Death... and me

With Rafatia and Luan still not being found, Falangia became even more curious now to know just where Roan had the two hide. However, he refused to say anything and just told her to wait.

In the demon beast forest, close to the middle, many Stage Two and quite a few Stage Three Demon Beasts could be found. Just like most demon beast territories, the closer to the center one was, the stronger and more numerous the demon beasts became. Of course, this forest was no exception.

However, just that wasn't enough to stop the searching parties. Everyone was in the Core and Soul Fusion Realm, so the Stage Three Demon Beasts were of no concern to the members of the groups. Besides, this would indeed be a good place to hide due to the demon beasts themselves.

Of course, due to the number of demon beasts, not many kids decided to stay here. As for the ones who did have the strength to hide here, the searching groups had already found them. Well, to be more specific, the searching groups found almost all of them. There were still two kids hiding in one of the various demon beast territories.

These two kids were none other than Rafatia and Luan. But then again, how come the few kids who decided to hide here had already been found while Rafatia and Luan were still safe? Surprisingly, it had nothing to do with Luan's eye ability. Instead, it had to do with their hiding place.

Inside a tree opening? Nope!

Underground? Nope!

In the middle of some bushes? Nope!

Inside a demon beast's lair? Even less!

Rafatia and Luan were, in fact, inside of a demon beast's mouth! To be more specific, they were inside the mouth of a demon beast called a Dragon Hippo. It was called that due to the several scales on its body and its aggressive nature. Of course, the hippo had nothing to do with real dragons. Nothing in its bloodline carried any semblance to one. It was just a name.

This was one of the most aggressive demon beasts, and it would have attacked any cultivator who got close, including stronger ones. Without a doubt, that was definitely not a place someone would think kids would try to hide in. Surprisingly though, it went about its business in a pond of mud as if Luan and Rafatia had never been in its mouth.

The question was why it wasn't trying to swallow or chew the two kids in its mouth. To answer that, one would need to go back in time. When the twins' group arrived on Utari Island, they spread their Divine Senses to check it. It was during that time that Latros found them and had their group leave the forest since there was a test happening there. During that time, Roan had found these Dragon Hippos when he spread his Divine Sense.

Going back to the time when the Latros explained the test, Roan remembered the Dragon Hippo. He knew that the searching groups wouldn't consider looking into the Dragon Hippo's mouths for sure. Another reason why he selected this demon beast was that it was the only one with a mouth big enough to fit the kids inside it.

Luan and Rafatia's job was very simple. They had to force one of those hippos to swallow the pill. As long as they did that, the hippo would fall into a trance. Of course, it didn't change the fact that it was quite dangerous since Dragon Hippos lived in groups. Besides, only Stage Three ones would be big enough for the task.

Roan didn't mind, though. He simply considered forcing one hippo to swallow the pill as a test for Luan and Rafatia. Sure enough, in the hour available for them, Luan and Rafatia succeeded in luring one of the Dragon Hippos away from the group. The two then waited for the right moment the Dragon Hippo opened its mouth to attack and threw Roan's pill inside. Since Luan wasn't as exhausted as he was yesterday, he totally could fight a demon beast at Stage Three. With Rafatia's help, it became even easier.

A few seconds after the Dragon Hippo swallowed the pill, it stopped attacking and began to look around. It was as if it couldn't see Luan and Rafatia anymore. After that, the real test of courage came. Roan told them to enter the Dragon Hippo's mouth and wait there. What if the hippo wasn't affected by the pill? The two kids were obviously scared of that. However, after thinking about what Roan would do to them if they failed, they reached the conclusion that the Dragon Hippo's mouth seemed a lot safer.

The hippo didn't react at all when its mouth was open. It just kept walking back to its mud pond so that it could relax. The two kids then entered its mouth and only left an opening big enough so they could breathe.

Now here were two kids inside a demon beast's mouth, waiting for time to pass. According to Roan's words, the pill's effect would take at least two days to disappear, so the kids shouldn't be worried. Well, that was easier said than done.

Time passed, and another hour went by. Of the 7 remaining kids, another two were found. Naturally, they were heavily praised by their guardians due to the Divine Stones they would receive as rewards.

The test continued, and two more kids were found after three hours of search. In the end, only three kids were left. Luan, Rafatia, and another kid called Brao.

Latros couldn't help but smile after that. Because he and the elders were overseeing the test with their Divine Senses, they obviously knew where these last three kids were. Of course, they wouldn't tell the searching teams about it.

Latros then said, "Kubli, I'll give you one extra hour. If you can't find the last three kids, we'll finish the test here today."

Kubli couldn't help but sigh after that. He was used to this test. Usually, he would have found all the kids by now. However, it was obvious that those last three kids were just way too well hidden. "Yes, Guild Master." Of course, he would still try during the time given.