The bone glowed faintly, showing exactly why it was special. I stared at it for a good minute before walking ahead and receiving it from Owl-Mighty.

.Are you going to integrate with it?

I dont know.

It was a rib bone.

Typically, it didnt really matter what type of bone it was. I would normally be able to absorb any type of bone. The only exception was if the bone was a duplicate.

Only then would integration be impossible.

The abilities that the bone provided were also rather unknown most of the time being a hit or miss. You could have a vague idea of what they were from the monster that they came from, but it was still generally somewhat vague.

Having already integrated with three bones I only had two slots left.

.I needed to think carefully before integrating with another bone.

Im not sure Ill use it.

I eventually stored the bone away.

I dont think this is what Im looking for. For the last two bones, I want something better.

You could say that I was greedy, but I wanted my last bones to belong to an extremely powerful or unique monster. I needed an ability that would truly help me in the future, and while the Wraith was strong, I didnt think itd be able to provide me an ability that could be useful for me.

My best bet is to sell this later for money.

That way, Id finally be able to upgrade my manual.

Yeah, I think thats the best course of action.

Patting my clothes clean, I took a few more minutes to catch my breath. I was still extremely tired from the previous ordeal and I needed some time to fully recuperate.

Dropping down on the ground, and sitting on one of the rocks nearby, I thought about my current situation.

I dont have much time.

The poison was spreading further up my body, and I needed to find the queen.

There was only one problem

If a single Wraith is this strong, how am I supposed to fight a queen?

It was a despairing thought. Especially since I was on a time limit. It took me so long to fight a single Wraith. What would happen if I were to fight a dozen of them?

This might be an impossible mission.

Its not.

Owl-Mighty answered in a deadpan tone.

Your goal is to directly collect some of the queens blood and ingest it to cure yourself of the poison. So long as you manage to create a wound and collect the blood, you will be able to fully heal yourself of the poison.

That sounds easier said than done.

Even if I didnt have to kill it, we were most likely talking about a Terror-ranked beast that was surrounded by at least a dozen other Wraiths. How was I supposed to take care of them and then also take the blood?

And all of this just to cure some poison?

What a pain.

Groaning to myself, I rubbed my face.

.I shouldve been more careful.

Actually, this is not a bad thing for you human.

Hmm?

Owl-Mighty appeared right before me as it raised its head to look at me.

A Wraith Queens blood is very powerful and dense. If you manage to extract enough of it, then not only will you be able to get rid of the poison, but you will also be able to increase your strength in the process.

Oh?

My ears perked up at the sudden piece of information.

Theres such a thing?

.If you manage to get enough you may be able to undergo body reconstruction.

You mean Tier 4?

Its possible.

I immediately sat up.

The sudden piece of information made me more alert.

Ive been thinking about how to get to bridge the gap that was left between me and the next tier. Who wouldve thought thered be such an opportunity here.

On any normal occasion, I wouldve avoided an opportunity like this considering the risk, but now?

I have no choice but to do this.

The numbing sensation in my leg was creeping upward, inch by inch, with each agonizing second. It was now closing in on my pelvis, numbing my lower abdominal area.

Taking a few deep breaths, I finally stood up.

Facing the yawning mouth of the tunnel, where only darkness awaited, I steeled myself and stepped forward without hesitation.

Whatever the case was with the queens blood, I needed to hurry up.

I could feel it.

I didnt have much time left.

***

I think this place will do.

Kiera glanced at the small cave before her and crouched down, crawling inside. Soon, an opening appeared. With a flick of her hand, a small flame ignited, casting light around her. She surveyed the area and nodded in satisfaction.

This will do.

The cave was quite small, with a height of about three meters and a space roughly the size of a small room.

Kiera had ended up in a remote region in the northern area of the map, where the temperature was rather cold. Snow covered every inch of the area outside of the cave, making it hard to navigate during the night.

Thankfully, she was adept with flame magic and was able to keep herself warm.

But that wasnt her biggest problem. Her current priority was finding a shelter so that she could rest.

Having not slept at all the previous day, she felt extremely sleepy.

Having finally found a decent spot that appeared to be relatively safe, Kiera took some supplies out and immediately laid down on her sleeping bag.

Sleep, sleep, sleep I need to sleep.

Closing her eyes, Kiera quickly tried to drift into sleep.

Given how tired she was, she didnt think shed have to wait much before falling asleep, but

.

In her attempts to sleep, her mind raced with endless thoughts.

Every sound seemed amplified in the silence.

Tossing and turning, Kiera frowned as she kept her eyes closed and tried her best to relax.

But it was no use.

Her eyes felt heavy, but sleep eluded her.

In that state, time seemed to pass.

She continued to toss and turn the entire time, and despite her best attempts at trying to fall asleep, she. Failed to do so.

Whats going on?

Annoyed, Kiera frowned.

Why cant I fall asleep?

She could feel that she was tired. And yet, despite how her body was feeling, she simply couldnt sleep.

Clench.

The side effects of her situation started to become apparent as her thoughts became slower and she started to become annoyed by every little thing.

From how the pillow wasnt soft enough to the slight dripping sound that echoed around the cave. Everything was annoying her, and her expression tightened as she sprung up from her position.

Covering her face, Kiera found herself growing restless.

Sleep I need to fucking sleep.

And yet, she couldnt sleep.

As she closed her eyes again in an attempt to sleep, it was then that Kiera saw it.

A statue.

In the suffocating darkness, a statue loomed. Tears streaked its face, its hollow eyes fixed on her.

Kieras heart pounded, her mind paralyzed by the sight. She held her breath, trying to clear her vision, but the statues gaze remained, piercing through the darkness of her mind.

.!

It was only when she opened her eyes that it disappeared.

Haaa Haa

With heavy breaths, Kiera felt her heart sink as she looked at her bedding which was damp from her sweat.

Covering her face with her hands, Kiera mumbled,

Sleep.. I need to sleep

***

Swoosh!

The threads writhed through the tunnel like serpents, inching closer to the sickly figure in the distance. Before it could even flinch, the threads coiled around its body, burrowing into its eye sockets at alarming speed.

Instantly, the Wraith flinched, its arms flying around frantically.

But the process was fast.

Within moments of the threads burrowing into its sockets, the Wraiths body fell a few seconds after.

Thump!

.Im getting better at this.

Coming out from the shadows, I lowered my head and recalled the threads. This was the tenth Wraith that I had killed so far, and I was slowly starting to get better at it.

The key to fighting them was speed.

So long as I got the threads into their sockets, everything else was straightforward.

Like this, I managed to get deeper and deeper into the tunnels. But there was only one problem

Where do I go from here?

The tunnels ran quite deep and branched off in many directions. I thought about using the threads to get a better idea of the path Id need to take but decided against it.

The mana consumption would simply be too big for me to handle. By the time I reached the queen, itd probably be too late.

How do I go about this?

I was left stumped by the situation. Pinching my chin, I frowned deeply.

All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind as I tried to think of different means and ideas to get to the queen, but they were all too dangerous.

Oh, wait.

That was until I recalled something.

My eyes lit up in excitement.

Right, that could work!

I lowered my head to stare at the Wraith that stood beneath me. Extending my hand, threads emerged from it as they slowly wrapped around the body of the lifeless Wraith.

Cra Crack

The chilling crack of bones reverberated through the air as the Wraith slowly rose, its body shifting and grinding with each movement.

Its been a while since I last did this.

My right hand twitched and the Wraiths left leg moved forward. With another twitch of my hand, the right leg followed and it wasnt long before it started to walk like a normal person.

Having already done this in the past, in a few tries, I started to get the hang of the situation.

This will do.

Waving my hand, a mist formed around my body and the Wraiths body. In a few seconds, the Wraiths body started to fade as its appearance changed.

Short black hair, handsome face, gray eyes It looked like a carbon copy of Leon.

Yes, this is perfect.

The idea was simple.

Use Leon as bait.

If my assumptions were correct, then the Wraith werent going to kill Leon immediately but subjugate him first and bring him to the queen as a sacrifice.

My main struggle was finding the queen in the maze that I was in. In the end, I didnt need to think so hard to find her.

All I needed to do was use the Wraiths to lead me to her.

Thankfully, I didnt waste too much time.

The poison had already spread to my chest, and the side effects were starting to become apparent.

This was my best shot at finding the queen.

I knew that I couldve probably had its appearance be different, but there was something about making Leon be the bait that felt satisfying.

Yes, this is how it should be.

For that reason, I waved my hand, forcing Leon to rush forward.

Go.