Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1888: Passages and Risks

Krador had fulfilled all the terms of their deal. Adam had received information about Breydar, a house in Varreyn, and, most importantly, the Obsidian Compass.

Without the Obsidian Compass, it was difficult to reach the Grand Abyss. For someone like Adam, who had never been to the Gray Sea, it was an impossible task.

Sure, Adam had no guarantee that the Bottomless Void was located precisely at the Grand Abyss, but this was his best chance to obtain the final requirement for the Third Grand Star and take another step toward the Second Circle.

Once he created the Third Grand Star, he would finally reach the barrier that had stopped hundreds of K4-Phantoms just like him. Only a small fraction of them had managed to break through the barrier and reach the Second Rank.

Adam was confident he could do it, but he understood that such a task could not be easy.

“I take it that’s all?” Adam asked, looking at Krador and Laroza.

Krador nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes. You’re ready to set out for the Gray Sea, but you need to be extremely careful. Even if you’re strong enough to defeat a Baron, that doesn’t mean you’re out of danger. Having that level of strength is the bare minimum required to survive in the Gray Sea instead of dying within the first hour.”

Strange as it may seem, Laroza agreed with a deep nod.

“Krador is right. You shouldn’t act overconfidently. I mean, we all understand that you’ll keep taking risks and getting into dangerous battles, but that’s not the same thing. You need to know when you have even the slightest chance of winning and when it’s better to run away.”

Adam lowered his head as his gaze grew more pensive.

“You know, I don’t really like locations like this. When I was in the Primal Lands, and the Befallen Crown squads were hunting me, I felt helpless. When you’re at the very bottom of the food chain, it’s hard to act because you’re afraid that someone too strong will suddenly show up.”

“Hahaha!” Laroza chuckled in her deep voice. “That’s the whole point, Adam. It can’t be any other way. You’re just too used to sticking to the outer territories of the lands.”

Adam narrowed his eyes, giving her a frown.

“Hey! I’m currently in the Deep Ring of the Tarnished Lands, and before that I was in the Hollow Lands!”

Laroza shrugged as she took a sip of beer from her mug.

“Yeah, but here I’m protecting you, and in the Hollow Lands, Kaerno himself was helping you.”

Adam was caught off guard when a smirk briefly appeared on Krador’s face.

“You know, while you were at the Grad Family residence, we had plenty of time to learn quite a bit about you. Don’t worry, we’re not going to use this against you in any way. It was just my curiosity, nothing more.”

Adam stared at Krador for a moment before taking a deep breath. He realized this was inevitable when working with someone like Krador.

“Alright, explain to me how this thing works, and I’ll be on my way.” Adam pointed at the Obsidian Compass.

Krador nodded.

“Sure. It’s not complicated. The compass’s needle always points to the nearest entrance to the Grand Abyss. But that’s not its only function. You can channel your energy into it to see the flow of the compass’s aura. It’ll show you the way more precisely.”

He continued:

“Additionally, to some extent, the Obsidian Compass can tell you how dangerous a particular entrance to the Grand Abyss is.”

“Hmm? What does that mean?” Adam raised an eyebrow. He was confused.

Krador smirked. He was clearly pleased to have such rare items.

“Well, when you get close enough to one of the entrances, you’ll see its color. If it’s blue, that means the Obsidian Compass doesn’t see much of a difference between your aura and that entrance. But if it’s yellow, and especially if it’s red, then going there will be too dangerous for you.”

Adam turned to Laroza. “Do you have anything to say about this?”

In response, Laroza shrugged nonchalantly.

“If you want, you can try entering the yellow passages. I think you have enough strength for them. But if I were you, I wouldn’t take the risk and would head for the blue ones instead. However, there’s one important thing you need to keep in mind.”

“Hmm?”

Laroza’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re doing all this to find the final Condition for your Third Grand Star. So, there’s a chance your Path Construct will react to it when you get close to the right passage.”

After a few moments, Adam nodded deeply, a pensive look on his face.

“I see. Are you saying there might be a situation where my Third Grand Star wants me to go through the red passage, the most dangerous one?”

“Yeah, something like that. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any advice on this. In a situation like that, you’ll have to make the decision yourself.”

She waved her hand.

“Maybe as soon as you find yourself at the Grand Abyss, you’ll immediately discover your final condition and thus become significantly stronger, or maybe it’ll still be far away, and then you’ll find yourself in mortal danger.”

“No, no, no!” Krador shook his head, listening to their conversation. “You two both love to take risks, and most of the time it’s pointless!”

He slammed his fist on the table, turning to Adam.

“If you see a red passage ahead, you’d better get as far away as possible. It’ll be much easier and safer for you to take the blue passage along the long path than to risk your life!”

Adam was silent for a moment until a slight smirk appeared on his face.

“Huh, I didn’t know you cared so much about me. It actually makes me feel good.”

Krador crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the sofa.

“I just don’t like it when talented young men destroy their talents with their own overconfidence.”

Adam smiled as his gaze drifted toward the window, looking out at the Silent Hills beyond which lay the Gray Sea.

“Yeah… I know that better than anyone. Trust me.”

…