[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-journey-to-become-the-zenith":3,"chapter-journey-to-become-the-zenith-journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Journey to Become the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1828609,2432,"Chapter 72: At the End of the Tunnel","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>At the End of the Tunnel\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor and his companions moved deeper into the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A curve of steps twisted into darkness, worn stones slick from years underground. Above where they stood, a dead torch sat in its bracket, blackened by old fire. Not one among them moved to take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unnecessary for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bit of a lift came from Victor’s hand. It rose, just above shoulder level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Light.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny sphere appeared in his hand, rising soon after to spill gentle light down the tight steps. Not long afterward she copied - her glow taking shape like something whispering between darkness and dawn. A breath passed before Clara followed, calling forth her own pale spark into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shadows retreated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they descended, the air grew colder, thicker—heavy with something unseen. Victor could feel it now clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their presence pulsed faintly beneath layers of stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beneath that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Older.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quality of the mana made his pulse quicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reminded him of the Void Tyrant Hydra he had slain not long ago. The same oppressive density. The same suffocating weight pressing against his senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Void Tyrant Hydra had been a beast. Intelligent, yes—but bound to instinct. Rage. Territory. Survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What waited below was not instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was calculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor’s lips curved slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His golden eyes gleamed in the dim glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This opponent would think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would try to outmaneuver him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was infinitely more interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lane noticed the shift in his breathing. She didn’t look at him directly, but she knew that look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That quiet vibration lingered, Clara noticing it just as much as anyone would. Her arms reacted before she could think, tiny sparks running across the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps stopped when the steps gave out beneath her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, a passage cut deep into stone ran on without hurry. Along its sides, fires burned in iron brackets - calm, unblinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps fading, Victor stood by the mouth of the tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, they stopped near where he stood. Then silence settled between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still facing forward, he made no move to look back. Only later did his eyes shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sure you two understand,\" he began calmly, voice echoing faintly against the stone, \"that once we walk forward from here, there’s no turning back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lane’s face stayed just as it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fingers of Clara pressed a bit harder beside her legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As the leader of this party,\" Victor continued, a faint smile forming, \"I suppose I should say something comforting. Something like, don’t worry, or we can definitely do this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft exhale slipped out - close to laughter, but not quite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won’t insult you with something so disgusting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he shifted his gaze just a bit, so they caught the shine flickering there. A small move, yet it showed what was glowing inside. Their attention held by that quiet spark, waiting without asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The truth is this - beyond that tunnel is someone stronger than me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clara’s heartbeat skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stronger than him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor’s smile widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unknown abilities. Unknown strategy. Combined with the villagers as variables, this will be unpredictable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice dropped slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The chances of us dying are high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way he said it—calmly. Almost fondly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lane felt a warmth bloom in her chest despite the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Victor she had chosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the invincible hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the man who walked into danger knowing exactly how sharp it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So,\" he finished, eyes dancing with restrained excitement, \"if either of you wants to turn back, now is your chance. I won’t stop you. Your life is your own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lane spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will follow you,\" she said evenly, \"even into the depths of the underworld.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice didn’t tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you die, I die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze was steady, but inside—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was preparing herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor didn’t exaggerate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he said the enemy was stronger, then it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But battles were not decided by raw strength alone. Positioning. Timing. Awareness. Trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had those.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would make sure of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clara exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Retreating would be logical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Report to the guild. Bring reinforcements. Avoid unnecessary risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they left now, the culprit might vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Victor...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would go forward regardless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She closed her eyes briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her mind, she saw her mother. Her sisters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s alright,’ she told herself. ’I prepared for this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had already made arrangements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she died here, the guild master would fulfill his promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything would be taken care of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She prayed it would never come to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her eyes and met Victor’s gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something infuriating about that smile of his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And something magnetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m coming,\" Clara said firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor’s grin sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen that look before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors who stood before overwhelming odds and chose to advance anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped into the tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The torches flickered slightly as they passed, though there was no wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of their boots echoed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, the entrance disappeared into shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked, Diana’s voice resonated within Victor’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master,\" she said lightly, \"why didn’t you ask me whether I wished to proceed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor blinked once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? Isn’t our contract clear? You remain with me until my death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How dull,\" Diana replied, her tone feigning annoyance. \"I was merely teasing you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since she realized who he truly was—who he had once been—something inside her had shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blood Monarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet— Even in this incarnation, even stripped of ancient power, and his that life memories he was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reckless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tunnel widened at the far end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mana concentration intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stepped into an underground chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of villagers stood there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes unfocused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arranged like pieces on a board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the center—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man in a gray cloak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smooth mask concealed his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood relaxed, hands folded behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if welcoming guests to dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh,\" he said pleasantly, voice echoing through the cavern, \"our guests have arrived.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked figure inclined his head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Welcome to my humble abode.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint chuckle escaped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am Alibaba, the master of this place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was polite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though our meeting will be brief,\" he continued smoothly, \"it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1095,"2026-06-09T06:06:36.927Z",1,"novelbin.me","8055da2fb90683bcefe5a28e4799329af9cc37f8cdf984055812f22231144064","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-73","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-71",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fjourney-to-become-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]