The blessing allowed them to find a path to their destination.
It worked only when the destination was within the same world as the blessing user.
Olivia activated [Wayfarer], one of the abilities granted by Artemis' Blessing.
A soft glow traced her fingertips as she pointed straight ahead.
"I don't see anything but the Blood Sea there," Percival replied, frowning.
Neo furrowed his brows.
Something about this felt… off.
Driven by instinct, he stepped forward and stretched his hand in the direction Olivia had pointed.
His palm brushed against an invisible surface.
"Something is here. It seems like a barrier."
"I don't feel anything, though."
Percival moved his hand around the same place as Neo, his fingers grasping at empty air.
"Maybe it reacts only to those with negative karma."
Neo pressed his hand against the unseen obstruction again.
It was a physical barrier.
As long as he could touch it, he could break it.
His fingers dug into the invisible surface.
He clenched his hands and tore it apart.
A fracture split open in space, revealing a land beyond it.
Neo stepped through the tear without hesitation.
The moment he crossed, a fresh breeze greeted him.
A vast stretch of sand extended before him, the shore marked by the rhythmic lapping of dark waters.
The Blood Sea still existed at the very edge of the sandy ground.
Suddenly, the debuff over Neo's bloodline weakened slightly.
A frown appeared on his face.
"This wasn't the Resilience skill's doing. Why did it happen?"
As Neo focused, trying to sense what had changed, he realized a surprising truth.
The world of the living of Tartarus and the Underworld of Tartarus were one and the same.
Since Neo was standing in – what was both the Underworld and the world of the living at the same time – his debuff had been partially lifted.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Percival questioned as he arrived.
The tear in space vanished by the time Olivia and Nicolas stepped through.
Neo turned to check the place where they had come from.
The barrier was gone—completely erased, as if it had never existed.
He shifted his gaze back to the group.
"Seems like we need to find another way to return. For now, let's look for the Ka… Sword Saint."
Neo activated [Wayfarer].
A strange sensation welled up in his mind, as if something was asking for a destination.
'Sword Saint Kane Williams.'
The response was immediate.
A trail of silvery mana, visible only to Neo, appeared before him.
It shimmered faintly, stretching into the distance like a guiding thread.
Neo and the others exchanged glances before nodding.
Without hesitation, they followed the trail inland.
The landscape gradually shifted.
The vast shoreline gave way to dense vegetation, and soon, they stepped into a forest.
Towering trees with thick, gnarled trunks loomed over them.
Their sprawling canopies blocked most of the sunlight.
Thick scent of damp earth and ancient wood wafted in the air.
The presence of powerful monsters was present all around the forest.
For now, Neo and others ignored the monsters and kept moving forward.
After traversing the wilderness, they arrived at a secluded clearing.
A small, unassuming hut stood in the center.
They stopped a good distance away.
"I will go check. If it's safe, I will give you all a signal," Neo said.
"A signal? How?" Olivia asked, worried about him.
Neo formed a weak Intent Clone and left it with them.
Since he could communicate through the clone, it would serve as an effective means of relaying information.
With that settled, he approached the hut.
The door creaked open at his touch.
Inside, the space was barren—only a single wooden table stood at the center.
A girl, seemingly in her early twenties, sat at the table.
One side of her hair was half-black, and the other was half-yellowish golden.
Her golden eyes remained fixed on the steaming cup in her hands.
When Neo entered, she slowly raised her gaze.
"Where is Kane? I don't see him here." Neo questioned.
According to Wayfarer, Kane was supposed to be here.
The girl, still seated at the wooden table, traced the rim of her cup with a single finger.
"Wayfarer isn't as accurate as you think. There are plenty of ways to trick it if you know how it works," she replied calmly.
Neo stopped speaking when the realization struck him.
His expression darkened.
"You… did you read my mind just now?"
Her golden eyes remained locked onto his.
"Is there anything wrong with it?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Without waiting for Neo's response, she placed the cup down with a soft clink and reached for her sword.
The air inside the hut seemed to shift.
"Master said he doesn't need help from people who are weak enough to be a burden," she stated, standing up in one smooth motion.
The weight of her presence grew heavier, and the atmosphere became suffocating.
"That's why I'm here to test you."
Neo's brows furrowed.
Before he could finish his sentence, the girl released her aura.
A force crashed down upon the room like an invisible tidal wave, shaking the wooden walls and sending a gust of wind surging through the open doorway.
The weight of her presence threatened to crush Neo.
Do you guys want side chapters featuring Arthur and the others' adventures? This would include their training to defeat Neo's clone, the academy ranking tournament, the excavation mission, and more.
Of course, I'll keep the pace fast for these side chapters so they don't take up too much of the main story.
Or would you prefer I continue as I have been—just showing the results without detailing the process?
For example, I never showed Sean training to use the Time element or Arthur unlocking his Invincible skill, only revealing their progress afterward.
Let me know what you think!