After discussing what they encountered in the past couple of weeks, the two of them realized that there were no experts at Tier 9 from the Thunderpeak Kingdom since the Noble houses had decided together that only up to Tier 8 powerhouses were allowed.
But this gave the people from the Beastkin Zone the advantage as they didn’t have such restrictions, there were various Tier 9 geniuses who came to explore the place.
During the next several days, Orion and Nyss ventured deeper into the labyrinth, facing continuous challenges.
The labyrinth had transformed into a turbulent battlefield, with various factions vying fiercely over precious resources and treasures.
Four formidable geniuses from the Beastkin Zone had emerged particularly notorious, their fame rapidly spreading through the corridors and chambers of the maze.
Among them was Rokar, the fierce leader from the Wolfkin Tribe, whom Orion had encountered previously.
The second was a proud Lionkin warrior named Kazran, a golden-haired youth who became famous for his terrifying strength and explosive aura.
The third genius, an indomitable warrior from the Bearkin Tribe named Bragor, was notorious for his almost invulnerable defense and overwhelming brute strength.
Finally, the last and most mysterious was a female cultivator from the Catkin Tribe, Myra. Her movements were swift and wild, her assassination arts unmatched in lethality and precision, making her one of the most unpredictable and feared opponents among the Beastkin warriors.
Orion had already confronted Rokar and Kazran directly, yet both battles had forced him into quick retreats. Without utilizing his trump card, the Dragon form, Orion’s strength could only match Tier 8 geniuses, making direct confrontations with Tier 9 geniuses incredibly difficult.
Thus, he had chosen to retreat rather than reveal his most crucial secret, carefully safeguarding it as his ultimate measure.
But with Nyss beside him, things became much more manageable. Her combat prowess and cultivation had skyrocketed during their time apart, reaching the peak of Tier 7, and her battle strength had become nearly equal to Orion’s current level when he didn’t use his draconic transformation.
Her scythe wielded the power of shadow with deadly efficiency, and she complemented Orion’s fighting style seamlessly.
With each encounter, their coordination grew sharper, almost reaching a point where they could anticipate each other’s movements instinctively.
As they continued their battles together, they gradually gained fame within the labyrinth. Due to their ruthless and decisive combat style, characterized by swift, thunderous attacks that decimated their opponents instantly, the duo became known by a fearsome title—the Thunder Reaper Duo.
Word spread rapidly, and before long, even the powerful Beastkin geniuses recognized them as formidable foes since they couldn’t defeat the two of them.
Sitting by a small bonfire during a brief period of respite, Orion stared thoughtfully into the flickering flames. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke quietly to Nyss, who was calmly sharpening her scythe beside him.
"I think my decision to stop hiding my Thunder Element was good," Orion said softly, his tone contemplative. "At first, I kept it hidden because my cultivation wasn’t strong enough to handle unwanted attention, as having four elements alone is absurd. But now..."
Nyss’s movements paused briefly as she glanced at him with thoughtfulness. "Are you sure about this? Revealing another element will make you a bigger target."
Orion smiled confidently, his eyes filled with calmness. "It’s inevitable. My power is already approaching Apex Awakener territory, and I can protect myself much better now. Besides, if I keep hiding too much, I’ll limit my growth. Facing enemies openly forces me to grow faster."
Nyss stared thoughtfully at Orion for a moment before nodding slowly in acknowledgment. "Your Thunder element is incredibly strong, it’s foolish to keep it hidden forever. And considering our opponents here, hiding too much would make us look like soft permission."
Orion nodded, his voice firm, "Exactly. And the fact we’re already known as the Thunder Reaper Duo—it’s fitting. It suits us quite nicely."
Nyss felt her heart skip a beat before she forcefully calmed herself down and chuckled lightly. "I must admit, the nickname does sound quite intimidating. But it suits us. Your thunder attacks and my shadow scythe—we truly are reapers on this battlefield."
Orion laughed softly, feeling relaxed despite the hostile environment of the maze. "Together, our strength has multiplied far beyond what we could achieve alone. Perhaps we can’t challenge the Beastkin geniuses directly yet, but we can certainly carve our own path."
Nyss smiled faintly, "Then let’s continue to sharpen ourselves here. We might meet with the rest of them soon. They are making a name for themselves as well after all."
Orion smiled as he said, "Yes, those fellows should have gotten stronger as well."
The two of them continued chit-chatting for a while longer until Orion said to Lumi, ’Lumi, it’s been a while since I did the draws. And the upcoming part seems quite dangerous, tell me how much SP I have left.’
[Gambling]: 1111 Draws Used | 35297 SP Remaining
Orion exhaled a long sigh seeing the dropping SP. In the past few weeks, he had been using it to look at various treasures so he could consume them without issue, but that also cost him a lot of SP.
Lumi’s curious voice echoed playfully in Orion’s mind, breaking the contemplative silence.
[How many draws do you want to do, Master?]
Orion paused thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on the flickering bonfire as he thought to himself about it for a bit.
After a moment, determination filled his expression, and he decisively responded, ’Let’s do 500 draws. I need at least a few decent treasures to prepare for what’s ahead. And give me the results directly, I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time.’
Lumi energetically replied with her usual lively demeanor,
[Hehe, as you wish, Master! Draws commencing!]
For once, the typically upbeat and whimsical gacha bgm that accompanied each gacha draw was notably absent.
Instead, an eerie silence enveloped Orion’s Sea of Consciousness as the draws finished. Orion felt a faint unease at Lumi’s sudden quietness, sensing something was amiss. Get full chapters from Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
His eyebrow arched upward in confusion, ’Lumi? What happened? Why are you silent?’
Lumi took an uncharacteristically deep breath, visibly hesitant before directly displaying the results:
For several long seconds, Orion’s mind went completely blank. The numbers on the display simply made no sense to him.
He stared incredulously, desperately waiting for the numbers to shift or the screen to update. But reality cruelly remained unchanged.
Gradually, his mind regained clarity, and disbelief flooded his mind. A surge of frustration and bewilderment surged within him as he mentally shouted, ’What the fuck?! How is this even possible?! Why is the result so bad?’
Even Lumi seemed confused, her voice hesitating slightly as she responded with confusion and nervousness,
[M-M-Master, I don’t know what happened. This shouldn’t have happened at all. Even the Uncommon Grade items are just a bunch of useless weapons and armor, no treasures at all!]
Just then, sensing Orion’s unusual state, Nyss looked up from her scythe, her dark eyes filled with concern, "Orion? Are you alright? You suddenly look unwell."
Orion quickly composed himself, forcing an awkward smile onto his lips that looked worse than crying.