Raul gave a small, approving nod. "Exactly. A weakling wouldnât dare come here. This lake attracts many powerful beings, including creatures with ancient bloodlines. He must have some cards hidden. But donât worryâwhen he comes back up, heâll be out in the open. Then, we strike. With your strength and mine, even if heâs hiding his true power, he wonât escape."
Nico grinned, revealing slightly yellowed teeth as his small eyes sparkled with cruel anticipation. "Heh, Senior Brother Raul is wise. Iâll do as you say."
Raulâs smile deepened as he narrowed his eyes on the rippling lake. "Good. Letâs be patient. The moment he resurfaces... weâll snatch everything heâs hiding. No one will ever know."
The two crouched lower, completely silent now, waiting for their prey to rise.
Deep beneath the shimmering waters of Mirror Moon Lake, Max remained oblivious to the two predators lurking above the surface. His focus was solely on finding a rare herbâthe Realm Breaking Moon Flower.
According to the ancient map given to him by the elders, this flower was said to exist somewhere within the boundaries of Mirror Moon Lake. But the map offered no clear directions, only a vague marking near the center of the lake.
No specific coordinates, no landmarksâjust a vague promise that such a treasure might exist here. Max was used to this. If something could help him break through to Champion Rank, it was never going to come easy.
Just as he was about to start randomly scanning the vast lakebed, something flickered in his Three Dimensional Body visionâa sudden glimmer that caught his attention.
He narrowed his eyes underwater and focused. There, not too far from where he hovered, was a peculiar creature. A rat. But not just any ratâthis one was golden. Its entire body gleamed as if it had been bathed in molten gold and frozen mid-shimmer.
Maxâs eyes widened in surprise. A golden rat underwater was rare enough, but what truly caught his attention was what it was eating.
The rat was happily nibbling away at a flower with three distinct colored petalsâred, green, and white. Max instantly recognized it: the Three Colored Petal Leaf. This herb was extremely rare, a spiritual plant known to soothe mental chaos and stabilize a personâs mind, especially after exposure to heavy killing intent or mental corruption.
It was something experts cherished, and here was a random rat munching on it like it was a casual snack.
Max stared blankly for a second, dumbfounded. âDamn... this ratâs appetite is insane. That herb alone couldâve fetched a fortune.â
He cursed the rat inwardly but didnât move. His curiosity was piqued now. A golden rat that casually found and devoured such a rare herb... it couldnât be ordinary.
Just as he was trying to decide whether to approach or not, the golden rat suddenly bolted, swimming swiftly through the dense waters with surprising speed and agility.
Max, curious and suspicious, activated his stealth abilities and followed it silently from behind. Something about this rat was off... or maybe extraordinary.
After a few minutes of swimming, the rat stopped in a secluded underwater grove nestled between thick aquatic plants and sunken stones. There, dangling from a short, crooked branch, was a single, glowing fruit that resembled a crimson apple.
It pulsed gently with heat, surrounded by small bubbles of warmth despite the chill of the lake. Max immediately recognized it.
"A Divine Flame Apple?" he murmured silently in his mind, eyes wide.
The golden rat didnât hesitate. It leapt, snatched the apple with its tiny claws, and began devouring it as if it were just another meal. Max stood frozen for a moment. That fruit wasnât just rareâit was sacred to flame inheritance experts.
Said to increase the mastery of flame techniques drastically, it was nearly impossible to find even in high-grade secret realms. And here was this rat, eating it like it was a midday snack after already consuming the Three Colored Petal Leaf.
Max blinked in disbelief. "This... this canât be coincidence. Two back-to-back treasures? Both high-grade herbs? And this thing just happens to find and eat them?"
Then it hit him.
His eyes sparkled as the thought bloomed in his mind like an epiphany. "Wait... no way... unless this rat isnât just a rat."
His breath hitched, and his heart quickened. "Could it be... a Treasure Seeking Rat?"
Treasure Seeking Ratâjust the name alone sent a thrill through Maxâs chest. He had read about them once, buried deep within the classified records of the Great Ruler Empire. The records spoke of this mystical beast: a creature not born of ordinary evolution, but one seemingly blessed by the very will of the world.
It was said that a Treasure Seeking Rat could locate even the most well-hidden heavenly treasures as long as they were within a certain radius. No concealment formation, no spatial distortion, no divine seal could deceive it.
Whether it was a herb with unimaginable medicinal value, a weapon forged from the bones of an ancient beast, or a crystal with untapped lawsâif it existed nearby, the rat would find it. They were a living compass of fortune.
But the records had also included a chilling detail. These rats were not ordinary beasts that wandered the lands freely. They belonged to a forbidden class of creatures that rarely appeared in peaceful times.
Instead, they were said to surface only when a catastrophe loomedâan event so devastating it could mark the beginning of a world-ending calamity. Their appearance was considered both a blessing and a warning.
Yet, standing here, watching the golden rat greedily devour a Divine Flame Apple after consuming a Three Colored Petal Leaf, Max couldnât care less about prophecies or apocalyptic warnings.
His gaze was fixed, not with fear, but with greedy anticipation. âIf I can tame this creature... this entire secret domain will be nothing but a treasure field for me.â
His lips curled upward into a slow, calculating smile. His eyes gleamedânot just with ambition, but with wild desire.