Chapter 2886: Chapter 2886: Suspicion

One week later, the three-eyed boy's wounds almost healed. He was still constantly infiltrated with the internal momentum of the Life Godly Way.

Since the giant ape had been with Zen and Elvinia over the past several days, it had developed quite a bit of trust in them. Now, it would sometimes leave the three-eyed boy alone with them.

Just now, it had left the hut and was picking up some rare herbs from the Dark Region.

It was true that it didn't know much about medicine making, but being a longtime resident of the Dark Region, it had a fairly good idea of what effect those herbs had.

After returning to the hut, the ape gave the herbs to Zen and tried to inform him of their effect. Zen had finally developed a rough understanding of its words and understood what it was trying to say. He processed the juice of the herbs and fed it to the three-eyed boy.

Ten days later, either due to those herbs, or the Life Godly Way, the three-eyed boy finally opened his eyes.

Shaking his head to remove any grogginess, he got up from the ground and looked around vigilantly. He then remarked in surprise, “I'm fine?”

Before falling unconscious, he had thought that he was doomed.

“Hmm.”

The ape grunted in response, shaking its huge head with a joyful smile on its face.

The three-eyed boy stared at the giant ape and asked, “You brought me back and cured me?”

“Woo?”

The honest ape shook its head at once.

It was true that it had brought the three-eyed boy back from the mine. Some time ago, the three-eyed boy had broken into the area of the Burning Crystal mine, but had been surrounded by several black monkeys. This was not the first time he had dealt with them, so he had not taken them seriously at first.

However, this time, hundreds of black monkeys had rushed out in full force. The three-eyed boy did not realize that he was outmatched until it was too late.

He had only gotten through the siege by spending the last ounce of his strength.

Although he had managed to finally rush out of the mine, the black monkeys had chased closely after him, biting his flesh and draining his blood all the way. In the end, he just wasn't able to resist anymore. He had fallen to the ground in the pool of blood. At that critical moment, the giant ape had stretched out its hand and taken him away fast.

However, the ape believed that it was Zen who had saved the three-eyed boy's life.

It pointed at Zen with its big finger and said, “He... Saved... You... ”

The three-eyed boy had been living with the giant ape for a long time now, so he could clearly understand every word it said. When he heard that Zen was his savior, his face was full of doubt.

It was impossible for Zen to save him due to his physical conditions.

Then his eyes swept around, and he saw several large trees inserted around the hut. When he saw the black-and-white trees all around him, his eyes flashed with surprise.

Zen and Elvinia didn't belong to the Dark Region. All their medicines and efforts would prove to be lethal toxins for him.

But with those trees around the hut, things were different.

“You ate the Darkness Fruit?” The three-eyed boy asked as he stared at Zen.

Zen hesitated for a moment before he nodded, “Yes.”

The three-eyed boy sneered coldly and continued, “You ate the Darkness Fruit, which means that you had several chances of escaping the Dark Region over the past several days. Why didn't you go away? Why did you stay to save my life?” ṛ𝘈ɴo͍ᛒĘŜ

After eating the Darkness Fruit, Zen would be able to completely adapt to the environment of the Dark Region and leave the range of the candlelight.

Once they crossed the wooden bridge and left the Dark Region, even the giant ape would have been unable to do anything to them.

But they hadn't escaped. Instead, they had stayed there to save him. In the heart of the three-eyed boy, something was going on. Why would someone sacrifice their own freedom?

“Answer me!”

The three-eyed boy roared as the eye on his forehead opened. A ray of green light flashed out and shot towards Zen.

The green light could not only penetrate Zen's body, but also his very soul.

“Puff!”

As the green light penetrated into his chest, Zen was pulled up into the air.

“Woo...”

The huge ape let out a puzzled cry. It had never thought that the three-eyed boy would attack Zen after he woke up.

“Stop it! How can you do this?! He saved your life!” Elvinia stood up and cried at the three-eyed boy.

Over the past several days, Zen had spent a lot of energy in trying to save the three-eyed boy. Although he had only expedited the internal momentum, he had done so day and night without a break. But even after that, when the three-eyed boy had woken up, he was returning the kindness with ingratitude!

The three-eyed boy ignored Elvinia and stared at Zen with his eyes fixed on him. He wanted an answer; he needed an answer!

Zen's expression didn't change much. He could easily endure the pain of being pierced. He calmly asked in response, “Have you always been alone in the Dark Region?”

The three-eyed boy didn't know why Zen was asking this question. He replied coldly, “So what?”

“You don't have any friends... or family?” Zen asked again.

“Friend? Family?”

These two words were completely new to the three-eyed boy.

The only creature he could consider as his friend in the Dark Region might be this giant ape. When it came to a friend of the same race, or a member of his family, he indeed did not have one.

Some people said that the fights in the Source World and on the Other Shore had been long and cruel. But compared to those in the Dark Region, they had been nothing at all.

In the Dark Region, there had never been any sort of friendship. All the races had been engaged in endless battle ever since they were born. Only a few lucky creatures who had survived countless bloody fights could find a way out and be summoned by the organization.

Over the past years, the three-eyed boy had climbed up one step after another. If even a single mistake had found its way into the past ten million steps he had taken, he would have been dead.

After going through such a long and cruel experience, he had lost the ability to trust anyone.

To him, Zen and Elvinia should have been ungrateful and angry since they were locked up by him.

But even then, at the time of his death, they hadn't run away. Instead, they had saved him. There must be a plot!

“I wanted to explore the Dark Region not only to obtain the Other Shore Tokens, but also to satisfy my curiosity about it,” Zen explained. “In the beginning, we did plan to run away. In fact, we were well prepared for that. But I have a feeling you aren't that bad. You're definitely worth making friends with. I naturally chose to save you.”

Worth making friends with?

The three-eyed boy's face changed when he heard Zen's words. Some deep and small part of his heart was touched by this sentence.

'If this guy really thinks so, something must be wrong with his brain, ' the three-eyed boy thought.

But somehow, he didn't hate this kind of thinking.

His originally stiff and cold face softened a little. The third eye on his forehead blinked softly, and the green light disappeared. Freed of the flash, Zen fell down to the ground with a thump.

The three-eyed boy then took some white fruits from the black-and-white trees and handed them to Zen. “As long as you are willing to help me make more candles, I am willing to give you more freedom,” he promised.

These Darkness Fruits would enable Zen to walk freely in the Dark Region.