled violently, as if the mountain itself acknowledged that what they were collecting was far from ordinary.

  Aarav picked up another Ember Seed and asked casually, "By the way, Rudra… why were you so interested in beast cores earlier?"

  Rudra was about to answer when Aarav laughed. "Forget it. We'll talk later. Let's finish collecting these first."

  Both of them bent down again to resume their work.