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However, they did not take into account the density of Mana surrounding the plant. Although Ozul wasn’t sure, he figured that even an average Rank-7 Mage would find it challenging to touch the Lotus!

As Ozul had imagined, the man suddenly flew back and hit the wall just when he was about to get closer to the Lotus.

For a moment, the mercenaries thought that the man had finally triggered some trap that had sent him flying back. Only a few seconds later, when they felt the Mana pressure increasing with each step taking near the Lotus did they realize what the cause was.

“Now what?” Clive asked. He had instinctively addressed his question towards Ozul as he knew nothing about what all of this was.

The people had given him a proper routine to cross the whole forest beforehand, and encountering such a dangerous treasure was not in the plan!

Only when his words got out of his mouth did he realize that he had made a mistake, but he couldn’t just take his words back now. The others also turned towards Ozul to see what he had to say about the situation.

.....

In response, Ozul only looked at the crowd with his bored expressions and went to the corner of the room. All eyes followed his figure as he sat cross-legged with his back against the wall.

No one uttered a word for a while, and an awkward silence took over the room. Ozul had his eyes closed while everyone had theirs’ on him.

Everyone’s stares made him open his eyes. Even the usual gawking of people would be disturbing for people, but Ozul also felt their emotions! So it was hard to ignore, even for him.

He understood that the group wouldn’t leave him alone unless he explained everything to them. It was really getting on his nerves.

“The Lotus has yet to bloom. I will be waiting for it here. Do whatever you want. Leave or not, you decide.” Ozul said in such a cold tone that it sent shivers down the spines of others.

When the group heard him, they turned their heads back towards Clive since he was the leader, and his orders were absolute.

Being put on the spot where he was totally clueless about the situation made Clive’s head gears turn at full speed.

“Uh... Of course, we would be staying in here as well.” Clive announced after a few seconds of thinking.

He knew that Ozul was strong enough to protect them from most of the dangers here. And if they were to leave alone now, what if there other Rank-7 Beasts outside?

Anyways, he wasn’t even sure if getting out from here without the help of Ozul was possible because of the wild vines.

The best course of action was to stay together with Ozul, which guaranteed them the best protection. Since he couldn’t force the latter to come together with them, at least he could get the group to stay here for a while.

Clive did not know how much time it could take for the flower to bloom.

“Everyone! The space in this room is limited, so everyone will have to manage. We will be resting here for as long as the Lotus doesn’t bloom,” Clive explained as the mercenaries sighed in relief.

Just like him, they did not want to leave Ozul’s company either. If Clive had ordered, they would be forced to go and fight the vines with their lives on the line. And no matter how seasoned of a warrior they were, no one enjoyed dying!

At this point, almost all of them had understood that Ozul was the strongest in their group. However, they were still unsure of how strong he actually was.

There were only three other corners in the room, and the mercenaries spread out towards them. Some sat down on the ground while others chose to keep standing and observe the room.

“Remember, no one will go near the plant. And try not to touch anything suspicious. If you find anything unusual, report first!” Clive shouted when he noticed another Rank-6 Mage trying his luck and nearing the middle of the room.

“Also-”

“Will you stop shouting already?!” Ozul interrupted Clive with an annoyed face when he was about to shout other orders.

“Ah, my bad,” Clive smiled embarrassedly. Instead of getting angry that Ozul had interrupted, he bowed a few times.

He knew better than to show his arrogance as the Vice-Leader of the Silver Knights before someone stronger than him. It was the world that was ruled by the strong. The strong were respected, and the strongest was worshiped. Some mighty titles did not mean a thing when you were weaker than your opponent.

Since he had expressed his annoyance at his loud tone, Clive gave every command in a voice that barely reached Ozul’s corner.

Everyone generally avoided Ozul’s corner, while the other three corners were crowded. Raven and Blaze were the only two who went near him and sat down at a distance as well.

Clara could only look at them with jealousy from afar. She also wanted to sit near Ozul, but she was afraid that it might annoy him.

A few seconds later, silence took over the room again when everyone had taken their spot. Slowly, everyone had started to stop talking since they were afraid that Ozul would be disturbed again, which might not end well for them.

At this point, the room had gotten so quiet that it was actually causing some people anxiety since they could hear themselves breathe as well!

The atmosphere had turned quite awkward for them. To top it off, a black cat suddenly appeared in the room through the tunnel after a while!

It was Jinx! She did not make any sound, as usual. She just looked around the room before spotting Ozul’s figure in the corner. With graceful steps, she approached him and took her position by his side.

Ozul sensed her presence by his side but did not open his eyes since it was her usual routine. On the other hand, Raven could only stare daggers at Jinx since she had gotten a closer spot to him.

“How long will it take for it to bloom?” Blaze asked. Only he was brave enough to ask this question since no one else in the room had the guts to converse with Ozul. Raven was an exception since she did not care anyways.

“I don’t know. But I can feel that it is close.” Ozul replied without opening his eyes.

He did not know the exact time that the Lotus would bloom, but he was sure that it wouldn’t take long. In his eyes, the Lotus was already almost packed to the brink with Mana. He figured that it wouldn’t be long for the process to end.

Blaze did not disturb him anymore and also closed his eyes like Raven. He started to absorb the dense Mana in the surroundings since it was a rare opportunity to find an environment like his.

Raven and Blaze planned to take full advantage of this place while they waited. After a while, even Clara began to imitate them since she had nothing better to do. Following her example, the others in the group started to cultivate as well.

A few minutes later, everyone in the room was either resting or cultivating!

It was at this point when suddenly the room shook a little, enough to make everyone open their eyes in surprise. They were all alerted, thinking that someone might have triggered some trap mechanism.

Ozul also opened his eyes as he looked curiously towards the Lotus.

A few moments passed by, and suddenly, the point where all the giant roots had joined together flashed a bright light. That point on which the Lotus rested almost looked like a tree trunk but with an uneven top.

When the light flashed, it was so bright that the people in the room had to close their eyes. Even Ozul did so since he hated light the most.

Because of the light’s intensity, they did not see anything, but everyone was sure of one thing. It was that the light was unusually brown!

Some of them were even confused as to how a dark-colored light could be so bright. But if they focused enough, they would realize that it was not just any light. It was Mana!

A few seconds passed, and the blinding light subsided. When everyone opened their eyes, they quickly looked at the Lotus, expecting it to be bloomed.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed to notice that the Lotus was still close. However, there were many changes in its appearance instead!

The most significant change was actually the color of its petals! Before, the plant just looked like a usual lotus with pink petals.

However, one of the petals on the outside had suddenly turned brown!

Another idiot was just about to head towards the Lotus to check it out from up close before his friend smacked him from behind.

“Come back here!”

Just because there were no dangers inside the room, everyone seemed to forget how approaching the Lotus was almost impossible for them. The man who was flung earlier and hit the wall had yet to wake up!

Everyone expected at least Ozul to take a look at the Lotus, but he did not even stand up from his position and just closed his eyes back since the Lotus had not yet bloomed.