'Mama'

I missed you, too, Snow.

Ash gazed at the white snake curled around his neck, her body gleaming softly in the dim light. She let out a gentle hiss, brushing her face against his cheek as if kissing him with affection. Ash could clearly feel the happiness that overflowed from her heart after meeting him again.

Through their soul connection, he could feel her emotions loud and clear, each one flowing into him like a warm current of energy. There were no words that needed to be exchanged between them, because their hearts already understood each other perfectly.

There were many other things he could sense as well, and one of them was how strong Snow currently was... but Ash had no idea just how much she had grown. When he looked at her status window, it showed no visible change. It was the same as before, as if nothing had happened.

But Ash knew it was not true.

Even he did not know what kind of rules governed the strange status window that displayed the information of everything to the people of the world. He didn't know where it came from or how it worked. He had never even questioned why he could see it at all. When he first transmigrated into this world, he simply accepted it as something normal, something that everyone had, and continued with his life as if it were nothing unusual.

Yet deep down, he knew that nothing in existence ever appeared without a reason. Every person in the universe has their own role to play, no matter how big or small. Whether their contribution changed the world or went completely unnoticed, everything existed for a purpose.

Every single thing had a part to play in the great web of fate.

Maybe today's small push given to a tiny snowball could result in an avalanche somewhere in the distant future.

That meant every being was bound by fate, tied to fulfill their role, whether it was as a Hero, a Villain, a piece of cannon fodder, or an unnoticed Extra.

Of course, Ash was an anomaly through and through, for he had already defied his fate and even changed the fates of countless others beyond recognition.

If fate itself could take form and manifest in the mortal world, Ash was sure it would have already sliced him into tiny pieces for breaking its order.

But that was not possible... at least not for now.

Knowing this, Ash believed that the status window was a part of the universe itself. Therefore, if something unknown appeared for the first time in existence, the universe would not know what it was. It had to study it, observe it, and then gradually define it.

For example, there was the description of Ash's Primordial Core...

**

Description: A mysterious core with no recorded data. It is the first of its kind, and its properties, abilities, and potential remain entirely unknown. No further analysis can be performed.

**

Seeing how the description was written, Ash believed that the Primordial Core had never existed before. It was the first of its kind. As time passed, he assumed the universe was continuously analyzing it and slowly updating the information shown to him.

If he looked at it from that perspective, then his soul-bonded companion—the Primordial Serpent Snow—was also something that had never existed before. It was highly possible that, because of this, the information displayed in her status window was incomplete or still developing.

Ash already had his suspicions, after all. There were many abilities Snow could perform that were not listed in her status window. But he no longer cared about that. He knew Snow would always tell him about her abilities herself, so he didn't even bother opening the window anymore.

He already knew about the new abilities she possessed and had also realized that even though she hadn't broken past her current rank of Hatchling (Rank F), she was clearly much stronger than before. Ash could feel it deeply in his soul connection with her.

Although he didn't know how to explain exactly how strong Snow had become, it didn't matter. He didn't need her to fight.

Looking at Snow coiled around his neck, Ash felt a little conflicted. There was a nagging question in the back of his mind, which he couldn't seem to let out of his head.

He summoned Snow because he needed her, but he had left Elysia all alone in the human continent. If he wanted, he could have left Snow for her protection, but he did not do that.

Sush!! I am again thinking all these negative things...

Ash knew that although he was an anomaly, bending fate. But was fate simply a stick that could easily be bent? Could he truly manipulate the threads of destiny at will?

No!

And it was the truth.

What Ash was doing might look like a miracle to many, but Ash did not have any power to bend fate to his whim. He was just using his knowledge of the future to become stronger, which changed the fate of a certain hero and, in return, slightly disturbed the web of fate.

Through this, it was clear that Ray Dawson was someone important in the grand scheme of things, and it also implied that fate had many plans for him, which were slowly being sabotaged by him.

Ash was even glad that he did not try to kill the Golden Boy. After all, who knew what might have happened if he had tried for real? Some type of Deus Ex Machina might have saved Ray's life, leaving Ash frustrated and miserable instead.

He had not thought about this seriously before, but he and the Whisperer had talked about fate, and learning a little from him opened Ash's eyes.

Ash knew that if someday fate decided to target him, there was only one weakness he had, and that was Elysia.

If someone expected him to cage Elysia and stand guard 24/7 so nothing could harm her, it was impossible.

He couldn't always be with her, and he couldn't just stop getting stronger because there was a threat to her life.

He needed to get stronger so that he could end this game once and for all, which would allow him and Elysia to live peacefully, free from constant danger.

But, for that, he needed to get stronger, and for that, he needed to collect the Runes, which were now the sources through which he could Rank up.

Ranking up from Novice to Grandmaster rank was quite simple, to be honest. There were no loud gestures or trials that demanded suffering or spectacle.

Just the mana from the surroundings would flow into the body, purging impurities from the core and flesh, making the body stronger. After ranking up, one needed to let their base consolidate for some time before they could rank up again.

Only after the Grandmaster rank did ranking up become a little dramatic.

Ash's path was tied to Runes. He needed them to become powerful and rank up as well. But he couldn't collect Runes while staying by Elysia's side. He needed to leave her so that she could become powerful, so that she could become his strength, not his weakness.

Though for that to happen, they both were missing quite a crucial thing.....time.

They both didn't have time, so he felt no guilt that he called Snow to help him with something, while not leaving Snow for Elysia's protection.

Huff....I need to calm down and think only positive things...

Calming his rising emotions and restless thoughts, Ash looked toward Snow, who was gently rubbing her small head against his cheek. The warmth of her scales and the soft, rhythmic pressure of her movements grounded him, slowly easing the tension in his mind.

He was crouching in the shadows, eyes fixed on one of the vaults, which was heavily guarded and protected. Clearly, the security here was even tighter than on the Dragon Continent.

But the Dragons were arrogant, confident that no one could ever reach their floating island or enter their treasury. Their pride was predictable, almost expected.

After all, practically no one could enter the place without alerting the dragons. Even Ash had been detected the last time, despite possessing the Runes.

Can you enter inside and scout for me..?

Ash asked Snow, coiled around his neck. She hissed softly in response and nodded before slithering down his arm, vanishing from sight.

She merged seamlessly with the surroundings using Concealment and sank into the ground. Snow had recently gained this ability during her travels across the sea, which allowed her to move unseen through the earth.

Ash waited patiently for her report. In reality, he didn't even need to wait. After all, he could see what she was seeing. She shared her vision with him in real time, allowing him to witness every detail she observed beneath the surface.

After traveling through the ground for a few minutes, Snow finally surfaced in the surroundings. The scene she revealed was enough to make Ash want to leap in joy, but he forced himself to remain composed, controlling the surge of excitement before it could overwhelm him.

Even through the restraint, a flicker of anticipation and satisfaction danced in his eyes, reflecting both the success of Snow's scouting and the treasures he was seeing right now.

****

A/N: Another chapter is currently getting cooked...

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