All the monsters that had attacked me are dead, and the Duke level ones, they ran away before my fight is over. In my immediate vicinity, I do not have any other monsters that I could kill.

Seeing that, I closed my eyes and looked at the Inheritance Runes inside me for a minute before opening my eyes.

"I need strengthening," I muttered. The assimilation process is just over, but the runes already need strengthening. Before coming to Ruin, I had already gone through the strengthening and did not think I would need to go through it again for a few months even after I leveled up to the Duke.

A lot of organizations were buying my Essense Roses in exchange for many rare and precious resources and through which sent me Strenthning Solution crafted by Tyrant Grade Alchemist three.

The last strengthening Ive went through used some very rare materials, and some of them were even from teachers' collection. 

Still, I am not sad but happy seeing my Inheritance Runes needed the strengthening.

More strengthening means having more potential, and I need my Inheritance to have great potential. So, I could match and surpass the hosts of Apex Inheritances and Bloodlines.

And I know a place where I could find an optimum material for the strengthening, that place is one reason I decided to come to this Ruin, but before I could think about going to that place, I should think about getting out of this place first.

I looked up toward the hole where my abode fell into this subterranean, and it is filled as I had expected. On the first days, after the battle is over, I asked Ashlyn to see if there is a way to reach up using the hole we have come from but after few minutes, she said no.

The hole is filled, not only in pieces of a stone mountain but also in dirt and other things. 

It would be extremely difficult if we won't go through that route, not to forget if something terrible happens and all the shit fell down, I will be squished without the abode protection.

The best choice for me is to find another way through this Subterranean space; though it will be difficult, it will not be as dangerous and challenging to climb down the hole I had come from.

Only sixteen days have passed since the Ruin had opened, and there are at least eighteen more days before it closed. The Ruin will be opened for thirty-five to thirty-eight days before we called back through our homing bands.

"Ashlyn picked the direction," I said to Ashlyn; her sense of direction is way better than mine; following Ashlyn will get us quickly out of here than my own.

"Chew Chew Chew!"

She chirped excitedly and flew north; I followed her slowly while collecting rare herbs found only in the subterranean environment.

I have to say, there are a lot of herbs up here, and their quality is also superb. The thick cosmic energy makes it very difficult for anything to grow in it, but if any life could grow in it, it thrives in such energy.

Every flora and fauna here is rare; even grass on the ground is very rare. If my Knight self had found the common grass I was walking on, he would have been elated for the whole day.

I did not pick everything I see; I only picked those rare and precious things and the things I need.

I followed Ashlyn while picking up whatever caught my fancy; on the way, I came across many monsters which I had killed. Most of these monsters are Dukes, but there are always some Princes mixed it.

Still, I did max level monster I come across was Mid Level Prince; I was kind of expecting High-Level Prince or even a Peak level Prince to test my power.

I am not boasting, but there are very few monsters in this whole Ruin contest against me now. I am sure I can even defeat the Peak Prince Stage Monster of this Subterranean.

There is only one place where monsters could give me a feeling of fear now and that of the Crown Tree.

According to the intel I got, the most dangerous part of Crown Tree is not the extremely thick cosmic energy that exists there but the monster. These monsters are born in the extremely dense Cosmic Energy that even host of Apex Inheritances had run like dogs from these monsters.

That place is exceptionally perilous, but the place where the most treasures of this realm are presents, and I planned to there, the Crown Tree has the thing I need very much.

Chew Chew!

Suddenly Ashlyn called me through our link, saying she had found something interesting. Ashlyn is quite far from me, not only to scout but also to fight the monsters.

Hearing she had found something interesting, I increased my speed, though I would still pick up a thing or two if it is interesting enough. 

On the way, I noticed the concentration of energy is increasing consistently, which means I am walking toward the place where the origin of Cosmic Energy.

Forty-five minutes later, I reached where Ashlyn is and couldn't help but get surprised seeing the thing in front of me.

"Wow," I said as I looked at the small lake in front of me. Ive come across many ponds on the way but not like this one. The pond's water has a high concentration of Cosmic Energy inside it; it is connected to the source of cosmic energy present in the underground.

Through my observation, I was able to deduce that source of Cosmic Energy of Subterranean in the underground, if it had been open ground, flora and fauna would not be as stable as it is right now.

The water source is deep underground, and seeing how seamlessly cosmic energy fused with water, this water has become a treasure, and I fully intend to take it; as the learning Gourmet, I have to take it.