Fallen Fate Online

Chapter 232 Campfire

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Zayne picked up dry tree trunks from the ground as well as long branches that had fallen to the ground after Edvin's swing of the whip. Most of the trees were dry and light, so they were perfect for making a fire. Given Zayne's strength, he could easily carry several trees on his shoulders without straining at all.

'Hmm... Edvin... He's different from her, he looks like he's just an ordinary citizen of some big city, though his clothes are definitely author's. I wonder who made it?' Zayne inwardly muttered while looking at Edvin. 

Edvin possessed great physical strength as he easily carried a huge crocodile, however, right now he was only carrying one tree or a few branches at a time. He did everything slowly, taking his time as if he was enjoying this relaxed pace.

Crackle.

Zayne dropped the last log into the massive fire that was still aflame and brushed the sweat from his forehead. He was slightly tired from the long preparation time, but his energy was recovering quickly, as if he was under the effect of some potion.

'Hmm... I still don't know what it is, but I guess Edvin will explain it to me soon.' Zayne pondered while looking at his black veins. The color had become less saturated, but the veins were still not back to normal, though things were slowly getting back to normal.

Previously, Zayne could just look at the effects of his status, just like any other player, it was a standard feature that everyone had. However, Chaos's power had changed, now for Zayne, status was a thing of the past. At least, that was how it was now. 

"Are you ready?" Edvin said calmly, looking at Toruf.

"Sure." Toruf nodded, "You've done a great job gathering so much material, so it's time for me to add one last detail!"

Toruf walked over to the fire, tilted his head, and electric shocks went through his horns. It was enough for one random discharge to fall on a dry branch and cause a few sparks.

The sparks were tiny, as they disappeared almost immediately, but they gave rise to something significant - a fire that quickly spread throughout the campfire.

Considering the scale of Edvind's attack and the trees he cut down with that move, the bonfire was huge. Even if Toruf had stood on his hind legs like a human and looked up, the bonfire would have been higher than the tips of his long horns.

To Zayne, Edvin, and Kota, who were much smaller than Toruf, the bonfire seemed truly huge.

"Fine, while the fire is going, let's get the food ready." Edvin nodded, satisfied with the result, and headed towards the massive crocodile. On the way, he placed a hand on Zayne's shoulder.

Whoooooooosh.

Edvin channeled energy through his hands, creating a long bloody sword before swinging it a few times.

Edvin wasn't a swordsman, it wasn't his main focus, but he did his job masterfully, splitting the crocodile's body into several large chunks.

'Damn... I'm not sure Roland could do something like that with his sword... Although, I don't even know if there's any point in thinking about it...' Zayne pondered with a complicated expression.

Before meeting Toruf and Chaos's Power, everything was simple for Zayne. He knew that each player had a certain level, and the monsters of this world were divided by Grade. However, now he realized that he had a Grade too, because Toruf had named him Terror Grade Being. 

Zayne didn't know what Grade Roland was, but he realized that Roland was definitely not Awakened One and was not on the Arisen Grade.

'Most likely Toruf would have rated him a Terror Grade, just like me, right?' Zayne said to himself, then he looked at Kota.

She occasionally looked around with a worried expression. She was a little nervous because she didn't know what was going to happen next or if Edvin would let her go, although she had no other choice anyway.

"Hey, Kota, I have a question for you." Zayne said calmly, turning towards her.

"Ah...? Y-Yes. I'll try to tell you everything I know!" Kota quickly replied as she approached Zayne with a glance at Edvin, 'Apparently this monster has something to do with that guy... If I want to get out of here I should do everything I can to make sure he leaves a good impression of me...'

"What's your Grade...?" Zayne asked, holding his chin thoughtfully. 

Kota tilted her head, looking at Zayne for a while, then she turned to Toruf, "Terror Grade I guess, right?"

"Hmm? Why are you asking that of him?" Zayne was puzzled. He wanted to know if there was some way to determine the Grade on his own, so Kota could help him with that. However, instead, she just asked Toruf.

Toruf nodded, "Yeah, considering your speed you are definitely at Terror Grade, at the top. Maybe in a few years or even months, if you're talented, you'll be able to go through the Awakened Process."

"Well, I guess that's the answer." Kota said calmly, shrugging her shoulders.

Zayne scratched the back of his head, "Can't you evaluate yourself? Did you have to ask Toruf for that?"I think you should take a look at

"I can, but, it may not be accurate. Toruf is stronger than me and it's obvious to him what Grade we are on based on the density of our auras." Kota calmly explained.

Crackle.

Edvin pulled a dry tree out of the ground and stuck it next to the fire. Then, he did so a few more times, creating a spit for the fire. He put the crocodile pieces on long, sharp branches and placed them on the trees around the fire, so the meat began to cook. 

All they had to do was make sure the meat didn't burn and didn't turn into a lump of charcoal. Well-cooked meat could lift their spirits and more importantly, restore their energy.

"I guess I can tell you about it if you want." Edvin said calmly, then he looked at the meat, "We have a big fire, but it will take almost an hour for everything to cook. That's plenty of time to talk things over."

Zayne glanced at Toruf, who silently walked over to the fire and sat down next to it. Kota did the same, trying not to stand out.

"Sure. I'll be glad to learn more about this world." Zayne nodded with a serious expression.

"Fine." Edvin tilted his head, taking a seat not far from Toruf, Zayne sat down next to him.

Zayne let out a sigh and said, "First, I'd like to ask. You're the one who saved me, aren't you?"

"Yeah, actually I've been following your fight practically from the beginning. I didn't expect a newbie like you to end up in Dark Mist Forest." Edvin calmly replied.

"Dark Mist Forest...?" Zayne muttered with a puzzled look.

"Wait... You can't know that, can you?" Edvin became wary.

"Khm!" Toruf coughed, "Edvin, I think you need to understand something. Zayne didn't get into the Dark Lands on his own initiative, it was Chaos' fault."

"Oh... I see. So you're going to participate in the Chaos Trial, right?" Edvin became more serious.

Zayne nodded, then his eyes went wide, 'Wait...? Where's the flower petal?

Whooooooooooooooooooosh.

As soon as Zayne thought about it, a red petal flew out of his pocket, spun around a bit, and pointed in one direction.

Edvin looked at the petal, "Oh, I think I know where it leads... Well, I won't tell you, you'll have to see for yourself. You're going to go all the way, aren't you?"

Zayne nodded, "Yes. Toruf said I could only go further if I put him on the ground, so I did. Do you think I have a chance of passing the Chaos Trial?"

Edvin paused for a moment before answering, "Everyone has a chance. However, considering Chaos decided to force things and the fact that you were able to bring Toruf to the ground... Well, I'd say you have a 70% chance of success." Edvin calmly replied, "If you use the Second Dance Form once more, you have an even better chance."

"70%..." Zayne muttered. At first, the first time he met Toruf, Zayne had been frightened by how difficult Chaos Trial was. However, when he defeated Toruf, discovering new powers within himself, he became much more confident.

'Still... Even with all these factors, I only have 70%...' Zayne pondered, with a slight fear in his eyes.

70% was actually a very high figure, however, not when 30% meant death. When it was a matter of life and death, even 1% seemed like something one didn't want to risk.

"Speaking of treatment." Edvin mentioned, "I haven't quite cured you. Your wounds are still there, I don't have healing skills. However, considering the difference in strength between us, the strengthening skill I used strengthened your muscles and made your wounds heal."

"Thank you... During the fight, I overdid it... To be honest, I get injuries like this too often. I just overload my body during a serious fight." Zayne muttered, looking at the fire.

Edvin nodded, "That's alright. It's a good quality that will allow you to go very far and reach the heights. Don't forget that you are one of us."

At the same moment, Edvin's neck tattoo glowed brightly with red light, becoming like a scarlet moon illuminating Dark Mist Forest.

Zayne gulped. Edvin was the second person he'd met from the Shattered Moon Order, and he was even more mysterious than Karin.