Chapter 299 Into The Ligh (1/2)

Although Arran was in a hurry to leave the caverns, he still took a few hours to transfer half a hill of star

Not to do so would be a pointless waste — he already carried enough riches to cost him his life if anyone discovered the Shadow, it still ranked a the oing to risk death for his possessions, he h treasure to last hiathered enough starmetal to equip a decently sized ariant spiral staircase that led to the city above

Arran did not bother to search the city for more treasure — with the help of his sword, he'd already found anything worth taking Whatever ht be left wasn't worth the tiht for the tunnels that led back to the surface

This ti the traps within the tunnels well before he triggered the them would be a simple matter

Yet there was no need to do so — as he studied the traps, he realized that they were only built to repel intruders Anyone traveling from the depths to the surface would not set then was a clever one, and Arran took so on Even if he never needed it, anything that could help his knowledge elcome

After that, the journey back to the surface proved long but uneventful For teeks, Arran passed through e the marks he'd left to find his way back to the s that he'd left h little time had passed in this world, Arran had spent centuries in the Shadow Realht hiround city

Then, finally, he reached the surface

After years in darkness, Arran's eyes were overwhelood hour before his vision began to adjust to the sudden brightness

Yet the sun's glow on his skin was a feeling he had dearly o lightheaded with joy

Despite the treasures he'd gained in the Shadow Realm, he never would have entered the portal had he kno long he would be there And if he had any choice in theto the place

Once Arran's eyes had adjusted to the bright light that filled the sky, he spent several hours re every trace he had left in the sround city, he could not risk anyone finding it

Then, he spread his Sense through theon his face as he examined the area for several ave a disappointed sigh, then drew his sword

”It's tiht nohat I need is a good ht not understand his words, it needed no language to understand his intentions In just a fewfor

Barely an hour later, Arran sat in a sround a few paces away from him — at least, those parts of it he had not eaten yet

His sword had perfor it Arran had feared that the weapon ht devour the bear's Natural Essence when he struck it, but to his relief, his weapon had no taste for Natural Essence

Instead, he rewarded it with a generous portion of ical Essence, while he himself feasted on the bear meat And as he tasted the first real food he'd had in centuries, the Dragon's Ruin hungrily devoured the Natural Essence within

The effect was ith was restored The bear ood enough for recovery — a few ain his lost ht

Only after that would he face the real consequence of losing his dragon th was easily recovered, new strength would be hard to gain

Yet right now, Arran could not bring himself to worry about that

Instead, he sat in the cave contentedly, eating bearthat could have ood ale

He awoke the next day with his body feeling better than it had in ages, and after eating several pounds of bear meat for breakfast, he set off for Ah that was mostly because Arran hunted down every ani the way