?Haylee's face stiffened, and Kyle obediently went behind him, clearly shifting the blame to the boar. Just like Kyle, Bia hurriedly hid her presence behind the boar's huge body.
The duo fell silent as if they didn't exist at all.
Haylee's eyelid twitched as he stared at the guardian with a blank expression. The illusionary old man stared back at him with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you here again?"
The boar let out a deep sigh.
"There's something we want to discuss."
The illusionary figure replied with an 'Oh'. His eyes traveled to Kyle, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. Instantly, he waved his hand, gesturing for the trio to follow him.
However, before they could leave, a hoarse voice echoed from the pit. Guil crawled out, laughing like a maniac.
"Hahaha, you can't kill me! I'll tear apart all the outsiders!"
The illusionary old man gazed at the dark bloodied figure and waved his hand. In the next second, a few chairs and a table materialized in the air as he gazed at the boar and human.
"Let's talk here. I need to keep an eye on someone."
Haylee nodded, but before he could move, Kyle's figure flashed and he sat down opposite the old man. Bia followed suit.
The boar's eyes flickered as he shrank in size and sat down on the table.
The old man stared at Kyle with a profound expression. After a few moments, Kyle felt a familiar probing sensation within him. A strange feeling stirred in his chest, but he remained calm and allowed the old man to examine him.
The man let out a thoughtful hum.
"I think I know why you're here kid."
He tapped the table and pointed his finger at Kyle's chest.
"Tell me, how did you find out? Haylee isn't strong enough to sense it."
Kyle gazed at the finger with a solemn expression. He could tell that the old man opposite him was powerful, even though it was just a fragment of the latter consciousness.
'He can sense everything even though I'm wearing the earring. So, does that mean the earring can't hide my presence from people above (SSS+)-Rank?'
Kyle stroked Bia's feathers and locked eyes with the old man.
"The chameleon told me."
The old man looked at the faint particles floating away from his body.
"Oh, Ris woke up? I thought with his messed up memory, he wouldn't."
Kyle placed his hands on the table, ready to speak, but the old man raised his hand to stop him.
"Kid, you've got potential. I can see it. But I believe Ris already told you that if he or anyone else forcefully tries to remove the artifact from your body, it could be fatal."
"That lizard's memory is a bit jumbled, but if there was another way, he would have mentioned it right away."
Kyle's brow furrowed, and his voice trembled slightly.
"So, there's no other way?"
The old man paused for a moment.
"It's a divine rank artifact, so I don't think there's much you can do except find the person who put it in your body. When you and the other kids entered the realm, I sensed four divine artifacts."
He sucked in a deep breath.
"It's almost unbelievable to think I sensed so many, which is why I had to double-check."
"One of them is with that kid Alec, right?"
He glanced at Haylee, who nodded in agreement. The boar's eyes widened in shock upon hearing the number.
Kyle blinked, his face paling instantly.
"Four? Does that mean the other three people are in danger too?"
The old man smiled.
"Don't worry about the others."
He looked down at Guil, who was attempting to fly once more. The old man flicked his hand, and a beam shot out from his finger, pushing the dark man back into the pit.
"Unlike you, their artifacts were created to guide, not harm. Although, there was this one peculiar artifact I saw with a kid your age. I wonder how he got it. That artifact seemed to make its owner miserable in order to gain more strength."
Kyle listened intently. Suddenly, Bia spoke in his mind.
-'Alec has something called a system, right? Don't tell me the system is an artifact?'
The old man moved his eyes toward Bia, intrigued.
"So, you already know about it?"
Bia's eyes widened.
-'OMG! He can hear me!'
The old man chuckled and shook his head, his eyes filled with amusement as he looked at Kyle.
"You know, Alec? I can't predict the future, but I can tell that you possess a powerful bloodline. I don't know its true strength, but it surpasses even that of the divine."
He was certain that if his real body were here, or if any other divine being could probe Kyle's body, they would be tempted to dissect him to see how the kid possessed something so powerful.
"Maybe that's why your fate is entangled with him? I wonder if you also know the other two."
Kyle's expression was gloomy, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in finding out the names of the other two individuals who possess the divine artifacts. He tentatively let out a sigh.
"Who are they? Maybe I know them."
The old man's eyes crinkled with amusement, but then his expression turned serious.
"Go, don't waste your time, become strong. The more, the better. The artifact in your body is dormant right now because it consumed too much energy. As a mortal, I don't think your soul is strong enough to feed so much energy to the artifact. Maybe it's because of your bloodline? Regardless, I don't think it would wake up soon."
'Except if the owner called it back.'
He stood up from the chair and gazed into the distance.
"Haylee would have already told you that the planet is hidden. Let me increase your knowledge. After the secret realm was opened, I sensed a foreign presence outside, somewhere near the planet's core."
"The shield hiding the planet is sustained by the energy from the planet's core, but it's getting weaker. That means the foreign individual is harming the planet's core."
The man gazed at Kyle with a deep expression.
"I don't know if James, Odiak, and my original body are alive, but I can tell you that the planet is still in danger. So, if you're able to stay alive, help Alec."
