Chaos Warlord: Reincarnated in Eldrich with the Devil System!

Chapter 270 267: Trifold realm and a sneaky rat!

His form was visible, yet something felt amiss. Val couldn\'t point out what was wrong, but he kicked it to the back of his mind as he felt great to have finally found Oliver, who was in one piece.

"Finally found you," Val said with a hint of relief in his voice.

But despite his words, Oliver remained undisturbed, not showing the slightest recognition.

A creeping sense of unease instantly settled in Val\'s chest.

He tried communicating with him again, this time he even raised his voice as he spoke,

"Oliver? Can you hear me?"

Again, his attempt was met with the same unyielding silence from Oliver. It was as if he didn\'t exist for him for some reason, and it was honestly creeping him out.

Val stepped closer to the young man. He reached out, trying to shake Oliver and snap him out of his apparent trance. However, to his alarm, his hand went right through him, as if he was attempting to grasp a mere wisp of smoke or a phantom.

A pang of frustration and confusion hit Val.

"He can\'t hear, see, or touch me," he murmured to himself. "But why? What\'s causing this barrier between us?"

Val\'s eyes lowered thoughtfully, his long and thick eyelashes casting a delicate shadow on his eyelids. It was evident he was deeply immersed in contemplation, sifting through the vast knowledge he had acquired over the years, trying to decipher the enigma before him. Each passing moment weighed heavily, filled with the silent tension of unanswered questions. After what felt like an eternity but was only a few moments, a spark of understanding lit up his face. He had pieced together a theory.

In his vast experiences and encounters, Val had come to understand that virtually every world, dungeon, and dimension possessed its own Other Side, a kind of mirror realm. With the aid of the mystical shovel, he had the unique ability to traverse to these Other Sides.

This particular dimension, however, presented an intriguing twist.

It wasn\'t simply binary, with two opposite sides. 

It was more akin to a trifold structure.

If one were to visualize it, it would be somewhat like a coin with two primary faces - if Val occupied the left side of this coin, then Oliver was surely on the right. But what made this dimension truly fascinating was the intermediate realm, lying snugly between the two primary sides.

Accessed through the mystical shovel, this intermediate zone mirrored both primary sides. It borrowed elements from Val\'s side and Oliver\'s side, reflecting them in a harmonious blend, yet it was distinctly its own entity. It was as if this middle layer was a bridge or a nexus point, connecting the two main sides yet remaining separate and unique.

\'I am in a realm that bears the mark of both sides of the lesser dimension but belongs to neither.\'

Val understood that while this other side burrowed elements of both sides of the lesser sides, he couldn\'t interact with the people on either side from here even though they were being shown here.

\'What will it be?\'

Val pondered where he might land if he used the mystical shovel to exit the Other Side. He fervently hoped it would be the same side of the dimension where Oliver resided as it would simplify everything. Otherwise, he\'d have to find a route to Oliver\'s side of the dimension, and it would be like a blind goose chase. Who knows how long it would take or if the effort he put into it even bears fruit? 

Val used the power of the mystical shovel to leave the intermediate side of the lesser dimension.

In an instant, he was back in the cave inside the forest, surrounded by familiar sounds and scents. But as he observed his surroundings, he realized he had returned to the very spot he had entered the Other Side from.

\'Damn it.\'

As it turned out, one always exits the Other Side at the very point of entry if they use the mystical shovel. 

\'It must be because of the limitation of the Mystical Shovel. If I had the same power, things would\'ve gone much smoother.\'

Val believed that if he had the power to enter and exit the Other side at will, he would have appeared on Oliver\'s side of the dimension and already united with him.

Fate has dealt him with a handful of cards, and he could only play by them.

Val\'s shoulders slumped slightly as he exhaled a prolonged sigh of disappointment,

For now, he was left with no other alternatives but to wander the forest in search of a way to reach Oliver\'s side of the dimension.

The sun could still be seen in the sky of the lesser dimension, its bright and dazzling rays filtering through the dense canopy of the forest.

The meaning behind its lofty presence was unambiguous.

As long as the golden orb hung high in the sky, Val would not have to worry about any encounters with the devils while wandering through the forest.

This basically provided him with a small window of safety, and he decided to commence his search without any delay as he didn\'t know how long it would last. After all, he was still ignorant of the day and night cycle of this dimension.

Val began maneuvering through the forest, keeping his senses keen.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled. Without warning, a monstrous beast erupted from the earth, launching itself towards him, but it failed to catch him off guard as Val\'s acute sixth sense had preemptively sensed the impending danger, affording him the crucial moments needed to evade the surprise onslaught of the hulking beast by leaping backward.

Thud!

He landed several meters away from the beast and took a moment to observe it. 

It had black, armored scales that reminded Val of hardened coal. Its scales served as an armored fortress, sheltering it from harm. Its eyes were ablaze with a crimson hue and radiated malevolent intent, and its teeth, jagged and sharp, looked like they could tear through steel easily. Lastly, it had two thick legs, a human-like torso with eight abs, and a hand that was like a weapon.

He recognized the beast. He had read about it in a book. It was a level 40+ dungeon monster. He couldn\'t quite remember its name, but he knew it was like an area boss. Its stats shouldn\'t be that impressive. He should be able to handle it. Val decided to fight it as if he killed it and applied its blood on his body, no one in this part of the forest would dare to confront him!

Shuaaa!

The beast let out a deafening roar that echoed ominously through the forest dense with trees and other vegetation. It was attempting to scare Val, but he didn\'t even flinch when it roared, causing it to feel pissed. 

With a tenacity that spoke of its predatory nature, the beast lunged forward.

Whoosh!

Its appendage, akin to a spear, tore through the air, honing in on Val with lethal intent. 

\'It\'s like an open book.\'

Val thought with a smirk. The way the beast attacked was too simple. It would only work against someone slower than the beast itself. However, Val was far faster than it. There was no it was going to work on him.

Demonstrating remarkable agility, he spun to his side, narrowly evading the oncoming assault. Then, using the built-up momentum from his evasive spin, he retaliated with an explosive kick.

Bam! 

His foot connected with the beast\'s midsection with such force that it was violently propelled backward until it met a tree with a deafening crash and lifelessly slumped to the ground.

Val didn\'t buy its act as he didn\'t receive a notification from his system telling him that he had killed it. That meant it was very well alive but pretending to be dead to fool him. 

"Dumb bastard, what are you pretending for? Your tricks won\'t work on me!" Val said after blasting its ass with a bunch of blood bullets, drilling finger-sized holes in its body.

The beast spat out blood and stared at Val with bloodshot eyes after raising its head. Every inch of its gaze was filled with animosity and intense hatred as if its very soul yearned to dismember Val. The depth of this loathing was so immense it would cause anyone to misunderstand they were lifelong enemies.

\'Ah, I remember.\'

A monster that can show such raw emotion... It could only be a Skarnik. Val remembered its name. Along with that, he also remembered how spiteful these beings could be. They were more spiteful than a woman. It was said that once you form an enmity with them, you\'ll not see a single day of peace unless you die or you kill them!

Now that bad blood had been formed between them, Val had to kill it no matter what to avoid additional trouble. If it escaped with its life intact, he would be met with trouble every step of the way.

[Blood Manipulation: Crimson Slash!]

Val executed a sharp hand chop, and with it, a blazing flash of red light propelled towards the Skarnik, which lay sprawled by the tree.