"Well, it's not that I'm unwilling to tell you — it's just that the thing is difficult to describe in words. Different people who come into contact with it see different things, so it's hard for me to explain what it actually is."
Rulu pondered and said, "From what you're saying, that thing isn't an inanimate object but something alive. Is it a living creature?"
C.C. said, "You could say yes, and you could say no. I can't fully explain it in a short time. But one thing is certain — if you come into contact with it, you'll gain knowledge and power far beyond what ordinary people can imagine."
Rulu said, "So it can significantly raise my Psionic power level?"
C.C. said, "Yes. Given your current abilities, Rulu, it could elevate your Psionic power level to at least level five, possibly higher."
At that point, Kallen, who had been standing nearby, couldn't help but cut in. "Is that thing really that incredible? Can I gain power from it the same way Rulu can?"
C.C. shifted her gaze to Kallen, staring at her face and gently touching her cheek. After a brief moment of thought, C.C. said, "Kallen, you're not ready yet. Your aptitude isn't sufficient."
Kallen said, "But Rulu and I have roughly the same Psionic power level — why can he do it and I can't?"
C.C. said, "It has little to do with Psionic power level. It's primarily a matter of the mind. If one's mental endurance isn't strong enough and they forcibly make contact with that thing, their mind will suffer severe damage — it could very easily drive a person mad."
"Oh… alright then. Let Rulu be the one to obtain that power. I'll pass." A look of disappointment crossed Kallen's face as she let go of the idea, while Rulu quietly turned the matter over in his mind, wondering what exactly the thing C.C. was describing could be.
The group continued onward. After a while, C.C.'s pace began to slow. She kept glancing around, as though deeply wary of something appearing.
Noticing C.C.'s unusual behavior, Rulu asked, "What's wrong? Is there something here?"
C.C. said, "Yes. There are some Strange beasts roaming this area. We need to be careful and avoid them as much as possible."
Kallen said, "Are the Strange beasts here powerful? Can we take them on?"
C.C. said, "Powerful? Not particularly. W.W. alone could handle them."
Kallen said, "In that case, there's nothing to worry about. With the Forest Queen W.W. alongside us, plus me and Rulu, whatever Strange beasts we run into, we can drive them off without breaking a sweat."
C.C. said, "Kallen, don't be overconfident. Even if we can fight them, getting tangled up with them would still be a real nuisance."
"Why is that?"
"Because—" C.C. was just about to answer when a flash of yellow streaked through the air. Something yellow hurtled toward C.C. at blinding speed, and before anyone could make out what it was, it had already knocked C.C. flat on the ground. Everyone was startled. Looking closely, they saw it was a wild beast resembling a yellow leopard, its body covered in spots.
"A monster!" Kallen cried out. She immediately drove her spear toward the leopard pinning C.C. down. The leopard gave a light spring, instantly sliding five or six meters across the ground and nimbly dodging Kallen's attack.
"This thing is fast," Rulu said. He waved his hand, and three orange-red fireballs materialized out of thin air in the surrounding air, hurtling toward the leopard at great speed. The leopard moved across the ground with blinding quickness and nimbly evaded the fireballs, then suddenly leaped into the air six or seven meters above the ground and, like a hawk, dove straight toward Rulu's position.
"Idiot — let's see you dodge that in midair," Kallen thought to herself. She gripped her spear, leaped high, and thrust it at the leopard suspended in mid-flight. The leopard twisted its body in the air, veering with the speed of a swallow, dodging Kallen's attack and ending up behind her — and raked a claw across the back of her neck.
"Ow, that hurts!" Kallen cried out. She spun around in the air and thrust her spear at the leopard behind her. The leopard twisted again, shifting several meters sideways through the air and evading the spear, then glided in a wide arc like a hawk and landed on the ground, fixing its gaze on Rulu and the others from a distance.
"How can that leopard fly through the air like a bird?! That really hurt!" Kallen rubbed the back of her neck, which was bleeding from the leopard's claws, and stared at the distant creature with a look of shock and fear.
Rulu said, "That leopard can move at such speed and glide through the air — its Psionic power level must be close to level five in Refining body. It doesn't look easy to deal with."
"Stay here. I'll handle it." W.W. spoke up. Without waiting for anyone to respond, she flew toward the leopard. At the same time, three large boulders — each between one and two meters in diameter — rose from the ground nearby, hovering around W.W. as she advanced, spinning rapidly around her as they all flew toward the leopard together.
Seeing W.W. approaching, the leopard turned and bolted. But it hadn't gone far before a fierce gust of wind rose around it, blowing it back toward W.W. At the same time, the three boulders spinning rapidly around her shot toward the leopard at great speed.
Seeing the boulders bearing down on it, the leopard strained to leap aside. With a dull thud, the first boulder slammed into the ground near the leopard, missing it. The leopard pushed hard in the direction away from W.W., but the wind howling around it slowed it down, preventing it from putting distance between itself and W.W. in time.
With a rushing whoosh, the second massive boulder flew at the leopard. The leopard's hind legs pushed hard off the ground and it sprang sideways with all its strength. The boulder grazed past, and the leopard barely managed to dodge it. Almost simultaneously, the third boulder came flying toward the leopard. Having barely escaped the first two, the leopard had no chance to notice this one coming and was struck squarely with a powerful blow.
With a heavy thud, the leopard's body was sent flying seven or eight meters. It tumbled across the ground and finally came to a stop. W.W. had no intention of letting it go. The three boulders that had just struck the leopard rose again and came crashing down on it once more. Still reeling from the first hit and unable to dodge, the leopard was struck by all three boulders in rapid succession — and was crushed flat beneath them.