Todd's body had just finished its mutation; his clothes had turned into a pile of strips of cloth, the metal scales had not completely disappeared, and his enhanced muscles remained in an excited state.

Meredith, sitting next to Rachel, first glanced at Todd's lower body, then at the woman's ample bosom beside her, and blinked: "I can excuse myself if you need me to."

She later added, "Of course, I'd be happy to be a spectator if you don't mind."

Todd was taken aback, but then he realized that the other party had misunderstood his intentions.

"It's not what you think!" Todd pointed to his clothes and said anxiously, "Beneath the Shadow Kingdom lies a large amount of radioactive ore. If you've stayed underground for an extended period, this radioactive material will contaminate your skin and clothing, causing ongoing damage. So, the most important thing right now is to change your clothes immediately and wash yourself thoroughly with clean water!"

Seeing the two women, he still looked like he understood but didn't quite.

Todd was so anxious he was jumping up and down. He ran back to the main hall of the temple and rummaged through the supplies scattered on the floor to find water bags, dry cloths, clothes and furs.

Returning to the stone chamber entrance, he placed all the supplies on the ground and shouted to Rachel inside, "Quick! Clean her with water and change her into clean clothes! Meredith, help her!"

After saying this, Todd turned and went back into the temple hall, where he stripped off all his clothes. He first took out a bag of water and cleaned off the radioactive mineral powder on his body, then changed into a set of unclaimed clothes.

Having done all this, Todd waited anxiously in the lobby for ten minutes before finally seeing Rachel appear in the corridor, dressed in a new outfit.

Ignoring her questions and protests, Todd put her in a sleeping bag made of animal fur, tied it to his back, took a few essential items, and walked out of the temple gate, following the ridge path towards the summit.

Leaning on Todd's shoulder, Rachel looked at the snow-capped peaks in the distance and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Go to the highest point in the Land of Shadows, the only safe place away from underground radioactive sources."

"Radioactive source?"

Todd knew that explaining this term would inevitably involve a series of specialized concepts—'nuclide,' 'radioactive field,' 'ray'...

Left with no other option, he explained to Rachel in a relatively simple way: "You can think of a radioactive source as a giant gas spore that constantly emits harmful toxic gases that can contaminate the surrounding water, soil, and air. If any living organism gets too close to it, it will slowly kill the tissues and organs in its body."

“And this poisonous spore is located in the sacrificial hall, the place where I sat for a day and a night…” Rachel seemed to finally understand her situation.

Todd trudged through the snow, comforting her, "As long as you stay away from radiation sources, throw away all contaminated clothes, and wash your skin, you can rely on your body's natural healing abilities to gradually reduce radiation damage."

Rachel's thoughts began to unfold: "So, the reason why the water, air, and food of the Shadow Kingdom are deadly is actually because of the presence of radioactive sources?"

"That should be correct."

"Then what about the animals here? Why weren't they killed by the radiation source? And those who passed the trial, they don't seem to have been affected by the radiation either."

Todd already had a vague answer to these questions about Rachel: it might all be related to the legendary 'tyrant.' But without concrete evidence, it was merely speculation.

As we climbed the path to the mountaintop, the wind and snow grew stronger.

The fatigue from the recent mutation, coupled with the blizzard, slowed Todd's pace.

Todd pulled Rachel closer to his back, using his body as a shield against the wind and snow, while glancing back at the path they had come from.

If the goal is simply to get away from radiation sources, reaching this altitude should be sufficient. The key now is to find a suitable place to stay.

A clear cry rang out from the sky, prompting Todd to look up.

A griffin, clutching its prey in its talons, wobbled as it landed in the snow a short distance away during the blizzard.

Seeing this, Todd grinned.

The problem is solved.

Carrying Rachel on his back, he walked for ten minutes toward the direction the griffin had landed.

Todd discovered a hidden cave beneath the vast expanse of snow.

Compare the sizes; it's only about the height and width of one person.

Carefully stepping on the snow, Todd jumped into the hole. After carefully checking it over and confirming that there was no threat, he dragged Rachel out of the sleeping bag and put her on the ground.

"Walk behind me and try not to make a sound." Todd used his 'night vision' ability to observe the surrounding terrain while leading Rachel deeper into the area.

The cave is narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, with a ventilation opening at the top, making it an excellent place to stay.

The lack of radioactive ore along the way relieved Todd; however, the numerous biological skeletons scattered on the ground made him extremely nervous.

After turning a corner, Todd and Rachel finally saw the cave's owners—a male and a female griffin, along with their three eggs.

The male griffin was the first to spot the intruder. It loudly warned its mate while rushing forward to meet the enemy with its body.

In the dim light of the cave, Todd and the griffin met face to face, and both of them were stunned.

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