Light filtered gradually through Ren’s eyelids, a soft whitish invasion that slowly pulled him from the deep abyss of dreamless sleep. Ren opened his eyes, blinking several times to adjust his vision to the prevailing brightness. A white canvas stretched above him: the inner fabric of a tent ceiling, illuminated by the morning light that managed to penetrate the partially open fabric door. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly, as if greeting the new day. He felt curiously renewed, as if he had slept for weeks instead of hours. His body, which he remembered on the verge of collapse after the battle with the abomination, now seemed brimming with energy, each muscle relaxed, every nerve at peace. The residual pain he had expected was conspicuously absent. Slowly, he turned his head to inspect his surroundings. He found himself in a separate compartment, smaller than the main camp tent. The air held the faint scent of medicinal herbs and clean linen. The only person present was Lin, seated on a small stool next to his cot. Her expression, normally playful, now showed an unusual seriousness, though her eyes visibly brightened when she noticed he had awakened. She leaned forward slightly, relief evident in the softening of her shoulders. On another cot nearby, just a few meters away, lay Han. His companion remained motionless, eyes closed, breathing regular. A bandage wrapped around his broken leg, and smaller dressings covered various minor wounds on his arms and face. "How long...?" Ren began, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse. "Just one full night, your recovery is monstrous, much faster than I remember," Lin responded, handing him a glass of water. "It’s the morning of the third expedition day." Ren drank gratefully, the fresh water dispelling the last vestiges of dryness in his throat. While he drank, Lin took a small silver bell that rested on a small table and rang it briefly. Outside the tent, hurried footsteps moved away, probably some assistant sending a message. "How do you feel?" Lin asked, studying him attentively, her eyes scanning for any signs of lingering illness or pain. "Surprisingly well," Ren noticed two empty vials on a nearby tray, recognizing them as containers of good quality anti-mana medicine. "I suppose that explains why I don’t feel like I’ve been trampled by a herd of bull elephants." Lin nodded, a small smile briefly appearing on her lips. "Mana poisoning. Quite severe, I might add. If Zhao hadn’t found you when he did..." Her voice took on a somber quality, the unspoken implications hanging heavy in the air. She left the sentence incomplete, but the message was clear. "Ren," she continued, her tone changing to something more cautious, more measured. She leaned closer, lowering her voice slightly. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened down there." Ren contemplated the question for a moment, organizing his thoughts. The memories came in flashes, the fall, the chamber, the monstrous creature that defied all natural laws. Each image was vivid despite his exhaustion at the time. From his position on the other cot, Han listened attentively. Although he appeared asleep, something in the tension of his shoulders, in the too-regular pattern of his breathing, started to suggest he was awake. "It was an abyssal," Ren began. "But not a common one. Somehow it had... absorbed characteristics from all the surrounding deep beasts." Lin leaned forward, her interest clearly intensified. "What do you mean by ’absorbed’?" "Exactly that," Ren gestured with his hands, trying to give shape to what he had witnessed. His fingers traced patterns in the air, mimicking the creature’s impossible anatomy. "It had characteristics from different creatures. Living tunnel plates, mimic insect legs, stone lurker features... it had even assimilated part of the shadow stalker queen from the colony." Lin visibly paled. "The queen? That would explain the unusually aggressive behavior of the colony." Her fingers tightened around the edge of her stool, knuckles whitening. "Fortunately, it hadn’t encountered a weaver queen," Ren continued, a shiver running down his spine at the mere thought. The image of such a creature wielding thread manipulation abilities made his blood run cold. "If it had acquired their abilities to manipulate thread... we wouldn’t have survived to tell the tale." Lin was clearly trying to process this information, her brow furrowed in concentration as she mentally connected dots. "Wait," she interrupted, raising a hand. "How is it possible for a creature to absorb special abilities from such disparate species? I’ve never seen any abyssal with more than one ability in the hordes..." "I’m not sure, but I think it was the corrupted core of a shadow stalker," explained Ren, his mushrooms pulsing more rapidly as he remembered. "The abyssal energy that permeated it... it was as if it had corrupted its natural absorption capacity, taking it to impossible extremes. It could create illusions like an advanced mimic, absorb vitality like a shadow stalker..." For the next few minutes, Ren detailed the battle: the creature’s multiple cores, abilities, the illusion trap, how he had needed to destroy several segments before the creature finally retreated. The words flowed easily as he recounted the desperate struggle, each detail preserved with perfect clarity despite his exhaustion at the time. He described how he had used the spear, the bow, and even a last desperate attack with the concentrated energy of his light, amplified by the hydra’s armor. His hands moved animatedly as he explained the sequence of events, tracing the trajectory of each attack in the air. However, his account ended with the ray of light, just before losing consciousness. There was no mention of Han’s transformation. Han maintained his pretense of unconsciousness, but the tension in his jaw over what Ren might say relaxed. His breathing returned to its carefully measured rhythm. "...and that’s all I did," Ren finally concluded. "After launching that last attack, the mana poisoning overcame me. The next thing I knew was waking up here." Lin remained silent for several seconds, absorbing everything she had heard. The implications were staggering, a creature capable of cross-species absorption represented a threat far beyond normal ecosystem disruptions. Finally, she settled back in her seat and nodded, as if accepting the story. "Incredible," she murmured. "Absolutely incredible that you survived something like that." Ren took advantage of the pause to slightly change the subject. "How is everyone else? Min, Taro, the girls, everyone..." "Everyone is fine," Lin responded, her expression softening. "Some cases of beast exhaustion, mana drainage, what’s expected after a prolonged confrontation with shadow stalkers. Nothing that proper medicine and rest can’t solve..." She gave him an appraising look. "Though they’re not monsters like you; the auxiliary healers will have to work overtime there." Lin paused, as if considering whether to add something more. "Julius returned to the chamber after ensuring all students were safe. He recovered your backpacks and belongings." ’And probably thoroughly investigated the scene,’ Ren mentally added, noticing the subtle change in Lin’s tone. "The current theory," she continued, confirming Ren’s suspicions, "is that this... abomination, as you’ve described it, could be a product of the last intrusion of Yino agents. Perhaps even something deliberately planned." Han’s body relaxed slightly more at these words. A nearly imperceptible sigh of relief escaped his lips. "What will happen with our evaluation?" Ren asked, genuinely concerned about the lost time and points potentially deducted for the rescue. Lin smiled, a flash of her usual playful personality briefly appearing. "Considering the extraordinary circumstances, no points will be deducted. The presence of an abyssal beast is not a common part of the environment in which you’re being evaluated. It would be unfair to penalize you for something like that." Ren felt a wave of relief wash over him. The last thing he wanted was for his companions, who had risked so much following him, to suffer academic penalties. Their trust in him had already cost them enough in his mind. "So, we have a third day to obtain more materials," Ren calculated, his mind already planning how to make the most of the remaining time. New routes, potential gathering locations, and strategies began forming in his thoughts. Lin’s expression turned cautious again. "Not so fast, young genius. First, you’ll have to answer some more questions... to Zhao and Julius." As if they had been waiting for precisely that signal, the tent flap opened at that moment, revealing the two men. Zhao entered first, his owl markings glowing softly as they always did when he was evaluating something with special attention. His eyes swept the tent with practiced efficiency. Julius followed, his expression carefully neutral, though his eyes quickly scanned the tent, briefly pausing on Han before focusing on Ren. "Professor Zhao, Your Highness," Ren slightly inclined his head in respect. "Ren," Zhao nodded in response. "It’s good to see you awake and recovered." "A remarkably rapid recovery," Julius added. "Especially considering the severity of the mana poisoning you presented." There was something in his tone, not quite suspicion, but a hint of curiosity that suggested he found Ren’s resilience worthy of further investigation.