CHAPTER 336 – MYSTICAL VOICE

"Are you sure your brother-in-law was on this mountain, Leyvi? This one?" Dastan asked. He still hadn't fully believed Leyvi's claim that his spiritual sense covered the world. It was just too absurd.

"Tch, we're already here and you still don't believe me? Look up there—clouds surrounding the forest, just like I described," Leyvi argued.

"This doesn't prove anything. There are plenty of forests like that across the world. Our Royal Family even owns a similar mountain range like this behind our palace. We hold hunting events there all the time."

"Heh, keep being in denial. We'll wait here first. I want to scout the mountain," Leyvi said, then turned toward the range.

He extended his spiritual sense outward, but it couldn't fully cover the area. The mountains weren't especially tall, but they stretched far across the landscape in both directions.

Leyvi didn't start climbing immediately. He scanned the terrain carefully. If there were any Commander-level demonic beasts nearby, they'd need to take a detour.

Half an hour passed before he was done. "Alright, Dastan, let's go. Tantan, back inside," he said to the squirrel perched on the prince's shoulder.

"Hmph! There's nothing in there! It's so boring!" she complained. Ever since leaving the bamboo forest, she'd been in a foul mood, irritable and quick to anger.

"Daa hahaha! Don't worry, Tantan. When we return, you'll have a royal spirit beast bag, the finest in the Howling Kingdom. You'll live like a princess!"

"Really? Oh well. Very good. Tantan will endure this place for now." She shrank and entered the spirit beast bag.

Leyvi shook his head. At this rate, she's going to turn into an arrogant squirrel, just like her master.

"Let's go, Leyvi. Any dangerous demonic beasts here?" Dastan asked, glancing toward the dense mountain forest ahead.

Leyvi gave him a sidelong look. "Dangerous? Yes—for you. There are plenty of high-level ones around. For me? No. I didn't see any Commander-level ones."

He couldn't resist taking a jab.

This kind of comment usually annoyed the crown prince, but instead of snapping back, Dastan just laughed, looking oddly smug.

When this prince reaches the Nascent Soul Realm, even high-level beasts won't be a threat. You won't get to poke fun at me forever, Leyvi. Daa hahaha! he laughed to himself, filled with sudden confidence.

Leyvi blinked. What's with that face? Did getting a squirrel make him this cocky? He shook his head slightly. Whatever.

"Alright, let's go." With that, Leyvi dashed into the trees at the foot of the mountain, where the forest stretched thick and unbroken all the way to the misty peaks.

Behind him, Crown Prince Dastan stored the Crown Rider, then followed, slipping into the shadows of the forest after Leyvi.

With the refined agility of his royal family's movement technique, Dastan quickly caught up to Leyvi. He weaved through the forest with ease, slipping past trees and vaulting over undergrowth, his figure constantly shifting. Left, right, up, down—he darted around Leyvi like a playful shadow, every sharp turn leaving a faint blur and a trail of afterimages in his wake.

A smug grin played on his face the entire time.

"Daa hahaha! Are you seeing this, Leyvi? This is how you move in terrain like this! Your movements are too crude!"

This clown prince... should I trip him? Leyvi thought dryly, watching him zip past again. He rolled his eyes. He had assumed Dastan had been training seriously, sharpening his technique to survive better. But no. The guy just wanted to show off.

"Cheh. Act arrogant when you can actually help me in a fight," Leyvi shot back.

"Daa hahaha! Leyvi, are you envious?" Dastan laughed, flipping once unnecessarily mid-stride. "Don't worry, this prince is a genius. With a little more practice, this prince will be able to help you soon, with a proper royal martial skill!"

Leyvi raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a suitable movement technique for me?"

Dastan eased up and fell in step beside him, finally matching his pace properly as they continued their climb up the mountain.

"Hmm..." Dastan glanced at Leyvi's movements with a judging eye. "You're a tough and rigid type. Not suitable to learn this prince's royal movement technique that prioritizes swift and light changes in step. Your every movement exerts too much force. Look. The Earth sinks with each stride you take. This prince doubts you can become delicate and light with your body without a lot of practice."

"Is that so? Ava told me something similar when I tried to learn her Air Walk." Leyvi muttered.

If he really wanted, he could just activate his bursting steps and blast ahead, leaving Dastan far behind. But that would mean smashing through trees and rocks like a wild beast, flattening everything in his path. His body could handle it without issue, but Leyvi didn't like being destructive unless it was necessary.

They continued upward, feet steady and swift. The mountain's slope wasn't steep, more like an endless series of rising hills, and it made their climb feel less like scaling a mountain and more like a drawn-out jog.

Occasionally, a demonic beast lunged from the thickets, hoping to make a meal out of them. Leyvi welcomed the interruptions. They gave him a chance to test the fire and earth affinity of his body in real combat. He was surprised by how smooth his moves had become, how fluid his attacks were now.

Every loud boom echoing through the forest marked the end of another beast, a clear result of his Big Bang attacks.

The higher they climbed, the cooler the air became. A gentle chill crept through the forest, and moisture clung more heavily to their skin. Still, neither of them complained. Compared to the suffocating heat of volcanic terrain or the stifling air of underground caverns, this cool, misty mountain was a refreshing change.

Of course, this atmosphere still couldn't compare to the calming, peaceful magic of the bamboo forest. Not even close. In fact, both of them already missed it dearly. That forest had left a mark on them. Not just in memory, but in mood.

Halfway up the mountain, Leyvi and Crown Prince Dastan paused. Leyvi wanted to scan the area again, not just to check for danger but also to see if Victor was nearby. Unfortunately, he still wasn't sure whether Victor was using his usual disguise, turning into a tree. If so, that would make finding him much harder, especially now that the mist was growing thicker the higher they climbed.

While Leyvi focused, Tantan popped out of the spirit beast bag, finally fed up with boredom. She scampered up a tree and started leaping between branches, trying to entertain herself.

Ten minutes passed.

Leyvi had just finished his search and was getting ready to move again when a strange voice echoed in his ears.

"Why are there more humans coming to my place? Where did they come from?" The tone was calm, curious, but unsettling.

Leyvi's body stiffened immediately. His instincts flared. Goosebumps ran across his arms as every hair stood on end.

Who the hell is that?

His spiritual sense burst out again in all directions, sweeping through the area with urgency. But outwardly, he kept his posture calm.

Then, the voice returned.

"But these humans seem braver and stronger than the other one. I hope they meet with the Shadow Hunter soon. That would be great to watch."

It was still untraceable. Still distant and yet right next to him, whispering into his ear.

Seeing Leyvi tense up, the crown prince immediately went on alert as well. He had been around Leyvi long enough to recognize that particular body language and expression. When Leyvi went quiet and still with a facial expression like that, something was definitely wrong. Without a word, he instructed Tantan to return to the spirit beast bag through their mental link. The squirrel obeyed at once, disappearing from view.

Leyvi blinked slowly.

Shadow Hunter? What the hell is that? Why does that name sound dangerous?

Then his thoughts shifted. The voice had mentioned another human—it must've been talking about Victor.

His brows furrowed deeply.

This... felt oddly familiar.

There was only one other time he'd heard a voice like this—mystical, present all around him, with no discernible source. It was back when he visited Reefworld Lagoon, the Cloud Continent's largest reef megastructure.

A demonic coral polyp had taken an interest in their group during that trip. The creature had secretly listened in and even chimed in on their conversations, but only Leyvi had been able to hear it. That was thanks to his Universal Language benefit.

Normally, when something spoke to him through that benefit, he could also tell where the voice came from. But that time, just like now, the voice had echoed from everywhere. No clear direction. No presence he could lock onto.

Back then, he eventually figured it out. The countless coral polyps were actually one massive organism. A single entity spread out across an enormous area. That was why its voice came from all around him.

Could it be... the same kind of thing here?

Leyvi's eyes narrowed slightly. An entity with presence spread across this misty forest?

His thoughts ran quickly.

Some kind of demonic insect?

Leyvi's spiritual sense kept scanning the area, trying to see if there was anything like that.