"Agh... Agh... Agh..."

Late at night, Ethan and Menir were panting heavily. Their ragged breathing was audible.

"Fuck! Why did we have to run away from those dogs? Couldn't we just have killed them?" Ethan complained, leaning against a tree.

Menir wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Because we can't attract attention. You said yourself that we had to find the last Pattern before morning, before Konrad arrives."

"Yeah, but... I didn't expect us to end up here..."

Ahead of them lay only dark lands with sharp stone peaks and cold, wandering fog. The Grim Peaks were as much a First Threat Level territory as the Rotten Forest. Encountering a monster stronger than First Rank here was a rare and unfortunate occurrence.

But, unlike the Rotten Forest, the Grim Peaks were quiet and fairly empty. There was a much better chance of getting lost in the fog than facing the few monsters that roamed around.

Due to Menir's ability, they were able to quickly find the Patterns. Sure, the Blind Voyager wasn't all-mighty, and sometimes the Patterns could be found in unreachable places, requiring them to search for another option.

However, there were two of them.

They needed not only Menir's Patterns but also Ethan's — whatever they found first would do. For other Carriers, this could take months or even years. In their case, one long night would be enough, but only if they survived.

"This is not where I want to go."

Ahead of them lay a deep gorge with dark, sharp cliffs on either side. The gorge was open to the moonlight, but winding enough to resemble a grid with many passages.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The red orb appeared above Menir's hands as the hand pointed the way forward. This time, darkness with a strange gray-purple hue passed through the chains. It was very different from Menir's abilities, which were crimson.

"Looks like we're following mine this time, right?" Ethan grinned.

Menir nodded weakly.

"Yes, but don't worry so much. The fact that my Third Pattern ended up in the Remnant was more of an accident. Maybe this time we won't have to fight."

"Well, we'll need our strength. Tomorrow, or rather, today, will be a great day. Still, I wouldn't mind trying out my new ability!"

Thus, they set off into the depths of the Grim Peaks.

Menir watched closely where the Blind Voyager was pointing while Ethan protected her.

However, they only encountered a few Broken Monsters, and only a several dared to attack the two Broken Carriers. It was no problem for Ethan to deal with them, allowing Menir to focus fully on the task.

Gradually, the sky changed color from black to dark blue — dawn was approaching.

"Hey, our time is running out," Ethan said quietly.

Step. Step. Step.

Without saying a word, Menir continued forward, making one turn after another in the winding lands of the gorge.

Her stride quickened as she sensed that their target was close.

"Here!" Menir exclaimed inwardly when the Blind Voyager stopped pointing the way forward.

This only happened a few times before, either because Menir ran out of energy, the destination was out of reach, or...

"There it is!"

Ethan quickly ran over to see Menir's discovery, his eyes widening in disbelief.

At the dead end, massive rocks hovered with debris moving around them along chosen paths. The space was distorted in several places, flowing upward in columns of air.

Amidst the strange phenomenon, a black orb with spikes wandered in jagged segments, moving quickly and unpredictably.

"An anomaly..."

Ethan muttered as his eyes widened.

'The old man mentioned this, but I'm seeing one for the first time. Hah, it looks dangerous, but that means there must be something valuable here, right?'

Anomalies appeared due to large concentrations of energy, containing at least one element, but sometimes combining several. Anomalies could be empty and be nothing more than a trap, but due to their properties and energy density, something worthwhile often showed up in them.

They differed from Remnants in that only energy was needed for an Anomaly to appear, and there was no need to fight anyone to get the treasure. However, Anomalies were dangerous because the anomaly area was a dangerous zone where it was easy to die if one wasn't careful.

"That dark orb must be our target, right?"

Menir nodded. "It can't be anything else, the Blind Voyager brought us here. I don't know if your Pattern is inside, but it will definitely be an advantage for us."

"Hmm?"

"That's the Essence."

Menir pointed to the black orb.

"The Essences can be anywhere. They're not as complex as the Remnants or the Anomalies, but they're very effective because they're clumps of high-density energy with one or more elements at their core."

Ethan's eyes widened as the black orb shot past the rock in a quick surge.

"Judging by the looks of it, it's either darkness or space. So, we have to catch this Essence and absorb it, hoping that my Pattern is within it?"

"In very simple terms, yes."

He turned to Menir.

"Of course, I have to do it again?"

Menir raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to jump across rocks and retrieve your Essence? Not only is that inefficient, it's stupid."

"Pffft, haven't you been a Carrier for a whole year longer than me? You should be more experienced, stronger, and all that." He waved his hand as he headed toward the anomaly.

Menir crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, physically, you outperform me. Whoever trained you did an impressive job. I can't deny it."

Ethan didn't show it, but a smile appeared on his face, thinking of his old man and Roger, who had also contributed.

"So, I just catch the Essence?"

Ethan looked up, standing at the edge of the anomaly.

"Yes, just be careful..."

Before Menir could finish, Ethan stepped forward as a pillar of air caught him.

The distorted space spun him around several times until he was hanging upside down in the air.

"What the fuck?! How am I supposed to understand anything from this position?!"

"Hahaha!" Menir laughed, unable to hold back. "You should see your face!"

Ethan clenched his teeth and waved his fists.

"Stop laughing! Tell me what to do!"

"Fine, fine! Just calm down and regain your balance, then grab the nearest rock and..."

Whooooosh.

Without warning, the black orb accelerated, reflecting in the corner of Ethan's eye. His pupils narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The Essence slammed right into him, knocking him back against the rock before changing direction again.

"AGH!"

Ethan's groan of pain echoed through the gorge, along with the realization that solving this anomaly would not be easy and that the time for jokes was over.