《The Eldrim Cards Legacy》


 Brief Glossary

    <h4>Chapter -1: Brief Glossary</h4>


    Hello guys. I will briefly provide details about power levels, arch-types, cards etc. here. For ess to the actual map of this novel as well as a more in-depth glossary as well as a list of all cards shown in the book, you can find the links in the discord chat. I''ll add a link to the discord at the end of this glossary, but you''ll need to manually enter the link into your url to join (sorry about that, can''t be helped)


    In general, everything in this novel is ranked in stars, usually ranging from 1 star to 3 stars. The same is true for cultivation.


    1 star cultivators are those in the first three levels:


    1. Neophytes


    2. Initiates


    3. Arcanists


    2 star cultivators are those in the subsequent three levels:


    4. Mystic


    5. Ascendant


    6. Sage


    Cards also have qualities which can go from 1 star to 3 stars, except for Neophytes who can only use 0 star cards which are the most basic and low level spell cards.


    Starting from the Mystic level, card masters need to enter into a specific profession. The professions are:


    1. Monarch


    2. Spectre


    3. Eldermyst


    4. Agha


    5. Orchardist


    6. Virtuoso


    7. Ayurvedist


    8. Oathwarden


    9. Polymath


    I will update this list with the details of all these professions when they are introduced in the novel.


    Once again, a link for a more detailed glossary as well as the map for the novel are avable in the discord.


    Discord link: https://discord.gg/VugehpVjJx

 Chapter 1: Streaks of gold

    <h4>Chapter 1: Streaks of gold</h4>


    Streaks of the golden morning light illuminated the room peeking in from behind the blinds, thin fine particles of dust visible as they danced in the light. The faint sounds of birds singing melodiously in the distance could be heard through the open window, which allowed some of the cool morning breeze into the room. Regardless of the time of year, the breeze was always cool in Aetherpeak.


    The fresh air had done the room some good, though its only upant, who was sleeping like the dead, would hardly notice.


    There was a set of folded clothesid out neatly on the room''s only chair, though right beside them, on the floor, some old clothesy crumpled into a ball, the scent of sweat wafting off of them. There was a pair of sneakers near the bed with an unusual bulge near the middle, where a pair of worn socks had been shoved into them.


    On the stic bedside table, beside a notebook filled equally with scribbles and notes, were a couple of devices and a rectangr, metallic case. One of the devices was an unusual metallic tray with a hand imprint made on it, while the other seemed as if it was made entirely from ss.


    The device made of ss suddenly lit up and began ying energetic music extremely loudly. The room''s upant, who had moments ago been sleeping deeply, was startled awake and mmed his hand down on the phone, abruptly turning the rm off.


    Nero, who only realised he was awake after the cacophony that was his rm had been shut off, groaned as he fell back into bed. He had spent another night studying up the history of Kr, trying to trace the origins of its many noble warrior lineages, and so he hadn''t gotten nearly enough sleep. Oddly, as if aware of what happened, a woman yelled from outside the room.


    "Wake up Nero! If I''mte to work again because of you, I''m going to wax your armpits!"


    The teenager, who had thrown himself back into bed filled with feelings of reluctance and regret, trembled at the threat and forcefully opened his eyes to ensure he did not fall back asleep. His mother never made false promises, and she <i>never</i> exaggerated.


    Nero let out a remorseful wail as he forced himself to stay awake.


    "Threats and ckmail are a vition of my human rights!" he yelled at his door.


    The door swung open to reveal a tall, beautiful woman dressed formally, in the middle of making her hair. The long, blue hair needed constant tending due to how silky it was - a source of eternal regret as well as pride for the woman. Her fair, unblemished skin gave her a timeless grace, and an agelessness one could only envy.


    "In this house, kids don''t have human rights," she said as if it was a matter of fact. "Now wake up, and quickly get ready. There should be some warm water for your shower, and we can grab breakfast on the go. I have an early morning today, so we can''t waste time."


    "Can you guys keep it down? I''m trying to sleep here," yelled someone from across the hall, though his voice sounded too excited, as bragging rather thanining.


    "Shut up Edward!" the woman yelled back with a fierceness only a wife could show towards her husband. Yet, instead of being offended, the sound of chuckling could be heard from the bedroom. Edward seemed most pleased at the fact that he could sleep in while everyone else had to get up early.


    "Marilyn, you''re the one screaming!" he yelled back,ughing all the while.


    Nero, by now, waspletely awake, and thest vestiges of hisfortable sleep could only be seen as grains of sand beside his eyes. Taking in a deep breath, he let out a sigh as he rolled off the bed and jumped onto his feet.


    His parents, who had a remarkably happy and healthy rtionship, were busy yelling at each other as his father, for some odd reason, never missed a chance to wake up early and let everyone else in the house know that he would continue to sleep for a few more hours after everyone else left.


    Nero grimaced and wished his mom victory this fine morning. How dare that old man sleepfortably while he had to wake up at thepletely unreasonable time of 7 in the morning?


    He reached for his phone and checked for any notifications while he pressed his left hand onto the second device on his bedside table, as was his morning routine. The device shed a pleasant green light and released a delightful notification sound in the form of bells ringing. But Nero had already moved away by then, andpletely missed it.


    He was so focused on his friends group chat that he did not notice at all that his usual morning routine was different, if only slightly so. The light on the device was green instead of the red he had seen since the tender age of eight, but what did that matter?


    "What do you mean, you''re noting?" Nero furiously typed into the chat. "We saved up for weeks for this! It''s the Green Hurricanes first fight back in his hometown! I heard rumours they even caught a couple of Shadow Deers just so that he can show off his upgraded innate card! I massaged my father''s feet for a week to get permission for this! How can you pull out now?"


    Nero''s motivation to watch this fight was beyond just the simple admiration of a normal teenager, but why did he need to borate on his intentions every time he did something? This could be a good way to spend time with his friends as well as gain something productive.


    The device on his bedside released another notification sound, indicating that it had forwarded the results to the preset people once it achieved a positive result. In the background, the sound of his parents arguing suddenly stopped, but Nero did not notice at all.


    "Who cares if Wendy agreed to go on a date with you? It''s bros first, it''s always bros first! Don''t tell me you''re going to ditch your bros just because of some girl? On fight night of all nights!"


    Nero ignored the sounds of furniture being dragged aside as he went into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He began to brush his teeth with one hand while he continued to type with his other hand.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU''RE NOT GOING TO MISS THE FIGHT? ARE YOU GOING TO THE FIGHT WITH WENDY INSTEAD OF US? @RhinoRider67 WAKE THE HELL UP, WE NEED TO GO BEAT SOMEONE UP!"


    Furiously, he spit out his toothpaste and turned on the shower, his eyes ring at his phone. He had never felt so betrayed. He was the one who got those tickets! How dare his friend use them without him?


    He stuck his hand into the water to check if it was warm, but then quickly pulled it back out. Of course, it wasn''t warm. He had been lied to once again! Betrayal was around every corner this morning. What happened to the sanctity of one''s given word? What happened to-


    Nero suddenly realised he had opened the tap for the cold water. He was about to switch the taps when someone started banging on the bathroom door.


    "Nero, get out here!" his mother yelled.


    "We still have plenty of time. Rx, geez," Nero responded, though his focus was still on his phone.


    "Nero,e outside!" yelled his father''s voice, taking the teenager by surprise. The old man actually got out of bed?


    "Fine, fine, I''ming!" he said as he put his phone in his pocket. His attention, though, was still on his friend. The situation could still be salvaged if he yed his cards well. They''d have to do something in school. He''d already reduced his daily training time in his schedule to amodate the fight, so there was no way he was missing it. But going alone was too inefficient. He needed to utilise his time in the best way possible.


    He opened the door and found both his parents, his mother standing there in her suit, his father in his pyjamas, looking at him with overly animated expressions.


    "What is it?" he asked as his heart dropped. He suddenly feared the arrival of a certain piece of bad news they had all been dreading. But then he noticed the green shade on the wall behind them, and his sight fell on the device on his bedside, causing him to freeze. It was still shing a green light. It was the result Nero had been waiting years for.


    "Wait, is that..." he never got to finish his question as his father suddenly hugged him and lifted him off the ground!


    "You finally did it, kiddo! You finally stabilised your aether! Forget the shower, just put on your shoes, we''ll take you to the Arcane Affairs Bureau now!"


    "Edward, don''t be ridiculous! At least let Nero get dressed properly. You know he''s aiming for the academy, what if someone spots us? He has..."


    His parents'' excited bickering faded into the background as Nero''s gaze remained fixed on the green light. Finally! It had finally happened! The day he had been waiting for so long!


    His right hand clenched into a tight fists, his nails digging into his hands, and his eyes wandered to a closed door down the hall. From where he stood, he could only barely see the beginning of a door frame. For the briefest of moments, the childish, overzealous Nero who had just been fighting with his friends disappeared, and in his ce stood a youth with incredibly cold eyes.


    But the moment shed by, and Nero returned to his usual self. A massive grin stered on his as he hugged his father back.


    "I did it! I finally stabilised!" he yelled, before letting go and hugging his mother as well. The entire family was celebrating this pivotal moment, yet for some reason, their celebrations seemed just a little forced. Their voices were just a little too high pitched. They hugged just a little tighter than normal, and their smiles just bordered on being forced.


    All of them had the same thing on their minds, yet no one wanted to say it or acknowledge it. For now, they just wanted to celebrate this moment between their family, before the realities of life came crashing in.


    But Nero did not dwell too long enjoying this rare family moment. He had nned for this day many times in his mind, and he knew exactly what came next.


    "Mom, you should go on ahead without me. I''m going to shower and get ready properly before heading to the bureau, and I''ll head to school from right there. Dad can take me. It''s not like he has anything else going on in his life."


    "Hey, I have a job!" his father protested, but it was clear he felt more smug than offended.


    But instead of arguing against him, as he expected his mother to do, she smiled at him and ced her hand on his cheek, softly ying with his sideburns with her finger.


    "Nero Grant, I know you better than yourself. I carried you with me in war zones, and when you were born I knew exactly when you wanted to dirty your nappy by the way you scrunched your eyebrows. When the Poaceae epidemic hit when you were five, I knew exactly what thoughts were going through your mind even as I rushed you to a hospital. When you liked that Kimberly girl at 9, I knew before you did, and when she broke your little heart I knew it too, even though you tried to hide it. You cannot keep secrets from me, little one. But just this time... tell me what you''re really thinking."


    Nero could not help but clench his fists as the need to carry on with the facade dropped. Even if she said she knew, he could not bring himself to say it. So...

 Chapter 2: Innate abilities

    <h4>Chapter 2: Innate abilities</h4>


    Nero shifted his gaze from his mother to his father. Inparison to his mother, who was eye-catching in every way, his father was in in almost every conceivable way. The only distinctive feature he had was his hair, which was as golden as the light of the rising sun.


    Besides that, he looked like a very ordinary man. Although he was actually quite tall, at 1.9 metres (6 feet 3 inches), somehow looking at him did not give the same impression. In one''s mind, they would always imagine him as short. He had some stubble growing, showing that he hadn''t shaved yesterday, and while his features made him slightly handsome, he remained forgettable.


    If they stood side by side, even Nero would look more muscr than him - though admittedly Nero was quite well built for someone his age.


    But his in appearance,id back attitude and general persona were an borately crafted facade. In truth, just like everyone else in Kr, both his parents served in the military.


    But unlike everyone else, his mother was an elite soldier with exceptionally highmendations. The only reason she was discharged was because of a severe, nearly fatal injury that crippled her cultivation path. She had spent thest 6 years recovering from that wound.


    His father... well, his father was another story altogether. He had what was called a Whisper Guard. That basically meant that his father had joined a secret wing of the Kr military. What that wing did, what fell under its purview, anything about their operations and personnel, all were a secret. The actual name of the wing itself was also unknown, so people just called it by the same name as the badge, Whisper Guard.


    That basically meant that Nero did not even know if his father was even still in the army or not. For all he knew, his father had been discharged years ago, or was still actually serving. There was no way of knowing. Of course, he had a regr job that was publicly known, but even that could just be a front.


    In summary, his parents were not ordinary folk. He did not believe he could keep his intentions secret from them. But even so, some things just could not be said. Besides, some part of him believed that his parents had the same intention as him on some level.


    "I''m going to enter the hostel, starting today," he finally uttered, as if that was the big revtion he had been contemting for so long. "I need to maximise my training time now that I can be a Neophyte. There''s only a year before I can be eligible to apply to Kr Military Academy(KMA), and I''m already behind most of my peers, so I have much to catch up on. I''m sorry, I... I thought I''de up with a better way to tell you..."


    "Hush, child," Marilyn said, still ying with his hair. "If you think we didn''t know, then you''re mistaken. Everyone has seen the way you''ve been training these past few years. It''s only natural to assume you''ll do the same once you can ess aether. You take a shower. I''ll prepare a duffle bag for you. It''s an important day for you, so don''t think about other things. We''ll visit you at school, or call you over on weekends if we''re missing you too much."


    Nero felt a tremble in his body. He knew he had lied, but even so, it felt like what he had said was true. Well, there was a measure of truth to it. But regardless of what it was, the result was that he was moving away from his family. Considering how close they were, moving away would perhaps be the hardest thing he''d do anytime soon.


    He hugged his parents again once more, before he pushed away all his feelings of hesitation and restraint.


    An excited grin painted his face and an energetic gleam filled his eyes. No matter what, today was finally going to be the day he essed aether, and his excitement about that couldn''t be faked.


    "Okay, I''m going to go take a quick shower. You guys get ready too. I can''t wait to go to AAB (Arcane Affairs Bureau)!" he yelled the end of his sentence as he retreated into the bathroom and shut the door.


    He grabbed his phone and excitedly opened his group chat with his friends. They were still discussing his one friend who was ditching them to watch the Green Hurricane fight with a girl.


    He sent a message in the chat with a wide, teasing grin.


    "Not going to the fight either. Heading to the AAB to synchronise my aether!"


    After that, he exited the chat and found someone else in his contacts who simply had the name Redhead and sent him a message as well.


    "I''m synchronising today."


    Nero did not wait for a reply, he knew he wouldn''t get one. He also didn''t look at his friends'' group chat, otherwise he''d be replying for half an hour. He simply turned on the water and stood under it.


    This time, he purposefully opened the cold water before getting in. He did not hesitate or tremble, and simply treated it as if it were nothing. In this life, until he fulfilled his goals, he could not allow himself the luxury offort any longer. He read in a book thatfort made one weaker, and though he didn''t necessarily agree with that, he could not afford any weakness.


    His muscles tensed as the cool water flowed down through his brown hair, down his neck and onto the rest of his body. Soon, his hair colour would also change, but he wasn''t thinking about that.


    In his mind, he was only reviewing the steps that woulde next. He had to go report to the AAB, where his synchronisation process would be initiated.


    This world was cursed, and in this cursed world, humans were at the bottom of the food chain. That was not an exaggeration, as humans had no redeeming qualitiespared to the creatures that inhabited this world at all.


    Humans werepletely incapable of wielding aether in any meaningful way. Even the stabilisation of aether in their bodies, which is what he experienced today, was a result of a mutation urring in their bodies due to long term exposure to aether. Or at least, that''s what the experts thought. So basically, they weren''t even born with the ability to wield aether, they mutated into it.


    The stabilisation of aether resulted in each human unlocking an innate ability. But originally, ording to nature''s design, that was theplete extent to which humans could wield aether. That was not much of a boost at all, to be honest.


    Innate abilities were not always very useful, or at least in the way the user may wish. The abilities could either be active or passive, and each of those could either be external or internal.


    Active abilities, whether external or internal, could be turned on or off, whereas passive abilities, regardless of internal or external, could never be turned off, though the user could control the scale of the ability. Nevertheless, passive abilities drew some of their power from ambient aether, as if to offset that drawback.


    But that was it. Even if one unlocked the most impressive ability, that was all there was to it. Compared to beasts, which could actually form natural habitats in this cursed world, or even monsters, cursed beings, abominations or anything else, humans were pathetically weak.


    But despite that weakness, humans carved out a massive part of this world out for themselves. That spoke a lot about the strength and tenacity of humans.


    So how were they able to do it? Through the use of Eldrim cards, of course.


    Nero sighed and gathered his thoughts. All of that didn''t matter right now. At the moment, he could only hope to unlock a decent ability. If his ability was helpful, it would be a huge boost towards his goal.


    Obviously, due to the use of Eldrim cards, what ability he got did not entirely matter, but he still hoped for a decent ability.


    Abilities were hereditary, but could also be affected by one''s environment. His father''s ability was a golden me, which sounded impressive until you found out that the me had no heat at all, and couldn''t even hurt a microbe. Nero was destined to never know its actual use was, as that was also forbidden information as per the rules of the Whisper Guard.


    His mother, on the other hand, had a snowke through which she could control the surrounding temperature and make it colder. That was a very powerful ability, with numerous uses. In her current job, she had a very important role in some massive industrialplex. The details were, again, a secret, but she made 10% of all the costs she saved thepany through her ability. That might not seem like much, but his mother was extremely rich. The only reason they didn''t live like that was because his mother used all that money to pay for her medical treatments. She still hoped to achieve aplete recovery from her injuries.


    His older brother, Patrick, had- has an internal passive ability. His ability allows him to harden his body using the cold. He could only increase or decrease the extent of the hardness of his body, since it is a passive ability, but he can never deactivate it. Although, absorbing cold, or giving off heat, to strengthen his body had an interesting effect on the surrounding temperature as well. Plus, it was impossible for him to get frostbite.


    Nero wouldn''t say that he would find that ability to be ideal for himself, but it was a useful ability, nheless.


    Generally, humans are able to stabilise their aether at any time after the age of 8. The amount of time they take is directly affected by two things: the potency of the ability, and the ability of the user''s body to tolerate aether, or, in other words, how skilled they were in wielding aether.


    The more skilled they were, the quicker they would unlock their ability. But unlocking the ability quickly was not always an indicator of great skill, as a weak ability could also allow one to stabilise quicker. Generally, the more powerful or versatile the ability, the longer it took.


    So when someone unlocked their ability was abination of these two factors. Nero stabilising at 15 was not unordinary, but he was slightly older than the average age for unlocking it. That either meant his aether wielding abilities were average and his ability was average, his abilities were great but his skill was also extremelyplex, or his skill was just bad and his ability was anywhere between average to great.


    He wasn''t hoping for any handouts. He didn''t want an amazing ability handed to him on a silver tter. As long as it was just decent, he would handle the rest. After all, he had every confidence that he could achieve his goals himself. The only thing he hoped for most was that his aether wielding ability wasn''t abysmal. That would make things... challenging.

 Chapter 3: Beautiful day

    <h4>Chapter 3: Beautiful day</h4>


    Nero''s cold showersted a little longer than he had anticipated, mainly because he got lost in thought for a good ten minutes before he remembered that he was supposed to be showering. Even the freezing cold water could not prevent his contemtion today. Besides, depending on what his ability was, this might be thest time he experienced the cold. If he unlocked an ability simr to his brother''s, then he would forever be immune to its effects.


    After cleaning himself thoroughly, Nero finally stepped out of the shower, brushed his teeth and put on his uniform. So distracted was he, that he did not even realise this was actually the second time he was brushing his teeth this morning!


    Schools in Kr were all public schools, excluding KMA, which was exclusively for those who wanted to pursue a career in the military rather than just serve their mandatory enlistment. But being a public school did not mean they were substandard - quite the contrary, in fact. The military had high requirements of its future enlistees, and if they fell short, then the ones to be med would be the schools, not the students themselves.


    Discipline and quality were an integral part of life in Kr, and for good reason. If they did not give the utmost, the chances of dying were too high. Even as things were right now, the average life expectancy in Kr was 44. His father, who was 39, was already approaching that age.


    Nero looked at himself onest time in his bathroom mirror and brought out his signature smile. As somewhat of an extrovert, if he showed his brooding side too often, people would start to notice.


    He picked up his phone, ignoring all the messages from his friends, and stepped out. He took onest look at his room, marinating in the nostalgia and memories for just a moment, before he picked up the rectangr, metallic case on his side table and walked out. Right now, he was too young to appreciate old memories, and too impatient for the promise that the future held.


    "Mom, Dad, I''m ready," he yelled as he climbed down the stairs and walked towards the kitchen. A breakfast consisting of extremely processed food was waiting for him - a luxury they could only afford due to his mom splurging from time to time. Today, there was even a ss of milk instead of calcium tablets.


    Nero took a look around, making sure his parents were nowhere in sight, before he attacked his dad''s breakfast te first! He gobbled up the veggie bar without taking the time to taste it, before turning his attention to his mom''s te. That was already empty, so he could only return his attention to his own te.


    By the time his parents came down, Nero wasying back in his chair as if he had won a great victory, a silly smile on his face. That expression was more than enough for them to know what had happened.


    "Nero, you know we''re on food rations! You can''t keep eating my meal! I''ll die of starvation!" Edward eximed, his voice filled with longing and loss. Nero''s smile widened.


    "Come on, no time to dally," Marilyn said, ignoring the two. In the time that Nero took to get ready, both his parents had dressed up as well as prepared Nero''s bag. His dad, who suddenly no longer looked so in and simple in his fitted suit, his extremely well-defined muscles clearly outlined, looked longingly towards his empty te but did not argue with his wife.


    Nero also bolted to the door, impatient to be on his way, but stopped in the door frame. He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with that cold, unfiltered and unsterilized air, which filled him with the excitement of the unknown.


    He looked out at the front of their house and observed the monochromatic grey tiles leading up to the road. There was a slightly darker shade, indicating the walkway, not that it really mattered on tile, and another path leading to their garage on the left. There was not a single sign of any greenery or nt life in sight, and they had gone through great efforts to ensure it stayed that way.


    After he was sure that there was no threat in sight, Nero stepped out ahead of his parents and walked towards their car, his pace measured and consistent.


    When he was five years old, there was a Poaceae epidemic, which in simple terms meant that small shoots of grass had grown between the tiles throughout many neighbourhoods in Aetherpeak.


    Now grass, in and of itself, was not dangerous, but nts and basically any kind of greenery were much more susceptible to curses than other living organisms. He had been ying tag with his brother, and had run outside the house barefoot. He was young, so he did not have the sense to analyse the environment for danger. Even if he did, and had looked out while running, it was likely he would not have noticed anything, for the grass shoots were too young and small.


    All it took was one step. When his unprotected, barefoot made contact with the cursed grass, he was affected by the curse. To this day, Nero was unable to forget the pain he had experienced then. He had yelled so loudly he ripped his vocal chords.


    But fortunately, the officials of Aetherpeak had detected the epidemic long before Nero fell victim, so just as they were getting ready to take him to the hospital, help already arrived. Nero''s memory of his recovery was foggy, but he remembered the pain he felt that day well. It was a good lesson about the dangers of their world, Neire. He had faced many dangers since, and had once even witnessed the emergence of a Stygian Rift, but he was never caught so unaware ever again.


    His parents got in the car as well, and before long they were already on their way to the AAB, where he would synchronise his aether and begin his journey.


    "Nero, you must remember to be on your best behaviour when you pass the Heralds," his father said. Nero already knew this, but often in such moments,mon knowledge was repeated to fill the silence and abate any nervousness.


    "I know, dad," Nero groaned.


    The entire car ride over, which took nearly twenty minutes, was filled with the parents imparting their knowledge to their child, and repeated reminders to ''eat on time'' and ''make friends''.


    Nero could not help but crack a few jokes at his own expense, and sometimes at the expense of his father. It was the very picture of harmony, but only the upants of the car knew that there was one voice missing in the car. They did not talk about it.


    Just as they were about to pull up, Nero looked out towards the Aether Mountain range. Aetherpeak was at the base of a valley, and so the mountains surrounded it from the south and the west. Even to the east, far off in the distance, the range could be seen, so when the sun rose, it rose from the mountains, and when it set, it set behind the mountains.


    The sun was already visible in the light blue sky, just above the mountains in the distance, with streaks of pink and red seemingly shooting out of it. He was d it was such a beautiful day today. After all, he was going to look back on this day for many years toe.


    Just as Nero had that thought, they arrived at the AAB, a tall building with many steps that led up to the front door.


    Although Nero was mentally prepared, his heart started beating faster, and he felt a sense of apprehension in his chest. But Nero was not the type to dwell on such things, and fear especially aggravated him, so after scanning the road, sidewalk and steps for any kind of vegetation, he bolted from the car and ran up the steps as fast as he could.


    The icy chill in the air stung his eyes, causing them to water, but he did not blink until he reached the top and stood before the double doors of his future. The two guards standing by the door gave him an odd look, but did notment. A nce was all it took for them to understand the situation.


    He did not enter, and just stood there waiting, looking at the door. In a short while, his parents reached him as well.


    "This is where we''ll see you off, kiddo," said Edward, as he ced a hand on Nero''s shoulder. They would not hug in public, or be overly affectionate. It was not the way of things.


    Marilyn handed him the bag and smiled. Nero felt like he should say something, but the words escaped him. Amidst the beating drum that was his heart, his countless, chaotic thoughts drowned out anything sensible he might have thought to say. As if aware of her son''s conundrum, Marilyn pulled out something from her purse and held them out for Nero.


    "These are for you, son. We gave your brother a pair as well, on his special day, and now it''s your turn."


    Nero''s eyes were fixed on her hands, and all the noise in his head disappeared as he was shocked at what he saw. Of course he knew what they were. They were 0 star cards made from his parents'' innate abilities. His mom giving him one was still understandable, and even somewhat expected. But the golden me drawn on the second card made it all too obvious that it was from his father.


    "Is that? But you..."


    "And who''s going to tell them? You?" Edward said and winked at Nero. Technically, under the rules of the Whisper Guard, Edward could not give out any cards based on his innate ability, as even the effect of such cards was supposed to remain a secret. Nero had never seen his father break the rules of the Whisper Guard before, but now he was learning that this wasn''t even the first time! Had his father''s goody two-shoes behaviour all been an act?


    "Go ahead, take them."


    Nero woke from his surprise and grabbed the two cards before carefully cing them in the rectangr, metallic box that he had. That brief moment of contact was enough for him to know that the quality of these two cards already surpassed any of the cards he already had. But then again, that was only to be expected.


    "Now don''t keep dawdling here, go inside," his father said.


    Nero still could note up with the words to say, so he only gave them a very sincere ''thank you'' before abruptly turning around and walking inside. His own personal journey had officially begun.


    As Nero''s figure disappeared behind the doors of the AAB, Edward and Marilyn''s smiles vanished.


    "You know what he''s thinking, right?" Edward asked her solemnly.


    "Revenge," Marilyn stated in a matter-of-fact way.


    "Baelor is an Ascendant. He is too far out of reach for Nero, so he will aim for¡ª"


    "Jacob, yes, I know," interrupted Marilyn. "And if Nero targets Jacob, even in a few years, Baelor will not ignore it. But Nero is not the only one with revenge on his mind, Edward. They killed my son. I will wipe their family off the face of Neire!"


    "Patrick is not..."


    "It''s been two years, Edward. Two years since he was sentenced to the front lines as a simple Neophyte, for crimes he didn''tmit. You don''t need to give me false hope. I know my son is dead by now. The only thing I care about now is taking care of Baelor and the rest, so that when Nero makes his own move, he won''t need to face retaliation."


    Edward and Marilyn had this conversation right in front of the doors of AAB, unconcerned about the guards standing right beside them. But then again, both of them were Arcanists, so why would they care about mere guards? They had the means of ensuring secrecy, even in a public ce.


    "Well, it''s taken care of. After pulling a lot of strings, I''ve finally managed to get a favour from an Ascendant Orchardist. He can heal you, and then you can once again try breaking through to the Mystic level."


    Marilyn nodded and then frowned.


    "We''ve been out here for a while. Hasn''t Irwin detected us yet?"


    Edward looked towards one of the guards and asked, "Is the chairman of the AAB in?"


    This time, the guards were able to hear them and the one who was asked responded with a hint of respect in his voice.


    "Chairman Irwin rushed out a few hours ago, with a few of his assistants."


    Edward frowned, but eventually shook his head.


    "Let''s go. I was hoping to have Irwin handle Nero''s synchronisation himself, but since he''s not in, we can only let the matter lie."


    The two turned away from the building and returned to their car. Right before he got in, Edward could not help but notice streaks of red in the sky.

 Chapter 4: BOOM!

    <h4>Chapter 4: BOOM!</h4>


    The entrance for the Arcane Affairs Bureau was a massive hall with deep green marble floors and six massive, round, off-white pirs on each side. The pirs had grooves carved into them, making them look like the shaft of a wooden spear, which made them look even more grand. Between the pirs, there were simple benches, attached to the walls where people could sit and wait, in case they had a meeting or appointment. After all, the bureau handled more than just aether synchronisation.


    The chandeliers were not massive, but they were filled with beautifully cut crystals, which refracted the light across the hall evenly, all the while looking quite divine. But while the rest of the hall was well lit, the light seemed to especially focus on the counter at the other hand of the hall, as if emphasising its importance.


    Considering the early hour, Nero did not face any traffic and walked to the counter unimpeded. Unfortunately, due to theck of a crowd, and the resulting silence, Nero''s footsteps seemed especially loud and pronounced as he approached.


    The receptionist on the counter spotted him as soon as he entered and maintained a polite eye contact as he approached. Yet even as his footsteps echoed through the hall like the sound of thunder, Nero did not look away, nor did he alter his speed. He disregarded any awkwardness that had built up, as if it was not there at all.


    When he finally reached the counter, he first ced his bag on the floor beside him, then observed the receptionist. It was a youngdy, her uniform perfectly pressed and without a single crease, with a polite smile and curious eyes. She was older than Nero, obviously, but that did not prevent him from noticing that she was quite beautiful.


    "Hello, my name is Hildi. How may I help you today?" she asked with an energetic voice, despite the early hour.


    "Hello Hildi. My name is Nero, Nero Grant. I stabilised my aether sometime during the night, so I''m here for my synchronisation."


    "Congrattions Nero, this must be an exciting time for you. I just have a few questions, and then I can help you along to the Synchronisation hall. Do you know your parents'' names and identification numbers?"


    For the next few minutes, Nero answered all of Hildi''s questions, which included things like his age, address, which school he went to and such. In Kr, every citizen did not get their ID at a specific age, such as 18, but instead they got it when they awakened their innate abilities. This meant that soon, Nero too would receive his first ID card. The reason Hildi was asking for all this information was because while he went to get synchronised, they would have an in-house artisan quickly make a card for him, which recorded all his information. Such cards could not be forged, and were a foolproof way of proving his identity. It served both as a security measure, and a logistical convenience.


    "Alright, we''re all set. Follow me," Hildi said, and got up from her seat to escort Nero. She didn''t need to do that, as pointing him in the right direction was enough. But it wasn''t as if she was doing anything else.


    "You nervous about your ability?" she asked as she stepped aside from the counter and began to lead the way.


    "A little," Nero admitted honestly. "But I''m not hoping for anything too special. Just a normal ability is enough for me. As long as I can wield aether well, I can manage everything else on my own."


    "Ho ho, confident aren''t we?" she said, chuckling. "It''s normal to be nervous. I was too. My ability... was kind of disappointing, but my skill with aether was decent. A lot of hard workter and look at me now, working a government job at 22."


    That was impressive, as government jobs were not easy tond due to the incredible perks attached. That also meant that she had alreadypleted her mandatory enlistment period.


    "What was your ability, if you don''t mind me asking?"


    "It''s not a problem. My ability is an external passive - I always smell good, regardless of the situation."


    "Uh, what?" Nero asked, suddenly pausing. That was the most bizarre ability he had ever heard of!


    "Yeah, quite the bummer, huh?" she said with augh. What surprised Nero was that herugh did not seem to be deprecating and was quite genuine. "Don''t worry, my family has a history of abilities like that. Most people don''t get such random abilities."


    Nero nodded his head, and silently prayed that his ability would not be anything like hers. Hildi had gone from exquisite and charming to a nightmare real quick. Suddenly, Nero''s heart started beating faster.


    "Here you are, just go through here," she said, bringing him to arge wooden door. "There''s no one in front of you, so you can walk all the way in. Good luck, and tell me what you got on your way out."


    "I¨C I will," Nero responded, suppressing his fear. A genuine death threat could not have intimidated him the way Hildi had.


    As if she knew exactly what was going through his mind, Hildiughed as she walked away.


    Nero collected himself, pushing away all random thoughts. There was no way he was going to get an ability that made him smell nice - there was just no way!


    He looked up at the doors and took in everything they represented. Wood was hardly used to make anything, not just in Kr, but in the entire region of the former Vryia empire! That was because it was one of the most difficult materials to harvest and work with. It represented one of the most devastating, lethal forces in this world. But, at the same time, any time wood was used, it was a symbol of great power and meaning.


    It was fitting that the doors he had to pass through to awaken were made of wood. Every soldier, every warrior in the entire country, would begin their journey walking through simr doors.


    Nero dropped his signature smile, and for once did not make an effort to bring it back. Although he always stood straight anyway, he made sure to check his posture and his clothes.


    His shoulders were pulled back, chest lifted out, his feet pointing forward, his neck absolutely straight. His uniform was absolutely clean, and though it had gained a few creases on the car ride over, he knew for a fact that his mother would have silently eliminated those with one of her cards without alerting him.


    With a solemn expression and eyes filled with determination, Nero stepped through the doors.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    The sound of 96 wooden spears mming the ground synchronised with his entry, causing reverberations to travel through the floor. Nero did not flinch at the sound, regardless of how sudden or loud it was.


    The room he entered was dimly lit so that its details were obscured. What Nero could see was the red carpet representing the trail of blood he was to walk,id out at his feet, all the way to the end of the hall, as well as the figures within the hall.


    On both sides of the carpet stood youths, fully armoured and holding wooden spears. On each side, there were six rows, each containing eight fully armoured young men. They were called young men instead of soldiers, exactly because they had not yet enlisted. Instead, they were among the top students from all the ones who would enlist this year in Aetherpeak. These youths also had another name they went by. They were called the Arcane Heralds!


    Nero did not pause, and he did not look left or right. Instead, at a steady pace, he continued to walk forward, looking only at his goal.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    They mmed their spears again, as if paying respects. Although whether that respect was for Nero, or the bloody path he was walking could not be determined.


    This was an ancient tradition of Kr, and in his heart, Nero could feel why it was so prevalent, even after all these years.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    The ground shook beneath his feet, and with each thunderous sound, Nero''s convictions yed out in his mind.


    When he was young, his mother used to tell him that the death of a Kri citizen was written from birth, and it was on the battlefield. They fear not death, and they fear not war, nor curse or any abomination. They fear only the day their brothers and sisters are out at war, and they are left behind.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    He and his brother used to have that conviction too. They used to dream, fight, and train together. It was not just each other they trained for, but for all of Kr. They dreamed of the day they too would carry the honour of their country on their shoulders.


    When Nero was 9, a Stygian Rift opened right on the border of Aetherpeak. His grandmother died fighting that day, protecting not only him but countless others. Neither he nor anyone in their family shed tears on that asion. Instead, they were proud.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    Like a p of thunder, breaking through the silence of a dark night, the spears banged in the hall. That is also what it felt like when he learned his brother had been used of a crime he had notmitted. Like the trembling hall beneath his feet, his world had shaken that day as well.


    He, his mother, his father all rushed to plead his case. But in Kr, all criminals were not sent to prison, but to the front lines of battle. They would either redeem themselves or pay their final contribution to society. By the time they reached, his brother had already been shipped away, without even getting a chance to say farewell.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    That is the day he learned of the worth of Kri honour, and the day Nero changed forever. He was 13, and perhaps he should not have had such strong negative emotions at such an early age. But the depth of the betrayal he felt could not be conveyed in simple words. His entire world had crashed around him. His belief that Krs were better than others. That they fought for one another,ying their lives down for theirrades, for a better present and future... it was all shit!


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    Only power mattered, and the powerful. Just like the ones who had sent his brother to death. Nero''s fists clenched and his jaw tightened. Jacob Dom, that was the name of the man who had used his brother. He just <i>happened</i> to be the grandson of Baelor Dom, the mayor of Aetherpeak.


    Whatever their reasons were, Nero did not really care. They had sentenced his brother to death, just like that. So that day, when he was 13 years old, Nero also swore to sentence them to death as well.


    He had spent the past two years training to his utmost, learning everything he could that might even remotely be helpful. All of it was in preparation for this day. Today, he would take his real first step towards revenge!


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    Nero reached the end of the hall. The best of the best had stood as an honour guard for him as he walked the symbolic blood path. It was a Kri tradition. It was like acknowledging that even the strongest warrior started out in the same way, as a weak human, without any power.


    Every day, a new batch woulde and serve as Arcane Heralds, but to be qualified, you had to be the absolute best. Many of those here were likely already on the verge of breaking through the Neophyte level and bing an Initiate.


    Each of them were honouring him, a new awakener from their town, just as they had been honoured by their seniors. This tradition was in ce to foster feelings of camaraderie between seniors and juniors. It was a rite of passage that everyone had received, but not everyone was qualified to give.


    But this tradition that Nero had once so looked forward to, the tradition that filled his brother with tion and excitement when he experienced, only left a bitter taste in Nero''s mouth. He did not feel camaraderie. He only felt pity.


    The Heralds in this room did not even know that to those powerful and in control, they werepletely worthless. No, that wasn''t true. Their true worthy in their capacity to act as cannon fodder.


    But Nero knew the truth. If he could help it, he would not let them suffer the same fate as his brother.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    He stepped forward, exiting the hall.

 Chapter 5: Synchronisation

    <h4>Chapter 5: Synchronisation</h4>


    The final room, the actual synchronisation room, was a fairly small one. A yellowmp lit the room, though not too brightly. It was just enough to feelfortable. There was a square velvet pillow ced on the floor in the centre, with incense lit in the corner, filling the room with a pleasant aroma. There was no furniture to speak of in the room, just some trophies or symbolic items representing Kr.


    Although synchronisation was performed in the AAB, regardless of which town or city one went to, it did not have any specific requirements in terms of location. Technically speaking, one could even do it at home.


    But there were no benefits to doing it at home, especially when Kr provided the best possible environment to synchronise. Although he truly believed that the powerful did not see them as having any worth, the fact that everyone''s journey started out in the best possible way could not be denied.


    There was a very simple reason for that. Too many of Kr''s most powerful and prominent warriors hade from humble backgrounds. It was not like anyone would purposefully suppress the birth of new powerful warriors, because the death rate was too high. Without new blood supplementing the army regrly, Kr would fall.


    It would not even take any interference from any foreign hostile force, just enough cursed events. Death was such amon part of life that Nero had no doubt that he too would die on the battlefield. He was not trying to avoid it either. He just wanted to make sure he lived long enough to get his revenge, and maybe make a few changes along the way.


    But, the gist of the matter was, everyone started out with the best resources. If that was not the case, his parents would not have brought him here. Considering that both of them were exceptional themselves, they expected nothing less from Nero and Patrick.


    "Wee," said a man wearing a long, ceremonial robe. He had been in the room already when Nero arrived, meditating. Upon Nero''s arrival, he opened his eyes, got up and extended the greeting.


    "My name is Havaal, I will be assisting in your synchronisation today. I am a card master at the Arcane rank, so you can be assured of my qualifications."


    "Thank you. My name is Nero."


    Nero could not help but notice that Havaal was exceptionally amicable, considering his level. Perhaps that was why he was given this role.


    "Well, Nero, please sit cross-legged on the pillow. I am sure you are already familiar with the synchronisation process, but I am just going to walk you through the steps one more time to remind you. Once I feel like you''re sufficiently prepared, we will begin."


    Havaal was very soft-spoken, a rarity in Kr, and had a very consistent smile on his face. It made Nero feel veryfortable around him, and very willing to listen to his instructions. Nero immediately noticed the unusual state of mind, but determined that this was likely the effect of a card to calm him down and prevent nervousness. He did not fight it, as the calmer he was, the better the result would be.


    He also liked how Havaal acknowledged that Nero probably already knew the steps, but would remind him anyway. The truth was that Nero was a kid, like all others who came for synchronisation, and regardless of how well they were schooled, not all kids could be expected to memorise these things. It was just the truth of the situation - kids didn''t like studying.


    By doing it the way Havaal was, it did not make them feel stupid or inferior, and also provided them the information that was required.


    One could never im that just because Kr was mostly under military rule, they did things roughly and with brute force. No, the army had especially mastered the use of subtleties to get what they wanted, and diffusing the situation before it even had an opportunity to arise like this was just one example of many.


    "As you already know, when humans are born, they have no aether in their bodies. But throughout our lives, the ambient aether enters our bodies and slowly affects it, until eventually the body undergoes a change, and gains the ability to manifest aether in the form of an innate ability.


    "The innate ability is a part of us and is an expression of our individuality as well as humanity. It is just as much a part of us as our hands and feet. It is just as much a part of our body''s natural system as is our ability to eat and breathe and sleep, but it justes to us at ater time, and we are not born with it.


    "When the change urs, and you unlock your innate ability, you enter a state called stabilisation. That means your body has stabilised the aether in your body, and you are ready to use your innate ability. Everything that has happened so far is a part of the natural order of things. But whates next is not.


    "Once a person has stabilised, they are ready for a process called synchronisation. The effects of synchronisation are best if it is done before the first time you control your innate ability. To be clear, it still ''can'' be done even if you have already wielded your ability, but the reason it is strongly discouraged to use your ability before synchronisation is because the results are better this way. Your body has a certain extent of ''malleability'' left over, which goes away once you use your ability for the first time.


    "Now I''m going to ask you a question. You can answer without fear as you won''t get in trouble either way, but it will just allow me to help you better if I know the truth. Have you used your ability yet? You should know, even passives do not just start automatically, and need to be initiated the first time."


    "No, no, I haven''t," answered Nero firmly.


    Havaal only nodded in eptance, not questioning whether or not he told the truth.


    "Now, carrying on. Gaining innate abilities is the end of progress for humans as far as nature is concerned, but that is not a hard and fast rule. Emperor Iskunder Macedon, founder of the old Valeriya empire, brought us out from the Dark ages and discovered a new path for us, and that is the path of Eldrim cards.


    "It is a path that allows humans to grow stronger by slowly absorbing more aether and crossing nature''s many boundaries. It is a path that allows humans to wield aether inplex ways, giving birth to various phenomena, through the use of spells which have been prerecorded in the Eldrim cards. It is ''the'' path that has allowed humans to flourish where nature intended for us to perish.


    "To step into this path, you must take what is known as a nk Temte card, fuse it into your body, and synchronise your innate ability with it. Once you are sessful, you will have entered the ranks of a 1 star card master! Now, since you cannot control aether yet, it will be my job to assist you in fusing with the temte card.


    "A lot of the process happens on its own, and I will take care of the parts that need external help. All you have to do is keep your body as rxed as possible, avoid rejecting the card, and keep your ability from manifesting prematurely. It is not as simple as it sounds, as most people reject it out of instinct. Remember, you have to rx and avoid rejecting it.


    "Now why don''t you meditate for a while and prepare yourself? We will proceed when you''re ready."


    "No need for meditation," Nero said firmly. "I am ready now. You may proceed."


    Havaal seemed surprised by Nero''s statement. It was extremely normal to feel nervous, even apprehensive at this moment. Of course, there would always be those who feigned confidence, though Nero''s voice was too even to sound feigned.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. I have been ready for two years. You can proceed."


    Nero''s voice was as steady as a mountain, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.


    Havaal nodded and retrieved a nk Temte card, which was the same size as all the other cards, approximately 6.3 cm wide (2.5 inches) and 8.8 cm long (3.5 inches). Although this was the first time Nero wasying eyes on a real nk Temte card, he knew its appearance by heart.


    It had a silver border around the face of the card, and an image of a silver, nk te on it. On the top right corner of the card there was a tiny symbol that looked very simr to the te in the picture - the symbol dictating that the card had transcended star ranks and achieved the highest quality a card could.


    At the bottom of the card, there was a quote.


    "From the darkness of ignorance I emerged, and to mother nature Imanded, yield, and to destiny I demanded, kneel," - Iskunder Macedon.


    The pattern drawn on the back of the card was inconsequential. It was often a signature pattern of the artisan who made the card, or represented the organisation that made it. In this case, it was a deep blue and gold pattern, denoting the colours of Kr.


    Havaal brought the card and kneeled in front of Nero.


    "Remember, rx as much as possible. Do not resist."


    The card began to give off a soft, silver glow as Havaal brought it close to Nero''s chest. His uniform served as no obstruction as the card seemed to go through them and directly into Nero''s body.


    His muscles itched to stiffen, his body wanting to twitch and squirm at the invasion, but Nero did not so much as flinch. There were many things Nero could not do yet, or could not learn yet. But in the past two years, he had at least thoroughly mastered himself and his body.


    His breathing did not elevate, and his heartbeat did not increase as Nero forcibly maintained a calm state, allowing the card to begin the synchronisation process.


    It went smoother and more wlessly than Havaal had ever experienced, and besides activating the card in the beginning, he had done nothing. His eyes widened as he looked at Nero in surprise.


    Either he was remarkably talented in aether control, or monstrously talented in controlling his body. Either way, he had great potential.


    "The process has started. I must admit, that was a lot quicker than I expected. All you need to do now is rx and allow the card to merge on its own. I highly rmend you meditate, as staying calm will ensure the maximum synchronisation speed. Either way, in a few hours, the process will beplete. Once the synchronisation isplete, you will automatically sense it. That is when you should activate your ability, and you will officially step into the Neophyte realm."


    Nero did not speak this time, nor did he thank Havaal. Instead, he simply closed his eyes and focused on the changes he could feel taking ce in his body. It was an incredibly alien experience, unlike anything Nero had ever felt before.


    But he knew why that was. It was the first time his brain was sensing the effects of aether in his body. Before this, whenever aether affected him, his brain could not detect it, as he had not stabilised.


    The feeling was so novel that Nero became entranced, and his entire mind and focus turned inwards. It was as if he was imprinting everything to his memory.


    Havaal watched and gave an approving nod. It was not easy for young children to be so calm and collected, especially in such moments. He could not help but appreciate Nero.


    He was supposed to apany Nero during the entire process, lest something go wrong. But an hour into the synchronisation, Havaal suddenly frowned. A momentter, the ground trembled, and the sound of a distant ''boom'' prated through the closed doors.


    A solemn expression appeared on Havaals'' face. He left a note right in front of Nero so that it would be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, and left the room.

 Chapter 6: Evacuate Covertly

    <h4>Chapter 6: Evacuate Covertly</h4>


    Under ordinary circumstances, Nero was very particr about maintaining his awareness of his surroundings. Nearly dying an excruciatingly painful death because he identally stepped on a barely visible de of grass once was enough to ingrain the habit deep in him. It was something he actively and consciously trained, and not something that just appeared in him overnight.


    As a result, he became a rtively light sleeper, and even in his focused state, maintained a level of vignce. Since he and his brother had both been training fanatics when they were young, they had devised an ingenious training method.


    They used to take turns meditating, sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours. As meditation would be a crucial skill when they became card masters, they did not mind practising it early.


    But during their meditations, intermittently, the brothers would silently attack one another. They did not do it every time they meditated, and they made sure to change the method each time as well.


    At first it had just been a fun game between the two of them, but eventually they did pick up vignce, as well as stealth, and a few other skills. Training was quite convenient when it turned into a game rather than a task.


    But this was one of the rare circumstances where Nero truly lost himself in his observations, and his vignce dropped to its lowest level. To be fair, during the synchronisation process, he could not move or allow his body to undergo any sudden changes, or the synchronisation would fail.


    The consequences of that can vary from nausea to heart failure, and such a thing was usually called cultivation deviation. At this level, it was rare, but not unheard of.


    So Nero remainedpletely rxed, with his eyes closed, his entire focus on his chest. Before this very experience, Nero did not have what was called <i>inner-vision</i> mainly because he could not perceive aether. Now that he could, he could feel it flowing, pulsing even, inside of his body.


    Following those feelings, Nero could rely on his imagination to <i>see</i> what was happening inside of his body.


    Somewhere inside of his chest, between his lungs, or maybe in front of them or behind them, there was an unusual node of aether gathered. Although it was a collection of aether, it was at the same time very much a part of him. The nk Temte card was dead-center inside the node, slowly absorbing it.


    Nero had questioned Patrick extensively about his synchronisation, so he knew well what was happening. The node represented his innate ability. When the nk Temte cardpletely absorbed the node, it would undergo a change. It would no longer be a <i>nk</i> card, but would form a card that carried the ability of his innate ability.


    Their discussions into the process had been long and thorough, and even reached the point of philosophy. Without any proper knowledge rted to the field, he and his brother cooked up many theories about the synchronisation process without fear of being grossly incorrect.


    They supposed that since synchronisation could allow humans to step onto the Eldrim cards path, if an alternate path with a proper sequence and progression was introduced, humans could potentially follow other paths as well. But no such path existed, as far as they knew.


    It did not matter - they were just the ramblings and musings of two kids. Nero was just feeling reminiscent during this important moment.


    But that did not mean he was not observing the ongoing process. No, instead Nero was thoroughly analysing how aether moved around in his body, and how his innate ability behaved. He dared to say that he would be able to grasp basic mastery of his innate ability as soon as he tried it for the first time - whatever it was. At least he''d know how to control aether.


    The node was not toorge, the card was of exquisite quality, and he provided the best possible environment for the synchronisation, so the entire process only took Nero about one hour and twenty minutes.


    Although Nero had used his imagination for his <i>inner-vision</i>, once his synchronisation wasplete, he could see the newly formed card in his chest clearly, as if it was right in front of him!


    The back of the card was divided into three shades of blue. The background was an extremely deep blue, approaching navy, with crisscross patterns in a lighter shade of blue, forming a sort of field. In the middle of the pattern, in the centre of the card, was a vibrant, cobalt blue me!


    On the front of the card, the silver border had been reced by a blue that was matching the me on the back, and in the top right corner where the symbol of a te had been, a small me appeared. The image of the te had also been reced, and in its ce was an image of Nero, his hair and eye colour changed to match that of his me, which he had conjured in his hand.


    Right below the image was a line of text, indicating what the ability was! On the top left of the card, where there was previously nothing, a name appeared: Cryome. Likewise, at the bottom of the card, where there was previously a quote from the emperor, appeared a line his mother told him often.


    "The death of every Kri is already written, and it is on the battlefield."


    This... this was his innate ability card! Certain things on it could change, of course, such as the image and the vour text, but in essence, this was his innate ability!


    Unable to suppress his grin, Nero focused on the words that described his ability!


    <strong>[The Cryome burns with a brilliant blue hue, its mes shimmering with icy tendrils and frosty wisps. Instead of consuming fuel and emitting heat, it consumes only heat and produces more mes, leaving the target frozen whole instead of ash.]</strong>


    Nero could not suppress the excitement in his heart. It was not exactly what he wanted, but the ability was good enough. It was very simr, if not nearly identical, to his mother''s ability, which means he could consult her on how to train with it, and how best to use it. Besides, she was an elite soldier, which meant that this ability was more or less good enough for him to achieve the same.


    Not that just having a good ability is all it took to be an elite, but at least it would not be a detriment in any way.


    Nero could not wait any longer and instantly activated his ability. He <i>instinctively</i> knew how to do it, in the way one knows how to breathe, or blink.


    He could <i>see</i> his innate ability card glow softly, and in his right hand, he conjured a beautiful blue me. Before he could lose himself in admiration of the dancing me, he became distracted when he felt the aether flow in his body andpleted a cycle. Starting from the card, the aether travelled across his torso to his hands and his head, before going down to his feet and then returning to the card.


    He felt a distinct <i>click,</i> as if something in his body had snapped into ce. Nero knew what that was as well. It was the end of the <i>malleability</i> that Havaal had mentioned, as well as the process by which eye and hair colour changed. Well, the hair was more of a gradual process, but his eye colour ought to have changed by now.


    But with that thought, Nero''s attention was once again diverted, preventing him from admiring the me, as well as the misting out of his mouth.


    Havaal was not in the room!


    His eyes immediately located the note the polite man had left behind, and it stated only two words: evacuate covertly!


    The sudden development surprised Nero, but he responded promptly, suppressing his mes until they vanished. There was no time to revel in his new status as a Neophyte. A single sweep of the room was enough for him to assess the situation.


    He was left alone in the room, which was already established considering the note, but a thinyer of dust had umted around him. In fact, now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure even his hair was covered in small bits and pieces of sandy debris.


    He looked up, and noticed a small crack had appeared on the ceiling, starting from one corner of the room and travelling towards the other. As if to exin how that happened, the building trembled softly, and more dust fell from the crack.


    There was no panic in Nero''s eyes as he promptly stood up and took out his metallic card case. Within was a carefully selected collection of 0 star cards that he had gathered, prepared for any kind of emergency situation he might face. The two cards his parents had given him were also in the case, but he didn''t reach for them right now.


    Instead, he took out another, extremelymon card called Muted Self. It was an illusion type 0 star card, with an image of a broken musical instrument.


    <strong>[Eliminate the sounds produced by the caster for 20 seconds.]</strong>


    As a fresh Neophyte, Nero did not have unrealistic expectations that he would be able to wield cards masterfully, or even remotelypetently. But a card such as this did not rely on Nero''s execution, and so he did not mind using it. In critical situations, it was best to stick to skills and abilities he was familiar with rather than trying something new and untested.


    He reached into his duffle bag, which he had naturally brought into the room with himself, and took out a serrated knife that was approximately 17 cm (7 inches) and unsheathed it. Since his mother packed the bag, how could she leave him without this basic, essential tool?


    The entire process of taking out the specific card as well as his knife was extremely smooth and Nero barely took a moment. He took one deep breath, as if he was flipping a mental switch to enter a specific state of mind, before he stepped forward, closing in on the door and putting his ear against it.


    Muffled sounds on the other side told him that something was definitely going on outside. After all, this was supposed to be apletely insted room. Even muffled sounds should not have entered.


    Nero channelled his aether, all of it collected in the Cryome card in his chest, and channelled it across his body, into his arm and poured it into Muted Self, activating it. He felt the ability take hold as even the sound of his breathing disappeared.


    Softly, he cracked open the door to the room where the Heralds were supposed to be standing to give him a farewell as he left, now as a card master and one of them, and peeked in. But the once dimly lit room was dark, illuminated only by a thin line of light that escaped through the door Nero had opened.


    The Heralds were missing, and in their stead, what remained in the room was the thick smell of blood, as well as a few dark figuresying on the floor in the distance.


    For a time, Nero did not move. He only observed silently, as he counted the seconds in his head. Entering the dark was dangerous anywhere, let alone in such a situation, but he also could not stay in the synchronisation room.


    The sounds of fighting in the distance became more prominent once he had opened the door, the temple vibrating due to the fierce battle on and off, but there seemed to be nothing happening nearby for the moment.


    He counted till ten, and when he neither heard anything or saw anything in the room move, he quickly slipped into the darkness, closing the door behind him.


    Nero did not look down, for he had already observed the floor, but when he stepped onto the carpet he could tell something was different about it. It felt... damp. A momentter, a brief increase in the stench let him know what it was soaked in: blood. Predictable.


    Unperturbed, Nero made his way through the room while he still had the benefit of Mute Self still active. But he did not cross the trail of blood like he hadst time. Instead, he traced the wall beside him as he counted his steps, mentally picturing where he was in the room.


    He had memorised theyout of the room when he crossed it the first time, and recalled an air vent on the left side of the room, which was his target. Entering a constricted space presented its own risks, but Nero evaluated it as the least risky option avable to him.


    Without warning, something grabbed his leg!

 Chapter 7: Darkness

    <h4>Chapter 7: Darkness</h4>


    There was not a hint of hesitation or confusion in his action as Nero swung his knife towards the hand at full speed. In the darkness he could not see what had grabbed him, but he could judge that the grip seemed toe from a hand that felt like a human hand, but that was no reason to hold back.


    The knife hit something hard and the blowback nearly caused the skin between his thumb to rip, but Nero held on. There was no collision sound due to the effects of Muted Self. The hand, as if rmed by the swift attack, let go but Nero continued the attack.


    Some cursed beings could, after killing their target, inhabit their bodies and control them, so even if the body that grabbed him was human, it was not necessary that it wasn''t an enemy. Either way, Nero attacked again, this time putting even more strength in his swing, yet the knife seemed to miss the target, as if there was nothing there to begin with.


    Nero instantly backed up and put his back against the wall. Such a position was slightly unfavourable as it would block some of his movements, but in the darkness at least it ensured that he did not need to worry about being attacked from behind.


    He strained his eyes and ear, trying to see if he could detect any moving figures or hear the enemy approach, but the room was as still and silent as death.


    Nero could feel his heart beating like a drum in his chest, though that was not a bad thing. A higher heartbeat rate would allow the adrenaline to spread, enabling him to react faster. The enemy was still there in the darkness somewhere, waiting.


    Nero did not move an inch. What if the enemy had dynamic vision only? In his mind, he was also counting down till the effects of Muted Self psed, as he would have to recast it.


    Nothing. Nothing happened for an unbearably long time, though Nero knew that was an illusion of the mind. In reality, barely a few seconds had gone by. If he had a weaker mind, he would have fallen prey to fear at such a time. He would have wondered why the enemy had not attacked yet, wondered what the enemy was, wondered <i>how</i> many enemies there were, and so many more of such thoughts.


    But instead, Nero kept his mind empty. It was a game of patience, and it was yet to be determined who the monster in the dark was, Nero or the-


    "I''m human," a hoarse voice whispered from Nero''s left. He instantly took a step back, his knife still in his hand, but he did not attack.


    Cursed beings could take over corpses, sometimes, but for them to be of a high enough level to speak after the possession, they would far surpass Nero in strength. But being human did not mean being an ally.


    Nero suddenly recalled that his innate ability was a me! Although he did not want to attract attention, he channelled his ability towards his right hand. He imagined the de of his knife getting coated in the Cryome, but apparently his control was not yet adequate.


    A blue me appeared, epassing his entire right hand and the knife it carried, dimly illuminating the darkness.


    Nero finally saw the person who spoke. It was a Herald, who was now leaning against the wall, rubbing his right arm as if it was hurt. His vambrace had protected it from being cut due to Nero''s attack. It was hard to see all the details in blue light, but he looked incredibly pale as if...


    He noticed that the Herald''s left leg had been cut off right below the knee. An impromptu bandage covered it, but it was still bleeding slowly.


    "You''re the new Neophyte?" he asked, still whispering. "Don''t try to escape. This is not a cursed event. The AAB has been infiltrated by unknown assants. They will be watching the exits. Instead, you should hide."


    Nero did not entirely drop his guard, but he did lower his knife. He walked up to the Herald and, for a fraction of a second, touched his stump with his ming hand.


    "My innate ability has cryo features," Nero exined. "I''m not too familiar with it so I don''t want to take any chances, but freezing the wounded area should constrict blood vessels and restrict blood flow. I''m sorry if I identally gave you frostbite, I have not tested it before."


    His voice was absent of all emotion, and cold, much like his me. But his actions and intentions were otherwise.


    "If we cannot escape, hiding is the next best option, but this room will clearly not suffice. Do you know where we can hide? If not, the vents are our only option."


    Various emotions shed on the Herald''s face, though Nero could not identify them. It was clear, however, that the Herald did not expect Nero to include him in his hiding ns.


    "I can hide on my own, I don''t need help. You can try the vents, I don''t know how safe any of the other rooms are. But..."


    The Herald was clearly hesitant about what he wanted to say, and looked like he was undergoing an internal debate.


    "Say what you want. Don''t waste time," said Nero, as he observed the rest of the room in the dim blue light. There was something odd about the wall on the opposite side of the room. It was covered in a veil of darkness the blue light from his me couldn''t pierce.


    "Have you received some kind of training? Some special military branch?"


    "Why does it matter?" Nero asked, not dropping his guard.


    Still somewhat conflicted, the Herald showed Nero a card case, simr to his own.


    "One of the Heralds brought away the assants, but he dropped his card case. He is the best of us, but without his cards..."


    The Herald did not finish his sentence, but it was clear what he was asking. He wanted to ask if Nero would go deliver the card case to the aforementioned Herald <i>towards</i> where all the assants had gone.


    "How many enemies are there? What are their levels? What''s their objective?" Nero asked as he analysed the situation.


    "I don''t know what happened outside. Arcanist Havaal told us to stay in the room as he left, andter two masked men broke in. The ones that attacked us were in the Initiate realm, but I don''t know about the rest."


    Initiate was the level after Neophyte, after which came Arcanist. All three of these realms were considered to be in the realm of 1 star card masters. While the difference between a Neophyte and Arcanist was significant, there was not <i>too</i> great of a difference between Neophyte and Initiate usually. Moreover, Neophytes received no boost in their physical capabilities at all, so they were basically just normal people who gained an innate ability and could use cards.


    Theoretically, a normal person could defeat a Neophyte if the circumstances were correct, and a Neophyte could defeat an Initiate. Many things came into y, and Nero did not have forever for his considerations.


    "Trade weapons?" Nero said, holding out his knife and pointing towards the wooden spear the Herald was gripping. Without the ability to stand, he would not be able to use a spear effectively anyway. A knife would be much better for him.


    Without saying anything, the Herald epted the deal, and held out the spear. Its immactely carved, wooden body seemed to end with a metal spear that seemed to grow out of the wood rather than be attached to it somehow.


    Nero gripped the spear tightly in his hand and felt its weight, getting ustomed to it.


    "Hand me the case and tell me how to identify him."


    "He has metallic grey hair, you can''t miss him," the Herald said, a sense of relief flooding his body. Nero grabbed the case and opened it to check its contents. His pupils dted the moment his hand touched a card.


    "These are 1 star cards," Nero said, his eyes focusing on the Herald. Neophytes couldn''t use 1 star cards. Not only were they more powerful, but they also required a more condensed form of aether than Neophytes could provide. One had to be at least an Initiate to use them.


    "Like I said, he is the best of us," the Herald said, though explicitly he still did not confirm anything. The Herald leaned to the side awkwardly and reached into his chest te before pulling something out and handing it to Nero.


    "This is my innate card. It should help you hide."


    It was difficult to tell the colours of the card under the blue light, but Nero had a feeling it would not have mattered anyway.


    The picture on the card was a ck fog, and its ability was stated in a single line. For some reason, the name of the card seemed to be obscured by a part of the fog that seemed to spread beyond the usual borders of the image area. He focused on the ability.


    <strong>[You are the darkness.]</strong>


    When Nero looked back at the Herald from the card, he had vanished from in front of his eyes.


    "There''s a hole in the wall on the opposite side, though I''ve covered it with my ability. You can exit through there, though I won''t be able to help you with what follows," he said, his voice almost sounding weaker. He could not tell if he was imagining it.


    "Don''t die on me, Darkness," Nero said, his voice carrying the barest hint of taunting as he walked towards the other side of the room.


    There were a few mangled corpses on the ground and, unfortunately, they seemed to belong to some of the Heralds. Nero had hoped they were cursed creatures. But he did not let their deaths affect him at all. His heart was free of ripples. A Kri''s death was written, and it was on the battlefield. These Heralds had reached their final battlefield.


    When he reached the other side, under the blue light Nero could clearly see that an unusual ck fog covered a portion of the wall. That was likely the hole.


    "You don''t die on me either," whispered a voice, this time noticeably weaker, he was sure.


    Nero did not respond, or acknowledge the voice in any way. His mind was focused on the task ahead. He had no training in using cards, but he knew the theory. Using two cards should not be an issue, as long as they don''t require him to continuously provide aether, or actually control the ability specifically.


    Just to be sure, he waited till Muted Self expired before channelling his aether into the Heralds card, and felt an unusual pressure envelop him. He could feel as if the darkness in the room had be a physical entity, and had spread itself over him so that he could no longer be seen.


    The moment he stopped channelling his aether, the feeling vanished, and he became visible again.


    This time, he activated Muted Self, and then subsequently used the Herald''s cards. Both abilities seemed to be active at the same time.


    Nero walked through the darkness, ready to face whatevery ahead.


    Shortly after Nero left, the Herald who had disappeared, reappeared, lying on the floor, his eyes closed.

 Chapter 8: Invictus

    <h4>Chapter 8: Invictus</h4>


    Nero walked through the wall of darkness, wooden spear in hand, ready to face any danger. He did not have armour, or any other kind of protection, which was the primary reason for him to take the spear as it would allow him to fight from a distance. The fact that it would have also helped the other Herald was secondary. The third was because... well, Nero was an expert with the spear, much more than any other weapon.


    His decision to help deliver the card case, too, was based on a number of factors he had considered in those brief moments.


    First of all, hiding was not a pragmatic solution to the situation. Yes, there was a chance that whoever the enemy was, they would quietly withdraw after fulfilling their goals. But if Nero were to n a strike on an enemy base or building, he would blow it up afterwards. Not only would that make it difficult to track his original goal, but the ensuing chaos would make it easier for him to escape.


    With hiding in the shadows leading to potential death, Nero was not going to opt for it. There was always the possibility that he was wrong, but he had to make a choice and he preferred action to inaction.


    Secondly, every advantage the local forces received would work against the attacking forces. Nero was not conceited enough to consider his aid an overwhelming advantage, but if he could aid a trained professional in regaining their maximum capabilities, he would count that as a win.


    Thirdly, though this reason was the greatest gamble of all, he wanted to build a connection with the so-called best of the Heralds. There was nothing that fostered friendship greater than fighting a battle together.


    This was not really the situation to be thinking ofworking, but Nero had too much to gain if things worked out this way. His personal enemy was the most influential man in this city, and one of the most influential men in the country, so he was in desperate need of allies. Though he was not going to take any unnecessary risks to make that happen. He was very pragmatic about what actions to take.


    As soon as he walked through the darkness, he found himself in what looked like it had once been an office. There were smaller,partmentalised rooms to the side, while the main hall contained countless tables and chairs, all now overturned and reduced to rubble.


    The room was not nearly as dark, though many of the chandeliers had broken during the fights. Even now, many fights still continued.


    There were several groups of Heralds, all in what was called an enomotia formation, which consisted of eight spearmen standing in a line led by a leader against a more powerful foe. Their formations weren''t perfect, for theycked a shield, and their leaders were supposed to be a rank above them, but they managed, given the circumstances. Any form of trainedbat where they could respond flexibly and support one another in this dangerous situation would increase their odds of surviving drastically.


    It seemed to be working, for there were only a few Herald corpses on the floorpared to those of the attackers. The AAB naturally had guards as well, who were managing most of the fighting.


    Nero, still undetected, crouched in a corner behind an overturned table and searched for his target, but saw no one with metallic grey hair, alive or dead.


    The scale of this fight was too intense for Nero, so even if he wished to help, he would not know how. Initiates were moving much faster than Neophytes, and abilities and spells were flying across the hall left and right. It was absolute chaos.


    Before he could figure out what to do next, an attack struck the ceiling in the room and caused a portion of the building to copse. Even Nero was forced to dive aside to dodge falling rubble, but that brought him right to the centre of the room.


    A cloud of dust had obscured the vision in the room, but that did not make him feel safer at all. Heralds, guards and the attackers all had ceased fighting as they dealt with the changing environment, and Nero did not waste that brief moment of respite.


    As soon as hended, he got on his feet and moved to the opposite side of the room while staying low, making sure to move quickly, but not quite running. He did not know how well he remained hidden under the given circumstances, but he did not want to take any chances.


    A secondter, the fight resumed and Nero found himself much closer to one of the fights. Six Heralds supported one another as they faced against a stronger foe, most likely an Initiate. But being an Initiate did not automatically make one immune to damage, or gain an overwhelming advantage. The upper hand they gained mostly came from the ability to use 1 star cards!


    The attacker was using a double-edged sword to parry the spear strikes while a number of spells or abilities surrounded him, attacking the Heralds.


    Nero had seen enough card fights, mostly recorded, to know that although it seemed like the Heralds were on the offensive, they were actually at a disadvantage. The moment their sharp offensive stopped, or was even slowed down, the many spells of the Initiate would overwhelm them.


    Nero took a quick look around the room and discovered debris had blocked that half of it, but an exit path stilly open for him in the form of another hole in the wall. The shape of the hole looked suspiciously simr to the one he had just used.


    But approaching that opening was dangerous, as there were too many fights in the room, and the enemies seemed to have a slight advantage.


    With 14 seconds of Muted Self left, Nero took action to disrupt the fights in the room. He did not pull out any cards, for despite their versatility, Nero was not confident in executing them properly. Instead, he grabbed arge rock, most likely a piece of the broken ceiling, and threw it across the room, his timing and aim perfect.


    The Initiates were moving too fast, their senses incredibly keen, so the moment the rock neared one of the attackers he detected it, he dodged, despite the fact that it would put him at a slight disadvantage. The ABB guard fighting that attacker immediately increased the pressure.


    But Nero had never aimed at them from the start. A split secondter, the rock crushed one of the two remaining chandeliers in the room, making it darker. The reduced lighting immediately made the fight harder for everyone in the room, save Nero, who was already expecting it.


    The instant he threw the rock, confident in his aim, Nero swiftly approached the fight closest to him. He had only taken onerge step when the room darkened, but he was close enough to take advantage of that brief dy where everyone was limating to their surroundings.


    He swung his spear, its tough wooden body cutting through the air without making a single sound, and aimed for the attackers'' feet.


    Even with all his advantages of stealth, surprise and timing, Nero assumed that the stronger opponent would be able to detect him, which is why he made a very calcted attack. If he seeded, then he would injure his targets'' feet. The loss of mobility would immediately shift the dynamic of the fight, quite possibly even bring it to a quick resolution right after. If he failed, due to the angle of attack,bined with the fact that he was being attacked from the back, his target would need to jump or leap to dodge.


    Considering the intensity of the ongoing fight, even a second of vulnerability, such as being in the air and unable to dodge, would give the Heralds enough time to attack.


    Just as Nero had expected, the enemy was able to detect his attack, though only at the veryst second. Unable to dodge, he instead blocked using one of his spells. Something invisible struck the spear, deflecting at thest moment though Nero was still able to cut one of the man''s legs, leaving a deep gash in his calf.


    Nero, too, was affected and could not help but grunt, though his card muted the sound. Whatever had blocked his spear caused some unseen force to travel up the length of the spear and into his body. He felt his muscles pull, as if on the verge of rupturing. Fortunately, the feeling did notst, and he did not sustain any actual injuries.


    He did not continue attacking, and instead hid behind a nearby table, ever analysing the situation in the room. His slight disruption had drastically changed the situation in two fights! The Heraldsnded a few hits on the enemy as well, while the guard was not allowing his opponent to recover his advantage.


    It was too soon to say that the fight was over, as the enemies both seemed to shift their position, attempting to regroup with one another. Perhaps they could hold out for a little longer, or even make aeback.


    Either way, the fighting in the room was moving towards the centre, clearing the way for Nero to slip through the second hole.


    As much as he would like to provide more assistance, it was clear that he was outmatched. He had done what he could do, so he had to focus on his current objective, which was to find the Herald with grey hair.


    As he escaped the room, whaty before him was a trail of destruction. Whoever was causing these holes had gone through a few more rooms, only a few of which contained more Heralds still fighting. Some of them were already empty, leaving only corpses, most of which, unfortunately, looked like civilians.


    Through maintaining his stealth and clever use of timing, Nero managed to avoid getting pulled into any fights and followed the destruction. Nero could only assume that the person responsible for the holes was his very target, for he could not be found anywhere else.


    But the fact that the trail led deeper and deeper into the bureau caused Nero to be even more cautious. This deliberate attempt to lead the fight away from everyone seemed mismatched with the objective he had been informed of earlier.


    The so-called <i>best </i>Herald had already left many of hispanions behind, and not even in a safe location. Each of them were fighting for their lives, which was not really an issue since they had the training to do so. The problem was that this behaviour seemed to make the purpose of leading the enemy away from everyone invalid.


    Just as Nero was beginning to suspect that the Herald was actually an aplice, and had led the fight away for more sinister intentions, he finally caught up to him, and dropped all his earlier spections!


    In what very much looked like a massive auditorium, Nero found a lone Herald with metallic grey hair fighting against one of the attackers.


    The scale of this fight was very much greater than any of the ones he had seen previously because... because the Herald was fighting an Arcanist! Hadn''t he been told that the enemies were Initiates?


    Nero quickly huddled into a corner, not even daring to renew his Muted Self, which had just expired. He knew from spending time with his parents that Arcanists were much more sensitive to aether flow, and could detect enemies through it. In fact, he was even afraid of continuing to use the Darkness innate card, but at the same time, he did not dare to stop and reveal his body.


    "Give up, Invictus," said the Arcanist, his voice filled with taunting amusement. "The sooner you die, the sooner this will all be over. Some of yourpanions may even be still alive. Why put them through this? If the fight ends here, they may still have a chance to live!"


    Nero''s eyes narrowed, and his grip on his spear tightened. Invictus... he knew that name.

 Chapter 9: Not alone

    <h4>Chapter 9: Not alone</h4>


    The auditorium was arge room, with three sections of seating in the right, middle and left, each section capable of hosting hundreds. All the seats, divided in levels which descended a step each row, faced a massive, curved stage that seemed to form a semi-circle.


    The acoustics of the room were naturally remarkable, and designed to carry the sound from the stage all the way to the back of the hall. Maybe that was why Nero, who was far away from the stage, could easily hear the tormenting remarks of the attacker, who was on stage.


    With a colourful symphony of spells aiding his every move, the attacker seemed intent on killing his target. With exceptional mastery of his spear, and wless execution of innate ability, the Herald held him back perfectly, and even seemed to have a slight advantage.


    Their fight, almost too fast for Nero to follow, seemed like a masterwork of a performance, if only it had been a y. But it was not. Instead it was a bitter fight for survival, and Nero knew that whatever advantage the Herald seemed to have was illusory.


    The attacker needed to only enter his Arcanist form to overwhelm the youth and end the fight, or at least drastically shift the offs. But for whatever reason, he was not doing that. Perhaps he was toying with the Herald, or perhaps he had other motives.


    Nero''s eyes gleamed as he recalled everything he knew about the name he had just heard. The current year was 997 V of the Vryian calendar. Around 349 years ago, in the year 648 V, Adelix Invictus reached the Sage realm as a Monarch, and aided in the founding of Kr, alongside two others.


    In the year 712 V, when Kr was in a bitter war with both its neighbours, Saint Codale and Dolziya, General Adelix Invictusunched a desperate suicide attack on Terenim, the capital of Dolziya at the time, and destroyed it. Unfortunately, despite ending the war, the good general died, bing one of the few Sages to die in a non-curse rted incident.


    Clearly the attacker was not talking about the general, who was dead, so that must mean that this formidable Herald was one of his descendants. Or this was a rare coincidence where he shared the name but had no rtion. It wasn''t exactly unknown for people to name their children after heroes.


    While their fight continued, Nero could see how having cards at his disposal would drastically aid the Herald. After all, at the moment he was only holding off the attacker using his innate ability. The question now was, how could Nero deliver the cards? Coming close to an Arcanist was no different frommitting suicide, and although nero was brave, he was not stupid. He would not needlessly condemn himself to death.


    "What''s the matter, Invictus? Cat got your tongue? I''d heard you were quite the talkative kid. I''d heard you''d used that tongue quite well to antagonise many of your professors," the attacker taunted again.


    "Your attempts to demoralise me are futile," the Herald finally replied. "I know that you did not attack the AAB just to target me - that would make you the stupidest group in the world. You''d only need to wait till tomorrow and I''d be out of here, and much easier to target. I don''t know why you know of me, but that won''t change the fact that you won''t get away with this. You''ll get caught by the police or the army, and then I can find out what your interest in me is easily."


    As soon as he finished his words, the two shed against one another ferociously, right after which the attacker leaped back and created some distance between us. Then heughed.


    "Don''t you know why I know of you? It''s because you''re too annoying! You''re stepping on too many toes! There are people who feel their interests will be at risk if you move up the ranks in the army, so when they heard what I''d be doing today, they paid me extra to get rid of you as well. I got paid in old Valerian gold! 20 pieces!"


    The man just took his timeughing, while Invictus used the time to recover. But even from a distance Nero could tell that the attackers words were unnerving him. Truth be told, Nero was agitated as well.


    Although the situations were different, he could see the remarkable simrity between Invictus and his brother. Both were being targeted by someone superior for petty, personal reasons.


    Kri were supposed to look at the greater good. How could the country foster stronger soldiers if everyone with potential was culled?


    Nero grit his teeth. He really wanted to help Invictus, but he had no way of delivering the case without getting detected.


    He did not want to admit it, but somewhere in his heart, there was a seed of fear. Arcanists were incredibly strong, especially in actualised Arcanist form, and it was entirely unfair and unrealistic to expect a new Neophyte to put up any kind of offence against one. This fear was absolutely rational.


    But it was also because of this fear that Nero could not allow himself to back down. His enemy was a much more formidable person, two entire realms above Arcanist. If Nero could not even ovee the weaker one, he would never be able to even think about challenging the greater one.


    He felt angry at himself for feeling fear, so he had to act, and break himself from this curse.


    Only a man''s morals, conscience, or goals should dictate his actions, not feelings of fear and intimidation. If he gave in once, just because the situation was unfair and unreasonable, he would set a precedent.


    In this world nothing was fair, so anyone who expected to face a fair situation was in the wrong, not the situation itself.


    Nero took out his own card case and began to peruse his selection, refreshing his memory of the cards he had and their uses. His normally steady hands trembled just a bit. Nero told himself that was the effects of adrenaline, and kept reading.


    "Since you''re going to kill me anyway, mind telling me who hired you?" Invictus asked, his voice only slightly annoyed.


    "Nice try, kid. You messed with matters you shouldn''t have, so now you have to pay the price!"


    The fight resumed with an increased ferocity, but that only meant that Invictus would be exhausted much sooner. Nero needed to act quickly.


    Since he could not deliver the card case without being detected, he needed to do something else. After reviewing his cards, Nero came up with a n, although it was riskier than he would have liked.


    Nero was about 80 metres (260 feet) away from the stage, hidden behind the chairs. He needed to creep in closer, and while he decided to continue using the Darkness innate card, he could not take the risk of activating the Muted Self card again.


    The aether fluctuations from new cards being activated would definitely attract the Arcanists attention - in case it already hadn''t!


    To ensure that he did not attract any attention, Nero would have to move as slowly as possible, and even leave behind his spear, although he felt incredibly reluctant to do that. But it was just not possible to carry a massive stick around and stay covert at the same time. But where he discarded the spear was also important.


    Nero crept to the side of the row of seats he was hidden behind, ensuring that he stayed crouched. He was barely making any sounds, though even if he was a little louder the sounds would have been drowned out in the sounds of endless shes.


    When he reached the end of the row, he gently ced the spear on the ground, making sure it stayed in ce and did not roll away due to the vibrating building.


    Then, doing his best to remain in the shadows, he crept down the steps,ing ever closer to the stage. He still did not know how visible he was, enshrouded in darkness as he was, so he could only hope that the two on stage remained too upied amongst themselves to notice an odd shadow moving through the auditorium.


    When he reached 60 metres to the stage, Nero began to feel nervous. At 50, he could not tell if it was his own heartbeat that was shaking his body or the vibrations spread out due to the fight.


    In his mind, he focused on his cobalt blue mes, and fed all his unnecessary emotions into it. He knew that innate abilities did not work in such a way, but soon he was left feeling nothing except cold ruthlessness.


    There was a scream and a stter of blood that travelled across the hall, some of the drops even falling on Nero. He ducked behind a chair, and saw that the Arcanist had unexpectedly been hurt!


    The fighting momentarily paused as the attacker withdrew, holding onto his arms, covering a bleeding gash unsessfully. Opposite to him, Invictus stood tall and proud, the tip of his spear finally tasting the blood of his foe.


    The exchange had urred too quickly for Nero to see how exactly Invictus had wounded the enemy, but he could feel that the fight had reached a turning point. The attacker no longer seemed yful, as he was acting earlier, and a baleful aura emerged from his body epassing the hall.


    The closer to the fight Nero came, the more careful he had to be, but he was not close enough just yet.


    Oddly enough, despite his anger, the attacker did not enter his Arcanist form, but he definitely attacked with more zeal as soon as the fight resumed. Invictus was immediately pressured, but in only a couple more exchanges, the attacker was wounded again.


    Nero was seeing a pattern. The more pressure Invictus faced, the greater his strength became. He did not know if this was a result of his innate ability, or he was just able to perform better under pressure. Either way, Nero continued to approach the stage till he reached approximately 20 metres (60 feet). This was still quite a distance from the stage, but it was about as near as he coulde.


    He ced Invictus'' card case on the first chair in thetest row, its metallic sheen clearly distinguishable from the ck, stic chairs. Then he began to retreat. At the same time, he took out a couple of cards.


    "We''ve waited so long, Invictus. We fought and we fought, but no one hase to your aid," the attacker said sinisterly. "I''ve been holding back, just in case some reinforcements came. After all, regardless of who you pissed off, I thought someone would value your talent at least. But it seems I was wrong. You''re all alone, Invictus. You have no friends, no allies. This is what you get for stepping out of line."


    The Herald did not respond, though that was more because he did not have the room to respond under the furious onught. His body had already suffered numerous hits, and if he had not secretly reced his armour for a higher grade one, and did not have the aid of his innate ability, then he would have been at the very least seriously injured.


    "You lived alone as an orphan, and now you will die alone too, abandoned by yourrades," the attacker said, his voice taking on a deeper tone, as if dictating prophecy.


    Another spellnded on Invictus'' body, though this time his armour began to fail him. He coughed out blood as he quickly stepped back to avoid more attacks.


    The attacker grinned as he readied his sword to continue his push, but the auditorium suddenly darkened.


    He jerked to look out at the hall, as if searching for the neers, but saw nothing but an empty sea of ck.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    A thunderous sound echoed in the halls,ing at them from everywhere. Invictus recognised the sound. It was the sound of spears banging on the floor. It was the ceremony for new Neophytes.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    The sound thundered, threatening to deafen them. Though Invictus did not understand what was happening, he knew one thing at least. On this battlefield, he was not as alone as he thought.

 Chapter 10: Aether deprivation

    <h4>Chapter 10: Aether deprivation</h4>


    The moment Nero ced the card case on the chair, hepleted the first step of the n. Now he had to retreat before proceeding to the second step, but just in case he felt like he had to hurry, he pulled out two cards.


    With thepletion of the first step of his n, Nero felt tempted to retreat faster. There was an almost overwhelming urge to increase his speed and build up the distance between him and the stage.


    But through sheer force of will, Nero kept his hands steady. This was not his first time experiencing a life and death situation. He knew well the importance of being meticulous. The feeling that safetyy in hurrying away from the enemy was naught but an illusion, one his body could not see through. Only in his mind did he know that if he moved too fast, he would inevitably catch the eye of those on the stage, and that would render his n moot.


    As he slowly climbed the steps, Nero heard the attacker taunt and jab the Herald. To distract himself from thoughts of running. Nero dissected the viin''s words.


    "We''ve waited so long, Invictus. We fought, and we fought, but no one hase to your aid. I''ve been holding back, just in case some reinforcements came. After all, regardless of who you pissed off, I thought someone would value your talent at least. But it seems I was wrong. You''re all alone, Invictus. You have no friends, no allies. This is what you get for stepping out of line."


    The words were targeted and hurtful. They were not creative as far as insults went, but they were designed to make the Herald feel alone. Feel abandoned. Feel defeated. The enemy did not need to be this cruel if he was only out to kill the Herald, as he imed.


    No, if Nero had to guess, he would say that the attacker was purposefully seeking pleasure in making the Herald suffer. Either he was psychotic or had a personal vendetta against him.


    The words hurt Nero, too. Was that how Patrick felt when he was betrayed? Did he feel alone when he was sent to the front lines? Did he lose faith in Kr after the betrayal, the way Nero had?


    If there was one benefit, it was that the attacker''s words drove out the fear that was gripping his body and ruling his instincts. Instead, he filled Nero with anger. Either way, he had to maintain control over his actions, but he would much rather deal with anger than fear.


    Now all he had to do was get into position.


    "You lived alone as an orphan, and now you will die alone too, abandoned by yourrades," the attacker said. Nero could not imagine how the Herald must have felt upon hearing those words, but they lit a fire in Nero''s heart.


    No matter how corrupt the superiors of this country became, a Kri soldier was never alone!


    Nero looked down at the cards in his hand. One of them was Darkness, as he had taken to calling the innate card. The other was called Endless echoes.


    Endless echoes was an extremelymon 0 star card, and its image was the musical symbol ''La'' repeated three times. Its ability was very predictable.


    <strong>[Repeat a sound on a loop for a time. The duration depends on the amount aether provided.]</strong>


    Nero had to take a risk - something he had been trying to avoid doing. But when faced with an Arcanist everything was a risk. He needed to control the distraction.


    He squeezed the Darkness card between his fingers as he visualised the effects he wanted it to produce. He was not sure if that was how controlling cards worked, but at the moment, that was all he could do.


    He remembered the card''s description, which was simple. It merely said that he was the darkness. If he was the darkness, then it should not be an issue for him to control it.


    He flooded the card with aether and imagined the cloud of darkness epassing the attacker. He recalled how the Herald had hidden the hole in the wall using a dark cloud. If he could do that, there was no reason Nero couldn''t surround the attacker in a dark cloud as well.


    It seemed to work, and the attacker was instantly surrounded by a dark cloud, taking him by surprise. But if Nero gave him time to think and study, he would quickly realise what was happening.


    Instead, Nero flooded the remainder of the aether in his body into Endless echoes and imagined the thunderous sounds of multiple spears banging on the floor.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    The sound nearly deafened him, but it startled the attacker, who could not figure out what was happening. He immediately began looking around the room, as if searching for where the wall had been knocked down by reinforcements.


    Fortunately, he had not pinpointed Nero''s location. Nero himself felt incredibly feeble and out of breath, but his n was far from over. Holding Endless echoes between his index and middle finger, he flung the card to the other side of the room.


    Mid-flight, it released another earsplitting ''boom'', but due to the unique design of the room, the sound bounced around the walls, making it difficult to pinpoint where the sound wasing from.


    Nero''s distraction tactics had, maybe, bought a few seconds of time. During this period, the enemy was confused, but the familiar sounding from Endless echoes should have been a hint for the Herald that an ally hade, and he was not alone.


    Like the Heralds stood beside him as honour guards while he walked the trail of blood, he was standing beside the Herald in this life and death moment. But in both situations, everyone had to walk their own path. The Heralds could not walk the blood trail for him, and Nero could not fight off the Arcanist for the Herald.


    The attacker was surrounded by a cloud of ck fog, reducing his visibility and making it hard for him to distinguish the details of his surroundings. But when the Herald looked around, searching for the potential ally or possibly a few other Heralds, an object glinting caught his eye.


    A metallic case, ced on a ck chair, was extremely prominent when it was ced in a way to reflect the little light that came off the stage. Even from so far away, the Herald recognised his own card case.


    There was no hesitation in his actions. With a loud, aggressive roar, he charged at the attacker with his spear, as if intent on killing him with the very next blow. The attacker quickly brought up his sword to defend while he controlled his spell to block the iing attack.


    But he could not block with his sword, or his spell, for the attack never came.


    After throwing a feint, the Herald leaped off stage at the fastest speed and ran for the card case.


    "I didn''t know you were a coward, Invictus! What would your namesake think?" the attacker yelled, before giving chase whileughing. He thought the Herald was running away.


    Nero had to duck down to avoid being spotted. By now, he had crawled back to his spear, but he was forced to deactivate Darkness.


    His aether had run dangerously low, and Nero was incredibly dizzy. There were spots appearing in his vision, and his chest was feeling incredibly cold, as if he was being affected by his own innate ability.


    Of course, he knew that was impossible, but it didn''t help the situation.


    Nero grabbed onto the spear as hey on the ground between the rows of seats, holding it tightly as if it were the only solid thing, keeping him from floating adrift, pulled by a powerful river current.


    He... he tried to use his brain... to guide his thoughts. He was suffering from... aether deprivation. This was... incredibly dangerous given that his body had only just stabilised a few hours ago.


    He did not know how to absorb aether from the air either, so he could only wait till it naturally returned.


    At the same time, he had to do his best to prevent himself from groaning or moaning in pain. Faintly, he could hear the fight still continue around him. It was much louder and fiercer now, probably since they were much closer.


    He had to stay hidden, or in his condition, he''d die from a single attack.


    Nero suffered from muscle spasms, nausea, hallucinations, and ckouts. He had no idea how much time had passed by the time he recovered somewhat, but the first thing he did once the dizziness withdrew was vomit.


    For all his self control, he could not keep his breakfast in. Then came the shivers.


    But that didn''t matter. Nero had recovered barely enough where he could pay attention to his surroundings.


    He looked around and saw the hall was utterly destroyed. In fact, many chairs around him were utterly crushed as well, and Nero had barely managed to avoid whatever attack had struck him.


    He searched for the Herald, and quickly dropped back on the floor! They were fighting right beside him, and he was almost spotted. The attacker and the Herald both were panting heavily and covered in multiple wounds.


    Nero had no idea if the attacker had already used up his Arcanist form by now or not, but he looked incredibly exhausted.


    As Nero''s trembling began to worsen, he did his best to pay attention to the fight using only sound. He was really close, so the chances of getting hurt were much greater. He had to... he had to...


    His eyes closed and his mind began to drift away to darkness, but the little that remained still focused on the fight. Through sound alone, Nero began visualising what the fight might have looked like, though he had long entered a semiconscious state. It was sheer obsession that kept his brain working the way it did.


    Suddenly, out of pure instinct, Nero extended the spear out as quickly as he could, while still holding onto it as tightly as possible. He felt something, as if someone had stumbled on the body of the spear.


    He heard a scream, but could not tell who it was from. Darkness consumed his mind as hepletely lost consciousness.


    Just a couple of metres away from him, Invictus stood over the attacker who had tripped over the spear, and looked the defeated man in his eyes.


    "I guess I was not as alone as you thought," Invictus said, after a very long and arduous fight.


    The attacker did not make a snarkyeback, for he knew death was awaiting him. Rage and bitterness ate at his mind before it turned into unwillingness. He was a mighty Arcanist. How could he lose to a mere Initiate?


    But the answer to that was simple. Invictus had blocked his Arcanist form somehow. It was supposed to be impossible. There was no precedent for such a thing, nor could he even begin to imagine how a mere teenager controlled such an unbelievable power.


    Invictus, the Herald, did not give him much time to think either. In one swift motion, he stabbed the attacker in the neck, tearing his carotid arteries.


    Then he turned and looked at his unexpected ally. Right up until the end, Invictus had not discovered his location. Unbelievably, it was the very Neophyte who he had stood as honour guard for.


    The kidy unconscious in his own vomit, his body trembling even in his unconscious state. Uncaring about anything else, Invictus kneeled and checked up on the kid. A solemn expression painted his face as soon as hepleted the checkup.


    His innate ability was unravelling as the kid was heading towards destabilisation due to expending all his aether.


    Unlike what many people assumed, the stabilisation process, and especially the synchronisation process, did not end quickly. It was a process that continued for hours, sometimes even taking a full day. It was just that the majority of it took a short time, which is what people mistook for the process beingpleted.


    Ordinarily, it did not matter either. But in situations where the body, which was still using aether to finish its stabilisation, was deprived of said aether, it destabilised instead. In essence, the mutation that gave humans power, would instead kill him.


    Wasting no time, Invictus opened his card case and pulled out a golden card, one that looked different from all the rest of the cards in his case.


    "Halt!" he said, holding a hand over Nero, and as if he were a Monarch withplete control, everything in Nero''s body stopped. His heart stopped beating, his ability stopped unravelling, he stopped dying.

 Chapter 11: Draft notice

    <h4>Chapter 11: Draft notice</h4>


    As the kid''s entire body ''halted'', Invictus finally took some time to study the kid some more. He looked like a teenager, probably only a year or two younger than him. His body was built well, and Invictus could see faint signs of training in his frame.


    That was no surprise, as there was a basic amount of physical andbat training as a curriculum in every school. But for Invictus to notice the effects even with his clothes on, he must have put significant effort into training his body.


    It must be known that the norm for everyone, with the limited food rations and grueling training they underwent, was to have a sleek and lean physique. For the kid to build even the little extra muscle that he had, despite the intense regimen, he must have trained sufficiently, as well as gotten his hands on some extra food somehow.


    That meant the kid came from a decent background. At least he wasn''t an orphan, as was somon in Kr. Given his youth, and the probable background of the kid, it was a little surprising how much effort he put into helping Invictus.


    "Hargreave, why did you allow a kid into the hall?" Invictus asked gravely, even though he never took his eyes off the kid. But there was no response. The room remained silent and empty, save for him and the kid.


    "I thought you said you wouldn''t help me, and wouldn''t allow me to get any help until I prove myself," Invictus spoke once more, and waited for a response. But once again, he was greeted with naught but silence.


    Just as he was about to speak for a third time, he heard a reluctant voiceing from beside him, though there was no one there.


    "I thought that the addition of the kid would be an additional burden for you in the fight. I wanted to test you and see what you would do. I never expected him to be so... effective despite being so careful."


    Invictus snorted, showing no respect for the invisible figure near him.


    The Herald took in a deep breath, ignoring the pain in his body, as he focused once more on Nero''s body. Freezing it was not a solution, and he could not take the kid out like this, as it would raise questions he could not answer. He had to stabilise the kid himself, which would not be easy.


    "You should not have used the card on the kid," the invisible man said. "It will leave traces on his body. He can be a weakness and a w for you, possibly revealing your secret."


    "Since you did not help when your help was actually needed, you can keep your advice to yourself," Invictus said, and he ced his hand right over the kid''s chest, where his aether node would have been before the synchronisation.


    "Reverse!" he eximed, once again activating the golden card, suffering an immense drain on his own aether reserves. But even if he ended up suffering from aether deficiency, the repercussions would not be nearly as bad as what the kid was suffering. He would only experience body aches and severe nausea until the situation was resolved.


    Inside Nero''s body, everything seemed to be going in reverse. His blood was flowing backwards, his heart was beating in the reverse order, his blood was feeding oxygen to the air in his lungs instead of absorbing it, and, most importantly, his innate ability was once again being restored.


    After an excruciating 20 seconds, the effects of the golden card wore out as even Invictus, despite being an Initiate, ran out of aether. He fell to his knees and his body trembled, but instead of worrying about himself, he first checked on the kid.


    Unbelievably, this was the first time in Invictus'' 17 years of life that someone had risked their life for him. That was not to say that Invictus led a bad or miserable life, far from it. But this was the first time he felt like someone shared in life and death with him on the battlefield. He... he did not want to let the kid die.


    He held his breath as he studied the kid''s body, anxious to see if the innate ability continued to unravel. One second, five seconds, twenty seconds passed, and though the kid did not look much better, his innate ability held on.


    Invictus sighed in relief, and then could not help from bursting intoughter. He had not realised that he was so worried about the kid, and now that he knew the kid would be fine, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.


    "At least tell me the kid''s name," Invictus said, as he pushed himself to his feet and picked the kid up.


    "Instead of the kid, shouldn''t you be worrying about who sent an assassin to kill you?" the invisible man asked.


    "Hargreave, we both know who sent the assassins. We both also know why the AAB has been under attack for nearly 20 minutes, but reinforcements have note. There''s no point in dwelling on such things right now."


    After a moment of silence, the invisible man responded and manifested an ID card out of thin air, on which a lot of data was recorded.


    "The kid''s name is Nero Grant, 15 years old, and his school is Mount Aidin. By the way, you''re wrong about why there are no reinforcements. I''m not sure what it is, but there''s been an incident in the hills. A lot of troops were deployed, including big shots like the chief of AAB."


    Invictus grabbed Nero''s ID card and slipped it into the kids pocket before walking out of the auditorium. He was not worried about being attacked anymore. Regardless of the process, by defeating an Arcanist, Invictus had gained the continued protection of the mysterious Spectre who had followed him for so long.


    But as it turned out, the protection wasn''t needed. As soon as he emerged, he ran into a group of security guards who immediately took Nero from him and began performing emergency treatment through their cards.


    "Are you a Herald? What''s your name? Do you know of any more survivors?"


    "No, no survivors this way. I led one of the attackers here to bring him away from everyone else. My name is Invictus Hammel."


    As Invictus answered the guard''s questions, he did not seem to realise that the guards were distracting him as they performed emergency treatment on him as well. It appeared that he was so used to pain that he forgot that he was actually injured.


    What happened next was a blur, and Invictus did not even realise when he was put to sleep. Nero''s condition,paratively, was much better. A scan of his body showed mild trauma, and low aether reserves, but not to the point of depletion.


    But, for the sake of safety, he was kept asleep through artificial means as he was transported to the nearest hospital, alongside everyone else who had suffered during the attack.


    When Nero woke up, he found himself lying in a hospital bed. He did not feel drowsy or tired, or even weak. The moment he opened his eyes, he waspletely fresh. That was because there was nothing wrong with him besides low aether reserves, which was one of the easiest things to heal.


    He was in a private room, which was unusual, until he realised that his father was sitting on the other side of the room, reading a magazine.


    "Dad, I lost my card case. It has your card in it," Nero said immediately, not bothering with pleasantries. If his father''s innate card was discovered, it could have very serious repercussions!


    Instead of responding, his father threw his card case at him, without removing his gaze from the magazine.


    "Kid, between you and me, I''m fairly impressed. This is the fastest anyone in our entire family has been hospitalised after moving out from home. Even your unclested a few days before ending up in a ward."


    "I have an uncle?" Nero asked, surprised.


    "Yeah, your mom had a brother. We didn''t like him too much, to be honest, and haven''t seen him in years. You were still a baby thest time I heard from him. He ran away with some Cretaian blonde. Probably dead by now. Listen, more importantly, your moms getting thetest round of her treatment right now, so she doesn''t know about this incident yet. Please try to refrain from any more hospitalisations in the meantime. She''ll get really anxious, and then she won''t be able to sleep. When she can''t sleep, she doesn''t let me sleep either, and you <i>know</i> I have to be awake by noon for work."


    "I''ll try to not inconvenience you with any more hospitalisations," said Nero as he rolled his eyes. Everyone else''s father was so strict and mean, so how did he end up with such a <i>unique</i> parent?


    Edward put down his magazine and finally looked at Nero, observing his changes. His eyes were a clear blue, and the colour of his hair was beginning to fade as well. Not everyone experienced such a change upon synchronizing, but if the innate ability was rted to an element, it always urred.


    "So you went after your mother too, huh? Ice rted powers? At least it''s not a passive one, so you got one of your wishes."


    Nero had actually wanted an ability to wield fire, which is what he got technically speaking. It was just that instead of his fire burning things to ash, it would freeze them.


    "It''s a blue me that freezes things. The ability is simr to moms, but I''ve already discovered a way in which it''s different. Since it''s a me, I can use it to light the dark. Besides that, well, I haven''t had any time to test it out, so I''m not sure, but there''s probably more."


    Edward could not hide his massive smile upon hearing that Nero had unlocked a me, even if its effects were more simr to his wife''s ability rather than his own.


    "So you take after me," he said, his voice filledpletely with pride. "Don''t worry, you''ll soon see how amazing it is to be a fire wielder. I''llpile a list of things you can probably try out with your ability that will help you understand it better. For example, does it still require oxygen? Or does it rely on some other gas? Does it even need gaseous fuel? I''ll have you know, your grandmother''s fire could burn even in a vacuum."


    "Yeah, dad, thanks. But I''d like to experiment with my ability myself for a bit before taking any outside help. Besides, there''s a ss with one-on-one guidance with a teacher to help me figure out the limits of my ability that I''ll be taking."


    Nero paused the conversation and looked at his dad. He knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to distract Nero, but that had never worked. But the fact that he was trying to distract Nero rather than informing him outright who had attacked the AAB and why meant that it was sensitive information.


    "So, are you going to tell me, or are we going to keep avoiding the topic? I''ll find out, eventually. You know how gossip spreads."


    Edward could not help but sigh, and his expression looked a little worn.


    "Who attacked the bureau, I''m not sure. The official story is that it was terrorists from Dolziya. It could be true orpletely made up. But that''s not the biggest news in thest few hours. There''s been some kind of incident in the hills, and a lot of troops have been deployed. The city''s security has be vulnerable, so the reserve soldiers have been called out and a level one draft notice has been issued. It''s been a long time since the situation in Aetherpeak was so tense."


    Nero frowned and then sighed. Of course disaster had to strike on the day he stabilised.


    Suddenly feeling impatient, Nero began unhooking all the medical equipment.


    "I''m free to go, right? I don''t really have time to be wasting here. I need to get to school."


    In truth, there was someone he needed to see urgently before they responded to the draft notice. There was no time to waste.

 Chapter 12: Tattoo artist

    <h4>Chapter 12: Tattoo artist</h4>


    Edward Grant knew his son like the back of his hand. To say that Nero was passionate about school would be overselling it, but during thest few years at least he had put in some effort towards it. Still, seeing him jump out of a hospital bed in a rush to get to school was about as believable as the fog around Valeriya disappearing, revealing a wondend behind it.


    But he remembered what it was like to be a teenager, so he didn''t point out how obvious his son was being. He only hoped that Nero was running away to go see a girl or something, instead of, you know, the usual of plotting revenge against his enemies.


    "Here, take this," Edward said as he threw a money clip towards Nero, containing 500 Krims, the local currency in Kr. "Your bag is gone and you''re probably not going to be able to get your knife back anytime soon. But a young man shouldn''t be without any protection, so on your way to school, buy yourself some of the essentials."


    Nero was momentarily stunned by the amount of money his father had given him, but when he heard he''d have to buy a new knife, it made sense. 500 Krims was a lot of money, especially for a 15-year-old. Even after buying a very, very good knife, he''d have around 200 Krims left. Forparison, 1 Krim was enough to buy enough meal rations for one time for an adult. Of course, how many rations one could buy depended on their avable quota, but the idea was still the same.


    "You''re making me very double minded about not getting hospitalised again," Nero joked as he jumped off the bed. His father snorted, but said nothing else. His clothes were folded neatly on a table beside him, so Nero wasted no time in grabbing them and changing out of the hospital gown in the bathroom.


    "What time is it?" he asked as he walked out of the bathroom looking for his shoes.


    "2:57 pm," Edward said while flipping a page. "Oh look here, there''s a discount at Maxim''s Card shop if you buy cards on the day you stabilise. Might want to stop by on the way. Looks like a good deal."


    "I''ll drop by on the way. See youter, dad."


    "Don''t forget to buy yourself a new phone," Edward reminded as his son rushed out of the door.


    Something clicked in Nero''s mind. His phone must have gotten lost or broken during the ordeal in the morning. No wonder his father gave him so much money. After buying a knife, a phone and some daily essentials, he''d probably have nothing left.


    Without much ceremony, Nero quickly left the hospital. If there was any paperwork that was needed on his behalf to check out, then his dad would probably take care of it.


    Outside the hospital was a rack of rentable cycles, one of which Nero pulled out and hastily began making his way towards the city. Public transport was only avable along the main roads and important parts of the city, so a cycle would serve him better overall.


    His destination was not close, and would take him about twenty minutes to reach, allowing him some time to finally reflect on what had happened. Just a few hours ago, he was fighting for his life in a building filled with invading terrorists.


    But while Nero did not know all of their agenda, he knew that at least one of the <i>terrorists</i> had been targeting one of the Heralds, Invictus, at the behest of someone from the localmunity.


    His grip on the handlebar tightened. This was just another example of the decaying corruption that filled Kr. Nero had thought a lot about this over the past few years, and studied a lot to better understand the world.


    He studied history, both national and international, in as much detail as he could. He studied gossip magazines and propaganda leaflets, alongside the official statements for various events. He even asked his parents about them, if they happened to be around. The one thing Nero learned was that the truth was always moreplicated than it seemed.


    Therefore, he had no intention of revealing what he knew to the authorities. It might not really help Invictus in any way, but would definitely ce Nero on the radar for whoever was hunting the Herald. The best course of action would be to step back from the scene silently and focus on his own growth.


    No matter what else happened, the sight of Invictus fighting off an Arcanist had a big impact on Nero. If others could do it, then there was no reason why he couldn''t do it, and just because others couldn''t do it didn''t mean he couldn''t do it either. This was a personal motto he repeated to himself often when he was intimidated by the monumental size of the task ahead of him. But today was the first time he was inspired by the actions and capabilities of another, and wanted to replicate them.


    The rest of his ride was very sombre, as he reflected on the surreal experience of fighting for his life in the morning, then rushing toplete his tasks in the afternoon.


    But eventually, Nero reached his destination, and the time to let his emotions wander was at an end. The teenager steadied himself, and in fact pushed away most of his emotions, looking somewhat cold. The process was simr to how he got ready to face dangers right after he had synchronised.


    In front of him was a tattoo parlour. They were not exactlymon in Kr, but it wasn''t as if they didn''t exist either. He eyed the endless characters and designs made on the tinted windows and walls of the shop, often seeing prominent symbols and famous insignias.


    They looked impressive, but Nero was not here to admire the art, so he stopped wasting time and walked in, ringing the hanging door bell inside.


    Soft, soothing music yed inside the store, contrary to what Nero had expected, and the rest of the shop was stered in endless hand drawn designs, making it look both messy and yet remarkable at the same time.


    A young girl was seated on a stool right in front, ying with a pen in her fingers, her hand partially covered with fingerless gloves, as she looked at the sketchpad in front of her. A strand of long, ck hair hung loosely from the bun she had otherwise made, held in ce with yet another pen.


    Despite the ringing of the doorbell, she did not seem to realise Nero had entered, or if she did, she ignored him as she continued to focus on her art. Nero did not interrupt her, but instead watched silently.


    She was fair, incredibly so, which only made the countless tattoos on her body pop out more. There was the red crow, the flying baby whale, the wolf, the abandoned castle and the cloudy mountain, all on her right hand, each tattoo giving space to one another, yet somehow seeming to be a part of a single work of art. These were the ones Nero already knew of, but newer additions had appeared. There was a broken sword, dripping with blood.


    "I can feel your stare in my bones, kid," she finally said as she put down her pad. It seemed like she would finish her workter. "It''s been a few months since I saw youst. You haven''t even dropped me a message in all this time, so I''m surprised to see you here. Tell me, what''s up?"


    Nero did not reveal his usual extroverted smile, nor did he crack a joke. Instead, he maintained his somewhat aloof and distant demeanour.


    "I synchronised this morning," he said, as if that would exin everything - and indeed it did.


    "Oh, it happened already?" she asked, with a sad smile on her face. "Wait, I should have guessed based on your eye colour. So it''s time, huh?"


    "Irene, you don''t need to do this," Nero said, his voice cold and distant. "It''s been two years. Patrick''s probably dead. No one would me you for moving on. You <i>should</i> move on. You still have a full life ahead of you."


    The girl''s warm smile froze, but her gaze remained fixed on Nero. He was getting ready for her to scold him, but he was not expecting that she would rush at him too quickly for him to respond. Before he knew it, the woman, who was slightly taller than him, was standing right in front of him, pulling his ear as if she were his mom.


    "He''s your older brother. It''s disrespectful to call him directly by his name," she said in an instructing tone. "And don''t you dare pretend like he means any less to me than any of you."


    She let go of his ear and took a step back, her smilepletely vanished now as she maintained eye contact with Nero.


    "I never told anyone this, because I didn''t want anyone to feel hurt, but before he was <i>taken in,</i> he knew it was going to happen. He came to me, and told me something was about to happen."


    Nero raised an eyebrow as he was clearly hearing something new. Did his parents know about this?


    "Your brother was a man, Nero. A true man. When he told me that something might happen to him, I thought he was going to break up with me."


    Irene held up her hand and removed the glove from her left hand, revealing a small, round tattoo on her third finger. Nero felt his heart drop as he realised something he couldn''t quite believe.


    "Instead of breaking up with me, he married me. He tattooed this ring on my hand himself and promised to make it back alive and bring me home and officially introduce me to the family. So no, Nero, I <i>won''t</i> forget my <i>husband</i> and just <i>move on</i>."


    Nero trembled as he looked at Irene... no, as he looked at his sister-inw in the eyes, and saw the depth of her emotions. Suddenly, a tinge of guilt appeared in his heart. He had been ignoring her for months, hoping she would forget his brother. There was no reason she should throw her life away. She was still young. But... but he had clearly underestimated her too much.


    He bowed to her, to show his sincerity, but also to hide the welling emotion in his eyes.


    "My apologies, sister-inws. You... it, it must have been tough these past few years, not telling anyone."


    Nero''s voice changed drastically, and no longer did he try to be distant. Instead, warmth and eptance filled his voice.


    "Come on, kid. We''re family. No need for the formalities. Now take your shirt off, I''d rather we get right into work."


    Nero nodded and made his way to a chair nearby and removed his shirt. Irene''s innate ability was a unique one, and it was incredibly powerful too. She could use ink to replicate the effect of Eldrim cards, making her one of the few humans alive who could wield magic without the need for cards.


    Of course, she had synchronised nheless. But the point was, she could replicate the effects of <i>any</i> card with her ink, regardless of their star level. It was a broken ability, which is why she hardly ever shared the details of it with anyone. He was one of the few people who knew about it.


    "So does that mean you''re not Irene Hammel anymore?" he asked, still wrapping his head around the fact that his brother secretly got married. Between the two of them, Nero had always been the crazy one, while Patrick was the responsible one. But maybe... that was not really true.


    "It''s Irene Grant now," she said, before cing her nail on his back. "Now let me focus, kid. I''ve been nning this one for years."

 Chapter 13: Raise the dead

    <h4>Chapter 13: Raise the dead</h4>


    Nero was no stranger to pain, whether it was physical or mental. The long hours of training with a spear, until his arms were sore and his legs wobbly, often left him in soreness and some pain. The endless hours of studying about the world, only to realise that his knowledge of things was a mere fraction of what he actually thought, often left him in mental anguish.


    nning out his training, his studying, his future path,working and maintaining healthy friendships often left him drained and fatigued. But never had he let any of that stop him.


    It was for the same reason that he, as someone who had never even got something as simple as a piercing, did not hesitate to let Irene cover his entire back in a massive tattoo, regardless of how much it hurt.


    She had shown him the design before she began, not that he would haveined regardless of what it looked like.


    The tattoo was all in ck, and was a series of smooth yet curved lines that never intersected with one another, ultimately forming a massive tribal tattoo. It covered his entire back and formed a perfectly symmetrical pattern that looked very pleasing to the eye.


    With thicker lines near his spine, thinning out as they spread across his back, Nero could almost imagine them as awork of aether lines. Not that this was the reason he got the tattoo, but he was beginning to like it a lot. In fact, the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.


    Of course, he was only looking at the sketchpad and not his actual back, but even so, he could imagine it forming an impressive sight.


    "Did you add a charm element to it?" Nero could not help but ask after Irene hadpleted the entire tattoo and was treating his back. During the tattooing process, they did not speak as Irene needed to focus, and Nero was busy ignoring the pain.


    "Why, is it that good?" she asked while chucking, but did not really wait for him to respond. "No, there''s no charm element. The effects of the tattoo are purely functional, and if they have any aesthetic appeal, then that''s a result of my own skill as an artist."


    Nero''s back itched as she fed aether into the tattoos, but he tried to ignore it.


    "Do you know about the draft notice?" he asked, aware that the news might not have spread yet.


    "It''s a level 1 draft notice, so anyone eligible who hasn''t gotten around to their mandatory enlistment must answer. A lot of people hold off until they''re reaching their age limit for mandatory enlistment of 25 before showing up, hoping to raise their level as much as they can. But because of this, they form a kind of reserve for the army to use in times of crisis. I already got a call informing me to report by tonight. By tomorrow morning, I''ll officially be in the army. But you don''t need to worry. Because of my innate ability, I''ll end up in one of the auxiliary divisions. Maybe I''ll even be paired with artisans directly."


    Nero grimaced as he had the sudden realisation that Irene would have to reveal her ability while enlisting. She had avoided it for so long exactly because she knew the kind of attention it would attract. But there was nothing he could do about it.


    "In two and a half years, I''ll be 18. You''ll still be serving then, so you''ll have to take care of me when I enlist."


    A mildly cold feeling spread on his back, and Nero knew that she must be using a healing card to finish the process. That way, he wouldn''t need to tolerate the difort thates with getting a new tattoo.


    "Kid, if you''re enlisting after graduating from KMA, you''ll be made a lieutenant directly, even if it''s only a second lieutenant. I''ll have to ask <i>you</i> to take care of <i>me</i>. Put on your shirt, we''re done."


    Nero grinned at the fact that his thoughts had been seen through, but said nothing. Instead of putting on a shirt, he first walked to a mirror to see how his tattoos looked. They were extensive and looked ominous and forbidding. He liked it.


    The tattoos would also be perfectly hidden as long as he wore a shirt, which was something he preferred. The fewer people that knew about this, the better, although he doubted he could hide it from everyone. Hiding it would be especially difficult after moving into the hostel.


    "Not bad at all," he murmured.


    "Patricks were cooler," Irene mentioned casually as she walked around her shop, cleaning up a little. Since she was about to enlist, she had to take her essentials. As for the rest, well, someone would probably take care of it once she stopped paying rent.


    "Patrick had tattoos?" Nero asked, shocked.


    Irene looked at him as if he was dumb.


    "We dated for <i>years</i>, Nero, and my innate ability works through ink. He has dozens of tattoos. But for most of them, I used special inks that only show under special circumstances. One of them only shows up under UV, and another one only shows up under the triple eclipse. The rest are hidden, just like yours."


    "What other secrets are you keeping from me? Do I have a nephew or niece hidden somewhere?"


    "How dare you?" Irene asked, her voice filled with fake anger. "I''ll have you know that I am a very conscientious woman. Your brother could only dream about getting close to me without marrying me."


    Nero smiled, but did not continue to joke about the topic. Considering they had been married, perhaps only minutes or at most a few hours before, his brother was probably a sore subject, despite Irene''s brave front.


    "I need to do a couple of chores before I sign up for the hostel. I guess I''ll see you around," Nero said, unsure of how to say farewell to the newest member of his family. "Be careful with the draft, and try to avoid getting in any trouble."


    Irene ruffled Nero''s hair fondly, before suddenly giving him a tight hug. Their parting was a silent one, as neither of them knew what to say. Nero did, however, mention that he''ll stop ignoring her messages, so she should message him if she ever needed something. To begin with, the only reason he had been avoiding her was so that she could try to move on.


    By the time he left the tattoo parlour, it was nearly 5 pm. In Aetherpeak, this meant that the night was closing in, as the mountains in the west would block the sunlight long before the sun reached anywhere near setting. This also meant that the temperatures were quickly dropping.


    Without any time to admire the majestic pink and purple sky, Nero cycled as quickly as possible to a nearby za where he would be able to find Maxim''s card shop. It was quite a popr shop, as Maxim was a very well known and established card artisan in the locale.


    Although Nero already had a deck of his own, and would receive a free starter pack from his school, an Eldrim card master could never have too many cards.


    If there were any interesting 0 star cards avable, he would not mind using their promotion deal and buying himself some. That meant that he would have topromise by buying a cheaper knife and phone, but he could live with that. The knife was only a temporary one anyway, he''d probably get his own back within a week.


    Maxims was a three story building with an ostentatious banner out front, and a very prominent building facade. Out in front, a greeter stood by the door, weing iing guests and bidding leaving one''s farewell. Large windows allowed a peek inside the cosy store, as well as a disy of some of their merchandise, which was not just limited to cards.


    There were plenty of card cases, as well as card straps and dividers, all on disy. Various types of raw materials which were used in the manufacture of cards were also listed in their catalogue, alongside a few unique cards that were only avable at Maxim''s Card shop.


    In his youth, he had spent many hours stered against the window, dreaming about the day he would be able to use them.


    Going in for the first time, a freshly synchronised Neophyte, Nero was filled with excitement. He stepped into the store illuminated by warm, yellow lights and was instantly weed by the soft, distant buzz of countless others perusing their wares and card selection.


    The ground floor was usually the busiest, for it stored the mostmon items, and was also where Nero would be searching for anything interesting.


    "Hey, how are you doing?" Nero said with a warm smile as he walked up to a salesman, and pulled out his new ID card. "I heard you guys are having a promotion for new Neophytes."


    "Indeed, we are, and congrattions on the synchronisation. It''s always a special day, and it can be made even more special with some of Maxim''s unique cards!"


    The salesman was friendly enough, but it was obvious that he was repeating lines he had probably been taught or instructed to say. But that made no real difference, and Nero''s eyes were glued to the massive grimoire that the salesman pulled out.


    Grimoires were specially crafted books that preserved Eldrim cards and prevented them from suffering damage. They were not usually needed, but it wasmon practice to store rarer or unique cards in grimoires, not only in stores but by individuals as well.


    Therge, leather-bound book felt heavy even as Nero dragged it across the countertop towards himself and flipped it open. Each page contained only four cards, and there were countless pages to look through.


    Each card was also different, giving Nero an enormous selection to look through. His eyes immediately went to the most popr Maxim card for Neophytes.


    It was called Raise the dead!

 Chapter 14: Maxim’s maxim

    <h4>Chapter 14: Maxim''s maxim</h4>


    Nero''s eyes surveyed the card, even though he knew it entirely by heart. The back of the card, even though it wasn''t visible since the card was safely ced inside the grimoire, was a bright yellow filled with countless tiny designs around a massive ''M'' in the centre of it. Simrly, the border of the card was yellow, which made it very bright and prominent. The image was of a withered looking man drinking a cup of coffee. It was a 0 star card, although there were higher star versions of it avable.


    It''s ability was also simple and straightforward.


    <strong>[Mildly rejuvenate the body from exhaustion, and eliminate the need for sleep for a few hours!]</strong>


    At the bottom there was a quote from Maxim himself, or as he put it, Maxim''s maxim.


    "Rise from the grip of sleep, for the night is still young," Maxim Dawnlight.


    Nero was pretty sure that Maxim gave himself thatst name, but what did it matter? The card, which was clearly <i>not</i> meant for necromancy as the name initially suggested, was extremely useful in a myriad of circumstances, and was a result of Maxim''s innate ability, which was passive rejuvenation. Everyone knew that real necromancy was the domain of a Monarch, and attempts to replicate it resulted in a pale imitation at best.


    The ostentatious man had a knack for naming cards oddly, and there were many theories as to why he did so. Nero himself personally believed that it was an ingenious marketing tactic, and by having people theorise why he named his cards so oddly, had already achieved his goal. While others looked down on him for being so entric, Nero sought to learn from the man''s brilliant mindset. He turned what everyone perceived as an oddity, his personality, and made use of it to gain massive sess. Naturally, the prerequisite was that his cards were good enough to begin with.


    "How much for Raise the dead?" Nero asked, contemting a purchase. It could be useful forte night study sessions, and in emergency situations where he had to wade away fatigue.


    "20 Krims for this 0 star card, but that''s before the discount. The more cards you buy, the greater your discount will be," the shopkeeper answered dutifully.


    Nero nodded, and continued to peruse the grimoire. Many of the cards he already knew by heart, but some of them were newer entries, or just weren''t popr enough to have attracted his attention earlier. Now, however, he studied each card with his utmost attention. A few of them even caught his attention, though it was difficult to ignore how silly they sounded.


    Name: Ultimate grip


    Image: A man with massive forearms


    Type: Physical force


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: <strong>[Attach something to your body or clothing so that it doesn''t fall off. Lasts for 10 minutes or until pulled hard enough.]</strong>


    vour text: "Pockets are for the weak."


    Name: Masked odour


    Image: A wind blowing away the smell from a block of cheese.


    Type: Stealth


    Star rank: 0


    Ability:<strong> [Cover the smell of your body with that of a nearby target. Lasts for 10 minutes.]</strong>


    vour text: "Showers are for the weak."


    Name: This is us


    Image: Three identical people pointing at each other.


    Type: Illusion


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: <strong>[Create illusory duplicates of yourself for 10 minutes.]</strong>


    vour text: "Being alone is for the weak."


    Name: FAK (First Aid Kit)


    Image: A doctor doing stitches on a patient in a forest.


    Type: Healing


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: <strong>[Stop external bleeding from small to medium wounds for 10 minutes.]</strong>


    vour text: "Bleeding is for the weak."


    These were the cards Nero could see himself using, though there were countless others which had effects just as strange as their names. There were, of course, some cards which had normal names, images and vour texts. But a single nce was enough to tell that they were a result of one of the hired artisans from Maxim, and weren''t nearly as good as his personal works.


    Although there were countless card artisans out there, creating a useful recipe was not something everyone could achieve. Moreover, even the army could not force private artisans to hand over their own original recipes, because that was an ingenious way to drive away anyone remotely talented away, and stop innovation.


    But while recipes were not everyone''s forte, an artisan with a useful innate ability could make a fortune just off of that. Nero saw one such card, and immediately decided to buy it as well.


    Name: Enhanced Learning


    Image: A person arduously studying.


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: <strong>[For a brief period enhance the user''s brain, making studying temporarily easier. Can only be used once every 30 hours.]</strong>


    vour text: "The light of civilization has been lit, and it is ours to make it brighter" - Norton Fleming


    The name of the card artisan wasn''t mentioned and Nero highly doubted it was Norton Fleming, for that was a famous artisan from New Vriya. Even if he were selling his cards here in Kr, for whatever reason, they would be in the capital, not Aetherpeak. But even then, if they were in Aetherpeak, they would seriously unlikely be 0 star cards.


    Nevertheless, Nero bought these five cards, paying a total of 67 Krims, which was a pretty good deal for 5 0-star cards. Although 0-star rank cards were cheap, and manymon ones were given out free at schools, they were only cheap rtive to higher star rank cards. Each and every card was a product of numerous materials and abilities, and that was not even counting the service charges of the artisan themselves.


    The shop probably made little to no profit on this sale, but now Nero got a membership card from the shop after the purchase, which would encourage him toe back to the shop more often.


    Adding the five cards to his deck, Nero left the shop and walked over to a vending machine. He really should go to a proper store, but it wasn''t as if the knives here would be bad just because they were mass produced. They would just be worse than the store bought ones. It was temporary anyway.


    He spent another 250 Krims to buy the best knife avable in the vending machine. Its de was 15 cm (5.5 inches) and had serrations as well as a fake leather grip. It came with a strap he could tie on his thigh, which he did immediately. He was not used to being without a weapon. Then Nero went to an electronics store and bought himself a decent phone for 100 Krims.


    Of the money his father had given him Nero had 83 Krims left, which was technically a lot. On top of that, Nero had his own lifetime savings of 800 Krims, giving him a grand total of 883! He was a wealthy man!


    Unfortunately, he knew well enough how quickly his funds would dwindle now that he was a Neophyte! In fact, depending on how busy his schedule would be from now on, Nero might consider getting a part time job.


    He immediately turned on the phone and linked it to his personal ID number which he was assigned at birth. The number also served as his phone number, as well as his login for various other services. Soon, his phone started buzzing with all the messages he had missed.


    He nced over them once, making sure that none of them were urgent, before putting his phone in his pocket and hopping on his cycle. It was 6:43 pm by now, which meant that the sky waspletely dark!


    Both of Neire''s moons were probably out, though the Dark moon was never visible at night and the heavy clouds which had just rolled in blocked any chance of viewing the White moon.


    Fortunately, Aetherpeak was brightly lit by countless street lights, not to mention that his rented cycle was equipped with lights as well.


    But it was not the darkness itself that concerned Nero - it was the dangers that usually came with it!


    Instead of the streets bing emptier, they had in fact be more crowded. Police and military patrols roamed every street, ensuring that there were no incidents. The city was, generally, very safe. If that weren''t the case then the shops would not be allowed to remain open sote.


    But the chances of a cursed event increased exponentially in the dark, which was another reason the city was so well lit.


    Given all the precautions, Nero had no reason to be concerned. But the day had already given him many surprises, and he did not want to risk any more.


    Speaking of darkness, he wondered if he still had that Darkness card in his deck. He would make sure to check when he got the chance.


    As he rode up and down the rolling streets of Aetherpeak, he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of something amiss. The brief periods where he would cross a section with no pedestrians or patrols nearby, Nero remained extra vignt.


    The cold crisp air, the bright white lights, the buzzing flies and moths around every street light all mixed to create a mood that was not exactly ominous, but was unnerving nheless.


    Nero was not usually jittery, as he had been brave even when he was young, but on this ride to school he kept feeling invisible eyes staring at his back. A couple of times he turned around to check behind him, but no matter how he turned, the stare remained directly behind him.


    The wind blew, and it almost sounded like a whisper in his ear, warning him of impending danger. A pensive expression painted his face as he wondered if he were suffering from some kind of mental trauma from the events of earlier that day.


    A sudden chill crept up to him and Nero made a drastic turn, his right hand reaching for his knife. But there was nothing. No one had approached him, and no attack had fallen. But instead of thinking himself crazy, Nero maintained his highest vignt state as he cycled at full speed towards the nearest patrol.


    Even the three soldiers, who were walking in formation, noticed his approach and immediately drew their weapons.


    As absurd as the situation was, he would rather get embarrassed and learn that he was imagining things rather than take a risk with a cursed event!


    He braked only at thest moment, and turned the cycle sideways so that it skidded to a stop.


    "I feel a strange presence around me, but I can''t tell where it is," Nero said directly, skipping over the niceties of self introduction. "My body feels cold even though my innate ability makes me resistant to it."


    The lead soldier ced his hands on Nero''s body and yanked him off the cycle and held him in a vice grip.


    "Before we do anything, drop the knife," he said. Who could me him? The moment heid hands on Nero, Nero raised the knife to his neck!

 Chapter 15: Bad day

    <h4>Chapter 15: Bad day</h4>


    The situation became extremely chaotic in a single instant. Unsure if he was imagining things or actually experiencing a cursed event, he approached the nearest patrol, which happened to consist of three soldiers. He was not sure the soldiers could have resolved the situation, but he absolutely did not expect to be so easily pulled off his bike and manhandled.


    Raising his new knife to the soldier''s neck was pure instinct. In fact, Nero had to consciously prevent himself from actually stabbing the neck, and settle for keeping it pressed firmly against it. But the instant he did that, he realised he messed up. Sure, there was no need for them to pull him off his bike like that, but he shouldn''t have let his instincts kick in.


    The soldier stopped moving, though he did not seem afraid.


    Nero slowly withdrew the knife. He was about to apologise and exin the situation, but the moment he moved the knife away, the soldier immediately picked up Nero and mmed him onto the ground, knocking the air out of him.


    "Don''t activate your innate ability, or any cards," a threatening voice spoke over him as the soldier bound Nero''s hands behind his back. The other two soldiers approached and one of them put their boot on Nero''s head while the third activated some kind card.


    His face pressed into the ground Nero could not see what was happening, but a fire began building in his chest before it instantly vanished. In Nero''s mind, the image of a blue, cold me appeared, and it seemed to absorb all his feelings. It filled his veins with ice and killed the part of him that instantly wanted revenge.


    Calmly and coldly, he analysed the situation, as if he wasn''t the one being subjected to unnecessary violence. He distanced himself from the pressure of the boot pressing his face into the ground, from the soldier pushing his hands so far up behind his back they were on the verge of breaking. Instead, he tried to understand what was happening.


    Two of the soldiers had manhandled him, much too easily. Considering Nero''s weight, as well as his training, being captured so easily meant only one thing. The soldier who had picked him up from his cycle was an Initiate.


    While Neophytes only gained ess to aether, Initiates began to evolve into something greater. That came with a boost in all functions and processes of the body, which obviously meant an overall boost in strength as well.


    The second soldier was holding his head in ce. The third was doing something Nero could not see, and none of the sounds he was hearing told him anything either. If Nero had to guess, the third soldier was...


    "He''s clear. No signs of possession," an unfamiliar voice said, and suddenly Nero felt the boot lift from his head. But the absence of the pressure did not bring relief, instead it made him dizzy for a few seconds.


    When his head cleared, Nero discovered that the soldier binding his hands had loosened them, though he still kept Nero down on the ground.


    "There are signs of elerated aether absorption in his body. Hey kid, did you just synchronise?"


    Nero did not immediately reply. Instead, his brain parsed the information and immediately made sense of the situation. First, the soldiers checked to see if his body had been possessed. They would most likely check him for other signs of curses or contamination subsequently. But none of that had required to treat him so poorly.


    The immediate and unnecessary use of force, the unsupervised location, the aggressive tone... Whenbining these and various other factors that Nero considered, he came to the conclusion that he was dealing with a group of small-time bullies. They were using their authority in a situation where they couldn''t get in trouble and boosting their egos. Or, possibly, facing a cursed incident just required them to react so aggressively. Nero was a little too disoriented to think properly.


    "Marick, did you kick him too hard on the head? Is he awake? Hey kid, did you just synchronise?"


    "Yes, just a short while ago," Nero answered through gritted teeth. He was not feeling the anger he was disying, not in that fiery way, at least. No, instead, his mind was bing cold and calcting as it was recovering.


    A part of him wanted to pick up the soldier, m him on the ground, ce his foot on his face, but his clear state of mind allowed him to calcte his priorities precisely and act ordingly. But disying the expected emotion, he would prevent them from scrutinising him, giving him an opportunity to n things out better.


    First and foremost, he had to ensure his own safety. That included safety from the soldiers, but also any potential cursed event. As for seeking revenge for being mistreated... unless an opportunity dropped from the sky, Nero would have to wait for that or just put it aside.


    The soldiers performed a couple of other tests before the guy holding him down moved aside.


    "You''re incredibly weak, but your body is rapidly absorbing aether, making you a perfect target for an Apparition curse. You''re fine now, but if you stay in the dark for too long, you won''t be able to avoid it. Go home, kid," the third soldier said, his eyes fixed on some kind of device rather than Nero.


    "What do you mean, <i>go home</i>?" asked the first soldier, who had a menacing smile on his face. "You all saw it? The kid tried to kill me. Attempted murder of a soldier, that''s not a light crime."


    The smile on his face widened as he looked at Nero, anticipating the expressions of fear and desperation. But his smile faltered. He didn''t see fear, instead he saw dead cold eyes.


    "I''m a brand new Neophyte, and you guys are soldiers. Initiate probably. No one in their right mind will believe I tried to kill you for no reason. Three soldiers, grabbing a kid in the dark, and..." using his hand, Nero ripped open his pants, breaking the button off it.


    Blood started to drip down Nero''s forehead, but that made his dead expression look even more wretched in the eyes of the soldier.


    "As far as crimes are concerned, I wonder how serious attempted rape is in the eyes of the army. My dads a sergeant, I should ask him sometime."


    Nero lied about his father''s position, obviously, but they had no way of knowing that. More importantly, he needed to get out of this situation before it got worse.


    Silence. Dead silence filled the air between Nero and the three soldiers as they wrapped their heads around the fact that they were being threatened! The worst part was, considering the massive bruise that was developing on Nero''s forehead from being pushed into the ground, his story sounded legible - and if his father really was a sergeant...


    "You!" roared the man who had pressed Nero onto the ground, but before the situation could develop further, a police patrol arrived.


    "What''s going on here?" the policeman asked, parking his car right behind Nero and getting out.


    The policeman had his sword already drawn, and he was ready to face any threats. His partner, a muchrger man, also got out of the car, ready for a fight.


    For a moment, no one answered, as Nero and the soldiers red at each other. Finally, the third soldier who had scanned Nero spoke.


    "The kid reported experiencing an anomaly. We scanned him ording to protocol. Signs indicate a developing Apparition curse. We''ve already dispelled it."


    The policeman did not immediately respond. Instead, he nced onto the floor, where Nero''s knife had fallen, before his gaze travelled up to his torn pants. Then he studied Nero''s bleeding forehead, before looking towards the three soldiers, as if deciding whether to believe them or not.


    As much as Nero wanted to expose them, he did not believe for a second that these soldiers would actually be punished for something so small. Even if his story was believed, he doubted they''d get more than a p on the wrist for what they did.


    "Come on kid, we''ll drop you home," said therger policeman, not caring about the situation.


    "Thanks," Nero murmured, before grabbing his knife and getting in the car, all the while holding his pants up. As the situation was diffused, the effects of the blue me in Nero''s mind began to fade, and his emotions slowly returned.


    He wondered if that was an actual part of his innate ability. He recalled the mental image of a blue me affecting his emotions earlier in the day as well, during the temple attack.


    Today had been an unbelievably hectic and unlucky day for him. Nero sighed, and pulled out FAK (First Aid Kit) and used the card for the very first time, stopping the bleeding on his forehead.


    "Kid, where are we taking you?" the policeman asked, once they got in the car. Although he did not make it obvious, Nero had been observing them from within. The police and the soldiers exchanged a few words, and both left shortly after.


    "Mount Aidin hostel," Nero said sinctly. He was not in the mood to talk. His arms, neck and head were hurting, and though he did not care about the pain, the humiliation he felt was welling up inside him.


    He had to control his emotions, decide on a course of action, and focus on his tasks.


    "Kid, was there really a chance for an Apparition curse? Did they purify it?" the policeman asked again as he started the car and began driving.


    Nero paid particrly close attention to the route the car was taking. If he sensed even the slightest issue, he would immediately send an S.O.S. message to his dad. He had already pulled out his phone, but kept it hidden in his hand.


    "They said something about the curse, but I don''t think they purified it."


    "Are you familiar with Apparition curses?"


    "I''ve never heard of them, no," he admitted truthfully.


    "They are the simplest and most easily avoided curses. At the same time, they are the most annoying and potentially dangerous. I take it you haven''t been synchronised long or else you would have been briefed about it by now.


    "Bing a Neophyte doesn''t just make you stronger. It also makes you more susceptible to curses, and more of a target as well. Apparition curses don''t normally target new Neophytes, they don''t have enough aether. But there are rare urrences now and then. I''m surprised no one at the AAB told you this. Regardless, once you get to your hostel, make sure you tell someone about this and have them take you through a simple purification."


    Nero did not respond for a moment as he absorbed the information. A part of him wanted to continue being silent, the part of him that was still recovering from a reminder of how weak he was against the real dangers of the world, regardless of how he performed in school. But the more logical part of him told him to establish a rtionship with the policeman for the future. It could be useful. Sympathy was a good tool for that.


    "The AAB was attacked right after Ipleted my synchronisation. I didn''t really get a chance to talk to anyone about bing a Neophyte."


    "Oh, you were there for that? You''re just having a really bad day, huh? That was nasty business. I heard some guys say that over a dozen AAB guards died, and more than double the number of civilians got caught in the crossfire. It was really freaky. I heard a bunch of weird stuff has happened at the AAB since. I wasn''t there, but one of the guys said that one of the corpses smelled really nice, even though it was burnt to a crisp. There was..."


    "Albert, I think that''s enough," said the very tall policeman, causing the other to realise that maybe this wasn''t the best topic.


    Nero''s thoughts, on the other hand, had long drifted off. He thought of Hildi, the beautiful and chirpy receptionist who had awakened the ability of always smelling nice. She had wished him luck and asked him to tell her what ability he awoke. He never really got the chance.


    "Yeah, I guess it really is a bad day," Nero murmured as he looked up at the sky. He saw nothing but darkness.

 Chapter 16: Moving into the hostel

    <h4>Chapter 16: Moving into the hostel</h4>


    The rest of the car ride was spent in silence. Nero did not dwell on the news of death he had just received. He was quite used to it. Though, admittedly, this was the first time he had even heard of a terrorist attack in Kr.


    It need not be said that since the military was practically ruling the country, their hold over it wasplete. Disillusioned from the fairy tale he had been brought up to believe, Nero saw now that such a firm hold over the country was not just full of positives, it had many downsides as well.


    But regardless, security from other humans was hardly an issue in Kr typically. Crime was almost non-existent in the entire country. Kr did not have prisons. Anyone convicted of any crime, regardless of the seriousness of it, was sent to the front lines to fight. Since there had been no ongoing wars during Nero''s entire life, the front lines usually meant active cursed zones.


    When he was a kid, he used to believe that was an excellent punishment for all criminals. That''s what they deserved for breaking thew. After all, the country took care of all basic needs, from housing to food, as well as safety from curses. Why, then, would anyone need to break thew? It was not like they were starving or something.


    It need not be mentioned how such aw could be taken advantage of. The Grant family had already experienced it.


    But the harshness of thew really did keep crime down, and Nero had never really heard of any violent anti-military groups. Of course, there were many who wanted a different form of rule, but as long as they didn''t step out of line, they could live with their opinions. Well, that''s what it was like officially. Nero had now long since harboured doubts about whether it was so straightforward.


    There was literally no way of knowing, since the news was all controlled by the military, whether it was printed or online.


    So while the policemen drove him to his school, he wondered if there had actually been many such incidents, but they were hidden. Small scale skirmishes happened between neighbouring countries from time to time, but something like this was unheard of. He would not be surprised if more of such incidents were being hidden. Not to mention, he was highly sceptical about this being a ''terrorist'' attack to begin with.


    Before Nero could muse any longer on the topic, they reached the hostel. It was a tall, white building with red roof shingles, shining brightly under the barrage of endless flood lights. Unlike all the other buildings they had passed by, this one had tall metal fences with spikes to discourage climbing over it.


    Unlike what one would expect, the fence was not to ward off enemy attacks. It was to keep the group of superpowered children from running amok at night. The patrols happening around the hostel grounds were mostly for the same reason.


    "Come on kid, let''s get this over with," said the policeman as he got out, the taller one only shaking his head at his partner as he got out.


    Nero looked down at his condition. With dried blood on his face, a dirt covered shirt and jacket, and a pair of torn pants, he was being brought to the hostel by a pair of policemen. There were going to be stories about him in the morning, he was sure of it. But that only made him grin.


    School... school was his domain. It was where he flourished and thrived, and any obstacle he faced was more of a game than a real challenge.


    He got out, awkwardly holding up his pants as he followed the policemen,pletely unable to restrain his smile.


    He had not forgotten his earlier anger, nor was he unaffected by the sorrowful news. But he had just looked forward to this day for too long. He could not help but be filled with excitement.


    In a way, the events of the day were very fitting. He never intended to have a quiet, uneventful life, so beginning his journey as a Neophyte with a life and death battle, followed by meeting the scum of the Neie was quite fitting.


    "He seems fine to me," the policeman tried to whisper to his partner, but the tall silent man just continued to shake his head and did not respond.


    The three approached the gate where, by now, some guards hade out ready to face the situation.


    "Is everything alright officer?" one of the guards asked, the gaze fixed on Nero''s face.


    "Everything is fine. We''re just escorting a student who had an ident."


    "Hello, my name is Nero Grant. My parents should have called and informed the school that I''ll be moving into the hostel today," Nero introduced himself, sure that his words would spark countless rumours about him getting kicked out of home. He wondered if that would get him any sympathy from the girls in his ss.


    Probably not. They knew him too well.


    "Yeah, we have his name right here," said one of the guards, raising a clipboard. He was looking at Nero with a look filled with pity.


    "We''ll leave him to you then," said the tall policeman, his voice surprisingly deep. "Make sure to have him go through a basic purification first. There are chances of an Apparition curse appearing on him."


    The policemen left after handing Nero over, not bothering to linger much longer. The guards at the hostel gate had Nero sign a couple of forms, attesting that he agreed to abide by the rules of the hostel, and a few other formalities. Having his ID made things easier, otherwise his parents would have had to sign on his behalf.


    One of the guards escorted Nero to the building, all the while giving him a brief tour of the grounds they passed by on the way. Nero, feeling much more energetic now, asked plenty of questions, not forgetting to ask the guard''s name as well.


    "Perry''s the name," the guard said, pretty happy to chat with someone for once. "I''m a night guard here. I was lucky, I suffered an injury on duty during my first year of enlistment. Due to improper recovery, I was honourably discharged, but I''m basically fine most of the time. I also get all the perks of being a veteran. An easy job like a night guard is hard to find unless you''re a veteran. I even joined the veterans dating club, and met a really nice girl- I mean,dy yesterday. I''m looking forward to seeing her again."


    Nero could not help but smile wider. Perry was extremely talkative, and very excited about his date with thedy called Mayfield, and not just simply May. He was very particr about that.


    His good mood was infectious, and Nero was feeling even better after talking to him.


    Before leading Nero anywhere else, he was taken to the nurse''s office where the male nurse took care of his purification. It involved drinking a putrid drink and having the nurse use a card on him. But as soon as the card took effect, Nero doubled over and vomited out thick, ck sludge, which rmed the nurse as well as Perry!


    "Damit, the curse almost took hold!" the nurse as he deftly avoided the ck vomit and brought Nero to the side for a closer inspection. That, unfortunately, meant removing all his clothes.


    So much for hiding the tattoo. Fortunately, the nurse sent Perry out before the examination could begin.


    "An Apparition curse is called as such because it just randomly appears. There is no forewarning, and it can happen anywhere," the nurse exined as he brought out some equipment and pointed it all towards Nero. The ''equipment'' looked suspiciously like weapons.


    "It''s easy enough to avoid in most- what the hell is that?" The nurse was rmed when he saw the colour ck as Nero removed his shirt, but then calmed down when he saw that it was only a tattoo.


    "Looks like we''ve identified our culprit," the nurse said, scanning the tattoos with a card. "These tattoos are actively absorbing aether. As a result, there''s a higher concentration of aether on your person, making you a prime target for the curse. I''m going to ce a protective ward on you that willst 24 hours. That should be enough for the tattoos to... stop doing whatever it is they''re doing. After that, your risk of getting targeted by a curse should even out."


    Identifying the problem did not, unfortunately, mean that Nero was absolved frompletely stripping. The nurse was extremely professional and insisted on thoroughly scanning Nero''s body for any lingering signs of the curse. Fortunately, there were none.


    It was around that time that the effects of FAK wore off, so the nurse healed that wound with a card as well.


    Before letting Nero leave, the nurse also gave him some medication that would help him avoid the side effects of dispelling a curse that was about to take hold.


    Perry, who was nervously pacing outside, was extremely relieved to discover that Nero wasrgely fine once he exited the office.


    But, with a detailed inspection ensuring that there were no lingering threats to his body, Nero was ready to check out his new room.


    As they approached the actual dorm rooms, more and more people finally began to appear. Although it waspletely dark outside, inside the building, everyone was still rtively energetic.


    The boys and girls'' dorm buildings were separate, and had yet another fence between them, so Nero only saw guys. Many of them were familiar faces, even if he did not know them personally yet. But many of them were also Nero''s acquaintances, and quickly excitement spread about his arrival, alongside questions of why he came.


    Most students living in hostels were orphans, with only a few exceptions. It wasmon knowledge that both his parents were alive, so that raised some interesting questions. With not much else to do, everyone living at the hostels loved peeking into each other''s personal lives. But Nero effortlessly skirted the questions without revealing too much, leaving an air of mystery around his arrival.


    His room, as it happened, was right on the first floor. Perry handed him a pair of keys and walked him to 1G as he briefed him on the details of how the hostel worked.


    "After sundown no students are allowed outside unsupervised, but considering the fact that the hostel is attached to the school, it''s easy enough to get a supervisor to apany you if you''re going for training or sses. No guests are allowed in the hostel overnight, and no loud noises after 9 pm. Each room is actually like a mini apartment, and houses a total of five students."


    "Sounds good," Nero said, only half listening to Perry at this point as he knocked on the door. He was hoping he got decent roommates. There was no one in his batch who he particrly disliked, and he had no bitter rivalries with any of his peers. After all, no one could keep up with him in his ss.


    The door opened, and the first thing Nero saw was bright red hair. His expression froze.

 Chapter 17: Gabriel

    <h4>Chapter 17: Gabriel</h4>


    Standing in front of Nero was a skinny teenager, close to Nero in age though he was a little shorter with incredibly bright red hair. He did not seem surprised to see Nero. Instead, his weing smile looked as if he had been expecting him for a long time.


    "Gabriel, I should have expected this," Nero said, once he recovered from his surprise. But instead of returning to the same carefree and excited teenager he had been in front of Perry. There were small, subtle shifts not only in Nero''s tone, but in his stance and bearing as well. He stood just a little bit taller, pushing his chest out just a little bit more. His words took on amanding tone, as if a superior was appreciating a subordinate.


    Perry, for all his simple-mindedness, was still a veteran, and noticed the change. But instead ofmenting on it, he decided it was time to leave.


    "You have your room keys, but your room also has a specific mailbox that you all share. I''ll have someone deliver the key to you in the morning. Remember, just because you have the key does not mean you can open other''s mail. It''s a serious offence, so only keep an eye out for your own mail, if you''re expecting any."


    "Thank you, Perry," said Nero, shaking the man''s hand and looking him directly in the eyes. "You''ve been a great help. I''ll see you around the hostel."


    Perry only nodded with a smile and left.


    Nero returned his gaze to Gabriel before walking in. The redheads <i>frail</i> physique was extremely deceptive, as it was packed with incredible strength. In all technicality, if it came to just brute strength, he was probably even stronger than Nero.


    Nero looked around the apartment style hostel room and found it quite snug. The door led into a small sitting room that also had an open kitchen, as well as three closed doors.


    "When you sent me the message in the morning about stabilising, I knew you''d being so I made arrangements," Gabriel said, walking up to him. "One of the guys was more than happy to move out, giving our apartment on the first floor a vacancy. It was only natural that you''d be put in the first free room, which was this. I didn''t really need to put in any special effort."


    Although Gabriel said that he did not put in any extra effort, Nero knew that it was unlikely. The entire reason they had an understanding with one another was because Nero had learned of howpetent Gabriel was. Many mistook them for having a close friendship, but it was more of a partnership. They both could benefit from each other''s skill sets, and so they decided to work together.


    "Although I was not so sure if you''d make it after I heard about the incident at AAB," Gabriel added at the end, his voice lowered.


    Instead of immediately replying, Nero looked at the apartment once more.


    "Which room is mine?" Nero asked, looking at the three doors.


    "The one on the left is the bathroom. The centre door is a room with three bunks, and the one on the right has two. You''re in the double with me. I''ll introduce you to the guyster. They''re currently out for a night ss."


    "So we''re alone?" Nero asked, his tone and look clear that the topic he wanted to discuss was sensitive.


    "Completely alone. The rooms have pretty good soundproofing, so you don''t need to worry about our voice travelling out."


    "The incident in the morning was unusual," Nero said, as he began to explore the apartment. He checked all the kitchen cupboards as well as the fridge, before moving on towards the bathroom.


    "I can''t say for sure whether or not they were really just terrorists, but I can tell you for certain that they had an assassination as one of their targets."


    The bathroom was surprisingly clean considering five guys used it, with everything quite neat and organised, just as it had been in the kitchen.


    "Who was the target?" Gabriel asked with surprise and curiosity in his voice. Nero gave him a look that clearly stated that he wouldn''t say more on the topic.


    "The timing of the attack is also questionable. The chairman of the AAB is an old family friend, so I know that he''s an Eldermyst Mystic. But when the attack happened, he was not around. There''s no way I would have missed the signs of a Mystic fighting. There''s also news of some event happening in the hills that''s attracted a lot of the army''s attention."


    "Yeah, the event that caused the draft notice, I heard about it," Gabriel said, nodding. Though he did not immediately borate. He was pondering the various intricacies of the events that had happened during the day.


    Nero walked into the room on the right and was weed to a small room half the size of his previous one. There were two beds, one on the left and one on the right, both raised high in air as if bunks. Underneath the beds was a study table, and a couple sets of drawers.


    The table and drawers on the right were clearly in use, so that left Nero to take the one on the left.


    Everything was very neat and tidy, which very much appealed to Nero. He gave a subtle nod and turned to look at his new roommate.


    Gabriel had an unusual background that he never mentioned much, but Nero could surmise that he was from some prominent family. His mannerisms were very much in line with someone of means, and his training and knowledge was a cut above others.


    He had very deep insight into matters rting to Eldrim cards, and he could read so deeply into events that even Nero could notpete. But then again, that was his forte.


    Between the two of them, Gabriel was the one who always had a lot of information about a lot of seemingly random things. Often enough the information he had shared should have been confidential.


    If he were just making things up, then over the past year that they had known each other he would have slipped up, at least once. But despite how closely Nero scrutinised Gabriel, he never detected a w or mistake in the information he had been given, or caught him in a lie.


    Nero began checking his own drawers as he continued to speak.


    "As far as I can tell, whether it''s the assassination or the event on the hill, neither have anything to do with us. We should just focus on school and continue to train ourselves with the focus on applying to KMA, like we had already nned."


    "Agreed. But we also can''t ignore thempletely. Right now, I cannot foresee how this situation will develop, so we need to keep up to date with all thetest information in case anything happens.


    "I''m sure you haven''t heard of this yet, but the rumours are that there was an earthquake which uncovered some hidden Eldrim ruins. That''s why the army has reacted so strongly."


    Nero paused and looked at Gabriel in shock.


    "Is that true?"


    "There''s no way of knowing right now. It''s all just rumours. It could easily just be a nned diversion. But in the event it is true, it makes sense that even the chairman of AAB was called out. What truly causes me to hesitate in believing the rumourpletely is that if the ruins were uncovered by an earthquake, then that is something that could not have been predicted. So then how did the terrorists know to strike precisely at that time? It''s too much of a coincidence to be true.


    "If I really had to exin it somehow, I could say that the terrorists had been surveying the temple for a while, but that is unlikely as they would have been caught. The only other exnation is that they were actually deployed by some powerful local force who was abreast of the news and took advantage of it toplete some hidden objective."


    Nero let out a disappointed sigh. There was no night suit or uniform in his drawers, which meant that until the next day he was stuck wearing torn pants.


    "Do your research if you feel like it is important, but remember to remain discreet. I for one have no personal interest in whatever is happening so long as it does not be a roadblock to my ns."


    "What if it provides unique opportunities?" Gabriel asked, a sly grin on his face. But Nero was not swayed.


    "We are Neophytes. We do not belong on the battlefield. Even if the ruins are real, we''re more likely to die there than get anything substantial for them. If you want to go and die, feel free. But don''t drag me down with you. Unless absolutely necessary, I want to avoid unnecessary trouble."


    Without waiting for Gabriel to respond, Nero left the room and walked into the bathroom. He undressed himself and got into the shower, uncaring that the water was bitingly cold. Due to his new ability, the cold didn''t really have that sting anymore.


    "Marick," Nero repeated the name in his mind. It was the name of one of the soldiers who assaulted him. He burned the name into his memory, but then pushed the memory away. Just as he told Gabriel, he had a n, and he could not afford deviation from it. He had to grow as strong as possible as quickly as possible. He had no time for side quests.


    He raised his right hand in front of him and lit a tiny blue me on his index fingertip.


    "me is not extinguished by water," he made a mental note, and began studying his innate ability. Tomorrow, he would officially start training with it.

 Chapter 18: Innate ability too good to be true

    <h4>Chapter 18: Innate ability too good to be true</h4>


    Gabriel had known Nero for a year, since he moved to Aetherpeak. In that year, the teenager had proved himself to be a meticulous, insightful, dedicated and focused person with an inhuman drive pushing him forward towards his goals.


    In their school, fighting and sparring were held regrly, though they were often divided between unawakened and Neophytes. After all, it would be unfair to ask an unawakened to fight a Neophyte. Just the mental pressure from facing a foe who could wield aether and control an innate ability while you could not would leave most trembling with fear. But Nero was the top in their ss, undefeated among the unawakened and the Neophytes!


    Gabriel still remembered how he had looked at Nero derisively when he first saw him challenging Neophytes. He had considered him a country bumpkin, and thought him a fool. He also clearly remembered how shocked he was when Nero kept winning, fight after fight, week after week.


    In fact, he was improving drastically, so even if the new Neophytes became more ustomed to their abilities, they still could not match up to him.


    That is how Gabriel viewed Nero: a fearsome, ruthless, and utterly focused machine striving towards the death of his enemies.


    That was exactly why he had such a difficult time reconciling himself with the scene he was seeing now.


    Nero''s shower had been very long, but that was understandable. No matter howposed he appeared, he had survived a terrorist attack and so deserved some time to unwind. But when he came out of the bathroom, he lookedpletely distracted.


    He sat down at the study table and began writing stuff down on a paper with a pencil, before crossing it out. He kept muttering to himself, and if Gabriel tried to talk to him or peer at what he was writing, Nero would give him the death stare.


    Ultimately, he gave up, and turned his attention to his own matters.


    Nero kept staring at the piece of paper in front of him, which had listed down the traits of his innate ability. But instead of listing its strengths, it was listing down its potential weaknesses and drawbacks. The problem was, almost all of them had been crossed out!


    When he was in the shower, Nero finally felt like he had some free time, so he began experimenting with his innate ability a little. He knew that there would be time to test it out tomorrow, under the guidance of a teacher, but he wanted to test it out, anyway.


    Water did not seem to affect the me. It only absorbed some of the water''s temperature as it passed through the fire, making itrger. As the me grewrger, though the growth was minute, it could affect more water, which only fed it more, allowing it to grow even more, thereby creating a loop.


    But the water was falling too fast and did not get turned into ice, which was something he noted down. After all, the effects of the me were not instantaneous.


    Another thing he learned was that the effects of the me were not affected by its size, but therger it was, the more area it covered and therefore was able to absorb more energy.


    He tested out his control of the me a bit and learned that his aether did not mostly go into sustaining the me. No, after the initial consumption of summoning the me, his aether went into controlling the me. Therger the me, the more aether it took to control, but that was it. That basically meant that the me could be self-sustaining.


    It was around that point where Nero realised how incredibly broken his ability seemed to be. But no, that shouldn''t be possible. So he started making a list of all potential drawbacks and ws of the Cryome, but the only one that he could keep was that if the me grew too big, controlling it would be a massive burden on his aether reserves.


    Not allowing himself to get too excited, Nero calmed down and thought about it logically. HIs ability was just like his moms, so he should be able to do the same things as her. But then it struck him. The small difference in how the ability presented itself, meaning as a me rather than a snowke, had made all the difference.


    Although the effect seemed the same, it was far from the truth. The effect of both the abilities appeared to be the same, but the underlying principles were different!


    Nero himself maintained total immunity from the effects of his me, which would absorb heat, and growrger as it absorbed more and more energy. That meant that, straight out of the bat, Nero hadplete supremacy over anyone with a me or heat based ability.


    Unless the ability somehow overwhelmed his Cryome, all other mes and heat sources were just fuel for his mes!


    But that was easier said than done, as Nero had yet to discover a way for his mes to go out besides putting them out himself!


    He kept trying to stop his expectations from rising too high as it did not make sense for an innate ability to be so strong from the get go. He probably couldn''t discover its ws because he had limited experience in this field. Yes, that was it.


    There was no reason to be arrogant. He needed to stop imagining himself freezing his enemy''s weapons until they shattered, destroying their hopes of defeating him, before he froze them too!


    After he spent an hour just writing down ideas, he decided to give up. He picked up the piece of paper and lit it ame with his ability. The ominous blue light immediately attracted Gabriels attention, who for the first time finally saw his partner''s ability. The stronger Nero was, the more beneficial it would be to his ns. Likewise, the better Gabriel performed, the more beneficial it would be to Nero.


    The piece of paper hardened instead of turning to ash, yet the me continued to burn. The mes released a cool, minty smell, almost reminding Nero of menthol.


    Heh, the me even smelled cold.


    As Nero was cracking jokes in his mind, the piece of paper shattered, turning into a million tiny pieces, forever hiding their contents.


    Gabriel''s eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of what he saw, while Nero smiled. Yes, he could learn to like this ability of his.


    Tidying up everything, which basically only meant putting the pencil away and sweeping the dust shards of the shattered paper, Nero finally climbed into bed. Despite getting plenty of rest at the hospital, it had been an exhausting day. Tomorrow promised to be just as exhausting, if only a littlecking in near death experiences as today - hopefully.


    Nero did not remove the knife that was strapped to his leg, but he did remove his shirt before slipping into the nkets. He had done so purposefully, because...


    "What''s that on your back?" Gabriel asked, surprised to see the massive tattoo on Nero''s back. He refused to believe he had developed an artistic side. Nero was too single minded for anything like that.


    "Preparations," Nero only said, not borating further. It was important to keep Gabriel in the dark about some things, while it was also important to maintain a mysterious image in his eyes. He could not let Gabriel get aplete read on himself. After all, the redhead had an incredibly mysterious background that Nero could not look through.


    Although they were helping each other, Nero could notpletely trust him. It was important to keep some contingencies.


    Silence filled the room for a while as the two teenagers simmered in their own thoughts. Eventually, Gabriel broke the silence.


    "Nero?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Good night."


    "You too."


    Sleep came quickly, as it always did, and if Nero had any dreams, he did not remember them.


    Before he knew it, the rm on his phone began to ring, jerking him awake. He mmed his hand on his phone, as he always did, before slowly opening his eyes.


    For a moment he was startled. Nero did not recognise where he was. Then memories came, and he remembered that he was in the hostel now.


    He groaned, and was about to set up a second rm so that he could sleep more, when he heard the sound of something shattering. He looked down and saw a blue me in his hand that covered the phone, which was now in several pieces.


    "Dammit," Nero eximed as he put out the me, but it was toote. The damage had been done. He would need to buy a new phone again!


    "That happens a lot the first few days," said Gabriel from his bed as he looked at Nero''s hand with interest. "Everyone loses control of their abilities when they''re taken by surprise. But eventually you get used to it, and learn how to control it."


    Nero frowned, but then sighed. There was nothing he could do about it other than train. He wasn''t upset over the loss of control, but rather his inability to predict it. It seemed his vignce was slipping. He had allowed excitement and anticipation to cloud his mind.


    Nero climbed out of bed and looked through the blinds in their room. The sky in the distance was light blue, and the sun had not yet emerged from behind the mountains.


    It was much too early for regr sses, but Nero began preparing to head to school anyway. He put on his shirt and shoes before going to the bathroom to wash up.


    His other three roommates still seemed absent, but that was for the best. He wanted to meet them when he had pants that weren''t literally falling.


    Nero waded through the empty hostel halls till he exited, then began to make his way towards his school, which was joined to the hostels.


    Normal sses, such asnguage, history, mathematics, science and aether studies all began at 9 am and continued till 3 pm usually. All students would have to attend a portion of those sses and needed to maintain a minimum score in them. But the requirements weren''t too tough, as there was an entire set of sses operating alongside these, and they were focused on cultivation and learning how to use Eldrim cards.


    These sses all happened at different times, which also exined why his three other roommates had sses at night.


    When Nero entered the school he started seeing more students, all of varying ages. Most would not take more than the mandatory sses, but some highly motivated students filled their free time with extra sses to better prepare themselves for the troubles thaty ahead.


    Nero walked up to a counter near the entrance of the school and looked at the bored teacher sitting there.


    "Hi, I''m a new Neophyte. I would like to sign up for the introductory sses. By the way, I need new uniforms."

 Chapter 19: Exam

    <h4>Chapter 19: Exam</h4>


    Nero had spent a long time imagining this day. He had visualised how satisfying it would feel to dere himself as a Neophyte finally, and to begin his various training sessions. His teachers knew him well, so he imagined that for many of his additional sses he would see their familiar faces, since as a high performer in school he would get preferential treatment.


    What he had not visualised in all his daydreams, ns and general perception of how this day would go was sitting in an empty ss taking an exam!


    Registering as a Neophyte was a very easy process in school. He could have just shown his me, but the proper procedure was handing over his ID which proved that he had synchronised and had registered with the AAB.


    The person on the counter had then informed him that before he could go through with selecting his new sses, he needed to take an exam so that the school could determine his knowledge level before deciding on which mandatory sses he had to attend.


    Nero tried to exin that he was near the top of his ss in academics, and that he knew all the basics. But it did not matter. They had to follow procedure.


    At least thedy at the counter was nice enough to have a fresh uniform brought for him while his exam sheet was prepared. All schools in Kr had uniforms, but for convenience students could directly buy the uniform from the school.


    After getting changed, Nero was escorted by a random teacher to an empty ss room where he had to take the exam. There was no time limit so he could take as long as he wanted. It was not as exciting a start as he imagined, but Nero immediately reigned in his disappointment and focused. He had no time to waste.


    The first question was a pretty basic one, yet a lengthy one at the same time. It asked for the origin of the Eldrim cards, what they were, and what the path of the Eldrim cards was.


    A lot about the origin of the path of the Eldrim cards was a mystery, but approximately one thousand years ago, when the human civilisation was supposedly on the brink of extinction, Iskunder Macedon coined the term of Eldrim cards for a method of self enhancement, or cultivation, he discovered in the ruins of an ancient race known as the Eldrim.


    Little to nothing is actually known about the Eldrim, at least to the public, but what is known is that their understanding of aether is beyond anything that the human race has managed to achieve so far. Even though all of modern human civilisation is built on the foundation of Eldrim cards, they still do not know how exactly the cards work. They''ve just thoroughly studied the steps of card creation, and replicated it, discovering new recipes along the way.


    The path of the Eldrim cards refers to the various levels on the progression of power a card master experiences. They are very systematically designed to promote strength while building a foundation for the subsequent levels and professions.


    The next question asked for the first three levels of the path of the Eldrim cards and their defining traits.


    The first was Neophyte, and it was the very first level as a card master. Other than gaining ess to aether and gaining an innate ability, it allowed one to use 0 star cards, which were the lowest levelled cards.


    The second was Initiate. It gave the card master an overall boost, but one thing that most people misunderstood was that the boost was not the same for everyone. The foundation of the body was what determined the level of the boost received, which was one of the reasons Nero focused on training his body so much. He expected to get a better boost than his peers at his level. It brought about a slight upgrade to the innate ability as well, and also allowed card masters to finally start using starred cards.


    The division of cards was slightlyplicated, but basically each card could be anywhere between a 1 star to a 3 star card. Cards were also divided among levels themselves, such as Neophyte and Initiate etc. not to mention unique cards, but none of that was relevant to the Initiate level specifically so Nero did not borate.


    The third level was Arcanist. This level brought about another boost in the body, finally bringing card masters to a level that began to feel inhuman. The innate ability would also experience a mild mutation, gaining a new attribute. The most important trait of Arcanists, however, was that it allowed the card master to fuse with their innate ability to enter what was called the arcanist form for a short period of time.


    In this form, they would experience a massive upgrade in every aspect, and would be extremely lethal. It put a massive strain on aether consumption, but besides that it seemed to have no drawbacks at all!


    The third question was an annoying one. It asked for a very popr and widely supported theory called the Golden evolution theory by Stauss Belkin. Nero groaned.


    He was not really qualified toment on the validity of this theory, but to him personally it seemed more like wishful thinking than anything else.


    Research of various Eldrim ruins suggested that this was a very powerful and highly intelligent race. The Golden Evolution theory suggested that since they designed this system of strength progression that perfectly fit humans alone, since the whole premise of the path was dependent on innate abilities and cards, was that the Eldrim were just an evolved form of humans. Or perhaps if humans could achieve a breakthrough in those mythical realms no one had ever reached, then they would turn into Eldrim from humans.


    There was a lot of coincidental evidence to support this theory, and it fed everyone''s egos nicely, which is why it was very popr. But over the past year Nero had started doing his own research into the history of the human race and he had some doubts. But this was not the ce to mention them.


    The fourth question... Nero trembled with excitement and anticipation. The fourth question was about professions, what they were, and how a card master achieved them.


    For a card master to move from the Arcanist to the next level, which was Mystic, they would first need to choose a profession and try to gain it. How that happened was not exactly public information, but everyone vaguely knew that it had something to do with a profession card.


    There were nine professions in total, but only five of them were easily essible in Kr. The professions were: the Monarch, the Orchardist, the Ayurvedist, the Eldermyst and the Agha. But, through trade with Saint Codale, Kr also gained ess to the Oathwarden and Spectre professions.


    That meant that seven out of the nine professions could, to varying degrees of frequency, be found in Kr. There were only two remaining professions that were hard toe by, for various reasons.


    The first was the Virtuoso. This was one of the most bizarre professions, at least ording to rumours and gossip Nero had heard. Although Kr could probably gain ess to it through trade, the way it had done with others, the country refrained from doing so because they hade to the conclusion that it was by far the most difficult profession to progress in. To prevent the wastage of talents, theypletely cut off ess to this profession.


    The final profession was actually forbidden everywhere except New Valeriya. It was a profession monopolised solely by the Barakus family, the royal family of New Valeriya, and if by any chance someone did get the profession, the family would not hesitate to even dere outright war to kill that person. It was called Polymath.


    Many believed that the Polymath profession was by far the strongest profession, and not just because Emperor Iskunder had been a Polymath. History supported this belief, because the Barakus family was the only force in the past near 1000 years to not face destruction.


    This was not an argument that had a clear winner. After all, many would then argue that if they were the best, they would have long reimed the empire after which their country was named. Others imed that their attention was turned towards the fog clearings. Others yet argued there was too much pressure due to the strength of the other countries as well as the endless curses.


    Nero himself, despite yearning for the Polymath profession, thought it was pointless to argue over such things. If Polymath was so invincible, the emperor would never have died - or be killed, depending on who you ask.


    The next question was about the fog. Of all the questions, this was perhaps the one everyone could answer regardless of their age or academic performance.


    The fog surrounded the six countries, forming an ethereal boundary wall. Whether the walls it formed were prison walls or protective walls was yet another age old question that had no answer.


    If anyone tried to go through the fog, they could only go so far safely. It was a very measured distance. After exactly 100 metres (328 feet) of wading into the fog, even a single step beyond would cause you to disappear. There had been no exception to this rule to date, at least to public knowledge.


    There were only three, small gaps within the fog wall, and each of those gaps radiated cursed energy so grave it had killed the earth all around it. Fortunately, all three openings were on the opposite side of Kr, and so were not a part of Nero''s concerns.


    The gaps had been explored multiple times, and the only specific news that had been shared about any such incursion was that there were unimaginable horrors outside the fog, which is why none of the countries had managed to extend outwards.


    Kri researchers believed that the fog diluted any cursed energy, so that the nearly civilisation ending horrors they dealt with on a regr basis contained only 10% of the potency of the cursed energy on the other side of the fog. Of course, this research was strongly contested, as the researchers from some other countries suggested the energy was diluted down to 1%.


    The next question on the exam was not an academic one, but a legal one. It asked the consequences of using innate abilities, cards or any form of aether to harm civilians or break thew.


    Nero answered in only one word: death. Then he moved on.


    It took him nearly two hours to finish the exam, since the questions were long and varied, ranging from recent history, geopolitics, the philosophy of power, aether rted theories and more.


    Some questions did not directly seem rted to aether, but upon deeper thought one would realise that the question itself was a hint to direct the train of the students'' thoughts. For example, the benefits of living in Kr, which had countless resources, plentiful aether, a strong military and rtive security, versus the benefits of living in Nova, the technological leader of the age, which was also inundated by the fog opening, two hostile countries on its borders, limited resources and limited growth potential.


    It was naught but basic propaganda. Nero had a very simple answer for such irrelevant questions, which he did not hesitate to write on the exam paper: do not waste my time!


    Once he was done, Nero handed in the paper and waited for it to be graded right there and then. His blunt answers to some questions got him a couple or raised eyebrows, but fortunately the person checking his paper was one of his regr teachers. She knew him well, and knew his academic standard. That was also why she sighed.


    The reason Nero never reached the top in his ss when it came to academics was exactly because of stunts like this.

 Chapter 20: Electives

    <h4>Chapter 20: Electives</h4>


    "Nero, you have to take these things seriously," his general education teacher, Mrs. Sims said, rubbing her forehead because she knew exactly how this conversation was going to go.


    "Mrs. Sims, I think you know full well how seriously I take my education," Nero responded somberly, not a sign of mischievousness on his face. That almost made it worse. "I have answered every question that pertained to my knowledge of innate abilities, Eldrim cards, professions, cultivation, and anything else that may even remotely have anything to do with my uing sses. I think that should be sufficient for the school to decide which mandatory sses I need to take. Anything else is a waste of my time, and the school''s resources. Let''s just skip over this part."


    Mrs. Smith sighed once more. Like every other person in Kr, she was a veteran. She had done her mandatory army service. But mandatory army service gave a very misleading perception of what most people experienced in the army.


    From the janitors, to the cooks, to the engineers and artisans, the army had them all. Enlisting in the army did not mean that one would get relegated to the battlefield. It, instead, meant that one''s allocation would be ording to their skill set and aptitude. Her service had been in one of the administrative offices, due to her unique innate ability, where she had a lot of exposure to many of the upper echelon of the army. She knew just how much importance they gave to being able to predict the mindset of their soldiers as well as citizens.


    If Nero were an ordinary student it would not matter, but he had not been hesitant about sharing his aspiration for joining KMA. These kinds of things would reflect badly when his case was reviewed. But he was always adamant that his ster performance would be more than enough to get him admission.


    She looked up at this extremely gifted, yet stubborn student and then shook her head. It was better to focus her energy where it would get results, so she focused on something else.


    "Your mandatory sses will include aether maniption, basic cultivation, basic curses, and card crafting. You can go through the list of electives and see which ones you want to sign up for. You''ll have to work hard if you want to take any of those sses while keeping up with the rest, since there''s only one semester left before applications for KMA. I don''t rmend you take more than one or two electives at most, because you still need to give the exams for your regr sses as well."


    Nero took the paper Mrs. Sims handed out and studied it seriously, even though he already knew the sses by heart. Truth be told, he was not too interested in any of the electives offered to him right now, because for the truly interesting ones he would need to pass his mandatory sses first.


    Only the purely theoretical and academic electives were avable to him at the moment. His gaze lingered on "Eldrim society - a study of Eldrim ruins". This one had never really interested him before, as it did nothing to bring him closer to his goals. But given the rumours going around, he could not help but hesitate.


    Even a single additional ss would take away a tremendous amount of training time away from him, something he was in dire need of. He had to improve his control over his innate ability, understand how to effectively use cards, and integrate them all into hisbat style.


    Using a spear made wielding cards very inconvenient, something Kr had put a tremendous amount of effort into finding solutions for. But each of those solutions would demand his time and attention.


    But, if there truly were ruins near Aetherpeak, then it was unlikely he could afford to not increase his knowledge.


    Nero made a decision to take the ss, and so got rid of all his hesitation. He selected the ss and handed back the paper to Mrs. Sims.


    "Eldrim studies, huh? Didn''t peg you as the sort. But I''m d to see you stepping out of yourfort zone. I''ll submit the paperwork and get started on your new schedule. As you probably already know, your mandatory sses will either put you in a small group or have you study with the teacher one on one. It depends on whether or not there are a lot of new Neophytes at this time.


    "That''s because these sses are very important, and so we need to make sure that every student understands them well. For the electives you''ll have to join the ongoing ss, and since each of them is only a semester long, you won''t have too much to catch up on, for now.


    "Once your new schedule is made, it will sh with your regr sses, so you''ll have to miss those. So until then, you better make the most of your time. Go on ahead, I''ll find you when your schedule is ready."


    "Thanks Mrs. Sims," he said as he got up with a wide grin. His teacher was shaking her head, but he was in a great mood. The whole reason he hade early was so that his schedule could be made quickly and that he could start with his sses. But since it would take a while, there was no harm in returning to his regr ss.


    The school corridors were a lot busier now, at least in this section, as more and more students had arrived. Most were already in their regr sses, so the ones he saw now were the students who either had electives or mandatory sses.


    He walked to his ss, which was on the second floor of the High School building, and was looking forward to seeing his ssmates, when he spotted something odd from the window of his ss. Firstly, there was no teacher in the room. Secondly, there was a student in ss who he did not recognize, and she was...


    His wide grin lessened, just a bit, before he walked into ss. The buzz of idle chatter paused the moment he opened the door, but when he came in everyone resumed their conversations, as if they were relieved it was just Nero.


    Gabriel was sitting in the back, alongside a few of his other friends. Harold, the one friend who betrayed him yesterday for a girl, was no longer sitting in the back but was sitting beside Wendy, his new girlfriend. Many of his peers were talking about yesterday''s fight where Green Hurricane fought against a couple of Shadow Deer in front of an audience. Others were whispering about the terrorist attack. All seemed normal.


    Nero waved at his friends, but then turned to look towards the unfamiliar figure. She was a tall and slim girl with long, jet ck hair. The uniform, which was designed for the cold climate of Aetherpeak, covered most of her skin, but from her hands he could tell that she was tanned.


    She was leaning over a desk and talking to one of the students, her voice sweet and energetic. She hadn''t seemed to notice that Nero had entered the ss, not that he was concerned about that. Instead, it was who she was talking to that concerned him.


    Nero walked towards them, and soon a rtively short, freckled boy came into view, his gaze locked onto the girl talking to him. Nero could see the excitement of talking to the girl right on his face, and he was animatedly replying to her when he sensed something.


    He looked to the side, and the moment he saw Nero approaching the excitement he was feeling vanished, reced instead by a deeply rooted fear. His face became pale, and his words froze.


    The girl noticed the change and followed his gaze to Nero, and studied him. Nero, likewise, scrutinised the girl, and did not shy from studying her entire figure. The uniform she was wearing was loose on her, but it did not prevent him from seeing what he wanted to see.


    "Don''t you know it''s rude to ogle at a girl like that?" she questioned him, put off by his prating eyes. The ss suddenly hushed, as if they collectively decided to watch the drama unfold.


    Nero did not respond immediately, but instead studied her eyes. They were grey, with an interesting ck pattern in them. He could not tell if her hair colour and eyes had changed due to awakening, or if they were naturally like that. How interesting.


    "I was not ogling at you, I was admiring your collection. You have two knives in your shoes, two on your thighs, several on your back and abdomen, as well as countless pins in your hair that I imagine can also be used as weapons. ording to school policy, students are only allowed one weapon on their person on school premises, and you need to have it registered. Sorry if it appeared as if I was staring."


    The girl was slightly startled, but before she could reply, the sound of a few girlsughing distracted her. She turned and saw that the entire ss was staring at them, though some tried to hide it when she turned to look.


    But instead of being flustered, or put off, she looked back at Nero and smiled politely.


    "Ah, my bad. I thought you were... Never mind. Hi, my name is Vanessa. I''m new here." She held out her hand to shake, but Nero only looked at her hand for a moment.


    "I missed the de strapped to the forearm," he muttered, before saying aloud, "Nero. Nice to meet you. If you''ll excuse me, Vanessa, I really need to talk to my friend here for a moment."


    He stepped past her without shaking her hand and approached the pale boy, prompting another round ofughter from the group of girls. The boy was blonde, naturally, and had not yet gone through his own awakening. He was one of few left who hadn''t in that ss. He might have appeared handsome, if he didn''t look like he was doing his best not to tremble.


    "Ss, I have good news. I''m sure you can guess, but I''ve be a Neophyte. You know what that means, right? I''ll get my hands on aether shards today, so I hope you''re ready for our project."


    Somehow, Ss became even more pale upon hearing his words.

 Chapter 21: Forever alone

    <h4>Chapter 21: Forever alone</h4>


    There were only 25 students in Nero''s ss, and he knew each of them well. 18 of the 25 were either orphans, or had at least one of their parents dead. This was a morbid detail, but the reason Nero knew it was because it was something discussed quite often and openly in ss.


    There were countless orphanages and government initiatives, so none of them grew up in hardship, but without parental supervision many students often developed bad, or even delinquent-like habits. But, even if they weren''t friends with Nero, everyone at least avoided giving him trouble. After all, he was generally very friendly and easy to get along with - especially when they knew he could beat them up really badly if he wished. That made things a lot easier.


    Ss, the kid Nero was talking to at the moment, was someone he gave <i>special</i> attention to at school.


    "Nero, you know I... I can''t do it... It''s... It''s just..."


    "I have faith in you," Nero said, cing a hand on his shoulder, startling him. "I''ve moved into the hostel. Room 1G,e by directly after school. We can begin the project right after, so that you can be home before dark."


    Without waiting for Ss to respond, Nero began walking towards Harold''s table, but then suddenly paused. He bent down to his ear and whispered, "be careful of pretty girls with unknown agendas Ss. They''ll try to use you."


    Ss did not even try to respond. He only looked down at hisp, and tried to get his hands to stop trembling as Nero finally walked away.


    "Is he bullying you?" asked Vanessa, her former energetic expression reced by a solemn one. "I know schools don''t always handle that kind of thing properly, but if he''s bullying you, you can tell me. I''ll help you out. We''ll look out for each other."


    Ss only shook his head for a bit, but then jerked as he realised something and looked up at Vanessa.


    "No, it''s... It''s nothing like that. He''s not bullying me, it''s more like... tough love. More importantly, you''re new, so you don''t know. You shouldn''t pick a fight with Nero. Instead, be friends with him. Your school life will get a lot better. Even... even I..." it felt like he had more to say, but the words eluded him. His mind kept on straying to what Nero had told him.


    3 pm. 1G. He had to go there today. His thoughts started racing, and he even forgot he was talking to Vanessa.


    The new girl, Vanessa, clearly aware that her conversation with Ss was at an end, returned to her seat, though her gaze kept straying to Nero. He was quite rude. Hepletely disregarded her handshake.


    "You''re Vanessa, right?" asked a girl sitting close to her, an amused look on her face. "You can forget about trying to attract Nero''s attention that way. His heart is ice cold. He only has eyes for his spear."


    Vanessa observed the girl more closely. She had blonde hair, amon trait in Aetherpeak, and was quite fair, forming a stark contrast to Vanessa herself. She was pretty, even with her shorter hair, and though she looked like she was finding amusement in Vanessa''s apparent failure, she also looked like she wanted to help.


    "Do you think I was trying to flirt with him? As if," she said, scoffing.


    The girl shrugged casually. In Kr, where military service was mandatory before 25, it was verymon to find partners early. Many couples formed in high school or right after, as the future was unpredictable once service began, and would usuallyst a long time.


    In fact, getting married before military service was a verymon urrence. Even Nero''s own parents'' situation was quite simr. This was because when faced with so much death, both the men and women of Kr became more forward and upfront.


    "If you''re not interested in him then good for you, though most girls find it hard to say the same after gym or sparring ss. But I was just letting you know that it won''t work even if you are so that you don''t end up wasting your time."


    Vanessa''s curiosity was piqued, though she only nodded and thanked the girl, before using this opportunity to strike up another conversation with her. As a neer, she couldn''t waste any opportunity to make friends. Yet, out of the corner of her eye, she couldn''t help but look at Nero, who was literally sitting on Harold''s desk.


    "You didn''t even go to the fight, so why do you care?"mented Harold.


    "It''s about the principle, Harold. Yesterday you ditched the boys at the fight, and today you''ve even changed your seat! I was going to invite everyone over to my new hostel room on the weekend, but now I''m not so sure whose room you''d end up entering if I invited you."


    "Nero Grant, you leave Harold alone!" said Wendy who was ring at Nero. They had been ss fellows since Nero joined as a little kid, so she knew him well. In fact, she knew his whole family, as she had attended plenty of birthdays."Just because you''re going to end up alone doesn''t mean everyone else has to as well!"


    "Wendy, how could you say such a thing?" Nero said in an overly dramatic fashion, cing a hand over his heart. "I thought we had something going between us."


    "If you keep bugging my Harold, we''re going to have a knife between us!"


    "<i>My Harold</i>!" he eximed, mimicking her. But before he could continue his antics, the ss room door opened and a teacher stepped in. Nero did not know her, so she was probably a substitute.


    Nero gave Harold a side eye, but the lovestruck fool did not notice at all, for he only had eyes for Wendy at the moment. Shaking his head, Nero returned to his seat at the back of ss, beside Gabriel.


    "Who''s the new girl?" he asked his redheaded friend as soon as he sat down, his voice barely a whisper.


    "Foreign exchange student, from Nova."


    "Foreign what? What is that?" he asked upon hearing the unfamiliar term.


    "Foreign exchange student. It''s a program to deepen diplomatic ties between allies, involving sending promising students with deep links to the establishment to foreign countries to develop connections and learn a bit about each other. She probably has a prominent background if she''s here from Nova. She just got here today, you missed her introduction."


    "The timing of her arrival is too unusual. She''s likely a spy. I think... you made the right call about investigating the rumours about the ruins. If there are spies in ces even we can interact with, then I can''t even imagine how many more there are hiding. This ''ruins'' thing might end up interfering with our ns, so gather as much intel about what''s going on as possible."


    "Don''t you think you''re jumping to conclusions?" Gabriel asked, looking at Nero sceptically. Where would one even get a fully trained, 15 year old spy?


    "Gabe, there''s a lot about the situation we don''t know. But whoever attacked the AAB clearly knew something was going to happen before it did, and even foreigners from across theke showed up just as strange things began happening in the city. This matter, whatever it is, is going to get bigger. We need to start taking precautions right now."


    Gabriel looked at Vanessa as if trying to see through her disguise. Was she really a spy? If the situation in Aetherpeak was really reaching such a level, and he had not detected it at all so far, then he had been reallygging. He was not sure if Nero''s theories werepletely correct, but it couldn''t hurt to be cautious.


    Nero, meanwhile, put all other thoughts out of his mind and focused on what the substitute teacher was exining. It would be extremely beneficial for him if he learnt everything in ss the first time when it was being exined so that he wouldn''t need to waste time in revision, and for that he could not be even slightly distracted.


    He did not even let his thoughts linger on the fact he had been paying close attention to Vanessa even after he had walked past her. Although everything else about her seemed rtively normal, including the obsession with knives - who didn''t like small knives they could hide all over their bodies - the thing that rmed Nero the most was that she walked without making any sound.


    He would continue to pay attention, just in case he was mistaken, but while she walked from Ss back to her chair, he had not heard the sound of a single footstep from her. It was extremely rming, as that was a more difficult feat than it appeared to achievepletely subconsciously. She probably did not mean to do it, as it betrayed the extensive amount of training she probably received.


    If Nero had to guess, he would say she had been trained in many fields, but had little practical experience, which is why there was the oversight.


    One could ask why Nero felt he had the qualification to make such a judgement. The answer was simply because his no good father, who hardly ever went to work, had taught both him and his brother too many strange things. He could no longer judge what was supposed to bemon knowledge among everyone else or not, for he knew all sorts of strange things.


    ss continued normally, and nothing unusual happened after that. The substitute teacher left, and one of his regr teachers entered to conduct one of his regr sses.


    It was nearly 11 am by the time Nero was finally pulled out of ss. His new schedule had been made, and he was ready to attend his new mandatory sses.

 Chapter 22: Footer

    <h4>Chapter 22: Footer</h4>


    Nero found himself in one of the gyms used for private sses in his school, and wearing a different uniform. It was white with red stripes, and was easy to move in. More importantly, it was a very important and expensive piece of equipment designed to protect him from his own aether maniption blunders.


    The moment where the stability of his control over aether dropped below a safe threshold, the uniform would automatically cut off his connection to ambient aether, while suppressing his internal aether.


    The uniform was not his, but the schools. The school had loaned it to him for the duration of his aether maniption ss. He could not take it out of his special gym ss, but for the remaining semester he coulde here whenever he pleased and practice as much as he wished in the safety this room provided.


    This was a service all students could avail, not just high performers like him. But in practice most students only took advantage of it for the first few weeks. Once they got a handle on aether maniption, they felt confident enough to try it on their own outside.


    "Are you ready?" asked the teacher standing in front of him, a sturdy looking man who was treating this matter very seriously. He was quite famous in school for his strictness, and wasmonly called Footer by the students because he liked to p a foot long ruler in his hand whenever he was giving a lecture.


    Nero had no personalints against Footer, because he was mostly concerned with learning, and as a teacher he waspetent.


    "Yes," Nero answered after making sure the uniform was not loose.


    "Good. It''s important you give this ss your utmost effort and attention, because until I judge you sufficiently capable, you cannot begin your basic cultivation ss, and your card crafting ss will also remain mostly theoretical. Only once you disy a satisfactory control over aether will I give you approval for those sses.


    "Once you disy a certain level of expertise, the ss will then either transition to a self study model where you will have an hour everyday during school to practise with aether, or, if you have an active innate ability we can focus on teaching you to control that. Do you understand everything so far?"


    "Yes."


    "Good, now I am going to use an Initiate level 2 star card on you called Fairy lights, as well as on myself. Get ready."


    After giving the warning, Footer took out a card he had already prepared and targeted Nero with it, activating an instantter. The process was slow and deliberate, not only so that Nero would not be rmed by it, but so that he could study the steps involved.


    He could not feel himself being targeted by the card, nor did he see a magical light shoot out of it towards him. As soon as his teacher used the card, its ability was activated.


    "Now, all the aether you use will leave a visible trail so that you can see what you''re doing. Whether you control it with your hand or absorb it, you will see small sparks showing the movement of aether. But do not, I repeat, do not try to absorb any aether whatsoever. Only follow my instructions, regardless of how tedious they may seem. I will prevent you from developing any bad habits that may affect your future.


    "First I am going to impart you with the basics. You instinctively know how to use every part of your body, because you developed those instincts as a baby when you were learning about the world. Unfortunately, at that time, humans cannot sense aether, so you''ve developed no instincts for it at all.


    "You may think that you understand how it works, or how it ''should'' work, but that is you trying to enforce your understanding of different concepts onto aether. For example, you may visualise yourself controlling a liquid, or even gases when controlling aether. That visualisation helps certain people, and coincides with their innate abilities, so they think it''s right. But it''s not."


    Footer held up a finger, and on its tips sparks started to fly, showing that he was controlling aether with his finger.


    "Rule number 1: aether does not behave like a liquid, gas, or any such nonsense, because aether is none of those things. It is energy, and it behaves like energy."


    He held up his second finger, and another spark appeared.


    "Rule number 2: just because it is energy does not mean it has to behave in the same way as other energies, such as light, heat, radiation, or potential energy. Aether has its own distinct set of rules governing its behaviour."


    Footer held up his third finger, and another spark appeared above it


    "Rule number 3: while we have certain guidelines for how aether can behave given certain circumstances, we do not actually understand it at all. Normally we can predict its behaviour by replicating certain circumstances, but at any given time, aether can begin to behavepletely differently for reasons we do not understand. Humansck the appropriate sensory organs to properly study aether."


    This time, Footer pulled in his fingers and formed a fist with tiny sparks flying out of his hand.


    "Rule number 4, and the most important rule: while free and untamed aether is beyond our understanding, as soon as we take control of it, its behaviour is dictated solely by our thoughts. We be its masters, and it is no longer a thing to be feared. Instead, it is our tool to face our fears.


    "That brings us to the matter of how to control aether. Your body is the apparatus through which your mind can control aether. As long as there is any free aether touching your body, regardless of where it is touching your body, you can take control of it."


    Footer''s body suddenly became extremely bright, as every centimetre of it began giving off sparks. Fortunately, the scene did notst long.


    "Most new card masters develop a habit of using their hands to control aether. They cannot be med for such thoughts, for a human''s hands are what they use to navigate the world. At the same time, the fingertips have the most nerve endings in the body. But controlling aether has nothing to do with nerve endings, so using your hands does not give you any real advantage over any external part of your body. A skilled card master can just as effectively control aether from their hair as they can from their hands."


    As if to disy exactly what he meant, a few individual strands of hair on his head began to give off sparks.


    "Do you understand why it is discouraged for fresh Neophytes to explore their innate abilities on their own? If they have active abilities, they begin by practising them with their hands nearly 97% of the time, and develop the habit which then carries on to aether. Since you have no instincts regarding aether from when you were a baby, every single action you perform right now with aether starts to define your instincts regarding it.


    "I am not going to ask if you have practised on your own before this. Even if you have, it won''t be enough to cause too much damage. All that matters now is that you obey my instructions precisely. Now, begin visualising yourself controlling aether with your left knee."


    Not expecting the sudden instruction, Nero was a little slow to respond. He instinctively looked down towards his left knee, but before he could begin his visualisation, a loud smacking sound pulled his attention back up.


    Footer had smacked his own hand with a ruler.


    "Did I say ''look down''? No, I said visualise yourself controlling aether with your knee. Follow my instructions precisely without trying to look or perform unnecessary body movements. Now, try again. But this time, with your nose..."


    The ss continued for two hours before ending. In the beginning, Nero''s performance really was too poor. It was natural. It wasn''t as if he was some natural born prodigy. For every bit of sess he had, he had worked a lot. That had built a strong foundation for him.


    But controlling aether was like suddenly controlling a new limb. He could not help but try and look at his body before attempting to control aether with it. It was like someone telling him to only move his pinky on his right hand, and his third finger on his left hand. He could probably do it without the need to look at his hands, but he would probably look anyway just to see if he was doing it right.


    But Footer was relentless, and each time Nero tried to look he''d change his instructions while smacking his ruler on his hand, as if using the loud sound to punish him.


    Nero knew why Footer had developed such a habit. Military discipline was incredibly strict in Kr, and one soldier was not allowed to hit another soldier unless in a designated spar or fight. Even superiors could not physically discipline their subordinates. They could make them perform the hardest, most brutal training imaginable and punish them that way, but they were never allowed to hit. Footer smacking himself with the ruler was basically a simr principle.


    Regardless, Nero was not irritated or flustered by his failures, or by Footers constant yelling. In fact, the more he failed, the harder he tried. He eventually closed his eyes, so that he would not be distracted by the impulse to look. He also slowed down his response, and instead of snapping into the action, the way Footer was trying to get him to do, he very slowly and deliberately tried to control aether with the designated body part.


    It was a rough process, but after the initial hurdle, Nero''s performance began improving drastically.


    When the ss officially ended, both Footer and Nero felt somewhat reluctant. His process was genuinely astounding, and his patience for Footer''s insistent yelling made him an ideal student for the man. But they still had other sses to attend.


    "Refrain from using your innate ability for now," Footer said as they walked out of the ss. "Once your level of control has reached a satisfying level, I can give you some tips regardless of whether you want to take the innate training ss."


    "I have every intention of taking the ss," Nero informed the professors whose expression remained stern throughout the ss. He was hoping to see a smile or some sign of satisfaction in his performance, but the man never budged.


    "I''ll see you tomorrow," was all Footer said before leaving.


    Nero didn''t have time to dwell on the disappointing response. After all, it was lunch break, and he was starving.

 Chapter 23: I’ll just tell you

    <h4>Chapter 23: I''ll just tell you</h4>


    Lunch was his favourite period during school, and not just because he was a glutton. It was because students were one of the few sses of citizens who could eat an unlimited amount of food, without being restricted by rations, as long as they ate from their school cafeteria.


    The food itself tasted excellent, and carefully designed so that it could fulfil the nutritional needs of growing children.The reason why the unlimited food was restricted to school campuses was because that was the only way to ensure they themselves were eating, and not smuggling it off for others.


    It could not be helped. Farming and animal husbandry were both two of the most dangerous professions to exist, with a minimum requirement of being an Arcanist! Working with any kind of nt was dangerous, because it was highly susceptible to being cursed. The farmers job was to not only grow the nts, but ensure that they avoided the corruption of being cursed. Moreover, if any nt did end up being cursed, they would have to eliminate it.


    Animals, while not nearly as susceptible to curses as nts, were still dangerous because if they did end up being affected by a curse, they would be much more dangerous than nts.


    As a result, while farming was one of Kr''s biggest industries, food supply was always kept under strict control so that if there was ever an issue with supply, they would have longsting reserves. Throughout the history of Kr, such a policy had saved them from countless troubles.


    Thus even Nero could not me anyone for such a policy. He could only make the most of whatever advantage he got. Even as mentally exhausted as he was, Nero raced through the halls towards the cafeteria. Lunch onlysted half an hour, and he would not waste a second of it.


    When he reached the hall, he was pleased to discover that only a few students were there, and most had not yet arrived. With a massive grin he grabbed a tray and got in line at the counter.


    "Good afternoon, Mr. Grant," said thedy behind the counter, a middle aged woman who was very prim and proper. There was arge scar on the left side of her face, which started from her forehead and carried all the way down to her chin. It cut through her eye as well, which was the reason she used a ss eye, and left her looking slightly disfigured.


    Mrs. Aedile, the lunchdy and chef, maintained a strictly professional tone as she spoke, as was her norm, but Nero knew she liked him.


    "The menu yesterday included Snow Dove roast. It was a pity that you missed it."


    Nero showed a heartbroken face, truly regretting missing school yesterday.


    "It couldn''t be helped. I synchronised yesterday, and got caught up in the terrorist attack."


    "In such a case, it would indeed be most prudent to give priority to your own wellbeing and consult a medical professional in case of any sustained trauma. Todays'' menu is okra cooked with tomatoes and onions, egg rolls, potato buns, Ardainmb burgers, lilypad wraps and egg pudding for dessert. I assume you want a bit of everything."


    "Of course," said Nero as he shed her the best smile. He knew next to nothing about Mrs. Aedile since she was very private, and would keep all conversations formal and professional. But despite the hundreds of students she dealt with everyday, she remembered that Nero had not shown up yesterday and took note of it. That was enough to let him know the kind of person she was.


    With all six items shoved into his te, Nero quickly made his way to his usual table and began eating. His friends had not arrived yet, but he could not follow etiquette and wait for them to arrive before eating for he had to make the best of this time. Truthfully, he was not as much of a glutton as he appeared. But if he wanted to maintain his physique, and preferably even grow more muscle, he had to eat continuously and consistently.


    The food was, as expected, divine. Or perhaps Nero just had very low standards because neither his father nor his mother could cook very well.


    Soon, a familiar group joined him. Gabriel, Harold and Wendy were there, naturally. But there were four more than joined them. Maverick and Hansel Dale were brothers, with Maverick being one year older than Hansel, though both of them were still in the same ss. Both of them had passive abilities which were quite incredible.


    Maverick''s passive ability was to constantly absorb aether from the air around him. That meant that the amount of aether in his body was always either full, or replenishing itself. Moreover, if his body was filled to the brim with aether, then his passive would cause him to passively cultivate! Although Maverick said it was slower than actually cultivating, it did not change the fact that it was continuous!


    Hansel''s passive ability, on the other hand, was simr but slightly more technical. Instead of absorbing aether from the air around him, he constantly absorbed energy from any solid object he touched until it waspletely aether depleted.


    This seemed like a watered down version of Maverick''s ability, since it could not constantly boost his cultivation, but it held great potential. The fact that Hansel had received a special recruitment offer from KSA while Maverick hadn''t was a testament to how useful it could be.


    The two brothers neither looked the same nor did they behave simr, but it was a fact that they were biological brothers. One just took after their mom, while the other took after their dad.


    The remaining two were Shelby and Malissa, in the same ss as Nero but in a different section. The two were best friends, and since Malissa was dating Hansel, both of them had somehow joined the group as well. Nero did not know their abilities, which was more of the norm.


    The group of friends ate andughed together, though their conversation more or less converged towards their training. Now that Nero was finally a Neophyte, he no longer wanted to waste time chatting about random things. So while they still joked around, the topics seemed to have gone through a subtle shift.


    Nero also asked everyone about their experience during Aether maniption ss, and how long it took everyone to get permission for the other sses. The average seemed to be three to four sses.


    Eventually, the lunch break ended and they all got up, ready to go towards their various sses. But just before they separated, Nero signalled Gabriel and pulled him to the side.


    "What is it? Run into any more spies?" he asked with a half smirk. Although he was being facetious, he had already resolved to treat the matter very seriously.


    "No. I didn''t realise it at the time, but do you remember the cultivation level for our teacher who was absent today? The one we got a substitute for."


    "Arcanist. Why, do you think something happened to her?"


    "No, but I want you to look into the reason for her absence. I was wondering if she might have gotten recruited during the draft."


    "Nero, it was a level one draft notice. It only affects those who qualify as reserve soldiers or those who haven''t gone through their enlistment yet. All teachers have already gone through military service."


    "I know. But look into it anyway. Or rather, try to find out how many Arcanist level teachers did not show up to school today. It''s just a direction to investigate. It will help us gauge the seriousness of the situation."


    Gabriel nodded, and didn''t continue to argue with Nero. It was a good idea, even if Nero was being a tad paranoid. But considering the agendas that they both kept, such a mindset was not a bad thing.


    After they separated, Nero headed towards the only other mandatory ss he could attend for now, which was card crafting. Not everyone was destined to be an artisan - someone who crafted cards from existing recipes and discovered new ones. But every single person was still expected to be able to create a card out of their innate abilities.


    Not all innate abilities had the same level of usefulness, but no one could know when a seemingly useless ability might suddenlye in handy. Others, who had especially useful abilities, could single handedly affect entire battles just by sitting in a room and continuously pumping out cards of their innate abilities. For example, Nero was certain that Maverick would not see a single instance ofbat during his military service. Instead, he would be tasked to mass produce his cards based on his innate ability.


    Card crafting would be another ss he took one on one with his teacher, at least in the beginning. Nero did not recognise his teacher, nor did she bother to introduce herself. She had been busy taking notes when Nero entered the ss and as soon as she noticed him, she shut her books and asked him to sit right in front of her.


    "The mandatory ss does not teach you the general knowledge and deep foundation of card making. Here, we focus solely on teaching you how to make one card. If you find the field fascinating, you may select a more in depth ss once you pass. The passing criteria is to produce a single card based on your own innate ability - which you can keep once produced. The school will neither check the details of the card nor take it. We just need to know that it works, and that''s all.


    "Card crafting is an incrediblyplex field with a depth that goes beyond most card masters, so I do not expect most students to appreciate it. I don''t have time to dilly dally on random questions either. Stay on topic, stay focused, and we will get along just fine. Here this is your textbook for the subject. Read it in your free time. For now, just pay attention to everything I teach. Are you following me?"


    Nero could feel that this teacher was not particrly happy about being made to take this ss, but he did not care. As long as she taught well, he could tolerate her attitude. But if she demanded his respect without delivering on her part, then Nero would not ept her attitude either. He didn''t have time to waste either!


    "Yes!" he answered firmly.


    "Good. Let''s begin with some essentials. Why do we use cards, and why are they of those specific dimensions? Contrary tomon belief, it is not just because that is what the Eldrim did. Years of study and research have shown that the dimensions of the card, from its length, width and even its thickness of 0.03 cm( 0.01 inch) are the exact optimal conditions to map out the blueprint of a spell within.


    "Making the card smaller positively destroys the spell blueprint within, and making itrger results in a great loss of efficiency and results in poor durability. Child, are you aware of the matter of blueprints, efficiency and durability? Don''t answer, I''ll just tell you.


    "Did you think Eldrim cards hold some power of their own? Did you think that the spells conjured are contained within the cards? Nonsense, the cards merely contain the model, or blueprint, of the spell. Humansck the necessary organs to manipte aether in sufficientlyplex ways to cast spells. This may be contrary to what you''re learning in aether maniption, where you learn that as long as you can imagine it, you can control aether in any way you wish. In reality, this is not a contradiction, but is a result of more profound principles that you are not yet ready to deal with.


    "What is a model, or blueprint? How are they created? Can anyone just create a blueprint for a brand new spell if they understand how other blueprints are created? No doubt you have all of these questions, but child, card crafting is an incrediblyplex subject that touches on many other subjects that this ss does not cover.


    "Instead, what you have to focus on is the fact that within your body, you have a blueprint for a spell that already exists. You now have to learn how to inscribe that blueprint within a card, while achieving at least the minimum efficiency and durability required to make a card. What does efficiency and durability mean? Don''t answer, I''ll just tell you.


    "Child, the star rating of a card is determined based on these two factors. The greater you are able to achieve these two, the higher the star rating. 0 star cards, which you use, have the lowest eptable level of efficiency and durability. Moreover, the spell models within are also by far the simplest.


    "But if the spell models are simple, why can certain cards be found in 0 stars, as well as higher star levels? Don''t answer the question boy, I''ll just tell you..."

 Chapter 24: What happens next

    <h4>Chapter 24: What happens next</h4>


    The unnamed teacher talked extremely quickly and with a lot of passion in her voice, sometimes shaking with the fervour she felt in her heart. Although she kept on repeatedly telling Nero that the focus of the ss was just to allow him to create one single card, without the need for understanding theplexities that apanied card making on a wider scale, she could not help but drop bits of random information here and there.


    But Nero never stopped her, and maintained his focus throughout the lesson. Learning card making was extremely important for Nero, as he nned on continuing with the ss even after hepleted the basics. So anything he could learn now would make the lessons that eventually followed much easier.


    "Child, you have too many questions," the teacher said, despite the fact that Nero had not asked a single question the entire ss. She was the one who asked the questions, and she was also the one who answered them.


    "Despite your curiosity, you need to take things one step at a time. Let''s focus, for now, on making an Eldrim card based on your innate ability. Understand the steps involved, and its various necessities, and then we can begin to explore moreplex matters in the field.


    "Let''s begin with the base. Let''s say you are out in the wilderness, and have no cards and no resources. For your own survival, you need to make cards. So how will you make it? The answer is very simple. The resources to make most cards, especially 0 star or 1 star cards, can easily be found in the wild. Learning to harvest the materials will be one of the following sses.


    "When making a card, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. First of all, what type of card do you want to make? For example, is the card a Neutral Magic card, an Elemental card, an Illusion card, an Augmentation card, a Cultivation card, a Healing card, and so on. There are endless categories, and the materials you use to make a card will actually depend on the kind of card you are making.


    "For example, if you use the bark of a cedar tree as the base of a card, then from the very getgo, the card will have an elemental affinity. But if you strip away the bark, and use a thin film of the wood within as the base of the card, then it gains an illusion affinity. So you see, the recipe for each and every card is carefully designed long before the spell model evenes close to it.


    "Now keep in mind, despite how thin a card is, it is actually made up of manyyers, so eachyer needs to be extremely thin. That means the process is very delicate, and very precise. The base of the card is the most important factor to determine its durability, but there are other factors that need consideration as well. Subsequentyers are needed, and you will now need ayer that conducts aether very well. It also has to match the affinity of the baseyer, and cannot sh with it.


    "The exact number ofyers vary from recipe to recipe, but the cards also usually need to go through various chemical and aetheric treatments long before the spell model is even applied. Traditionally, crafting the spell model is an extremely difficult task, but in the case of innate cards, you only need to use the innate ability at the correct time, without destabilising the as of yet unformed card, and bind the card together.


    "I''m sure, at this point you''re wondering, why do cards require pictures, names, and even vour texts. If you think they are meaningless then you are sorely mistaken, child. The vour text and image are extremely important for defining the intent of the card!


    "Let me give you a quick example. There are two cards, and both create fire. But one is used to burn enemies, and one is used to cauterise wounds during emergency treatment. The intent of one card is clearly malicious and hostile, while the other is clearly trying to provide aid. Although how a card''s effects manifest are based on the user, establishing the intent of the card is absolutely essential when creating its recipe. I know what you''re thinking, child..."


    The ss went on for a very long time, during which Nero actually learned a lot of general information, and yet somehow was nowhere near even beginning to make his own card. It was to the point where he did not even know what material to use as a base.


    Still, Nero had taken a glimpse into theplex world of card crafting and artisans, and he felt extremely satisfied with it. When the ss finally ended, the unnamed teacher gave him a lot of homework, which was basically to read through the entire introductory book she had given him.


    Before leaving, Nero asked her if he could have an aether shard as well. Technically speaking, Nero was now eligible to receive 10 aether shards every month until his school finished, so he was not asking for anything oundish. It was just notmon to get them until he officially started the aether cultivation ss.


    When asked why he wanted it, he simply said he wanted to begin studying various materials used in card manufacturing. Aether dust, made from crushing aether shards, was amon ingredient so it was a believable excuse.


    The teacher gave it to him without much hassle, just d to be rid of him so she could return to her work. If he hadn''t managed to get his hands on it he could just borrow one from Gabriel, but it was better to use one of his own if he could.


    Feeling mentally drained, Nero finally left the ss. The unnamed teacher paused when he left, and could not help but think back.


    Originally she was not supposed to teach a mandatory ss. She was much too qualified for that. But good old Footer had told her that he discovered a good student, so she gave it a chance.


    During the entire lecture, she had barely paused to breathe. She hadunched a relentless barrage of information at the unexpecting child, but she did not do it without method.


    The entire time, her focus was solely on his eyes. She could read his thoughts easily through them. When some of her teachings confused him, or caused him to reflect on it slightly to absorb the information, she would slow down, almost imperceptibly. When his eyes would clear, she would once again resume her regr pace.


    But throughout the entire process, despite her unreasonable teaching method, not only had the child notined, but he had not dropped his attention either. She wouldn''t be surprised if he actually managed to learn most of what she had just dumped on him.


    She smiled for a moment before returning to her work. An interesting student indeed.


    Although his mandatory ss was over, school had not yet finished so he returned to his regr sses for another hour before school ended.


    Normally, after school, Nero would begin his training routine. It would start with a run and some physical exercises before he began training with his spear. But, at least for now, he decided to postpone it. After all, he had an appointment with Ss.


    Even from across the ssroom, he could see how distracted and nervous he was. It was clear that he was dreading meeting Nero, but Nero himself did nothing to dissuade that anxiety.


    "You''re really mean to him, you know," said Wendy, as she saw Nero looking at Ss.


    "Mean? No, there''s no one who shows him more kindness than I do," replied Nero before stepping out of the ss. He did not remind Ss about their meeting, or even make eye contact with him. He wouldn''t forget, and he wouldn''t try to hide - Nero was confident of that.


    From another corner of ss, Vanessa was watching everything, taking everything in. She had temporarily formed a group of friends who she was spending time with. She had taken the opportunity to ask about the rtionship between Nero and Ss.


    From what she heard, it still seemed like Nero was bullying him. Unfortunately, Ss suffered from extreme asthma, making it so that he was not really physically inclined. He had not undergone his own synchronisation yet either, so he really had nothing going for him yet. As a result, he was an easy target for bullying.


    Private fights were harshly punished by schools, but that did not prevent students from targeting him during spars. For many months, he went home with a new bruise every time they had sparring sses, which wasn''t unusual. But his bruises were always worse and more numerous than everyone else.


    This continued, until one day he just gave up. He stopped fighting back. Instead of getting support from school, he was harshly criticised by the sparring instructor. That was the day Nero''s rtionship with him began.


    Nero did note forward or do anything himself. Instead, he just imed that from that day onwards, Ss was his follower, and if anyone went overboard, Nero would take revenge.


    At first, no one took him seriously. Ss still got beaten up. Then, as promised, Nero got his revenge in a very public, very bloody manner.


    Of course the fight was still during a spar. But Nero had challenged the bully, and then beat him without giving him the chance to tap out. Then he did it again, and again, until the ''bully'' changed schools!


    That was a side of Nero no one had ever seen before. But it hardly bothered anyone. They were the children of soldiers. They had seen the darkness of humanity.


    But Nero had not saved Ss from bullying, far from it. He just made it so that no one else would bully Ss.


    Although the kid still got beat up in spars, it was only a regr amount. But for some reason, after that, Ss became extremely afraid of Nero. No one knew why. Publicly, at least, Nero had never hit him or berated him. But it was clear for everyone to see that Nero was pressuring him in some way.


    Often Nero had Ss join him with his friends, but the more he included Ss in his circle, the more afraid he became.


    Vanessa watched as Ss trudged out of ss, his eyes fixed on the floor. He was sweating, even in this cold weather. Something was clearly up, but no one knew what. Besides, everyone had a good rtionship with Nero, so no one wanted to confront him either.


    But Vanessa had no qualms about picking a fight with Nero if need be. She made a mental note to judge the situation tomorrow. If she could develop a good rtionship with Ss, then...


    When Nero got home, he saw an unfamiliar kid sitting in his apartment, studying. He must be one of his roommates.


    Nero introduced himself briefly, and let the kid, Anthony, know that he was having a friend over. Anthony, who had been awake all night due to sses, was too drained to hold much of a conversation.


    Eventually, around 3:30, there was a knock on the door. The extremely light and hesitant knocks let him know that Ss had finally arrived. It was a pity that Gabriel wasn''t here, but he was busy collecting information, so he would miss out.


    He opened the door and looked at the pale youth standing in front of him, his eyes on the floor.


    "Come on in," Nero said, and led Ss to his room before closing the door.


    The boy stood very meekly in a corner, not daring to look up, which caused Nero to frown. For reasons he could notpletely understand, whenever he looked at Ss like this, it would grate him in his very soul.


    He was not usually quick to anger, but the sheerck of will to fight in him always managed to tick him off somehow.


    "I''ll get to the point, Ss. I got one shard. One. This is your one chance. You can take it, or you can go back to the way things were before. How often did you have to get your teeth rented? Was it weekly, or was it even more frequent than that? If that''s what you prefer, then the choice is yours. But suffer no delusions, Ss. This is not life being unfair to you. This is not you getting stuck with asthma, or anything out of your control. This is your choice. So whether you climb out of hell, or dive back into it, it''spletely up to you."


    His speech did not have the rousing effect he hoped it would. The boy seemed even more afraid than before. Nero just could not understand him. It was like he was an alien race. When he already had nothing to lose anymore, why was he so afraid?


    But he said nothing now. For better, or for worse, what happened next was up to Ss.

 Chapter 25: Card crafting I

    <h4>Chapter 25: Card crafting I</h4>


    Nero silently observed Ss. The boy''s gaze was locked into the distance, as if he was lost in his own imagination. It was as if his whole life was on the line. It was as if Ss had no other choice avable to him.


    But he did. Nero was not threatening his life, nor did they have some deep vendetta between them which would cause him to always search the boy out. Worstes to worst, if he was so dissatisfied with his current life, all he needed to do was change schools. For others, that may be a difficult task, but it should not have been so for Ss.


    But the boy''s thoughts never went that far. It was as if his brain shut down due to too much fear. He was not able to think of even a simple solution to his problem. That was exactly what pissed Nero off so much whenever he hung out with Ss.


    How could one be so weak willed? How could he be so defeatist? It almost seemed like he wanted to be the victim!


    Nero could once again feel his irritation rising, and Ss was still lost in thought. To hell with leaving things up to him.


    Suddenly, and without warning, Nero pped the back of his head. He did not use his full strength, obviously. He was not trying to knock him out. But he still used enough force to jolt him from his thoughts and bring him back to reality. He had often received plenty of such ps himself from his brother back in the day.


    "Sit down," Nero said in a cold,manding tone. "Take out all the materials."


    Without an ounce of hesitation, Ss sat down on the chair and faced Nero''s study table. He opened his backpack with trembling hands and began taking out various sealed containers.


    Nero stood behind him, to be out of his line of sight, and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    "Stop," he said in the samemanding tone, though he was trying to sound less cold. Getting angry and losing control of his emotions was not something he allowed himself to do. "You''re too jittery. You need to calm down first. Close your eyes, and take a long, deep breath. Hold it in, don''t exhale."


    Like a robot obeying instructions, Ssplied without the least bit of hesitation. After holding his breath for a few seconds, Nero had him exhale slowly, and then repeated the process three more times.


    It wasted some time, but his hands trembling had reduced considerably.


    "Now open your eyes. Take out the materials one by one. Do not rush."


    This was not how Nero imagined today going. Walking Ss through the steps like a baby would not result in the ideal oue, but he could not be a perfectionist. In a way, this was training for him as well. There were all kinds of people in the world, and even if he could not understand them, he needed to at least know how to work with them.


    With his instructions broken down, Ss performed much better. Nero was out of sight, as he was standing behind him, but his hand firmly holding down his shoulder, and his voice giving him instructions anchored Ss in a strange way. He stopped focusing on whatever thoughts crippled him with anxiety, and concentrated only on the task at hand.


    Nero had some kind of revtion as he observed the boy continuously take out items from his bag. As long as Nero left the decision making up to him, the numerous options would confuse Ss. But the same objective, conveyed through multiple smaller, easily achievable steps did not give the boy an opportunity to freeze.


    This was starkly different to how he dealt with Gabriel. The redhead had his own drive and focus, not to mention his own excellentpetence. All Nero needed to do was give him a target and he wouldplete it on his own, using his own strengths. But it seemed the same leadership style did not work on everyone. Not that Nero wanted to be a leader. He was just focused on achieving the best results.


    Once the boy had ced everything on the table he slowed down, as if without clear instructions he was again getting caught up in whatever thoughts led him to be so afraid.


    "The table is too cluttered. Organise everything."


    The hesitation vanished, and the boy hurried to obey, but haste was the exact opposite of what they needed. This task required a steady and deliberate hand.


    Nero squeezed a little with his hand holding the boy''s shoulder, and only said the word "slowly".


    Ss hesitated, but calmed down. He reduced his rush to obey, and instead focused on the task. Nero could feel his pulse through his hand, and any time it started to rise he would gently squeeze.


    Once he was done, several dozen items wereid out on the table before him, with a clear space directly in front of him. Each container was perfectly spaced from one another, as if ced in a grid. A nce was all it took for Nero to understand that this was something that could not be achieved randomly or at a moment''s notice. If Ss hadn''t practised before, then he would not be able toe up with such an arrangement now that it was asked of him.


    Noticing an empty spot in the arrangement, Nero took the aether shard out of his pocket and put it there, closing the only gap.


    Aether shards were small crystals which contained concentrated aether. Or, to be more specific, they were the smallest type of crystal that contained aether, hence the name shard. They were cut using specialsers to form a uniform brick shape so that they could be stacked inrge quantities. The pieces that were cut off were not considered a loss, because they could be crushed to form aether powder, a very important ingredient in card crafting and a few other professions. If an aether shard was mined that was too small to be cut into the brick shape with the same exact measurements, it too was crushed into powder.


    Now, the setup wasplete.

 Chapter 26: Card crafting II

    <h4>Chapter 26: Card crafting II</h4>


    "Have you decided what card you''re going to craft?" Nero asked. But even though he asked, there was a certainty in his voice, as if there was no option for Ss <i>but</i> to sessfully craft an Eldrim card.


    The boy hesitated, as if considering something, but Nero squeezed his shoulder, and much tighter this time.


    "Don''t think too much. You have an answer in your mind. Just say it."


    "Summon light orb!" Ss blurted out, as if he couldn''t wait to get the words out of his mouth. But that did not please Nero. He squeezed his shoulder once more.


    "Calmly. Answer calmly," he reiterated, emphasising the need to maintain his state of mind. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, follow the whole process, and then when you open your eyes, answer again."


    A twinge of frustration shot through Ss, not at Nero but at himself. But the firm hold Nero had on his shoulder reminded him of what he needed to do, so he closed his eyes and once again repeated the breathing exercise Nero had told him.


    "Summon light orb," Ss answered again once he opened his eyes, this time slowly. "It''s one of the easiest recipes, and has the highest tolerance for mistakes due to how simple it is."


    "Good. I believe you have all the steps memorised?"


    "Ye- yes."


    "Good. Then calm yourself downpletely, and once you are ready, begin. Do not focus on anything. Just focus on each step individually. Do not think about anything else except the step you are on."


    Although Nero''s voice remained cold and firm throughout, he lifted his hand from Ss'' shoulder at this point. Card crafting was a delicate process even for a normal person, let alone someone as fretful as Ss. He could not afford any distractions.


    Ss immediately closed his eyes, and began to take a deep breath. The absence of Nero''s hand, oddly enough, made him even more nervous! But he didn''t focus on that for now. He focusedpletely on Nero''s instructions.


    The boy did not even realise that, through his intense focus, he entered a meditative state and emptied his mind of all unnecessary thoughts. The only thing he was focused on was following through with Nero''s instructions.


    Nero, himself, was also focused. He did not know nearly as much about card crafting as Ss, due to the boy''s background, so this would be a learning experience for him as well. So far, however, the most interesting thing he found was how effective his orders were on Ss. He even stopped being irritated at him. But how long thissted was yet to be seen.


    Nero expected to see a long and arduous process, since card crafting was not easy, and the slightest mistake would waste the base temte. Getting Ss to remain calm through failure would be the true hurdle.


    While the boy calmed himself down, Nero also reflected on why he was so easily pissed off by him. This self reflection was important, as Nero needed a deep and thorough understanding of himself. That way, he would know how to manipte his own emotions in the direction he desired.


    Nero was not a person to be ruled by his emotions, but it would definitely be a hell lot easier if his emotions cooperated with his intentions and made life easier for him.


    After nearly five minutes of practising the method of breathing Nero taught him, Ss opened his eyes. In his mind he thought about what the first step was, and began working on it without hesitation.


    He had gathered more than the required ingredients, and for different cards just in case Nero was not satisfied with his selection. But since he had given the nod of approval for Summon light orb, he would not need them.


    The base of this card was made using the bottom slice of a Hibiscus leaf, which basically meant that after a leaf of an appropriate size was located, the leaf itself was sliced perfectly in half, separating the top and bottom.


    Just the difficulty of harvesting this ingredient, alongside storing it, made it extremely difficult to find. Butpared to the ingredients for higher level cards, this was absolutely nothing, thereby demonstrating the first difficulty of crafting cards and the entire civilisation based on them. But humans were resilient creatures and always found a way.


    Ss put on his gloves and reached for the first container. Using a tweezer, he gently lifted the base material and ced it right in front of him. He double checked its size and freshness, ensuring that the leaf base had not died yet, before moving to the next process.


    Slowly and meticulously, Ss went through the steps. His every action was measured, and flowed smoothly as if he were a machine rather than a human.


    Nero had never seen Ss like this. In fact, he seriously doubted if the boy had ever been like this even once in his entire life!


    With his mind empty of the countless thoughts that usually filled it, he could give his utmost to this task. He forgot his fear of Nero, and especially his fear of failure. He only focused on the task.


    Layer byyer, he added the ingredients and additives. If one were to look at what was in front of him, they would hardly be able to associate it with the beautiful and refined Eldrim cards, but that is exactly what this was leading up to.


    Nero stood perfectly still, not even breathing loudly so as to avoid waking Ss from whatever state he was in. He only absorbed everything he saw, from the way Ss held the tweezers, to the way he sprinkled aether dust, or used the many adhesives required in the process. He took in the main steps, as well as the many subtleties they involved.


    Finally, after twenty minutes that seemed to sh by, Ss took a 0 star card and ced it atop his creation without any hesitation. The card waspletely ck on the front, though on the back it sported the designmonly used in the army.


    Then, he ced the aether shard atop it, firmly pressing the card down onto his creation. Thest step, one which was purely theoretical, and that they had not tested before was all that was left. But Ss showed no hesitation, as if his mind currently did not have the capacity for such thoughts. He picked up a gavel, and smashed the aether shard in one swift motion.


    The loud bang seemed to wake Ss from his state of concentration, and a flood of anxiety filled him. Had he... did he really just?


    In a daze, he picked up the hammer without even realising it. But then a change caught his eye. The card was glowing.

 Chapter 27: Stand tall

    <h4>Chapter 27: Stand tall</h4>


    Let alone Ss, even Nero held his breath as he watched the card glow. What they had just done was, strictly speaking, not the proper way to craft a card. They had skipped some important steps and taken some shortcuts. But considering the fact that Ss could not control aether, it could be forgiven. After all, it was impossible to craft a card without aether.


    After a couple of seconds, the glow faded, and the card was left, still upside down on the table.


    Fear, excitement, anxiety, hope, all emotions gripped Ss'' heart at the same time, making him afraid to look at the card. His mind was a blur, and he still had not even gotten over the fact that he hadpleted the whole process in one go!


    How was that even possible? It takes an insane amount of practice to be proficient enough to perfectly create a card recipe without the ingredients reacting with one another prematurely. He did not even have aether to guide him, he has used pure theory to do everything. Yet nothing went wrong! If he picked up that card, and it had actually formed a Summon light orb, then he... then he...


    "Pick it up," Nero instructed, his voice even and devoid of any emotion. It almost seemed as if, to him, this was merely the natural order of things.


    On his own, Ss may never have summoned the courage to inspect his creation, but he obeyed Nero''s words without even a single thought. He picked up the card without dy, and flipped it revealing the most resplendent sight Ss had ever seen.


    There was an image of an orb of light, suspended in the darkness. He had done it!


    "I DID IT!" Ss yelled as he suddenly jumped up... and hit his head on Nero''s bed above him. "Ow!" he said, as he grabbed his head, but even so the massive grin on his face didn''t twitch in the slightest.


    Nero did not interrupt his celebration. Instead, he focused on the card.


    <strong>Name:</strong> Summon light orb


    <strong>Image:</strong> An orb of light suspended in the darkness.


    <strong>Type:</strong> Illusion


    <strong>Star rank:</strong> 0


    <strong>Ability:</strong> [Produces an orb light that can be controlled by caster.]


    <strong>vour text:</strong> "We fear the darkness no longer" - Iskunder Macedon.


    "Can I see that?" Nero asked as he held out his hand. Ss, of course, quickly handed the card over, his whole body trembling, though now out of excitement, not fear.


    He felt the texture in his hand, andpared it to the ones he bought from Maxim''s card shop. They were iparable. The one Ss made felt frail and flimsy besides, meaning it likely had a very low durability.


    Nero channelled some aether into the card, and felt a connection form to ''something'' outside his body. Then a tiny orb, a couple of centimetres wide, giving off a dim light appeared in the air in front of him. It was quite... modest, if Nero was being polite. If aether had been used more purposefully, instead of randomly fused into it through a crushed aether shard, the results would have been better. But that hardly mattered. Just the fact that the card even worked was incredible, since it had been made entirely by a normal person!


    Ss, who was hopping from one foot to another with excitement at the sight of the orb, suddenly froze. His expression changed to that of confusion, then disbelief.


    "Nero I... I think I just stabilised," he said, his eyes out of focus. "I felt something in my body click, and I can feel it... it''s... I don''t know, but I''m sure I stabilised."


    Nero raised an eyebrow. That was quite the coincidence. Stabilisation was a process that was hardly understood. It was affected by too many things, just in the way abilities could either be inherited from parents, with some alterations, orpletely influenced by one''s environment, or both.


    It was impossible to determine what the deciding factors were, at least as far as Nero knew. There were, to this day, countless think tanks trying toe up with ways to influence the kinds of abilities that were awakened, but there were more factors at y than they understood.


    Regardless, Nero did not doubt that in some small way this sess had yed a part in him stabilising, and perhaps even in the ability he would unlock.


    Nero ced a hand on Ss'' shoulder, this time gently, and looked at him in the eyes.


    "Ss, I know you''ve struggled for a long time," he said, his voice finally containing a trace of warmth.


    "I cannot imagine what it must have been like to struggle to do what everyone else could do so easily. After you synchronise that problem should go away, and even if it doesn''t, by the time you be an Initiate it will definitely go away. Then you''ll be able to run, hop, skip, fight and do all the things you''ve always wanted to do. But your self worth shouldn''te from any of that, because what you have done today is something that no one else can replicate.


    "Even if you end upcking in one department, no one will be able to deny that you will be a genius as an artisan in the future. So stop beating yourself up, and be proud. Today, you have earned the right to be a part of my group. So stand tall, not many people get my recognition."


    Ss grinned even harder, and his eyes began to water, though he managed to keep his tears from falling. He could not believe it. This was probably the most memorable day of his entire life. It may sound stupid to others, but he had always looked up to Nero. That was also why he was so afraid around him - he was afraid of disappointing or embarrassing him. But now, getting his recognition meant more to him than he could exin. Maybe, just a little bit, it meant even more than what he had achieved with the card.


    "Here, take this, and call a cab," Nero said as he held out the Summon light orb card. "It''s going to be dark soon, and you''ll want to reach the AAB before that. Also call your family, or at least someone, so that you don''t have to go back alone when it gets dark. New Neophytes are susceptible to curses."


    "Oh, yes, right! I''ll do that!" Ss said, his voice no longer stuttering as it had before, and even filled with a semnce of confidence he hadcked. He quickly packed up his things and ran out of the room, taking out his phone to make a call. The sight reminded Nero he needed to buy a new phone. He''d get to itter.


    With this small task done, he left the room and made his way back to school. Although the school day was over for most, the school campus would remain open constantly. Before he did anything else, Nero wanted to spend some time training. Not only was it important, it was also therapeutic.

 Chapter 28: Practice

    <h4>Chapter 28: Practice</h4>


    He found an empty training room and changed into his sports uniform. He had no intention of practising aether until he was given the all clear by Footer, so he could only follow his regr routine. Afterwards, he would take some time to studybat theory. Now that he knew what his innate ability was, he could begin working on a more concretebat style.


    He spent a few minutes stretching and warming up before he started a light jog along the corners of the room. He was not nning on pushing himself to exhaustion today, so he only did giveps of the room before stopping and making his way over to the weapons rack.


    He grabbed a thin, metallic spear and walked to the centre of the room. He could not help butpare it to the wooden spear of the Heralds. The wooden spear was thicker, and heavier than this one, and required Nero to use both his hands to maintain stability.


    This one was much lighter, and could even be used as a pole, not that it was weak by any measure. This allowed him much greater control over the spear, and even gave him the option to use only one hand, freeing up the other to hold a shield, or a card. Of course, that would also reduce the kinds of movements he could do with the spear, but made him more versatile in other ways. There was no one better way of fighting, just what was one''s preference. Nero, personally, could not help but miss the touch of wood in his hands, even if it was heavier.


    He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, much in the way he had instructed Ss. He held it till he felt he was about to suffocate, and then slowly breathed out. In the silence of the room, the sound of his breathing was extremely loud, but after a moment, another sound apanied it.


    Without opening his eyes, Nero began to spin the spear while holding it out in front of him. At first, he was not fast. Slowly and deliberately, he spun the spear, using both his hands toplete the rotation so that it never stopped.


    The spears even sounded different, he could not help but note mentally.


    Even without looking, his hands were in perfect coordination. Soon, the sound of the spear moving through the air drowned out the sound of his breathing as he steadily increased the speed.


    Then, without warning, he added another movement, no longer swinging the spear in just one axis. He swung it close to his body on his right side, before returning to its original motion.


    Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.


    He could hear the spear passing by his right ear, feel the slight breeze of it passing by his face. His speed was still increasing. He added another motion, now swinging on his left side as well. The once simple motion was nowplicated, and required a lot more dexterity and coordination from his hands, but he managed perfectly. He still did not open his eyes.


    But he did take a step forward, and with that step everything changed. Instead of repeating the same motions, Nero turned his practice into an art performance. His spear seemed to take a life of its own as it moved in inconceivable patterns all around him.


    His hands did not seem to be rushed as they twisted and turned, and handed the spear to the other hand on Nero''s front, only to receive it a momentter behind his back. During the entire time, Nero was also moving back and forth, left and right, attacking and parrying imaginary enemies.


    In the chaos of an imaginary battle, with his spear moving with such momentum that a single misstep could cause himself severe injury, Nero actually found himself at peace. His mind cleared. His thoughts drifted back to the earlier scene of Ss brimming with excitement at receiving his acknowledgment.


    It was so genuine and wholesome that it caused him to wonder, had he helped Ss just because he could, or had he been after him as a contact? After all, both of Ss'' parents were very highly qualified artisans in the direct employ of the army!


    It was all but set in stone that Ss too would gain some ability that would make him a very effective artisan, and today he had proved himself even without an ability.


    So how much of Nero''s actions had been to achieve that single moment where he solidified the rtionship between himself and Ss? Had he really felt pity for him when he saw him struggling? The answer was yes. Was that enough to get Nero to help him?


    There was no answer for that yet. He could not decide what his motivation had been.


    For a few more minutes Nero continued his practice, but then he felt fatigue piling on. It was not so easy to control the spear with the level of precision he required of himself.


    With the end of his practice in sight, Nero opened his eyes, and his movements changed once more. Instead of lithe and swift, his movements became powerful and deliberate. Instead of a dozen movements, he made only one. But the strength packed in that single motion exhausted him more than the dozen before.


    With each swing, and the death of an imaginary foe, his resolve strengthened. It did not matter what Nero''s motives were. The end result was undeniable - Ss was satisfied, and Nero had gained a powerful contact. Both of them were satisfied.


    Besides, there was one thing Nero absolutely did not joke about. Since he had said he epted Ss as one of his own, then it was absolutely true. If anything before today had just been an act, then everything after today would be real.


    Nero suddenly spun on his heel andunched the spear across the room at full speed, at the figure watching from the shadow.

 Chapter 29: Stunned

    <h4>Chapter 29: Stunned</h4>


    There was no forewarning to Nero''s action. He waspletely in the midst of training when, without breaking the flow of momentum, he turned and flung his spear in one swift motion. A spear, despite many misconceptions, was not the ideal weapon to throw. That was the role of a javelin.


    A spear''s body was much too long, and the spear itself too heavy for an effective throw if the target was far away. But within the confines of the gymnasium, it could still be somewhat effective.


    It cut through the air in the blink of an eye, and Nero had not even recovered from his throwing posture when the spear met its target. With a loud bang, the bottom end of the spear hit the light switch which was less than a metre beside the dark figure, immediately illuminating it under the newly lit lights.


    Vanessa stood there with her arms crossed and an eyebrow slightly raised. She had not even flinched as the spear was hurled in her direction, nor had she made any attempts to move out of the way as it approached her. When it struck the light switch, it seemed as if she had known all along what its target was.


    Nero, breathing heavily from the workout he had just done, straightened his posture and looked at her. She had also changed from her regr school uniform to the sports one, which looked quite ttering on her figure.


    A few locks of her hair, which had been tied into a bun, hung loosely over her face. Her light pink lips were slightly arched into a confident smile, and her eyes twinkled with an amused glow.


    Her posture was quite rxed, revealing the confidence she had in her judgement of his throw. But at the same time, she had no openings. If Nero really had hurled the spear at her, it would have been all too easy for her to evade.


    Nero had to admit that her aplomb and poise were quite attractive.


    "Are you so aggressive with all the girls?" she asked, not allowing the silence to extend too long. "Or just the ones you like?"


    Nero wiped the umting sweat off his brow before answering.


    "I was just getting the lights for you. Since you''re new, I thought you might not know where they are. I wouldn''t want you to trip over something in the dark."


    Nero''s eyes darted to the gym door. It was closed.


    Vanessa chuckled.


    "I must say, Kr hospitality is one of a kind."


    Nero did not respond, and another silence fell between the two. Nero could no longer tell if she had any des strapped to her body under her clothes, which meant that she either removed them, or hid them better. Likely the first, since he saw no reason for her to antagonise the school administration.


    "Must you inspect me for weapons every time we meet? I really can''t decide if it''s better or worse than ogling at my body."


    Nero snorted. She had a lean and slender body, one that could only be achieved through immense training. In short, this young girl''s body was hardly different from a boys, at least with clothes on. What was there to ogle?


    "If anyone should be used of ogling here, it should be the person peeking from the shadows," Nero said as he started walking towards her. He had to collect and put back the spear, after all.


    Nero''s usation caused her to freeze momentarily, and awkwardness shed on her face for a brief moment before she recovered.


    "I didn''t intend to watch you. I came here to train. I was told that the rooms are free to use. But when I saw you, I didn''t wish to disturb you. How did you detect me, by the way? I thought I was very quiet."


    "I didn''t hear youe in," Nero said, as his eyes darted to her feet. She was wearing ordinary shoes, or at least they looked ordinary. "I didn''t even hear you open the door, but I felt the draft when you opened it."


    Of course, while that was true to some extent, it was not the entire truth.


    The doors for the gym didn''t really creak, but it wasn''t as if it waspletely silent either. From the clicking of the internal mechanism of the handle, to the sound of it sliding along its grooves, the doors at school had a distinct sound.


    Nero deliberated for a moment about the kind of rtionship he wanted to develop with Vanessa. In the morning he had ignored her handshake, not because he suspected her origin and purpose, but out of habit from something his father had taught him. He had to remain wary of pretty girls with unknown intentions.


    But now, to a certain degree, he could guess her intentions - assuming he was correct about her being a spy. If that were the case, it might not be such a bad thing to develop some kind of friendship with her. It wasn''t as if Nero was her target, and this way he could keep an eye on her for suspicious or strange behaviour. It could tip him off if something was about to happen.


    "You felt the draft from the door opening <i>while training</i> that intensely?" she asked incredulously.


    "I''ve been practising with these spears for years," Nero answered, as he picked the fallen spear from the ground. "I am thoroughly familiar with it, and the kind of air resistance I face when I practise."


    "That''s... hard to believe," she said, with doubt stered all over her face.


    "That''s up to you. You don''t see me going around asking why you''re so quiet with everything you do," he answered nonchntly as he turned and walked away towards the spear rack. Even if he wanted to build some kind of rapport with her, he couldn''t let her know he was interested. He could clearly tell she had some kind of agenda, so he''d let her keep the conversation going for now.


    Vanessa was stunned. Twice he''d turned her words against her, and she really couldn''t argue with him. After all, she was the one secretly watching him, and she was also the one who had done something out of the ordinary first.

 Chapter 30: Bad news

    <h4>Chapter 30: Bad news</h4>


    It would only be fair for Vanessa to exin her methods first before questioning him about his, but that would leave her in an awkward position. She was not used to her peers being so sharp. Normally, others her age, especially boys, would go along with whatever she wanted. Even if she didn''t have them wrapped around her finger, they at least didn''t go against her.


    Intrigue shed in her eyes, but she suppressed it. She was here for another reason.


    "What''s your rtionship with Ss?" she asked directly, instead of beating around the bush.


    "He''s a friend," Nero responded casually.


    "A friend? That doesn''t seem like it. From what I''ve heard, it looks more like you''re bullying him than being a friend."


    "Why do you care? Don''t tell me you''re one of those with a bleeding heart."


    Nero was genuinely amused at the thought, though he didn''t believe it for a second.


    "Ss is a good kid. I don''t know what it''s like around here, or what your rtionship with him was before this. I can tell that no one in ss wants to cross you, so maybe that''s why you got away with it before. But I don''t abide by bullying, and I''m not going to just ignore it like everyone else."


    Instead of answering, Nero suddenly burst intoughter, which annoyed Vanessa. She could not tell exactly what kind of person Nero was yet, but if he was looking down on her because she was a girl...


    "You still have more than one weapon, don''t you?" Nero asked, as he looked at her with a wide grin. He could tell where it was, but her left and right hands subtly moved in different directions when she threatened him. Chances were high that she was subconsciously reached for her weapons.


    She did not respond, but her pupils dted, and that was all Nero needed to get his answer. Of course, he was not going to exin to her how he knew. There was no reason to reveal her tell.


    "Look, I don''t know what your deal is, but Ss is a friend. He has some personal issues because he feels like he''s weak, but that''s only because he has a severe misconception about what strength is. If you''re so worried about him, feel free to join us tomorrow. You can judge for yourself whether I''m bullying him or not."


    Without waiting for her to respond, Nero walked out of the room. She did not attempt to stop him, either. He made a mental note about her unusual interest in Ss. The boy, for all his potential, was not worth much right now, so chances were Vanessa''s real interest was in his parents. He''d ask Gabriel to investigate them as well.


    But, more than anything, Nero just wished to remain uninvolved in whatever was going on for as long as possible. He had just started his aether training, and he didn''t want anything to disturb it.


    Nero returned to his dorm room and, after taking a quick shower, began studying. He had been tasked with finishing the entire review book for card crafting, and that was exactly what he was going to do.


    The book was filled with information about all kinds of materials used to craft 0 star cards, as well as their affinities. Since Nero''s objective for the ss was to craft a card for his own ability, he paid special attention to all materials which had an affinity with both the cold as well as fire.


    How he was going to bnce the ingredients would be an interesting challenge, and he wanted toe up with an answer on his own rather than relying on his teacher''s aid.


    Around 7 pm, Gabriel finally returned to the apartment, and his mood did not look good at all.


    He ced a lunch box he brought in front of Nero before going to sit at his own table.


    "What''s wrong?" Nero could not help but ask. He couldn''t think of anything that might have ruined his mood.


    "The attack on AAB was one of three," Gabriel answered gravely as he opened his own meal box, which was nearly overflowing with noodles. Where had he gotten these meals?


    "At least, as far as I can tell, it was only part of three. The other two attacks were outside the city, and targeted the apple orchards. They''ve beenpletely burnt down."


    Nero, who was about to begin gobbling up his own meal, froze. The orchards were attacked?


    "Everything is too hush hush, so I can''t find out the details. But it''s hard to hide an entire burnt orchard, let alone two. It''s only a matter of time before word spreads. But that''s not even the worst of it. There''s news from the hills. There''s been several sightings of the Angel of the fog, which is unusual because the army knows well not to cross the set boundaries in the fog.


    "But the worst thing is the casualties. A preliminary estimate suggests several hundred are dead in the vicinity of the ruins, if whatever they''re targeting really are ruins to begin with."


    Nero put down the chopsticks that came with his meal box. Hundreds of casualties, not counting however many had died in the two attacks in the city. The draft notice was probably going to be upgraded.


    "At least there''s some good news, though," Gabriel continued. "Army reinforcements have already started arriving. At least two battalions have been spotted passing by the city."


    "I need to get a new phone," Nero said. "I need to contact my parents in case of an emergency."


    "Oh, yeah, I got one of those as well," Gabriel said as he started patting down his pockets. Eventually he found what he was looking for, and threw a small, ck brick looking phone at Nero. It was the cheapest, most basic phone. But it worked, and that''s all that mattered.


    "Thanks," he said, but before they could continue their conversation, someone knocked on the doors.


    "There are a couple of officers outside the apartment looking for Nero," someone said from the other side.

 Chapter 31: Debriefing

    <h4>Chapter 31: Debriefing</h4>


    Nero and Gabriel locked eyes. Nero was long used to his friends'' devilish red eyes, so he was not perturbed by them. Instead, what he looked for in them was some kind of answer. But all he saw was confusion.


    WIth no answer from his intel expert, Nero quickly thought of reasons why the police could be looking for him. He considered for a moment it could have to do with the two policemen who rescued him from those soldiers, but that was not likely. In that case, chances were it might have something to do with the AAB attack.


    Without a definite answer, he decided that the only way to know for certain was to go and find out for himself. He had not done anything that required him to be wary of the authorities, yet, so there was no reason for concern.


    Just in case, however, he typed in his father''s phone number from memory, but did not hit the dial button. He slid the tiny ck phone in his sleeve and got up.


    Outside his room, his three roommates were sitting in silence, as if waiting for something to happen. Well, besides Anthony, who he had met before, at least he was making a strong impression on the rest.


    He shed them a smile before heading out. Two officers, wearing brown long coats, were standing in the hall waiting for them. The coats as well as their hats were wet. Nero had not realised it was raining outside - the sound instion in his room was pretty good, apparently.


    The two men, who were easily above 1.8 metres (6 feet) in height, had brooding expressions, which was not a good sign. The moment Nero stepped out, they locked onto him, and inspected him with their eyes.


    He was not sensitive enough to aether fluctuations yet to detect such things, but he was fairly certain that they had used some kind of card on him as well. What were they trying to check?


    "Are you Nero Grant?" asked one with a growing stubble. It had clearly been a couple of days since he shaved.


    "That''s me."


    "Why have you been avoiding the authorities?" he asked aggressively as he walked right up to Nero. "Are you connected to the attack on AAB?"


    "Why am I- what? No, I have no connection to the attack!" Nero stated clearly and directly. He also subtly hit the dial button on his phone, calling his father. Why was he running into so much troubletely?


    "And I have ''not'' been avoiding anyone. In fact, I was dropped off at the dorm yesterday by a couple of police officers. One of them was named Albert. You can check the dorm security cameras, or ask around among the police if you want."


    The stubbled man clicked his teeth in irritation, as if he was disappointed with Nero''s answer.


    "Excuse my friend," said the other officer, who honestly did not look much better. At least he''d shaved more recently than his partner.


    "He hasn''t slept in a while, so he''s a little grumpy. What he meant to say was, why did you leave the hospital without giving a statement? As someone involved in a terrorist event, you need to be debriefed about what you experienced."


    Ah, they were ying him with the good cop, bad cop routine. Honestly speaking, it would not be so easy to detect for anyone else as they would be too rattled by the usation against him and the officer''s aggression to think calmly. Unfortunately, such things did not work on him.


    But there was no reason to let them know that. Now that he knew what their purpose was, Nero just needed to answer the questions as honestly as possible. Unless they were specifically targeting him, the situation should resolve itself.


    "How was I supposed to know I had to be debriefed? No one told me. I had just synchronised and I had to do a few chores and get back to my hostel before dark. It was already prettyte so I was in a rush. I didn''t think there was any issue because no one stopped me."


    The two officers made eye contact briefly, though they exchanged no words.


    "So, can you tell me what you experienced? If you want, we can head somewhere more private."


    "No, this is fine," Nero said, before he began to give a detailed ount of what happened that morning. He even mentioned being tasked with delivering the deck case, though he left out the conversation he heard in the auditorium, as well as attacking the terrorists briefly before reaching the auditorium.


    He was not worried about being found out for leaving things out, because it was perfectly natural not to remember things in intense situations. He made it seem like the only reason he had been able to traverse those halls was because of the darkness card he''d received.


    "That sounds like Gregor," the police officer with the stubble said, and the other nodded. He made notes of everything Nero had said in a small notepad.


    "Alright, there doesn''t seem to be an issue. If there''s anything else, we''lle find you here. Just keep in mind that we''ll corroborate your story with others."


    "That''s not an issue. Did you say the name of the Herald who gave me the darkness card is Gregor? Is he alright? Did he survive? I didn''t really get an opportunity to meet him after everything was over."


    "We believe he used a Feign Death card to put himself in an artifici to prevent his injuries from getting worse. But he''s still in aa, so we''re not sure. Once he wakes up, we will interview him as well."


    "Did... did you get all the terrorists?" Nero asked, a hint of fearing out of his voice. "Do you know if there are any more of them?"


    The two officers exchanged another nce, before the one with the clean shave said, "that''s confidential. But don''t worry, we have everything in hand."


    Afterwards they left after once again reminding him that they''d know where to find him if he had lied to them. Nero did not respond to the subtle threat, and waited for them to leave before bringing the phone out of his sleeve.


    "Old man, why didn''t you tell me I needed to be debriefed?" he demanded.


    "Hey, hey, the little bird has left the nest. It''s time you deal with things on your own. Weren''t you looking forward to being independent?"


    Nero clicked his teeth. So his dad was just being petty.


    "But setting that aside, I''m d you called. I have some good news, and I was trying to reach you but your phone wasn''t connecting. Your mother is responding well to her treatment. In a couple months, if everything goes well, she should be fully recovered. But to make sure her treatment isn''t interrupted, they''re taking her to Lorilem. So she''s not going to be around for a while."


    "That''s great! What about you, are you going to apany her?"


    "No, I have some other stuff going on. I''ll send you a letter when I can. Stay in school, and try to stay out of trouble."

 Chapter 32: Two weeks

    <h4>Chapter 32: Two weeks</h4>


    Edward hung up the phone unceremoniously, which was slightly unusual. But he sounded rxed, and mentioned exining more in a letter, so Nero was not too worried. He was relieved to hear the news about his mother.


    Not only was she being healed, she was being taken to Lorilim, the capital of Kr. There was no ce more safe, so at least she wouldn''t get caught up in whatever was happening in Aetherpeak.


    Once she was healed, Nero knew for a fact that she would try to be a Mystic. If she really achieved that... if that really happened. Well, Nero couldn''t really imagine what life would be like if that happened. Most likely, they''d have to move away from Aetherpeak to avoid attracting any attention from the Dom family. It was unlikely that they would justpletely ignore something as significant as his mother bing a Mystic after basically killing Patrick.


    Fortunately, that would not happen anytime soon. By then, if everything went ording to n, he should be in KMA, so there would be nothing holding his family to this city.


    Nero clenched his fists, but instantly released them. He couldn''t let his emotions get riled up. Right now, he was nothing. He had no right to start imagining his revenge, so it was best to push those thoughts away.


    When Nero returned to the apartment, all his roommates were sitting there, waiting in anticipation to hear about what had happened - as if they hadn''t had their ears pressed up against the door frame the entire time!


    He stered a wide smile on his face as he gaslighted himself into believing he was in a good mood, and properly introduced himself to his other roommates. Their names were Richard and Felipe.


    They both, alongside Anthony, were actually Nero''s seniors, which was a great opportunity for Nero. He spent a good long time asking them questions about his aether rted sses, and if any of them had appeared for the KMA exams.


    The starting was slightly awkward, since they were not well acquainted, but with Nero''s enthusiastic energy, they soon found themselves excitedly discussing the very sses they used to think were boring.


    They hit it off, so they soon found themselves chatting and eating together. That''s when Nero found out that the hostel had a cafeteria too, and it served breakfast, lunch and dinner! He could even get things packed and bring them to his room! Genuine tears streamed down his face when he was finally told all the food was also free. He had never known such luxury.


    But the three needed to go to their night sses and Nero needed to study, so their gathering eventually ended.


    Nero spent the rest of his time studying and reviewing things. Although not much was different, Gabriel could sense an unusual intensitying from him.


    The days after that fell into a steady routine, with nothing too out of the ordinary happening - at least for Nero. His progress with aether maniption was extremely quick, and after his third ss, he was cleared for the other sses.


    It was not too difficult, at least for him. Others struggled mentally with visualising aether appearing anywhere around their body. In their case, their education worked against them, for they had trouble imagining aether moving around their bodies without the requisite pathways, such as veins or arteries, for blood. But how could a body that was never supposed to control aether have pathways for it?


    His progress with card crafting was a lot more tame, because he was still studying the theory behind it.


    Basic curses, one of his other mandatory sses, was also only theoretical for the moment, so it required a lot of rote memorisation.


    Progress was slow and tedious, especially since Footer was adamant about having Neropletely master aether control to a higher level before he began practising his innate ability. It was excruciating to avoid, but ultimately Nero obeyed. For all his ws, Footer was a good teacher.


    Basic cultivation, then, became Nero''s favourite ss. It taught Nero how to absorb aether into his body to progress along the path of a Neophyte and be an Initiate. But, ironically, it was not absorbing aether that would lead him to the next level. Instead, he had to use the aether to elerate the fusion of his innate card into his chest.


    It was an interesting concept. The difference between a Neophyte, Initiate and Arcanist was the extent of fusion of their innate cards! This was something Nero did not know, and the theory behind itpletely enamoured him.


    The process of cultivation involved absorbing aether into his body, controlling it, and using it to ''pull'' the card deeper into himself, somehow. Apparently, bit by bit, over a long period, this would result in small pieces of the card being absorbed into his body.


    While this was the safest and most stable way of increasing his realm, it was also the slowest. When he asked how much he would need to absorb his innate card before bing an Initiate, his teacher told him 40%, and that right now he was at 1%, which was caused by the synchronisation.


    To his great dismay, faster means of cultivating were not handed out by schools. He called his father and asked if their family had some secret method, or at least a faster method, only for his father to burst outughing. He never got an answer, because he could hear his father telling whoever he was near that his son thought his family actually had a more efficient cultivation method hidden in the basement or something. Moreughing ensued.


    Besides his own training, there were a few other things of note that happened. Ss'' personality underwent a change, and he became more positive and confident. Vanessa, taking up Nero''s offer, joined their group of friends - only to make sure that Ss was not being bullied, she stated to Nero separately.


    There was also the small matter of the orchards being burnt that was revealed, alongside news that the assants were never captured. Aetherpeak went under curfew, and thousands of soldiers flooded the streets, as if searching the whole city for something. But that had no bearing on Nero or his school. At least, for a time.


    Two weekster, the sound of an explosion woke up Nero in the middle of the night.

 Chapter 33: Sage

    <h4>Chapter 33: Sage</h4>


    In the dead of night a warm, orange glowing from a strip that went around the whole room lightly illuminated the ce. It was not enough to disturb his sleep, but it was sufficient to prevent the room from bingpletely dark.


    It was not that Nero or Gabriel were afraid of the dark, but rather that it was unsafe for a ce to bepletely dark. Research suggested that the chances for cursed events to ur increased exponentially inplete darkness.


    In the past two weeks, Nero himself had studied over 27 kinds of mild and basic Apparition curses - meaning curses that can spontaneously appear. Being surrounded by civilisation, technology and walls had no bearing on such things.


    The room was silent, save for soft sounds of two boys breathing slowly. But the stillness of the night was broken by a loud boom, despite being muffled by theyers of instion their room offered.


    Nero opened his eyes in a panic, his brain still not adjusted from suddenly waking up yet. But he had already drawn the knife strapped to his thigh, a cold blue me epassing it, even before he realised what was happening.


    The sound of ss shattering drew his attention, but before he could identify what it was, the building started to shake. Nero could ''see'' the sturdy walls of his room wobble as they were made from jelly. His books and items were hurled off the table, but Nero didn''t have the time to process that.


    Something flew in the darkness towards Nero, and without a hint of hesitation he swung his knife at it, using his full strength. Even the blue me grew bigger for a moment.


    The sound of metal shing filled the room as Nero blocked whatever that was, nearly knocking the knife out of his hands!


    But instead of stopping, it was only deflected and fell onto his bed. He was ready to attack again, but he finally noticed what it was. It was not a cursed creature or some insidious foe - it was merely the grate covering the vent in their room, knocked loose by whatever had happened.


    Nero''s mind finally caught up with what was happening, and he realised that he was awake. What had happened? An earthquake? But that wouldn''t exin the sound!


    He suddenly noticed the red hue that filled the room, mixing along with the blue from his me. He looked over and saw vibrant red sand, flowing around Gabriel as if to protect his body.


    Despite his immunity to the cold, Nero felt chills looking at the red sand, as if he could feel that it was incredibly dangerous. It was like a living thing, twisting and turning all around him like a formless armour, ready to eat anything that darede near.


    Nero jumped down from his bed,nding on the ground cluttered with all their things. At some point, the building had stopped shaking, but he had not even realised it.


    "What the hell happened?" he asked, turning on the lights. The lights flickered, as if they themselves were unsure, but eventually turned on.


    Without answering, Gabriel rushed to the window and raised the blinds. But they still could not get a view of the outside, for their window was filled with hundreds of tiny cracks. Yet somehow, the pane held in ce, a testament to the quality of the shatterproof ss.


    "It sounded like an explosion," Gabriel said gravely as he observed the ss for a moment. He reached for a locked bag underneath his bed and from it took out a short sword.


    Nero, meanwhile, had already left the room, grabbing nothing else besides his card case. Their roommates, as usual, weren''t in the apartment at night, so he didn''t stop to check on them.


    Still wielding his knife, though he extinguished the mes, he exited the apartment. The corridor was filled with countless other students, many of them confused and scared. Some of them, like Nero, were wielding weapons.


    "Everyone evacuate the building in an orderly fashion," someone was screaming in the distance.


    Another tremor hit the buildings, and the lights flickered once more, as if threatening to go out.


    Nero waited just long enough for Gabriel toe out before joining the line of students rushing out. They were not exactly at the level of causing a stampede, which was about as orderly as they could have gotten at that time.


    Since they were only on the first floor, with their room close to the emergency exit stairwell, it hardly took them a minute before they exited the building and came to the massive field outside. A crowd of students was gathering, as if converging for the sake of acquiring strength through numbers.


    Nero, on the other hand, stood by in a corner, away from the crowd.


    "Did you bring your phone?" he asked, looking at Gabriel. In the rush, he forgot to get his.


    "Yes, here, I..." Gabriel froze as he looked as he looked at a notification that appeared on his phone. Nero, noticing, peeked over to look. But even before he read it, he heard the news.


    "It''s a Sage!" an excited kid yelled, which was followed by countless others who followed his example.


    "A Sage hase to Aetherpeak!"


    "I can''t believe it!"


    "I wonder if we''ll get to see him!"


    "We''re saved!"


    The solemn atmosphere, filled with hesitation and fear, quickly evaporated as excitement spread among the students.


    "A Sage has appeared," Gabriel repeated, and showed Nero the notification on his phone. It was a citywide alert, informing residents that the recent explosion was the result of a Sage making a move against some enemies. There was no need to panic, as the situation was now under control.


    "Why do you sound troubled?" Nero asked, noticing the distinctck of excitement in his roommate''s voice.


    A Sage was the pinnacle of power in all the countries, and Kr had five of them, making itrger and stronger than both its neighbouring countries. A Sage was the ultimate deterrent, and the greatest weapon the humans had against the curses of this world. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the few Sages alone were responsible for ensuring the continuation of their entire species.


    "The situation must have really escted for a Sage to appear. I think the chances of there being ruins nearby... are very high. Which means there''s going to be trouble."

 Chapter 34: Playing with fire

    <h4>Chapter 34: ying with fire</h4>


    There were no more explosions after the first, but mild tremors continued to ur throughout the remainder of the night. But each tremor only fueled the energy and excitement that filled the students instead of making them wary.


    Nero tried to call his father through Gabriels phone, but the old man didn''t pick up, which was not normal at all. A part of Nero imagined that his old man was a super secret agent as a part of Whisper Guard. After all, which kid did not imagine their parents as a secret powerhouse when they found out they worked for a secret organisation? But, during his entire life, Nero did not recall his father disying any signs of even being actively in the military any more.


    He always hadid back work hours, never once disappeared in the dead of night, nor did he have a secret underground trainingir where he also hid his weapons.


    So for a very ordinary dad to miss a call right after a massive explosion rocked the city was definitely not normal. It just urred to Nero that he hadn''t talked to his father in a while, and he hadn''t received that letter he had mentioned either.


    After leaving a message to his father to call back on Gabriel''s number, Nero decided to put the matter to rest for now. It wasn''t as if he could do anything about it.


    The students were eventually all evacuated from the building and a number of teachers arrived to organise them. Until the buildings were checked for structural damages, they would not be allowed back inside.


    Makeshift tents were set up in the school grounds, while a lockdown was ced into effect in the city for the whole day. Unable to train since the school building was also sealed, or study since his books were still in his room, Nero decided to catch up on his sleep.


    The entire day was wasted just sitting around, and it waste in the evening when they were allowed to return to their dorms. Gabriel, who had disappeared at some point, also finally reappeared, looking troubled.


    "Did you find out anything?" Nero asked.


    "I have no idea what''s happening outside, but at least within the city, things are not going to ease off for a while. We''re going to be in partial lockdown for a while more."


    Theck of information was disappointing, but besides a wasted day, nothing really changed for Nero personally.


    The next day school resumed as if nothing had happened, and the students began exchanging stories of where they were and what they were doing when the explosion happened. Most were asleep. Though the interesting parts of their stories came afterwards, when they began discussing their theories and spections about the Sage. Even his, or her, identity had not been revealed yet.


    Nero, however, was too distracted to care about any of that.


    "We need to start training with my innate ability," Nero stated, as he looked at Footer.


    Prior to yesterday, he was content being patient. His aether control was not to the level that Footer deemed necessary to move on, let alone Nero''s own standards. Keeping that in mind, training his innate ability was extremely dangerous. Although Nero himself was immune to the effects of his ability, his surroundings weren''t.


    With hiscking control, practising his innate ability was liable to cause idents, and possible even injury. But even so, he could not wait anymore.


    "Nero, I told you, when you can pass my test, we can begin training your innate ability."


    "Sir, with all due respect, if you do not start training me, then I will begin practising on my own at this point."


    Nero did not feel like giving an inspirational speech would change Footer''s mind anymore than the threat would, so he directly produced the reason for his decision.


    He pulled out his dagger and showed it to his teacher. Its de was chipped, and a small crack was running through its body.


    "When the explosion happened, I used my innate ability on the knife by ident. The room''s vent grate came flying off and I hit it with the knife. Both the knife and the grate suffered minor damage like this. I can''t afford to keep buying new knives. In fact, it would be best if I can get weapons made that can tolerate my ability. But even besides that, I need to know how not to harm my own gear. The knife is still tolerable, but what if I end up damaging my cards?"


    Footer took the knife from Nero and observed it closely. The fact that Nero''s ability could cause a reinforced knife to be so vulnerable was incredible. Admittedly, the weapon was only made of ordinary materials, but even so it was not ordinary for a Neophyte''s ability to be so potent.


    Ultimately, Footer sighed as he squeezed the bridge of his nose, and made a decision.


    "Okay, take the test one more time, just so we know the level of control you''ve achieved. After that, we can begin training your innate ability."


    It was rare for Footer to take a step back. Ordinarily, he was quite strict with his rules. But it was impossible to prevent Nero from using his abilitypletely, and idents like the one during the explosion were impossible to avoidpletely. If the situation were different, Nero''s unfamiliarity with his own ability would do more harm than good.


    Footer once again used Fairy Lights on Nero, making the aether he used visible in the form of sparks. Nero had gained a basic control over aether, at least with his own body. That meant if he wanted to control aether in his hand, he wouldn''t identally use it on his foot. If he wanted to cover his nose, he wouldn''t identally cover his entire face.


    This was enough to get him started in basic use of aether. But he stillcked fine control.


    Footer ced a grey tile in front of him. The tile, while otherwise sturdy, became extremely vulnerable if aether were channelled through it.


    The test involved using aether on his finger, and gently drawing a straight line across the tile. So long as Nero controlled the amount of aether leaving his body, it would not be an issue. While the goal was not to release any aether at all, the tile could still tolerate a mild release. The only difference was that the line would be messy instead of neat and uniform.


    Unfortunately, the moment Nero touched the tile with his finger, the entire tile shattered.


    "Perfect. So you still have zero control over aether emissions. Now let''s start ying with fire. There''s no way this can go wrong."

 Chapter 35: Limitations

    <h4>Chapter 35: Limitations</h4>


    Nero smiled awkwardly upon hearing Footers sarcastic remark, but there was nothing that could be done about it. While he had gained a basic mastery of aether control within his own body, it was still just at the lowest level. Controlling aether outside of one''s body was even more difficult.


    He had only been practising with it for a short time. Eventually he would get the hang of it. He was, after all, already ahead of his ssmates in terms of progress in the number of sses attended.


    "I hope you realise that, since I will be training you in your innate ability, you will have to divulge its details to me," Footer said, stating the obvious.


    But even though it was obvious, it needed to be said. The topic of innate abilities was a sensitive one, and not everyone wanted to share their abilities and their limits. It was extremely private information. Irene was one such example.


    She had to learn how to use her innate ability on her own, with no doubt Patrick helped her. But even so, it was worth slowing down her progress because her ability was just too unique to announce publicly. Nero had never heard of anyone who could replicate the effects of cards on their own.


    "I don''t expect I''ll be able to keep my ability secret anyway, considering itsbat applications," Nero stated.


    He held out his right hand, and just for safety, removed the glove of his training suit and conjured his Cryome.


    The blue me, dancing in the palm of his hands, was as mesmerising as ever. It flickered and asionally released sparks of blue ember, descending down to the ground instead of rising in the air.


    Instead of giving his own exnations about how the me worked, he waited for Footer to finish his analysis. He had used a number of cards of the me as soon as he summoned it, no doubt studying every facet of its existence.


    "In a matter of seconds, it has already reduced the temperature surrounding you," Footer noted. "I wonder if its effectiveness drops in colder climates, and increases in higher ones."


    "I wondered the same, but I''ve not had an opportunity to test it out."


    "Besides reducing the temperature, does it do anything else?" Footer asked as he stepped closer and held his hand out to it. He was checking to see at what distance from the me he would feel its effects.


    "It gives off a faint light which can help in the darkness," Nero stated as he recalled his experience back at the AAB. "It feeds off of heat, and growsrger the more heat it absorbs."


    "It grows... Does that mean the me can exist without aether input from you if it has enough heat to fuel it?"


    Nero paused. The mental image of blue mes spreading rapidly across a battlefield appeared in his mind. That... would be both amazing and devastating.


    "I haven''t tried that yet, I don''t know. Since you told me not to use my innate ability, I''ve been limiting its use as much as possible, so I haven''t had time to experiment."


    "Alright, I understand," Footer replied, pulling his hand away right before it touched the me. "Before beginning to train on its applications, we need to understand the limits of the ability. The more we test it out, the better understanding you will have of your own ability and how you can apply it.


    "We need to answer questions like how long can you use it before running dry of aether? How quickly does it cause the temperature to drop, and is the temperature drop influenced by any factors? Does the middle and tip of the me have a difference in effect? Can the fire exist without you supplying aether to it?


    "These and a dozen more questions which will need clear answers, tested multiple times to ensure the results. Once you have a clear understanding of your ability, we can begin working on the best way to apply it."


    Nero nodded. He already knew all this, and was precisely why he wanted to get guidance from someone at school to begin with. All schools were equipped with countless testing facilities that could provide more urate results than he could get on his own.


    "I''ll book a testing hall for you, but until then there are still things we can test right now. Can you summon the me in multiple ces, or is it limited to only one summon?"


    Nero held out his second hand, and after removing the glove, summoned a me in both hands, held separately.


    "Keep adding more ces. Don''t worry about the equipment, it''s resilient. If it gets damaged, however, that will give us information too."


    Nero looked at his right foot, and summoned a me there as well. The mes in his hands flickered as he did, but stayed burning after a moment.


    "Add another ce, but without looking at the body part. That''s a bad habit," Footer said. Nero had stopped doing the same when controlling aether, but started doing the same now that he was using his innate ability. It was hard to beat a habit.


    Nero tried to summon another me on his left foot, but could not help frowning. After a few seconds, he managed it, but then all three other mes started flickering, until all of them disappeared.


    "It... it should be possible," Nero said, suddenly out of breath. "But it requires a lot of focus. It''s difficult."


    "And so we''ve encountered your first limitation. But we can''t give up so easily. Try again, and this time, without looking at your limbs. Also try different locations, such as individual fingers instead of your entire hand. Does that make it easier?"


    Under Footers instructions, Nero continued testing the limits of his innate ability. Despite the drop in the room''s temperature, and the mist that began appearing when he breathed, Nero soon began to sweat.


    This was the first time he had used his innate ability for a prolonged period, and it was considerably more exhausting than just using cards. Eventually they had to stop, because twenty minutes after they began, not only was Neropletely out of aether, but he was physically exhausted as well.


    "So this is your second limitation," Footer said impassively, as he pulled out a notebook and started to record Nero''s results.

 Chapter 36: Drinking poison

    <h4>Chapter 36: Drinking poison</h4>


    Nero sipped on the recovery serum in the nurse''s office. It was an ordinary serum filled with electrolytes and a few other medicinal ingredients to help students recover from the physical toll of aether depletion.


    The feeling of using up all his aether, and leaving his body devoid of any, was surprisingly horrendous considering he''d spent his whole life without it. Nero had never had alcohol, but he assumed that this is what a hangover would be like.


    At least the serum tasted nice.


    "Alright, all your tests havee out with positive results," said a nurse walking up to Nero and Footer. "You''re cleared to drink a 0 star recovery potion under supervision."


    Both Nero and Footer felt relieved, for this was exactly the result he was hoping for. The tests were to make sure that he would not have any allergic reaction to the potion, which happened sometimes.


    Potions were, essentially, fast acting serums or medicine which were made using ingredients which contained aether. While the allergies tended to go away as a card masters level rose, it was not umon for Neophytes to react poorly to potions, which had a high concentration of aether.


    Nero''s test indicated that he had no allergies, but even so, he could only drink the most basic and diluted potions, which were ranked 0 stars.


    "Excellent," Footer said, though his expression remained stern. "We can not continue testing. Follow me."


    After Nero had depleted all his aether, and reached his limit for controlling his innate ability, Footer had not ended the ss. Instead, he took the opportunity to continue different kinds of tests.


    The first was to see how long after depletion did it take him to naturally recover enough to once again use his innate ability. It had already been a half hour since then, and Nero was finally beginning to feel some aether return to his body. Unless he sat down and actively restored his aether, he would have to rely on passive restoration which was a much slower process.


    While Footer led Nero to a new room where they would continue his tests, he was distracted by the fact that he had somehow developed such a ring weakness. Just twenty minutes of using his innate ability physically exhausted him more than an hour of training with his spear. He supposed if being a card master was so draining then it made sense that the level after Neophyte offered physical enhancements.


    He would have to use his ability sparingly in realbat, as he had no doubt that actual physical exertion would only speed up his exhaustion process.


    He should treat it like a trump card rather than using it freely, at least for now.


    "It''s been nearly 40 minutes," Footer said. "How much aether do you think you''ve recovered?"


    "Maybe 10%," Nero answered, feeling drained.


    "Alright, well now you have a baseline for the kind of recovery you can expect. I''m going to give you a 0 star aether replenishing potion, so we can see how much that affects you. It''s important to know these things. Newbies often assume that potions will fix them right up and allow them to continue fighting, but that''s never the case, especially for 0 star potions.


    "The recovery is gradual, and especially cannot sustain the usage of abat situation. So their next step is to drink multiple potions. Not only will that not work, it is extremely dangerous and could, instead, lead to aether poisoning. You also, absolutely cannot drink different kinds of potions close together.


    "Each potion is made from different chemicals and aether rich ingredients. Having potions of different kinds may result in a reaction urring within your digestive tract. The result could be anything from severe poisoning, to aetherbustion or even straight up death."


    Having said that, Footer handed Nero a small vial the size of one of his fingers containing a transparent liquid.


    "If potions are so dangerous, why are they used so frequently?" Nero asked as he unscrewed the vial and took a sniff. There was no discernible smell either. Perfect. A potentially lethal liquid with no identifiable traits, which he would have to use but be sure never to mix with any other potion.


    If all potions were like this, or even just a few, then they were essentially the most easily essible poisons to exist. They were sold openly to card masters. If he mixed them in a couple of drinks and gave them to someone an hour apart, wouldn''t that sessfully poison them?


    "Before you drink it, I want to give you a disimer. We will continue testing your innate ability after this. I know you''ve said that you are immune to the effects of the fire, but the first thing we will test is if the potion is affected by your me if you''re using it on your body externally. It''s better to find out sooner thanter. The potion that I''ve given you is a rtively stable one. Under a rapid drop in temperature it does not turn into anything more dangerous, it will only lose its ability to restore your aether. But that''s not the case with all potions, which is why we need to test this."


    Nero did not concern himself with the fact that Footer took out a number of first aid cards and drank the potion. Its taste was extremely bitter, to the point that Nero could not help but scowl.


    He sat down cross legged on the floor and focused on his body. There was no magical flood of aether as soon as he drank the potion, but after a couple of minutes he could feel a steady stream of aether being absorbed by his body. It seemed the potion released the stream of aether as it began to digest. Perhaps it was some kind of chemical reaction that released aether.


    Nero made a mental note to look into Basic Potion Pharmacology when he had the time. For now, he focused only on how quickly the aether was being absorbed. Compared to his passive state it was much faster, but not quite as fast as if he sat down and actively absorbed aether from the air into his body.


    "How is it?" Footer asked.


    "It''s started. I already feel much better. This is much faster than just doing nothing at least."


    "Good. To answer your earlier question, the reason potions are used is because out in the field there isn''t always time to rest and recover normally. Despite how dangerous potions may be, the benefits they provide are also substantial. Initiates have a higher tolerance, so the chances of something going wrong with them is reduced. It''s just Neophytes who have to be extra careful. Now pay attention. Once you feel like you''ve recovered about 30% of your aether, or as close as possible, I want you to summon your me around your abdomen and keep it going for as long as possible. Don''t worry, if something goes wrong, I''ll take care of it."


    Summoning his me around his stomach wasn''t something Nero had tried before. As odd as this was, he guessed this counted as training. He closed his eyes and focused on the stream of aether in his body. He wondered if he could use that to aid in his absorption of his innate card.

 Chapter 37: Temptations I

    <h4>Chapter 37: Temptations I</h4>


    Nero was tempted, but only made a mental note of this possibility and did not act on it. The normal way of cultivating was slow, and he had estimated that it would likely take him between one to two years to be an Initiate if that''s all he relied on. Although that sounded like it was a lot, by normal standards his speed would be absolutely zing.


    There were countless students who became Neophytes long before Nero, but still did not be Initiates by the time they entered higher education. Taking five years to be an Initiate was considered average.


    So it was clear that Nero was extremely talented just based on his speed alone. But Nero himself was not satisfied with progress at this pace. He did not believe that there weren''t faster methods of cultivating out there. But he was not eager to begin testing new methods out on himself. He needed to do some research first.


    In the meantime, he studied how the aether seemed to just appear inside his body, and how it was being absorbed. There was almost no loss of aether as nearly all of it was absorbed by him. That was both because the aether originated within his body, and because it was extremely docile whenpared to ambient aether.


    But he knew that there must be more to it than just that. If not, then there should have been no method faster for replenishing aether than eating aether dust. But that was not a viable method as it led to abination of aether poisoning and constipation. This was a topic he studied every year in school so that students were constantly reminded not to try it.


    Eventually, Nero felt that he had restored enough aether. He signalled Footer to let him know that he was beginning, before summoning the Cryome around his stomach.


    It was unusual, as he normally visualised it in his hands. But the novelty of the situation did not bring about any difficulty as Nero summoned the me starting from below his navel.


    The me summoned was muchrger than normal, a necessity of the region it was summoned, and it enveloped Nero''s entire torso, front and back. It felt no different than any other time using the me, but it suddenly inspired Nero. If, theoretically, he was facing an enemy who used fire or heat based attacks, could he wrap himself in his blue mes and form an armour around himself?


    The idea was appealing, but it was practically infeasible, as Nero felt the immense drain on his aether reserves from therger me. After a few minutes, he was once again depleted of all aether. Fortunately, anticipating the vertigo, Nero had sat on the floor cross legged before beginning the experiment.


    A throbbing headache suddenly developed, and Nero sensed that repeatedly depleting his aether in a short period was not a good idea.


    But amidst the onught of numerous ailments, there was one silver lining: the potion kept working as intended, which meant that he was quickly relieved of his state of depletion.


    "It''s still working," he reported to Footer, opening his eyes. But what he saw immediately startled him.


    At some point, without him realising, Footer had taken advantage of his shut eyes to surround him with some equipment that was unnervingly close to touching him.


    "Yousted four minutes and twenty seconds," Footer informed Nero. "During that time I tested the me out with several different pieces of equipment. This rod," he said, pointing to the one that nearly touched his stomach, "was at 50 degrees celsius (122 Fahrenheit) while this one was at 0 celsius (32 F)."


    The second rod was on his right side, underneath his folded arm.


    "The one that was at 0 dropped to -2 C (28 F) in that time, while the one at 50 dropped all the way to 12 C ( 53 F). The other rods corroborate the test results. The rate at which your mes affect a material have more to do with their initial temperatures. But even so, dropping the temperature of an object from 0 C to -2 C in just four minutes is still extremely impressive.


    "We will repeat this test a few more times to see if we can determine some kind of pattern or form for the corrtion between cooling factor and initial temperature of an object, but that will wait till tomorrow. We''ll also have to check what the minimum temperature your me can bring something to. This has given me enough data topile a few different tests. You''ll have a busy schedule from now on. You better get used to the feeling of running your aether dry."


    "Not a problem," said Nero hoarsely as he stood up. Despite feeling abysmal physically, mentally Nero felt extremely motivated. He was finally learning about his ability, and despite its massive cost, it was extremely potent.


    "By the way, you also did not detect a 50 C rod extremely close to your chest. Under normal circumstances, you should have at least felt its warmth even through your clothes. This is another thing we''ll have to test. Have you lost your sensitivity towards temperatures, or was it just because of your me that you did not sense it."


    "Probably thetter," he muttered, but did not protest more testing.


    "We''ll find out. For today, testing is at an end. Go cultivate while the potion is still in effect. When you go to the cafeteriater, present them with this."


    Footer, with his business as usual expression, handed Nero a golden and silver coupon with the initials MI on it.


    "What''s this?" he asked as he studied the coupon, but there were no hints on it.


    "Find out for yourself," Footer said. For the briefest of seconds, Nero felt like he almost smiled. But the moment passed so quickly Nero may as well have been imagining it.


    Instead of pestering him for an answer, Nero waddled out of the testing room, and made his way to a cultivation chamber.


    Since he had not officiallypleted the basic cultivation ss, any time he wanted to use the chamber he needed to let the school know and have someone there to monitor him in case of some issue. He didn''t mind, since it proved no real obstacle. The school almost always had someone to assign as a monitor. After all, it was in their best interest as well if their students performed well.


    After going through the process, Nero quickly settled down in the chamber and began to cultivate.


    Once again, a part of him felt like experimenting if the aether from the potion could speed up his absorption of his innate card. Considering how gentle the aether produced from the potion was, and that it had not caused any issue so far, he was really tempted.


    Ultimately, he gave in. He first checked to see if his assigned monitor was paying attention, which he was. Relieved to know that there would be help in case something went wrong, he closed his eyes and began his experiment.

 Chapter 38: Temptations II

    <h4>Chapter 38: Temptations II</h4>


    From what Nero was able to gather from his sses, he was essentially just using aether to dissolve his innate card within him. So, in essence, he already had everything he needed to be an Initiate and even an Arcanist within him already. Even when the card was dissolved there was no need to worry about it being lost with the passing aether, as it was already a part of his body.


    Instead, it was the dissolved card which bound the aether used to absorb it a part of him!


    That was not the official exnation, but something he came up with in trying to understand why absorbing the card is what elevated their level. The card is what made him a Neophyte, and in spreading the benefits of it across his whole body instead of having it condensed in one part is what elevated his level.


    After all, why else would he experience a fundamental growth when 40% of the card was dissolved? It was likely that the absorbed card had been able to gather enough aether within his body to cause it to grow.


    Of course, as he took further sses he''d gain a deeper understanding of things. But, for now, this was enough. As long as he wasn''t horribly wrong, his theory of using the aether from the potion to absorb the bits of the card should work.


    The stream of aether entering his body originated from his stomach, so it was not a difficult task to guide it towards his innate card in his chest. Much of the aether was absorbed into his body along the way, replenishing his exhausted reserves. But enough of it reached the card and brushed against it. That was enough.


    After all, if there was a more advanced way to absorb the card, he didn''t know it yet, and he dared not be more aggressive with the aether just yet.


    It was boring and monotonous, probably one of thergest and most prominent obstacles in raising one''s cultivation level. But Nero''s focus did not waver. If it was one thing he excelled in, it was his will power. While others would have stopped long ago, or at least taken continuous breaks, Nero continued to cultivate in that same position for over an hour, until the potion eventually stopped working.


    It was difficult to tell if there was real progress, or he was suffering some kind of cebo effect. But Nero felt like he had actually sped up the absorption of his card this way.


    For a moment, he paused and wondered why this was not the encouraged method of cultivation. He was not so egotistical to think he was the first person to think of this way of cultivation.


    If such an easy and simple way to speed up the absorption process was avable, why was it notmonly taught despite the easy ess to potions. Perhaps it was to prevent potion addiction, or even overuse.


    But there was no point in theorising without information. Nero would just ask Footer the next day. Or better yet, he would ask his cultivation teacher.


    When Nero got up, his monitor secretly sighed in relief. Hardly anyone cultivated so long without a break. It was hard on him because he could not rx either.


    Although Nero felt much better, with the vertigo and body aches gone, now that he had restored his aether, he was notpletely well either. The effects of aether depletion lingered in the stiffness in his joints and soreness of his muscles. This was going to be difficult to get used to.


    Instead of heading to ss, Nero made his way to the cafeteria and approached Mrs. Aedile with arge smile. Despite her disfigured appearance, Nero looked forward to seeing her everyday, as it always meant getting great food.


    "You are early, Mr. Grant," she said sinctly.


    "Oh, does that mean lunch isn''t ready?" he asked as he reached into his pocket, searching for his coupon.


    "Nonsense. Food is ready. Today, on the menu we have tomato and sausage panini, mashed potatoes, vegetable stir fry and a side of clear soup. For dessert there is chilled rice pudding with crushed almonds."


    "Sounds lovely. Have I noticed a trend with puddings for desserttely? By the way, I have this as well," Nero said, and handed her the coupon with the MI initials.


    "Meal Increment," she muttered softly, and looked at Nero with surprise. "In that case, Mr. Grant, be seated. Your lunch will be prepared specially today. Expect to be served in 30 to 40 minutes."


    "What is this? Why have I never heard of this before?" Nero could not help but ask. He had many friends who were seniors, so he was more or less aware of what he had in store now that was taking aether rted sses. But even they had never mentioned this coupon. In fact, he''d never even seen someone get food different from the daily menu. After all, a lot of effort went into preparing such avish meal for hundreds of students everyday!


    "It''s a special coupon that allows you to get food using aether rich ingredients. Only the best performing and most hopeful students get ess to them, as the school budget does not allow for too many students to be nurtured in such a way."


    Nero was startled, though he did not show it.


    "Can I... can I digest such food?" he asked her in a whisper. This was a very serious matter.


    "Do not doubt my professional integrity Mr. Grant. We take special care to use ingredients friendly to Neophytes. You may take a seat and await your order. I will oversee its preparation personally. You will find it most appetising."


    "Thanks, Mrs. Aedile!" he said with a beaming face and went and sat down at his table. With not much else to do, he pulled out his deck case and began to go over his cards. The darkness card he had received at the temple was still with him, as well as his parents 0 star innate cards. But he hadn''t found an opportunity to use them even once. Instead, the most worn out card was the one he bought from Maxim''s card shop, Enhanced learning.


    Although the card only worked for a brief time, approximately 20 minutes, its effects were staggering. Despite not attending a single one of his regr sses, he had not fallen behind at all. In fact, he was sure that his grade would be even better than before.


    He had used it nearly every day since he got it, but now faint wrinkles were beginning to appear on it. 0 star cards always had poor durability, which meant that they could only be used a few times before the spell model within the card shattered.


    Originally, he was nning on going to Maxim''s after school and buying more of these. But recently, an opportunity to probe Vanessa''s intentions had appeared, and he was slightly tempted to take that instead.


    "Hey Nero," said Ss as he walked up to him with a tray in hand. He was no longer stuttering and his eyes were filled with newfound confidence, though when looking at Nero he was still filled with deference. "Do you want me to get you your food?"


    "No need, I''m having a special meal today."


    Vanessa, who was following along, gave a disapproving look at Ss, but did notment.


    "Um, Nero, my dad ising home today, and he said he wanted to meet my friends. Do you... do you think you coulde over?"


    "Sure, why not. I was nning on heading into town anyway to do some card shopping, so I can stop by first. Vanessa, you want to join?"


    "I already asked her. She said yes!" Ss eximed, suddenly filled with excitement. "There''s no need to make a special trip. There will be a car waiting for us after school. We can stop wherever you want on the way."


    "Sounds like fun," Nero said. "Who else have you invited?"


    He had spent too much time studying and training these past few weeks. If he was going to take out some time to socialise, might as well make the most of it.

 Chapter 39: Reinvigorating

    <h4>Chapter 39: Reinvigorating</h4>


    As it turned out, Sd had not invited anyone else besides the two. Nero would have preferred it if more of the group joined, but since it was Ss'' n, he did notment. Over the past few days, Ss had improved tremendously in terms of self confidence, and had actually begun talking to others - though mostly he talked to Vanessa. Today he had a slight nervous energy about him, but considering it was the first time he was inviting his friends home, it made sense.


    "Can you tell how much use out of this I can still get?" Nero asked as he showed Ss his Enhanced learning card.


    Meeting expectations, Ss has awoken a passive ability which would, apparently, help him tremendously in card making. Like Nero, his ability was an amalgamation of both his parents abilities, which was that all of his senses automatically tranted data mathematically, in extreme detail.


    Although Nero did not ask about his ability, as that was considered very private, Ss shared anyway, and in great detail.


    Nero observed him carefully as he took the card from him. He could see how Ss rubbed the card slightly with his thumb, feeling its texture and grain. He looked at the card from all sides, though to anyone else it would seem as if he was only giving it a casual look.


    But Nero knew that for Ss, a casual nce was all he needed to learn all its dimensions in exact detail. He could even tell the things others would not be able to determine from a simple nce, such as the integrity of the spell model within the card based on the thickness or fraying of the card.


    "I''d say two more uses," Ss said as he waved the card next to his ear, as if listening for some unexpected sound.


    "Good enough."


    More of the gang gathered. The two brothers, Maverick and Hansel, as well as the girls came in, eventually followed by Harold and Wendy. Every single one of them noticed the oddity that was Nero without his food, but he did not give an answer to why he was not eating. He only smiled.


    Halfway through everyone else''s lunch, Mrs. Aedile arrived with a tray in hand and ced it in front of Nero, attracting everyone''s attention.


    A thick, juicy steak sat in the centre of his te, steam still rising from, wafting an absolutely delectable aroma. On the side was a serving of mashed potatoes covered in mushroom sauce, with stir fried vegetables on the side as well. There was also a massive mug of some kind of juice, though Nero could not identify it immediately by the sight or smell.


    Compared to his usual servings, it seemed small, but the incredible smell it was giving off satisfied Nero regardless.


    "I knew it! Mrs. Aedile is in love with Nero!" Harold eximed with a look of intense jealousy in his eyes.


    "It''s my dreamy blue eyes," Nero said gloatingly as he grabbed his knife and fork. Without any dy he immediately began his meal. When the knife cut through the steak in one go he was not surprised, nor was he taken aback by the taste of butter coating his well seasoned meat. He was especially not surprised when, upon swallowing, he immediately felt a familiar warmth in his belly. It was aether, permeating through his body.


    He expected nothing less from this coupon saved for only the best.


    If he were a true foodie, then the divine experience that was this meal would be enough to motivate him to continue being the best in his ss. Truthfully speaking, after eating, he was motivated to continue getting his hands on these kinds of meals. But it was more because of how quickly he felt his physical exhaustion leaving his body, rather than the experience itself.


    He had a feeling that he could, no, that he needed to go training after this to burn off some of his energy.


    He had eaten so fast that hepletely forgot about the juice. Without pause he grabbed the mug and chugged it one go. More than the mild, pulpy sweetness of the juice, Nero enjoyed the immediate relief he felt upon drinking it, instead of feeling heavy. If he had to guess, he would say that the role of the juice was to help him digest the meat.


    Thoroughly satisfied, and feeling reinvigorated, Nero left the cafeteria under the envious gazes of his friends and made his way to his card crafting ss.


    He had learnt a lot from this ss, including the fact that the overly chatty teacher was actually too qualified to be teaching a new student like him. Gabriel was the one who shared that interesting piece of information with him.


    He did not know why she was teaching him, but she was extremely demanding of him in terms of what he had to learn, but simrly was building an incredibly solid foundation for him. That was perfect for Nero, since hardwork was the thing he was least afraid of.


    Just before he stepped into her ss, Nero took out his Enhanced learning, and channelled some aether into it activating it. He felt the simple, free flowing aether turn into something moreplex inside the card.


    Now, after weeks of practice, he''d noticed many things about using cards. First was that its effect was not immediate, and that each card took varying amounts of time to cast the spell. Enhanced learning, for example, only took about a couple of seconds.


    The second thing he noticed was how iprehensible the changes aether underwent in the card felt to him. It was his aether, and he was still connected to it. He could even feel it undergo a change and turn into something else while inside the card, but he could not figure out exactly what that was or how it was happening.


    Then he felt the spell in the card activate. The spell, which he had lost control of now, took hold of his brain and began enhancing it. He had learnt that he could resist this hold, if he so wished. He also learnt the difference between spells that worked automatically, and spells that he needed to control.


    It had to be noted that controlling a spell was infinitely more difficult than controlling the aether it was made from. It was only now, weekster, that he realised how unreal his application of spells had been in the temple on his very first day. But that crucial experience under pressure had also benefited him endlessly.


    He stepped in the ss to the familiar sight of his teacher reading some kind of book. The sound of his footsteps alerted her to his arrival, and her expression immediately changed as if she had been anticipating their ss.


    "Oh good, Nero. You''re here. We''re going to have to rush our ss today as I have amitment. Last time, we were discussing the various kinds of materials that can be used to support spell effects rted to temperature, and more specifically, the effect of cooling. You seem to be following along well enough, so we''re going to move to the next natural step in card crafting.


    "Tell me, Nero, what is the difference between a spell model, and a spell recipe? Don''t waste your breath, I''ll just tell you. A spell model is what is contained inside a card once it ispleted. A spell recipe is the sequence ofyering materials and treatment which end up crafting that spell model. But have you ever wondered where those spell modelse from? Or do you think card crafters just try different things until they stumble upon a recipe that works?


    "The answer, Nero, is that spell models already exist in nature. We are just recreating them through our recipes. Often, the major part of the modeles from one main ingredient in a spell recipe. In the case of innate cards, that main material is your innate ability. But what about other situations? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you used a cursed item as the main material to craft a card? What do you think would happen?


    "Don''t answer, I''ll just tell you..."

 Chapter 40: Particularly bloody

    <h4>Chapter 40: Particrly bloody</h4>


    "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Nero suddenly eximed, forcibly interrupting his teacher for the first time ever. "You can use a cursed item as an ingredient for a spell recipe?"


    For once, he was thoroughly shocked by just the thought of it. His entire life, anything rting to curses had been an extreme danger and taboo. If not every day, then at least every other day there would be news about someone dying from curses in some part of Kr. That was considering that the death was even discovered as countless times, no body remains to be even discovered.


    Through every aspect of his life, he had been taught to keep as much distance from curses as possible, and treat them with extreme caution. In fact, Nero was considered somewhat strange for actually bing more fascinated with nature after suffering from a curse aftering in contact with grass rather than deathly afraid of it.


    But from an early age, fear was not really a part of his life, and although he was now much more cautious about where he stepped, that was out ofmon sense, not fear.


    But even so, despite being as open minded as he was, Nero was still taken aback by the very simple statement made by his teacher about cursed ingredients.


    The teacher paused, and instead of being incensed by the interruption, smiled.


    "What do you think an <i>ingredient</i> is, Nero?" she asked softly, and for once she ''didn''t'' answer on his behalf, and actually waited for him to answer.


    The simple question stumped him. It was not because he didn''t have an answer, but because he could guess that since she asked this question, the answer would not be as straightforward as it seemed.


    "An ingredient is... a naturally urring item that contains aether?"


    The teacher smiled, as if amused by his answer.


    "No, but close. The correct answer is that <i>anything</i> that contains aether can be used as an ingredient. There are no limitations, which is exactly what makes being a card artisan such a challenging career. Unless one sticks to tried and tested recipes, one will need an immense amount of knowledge about the properties of various ingredients and how they may react with one another. That, naturally, also includes curses and cursed items."


    Perhaps under normal circumstances, Nero would be stunned for a while as he absorbed this information. But having Enhanced learning activated made it easier for him to digest this information, which meant he thought back to the question his teacher asked. What might happen if a cursed item is used as an ingredient?


    "Does that mean... using a cursed ingredient will result in... the production of a cursed card?"


    "Not <i>cursed</i> but a Curse card. Curse cards are extremely dangerous, and considered a taboo. They''re also illegal in Kr. Each curse card ends up being a one time use card, but as a consequence, the result is immensely more powerful than another card of a simr star rank. Due to the inherent nature of Curse cards, the user also suffers from some kind of consequence of using it, though not nearly as much as the target. Moreover, they are highly unstable. They cannot be stored for too long, unless done so with a specially designed protective card cover."


    Nero was amazed with this knowledge, and at the same time somewhat struggled to conceptualise the ramifications of what he had just learnt. Anything at all could be an ingredient as long as it contained aether. Did that include... people?


    "Why are you telling me this?" he could not help but ask. He was almostpletely certain that none of this was any approved curriculum - not that he didn''t appreciate the timely enlightenment. But he also did not like getting random favours. It meant that the other party had an agenda.


    "Am I not your teacher? Isn''t that my job?" she asked, feeling amused at Nero''s seriousness.


    "You know what I mean. This is definitely not something I''d be learning in an ordinary ss. Not to mention, someone of your calibre would definitely not be teaching a new student like me. So... why are you telling me this? Or what is it that you want?"


    Wariness appeared in Nero''s eyes as he observed her. If he considered a real threat, he would never have confronted her outright like this. The fact that he was even willing to show his perception of the incongruity of the situation was a disy of trust, at least to some extent.


    But instead of being put off by his question, she seemed d.


    "Well, I thought it was fairly obvious. The school, or rather, a few of the teachers are investing in you. Your performance record has been extremely satisfactory as ofte, and we find you worthy of nurturing further."


    Instead of questioning her further, Nero just looked at her with an irritated expression. He was now certain that, for once, this woman was giving him iplete answers, and she was doing it on purpose. Why did her personality shift between two extreme opposites in rtion to providing answers?


    The teacher could not help butugh at his expression, and finally decided to answer properly.


    "You should know that for every high performing student, the school and especially the teachers receive rewards. So it''s fairlymon for teachers to look for promising students and invest extra time and effort into ensuring they realise their full potential each year. You came up on our radar, and by us I mean old Harvey and I.


    "After an initial review, we found that you''re a good student, and decided to focus on you this year. That''s all there is to it. There''s nothing more."


    Nero looked at her sceptically. The exnation she gave made sense, but he could not help but feel that there was more to it than that. Just as he was wondering if he should continue to question her, or ept the perfectly usible answer she gave, the teacher continued.


    "It also doesn''t hurt that, most likely, all national recruitment tests this year will probably happen here in Aetherpeak. With the ruins just outside the city, I''m really looking forward to the kind of interesting exams theye up with this year. You know I''m a KMA alumni? I remember my entrance exam well. It was... particrly brutal, and bloody."

 Chapter 41 Expanding horizons

    Chapter 41 Expanding horizons


    Realisation suddenly dawned on Nero, and a few things suddenly clicked for him. Seemingly random facts now appeared to be vaguely connected, even if he had not known before, and all of them were being influenced by the ruins.


    Of course, Nero had seen and connected many things to the ruins already. The heavy military presence, the terrorist attacks, the arrival of a Sage, the sudden appearance of a foreign exchange student, all of these he had been able to connect to the ruins. Although his theory about Vanessa was still unconfirmed, Nero preferred to err on the side of caution in such a matter.


    But the extra attention he was getting from Footer, who his teacher so fondly called Harvey, and this chatterbox of a teacher suddenly made sense. The heavy emphasis on not training on his own made sense. The MI token for the meal made sense, as long as all of it was connected to the ruins.


    For these two teachers of his to make preparations in advance, they may have heard of some rumours, and it seemed to be rted to the ruins. Was the attendance going to take ce there? But why? Shouldn''t that be closed off as a highly secured area?


    Taking a step back, if he assumed that every odd thing happening around him was rted to the ruins, then it added new context to the situation.


    His father had been behaving oddly, and it had been over a week since theyst talked. Did that have something to do with the ruins?


    Speaking of which, Ss'' father''s sudden return as well as interest in him may have something to do with the uing recruitment tests. Was he being paranoid? His spection was still within the realm of possibility. It''s not like he was attributing Mrs. Aedile''s sudden obsession with pudding to the ruins.


    "You know something?" Nero asked, turning his attention towards his chatty teacher, and recalled everything he knew about her.


    Apparently, from what Gabriel had told him, she was a highly celebrated card artisan and teacher, as well as former military. Like his mother, she had been discharged due to injuries. She was called Ms. Zim, and she did not have much presence in school, unlike the notorious Footer. From what he had gathered during their sses, she liked to focus all her energy and time on studying and research. No wonder she was a sessful artisan.


    "I think, instead of these random things, you should focus more towards your sybus, yes? After all, the effects of your card won''tst much longer."


    Sensing that the chatty Ms. Zim was unwilling to discuss the matter further, he put the matter aside and focused on ss once more. Knowing or not knowing made no difference, because Nero always put his full effort in his efforts to grow.


    "Now resuming our previous discussion, since all spell models exist in nature already, how do we trante a spell model into a spell recipe? That''s¡­"


    The ss did not continue much longer, for Ms. Zim truly had to go attend to anothermitment, but it was one of the most fruitful that Nero had taken. Just the knowledge that anythingcould be an ingredient in a card widened his horizons greatly. Although he had already epted it, he found it difficult to begin imagining the ramifications.


    Mainly, he kept wondering about humans. If humans were used as ingredients, would the result be their innate ability?


    If so, then that just added a whole new purpose to cremating people after they die, rather than burying them as was tradition in some other countries. At least this new information did not increase the danger of being targeted by a malicious group any more than already existed. After all, if anyone had a particrly valuable innate ability, it would be worth more to kidnap them and have them continuously produce innate cards rather than killing them to use for materials.


    At least, that''s what Nero hoped. There was just too much about this world he didn''t know. That severeck of answers was something he only noticed when he started asking questions. For example, based on his current knowledge, farming for food was extremely dangerous.


    If that was the case, how did humans, who had nothing more than basic innate abilities and no means of using spells, survive before the advent of the Eldrim cards? Everything that existed today, which supported their way of life, from the technology to their tools, depended on the use of cards, or abilities from professions.


    But even without the tools avable today, humans had somehow survived. Not only that, but there was a surprising amount of diversity amongst them, and ancient records showed that prior to the Valeriya empire, the humans actually had drastically diverse cultures and even variousnguages, rather than themon tongue spoken in all 6 countries today, also known as Valen.


    For example,pared to Kri''s, who mostly had very fair skin, blue, green or grey eyes and blonde or brown hair, folk from Nova had a darker skin tone and ck hair and mostly brown eyes. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Vanessa, whose tan had reduced considerably in just thest two weeks, revealed her natural skin colour as a beautiful caramel.


    Although Nero had never met them, he''d heard that the citizens of almost each country seemed to have a significant difference in appearance, which was one of the primary reasons for the way the countries had broken up after the fall of the empire. He thought that was a stupid reason, and that the truth was likely something else.


    In short, there was too much he didn''t know about the world, and the more he learned, the more ignorant he felt.


    There was still some time till he left with Ss for his home, so Nero took the chance to get some training done with his spear. At this hour, none of the gyms were empty so he had to share, but that caused no problems.


    After a particrly long session, fueled by the endless amounts of energy his lunch provided him, Nero decided to go take a shower before leaving. It would not be appropriate if he showed up to someone''s house smelling like sweat.


    After freshening up, Nero left, making sure to bring his card case and wallet. Although he nned on testing his luck to see if he could get a better card than Enhanced learning out of Mr. Rodney, Ss'' father, he was not going to depend on it. He sent a message to his father as he left his apartment. He''s messaged his father every day since Nero noticed his absence, but had not received a response yet. If this pattern continued for a few more days, he''d begin to worry.


    But his old man was an Archanist, so Nero was pretty confident in his survival ability.


    When he reached the front of school, he found Ss and Vanessa waiting for him in front of a dazzling, ck truck that stunned Nero where he stood.


    "Is that a G-Truck?" he could help but blurt out. But he already knew the answer. This truck, while being of civilian issue, was about as close as one coulde to army standard in terms of durability and power. That was not to mention its extremely luxurious interior. Even if his mother had not spent all her amazing ie on her health, his family would not have been able to afford such a car.


    Instead of responding, Ss only smiled shyly, while Vanessa gave him a look filled with scorn. But Nero did not care. How could she understand the beauty of this amazing ride?


    "If everyone is here, shall we depart?" asked the chauffeur, who was standing beside Ss and Vanessa.


    His cold, irritated tone immediately alerted Nero. That was not how he expected a chauffeur to talk to the son of his boss.

 Chapter 42 Opulence

    Chapter 42 Opulence


    It was not Nero''s keen observation and attentiveness that allowed him to notice the oddity. Rather, it appeared that the chauffeur had done it on purpose, as if afraid that any random passersby might not note his disdain for Ss.


    While Nero and Vanessa immediately locked their gaze onto the man, as if assessing him, Ss did not even seem to notice the change. Eagerly he opened the door to the car and indicated that his friends should enter.


    "I didn''t know you were into trucks, Nero," he said animatedly. "I don''t normally get to ride this one either, but when we go home I can show you the others. My favourite is the Offroadster 445, man that''s massive."


    Vanessa, very politely thanked Ss and got in the car, but Nero had not moved from his spot, his attention still fixed on the driver.


    Countless thoughts ran through his head, and suspicions about the kinds of life Ss might be living at home appeared in his mind. That might exin why he had such a timid personality. Did he have any, more favoured siblings? As far as he could recall, he had never heard Ss mentioning any. In fact, it only urred to him now that Ss had never mentioned his life at home at all.


    It was too soon to judge whether he was mistreated at home, and if that had any indication of how his parents treated him. But there was one thing Nero knew. He didn''t like how the chauffeur had talked to Ss.


    A couple of seconds passed without Nero responding to Ss'' question, and the noticeable silence created an awkward atmosphere. The chauffeur, a thin, pale man who was dressed in a ck suit and tie, noticed the empty stare Nero was giving him. There was no indication of distaste or annoyance, so one could not really guess what he was thinking.


    Instead of addressing him, the driver snorted silently and moved towards the driver''s seat, but was instantly blocked by Nero holding his hand in front of him.


    "Be more mindful of how you speak," he said evenly, still keeping his emotions hidden behind his mask. "Not everyone is so tolerant."


    Nero did not exin himself further, or wait for the driver to respond. Ordinarily, he was not one to look down on people. But he had been raised with the mindset of a warrior, and was not afraid of a fight. Heck, from a young age his mother was telling him death was written on a battlefield. Admittedly, that was probably not the best way to influence the mind and perspective of a growing child, but for whatever reason, it made him fearless.


    As such, the thing he would never tolerate was disrespect. When those soldiers had targeted him on his first day as a Neophyte, he had not hesitated to try and escte the issue as much as possible, even lying about his fathers designation in the army. Of course, when given a way out he chose not to escte things for it might hamper his other ns. He had taken a step back only because he knew how to prioritise things, and because he knew that one day he would get back at them - assuming they didn''t end up dead first.


    But a driver? Even if he was an Initiate, Nero saw no reason to take a step back or to fear him. Disrespecting his friend in front of him was the same as disrespecting him. Giving him a mild warning was already Nero suppressing the matter because he did not want to dy the meeting with Ss'' father.


    The day suddenly promised to be more eventful than he had anticipated. Nero had already gotten in the car, admiring its leather interior, when the driver woke from the surprise of what happened. He felt slightly confused, and then irritated. But in the end, besides a clearly audible snort, he did nothing. Without a word he climbed into the driver''s seat and began driving.


    Despite any dissatisfaction he felt, he dared not express it in the way of bad driving, especially with this car.


    A tinge of disappointment appeared in Nero''s heart, but it was within his expectations. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Within the car, Ss talked even more excitedly as he described the car collection at his home, still feeling a slight, second hand high from Nero''s confrontation.


    The car quickly drove away from the school, and towards a nearby gatedmunity. The house Nero lived in was technically owned by the government, and leased out to his family. That was how most people lived. After all, who would waste so much time and money in buyingnd and then building a house? It sounded like a time consuming and costly affair.


    But even in a militaristic style country such as Kr, there were those who were richer than others. Ss'' parents, both highly qualified artisans who worked for the army, fit perfectly into this category.


    The gatedmunity wasrge andvish, with even a few small gardens, meticulously cultivated and kept curse free by the managementmittee. Nero had never personallye inside, though his parents knew many people who lived in such ces. His mothers boss, for example, owned multiple mansions in various suchmunities.


    Strict private security patrolled the roads, constantly monitoring the aether fluctuations within the neighbourhood. Every other car on the road was a truck, and every single one of them was armoured. A few were even expensive enough to hide the bulky protective shell with a beautiful design, like the truck that they were in.


    Each of these cars were, naturally, aether fueled.


    Finally, after navigating a maze of twists and turns between borately designed neighbourhoods and massive mansions and houses, they finally arrived at Ss'' house.


    It was a mansion of middling size within themunity, though it more than made up for it with the fact that it had its own boundary wall and gate as well.


    An artificial pond was ced beside the driveway, and within it Nero could see a few fish swimming about. There was a foundation as well, near the entrance to the mansion itself, as well as arge, multi-storey bird cage visible behind the house. The garage, filled with countless other vehicles and a number of other workers moving about, told Nero the same story he saw everywhere else in this ce.


    Everything seemed to be a grand disy of opulence, as if the owner was concerned about now being able to show off their wealth well enough. Maybe they werepensating for the fact that there were other,rger mansions within the samemunity. Who knew? Nero was probably being so critical of them because of the sheer, genuine envy he felt looking at those cars.


    Damn. He never knew how bad it felt not to be rich until that exact moment.

 Chapter 43 Tour

    Chapter 43 Tour


    "Do you really have pets?" Nero couldn''t help but ask, his gaze fixed on the bird cage. It was a stupid question. The answer was in front of him. But¡­


    "How do you make sure they don''t get cursed? And how do you get enough food for them?"


    "Yes, we have a few birds and some fish. They''re monitored around the clock, and are killed on the first sign of being cursed. The food is not a problem, really. My parents have many friends who have private farms. Although all private farms are obligated to sell 70% of their produce to the government, that 30% left over is often more than enough for the owners themselves and for their friends. Out of principle, my family collects their allocated food rations."


    "How noble,"mented Nero, doing his best not to sound doubtful. It was not that he doubted that Ss'' family avoided the rations, but that their motives were out of principle. It was not like he had something against his family, or was instantly judging them as evil for being rich. Instead, he just felt like if there was better tasting, higher quality food avable, why would anyone bother with rations?


    He briefly reviewed what he knew about private farming. Instead of discouraging it, the army and government both widely encouraged it. Even though all private farms were forced to sell to them, rather than to the consumers and markets directly, they made good money. They had to, after all, since farming was such a difficult and dangerous job. Right now, at his current level, Nero wasn''t even qualified to be a farmhand even if he wanted to work for free.


    "Who does the constant monitoring on the pets? The guards from themunity?" Nero asked, genuinely curious. Although asking so many questions might result in him getting looked down on, such as by their very reliable driver, since when did Nero care about that?


    No, Nero was obsessed with learning. From the day he realised that he didn''t fully understand how the world worked, and that the stories he''d been told about humanity and how they were so noble and brave were just glorified children''s tales, he had developed an internal drive to understand the truth.


    "We would keep our own people, but even my parents can''t get the permits for their own private security. So, it has to be the people for themunity. But it''s not a problem since most houses have some kind of pets. Monitoring is one of the services they offer, so there''s no point not in taking it."


    Ss walked with his chest held out and a hint of pride painting his face as he gave the two a tour of the garage and the front of his house. He had long imagined the day he could invite some friends over and show off like this. But, he never got permission before this.


    The house was a beautifully designed, two story building made from red bricks. There were countless windows facing the front, with grey frames that matched the pirs that supported the porch near the entrance to the house, revealing glimpses of a thoroughly decorated interior. The tiles on the nting roof on top were a sharper shade of red, adding a slight contrast to the walls of the building.


    In all, the house was a mix of red, grey and white, with an open, airy design that was pleasing to the eye. The pond in front and the aviary in the back made it look like something out of a fairy tale rather than real life.


    But besides the architecture and Ss'' bursting excitement, Nero noticed one more thing. Though there was a soft smile on Vanessa''s sun-kissed face, she did not seem overly impressed or taken aback by thisvish disy of wealth. In fact, she seemed perfectly at ease.


    Nero did not try to guess whether that was a result of any training she may have received or a result of her background. There was simply not enough information to make such spections.


    "I can feel you ogling," she whispered to Nero as she passed by. Over the past few weeks, this had be somewhat of a joke between them.


    "You''re no longer suppressing your footsteps, and walking like a normal person. Kids these days, they grow up so fast."


    He did notment on any weapon she might be carrying. It had already been many days since he was able to spot where she was hiding them. There was, of course, the chance that she stopped carrying weapons. But even Nero had his knife always strapped to his thigh, so he doubted she''d get rid of them either.


    Eventually, when the tour of the front of the house finished, instead of going towards the back, Ss led them inside.


    "I know we had lunch in school, but I had a small afternoon snack prepared for us," Ss said with excitement. He was looking forward to their reactions when they discovered how extensive the menu for the little snackreally was. In high society, feeding one''s guests well was a disy of wealth and power. He had long wanted to replicate the dinner parties his parents had for their friends, and now he finally had a chance.


    "Shouldn''t we go see your father first?" Nero asked, even as he observed the immacte design on the ceiling, framed perfectly by the crown moulding that ran around the room. The ceiling looked like it had been hand painted. It was extravagant, to be sure, but Nero had to admit he kind of liked it. It was so¡­ different from what he was used to.


    "Father''s probably busy right now. I''ll have someone send word that we''re here. He''ll summon us when he gets free, don''t worry. Now follow me to the dining room, our snacks should be ready."


    As Nero and Vanessa followed the giddy child as he led the way, Nero could not help but notice how the countless staff members in the house kept a purposeful distance from Ss and them. Despite the amazing house, why did it seem somehow worse than theparatively tiny building he called home?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 44 Snacks

    Chapter 44 Snacks


    Nero was both taking in the splendour of Ss'' house while trying not to be too judgmental when they arrived in the dining room, which caused him to freeze. It was no secret that Nero did his best to keep himself well fed.


    Not only was high nutrition a requirement for his growing body, but he wanted to supply plenty of fuel to the muscle he had spent an enormous amount of effort building. Before moving into the hostel, that often meant shamelessly dipping into his parents rations and eating extra while in school.


    Despite all of this, he never worried about getting fat. That was mainly because no one was fat in Kr. Even those who did not aspire to a life in the army maintained sufficient physical fitness because one could never really expect when they might run into a dangerous situation.


    So, in Nero''s eyes, the fact that he was not even close to being worried about bing fat meant he was still not eating enough. With his rigorous exercise routine, he''d need to truly eat every chance he got if he ever wanted to even get close to it, though obviously getting fat was not his goal. He just wanted to make sure he was keeping his body as fit as possible for the eventual boost he''d get at the Initiate level.


    The incredibly long table, fit to seat twelve people, five on each side across its length and one at each end, which was stocked full of food, was an extremely wee sight.


    "It was all we could do on short notice, I hope you don''t mind," Ss said incredibly casually, as he plucked a single potato chip from a bowl and bit it. His acting was truly horrid, but that somehow made this situation better.


    "Well, if it was short notice, then it can''t be helped," said Nero sorrowfully as he grabbed a te and began filling it. He showed no hesitation whatsoever, and did not go through the motions where the host and guests both tell each other to eat first.


    "It''s lovely, thank you," said Vanessa as she chuckled. "This is too much, in fact. You shouldn''t have."


    "Nonsense. Of course I had to," Ss said with swelling pride. He''d seen his father make this exact exchange many times, but it was his first.


    Unlike Nero, who had taken everything without the need for an exnation, Ss provided Vanessa with a detailed exnation for each food item and how it was prepared. Sometimes she would take small amounts, while other times she had to politely refuse his insistence that she try some.


    Nero observed the exchange and the clear disy of strange etiquettes, but he did not feign any kind of such politeness. He also noticed how the food was fresh and steaming upon their arrival. It seemed giving them a prolonged tour of the front of the house served another purpose: to dy them long enough for the table to beid.


    While in his current circumstance Nero did not feel the need to put on airs, that did not mean that in the future he would not be faced with such a situation. Even now, while munching on a food he did not know the name of, he was learning new things. He observed how Vanessa used a different fork for the sd, and a different one for the rice. The way she held the knife with her long, slender fingers was impractical for offensive use, but it made it easy for her to cut through her meat. He averted his gaze just before she noticed him looking. It would not do to be used of ogling twice in one day.


    He also made a mental note to look into dining etiquette, as well as any other formality he might need to face when interacting with the super wealthy. He knew for a fact that besides basic discipline, there would be no such pretentiousness in the army. But that didn''t mean he wouldn''t have to face such situations.


    Just as Ss finally sat down and joined the meal, someone knocked on the door before opening it.


    "Young master Ss, your father is summoning you," said the old man who entered. He was also dressed formally, and though he was not exactly polite, he was not rude either. More than anything, Nero was intrigued by his apparent age. It was rare to encounter old people, which is why it was easy to categorise them. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    They were either extremely formidable, extremely lucky, or boasted some extremely capable skill or ability which caused someone to invest a lot in their security.


    Ss, who had been greatly enjoying everything up until that moment, froze. Surprise and slight concern shed in his eyes, though he immediately tried to hide it.


    "Looks like dad is free," he said, pushing his chair back and standing up. "Please, you two continue to eat. I''ll go see what he has to say. He''ll most likely call you two as well, or maybe he''ll even join us, who knows?"


    "Are you sure we shouldn''t join you?" Nero asked probingly. The old man had specifically said Ss'' name, so he was certain that they were excluded in the summons, but it couldn''t hurt to ask.


    "No, don''t worry. I''ll be right back," he said, before walking out the room. He wanted to appear calm, but his faster than usual gait was very revealing.


    Nero gave Vanessa a questioning look, but she only shook her head. With a shrug, Nero continued to eat. He also noticed that the butler who had summoned Ss stayed standing in the corner of the room. Maybe he was there in case they needed something. Or maybe he was there to keep an eye on them.


    The only thing Nero knew for certain was the environment in this house was far from normal, and that the chicken gravy he was eating was sublime. He added more of it to his te and he sped up eating.


    As a guest, it would be rude to waste food that had beenid out for him, so he wanted to make the most of it.

 Chapter 45 Not alone

    Chapter 45 Not alone


    .


    A strange mood filled the room as only the sounds of Nero''s fork and knife could be heard. Vanessa, who only had a modestly prepared te in front of her, could not help but look at him. Didn''t he feel any pressure at all?


    Besides the grand disy of wealth, this was also a disy of power. To be able to afford such a luxurious house, Ss'' family either had a great historical background, or had excellent connections. But as figures who were publicly well known, it was well established that both of his parents came from rtively humble backgrounds. With that in mind, their sess over a single generation was even more impressive. As such, it waspletely normal, and even expected that one would be nervous before meeting them. But Nero was solely focused on eating as quickly as possible.


    "Who''s staring now?" Nero said between bites, as he shed her a smile. "Don''t you get food at home?" she attempted to tease, but to no avail.


    "Ss has invited us over and put a great deal of effort into preparing this spread. It would be rude to just ignore it."


    She couldn''t help but scoff. There were some questions she wanted to ask him, especially since she also noticed the strange way Ss was treated, and his nervousness, but with the butler standing in the room with them, she could not. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Have you been to many such events in Nova?" Nero asked, slowing down for a bit. "You seem very much in your element."


    "Is this an event? We''re just visiting a friend''s home. Actual, proper events are very grand, and not just anyone can attend. What I''m doing is exhibiting basic manners."


    Nero ignored the snide remark, and instead asked, "But you have been to them? Are they verymon in Nova? I thought Nova was supposed to be greatly affected by the Fog clearing."


    "I''ll have you know, Nova is extremely prosperous!" Vanessa said, sounding almost offended. "The Fog clearing used to affect us a lot, but with ourtest advances in technology, we''ve turned the whole country around. As someone who has benefited from the shared technology, you should know first hand just how amazing it is."


    Nero had to nod acknowledging. Kr and Nova shared a very strong rtionship, mainly because they were the farthest apart and thus did not pose a threat to each other''s sovereignty. The inte, for example, that everyone enjoyed using so much was a Nova invention originally for strategic military purposes. Although some of the technology behind it had been shared with Kr, supposedly it was not avable everywhere.


    "ording to my geography ss, any country with a Fog clearing suffers from extreme weather conditions that end up killing much of the surrounding flora, resulting in massive cursed zones. I''ve never been, so I was only asking."


    Vanessa grit her teeth for a bit. She could not deny what Nero had said, but she didn''t like it when something negative was said about Nova.


    "It''s notpletely true. Through massivend remation projects, we have recovered a lot ofnd, despite the severe heat. ''There is no greater force than human ingenuity'' - that''s the motto for the Golden Dawn party, and they''ve proved it. It''s only a matter of time before we expand beyond the Fog clearing as well."


    "Golden Dawn is a political party, right?" Nero asked, suddenly reminded of the strange governing style of this allied nation. "I''ve heard you guys have elections. How does that work? Do you really chooseyour own leaders? How do you evaluate them?"


    A sudden excitement filled Nero as he recalled what little he knew about Nova''s government. Supposedly they practised something called a ''democracy'' and a ''three party system'', whatever that meant. He didn''t know much about it, and he couldn''t wrap his head around how that would work either.


    At least in Kr, the selected leader spent years training for the position under the military''s supervision, if not decades. But what were the credentials for leadership in Nova? Poprity? Perhaps they published a list of their merits and achievements, authenticated and notarised by a neutral third party.


    Just as Vanessa was about to answer, the sound of someone walking at a fast pace attracted their attention. Ss quickly returned to the room, wearing a somewhat relieved expression on his face.


    "I''m really sorry about this, but would you mind pausing on the snacks for a bit? Father is calling you both to his study. He has a meetingter on so we only have time right now."


    "It''s no trouble," Vanessa said, as she put down her utensils. Nero stopped as well, and made sure to clean his mouth with a napkin nearby.


    "Will we get the opportunity to meet Mrs. Rodney as well? You haven''t mentioned her at all."


    "No, mother is not home right now. She''s been gone for a couple of weeks already, so she should probably be returning soon sometime. My parents often get called to various sites for their research¡­"


    The butler who was beside them coughed gently into a folded napkin. He was barely audible, but Nero noticed how Ss immediately froze, and quickly changed the topic.


    "Anyway, father got back home a few days ago. I guess I must have been talking about you guys a lot because he suddenly asked to invite you two over."


    "Both your parents were gone? Do you usually live here alone?" Nero asked.


    "No, not alone. There''s a lot of workers at home to take care of things, and I have a lot of tutors who visit regrly so I''m hardly ever alone."


    Nero nodded, as he got what he needed to know. Perhaps it was the extended absences of his parents, and ack of their supervision, which had given rise to a situation where Ss was mistreated at home. Nero had not missed how thoroughly he had been conditioned to it by now, reaching a point where he did not even notice it.


    In his mind, he used every bit of information he received to build a character model of what his parents were like. But for the most part, right now, they were a nk te. Just as Ss'' father wanted to meet and evaluate them, Nero was looking forward to evaluating his father.

 Chapter 46 Evaluation

    Chapter 46 Evaluation


    As he led the two to his father''s study, Ss continuously praised his father and his many admirable qualities. Nero listened carefully, but did not forget to appreciate the immacte design and decor of the house.


    People always said that the rich were gaudy and pretentious, but honestly, Nero would not mind living in such a ce. But, to be fair, if he had this kind of money, he would probably be spending it on training equipment, supplements and teachers before he even began to consider something like this.


    They reached deep inside the house before reaching the study, where the gap in the open door revealed Mr. Rodney could be seen studying something meticulously under a magnifying ss.


    He seemed to be older than Nero was expecting, with trails of white hair above his ears. A few wrinkles had begun to develop beside his eyes, though that could have just been a result of frequent squinting, the way he was doing now while studying. He had soft features, and though he appeared to be fit, he seemed tock the slightly muscr build that was somon among Kri men.


    If Nero had to guess, he would say that the man was in his mid tote fifties. No matter what, a man who had lived so long could not be underestimated by any measure. Least of all when he was sitting at a wooden table. By far, that alone with the greatest disy of wealth and power.


    Ss knocked on the door lightly.


    "Father, we''re here," he said in a very soft tone.


    Hurbert Rodney finally looked up, and the soft expression he had while studying smoothly transitioned into a neutral, yet firm one.


    "Come in, children. Come in. Excuse me for not greeting you earlier. I was preupied."


    Stepping into the study revealed a cosy room packed with bookshelves, disy cases, and a few sofas. There were countless cards in various conditions, all framed and up on the walls decorating the room.


    The room was simple, and did not seem like it would be used for work. Instead, its name probably truly dictated what it was used for: studying. After all, there had to be a few hundred books in this room, at the very least.


    "I''m d you could make it. Ss talks of you often. I am looking forward to making your acquaintance. Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Hurbert Rodney, Arcanist, artisan, and a director for research and development: cards division under the Felix corp. I am also Ss'' father, and therefore caretaker of his future. His mother and I treat his potential and his future very seriously, so as his friends, I hope to see that you both also take your futures very seriously. Now, why don''t you both introduce yourselves?"


    Hurbert maintained a stern voice throughout, making it exceptionally clear that he was instructing them rather than talking to them. Even his request for a self introduction came out more as a demand than anything else.


    Nero began to get a bad feeling about this. He was beginning to suspect that the value of Ss'' parents as potential useful contacts in the future was going to be nil. He could not help but think of how much time this would take. In total, he expected between three to four hours to be spent here. He hoped this wouldn''t be time wasted.


    If he couldn''t count on them as contacts, then at least he should find some other way to recoup the time spent. He did not mean to be so miserly with his time, but as someone who had only a year to hopefully be a Herald, he had to be.


    Before Nero could begin his self introduction, Vanessa gave a gentle bow and went first.


    "My name is Vanessa Abel, I am a foreign exchange student from Nova. I n on majoring in Curse Indagation. One of the reasons I havee to Aetherpeak is to study the Fog Angel phenomenon, which is unique to this region. Oh, and, I am a Neophyte."


    Vanessa''s voice was both sweet and energetic as she answered the question, as if portraying eagerness to answer. Nero suddenly felt like he was looking at a teacher''s pet, and felt the urge to scoff.


    Hurbert seemed surprised at her introduction, and could not help but ask, "Abel? You wouldn''t happen to have any rtion to Esmerelda Abel, would you?"


    "She is my aunt, married to my father''s brother," she answered, wearing a pleased smile.


    "Oh dear, what a small world. I had the good fortune of working with Esmeralda on a project some twenty years back in a joint venture with Nova. Of course, back then, we were both just starting out as artisans. And to think, Ss is now friends with you. Oh, how some friendships carry on between generations astounds me."


    Hurbert seemed particrly pleased to be reminded of his old friend, and his impression of Vanessa seemed to shoot through the roof. Nero could not help but appreciate the ''coincidence'' whereby Vanessa''s aunt was a friend of Herberts. Funny how things work out like that sometimes. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Feeling quite pleased, Herbert looked towards Nero and said, "what about you young man?"


    "My name is Nero Grant, born and raised in Aetherpeak. I''m aiming to enrol in KMA thising year, and am working to be selected as an Arcane Herald before then."


    Unlike Vanessa''s introduction, which improved his mood, Nero''s seemed to make him lose all interest.


    "As a soldier?" he asked, just to be sure.


    "Yes," he answered, though Nero could already sense the repulsion the man was exuding.


    "Young man, soldiers are a dime a dozen. You should be more ambitious in your pursuits, or you won''t even know how you died."


    Nero only gave a strained smile, but kept his thoughts to himself. There was no reason to argue with him. Unfortunately for Nero, Hurbert was not done with him yet.


    "For all the praise I''ve heard of you, I was expecting a little more. Perhaps spending time with Ss has not been the good influence on you that it should have. I just worry that young Ss might instead be swayed by some of your foolish notions. Young man, I think it''s time to reevaluate your future or cut ties."


    "Excuse me?" The sheer disbelief of what he was hearing prevented Nero from controlling himself.

 Chapter 47: Not his strong suit

    In the study, besides Hurbert Rodney himself, who was sitting, Ss, Vanessa, Nero and the butler were all standing. It was how Hurbert expected things to be. He was someone who deserved great respect, for his achievements had directly affected the fate of all of Kr, if not all mankind.


    Although he himself was only an Arcanist despite his mature age, the card recipes he had created could empower countless who were stronger than himself. They changed the tides of many battles and influenced the results of many critical situations.


    Although he could not im to be solely responsible for the sess of countless key figures in Kr, it was more or less certain that at least some of them would have died without relying on his works.


    So, although he himself had yet to achieve a higher realm, his influence more or less equaled one beyond the Arcanist level. That was without even considering his status as director of an army division.


    The due respect he was being given was what he deserved, which is why when Nero suddenly and rudely interrupted him, it peeved him even more. His impression of the child fell even further. With a stern gaze and a frown, he continued to speak.


    "You can polish a diamond, but you cannot polish dirt. If that is the extent of your vision then so be it. Perhaps, if the culmination of your path does not result in death in a ditch somewhere, you can stand guard outside Ss'' workstation in the future."


    Nero was so shocked, he was not even angry. Instead he onlyughed. A part of him, arge part of him, reminded him that there was no need to act out. The man in front of him was a big shot in the army, and even if he could not be a useful contact, there was no point in turning him into an enemy.


    To an extent, Nero had already seen through his personality. The man was a narcissist. In his eyes, everything in the world revolved around himself. He was not being a negligent parent on purpose either, most likely. In his eyes, he was probably doing a great job.


    But at the same time, to someone like him, Ss would never be a child. Rather, he was just one more achievement to pin on his own shoulder.


    The reason he wanted to see Ss'' friends was not to get to know them better, but to see if his son was likely to develop any useful connections in the future which would once again boost his own prestige.


    Perhaps this is exactly the kind of mindset it took to develop so much influence and power without any background.


    Once he was doneughing, Nero looked at Hurbert directly in the eyes, but chose to refrain from speaking. There was no need to make the situation any worse. He just had to tolerate a bit more. Deep breaths. He needed to take deep breaths.


    "Has age made you senile old man, or have you always been so ignorant?" he reproached, his voice filled with amusement rather than anger. Okay, so tolerating insults was not one of his strong suits. Now he knew, and he''d work on the next time he wanted to avoid making a powerful enemy.


    Ss, who was standing nervously beside Nero, froze still, and his entire mind shut down.


    What. Just. Happened.


    Hurbert''s aura did not explode in anger, but it definitely began simmering as he locked his gaze onto Nero.


    "I should expect nothing less from an aspiring footsoldier than vulgarity andck of decorum. I do not know for what purpose you havetched onto the halo of my son or the prestige of the Rodney household, but henceforth you are forbidden from associating him."


    "Ah, so you really have always been ignorant," Nero said without backing down. Though the pressure exuded by an Arcanist was massive, Hurbertcked the sharpness of abatant. Nero had grown up facing the aura of his own mother, so how would he be cowed by that of a researcher?


    "Listen up, let me educate you so that you wake up from your dreams. I did nottch on to anybody, nor do I need anything from your prestigious Rodney name. It is my influence that protects your son from being bullied in school, not the precious Rodney name. I am the one who made sure he keeps doing well. But what would you know about the troubles your own son faces?


    Your own men treat your son like dirt, probably because they know you don''t care about him. But what would you know of that?


    "You have a lot of pets here, in ponds and closed in cages. But your son is not a prize bird that you take care of by throwing food on the floor and grooming a couple of times, then appreciate in passing. Even more, I am certainly not someone you can just order around. If your fragile ego can''t take it, feel free to move Ss to another school.


    I''d like to see how well the Rodney name holds up when there are no foot soldiersaround to protect it."


    The more he spoke, the more Nero realised that his anger was quickly evaporating. The old man really was deluded. Why was he even wasting time talking to him? He should just leave.


    "Of course I know how Ss is treated, but with all theforts he receives at home, he needs a bit of toughening up!" Hurbert spoke, as if to prove that he really knew what his son was going through.


    "Back in my day, we managed fine without all this pampering and coddling. If he doesn''t face a bit of toughness, how will he grow? But what would a child know of such things? Depart. I no longer wish to waste my time with you. The path you walk is a short one.


    The next time I think of you, you will probably already be dead somewhere, like all the other arrogant young men who dream of grandeur."


    Nero, who was actually just getting ready to leave himself, paused. So he knew Ss was being mistreated, and encouragedit? A twinge of anger flickered amidst his amusement.

 Chapter 48: Interesting

    Nero studied the man in front of him. There was an arrogance that filled his eyes, as well as a sense of pride. He had been used of not knowing the struggles of his son, but he felt prideful that he was able to disprove that im, even if he admitted to instigating Ss'' troubles himself in doing so.


    "Back in your day?" Nero repeated, his voice no longer amused. In fact, even his volume had decreased as he spoke once more.


    "Was it really tough, back in your day? Did you suffer a lot? Was life inconvenient for you?" Nero''s mocking tone was quite harsh, and even the butler standing behind him began to stir his aura as a warning.


    "Maybe that''s the difference between you and the countless foot soldiers whoid down their lives so that everyone else can have a better life. They are trying to improve conditions for humanity, while you areining about the unfairness of your own son having it easier than you did.


    You''re not trying to toughenhim up, you''re exacting revenge on him for any difficulty you faced in your own childhood. Instead of trying to strengthen his character, you''re trying to tear him down. You are not a father, Hurbert Rodney. You are a curse, just of another kind."


    Nero did not yell or scream, and he was not forceful with his words, Yet the disgust in his voice was sharper for the level tone he kept, somehow.


    "I do not know about anything else, but you can be sure I''ll be keeping my distance from one Rodneyat the very least."


    Nero turned to leave, no longer wishing to spend any time here. This meeting had turned out to be a disaster, and there was no point in making it any worse. He was also aware that if Hurbert was such a callous man, then Ss would probably suffer the consequences for anything he said.


    As it was, by calling the man''s ego fragile and suggesting he change Ss'' school, Nero had somewhat ensured that exactly that did not happen. After all, he would most likely feel the need to prove that his ego was not fragile. But there was just a small chance for that, and it was not certain. After all, such simple reserve psychology did not always work out.


    When he turned around, he saw Ss frozen, fear and shock written all over his face. Nero shook his head.


    "If I were you, I''d move out of this building," he said to Ss, even though he knew the chances of that happening were low. "The hostels are not so bad."


    He looked at Vanessa, who was hiding her emotions well with a horrified expression, and at the butler, who was ring at Nero.


    With a snort, he left the room. He was not expecting to be harmed right now. After all, they left school in a very public fashion, and if anything happened to Nero it would reflect poorly on Hurbert''s prestige. But he felt a headacheing on as he thought about the fact that he had just created a huge problem for himself.


    The best he could hope for was to be ignored, while the more likely scenario was that he would face more than a few problems once he joined the army. Most likely, he would face a few problems sooner.


    If only his own father hadn''t disappeared, he could lump this problem in hisp. Although Nero''s family was not as rich as Ss'', they were not without influence and contacts themselves.


    Back in the study, Hurbert looked at Ss and questioned him.


    "This is the kind ofpany you keep? Rude andcking all manners?"


    He shook his head disappointingly before turning to Vanessa.


    "I am sorry you had to see that farce, dear. But sometimes, it is good to be exposed to the true characters of others early on. I suggest you keep your distance from such a deviant as well. It will only affect your own future. Ss, why don''t you take Vanessa to our private library. Since she wants to research curses, she might find our collection quite fascinating."


    Ss, who finally woke from his stupor, squeaked some iprehensible words and quickly led Vanessa out of the office. The butler stayed behind.


    Hurbert frowned slightly as he kept repeating the name ''Grant'' as if trying to recall something, but could not. Contrary to how Nero had actually expected, Hurbert was not angry at all. That was because he truly and genuinely underestimated the amount of arrogance in the man''s bones. No matter how their exchange actually went, he never took a single word Nero said seriously.


    To him, they were just the words of a child. He did not need to pay attention to them.


    Instead, he was much more intrigued by Nero''s unflinching attitude, especially when being targeted by someone in his position. Such depth of character and resolve was rare, even in actual soldiers let alone a student.


    Hurbert, as a cunning man, immediately identified as a potential pawn for the future. As such, he was interested in his background, but he could not recall any notable families with the surname Grant.


    "Bring me a file on that child," he said to his butler, and surprisingly the aged man seemed to have exactly such a file ready.


    While the files contained detailed records for Nero''s achievements in school, the background information on his family was much more limited. There were, however, pictures of his parents, which gave the man pause. A smile appeared on his face, for the first time.


    "Interesting," he muttered to himself.


    "Shall I ensure the young master stays away from him?" the butler asked.


    "No, but let him think I disapprove. It''s good for kids to rebel a bit at this age, builds character."


    With that, he closed the file and handed it back to the butler. He turned his attention back to his research. To him, this whole incident was just a small interlude during his work. After all, there was nothing more important.

 Chapter 49: Doubts

    Nero did not stick around after making such a grand exit, though that was to be expected since even Ss'' father had dismissed him. At the very least he got a good meal out of it.


    As soon as he exited the mansion, on foot since there was no way he was going to request to be dropped off, he made another call to his father, who once again did not pick up. Putting the phone back in his pocket, Nero started a light jog as he made his way out, for if he walked it would take too long.


    But with no distractions and a long jog ahead of him, he could not help but let his thoughts wander. This was the first time he had seen someone look down on Kri soldiers like this. It was surprising how many firsts he was encountering since he became a Neophyte, but this was absolutely one he never even imagined.


    The military ruled the entire country, basically, and the man himself was in the army at very high post. Yet just the thought of a soldier for him meant a short, unsessful path either leading to death or being a glorified guard.


    Did he not realise that without those soldiers, his precious little mansion would cease to exist? For everything they were worth, the private security in this gatedmunity would not be able to do much in the face of a true cursed event.


    But Nero also could not deny the extremely high death rate among the army. So did that mean all the rich and powerful thought this way? Was that the reason it was so easy for the mayor to send Patrick off to his death? Was he just another ''foot soldier'' in his eyes?


    He clenched his fist as he changed his train of thought. Dwelling on such matters would do him no good. Instead, he started reflecting on how he behaved.


    Even as he reflected on his actions, he could not tell if it was worth it or not. A side effect of always training and wanting to be a soldier was that Nero had whittled away his fears. He was not afraid to go and put his life on the line against true curses. But if that was the case, a side effect of it was that he was simrly not afraid to provoke trouble with someone clearly superior to himself.


    A part of his brain told him that he would have avoided a whole lot of trouble if he had just restrained himself, and pretended to listen to the deranged man. But another, equally convincing side of him argued that on the path he was treading, there was no room for doubt or hesitation.


    Obviously he should not provoke others unnecessarily, and create problems for himself, but at the same time he could not afford to step back in the face of every tricky obstacle.


    Both arguments sounded correct to him, and he could not decide which one was better. Which one would serve him the best in the long run? Which one would lead him to strength?


    For many things the answer came to him easily. But sometimes, he got stuck.


    Nero''s thoughts continued to cloud his mind even when he exited themunity and took a cab to Maxim''s card shop. After buying a couple of Enhanced learning cards, he took a cab back to school. It was already getting dark and he didn''t feel like cycling home.


    But the restlessness in his heart would not let him calm down, so instead of returning to his apartment he went to the gym and grabbed a spear. Instead of running to warm up, this time he practised forms.


    The thrust was the most basic and most important form, so he began with that. He let go off all thoughts and focused solely on the spear. He didn''t bother visualising his enemies and he stabbed forward, that would only distract him.


    Whoosh.


    The sound of the spear cutting through the air filled. At first, Nero felt something was off, so he adjusted his footing and his grip, and tried again.


    Whoosh.


    It was better, but not quite right. He adjusted his stance and tried again. Something clicked in his mind, and this time the thrust was perfect. Not wanting to waste the momentum, he took a step forward and transitioned into another thrust.


    Step by step, he moved from practising forms to full fledged shadow fighting. In the dimly lit room, only the sounds of Nero''s footsteps, his spear cutting through the air and his breathing could be heard.


    Nero lost himself in practice, and suddenly, on a whim, he activated his innate ability. As his spear stabbed forward, without warning, a blue me epassed the de of the spear and only the de. This was the first time Nero summoned his innate ability far away from himself, but he did not stop to admire the feat.


    Still fueled by the energy from his steak earlier, Nero dove even deeper into his training. He moved faster, stabbed with greater ferocity, and manipted the spear around him with superior skill.


    The faint, yellow lights in the room were drowned out by the deep blue of his mes, mixing colours and creating shadows as Nero unveiled his artistic performance. The me would brighten or dim ording to his actions, and leave trails behind in the air as he swung the spear through the air.


    Frost eventually began to gather, and mist escaped Nero''s mouth with every jagged breath he took, but he did not slow down. Fatigue started to build in his muscles, and his energy finally started to fade, but Nero did not allow himself to stop.


    Finally, in the heat of practice, and the chill of the hall, Nero''s mind began to clear.


    Whoosh.


    He cut down an imaginary foe, and stepped forward to face another. It did not matter what others thought. He was Nero Grant. While others yed, he trained. While others slept, he studied. While others gave up, he persevered.


    Whoosh.


    His mes began to brighten just as the light in his eyes began to increase. He was not a foot soldier, he was a warrior. He was not a coward, he was a Kri. When others feared death, he flirted with it. When others bowed, he stood straight. He did not need to worry about anything else, and just needed to focus on his goals.


    If trouble came his way, then he would not be afraid to deal with it.


    With a magnificent roar, Nero thrust his spear forward onest time, causing the me on the tip to explode in glorious shades of blue.

 Chapter 50: Undetected

    His me fizzed out, leaving Nero standing in the dim yellow light, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He pressed the spear against the ground and used it for support to help himself strand straight. He waspletely spent, but more than the soreness of his muscles or the exhaustion that gripped him, he felt clear headed.


    He took this time, while he was catching his breath, to sort through some of his thoughts. But, for once, he waspletely unaware that someone else was also in the room, watching him.


    Vanessa had apanied Ss for a while longer, but it was clear that after the debacle that urred he was not in the right state to entertain, so she had him drop her off at school. She lived in the female hostel, so getting dropped off at school was not a big deal. But, for reasons unknown, instead of her apartment, she found herself heading towards the gym.


    Somehow, a part of her knew that Nero would be here. She wanted to talk to him about what happened earlier, so she stepped in and waited for him to finish. Since he was usually so astute, she expected that he had sensed her arrival this time as well.


    But something was different today. She stood on the side for five minutes, then ten, and then twenty, but Nero showed on signs of stopping. Then he lit the tip of his spear on fire, and everything changed.


    Painted in the blue lustre of his me, his focused expression seemed¡­ different. Vanessa herself did not realise when she began to breathe even quieter, her attention fixed on the light show in front of her.


    The other girls had told her that her impression of Nero would change when she saw him training, but she hadn''t taken them seriously. However, out of curiosity, she had peeked at him training before. While she had to admit that he was impressive, that was about it.


    Now¡­ well, she still did not develop the fascination with him that the other girls had, but she had to admit that his ferocity had a certain charm about it.


    She noticed as the temperature of the room slowly started to drop, and was convinced that Nero would be done soon. It did not take a genius to realise that he was using his innate ability, so his energy reserves should finish soon. But the performance seemed to never end.


    From where she stood, she could eventually see steam rising from his body, as he became a source of both heat and cold. The heat was from his body, and the cold was from his spear. Under the blue light, he cut a captivating sight.


    Eventually she noticed that his breathing was getting heavier, and he was slowing down. She could feel the tension rising, the performance reaching its acme. Then, without warning, Nero thrust his spear forward onest time and released a guttural roar, causing a small explosion, and finally ending his performance.


    Now she just felt¡­ awkward. Yes, that was it. Awkward. Because it was clear that Nero hadn''t realised she was there. Should she just slip out?


    After a couple of minutes, when Nero had finally recovered a bit, he was about to go put his spear back when he instantly noticed Vanessa standing in the corner.


    "Someone clearly has anger issues," she said as she walked towards him.


    "Do you spy on all the guys while they train?" he asked, wiping the sweat off his brow. It was getting in his eyes now and resulting in a salty sting.


    "Just the ones who pick a fight with an army R&D director. I wanted to see if you practise your bad ideas in a mirror."


    Nero snorted.


    "Why do you think it was a bad idea? I don''t need anything from him, I don''t care what he thinks. A man who has his son bullied in his own home is not worthy of my respect."


    "A real macho man, aren''t you?" she said, rolling her eyes. "He''s an influential man. Having him in your corner can open many doors for you."


    "Probably. But that would also put me in his pocket. I don''t want to associate with such a man."


    "You ''do'' know that once you join the army, you can''t choose who your superior is, right? With a character like yours, can you even take orders?"


    Nero could not help but grin. Having potentially stupid or disagreeable superiors was one of his fears.


    "There''s no point in dwelling on it. I''ll deal with it when the timees. What happened after I left? Is Ss alright?"


    "Nothing happened in front of me, but I can''t say for certain that nothing won''t happenter. You''ve really put him in a tough situation."


    "As far as I''m concerned, he should move out of there. Much more than the favour of a narcissistic old geezer, I value Ss'' potential. His influence will eventually be greater than his father."


    Vanessa shook her head, as if she disagreed with him, but didn''t want to argue.


    "If he''s your friend, you shouldn''t put him in a tough spot like that."


    "He was born in a tough spot," Nero answered. He finally put away his spear and was getting ready to leave.


    "Did you need something, or did you juste here to admonish me?"


    Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Even she herself didn''t know why she hade here, but she obviously couldn''t say that.


    "Before I left, the butler handed me a few books saying that they were gifts from Ss'' father. I thought you might find their titles interesting."


    She opened a bag she was carrying and showed Nero the book covers. There were three of them, and each one had to do with Eldrim ruins.


    "You mind if I borrow one?" Nero couldn''t help but ask. "While you read the others, I mean. I''ll return it when you need it."


    She shrugged, and let him pick. After that, both of them went their separate ways.

 Chapter 51: Luminalink

    The walk from the school campus to his hostel was barely five minutes long, but as Nero took slow, wobbling steps he suddenly regretted training to such an extent. The simple walk turned into an entire ordeal for him. He pretended to saunter along, but his sweat drenched clothes were a clear indicator of his condition at the moment.


    The only redeeming part of the walk was that Nero had be immune to the cold, so the chilly wind did not affect him even in his condition. It was a good thing too, or he''d be suffering from a cold the next day.


    Eventually, though, he made it, and felt immensely grateful that his apartment was on the first floor because he was not looking forward to climbing many stairs. Before heading towards his apartment, however, he took out his keys and checked the apartment mailbox.


    Mail meant for anyone from 1 G would be put in this locked mailbox, and they all often took the mail back to their apartment and handed it to whomever it was addressed for.


    Since Nero had been anticipating a letter from his father he checked every day, though so far he had been met with disappointment. Today he was expecting nothing different, but a single, white envelope was ced inside of it, addressed to Nero Grant. There was no sender''s address.


    Feeling slightly energised and hopeful, he grabbed the letter before undertaking the arduous journey back to his apartment.


    Anthony was cooking something, but no one else seemed to be home. After greeting him, Nero went directly to his room and threw himself on his chair, atst. It seemed that, in his zeal, he had thoroughly overdone it.


    He allowed himself a moment to let his body rest, before turning his attention to the letter. Careful not to tear it, he opened the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper from within.


    Nero gathered himself up and read the letter meticulously, but the more he read, the more confused he became. The letter was¡­ extremely ordinary. It mentioned a few things about his mothers recovery, and even delivered her love and concern. It asked several questions about how he was finding hostel life. It even shared some stories from his fathers own experiences, and gave plenty of advice.


    It was a perfectly mundane letter. The handwriting and content assured him that this was not a generic letter, but indeed was one written by his father. But¡­ what was the point of writing such a letter? The entire contents of the letter could be discussed in a two minute phone call. Was there¡­ supposed to be some kind of code? How was he supposed to crack it?


    He had no experience in cryptography!


    He narrowed his eyes, and then tried to recall thest conversation he had with his father. Had he dropped some kind of hint? If he had, Nero could not recall. He checked the envelope once more to ensure that there was nothing else in it, then reread the whole letter again, but this time even more slowly.


    At a nce, the entire letter seemed ordinary. Unfortunately, even under scrutiny, it revealed nothing spectacr. He was almost done reading the letter for the second time when he felt a word in a sentence near the end didn''t fit right.


    The sentence discussed how, when his father lived in a hostel, he kept a luminous sidemp in his room to avoidplete darkness in case of a power outage, which were frequent back then. Did he mean glow in the dark?


    Although Nero understood what he meant, the strange wording confused him for half a second before he instantly realised something. He reached into his card case and shuffled through the cards until he felt a particrly smooth texture.


    It was his fathers 0 star innate card - Luminalink!


    Name: Luminalink


    Image: A golden me, resting in a hand.


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Transmit any kind of data through light]


    vour text: "Knowledge will light the way forward," - Edward Grant


    Damn, he just realised that if this card really worked the way he might be thinking then¡­ his father might really be the perfect spy!


    Filled with anticipation and excitement, he channelled his aether into his fathers innate card for the first time, and targeted the letter.


    He saw a bright sh of light, and then found himself standing somewhere unfamiliar. To be more specific, he was standing in an empty, white room.


    "Ah, my child, how is adulthood treating you?" came a familiar voice, causing Nero to turn around. His father was standing right there, behind him, wearing a gloating smile. Why was he so good at hitting people exactly where it hurt?


    "I didn''t move out to be an ''adult'', I moved out so I can spend more time training. This does not mean you guys are free from your duty as parents. For all I know, you and mom have actually run away to your second honeymoon!"


    His father continued to stare at him for a few seconds more, before he burst outughing.


    "Stupid child, did you actually give me an answer? You do know that this is just a prerecorded message, right? I cannot hear anything you say."


    Nero clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Such an obvious thing should have been his first thing he realised uponing here, but because of his exhaustion, paired with the relief of finally seeing his father, he had fallen perfectly into this trap.


    "Can you grow up?" he muttered, even as he smiled. He knew the answer to that. His father would absolutely never grow up, much to his mothers remorse.


    "By the way, how do you like my ability? If you are using the 0 star card to record a message, you could probably only record for a minute. But since you''re only receiving the information, it can basically continue till the card''s durability runs out, or your aether does. So that gives us plenty of time. Sit down kid, we have much to talk about."

 Chapter 52: Family secrets

    Before Nero could look around for a chair, the sound of a door opening alerted him that someone wasing in his room so he immediately deactivated Luminalink. That was when he realised that, despite standing in the vision, he was actually sitting in real life. He had nearly been tricked by his father again. He clicked his teeth and looked up, just in time to see an exhausted Gabrieling in.


    "What happened to you?" Nero couldn''t help but ask. It was notmon to see him so spent.


    "Field survival ss. We were unexpectedly targeted by several back-to-back curses, but since the level was low, the teachers let us take care of it ourselves. In the end, it turned out that it''s hard to remember everything you learnt in ss when you''re fighting for your life."


    Although Gabriel did not borate further, Nero could conclude that the ss had not gone well.


    "Well, get some rest. When you''re feeling better, we have some things we need to discuss. I heard a rumour that the KMA recruitment exam might be held in Aetherpeak. We need to look into it."


    "That rumour has been going around for a week," Gabriel said dismissively. "Until there''s a shred of proof, such as exam site preparations or the arrival of staff members, it''s best to ignore it."


    "I heard it from Ms. Zim."


    That gave Gabriel pause, and then he groaned.


    "I''m going to go take a shower. I''ll look into these things in the morning."


    After grabbing some clean clothes, Gabriel exited the room. Nero could not help but notice that his roommate was limping. It seems that the ss had gone much worse than he made it sound.


    As soon as he left the room, Nero pulled out the letter and activated the card once more. Although he trusted Gabriel, certain things were best not revealed to anyone. The fact that his father had produced an innate card was not something he could share with anyone. The seriousness of breaking Whisper Guard rules could not be underestimated.


    He was relieved to discover that, upon using the card once again, the message began to rey from the beginning. He was not certain how exactly this recording had been attached to the paper, but that was something he could experiment withter on. For now, he was curious to learn why his father was being so secretive.


    "Sit down kid, we have much to talk about," he said, and paused, as if waiting for Nero to actually try. A momentter, he could not help but chuckle.


    "Did you actually try to sit? This is a recording, not a projection. Here, you can only observe and do nothing else. Sheesh. But nevertheless, take a metaphorical seat, kid, because now it''s time you learned a few things. Since you''re an adult now, it''s time you learnt a few family secrets - at least the ones that might harm you if you don''t know.


    Let''s start with your matters rted to your mom. Do you know your moms maiden name?"


    Since his father had mentioned learning about secrets, he was expecting to learn about things rted to Whisper Guard. Even though it was supposed to be a secret, being a member of Whisper Guard made it all too easy for Nero to imagine countless fantastical stories about his father and his background.


    When they were kids, he and Patrick used to imagine that their father was secretly a Sage in disguise, and that they were being raised below their families means as a way to ''build character''.


    But the thing he was absolutely not expecting was to hear about his mother. What secrets did she have? She was a prodigy before she was injured, but how was that a secret? But then he remembered that, only a few weeks ago, his father for the first time mentioned his uncle who he didn''t even know he had. That should have been a hint that maybe there were more things about his mother he didn''t know.


    As he began to think about it, he realised that he did not, in fact, know his mothers name. As a matter of fact, he knew very little about his mothers life before she got married.


    "Her maiden name was Soren. Does it ring a bell? I''d be genuinely surprised if it did. I will not reveal the history behind that name - I''ll leave it as a little side project for you to discover on your own. What I will tell you, however, is that the Soren family is an old family, with very strong traditions. Sometimes, that can be a good thing, and sometimes, it can be bad.


    In your mothers case, it is a bad thing.


    "Right now, she is in Lorilem getting treated by an Orchardist, but I can tell you in advance that the result of that treatment is going to be a failure. It''s not surprising, since Orchardists don''t specialise in healing the way Ayurvedists do. At least, that''s what the official story is going to be.


    No matter what, news of your mothers recovery cannot be made public knowledge, at least until she breaks through to the Mystic realm. Preferably, even then, it''s best to keep it a secret.


    "That''s because the Soren family has many enemies, and many people who do not want to see it rise. Your mother strongly suspects that¡­ that the incident with Patrick is also a result of her background. Although there''s no proof of it yet, if it''s true, then chances are you are also going to be targeted.


    The same way her brother was forced to escape Kr, the same way her cultivation path was crippled."


    By this point, Edwards'' charismatic smile had fadedpletely, and he could not help but let out a deep sigh. But he did not stay silent for long, and continued speaking.


    "But, while you should stay vignt, you should also know that I have also learnt from my mistakes. I have arranged for protection for you, in case you are targeted. I will tell you their identities, but you cannot reveal that you know their purpose, since they''re also from the Whisper Guard. One of them is called Harvey, and the other is called Zim.


    I believe, by now, you should already be familiar with them."

 Chapter 53: Love & Hate

    Nero''s expression darkened as he wrapped his head around everything his father told him. He thought back to that devastating day, six years ago, when he suddenly got news that his mother had been seriously injured and was in the hospital.


    It was an incredibly tense time for their family, and it took nearly a month before his mother even woke up. The next six months were spent in her recovery and basic physical therapy, as well as grappling with the knowledge that her cultivation path had been crippled.


    In spite of how difficult it was for her personally, she did not let Nero or Patrick feel that burden. Soon she went back to being normal, and made them look on the bright side, which was that she could spend more time at home with the family.


    He never would have guessed that behind his seemingly peaceful childhood memories, there were so many dark secrets. But while he was reflecting on this past, he immediately noticed something unusual. If the Soren family was being targeted, why would they not outright kill them all? Why only drive them off, or pick on them one at a time?


    He looked up at his fathers projection. He could not ask him any questions, so he could only wait till they actually met to ask, or hope he gets his answers in this message.


    "Are you done thinking yet?" Edward asked, or rather his projection did. "I hope so, because I need your attention again. Assuming your mother is correct about why Patrick was targeted, even though I''ve assigned some guards to you, I am fairly confident that you will not be targeted. Can you tell me why?"


    The question stumped Nero. Being exhausted so that he was not in top form was only a part of the reason. The other reason was that he just could not imagine why anyone would let their enemy live. He imagined that if he could, eliminating all his enemies should be the best practice.


    Nero paused. If he could eliminate them all that''s what he''d do, but what if he couldn''t?


    "Learning from your enemies tactics is an essential part of growing," his father instructed, much in the way he had Nero''s entire life. "If the strategy worked against you, there''s no reason you can''t use the same tactic against others. The crux of the matter is to put pressure on your enemy, but not push them till they feel like they have nothing to lose.


    This will keep them from growing, but at the same time, won''t risk retaliating too fiercely."


    At this point, a projection of a chair appeared behind Edward and he sat on its edge. It was only now that Nero was noticing that his father, now that he was not joking around, looked exhausted. Considering the fact that he was an Arcanist, with a body and fitness greatly superior to normal humans, the faint streaks of red in his eyes could only be born from great exertion.


    "These are things I am sharing with you so that you''re not caught unaware in the worst case scenario. But, as of right now, you do not need to be concerned about them. There is no proof that Patrick was targeted because of your mothers family. Even in the case that he was, my sudden disappearance will work in your favour.


    After all, since I cannot be tracked, they will have to watch out for my retaliation in case someone targets you.


    "You only need to focus on growing stronger, and following your own path. Being a part of the military will bring you face to face with many dangers, but it is a form of security as well. The reason I say this is because¡­ we can''t really be sure who is targeting the Soren family to begin with. But whoever it is, they are heavily restrained, and can only act in the dark.


    So the higher your position in the army, the safer you will be."


    "Gee thanks, you couldn''t have told me this before I offended a director," Nero muttered, mostly to himself.


    "There''s also one more reason I told you about your mothers history. Some time ago, you asked me if we had some secret technique that helped speed up cultivation. Iughed it off. But the truth is, your mother''s family really does have a way that can help speed up your cultivation. I will pass on the details to you at the end of this message.


    Nero, I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that no oneever finds out about this.


    "In fact, you can never mention this again, even to me. The only way it is safe to talk about is through the use of Luminalink, since it cannot be spied upon. But even then, as much as possible, it is best you treat it as if it doesn''t exist at all. I need you to be very clear about the fact that if anyone learns of this, you are not the only one who will be in danger. So will I, and your mother.


    "This is a part of your mothers family legacy, something that would drive anyone insane with greed, and is the secret behind why your mother and I became Arcanists so quickly. It will also be a great help to you on your path. The best part is, no one can prove we''re doing anything to begin with. At most, people will think we have excellent gics."


    At this point Edward smiled. Nero knew him well enough to recognise that his father was about to make an inappropriate joke, but in thest second, he only sighed instead. It was a simple act, and it should not have been a big deal, but it caused Nero to tremble.


    His father was a person who only ever revealed a smiling face, even in the toughest of times, so for him to openly express even a hint of sorrow took Nero by surprise, and somewhat overwhelmed him.


    "You know kid, we never really talk about your brother anymore. It''s probably a little unhealthy, to be honest. Army protocol states that when a soldier dies, or goes missing for upwards of six months, they send a letter to the family stating his K.I.A. status. We never really received anything for your brother, so chances are that he''s still alive.


    "But when he was taken, your mother, she was heartbroken. She never let herself see any hope of his return, because hoping was too painful. Even though she says that a Kri''s death is written on the battlefield, there''s no saying that can describe the pain of losing a child.


    I guess, what I''m trying to say is, I know you''re out there growing up and spreading your wings, but just, if it''s not too inconvenient, try not to die."


    A heavy silence fell between Nero and the projection as he tried to absorb all the information he had just received. With his fists clenched, Nero could only stare down at his feet, and did not even have the courage to look up at his father. This was the first time he had admitted to the pain his mother was feeling, and no doubt his own pain as well.


    Hearing all this¡­ only filled Nero''s heart with a raging fire.


    His anger was boiling, and his thirst for revenge was growing even greater, if that was possible. It was not this cursed world that had brought his family pain, it was that cursed Dom family. He would make them pay. He would¡­


    "Because if you die, I''m going to have to have more kids," Edward suddenly said, his heavy voice reced by a jovial one. "Oh yeah, did I mention that once your mother is healed she''ll be able to have kids again? But I''m really trying to avoid having any more kids, I''m an old man now, nearly 38. I can''t be ruining my beauty sleep ''cus a kid''s diaper needs changing."


    Despite howme the joke was, Nero could not stop himself fromughing. His father was an idiot, and he loved him. Compared to people like Ss, his family was amazing. The fact that someone had ruined all that was also the source of his anger.


    "Anyway kid, let''s get down to business. The method of increasing your cultivation speed is twofold. The first part involves making a special card, and the other part includes absorbing vitality from external sources.


    "I probably don''t need to tell you this, but I''m going to anyway. Don''t share the card recipe with anyone. Learn to make it yourself. The recipe will also undergo subtle changes based on your level. Make sure to memorise it carefully, this is your only chance."


    Nero suddenly paused Luminalink and searched for Enhanced learning. Since he was about to receive his mothers family legacy, he did not want to carry out any half-hearted measures. This was going to change his entire life, so he absolutely could not afford to misremember anything.

 Chapter 54: Radix Augmentation

    Nero exited his room, walked to the fridge and grabbed himself some juice. Since the bathroom was currently upied, he washed his face in the kitchen sink as well.


    "Feeling drowsy?" Anthony, who was eating a meal and studying, asked.


    "Yeah, I need to memorise a bunch of stuff for card crafting ss, but I''m having trouble focusing," Nero said as he wiped the cold water off his face.


    Anthony only groaned, as if he understood exactly what Nero was going through. Nero returned to his room and drank the juice, allowing to absorb the sudden influx of sugars. Then he activated Enhanced learning. This card was only supposed to be used once every 30 hours, and Nero normally stuck by that guideline. But today he had to push it a little since he couldn''t afford to wait.


    He absolutely could not afford to keep this letter lying around if the information it carried was so valuable. He intended to learn the recipe and then burn it. Nero even went as far as meditating, to clear his mind of all straying thoughts.


    Generally speaking, Nero had a good memory, but it was far from the level of being eidetic. For something as important as his, he couldn''t afford to be forgetful.


    Once he felt like he was ready, he used Enhance learning on himself, and then once again activated Luminalink. Rather than listening to the whole message again, he used the card to fast forward to the part where he left off.


    "The basic format for the recipe will stay consistent. The only difference is that the card is specifically designed for each level, Neophyte, Initiate and Arcanist. That means that while you''re an Arcanist you can still get by with a card meant for Neophytes, with reduced effectiveness, but the opposite is not true.


    If you try to use a card meant for an Arcanist at your level, you will suffer an injury instead.


    "That''s because the recipe for the card used for Neophytes is the original, and the following two are derivatives, researched byter generations after studying the original. First, I am going to go over the recipe, as well as how to use it, before moving onto the second part of the technique.


    "First things first, the base of the card is going to be a nt fibre amalgam that you''re going to have to blend yourself. The steps will be¡­"


    The card recipe was, predictably, not simple at all. To be fair, theplexity of the initial recipe was not because the materials were too rare or difficult to handle, but because they were so specific that he would have to manufacture each one himself.


    As for how difficult it was to actually craft the card, Nero would not be finding out anytime soon, unless he rapidly improved his card crafting skills.


    Then came the recipes for the Initiate and Arcanist versions of the card. Compared to the original, they were actually simpler to make. That''s because many of the ingredients used were vastly more difficult to procure, and the ones avable should be extremely expensive.


    This was not Nero''s own judgement, for he did not even know most of them, but was an observation his father made.


    Nero went over the instructions a dozen times and repeated the ingredients in his head over and over, so that he would learn them. He was developing a mild headache due to the premature use of Enhanced learning, but it did not impede his memorisation much.


    Eventually, Nero had to take a break because he once again heard the sound of his room door opening. Gabriel looked somewhat recovered after his shower, but he was still limping. Nero slipped the letter and Luminalink in his pocket, grabbed his own clothes and went to the restroom, turned on the shower, and then sat on the side as he began to go over the recipe again.


    Eventually, when he was convinced that he had the entire thing memorised perfectly, he finally allowed himself to watch the rest of the message.


    "Once you''ve mastered the recipe and finally crafted the card, this is what you should end up with."


    Edward held up a 0 star card and showed it to Nero so he could familiarise himself with it and know what to expect.


    Name: Radix Augmentation


    Image: The silhouette of a tree with a massive rootwork


    Type: Augmentation


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Use external aids to enhance aether absorption]


    vour text: "From the earth we are nurtured and grown" - ???


    Nero studied the card carefully, and was relieved to learn that the ability of the card did not outright spell out its actual purpose, though it subtly hinted at it. He was also intrigued by the fact that there was a quote, but the name of the person who said it was missing.


    "At a nce, should anyone else see the card, it will look like a simple aether recovery card. In fact, if anyone else uses it, that''s exactly what will happen, though you should never let such a situation ur. This is a very weak failsafe. To properly use it, you need to absorb vitality from external sources.


    "In this situation, vitality is just a very nice word. What it actually means is that you need something that has freshly died. It can be an animal, nt or insect, and the stronger they are, the better the effect will be. All you need to do is hold them while using the card. Your body will naturally absorb the vitality and use it to boost your absorption."


    "Yeah, that''s not creepy at all, dad," he muttered.


    "This is the tricky part, son. The longer the body, or body part, has been dead, the less effective it''s going to be. This is another reason why joining the army will be a good opportunity for you. Not because you will be fighting monsters, but because you''ll spend a lot of time outside cities. In my personal experience, nts are the easiest to use, even if they''re not the most effective."


    Edward paused, and his projection looked away into the distance. It seemed like something had happened while he was recording to distract him.


    "I''m going to end the message here, son. There are more things I wish I had the time to tell you, but I''ve told you everything you need to know. Unfortunately, before you ask, my side of the family does not have any secret legacy I can pass on to you. I''m sorry if you find that disappointing.


    The only thing I can offer you is¡­ if things ever go bad for you, and you''re in a tough spot, do whatever you feel like you need to do. As long as I''m alive, I''ll handle the fallout for you."


    The message ended quite abruptly, so Nero guessed that whatever had attracted his father''s attention must have been extremely urgent. But even though the message had ended, Nero had a lot to think about.


    Finally, he took off his clothes and walked under the shower. His distracted mind did not notice at all whether the water was hot or cold. It was not like it mattered much to him anymore.


    *****


    A strange sound pervaded the silent night, as if someone was choking on something. The leaves rustled whenever the wind blew, obscuring the sound, but whenever they stopped, the sound returned.


    Up above, countless clouds obscured the night sky, blocking the moonlight. But the forest was not as dark as it should have been. Instead, a warm, golden light illuminated the forest floor, and revealed countless corpses, still bleeding and asionally spasming.


    Yet the heavy smell of blood did not attract any animals or wild beasts, as strange as that was.


    A small distance away from the corpses, a man was kneeling on the ground, and in front of him stood an armoured figure, holding him up by the hair. A stream of golden energy seemed to be flowing out of the kneeling man''s eyes, and gathering into a golden me in the palm of the armoured man.


    The scene was ominous, but it continued uninterrupted for a few minutes more, until finally the golden energy stopped flowing. At the same time, the kneeling man stopped making the strange, throaty noises, and fell over on the ground. He was not dead yet, but he might as well be.


    "Is he the mole?" a voice asked the armoured man, its source unseen.


    The armoured man crushed the me in his clenched fist and absorbed the golden energy from it. A few momentster, he shook his head.


    "He is just another messenger. He has no information about the mole. However, it seems he is carrying an important letter. It should still be on his body. Do you want me to retrieve it?"


    "Grab the letter and bring it back for analysis. This was ourst lead on the mole. If we let him slip, the situation is going to get even worse."


    The armoured man looked at the countless corpses all around him.


    "Yeah, let''s try to avoid worse¡­"

 Chapter 55: Benefits of Sleep

    The physical and mental exhaustion of the prior to getting the letter were already great, so the massive influx of information it presented was a huge burden on Nero. There were countless things he needed to go over, reflect and understand.


    For example, his father had imed that Footer and the chatty card crafting teacher were both members of the Whisper Guard. That revealed a lot of new information to him, because the persona that Whisper Guard had created was that everyone of its members had been publicly acknowledged as members of Whisper Guard.


    This prevented them from being interfered with by any other branch of the military or civil authority.


    Of course, they never officially imed to be dering all their members but it was amon consensus among the public. Yet a simple statement from his father unveiled that it was all false. It was not too surprising, to be honest. But suspicion and confirmation were two different things.


    Besides, both Footer and his chatty Ms. Zim had been at the school for a long time. He could not even begin to guess what undercover agents might need in a school. Perhaps they didn''t need anything at all, but it was just a cover identity. But why would a secret agency have its agents embedded within their ownmunity?


    These were just some of the questions clouding his mind. He had not even begun to think about the possibility that there might be a greater secret behind his brother being targeted. But, from what Irene told him, Patrick anticipated that he was about to face some trouble, which is why he married her.


    Nero clenched his fists. He couldn''t believe his brother had the gall to marry Irene before being sent off to a death sentence. That was not how he normally behaved at all. Normally, he was very responsible and honest, and would never do something that could potentially hurt others. Did that mean he secretly knew that he would not die? Was there more to the story?


    The questions were endless. It made sense for that to happen when one of your parents had a secret identity, and not the one you were actually expecting.


    But Nero did not allow himself to ponder these questions. As world shaking as they were, if he ruined his sleep schedule then his energy and crity levels the following day would be thoroughly ruined. That would impede his training and his studying. He absolutely could not afford that.


    Even if he was somewhat exaggerating the extent of the effectck of proper sleep would have, it was something best avoided.


    He began to meditate to help him clear his mind. Since meditation was not easy, and he needed something to focus on to keep his mind from wandering, he focused on his breathing. Purposefully, he slowed down his breaths and focused solely on his inhtion and exhtion.


    Thest thing he remembered before eventually falling asleep were the sounds of Gabriel whimpering in his own bed.


    Nero woke the next day to the sound of his rm, and managed to turn it off without destroying his phone. But while he was d for the sleep, he woke up to his entire body feeling incredibly sore.


    It had been a long time since he had felt this sore, as regrly training normally prevented it. It seemed the consequences of yesterday''s exertion were baring their fangs. But getting enough sleep was already showing its results as he abruptly noticed something ringly obvious he missed yesterday.


    Grabbing his knife, the original one he had lost in the temple which had been returned to him a few days ago, he turned and looked at Gabriel, who was still asleep. Even in his sleep, he wore a frown, as if he was in some kind of pain.


    Dots connected in Nero''s mind. Gabriel had gone for field survival ss. Regardless of how eventful or strenuous it should have been, following his return, each student would have undergone cleansing and healing in case they had been affected by a curse which had gone unnoticed.


    In that case, unless it was a grievous wound such as a bone fracture or worse, Gabriel should not have been limping. In the event that he had suffered such an injury, he would have been kept in the hospital, and not allowed to return.


    All-in-all, his limp was absolutely not normal. The fact that he was suffering even now, in his sleep, was evident, and a sign of something wrong. Nero could not just make a diagnosis based on his limited information as to what was wrong, but a single thing came to his mind.


    Like Apparition curses, which appeared suddenly and without warning, there were a number of curses with dyed or hidden effects, such as a Parasitic curse or a Possession!


    He did not know about them in detail, but he had only recently studied about Parasitic curses in his ss. It was a type of curse which, as was evident from its name, parasitises a host. Its modus operandi was to gather energy from the host and allow it to mature, at which point it would evolve into something much, much worse!


    A part of Nero''s mind told him that it could not be such a thing, for it were, it would have been detected and cleansed by the teachers. But that did not stop him from thinking that something was definitely wrong.


    Fortunately, Gabriel had not been disturbed by Nero''s rm. Whatever the case, Nero did not intend to face the situation head on. It would be much better to alert a teacher, or one of the hostel guards about the abnormality. At worst, it would be a false rm.


    Nero suddenly cursed himself for leaving his deck case on the table below his bunk bed. He swore, in the future, he would keep it on his person at all times.


    Careful not to make any sound, he lowered himself from his bed slowly, keeping an eye on the disgruntled Gabriel throughout. Once he reached the ground he grabbed his deck case and opened it, pulling out Muted self to ensure he made no sound. He also pulled out another card


    Name: Air push


    Image: A ball of wind breaking a stic nk


    Type: Force/Wind


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Push a target back using a concentrated st of air.]


    vour text: "The winds of the Eldermyst in my hand."


    Stronger versions of this card would be quite dangerous, but in Nero''s hand it would do little more than push a target back without hurting them too much. It was just a precautionary measure.


    He put the card case in his pocket and slowly walked to the door, with only a knife and a card in his hand. The door opened without much noise, and much to Nero''s delight, his other roommates were not sitting or making noise in themon area, as was usual.


    He closed the door behind him without disturbing Gabriel, but it was too soon to celebrate yet. Without any ceremony he walked to the other room in his apartment, which he had only ever visited once before.


    It seemed that luck was on his side, for Anthony, Richard and Felipe had already returned from their night sses, and had yet to fall asleep.


    "Gabriel''s behaving oddly," he said, getting straight to the point. "He had field survival ss yesterday, and he''s been in pain ever since. I suspect a Parasitic curse (PC), or something along those lines."


    It took a moment for the three to absorb what Nero said, but they immediately became serious and did not dismiss his suspicions. Unlike Nero and Gabriel, who were aiming for KMA, his three roommates had no such aspirations. Instead of focusing on the military, they were focused on specialising in being Curse hunters!


    "Schools have very strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding these things," said Anthony. "If there''s something wrong, either it''s not an ordinary PC or it''s something else. We need to alert someone right away. Do you know who else had the ss with him?"


    "No, I-" Nero was about to step into the room, but all three of his roommates immediately pointed their respective weapons at him together, as if cautioning him not to take another step.


    "Don''t take it personally," Felipe said, as he took off his slippers. Poor footwear would actually reduce his grip, which was not good in a fight. "If there is something wrong with Gabriel, then there''s a chance of cross contamination, considering you spent the night with him. Please keep a safe distance. In fact, why don''t you go sit in the bathroom? We''ll alert the guards."


    Instead of feeling offended or rmed, Nero felt reassured by their behaviour. The speed with which they responded was pretty good.


    "I don''t know who else was in the ss with him," Nero said as he slowly backed out of the room and walked towards the bathroom. As long as the guards were alerted, and the situation handled, he did not care.


    "Don''t worry," said Richard, as he jogged towards the exit of their apartment. "It''s probably nothing. He probably pulled a muscle or something."


    But the moment he opened the door his expression changed. The hallway was covered in blood.

 Chapter 56: Everything that could go wrong

    From the restroom, where Nero was standing, he could not see the hallway. Nevertheless he felt the sudden shift in the energy in the room, and time seemed to flow down as he saw the expression on his roommates change. The casual nonchnce changed into surprise and horror, which was immediately followed by great vignce.


    Before Nero could inquire about the situation, the smell hit him like a sledgehammer. The raw, metallic tang of blood could be both nauseating and debilitating, but none of them were inexperienced.


    Anthony and Felipe raised their weapons and eyed Nero once more, seriously assessing him for any dangers.


    "We need to alert the guards without attracting too much attention," Anthony had only begun to say when the ear piercing, ring fire rm turned on. There were rms in every room, andrger sirens in every hallway to ensure that the noise could not be ignored.


    "Close the door ande back in," Nero yelled. He did not know what they had seen outside in the hall, but it was clear that the guards were alerted to the situation here, or at least would be as soon as they investigated the rm.


    More importantly, they needed to not attract any attention. Countless scenarios ran through Nero''s head, and while this was not the time to indulge in conspiracies, he was certain that this had something to do with the ruins, and maybe even the impending recruitment test.


    But the situation was deteriorating quickly. The door to his room burst open and Gabriel came limping out, the right half of his body ck as if he had no control over it.


    Fear and panic were evident on his face as he searched the room and finally locked eyes with Nero.


    At the same time, a viscous shriek travelled through the hallway and the three seniors locked eyes with something.


    "That''s not a curse," Anthony yelled as he ran outside. The rest of what he was saying was drowned out by the siren.


    The situation was well screwed, so Nero immediately entered a state simr to the one he had been in the temple. A me was lit in his heart, absorbing all his unnecessary emotions and bringing him to a state of perfect rity.


    Gabriel, while in an unusual state, was still lucid and in control of himself so Nero approached while raising his guard. The three other roommates must havee to the same conclusion since they decided to ignore him, and had begun fighting something in the corridor. Soundings of chaotic fighting already filled the building, and Nero could hear the sounds of countless children panicking.


    He did not dismiss the sounds or push them out. It was important to know what was happening around him, even if vaguely.


    He arrived near Gabriel just in time to catch him as he fell over.


    "I cansh conshtrol mai abilishty¡­" the tried tomunicate.


    He was unable to control his ability, which was extremely concerning. Loss of control over aether was a symptom of Parasitic curses, as he guessed, but Anthony seemed fairly confident that this wasn''t that.


    The light in the building suddenly shut down, but emergency lights came on a momentter. The sirens were also subdued since they were running on emergency power. The change had taken a fraction of a second, but the consequences of it were dire. Something threw Felipe across the hall, hitting his back in the open door of their apartment.


    Nero turned just in time to see a student hurl himself on him, his hands held forward like ws.


    Without wasting a moment, Nero used the card Air push andunched an air bullet at the student, pushing him away. Under the shing lights he noticed what was strange about the attacking student. His body was covered in woody vines!


    "Crap!" he said as he finally realised what Anthony had been unable tomunicate, and used the knife in his hand to cut open the leg of Gabriel''s pyjama. From the base of Gabriel''s foot, green and brown shoots were growing along his leg, many of them digging into his flesh in various parts.


    This was a problem he had no solution for! There were no 0 star cards that could deal with the scale of Gabriel''s parasitism, or whatever the hell was happening to him. Nero had to take drastic measures.


    It had only been a dozen or so seconds since the situation devolved so suddenly, and if there were more students infected the way Gabriel was, Nero may have to fight. Hopefully, within a few minutes at most the guards would show up, but a few minutes was the difference between life and death in such situations.


    "This is going to hurt," Nero said, as he summoned his Cryome on his right hand. He had to be drastic and yet precise at the same time.


    Taking a big risk, he ran his fingers along the length of the vines, hoping that they couldn''t survive his me. It worked much better than he expected, as not only was he unharmed by the insidious nt, but he began freezing it!


    Before Nero could continue his emergency treatment, he heard the sound of running. Some figures, too fast to discern the identity of, ran across the apartment door and were being chased. A few of the chasing creatures ran past as well, but one which had fallen behind stumbled, and then suddenly looked towards Nero.


    Even under the dim, emergency lights, Nero could see the student clearly. A number of green vines had emerged from his ear and wrapped around his face, entering his nose. His neck had bulged in size in an odd shape, most likely due to a number of vines travelling through it. His right arm waspletely covered in the woody vines, almost turning into a weapon of his own.


    But it was not his disfigured state that was the most horrifying. It was his eyes, the sheer panic in them. Through his eyes Nero could see traces of the students mind, aware and trapped within his own body as it was used by some abomination. He was very much still alive.


    Nero did not wait for the creature to attack first. Despite the soreness of his body, and the fatigue that had carried over from yesterday, he struck with speed and swiftness that left his figure a blur, with even the student not being able to respond properly.


    He raised his right hand, as if to block him, but Nero struck the feet first. There was no mercy or hesitation in his movements as he cut through the vines, and probably the students'' muscles as well. The student, having lost his bnce, fell forward. Nero used that opportunity to climb behind him, and cut the vines in his arms as well, just for good measure.


    To be safe, since he didn''t know how sturdy the creatures'' defences were, he mmed the students head into the ground, hoping to knock him unconscious. Fortunately that worked.


    Perhaps others would have been more lighthanded in their attacks, considering that this was the body of their own school mates. But by not cutting his neck off and eliminating the threatpletely, Nero was already being soft hearted.


    Without the need to look, Nero used his free hand to sift through his cards in his case as he quickly retreated back into the apartment. He would be unable to identify most cards based on touch alone, but there were a few cards in his collection that were higher quality than the rest, and so could easily be identified by the subtle differences in how they felt on the tip of his finger.


    When he found the card he was searching for, without even double checking for confirmation, he pulled it out and used it.


    A few secondster, darkness began to fill the room, hiding everything from view as he pulled Gabriel back into their room. Hopefully that would be enough, either until the guards came, or until Nero was done.


    Continuing right where he left off, he began tracing the vines with his ming finger, freezing them stiff. There was a good chance that this might cause Gabriel frostbite as well, but they couldn''t really be picky right now.


    Although the nts began to freeze almost immediately, it took much longer for them to actually freeze to the point where Nero could snap them off. For whatever reason, with Gabriel, the nt had not been able to move past the leg, which made his job easier. Or, if it did move past it, it did so internally.


    Throughout this process Gabriel was grunting and whimpering as the vines squirmed, trying to resist his me, no doubt causing him a lot of pain. But Nero''s hand remained steady throughout the process, his eyes cold and calcting.


    It felt like eternity, but in truth, Nero was able to break off most of the vine in under a couple of minutes, until it stopped movingpletely. Although he had not removed all of it, since he did not want to pull it out of Gabriel''s body, he was at least certain that it was dead.


    With the immediate concern for his roommate resolved, Nero focused on the next thing. It had been a couple of minutes, and help had not arrived. Was the situation more serious than he realised?

 Chapter 57: Internal dialogue

    Once the immediate threat of Gabriel being overtaken by nts was taken care of, Nero had a decision to make. The way he saw it, he could barricade his room and wait here till help came. That would most likely be the safest and most logical option. After all, he was a student, not a teacher. His priority should be to take care of himself and survive the sudden crisis, not try to face it.


    Although the window in their room could only open partially, and the jump from the first floor to the ground floor was not exactly small, it still served as a decent escape option in case of an emergency.


    But the most logical option was not necessarily the best option. Nero looked down at Gabriel, stillying on the floor,pletely disoriented. Killing the vine had been especially taxing on him. Who knew what measures the vine had taken to try to protect itself? Excruciating pain would only be a part of what he felt.


    Since Nero had met him, he had never seen Gabriel in such a devastated state. Although he never showed it, Nero knew how prideful he really was. He managed to hide it well, but from time to time his actions would let his deep and prominent background slip.


    But now, despite all his own hard work and dedication in growing stronger, how low had he been brought by a single nt, though he had managed to resist it better than others, somehow.


    That was the issue - the moral conundrum if it were: the others. Could he really just ignore them and let them be till help came? Especially now that he became aware that help wouldn''t be arriving as quickly as he imagined.


    "Is that even a question? Of course you have to help them," said a voice, deep in Nero''s mind - or maybe it was in his heart.


    He visualised a scene. A young boy stood in a children''s room, holding a toy spear. The white bunk bed brought back many memories, as did the toy replica of the Heralds spear, as did the room. The window revealed a mountainous scenery in the distance, and a suburban Aetherpeak between them.


    Other prominent memorabilia were scattered around the room. Nero caught sight of a toy truck he had lost at some point as a child, and his fathers old wallet that Nero had borrowed as a kid to use as his own. He saw a badge in the corner belonging to the Demon corp fifth battalion. He had cut it off one of his mothers uniform back when she was still serving.


    The scene was a perfect recollection of Nero''s youth when he was nine years old. There were a few things missing, obviously, but all his key memories from his childhood seemed to be in this room.


    This was not real. It was just his imagination. But he looked at his young self nevertheless.


    "This is not a joke, it''s dangerous out there," Nero said, his voice cold and stern. But his younger self was not intimidated.


    "Since when have I been afraid of getting hurt?"


    "It''s not my job. Someone will take care of it."


    "If someone else will take care of it, then what are you good for? Isn''t this what we trained for? To fight side by side with Kri warriors, and protect humanity from this evil world!"


    Nero scoffed.


    "I''m pretty sure this attack is a result of some scheme from humans to begin with. Besides, all those were lies they told us when we were young to make themselves look good. There is no honour here, no heros. They don''t care about us."


    "That''s not true. If there weren''t heroes fighting to protect us, then we wouldn''t be able to grow up so happily. Grandma was also a hero, she fought and died to protect everyone."


    "Yeah, it''s called cannon fodder - that''s what we are to them, to the ones in power. We are just foot soldiers, standing guard outside their doors, ready to die for them when a problem arises."


    "Nero, no one was born powerful. Whether they''re Mystics now, or Sages, or anything else, everyone was born weak and worked their way up. They had their time as foot soldiers too. Besides, none of that matters. Even if they lied, so what? We believed it, didn''t we?


    We trained to be the good guys, the heroes that make a difference! Even if the whole world is evil, and they lied, why do we need to change who we are?


    "There are kids out there, just like Gabriel, who are probably suffering just as much as him. Like that kid you cut down outside, who was awake the entire time. I''m not saying you can save everyone, but that doesn''t mean you just ignore them all altogether!"


    Nero did not respond to his younger self. He just looked at him, and at the room that represented the ideals of a naive youth.


    "Besides, if something like this can stop you in your tracks, how are you going to get back at them for what they did to Patrick?"


    Nero felt stunned. Everything was happening in his mind, and the conversation he was having was also with himself. He was imagining what his younger self would have said to him if he saw him right now. But for some reason, the thought of his younger self talking about revenge seemed wrong somehow. He did not imagine talk of revenge fitting in with the convictions he held back then.


    But at the same time, it also felt right. Perhaps even back then, he was wildly protective of the things he thought were his.


    "Why are you surprised? Do you think I''d be okay with what happened to Pat? Never! So why don''t you think of this as training? Go train in a real life scenario and get some experience. If you can''t even ovee this, you''ll never get your revenge.


    If your training just happens to help some people, then there''s no need to really pay any mind to it."


    Was his younger self¡­ trying to trick him into helping others? Somehow, that fit in perfectly with his personality from back then.


    The image in his mind faded, and Nero returned to his room. It seemed like he had spent quite a while in introspection, but it had taken just a moment. He did not have the luxury of time.


    However, he took a moment to prepare himself. He took a deep breath and held it in, breathing out slowly when he could hold his breath no longer. It seemed like a mental switch had been flipped.


    He gave onest look to Gabriel, or rather his vines to ensure they weren''t moving, before stepping outside.


    It had been maybe four or five minutes since the chaos started, and only a couple of minutes since he dragged Gabriel back to their room, but the change that happened in this time was drastic.


    The cacophony of noise from countless students fighting and screaming these nt abominations had disappeared, leaving an eerie silence. The emergency lights were beginning to dim already, despite the fact that they should havested a few hours, diminishing colours and turning everything into varying shades of ck and grey.


    But the one dark outline he expected to see was missing. The vine-covered student, whose muscles Nero had cut through, should have beenying at the entrance to their apartment, but he wasn''t there.


    Nero narrowed his eyes as he tried to deduce what had happened. Since he decided to face the creatures, and save as many students as he could in the meantime, he needed to thoroughly understand the capabilities of the vines.


    It would have been best if he had some kind of armour before going into battle, but unfortunately, he had to make do with fighting barefoot, wearing only his pyjamas. He also didn''t have any weapon cards more potent than Air push, as offensive cards were hard toe by in 0 star.


    With Muted self still active, Nero moved silently to the entrance and peaked into the hallway. It waspletely empty, save for blood as well as bits and pieces of broken items. He saw a few dropped weapons as well, but he did not consider changing the one he was familiar with for others, even if a dagger''s reach was limited.


    Nero strained his ears, but could not hear anything at all. Cautiously, he made his way through the macabre canvas of horror that was this hallway, peering into each of the open rooms for any signs of the other students, but they were all absent. He didn''t have time for a thorough search, but he looked through all the apartments as he passed them by. Fortunately, none of them were closed.


    Despite the absence of results, Nero did not be impatient, and maintained his pace, despite the growing silent tension. Atst, in one of the rooms near the end of the hall, he heard the sound of something breathing.

 Chapter 58: Creeper vines

    Nero narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the apartment. Everything was still, and the sound he heard was barely audible. The absence of the fire rm, which had been so deafeningly loud, somehow made the quiet even more deafening. But it was exactly because of these reasons that the sound had been so prominent.


    Without lowering his guard Nero made his way to the source: a closet in one of the rooms. He was fairly certain that one of the vine creatures would not be hiding, but he was not going to take a chance.


    Nero raised his knife, ready to strike, before abruptly opening the door. But what waited for him was not a vine creature, but a pale, frightened looking boy hiding among hanging clothes. He was frozen stiff, and hadn''t even reacted to the opening door.


    Nero checked him for wounds, but he was unharmed. The kid was, however, in shock. Nero tried moving him to get him to respond, but his mind seemed to be nk.That left Nero with only one option.


    He checked if his Muted self was still in effect, before pping the kid across the face. It was not the most polite way, but it did the trick as the stinging sensation across his face woke the kid from his stupor.


    Unfortunately for Nero, the next thing the kid did was open his mouth and wail loudly. Startled by the idiocy of the kid, Nero covered his mouth and said, "if you attract any of the creatures, I''ll leave you here for them."


    The threat worked, as the kid suddenly choked trying to suppress his voice.


    "Do you know what happened? Where the creatures went?" Nero asked, though he had no hope for an answer.


    Instead of answering, the kid vigorously shook his head, stating that he had no idea.


    Nero considered his options for a moment, but decided he did not want to waste time escorting just a single person back.


    "I''m going to continue searching the building. You can follow me, or continue to stay here, but if you follow me, you obey my orders, understand?"


    "Don''t leave me!" the kid squeaked desperately, trying his best to keep his voice low.


    "Then use this card and follow me," Nero said, handing him Muted self. He saw no hope in the kid actually trying to stay silent. Clearly he was not built forbat situations.


    The kid did not even hesitate and grabbed the card, nearly crumpling it under his tight grip as he used it. Suppressing his irritation, Nero took back the card and gestured at the kid to follow behind him.


    Damaging the card would ruin its durability, reducing the number of times it could be used. But there was no point in crying over spilt milk.


    Nero searched the rest of the apartments, but found no one so he moved to the staircase. If the hallway was a gruesome mess, then the stair hall was even worse. Although there were still no bodies on the ground, chunks of meat and cut viney on the floor, leaving it up to the imagination to wonder just what horrors took ce here.


    But amongst the drying blood, Nero could see signs of things being dragged up the stairs.


    "I''m going to go up to search," Nero whispered to the trembling boy. "You can go down yourself if you want to escape."


    "No, no, let''s get out of here together! Please!" the boy pleaded, somehow bing even more pale at the thought of leaving alone.


    Nero didn''t bother exining and just shook his head. It was too quiet, not just inside the building, but outside it as well. Something unusual was definitely going on, and he wasn''t exactly sure going outside was any better than staying in the building.


    Before exiting his apartment, he had blocked the door to his room, so hopefully Gabriel would remain undisturbed. That''s the best he could hope for considering he had no idea what was going on.


    Slowly, he made his way up the stairs, realising that somehow the lights were getting even dimmer! He made a mental note to procure a card for some kind of night vision. He had checked Maxim''s card shopst time, but discovered nothing like it avable in 0 star cards.


    He reached the second floor and peeked into the corridor, but discovered that it was empty as well, though the fighting here was clearly more desperate. Not only was there a pool of blood covering the floor, broken doors covered the hall, and there were countless dents on the walls.


    Nero was about to step in when he felt something tug his shirt. He turned back to the sight of the boy trembling visibly, and pointing up as if he saw something. He looked up, ready to face danger, but saw nothing. The stairs were empty.


    "There''s something on the wall," he whispered.


    But before Nero could look, as if attracted by his voice something moved in the darkness. The particr ''swish'' sound was all too familiar to Nero, as it was the sound of a spear cutting through the air.


    Acting on instinct, he lit his de on fire and swung towards the sound. That''s when he saw it. A thick, shrap vine darted towards the trembling boy ready to grab its prey.


    But Nero had reacted quick enough, and though he was not able to cut through the vine, he managed to knock it aside.


    The situation was far from salvation, however, as the blue me allowed him to finally see something he had missed in the deep shadows of the stair hall. An extensivework of creeper vines were growing on the underside of the stairs above them, wrapped tightly around the walls.


    There wererge clusters in many sections, and Nero did not need to observe their shape or odd protruding design to know that the students'' bodies were probably under them.


    How had this grown so quickly?


    But he didn''t have time to wonder as he grabbed the kid and immediately pulled him into the next hallway. But the stillness was already broken, and they had attracted the attention of the vines. A few more stabbed after them, but the vines could not manoeuvre well, and besides a quick thrust, they had no other prominent weapon.


    The creeperwork seemed to be concentrated on the upper floors, and had not extended here yet so the hallway provided them a respite, but Nero did not think for a moment that they had escaped pursuit.


    He ran through the hall, looking through the various rooms for anything he could use. If he could not find anything useful, then he could just use the emergency escape which was on the other side of the building to go back down.


    "Tu- turn off the fire, they''re attracted to aether," the kid said, unable to keep his voice down in a panic.


    The information clicked in Nero''s mind, and he suddenly made sense of a few things he noticed earlier. Gabriel had lost control of his aether. The emergency lights were dimming much quicker than normal, which meant the batteries were being drained quickly. The nt''s growth was abnormally fast. It only made sense then that they used aether to grow, and were attracted to it.


    The main question was¡­ even Nero had not realised this since he was too caught up with other things, how had the kid? It wasn''t that Nero thought himself an unsurpassed genius, but the kid was a nervous wreck. Did he know what kind of vines they were? Otherwise, Nero found it difficult to imagine how he could make such an observation in his state.


    He turned off his me, drowning the two in darkness, and asked in a hushed tone, "how can you tell they''re attracted to aether?"


    "I- I can feel others emotions," he said, almost sobbing. "It- it''s my- my innate ability. There''s so much- much pain, and fear¡­" he said stuttering.


    Nero suddenly stopped and pulled the kid into a room alongside himself. He used the Darkness card to spread the darkness in the hall outside, obscuring the room they entered and a few others.


    After scanning the room once and ensuring there were no issues, Nero pulled the two of them into one of the rooms and closed the door.


    He was not hiding. Instead, he needed to check a few things. The kid''s innate ability gave him an idea.


    "How effective is your ability? Can you track the vines using their emotions? Wait, do nts even have emotions?"


    "Th- they do. They''re hungry¡­ and angry. Bu- but I can''t- can''t track them, there''s too- too many emotions. I- I¡­ I¡­"


    He was having trouble speaking, and that would have normally annoyed Nero, but right now he only gave the kid an understanding look. It wasn''t that the kid was a coward, but if he could feel all the other emotions around himself, then it was no wonder he got overwhelmed. He could not even imagine the deluge of fear and panic that must have hit him¡­ must still be hitting him.


    But Nero needed him to focus. His innate ability was incredibly useful!

 Chapter 59: Now its a party

    "Stop," Nero said, as he grabbed the kid''s shoulder and squeezed it. This was a technique he learnt to help others focus, though many assumed it was an intimidation tactic. But that''s not what it was. By deepening his voice and applying pressure near the neck, he distracted the other person''s brain and allowed them to focus on what he was saying, rather than whatever had them distracted.


    "What is your name?" he asked, locking eyes with the kid.


    "I- my- my name is Isa," he stammered. "Isa Hammel, from the Hammel orphanage."


    "Isa, my name is Nero, and I need you to focus on me. Can you do that? Drown out everything else, just focus on me."


    He applied more pressure as he spoke, careful not to push to the level where his grip became painful. The point was to regte the blood flow, not cause pain, which would have the opposite effect.


    Isa, who found himself unable to break eye contact with Nero, suddenly found himself focused on Nero''s face. He wore a solemn, yet calm face,pletely unperturbed by their dire circumstances. His eyes did not waver, and were filled with iparable serenity. It was as if, even now, he had everything under control.


    That''s when he felt it. Amidst the chaos of frenzied emotions there was a single, solitary pir of unwavering confidence and focus. The tension, the panic, the fear, the darkness, all of the things around them buffeted that pir, and were repelled with ease. They were the emotions of a manpletely in control of himself.


    Focusing on that confidence, sense that calm, Isa felt himself calm down just a bit. There was still a hurricane of wildly spiking emotions all around him, but by focusing on that single one, he could allow himself to calm down just a bit.


    "Ye-yes, I think I can," he said, with an increasing amount of certainty.


    "Good. Now Isa, can you exin to me how your ability works? Can you hone in on specific targets and determine their emotions? If you can find a way to do that, we might be able to search for and rescue other students."


    He shook his head.


    "We''ve tried many times in ss, but I can never focus on anyone. I can''t control my ability." He seemed on the verge of sobbing. Regardless of what his own innate quality was, he must have suffered a lot due to the emotions of others.


    Nero was about to speak but he was distracted by a sound and tilted his head for a moment, listening in for any more sounds. A momentter, he heard the sound of dragging feet. It seemed some pursuers had finally caught up with them.


    "Isa, circumstances in the field and in the ss are very different. I want you to try and focus. There are some enemies outside. I will go take care of them, and I want you to focus on them and let me know if you can sense what they''re feeling specifically. Keep in mind, you''re not doing this for yourself. You''re not doing this for me.


    You''re only doing this for all the other students who need our help. I have faith in you, you can do this."


    "You- you don''t even know me. How can you have faith in me?" Isa sounded defeated as he asked the question. No doubt he had seen his fair share of failure, and then some, which had overwhelmed him.


    "It''s like the emperor said," Nero said, letting go of his grip on Isa''s shoulder and giving him a hearty p on the back. "''A man burdened will fall to his knees, but a man burdened with purpose will carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.'' It''s time to get off your knees, Isa. We have the weight of many lives on our shoulders now."


    Isa was stunned as he felt some unfamiliar emotions stir, and was startled to realise that they did not belong to someone else, but himself! Was it¡­ expectation? This boy, who did not even know him five minutes ago, was holding such massive expectations from him! A part of him wanted to live up to them, but arger part of him was afraid.


    It knew too well the sting of failure, and was urging him to retreat once more into his shell.


    But just as he was about to let his own fears take control of him, he once again sensed Nero''s emotions. In the face of this tide of darkness, they were staunch and stalwart. But, most importantly, there was genuine belief and expectation - belief that he would rise to the asion, and expectation of what they could achieve together.


    It was overwhelming and invigorating.


    Isa grit his teeth, and for once tried something he had never done. He closed himself off to his own emotions, and tried to use Nero''s to give him courage as he trailed after him. Although he still didn''t think he could control his ability, he would at least try.


    Nero pushed away the n he had in his mind, and instead focused on the enemies outside. In the darkened, foetid hall outside Nero could hear the sounds of three distinct sounds of dragging feet. There might be more, so he needed to check. But, surprisingly, instead of nervous, Nero was starting to feel a hint of anticipation.


    Initially, he had been thinking of the most logical thing to do which did not give him room to feel any emotions. But now that he had epted that this is what he was going to do, he could not actually wait to see his training in action. His only regret was that he had not trained with his innate ability enough, but now was as good a time as any to begin.


    He peeked his head out the door to take a look, and indeed only saw three dark figures wading through the hall, searching the rooms as they passed. Nero turned and made sure that there was nothing behind him, before considering how he was going to attack them.


    He wanted nothing more than to just barge out and fight them directly, but he reminded himself that there was a difference between school spars and activebat. He should use more than justbat tactics.


    He reached into his card case and searched for his intended card. Having arge deck proved its inconvenience in such situations where it was not easy to find the specific card one wanted at a moment''s notice. But if given a little time, it made up for that w by providing great versatility.


    He pulled out This is us, a card he bought from Maxim''s card shop that created illusions of the caster. Whether the vines were using their host''s sight, or their attraction to aether, an illusion should suffice to provide both.


    He used the card and aimed the illusion to stand in the doorway of an apartment close to him. Although the illusion did not move, nor did it produce any sound, all three creatures suddenly turned to look towards it, though for a brief moment they also looked towards where Nero was hidden.


    But the dark outline of a figure standing in the doorway, filled with aether was much too strong a temptation for them to consider other things. The creatures shrieked altogether and lunged at the illusion, rushing through the illusion and crashing into the room itself.


    But just as the second one lunged, and the third one had not yet reached the door, Nero also sprang forth. By now it was too dark to make out the details clearly, but he got the impression that the students bodies were now entirely covered in thick vines like a suit of armour, leaving no room open for him to slice through their tendons.


    He had no choice. He covered his de with his Cryome and stabbed the student as he tackled him to the side. Nero had only a few seconds, a dozen or so at most, before the other creatures caught up to him so he had to debilitate this one first.


    He had the urge to disregard his reverse and maximise his use of Cryome, covering the whole student and freezing his body, but his experiments from earlier let him know just how small his reserves were. He had to be tactical.


    He pulled the knife out and began shing the vines wherever he saw them emerging from the skin, causing the student to shriek out in pain. The vines also writhed, and shot forward at Nero to pierce into his body, but he needed to only take a step back to dodge them, as the oneing from the bodies had small range.


    Then, before the vines could retreat, Nero grabbed them with his me covered hand and cut them. After an initial sh, Nero could already determine that he would not be able to knock out the students as easily as before, since the vines covering the bodies were very thick and made it hard to transmit damage. But at the same time, it also made them slow.


    One of the vine-covered students emerged from the room, but instead of feeling pressured, Nero only smiled.


    Now it was a party.

 Chapter 60: Monster

    It had only been a few seconds, but Nero went over all the information he gathered about the vine-controlled students in his mind as the second one approached him. They were slow, which is why their fastest attack was to lunge forward at their target and use their body weight to press them down.


    The vines wrapped around them could also thrust forward to attack, which was faster but had limited range as a result of being wrapped around their bodies.


    Blunt force attacks did minimal damage, and stabbing had not brought about any significant results either. There was, however, a seconds dy after the vine pierced forward and before it could pull back. Cryome was extremely effective against them, but Nero would be drained of all his aether if he had to rely on his me to kill the vines.


    But at the same time, he couldn''t afford to extinguish his mespletely, either. If nothing else, then just the light from the blue me helped him fight better in the darkness. By now, the emergency lights were so dim he would not be surprised if they turned offpletely any second.


    He dodged a vine attack from behind him, and with a quick swing of his dagger, cut it off. Now that he had surmised their behaviour, he considered how he would deal with them. While they disyed regrettable resistance to simple attacks such as kicks and pushes, their poor control over their bodies often caused them to lose their bnce as a result. If nothing else, this was a good dying tactic.


    He had not been able to find or identify some sort of central core which he could take out to kill them, but cutting off the vines with which they attacked seemed to be the most suitable method for now.


    Not only did it cause the vines pain, which slowed them down further and bought him more time to react, he could tell they were leaking some kind of liquid or blood through the vines.


    If nothing else worked, he had no problem killing them with a 1000 cuts!


    With his n of attack decided, he dismissed all irrelevant thoughts, as he could afford no distractions at this time.


    The two creatures showed remarkable coordination, striking with their vines at the same time while aiming for different body parts. Against a slightly less trained foe, this single attempt would prove lethal, but against Nero it hardly made a difference. He dodged and swiped, cutting off a single vine and not getting greedy in pursuit of cutting down two.


    There was a subtle shift in the flow ofbat. The creature which had its vine cut slowed down while the other kept attacking, yet that only produced an opportunity for Nero to cut its vine as well.


    Just as Nero gained somewhat of an advantage, the third creature arrived, and hurled itself at Nero. Without missing a beat, the other two creatures struck with vines as well.


    Nero jumped towards a wall, used the dent in it as leverage to get somewhat of a foothold, and then jumped off it again.


    The card in his left hand was Air push, but instead of using the spell, he bent the card between his fingers,promising its durability, but then used the built up tension tounch it across the hall. The razor thin card sliced through two of the vine before getting lodged in the ground.


    The two creatures shrieked while the third fell on the ground, just in time for Nero tond on its back.


    Nero''s body trembled with exhration as copious amounts of adrenaline pumped through his veins. He was bursting with even more energy than the steak from the previous day had given him, and he entered a state of excitement he had never felt before. Just reacting was no longer enough. He needed to attack!


    Without letting himself get overexcited, and maintaining perfect awareness of his surroundings, he allowed his emotions to take control of his body as he began cutting through vines even before the creatures attacked.


    With each attack, he was bing faster, sharper, stronger. Battle lust reeked off his body as he employed hit-and-run tactics between three enemies in a tight corridor. The creature''s teamwork became a tool he used against them. The tight enclosure became his hunting ground instead of prison. Nero became a predator instead of prey.


    His mind was absolutely cold, and devoid of distractions, as if protected by a blue me that epassed it and kept it perfectly cool, while his body burned for the first time with glorious passion. Like a cicada, he was moulting from a child who trained and turning into a well-trained warrior.


    It was like his entire life before this he had just been a prelude, and now he was truly awakening as a true Kri.


    Down the hall Isa stood stunned as, without even realising it, he achieved the single feat he thought was impossible. He blocked out all other emotions and was mesmerised by the four overwhelming, beating, throbbing, pirs of emotions in front of him.


    Three of them were identical - filled with pain, fear, anxiety, frustration and a savage and ever growing hunger. The fourth¡­ the fourth was a raging, all-consuming me that was being perfectly channelled through a vessel that seemed too small to contain it.


    A blue blur danced between three figures that slowly started retreating, cutting, slicing, bleeding and freeze-burning, but they could never retreat far enough. The shrieks of anger quickly turned into wails of pain.


    Isa could not help but tremble as he felt a bit of fear that was, for once, his own. In the dark, decrepit hallway covered in blood and debris, it was the three monsters that were facing the true horror.


    The emergency lights finally turned off,pletely turning the nightmare into a symphony of horror as the dark fiend continued its hunt.


    At some point, unknown to himself, Nero''s shirt was torn, revealing his muscr, rippling body under the ominous blue glow. His tattoos were, for the first time, revealed in their full majesty and perhaps it was a trick of the light, or maybe it was the shadows, but they seemed to slowly move and flow on his back, dancing in delight at the plight of Nero''s victims.


    The change was sudden. The creatures had run out of vines that they could thrust forward, leaving only the ones wrapped around their bodies for defence. Nero cut one of the vines on the student''s neck, managing to keep the student''s neck uncut at the same time, when the creature copsed.


    As if it had lost all strength, its feet buckled, dropping the student right there in the corridor. But Nero did not assume victory, as a part of his mind was conscious of the fact that this could just be a trap. He showed it his back anyway as he turned to the others to cut them as well.


    But there was no trap. The creature did not move anymore, and soon, the other two buckled as well, dropping to the floor as if they werepletely dead, leaving Nero standing in the middle, surrounded by bodies.


    He stopped moving as he took this opportunity to catch his breath, breathing heavily, finally revealing his figure under the light of his me. He was covered in some kind of liquid, though whether it was sweat, blood, or the liquid bled from the vines was unknown. The only thing that was certain was that Nero felt something change in himself.


    He felt that maybe he finally understood his mothers sayings a little better. He thought the Kri would die on the battlefield because they were brave warriors who were not afraid of death. But maybe, just maybe, the Kri were only truly alive in the heat of battle.


    Despite the fact that he was surrounded by a piercing chill, and his every breath released a thick mist, he could feel his blood boil, his body burning with anticipation. It wasn''t that he was immune to the fatigue of battle, far from it, but that he had trained for so long knowing he would have to endure it, that he could ignore it for much longer.


    With eyes filled with more life than ever before, Nero turned and spotted the dark figure of a stunned Isa.


    "Are they dead? Can you feel their emotions?" he asked, as if he had no doubt that Isa had managed to read their emotions sessfully.


    "They- they''re dead," he affirmed, for the first time in a steady voice. Isa emerged from the door and stood opposite to Nero, observing him in a new light. Who was he? How could he do this? These questions and more clouded Isa''s mind. But more than anything, Isa felt an unusual yearning he had never felt before.


    For the first time in years, since he had be a Neophyte, he was not a victim to the emotions of everyone around him. No, instead, he was strengthened by the emotions of Nero in front of him, and so he yearned.


    He yearned to learn more about this enigmatic student, and follow him, even if that meant walking deeper into the terror that had gripped their hostel.


    "To be more specific, the more you cut them, the stronger their hunger became. Eventually, their hunger became overwhelming, right before all their emotions disappeared. I believe the vines died, or are at least in an unconscious state, probably due to aether deprivation."


    "Good. Now, do you think you can focus on specific targets?"

 Chapter 61: One at a time

    Nero and Isa moved from the hallway to an apartment, after Nero retrieved the Air push that was covered in a thinyer of goo. Although three of the creatures had been defeated, more coulde at any time so they could not wait in the hallway. After all, fighting them off had not been a silent affair. While Nero was capable of putting up a fight, it was best to pick and choose their battles.


    Nero looked out the window to seeif he could determine the situation, but all he saw was a haze that covered the entire building. Either something was blocking their view, or a very heavy fog had covered the city, which was unusual for this time of year.


    In that case, it might not bepletely safe to exit either. But that was only for now. Nero still had faith that someone woulde and rescue them sooner orter.


    "I think¡­ I think I can do it," Isa said with surprise in his voice. "I don''t know why but it''s suddenly so easy. I can block out the emotions for those farther away, and only focus on the ones close to me. But I still can''t focus on any individuals specifically. It''s still just anyone within a certain range."


    Without a stutter in his voice, Isa sounded like apletely different person. Although he still looked deathly afraid - at least from what Nero could tell in the darkness - it was a great improvement already.


    "It''s not ideal, but we can make it work. Moving through the main stairway is out of the question, it ispletely covered by the creeper vine. There''s no way I can fight that thing without hurting the students. We''ll take the emergency staircase up from the other side and go up by one level. Our aim will be to find stragglers or smaller groups and rescue the students one by one.


    Each vine creature we kill, or incapacitate, is another student that we save.


    "That''s where your ability wille in. You''ll have to track their locations through your ability and determine where they are. Do you think you can manage that?"


    Isa hesitated for a second. Honestly speaking, he did not want to open himself up back to the frightful emotions that filled this ce, but at the same time he found himself wanting to impress Nero.


    "Why¡­ why are you doing this? I mean, isn''t it safer to just hide until someonees to find us? What will you do if you get trapped, or captured as well? Aren''t you afraid?"


    Nero looked at the kids'' anxious eyes. How could he tell him that Nero almost didn''t go through with this, although for very different reasons.


    "They are the ones who came to my house, why should I be the one to hide? Besides, you didn''t pay attention to what I said. It''s not that I can''t fight the creeper vines, or a greater number of enemies, but just that I can''t do so without hurting the students who have been trapped. If it really came down to it, I would not hesitate to take more drastic actions.


    "Besides, I think you know better than me what the other students are going through. Can you just leave them to suffer such a fate? Knowing that there''s something in your power to help them, can you just ignore them?"


    Nero was not expressing his true ideals, but he was not worried about Isa seeing through him by reading his emotions. Now that he had decided to fight with everything he had, it was true that this is the way he was feeling inside.


    Hisst contingency, in case he got surrounded, or the creeper captured him, was his mothers innate card. Although her ability seemed very simr to Nero, because there was a difference in how they manifested, there were other key differences in the oue. While Nero''s ability was a me, her''s was in the form of a snowke.


    As it happened, her snowke was incredibly sharp, and when amplified with the coldness that it carried, he had seen his mother cut through actual steel with her snowke as well. Although the version Nero had in card form would be much weaker, cutting through the vines should not be a problem.


    The only issue was that then it would cut through the students as well, which is why he had avoided using it so far.


    "Come one, let''s go. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness," said Nero, observing how Isa offered no more protests.


    The emergency staircase was on the opposite side of the building, essed through a window in the hallway. It connected to every floor from the outside of the building, so Nero was hoping that the vine had not covered it yet.


    "Let''s go. You stay close behind me, but spread your ability out and scout the area ahead."


    Isa reluctantly spread out his ability, though he kept the range much shorter than when it was operating previously. Although it was tough to gauge how far his ability extended, he was certain to detect any student or vine creature long before they''d be able to see them in the dark.


    The window leading to the emergency staircase was already shattered, no doubt by students who had previously tried to escape the catastrophe. Whether they seeded or not was uncertain.


    Somehow, the visibility outside was even worse as the thick fog made it hard for Nero to even see his own hands let alone anything else. He could only rely on his sense of touch to guide him, and Isa to look out for enemies. He really had the perfect anti-stealth ability!


    Slowly they climbed the metallic stairs attached to the building, and reached the next floor.


    "Anyone inside?" Nero whispered.


    "Yes, a few of them," Isa spoke between ttering teeth. "I can even sense the creeper vine. I think it''s covering the other end of the hallway. It''s dormant for now, but it might react if you use your ability."


    "Let''s check its range first," Nero said, as he pulled out Muted self and recast it on himself. He waited a few seconds to see if Isa sensed anything.


    "It did not react," he finally said.


    "Well, we don''t know its range but it''s safe to say that it doesn''t extend the entire hallway. We''ll attract the creatures to this end of the hallway, preferably even out to the stairs, and take them out one at a time from here. Follow me, and warn me if any of them are close. Don''t forget to keep an eye out to ensure none of the vinese down the stairs as well."


    Isa felt almost overwhelmed by Nero''s instructions, but there was nothing for it. This was already the minimum he had to do, as Nero would take care of all the fighting.


    "The vine creatures are just standing there," Isa whispered as they gently reentered the building. The closest one is in a room, but the others are further down the hall."


    With Isa''s guidance, moving around became much easier. Knowing the enemies location reduced the element of uncertainty, which allowed Nero to swiftly approach his target, and only slow down when he was close.


    The entire time, Isa kept his attention on the creatures down the hall, worried that they would be sensed.


    "Before I attack, we''re going to do one more test about their range," Nero informed Isa and pulled out two more cards. They were standing at the entrance to the apartment with the first creature, so if the test failed, and the other creatures were alerted, they could easily retreat.


    The first card Nero had pulled out was Ultimate grip, which allowed him to attach something to his body or clothes. The second card was his mother''s innate card.


    Name: Snowke


    Image: A single snowke falling


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [A snowke that grows stronger and sharper as it absorbs heat.]


    vour text: "I have no enemies, just volunteers who help paint my snowkes red" - Marilyn Grant


    Searching for cards in the midst of battle was a great distraction, so Nero intended on employing a tactic heavily used by all armed forces. He was going to stick the most important card directly to his body, so that he wouldn''t need to search for it at a critical moment.


    He used Ultimate grip and stuck the card on his lower abdomen, just above his leg. Using the card only required the barest amount of aether, but Nero was still ready to react at a moment''s notice should something happen. But after a few seconds, Isa shook his head.


    "The ones further down the hall haven''t reacted, but the one in the hall is showing some stimtion. Mainly, it''s feeling a little more hunger."


    Nero nodded. As long as he got them one by one, he could easily take them down. Or, well, he could at least try. He''d see how quietly he could take down a monster. He''d never practised for assassination before, and made a mental note to address that issue once this ordeal was over.

 Chapter 62: Change of plans

    Isa held his breath as he watched the dark figure of Nero move closer to the stirring vine-creature. The low visibility aided Nero''s approach, but they were uncertain if the creatures had any other means of sensing Nero.


    They''d already sensed that they reacted to aether, so as long as Nero did not use his ability or any card, he should remain undetected.


    But that was not the issue that Nero was facing. Instead, he was considering how to take down the creature as silently as possible. If it weren''t covered in vines, he would aim to knock him unconscious. That loss of consciousness for the host seemed to affect the vines'' ability to control them, something he had noticed with the very first vine creature he took down.


    But since the hosts were now thoroughly covered in vines, such an approach was impossible. Cutting enough vines to make it bleed to death was an alternative option, but it wasn''t exactly a stealthy option.


    With no good options, and no good ideas either, Nero had to settle for the least bad idea.


    Theyout of all the apartments were identical, so Nero easily made his way till he reached the room where the creature was supposed to be. But in the pitch darkness, without any source of light at all, he could not even make out the figure of the creature.


    Nero had to admit that, alongside the excitement he was feeling, there was also a tinge of nervousness in his heart. He was nervous not because he was afraid for his life in the uing scuffle, but rather because he was really hoping to seed in his stealth attack.


    With his eyes out of the equation, he used his ears. He listened for the soft sound of vines rubbing against each other as they moved, of the stirring of clothes, of any hint of life whatsoever.


    When he focused, he finally heard something. It was barely audible, but it seemed as if something was rubbing against the wall of the far corner.


    Nero, very careful, took a step forward. But as fate would have it, that was the end of his stealth mission. When he set his foot down, he stepped on shards of broken ss which cracked loudly.


    The very instant the ss cracked, as if he had been ready for it the entire time, Nero dashed forward. He conjured the tiniest me on his knife so that he could see, revealing a gruesome sight.


    The vine-creature, or more importantly the student, seemed to be missing his lower body. The vast amounts of blood on the floor indicated that this was a recent development, though the vines had sealed his wound and prevented him from bleeding out.


    But instead of leaving its body on the floor, the vine had started to creep up on the walls, and had pulled the student''s body halfway up as well.


    The student and the vine both seemed dazed, and reacted lethargically to Nero''s arrival, which gave him just enough time to react. Mustering as much strength as he could, Nero swiped the vines holding the body up on the wall, cutting them off in one swift motion. Before the creature could shriek, he mped its mouth shut with his other hand.


    This was a very dangerous situation because it made it virtually impossible for himself to dodge, but considering that the majority of the vines were up on the wall, he took that risk.


    The body dropped suddenly and it tried to shriek, but Nero''s hand blocked it out.


    He had no time for precision, and with another sh he cut off a number of vines that were wrapped around the students body before suddenly jumping back when he saw a vine move.


    Freed, the vine-creature began to shriek but came to a stop when it fell face forward on the ground.


    Nero wanted to ignore the sharp pain in his abdomen, but knew he couldn''t. He brought the me close to see if his body had been punctured, but fortunately there was not even a scratch. He had jumped back just as a vine was about to strike him.


    Just as a precaution, he epassed the hit area in his me, to kill any spores or vines or however else the vines spread, and resumed his attack.


    The creature was struggling to pick itself up, probably due to the severe weakness as a result of blood loss. The rest was surprisingly easy. With argely immobile enemy that was also extremely lethargic, it took barely a dozen seconds before Nero cut enough vines for it to stop moving.


    Just to be sure, he cut every vine on the kid''s body, save the ones preventing him from bleeding out.


    The whole fight barely took a minute, and he had done his best to reduce the amount of noise, but whether he attracted more vine-creatures was uncertain.


    He retreated from the apartment, trying to remain as silent as possible. Even Muted self could not prevent him from making sound if he stepped on ss or kicked a metal can.


    The moment he reached Isa, the boy shook his head, indicating that the others weren''t attracted over.


    Feeling a wave of relief, he continued with the n. There were about five more vine creatures standing in the wallway, but they were dormant as well, meaning they were standing eerily still. Did manipting the students bodies consume aether? It was likely. That would exin their stillness without any source of aether to attract their attention.


    Next, he would see if he could pull them towards himself, one at a time, beginning with possibly the dumbest idea. But sometimes dumb worked.


    He picked up a tiny piece of broken debris and after locating the dark outline of the closest vine-creature, threw it. Nero''s aim was true, striking the creature on its head, rousing it from its dormancy, though without any urgency.


    It looked around, as if searching for the stimulus it had felt when something once again struck its head. This time, it sensed the direction it came from and turned to look, but could not find anything. Even though it had controlled a host, it did not have full ess to its sight.


    The creature spread out its vines to cover the floor in front of it as it moved down the corridor, the extended vines guiding its steps.


    One more unknown force struck its head, prompting it to speed up its search. An invisible hand guided its steps, and every time it slowed down or turned into a room, the tiny force would strike it again, guiding its movement in the right direction.


    Eventually its extended vines hit a wall, and just as it thought it had reached a dead end, after exploring a bit more, its vines discovered a hole. The creature, still sluggish in its movements from its dormancy, stepped through the window.


    That''s when Nero struck. This far way, he was not worried about attracting any attention. He kicked it hard on its legs, causing it to stumble forward. Its vines extended forth, like waving hands, trying to catch anything and keep it from falling.


    But the taut vines only proved a perfect target for Nero to cut. The creature began to shriek, but mustering up a bout of courage, even Isa came close and kicked its head, though he immediately retreated after, like a frightened cat.


    The struggle was brief and intense, but it ended with Nero''s victory, and another rescued student.


    "Pull his body aside," he said to Isa, "while I go attract more. Don''t let the adrenaline affect you. Always keep your awareness of your surroundings, and make sure none of the creaturese from up the stairs or below us."


    After giving his reminder, Nero once climbed into the hallway to replicate the feat. Taking down thisst vine-creature didn''t even require any aether. If things continued ording to n, then he would clear out this floor, excluding the creeper, with plenty of energy left.


    At first, things seemed to be going as he expected. He sessfully managed to save two more students using the same method. But when he went back into the alleyway to attract the fourth, right after he threw a pebble to wake it up, he heard something behind him.


    Isa had climbed into the hallway, and he looked incredibly panicked!


    Nero snuck into an apartment, avoiding the gaze of the vine-creature. He knew that Isa would be able to find him easily, and true to his expectations the pale kids came in shortly after him, his body once again trembling.


    "What''s wrong?" Nero asked as he grabbed the kid, who once again seemed to be on the verge of shutting down due to an overload.


    "S-s-s-s-some- something b-bi-big is coing down," he said with ttering teeth. "An-and it''s an-angry! I checked and- and all of- of them a-areing our way! It''s- it''s like they''ve- they''ve sensed us!"


    Nero frowned. Time for a change of ns.

 Chapter 63: Overwhelmed

    "How far behind are they?" Nero asked as he considered the best n. Jumping out the window, unfortunately, was out of the question. A fall from his current height would no doubt result in broken legs, waist, spine as well as a nasty head injury, at the very least.


    He checked the edge of his de, anticipating the fight ahead and was relieved to find that it was still sharp as ever, and without any nicks. It was fortunate that he had received his original knife back. If he had to rely on the one he bought from a vending machine then it would be uncertain how well it wouldst against so many vines.


    "They''re slowly closing in, but they have us surrounded," Isa managed to say without stuttering. Upon discovering theck of panic in Nero upon hearing the news, he was able to muster up some courage as well, though he was still heavily influenced by the emotions he was sensing.


    "Help me with this," Nero said as he conjured a tiny me to illuminate the room. Since they had already been discovered there was no point in hiding anymore. He would rather make the most of the little time that they had.


    He walked to the fridge and pulled it from the top, tilting it. Isa quickly grabbed the other end and helped him carry the fridge to the apartment entrance, where they left it wedged in the door.


    "That only blocks half of the entrance," he said, pointing out the obvious.


    "That''s the n," Nero reassured him. "We''re only trying to bottleneck them and slow down their arrival, not stop thempletely. Quickly grab the bedsheets from the other room. We''re going to tie them together and make a rope."


    Going into one of the rooms, Nero ripped the bed sheet off one of the beds and tied it to the bed frame. He seriously doubted if there would be enough rope to go all the way down, but¡­


    "Isa, I know this is going to be tough, but I''m going to need your help. You need to do two things. First, sense if there is anyone in the room directly below us, and at the same time let me know when most of the vine-creatures gather outside our room. Once they''re distracted trying to get in here, we''ll escape to the room below ours through the window."


    Isa''s teeth were ttering and he found it very difficult to maintain control of himself, especially with the massive source of emotions he sensed closing in. But he forced himself to act. No matter what, he could not give up now, or else there was no chance of him surviving. He tried to focus on the room below them, but kept getting distracted by the vines closing in.


    A loud bang from the door attracted their attention, and Nero left the room to take care of the approaching enemies. Although he would try to avoid hurting any students, now that he was in a precarious situation, he would not hesitate to use Snowke if needed.


    The fridge had been jammed though if it was pushed from the right direction, it wouldn''t be a problem to directly slide it out of the way. But true to Nero''s expectations, the vine creatures did not have such sense, and merely bumped into it,pletely unable to move it. Under the blue light of his me, Nero could see that the vine-creature he had attracted had finally reached them.


    After encountering the blockage in the door, it began to pull itself up using its vines toe in, but that only made it an easier target for Nero.


    He used Air push to m the creature with an air bullet as it hung in the air, throwing it back and mming it against the wall. It was not the same as cutting vines, but at least this way he didn''t need to get close. But he hadn''t bought himself as much time as he thought, as creeper vines reached the door and started toe in.


    With these, since there was no student''s body nearby, Nero did not need to hesitate at all, and directly used Snowke. A snowke only a few centimetres long appeared in each hand that he flung across the room, his aim still perfect.


    But something Nero did not anticipate urred. His blueme suddenly reached for the snowkes, as if they were the best fuel, and lit them aze as they flew across the room. The snowkes cut the vines effortlessly, but even moreso, lit the vines on fire!


    So far, Nero kept the mes he summoned to a minimum, but now the mes on the vines erupted as if someone had thrown fuel to a me. The entire building trembled as a shriek far above them cut through the rtive silence.


    But the mes took on a life of their own, tracing the vine and spreading down the hallway. The temperature in the surroundings dropped rapidly and Isa, who had been trembling from fear, suddenly began to tremble from the cold.


    Surprise and tion filled Nero as, for a moment, he thought he discovered an extremely potent weapon. But, just as abruptly as the mes had started and spread, they were extinguished, as if they had never been there to begin with.


    Nero narrowed his eyes and thought of possible reasons for why this happened. He thought of the snowkes, and discovered that they had vanished from where they were embedded into the wall.


    The snowkes were acting like fuel. Nero might have just discovered a way to resolve this whole incident, though if he tried to burn the whole creeper that was covering the building, many students would undoubtedly die.


    But he had no time for such considerations. A massive hand with dozens of fingers, made entirely of countless woody vines, suddenly appeared, grabbing half the fridge as well as the wall. In a disy of herculean strength, it ripped the fridge in half and tore the wall as well, revealing a hulking body made entirely of various kinds of vines.


    Nero did not hesitate. A lifetime of training, as well as generalmon sense, told him that he would be well and truly screwed if he was caught by that thing. He retreated at his fastest speed while throwing ming snowkes at the creature.


    But the hulking monstrosity waspletely undeterred. Though the mes would re up and immediately begin consuming its vines, the creature just shed those vines and threw them aside, uncaring that they fell on other vine creatures.


    "Jump out the window!" Nero yelled, only to find Isa struggling with opening the window! It had been bolted shut, so that it would only open a certain amount. There hadn''t been enough time for Isa to get it open yet!


    "Use this, I''ll stall!" Nero eximed, without waiting for Isa to respond. He threw the Air push cardtowards Isa, hoping that the force of the bullets would be enough to break the shatterproof ss. But he had little hope.


    Without any concern for saving his aether, Nero epassed his entire body in his blue me and began to throw as many ming snowkes as he could. But he hardly slowed it down at all. As it passed through the apartment, its body tore through the walls as if they were made of paper.


    Due to the sudden increase in ming snowkes, it had not been able topletely rid itself of the mes, but even so it kept walking as if the mes could do nothing to it.


    Instead of individual vines, the creature thrust forth its entire hand, aiming to catch Nero. He tried to jump out of the way, but when there was such a massive gap in strength and speed, even a lifetime of training could do so much.


    Like a sledgehammer, the hand bashed Nero''s chest,pletely driving the wind out of his body and even cracking a few ribs. Even so, Nero kept his body ame, hoping that it would cause the creature to flinch, or even retreat. But it did no such thing.


    The vines wrapped themselves around Nero and began to squeeze his body, threatening to crush him. This creature, whatever it was, was definitely much stronger than a Neophyte, or even an Initiate. Perhaps only an Arcanist could put up a fight against it.


    From somewhere behind him, he heard Isa screaming, but he had no time to pay attention to that. Suffocating and being crushed at the same time meant he could not waste a single second. He concentrated on his mes, making them burn even brighter and fiercer than before. It was his only hope.


    But the vine creature was clearly smarter than the rest. It kept recing the vines trapping Nero, keeping his body trapped within. He could feel the vines squirming as they moved around his body, giving him friction burns. He could feel something piercing his chest, like tiny needles, injecting the parasitic vines within his system.


    But he could also feel his mes working, killing the parasites before they entered his body.


    The world began to darken as his consciousness was on the verge of slipping, when a new, even more overpowering pressure covered him.

 Chapter 64: Disgrace

    The scene in the room was akin to a nightmare. A massive creature made entirely of vines, with its body covered in cool blue mes, had Nero''s entire body wrapped in its vines so that only his face was barely visible. With its other hand it had tried to grab Isa, but missed due to the awkward angle and the increasing stiffness of its rapidly cooling vines.


    As a result, its hand had shot through the wall, finally breaking the window open, not that it mattered at this point.


    There was no possibility of escape from the creature, for it far outpowered the two. Nero''s assessment had been correct. It would take at least an Arcanist to fight it off.


    But just as all hope was lost, and Isa''s mind once more nearly shut down from fear, a new power appeared. In one go, it epassed the building and overpowered everything else.


    "That''s enough," echoed a calm yet stern voice, and everything under its might came to a stop. At least that''s what it seemed like at first. But Isa quickly discovered that only the vines had frozen, and he himself stayedpletely unaffected!


    Nero, too, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, registered that something happened, though not exactly what. All he knew was that the pressure that was holding him down and suffocating him suddenly vanished.


    With a sudden burst of strength, he pushed the vines wrapping him aside and dragged in a deep, revitalising breath that brought him back from the brink. Even now, he did not extinguish his mes, nor did he stop using Snowke!


    Using the sharp kes created in his hand, he cut himself loose as a massive me wrapped the vine creature, threatening to spread to the rest of the room. Ice started to cover the ground and furniture as the water vapours in the air began to freeze.


    It was only after hepletely climbed out of the creature''s holdpletely, still taking in rapid breaths, that Nero paused for a moment to consider the change. But the sheer extent of the horror he just faced did not allow him to pause. His survival instincts had taken over.


    In one, smooth motion, he ran to Isa, flung him over his shoulder, grabbed the bed sheet wrapped around the bed frame, and jumped out the hole in the wall.


    For a brief few moments the two kids experienced freefall, during which another thought suddenly came to Nero.


    He was carrying both his own weight and Isa''s, while he was only holding the makeshift rope with one hand. As soon as the rope extended all the way, and he would jerk under the pressure, his grip would probably give way. They would fall.


    The thought took only a fraction of a second, during which he also wrapped the bedsheet around his hand.


    That fraction of a second was all they had. The rope became taut, and with a jolt, the two stopped falling forward, and instead started heading back towards the building. Nero aimed his body just in time to aim his legs, and kicked the window they were heading towards, breaking it open.


    They fell in, and though Nero let go of the rope, it was still wrapped around his hand, which resulted in him experiencing his second jolt.


    He grunted at the sensation of his hand being dislocated, but he had no time to stop. The adrenaline kept him from feeling most of the pain. He used another Snowke to simply cut the bedsheet, then turned to look at the pale Isa.


    His racing mind tried to think of the next step, but he felt a force wrap itself around him.


    "Calm down, child. This ordeal is over."


    The voice seemed to speak to him directly in his mind, but for a moment he was too confused. It was over? What was over?


    He did not even question who the voice belonged to, or where it came from. But Nero''s mind was resilient, and he quickly realised what was happening, and how he escaped the vine creatures'' clutches.


    "The¡­ the rescue party is here¡­" he said, half to himself and half to Isa.


    His body, as if it had been running on reserve energy, suddenly gave and Nero fell to his knees. He kept himself from falling unconscious, but he felt his lose focus for a while as exhaustion enveloped him.


    Somehow, he had managed to avoid aether deprivation, though not by much. He was only half aware of what was happening when soldiers came in and surrounded them. Both he and Isa were put on stretchers, and Nero tried to speak but only bbered incoherent words.


    At some point, when he exited the building, Nero realised that he lost his knife again. Snowke was still stuck to his abdomen, and his cardcase which he had trapped to his body using a belt was still there. But besides that he seemed to have little else. His shorts were long gone, and so were most of his pyjamas.


    It was a strange thing to focus on, but as if triggered by something, his mind recovered quickly after that. The world came into focus once more, and he found himselfying on a stretcher among countless others, though his condition was much better than most.


    Even now, besides his exhaustion, his most grave injury was just a dislocated arm - which he knew how to fix.


    Nero grit his teeth and popped his hand back in its ce, before stopping to take a look around. Though it was still dark out, massive flood lights covered the hostel buildings, revealing a vastwork of creeper vines that had grown on them all! The growth was so rapid that the buildings almost looked like they were from abandoned ruins more than anything else.


    How was this even possible? He didn''t know. He stood up, his legs wobbling under him, but at least they no longer gave in. Countless soldiers and doctors were running around the makeshift camp, and in the chaos no one noticed Nero walking around. Even he did not know what he was doing.


    A quick overview of the situation quickly revealed Isa, who was sitting alone and staring at his hand, lost in his thoughts. Hopefully he had remembered to close off all the emotions around himself. He also found Gabriel, who was easily identified due to his red hair. But he could not spot anyone else.


    What had happened to Anthony and the rest?


    Still suffering the after effects of shock, to some extent, Nero walked towards someone important. Nero didn''t know who he was, but by the number of orders he was giving out, and the countless number of soldiers who were running to and from him, he seemed incharge.


    No one seemed to notice Nero, despite his ragged condition, right up until he made his way to the man and pointed his finger at him.


    "Nearly 20 minutes after the fire rm went off!" Nero said, hoarsely, though he tried to be as loud as possible.


    The scene froze, as the surrounding soldiers went into shock at what was happening. Actually, what was happening? No one had any idea.


    Themander, or whoever he was, turned to look at Nero, and raised an eye in intrigue.


    "It took you, the strongest army in the world, 20 minutes after the fire rm went off toe to our rescue! You took an oath¡­ I¡­ Is this the army I''ve been training to join?"


    Shock, exhaustion, partial asphyxia and perhaps even a concussion had thoroughly disoriented Nero. His analytical brain made him realise that, since there was a state of partial lockdown in the city alongside increased military deployment, it should have taken them no more than five to ten minutes at most toe to their rescue.


    Even if the situation was horrendous, the mayor of the city was an Ascendant, and the army should have sufficient powerhouses as well. The fact that it took so long meant that something was amiss.


    Normally, he would know topartmentalise this information till he needed it. But in his current state, it led him to feeling emotions of anger and disappointment.


    "You''re in shock," the man said calmly, staring into Nero''s eyes. His voice was familiar - it was the one that had spoken to him in his mind earlier. "Go to sleep."


    As if his words held some unknown power, Nero closed his eyes and copsed right there. Fortunately, there was a soldier nearby who caught him just in time.


    "Si- sir I''m terribly sorry about that," one of the soldiers said with a look of panic and he wiped off some sweat from his brows. "I''ll have that student punished! I''ll¡­ I''ll have-"


    "Stop," themander said, only raising two fingers to indicate his intention. "The kid is right. Today, we have failed, and because of our failure, our next generation was attacked. Kr has not suffered such a disgrace since its creation, and I will not abide our children ughtered in their beds. Send word to Sage Morphius. I am personally taking control of the situation here.


    Also send word to Sage Christina. If her Tera corp does not present me with a n of retaliation, then my Demon corp will take over that too."


    He paused, and turned to look at Nero.


    "Also, have someone take care of this kid. I want him to be in perfect condition when I hand him amendation for his bravery."


    The soldier kept nodding, but despite the chill of the wind that night, he also kept sweating. It was not so easy to stand in the presence of an angry Sage, no matter how amicable they seem on the surface.

 Chapter 65: Political tool

    Nero woke up feeling quite refreshed. He felt the strangely soft yet hard when squeezed mattress underneath him, the thin yet rough woollen nket covering him and the distinct smell of disinfectant.


    He was waking up in the hospital again. He almost expected to see his father sitting right beside him when he opened his eyes, ready to crack some joke at his expense.


    But when he opened his eyes it was not the warm, rxed face of his father that was waiting for him. Instead, it was the anxious and irritated mug of a thoroughly pissed off redhead.


    Gabriel, despite using crutches, was pacing around the room with a deep frown on his, muttering something to himself.


    His memories came rushing in, or at least, a part of them. He recalled the vine invasion in his hostel, and fighting them and¡­


    "d to see you''re okay," Nero said, his voice oddly hoarse. He didn''t remember screaming, so it was odd that there was something wrong with his voice. Maybe the exertion gave him a sore throat, or maybe one of the vines had choked him towards the end.


    "Okay?" Gabriel said, turning to look at Nero. Instead of relieved at him waking up, he looked like he was on the verge of exploding.


    "I am not okay. In fact, we are not okay! We''re thoroughly fucked!"


    Gabriel kicked a chair that was beside him, but that nearly made him trip because he couldn''t bnce on the crutches properly, which only made him curse again.


    "Language!" Nero said, surprised at how irritated his roommate was. Although, to be fair, the guy had literal vines growing in his leg, so it''s fair that he''s a little emotional.


    "No, you don''t understand!" Gabriel said with frustration on his face. "This is exactly why I left. I hate it when this happens! We''re being used! I¡­ I don''t know what you did, but your face is all over the news. They''re calling you the voice of Kri dissatisfaction.


    Someone is using you as a political tool."


    "I¡­ what? What do you mean? What did I do?" Nero asked, confused. Thest thing he recalled was jumping out the window with Isa. No, wait, he crashed through a window.


    "Here, look at this. If you don''t remember, then you better recall what you did quickly. The situation in Aetherpeak is about to change drastically, and you''ve made yourself into a big target for anyone looking to get some quick recognition."


    Gabriel handed him a newspaper with his yearbook picture on the front page! Just as Gabriel said, he was called the voice of Kri dissatisfaction, as well as a number of other corny titles such as the leader of the future generation, hero of Mount Aiden and such.


    Although he was surprised, Nero waited to ask questions till he read the article. It stated how when the hostels of Mount Aiden were being overrun by a new breed of, as well as the rest of Aetherpeak apparently, as a lone student, Nero did not hesitate to face danger by himself and apparently saved dozens of students on his own.


    When the army arrived, they found him fighting off an Arcanist levelled cursed nt by himself, just moments away from sacrificing his life to kill it alongside himself.


    When he was finally rescued, instead of being relieved, overwhelmed with grief over his peers who died, he stormed up to Sage Haiden, themander of the Demon corp, and questioned the capability of the military, right up until he copsed from blood loss.


    Instead of being enraged at the child, Sage Haiden praised his bravery, and promised to personally give him amendation after the situation was resolved. Also, upon hearing the dissatisfaction of the people, Sage Haiden dered that the demon corps will be taking over the security of Aetherpeak since apparently the local government is failing miserably.


    Apparently, he also gave the other Sages a deadline to present him with a retaliation n, otherwise he would do it himself.


    But considering the attack on the vines was assumed to be a natural urrence, just like the Poaceae epidemic from when he was young, who did he want to retaliate against? Was this actually a terrorist attack?


    The article then splintered off into a host of other conspiracy theories that werepletely unfounded.


    Nero was dumbstruck. Was he really reading the news? Nothing in the news was ever published without the military''s approval, that wasmon knowledge, so how did this article full of exaggeration make the front page?


    "A political tool, you said?" Nero said slowly, as he put the newspaper down. "Exin the situation to me slowly. I thought Kr doesn''t have politics since the public mandate is decided by the military. Besides, whether we like it or not, I''m in the limelight. We can use that to our own advantage."


    "Politics is not just a governing affair, Nero. Where there are humans and human interests, there is politics. The Demon corps is only supposed to deal with cursed incidents, zones and creatures. It has no business taking over a region of the country, even if it is in the name of defence. After all, all such internal matters fall under the purview of the Felix corps.


    "But because of how seriously the city was impacted by these new kinds of vines, and using yourints as an excuse, the Demon corps has taken over the situation. This is like the most basic political power y there is. I''m sure there are levels of this that I can''t even see yet, but have no doubt, this is not about the city.


    The ruins they discovered must be even more important than we, or anyone else, thought.


    "Now one person has made use of you, putting you up on a pedestal in front of the nation. So if anyone wants tobat Haiden, they obviously won''t attack him. But attacking you, or even your character, or maybe even your family, are perfectly viable options. Even likely options."


    Nero frowned, as he tried to recall the incident in the newspaper. For some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t remember it at all.


    "Are we sure this actually even happened? I don''t remember it at all."


    "Oh yes, it definitely happened. In front of hundreds of eye witnesses no less. I''m not ming you for this, if that''s what you''re thinking. Between you and me, I would not doubt it at all if this was all perfectly orchestrated. Your confrontation of the Sage, I mean. Not the vine attack, although who am I to guess how far back this thing goes?


    After all, it shouldn''t be so easy to walk up to a Sage and just yell at him. But, you did it. And you''re even getting an award for it."


    Gabriel suddenly began muttering to himself again, grumbling about politics and how much he hated it, cursing from time to time. Nero wasn''t too thrilled to learn that he had been used either, but he did not dwell on it.


    He opened the newspaper and went through the news once more, looking for anything he missed. His situation was precarious, obviously, but there was no reason he couldn''t benefit from it either. He was not one to just stand and wait for his doom.


    "What''s this? A recruitment¡­ tournament?" Nero asked as he noticed something in the inner pages.


    But his question only caused Gabriel to groan in agony, as if he had been kicked.


    "What is it? Stop being a baby. We''re in this situation so let''s deal with it."


    "It was an announcement made a short while ago. The army officially announced and acknowledged the prescience of the Eldrim ruins, and stated the need for Neophytes to enter the ruins, for whatever reason.


    "But, the entire army is designed to strengthen its soldiers as much and as quickly as possible, so the number of Neophytes in the entire army may not even be a couple of thousand, out of which maybe only a handful are field operatives. To make up for this shortage, the announcement for the KMA recruitment has been brought forward, and to an extent, made somewhat easier. But there''s a catch.


    "There will be a tournament, and all top 500 entrants will be treated as potential candidates for KMA this year. But to solidify the position, all 500 will have to participate in a military operation within the ruins that specifically requires Neophytes. If you take part, and seed, then your position in KMA is confirmed!"


    "Why the hell is something like this in the back pages?" Nero eximed as he suddenly pulled the article out and began reading.


    "Obviously because the spots are more or less already confirmed. Do you think just any random people can get in? I bet all 500 participantse from various great families. By the way, since both your parents are Arcanist, you can also be considered a member of a minor great family, I guess."

 Chapter 66: Great families

    Nero scoffed at Gabriel''sment, though he could not help but recall the Soren name. He might really have noble lineage, though he''d be considered a member of a branch at best considering the rtion was from his mothers side.


    His mind went over what he knew of great families real quick. Since Kr did not have any kind of nobility, great families was just an informal term representing a family with many high level card masters. But it was only informal because it wasn''t officially recognised, not because the list of great families wasn''tprehensive.


    Another reason why many people, Nero included, assumed that the great families weren''t officially recognised was because the army wanted power to stay centralised, and admitting that a few specific families had umted arge influence went against the image they tried to portray.


    Nero, however, did not find the concept of great families to be unfair, or part of some sinister plot, though realistically speaking everything he hated about Kr leadership probably stemmed from those families. To him, it just made sense. Of course anyone who attained power would look out for their families.


    It wasn''t about umting power, as much as it was about preserving one''s family and loved ones.


    Perhaps not everyone else saw it like that, but he knew for a fact that if he ever gained power he wouldn''t hesitate to use it to benefit his family. So, perhaps to avoid being hypocritical, he was not averse to the concept of great families. Though, he did find a few more than distasteful. The names Rodney and Dom came to mind.


    He couldn''t help but smile gloatingly.


    "You know, just yesterday Ss'' father called me nothing more than a foot soldier with no future. I wonder if he regrets it now," Nero said looking at his face in the newspaper.


    "If you expect some kind of apology, then forget it," Gabriel said in an irritated tone. "High society folk don''t usually apologise. To him, this is nothing more than you receiving an unexpected 15 minutes of fame, and doesn''t amount to much. Instead of him, you should be focusing on our immediate future.


    Whether we like it or not, we''re about to get pulled into a web of political intrigue, since I know for a fact that there''s no way we''re going to miss the KMA recruitment.


    "I was really hoping that we''d build up some degree of strength to rely on long before we get any attention like this. We''re going to have to be very careful during the recruitment test, and then whatever we''re going to have to deal with in the ruins."


    "Gabriel, you''re being too irritable," Nero said, his voice suddenly devoid of his earlier amusement. "I don''t know about you, but I never nned on avoiding danger, orbat. If we''re ipetent that''s one thing, but we''re not, so get over it. This is an opportunity. Whether it''s the politics, the great families, the ruins, they''re all opportunities.


    We just need to make sure that we''re ready to take advantage of them."


    Gabriel clenched his fists, and had countless things go through his head that he wanted toin about, but eventually he let them go with a sigh. This was one of the primary reasons he wanted to partner up with Nero to begin with. He was alwaysser focused, and never gave room for doubt.


    Even though he had been publicly used against his will, and put in an awkward position, he wasn''t flustered in the slightest. To be fair, it wasn''t like he was the one responsible for the Demon corps taking over, but it hardly mattered now. Whether he liked it or not, he was now thoroughly in their camp.


    "The recruitment tournament is in two months. We''ll need to prepare for it," Gabriel said, taking a seat on the chair he had kicked earlier. "Among other things, I''ll need to brief you on all the great families and what to expect."


    "I know about the families," Nero said inly. Who didn''t know about them?


    At the very top of the unofficial hierarchy were the six sage families. At the moment, Kr had six living Sages, which was more than any other country individually. It need not be mentioned that the families of these sages were at the very top of the family hierarchy, benefitting from the leadership of their sage.


    It only made sense that these families would be extremely wealthy and have ess to some of the best publicly avable resources. Whether they also had ess to resources that were supposed to be strictly military use probably depended more on the integrity of their associated sage, but it was fair to assume they had at least some of them.


    After all, the best and most valuable resources were always acquired by the sages themselves.


    Below the six sage families was a wide bracket of middle grade great families. These families varied in things like political power and wealth, but these families usually had any number of 2 star card masters, meaning above the arcanist level. Some of these families were former sage families, or had long histories, and made up the majority of the families.


    Unlike the sage families, whose influence was spread across Kr, these families had their strength localised. For example, the Dom family was prominent in Aetherpeak, but their prestige would be limited elsewhere. Certain families were focused on specific fields, such as farming, or card crafting, and so only had influence within those specific circles.


    All in all, despitecking official recognition, the cumtive influence of the families was quite significant. But individually, they were little more than local celebrities.


    Since even the sage families had severe restrictions on them in terms of having private military force, or forming official yet private organisations in tandem with other families, the families had no real way of developing any significant power whenpared to the country. Any power they wielded was a result of posts they held in the army, or in civil offices.


    Even that was strictly regted to avoid any one family developing some kind of monopoly.


    That left thergest yet weakest bracket at the end, and consisted of families such as Nero''s, with two or more Arcanists among them. These families were the mostmon, and the extent of their influence went as far as their localmunities. For example, Nero''s father was friends with the chairman of AAB, and they''d even visited each other''s houses on asion.


    Apparently their families had been neighbours when they were growing up.


    The number of his family''s connections extended across the city, and considering the fact that Nero had two protectors within school, it also extended to their workces. But the difference between them and the greater families was also apparent.


    "Of course you know about them. But Nero, so far, you''ve been doing the best in our school. That''s because you put in an incredible amount of hard work and effort, not to mention your natural skill and talents. But such things only take you so far. You''re a pro at hand to handbat, but against kids who have been raised in some of these families, your advantage will be cut short.


    "It may not be of their own volition, but many of them have out in the same amount of work as you, if not more. They''ve also had private trainers all their lives, not to mention countless cousins doing the exact same kind of training as them to give thempetition. Fighting them is in a whole other league, and fighting is just one area of many where they have an advantage."


    "Compare them to yourself. Where would you rank yourself among the Neophytes from these families."


    Gabriel paused. He sensed the silent usation. Well, it wasn''t really an usation. They both knew he was also from one such family - he''d just been adamant about keeping which specific one quite so far.


    "Somewhere in the middle," he admitted. "But take your head out of the fighting ring. There''s more to these things. I''m going to have to brief you on the dynamics between all these families, and we''ll need toe up with a n on how we''re going to proceed. Let me tell you something - any family with a background in Tera corp isn''t going to look favourably upon you right now."


    "We''ll deal with it," Nero said, waving his hand. "You''re letting your worry of the problem affect you too much. You can brief me on the families until I get discharged. Apparently I''m not supposed to just leave the hospital once I wake up. Who knew?"


    Gabriel facepalmed.


    "Speaking of families, you heard of the Soren family."


    "Soren family, yeah. It''s one of the oldest families in Kr, even predating the empire. It''s said that they had close ties to the emperor during his time, though details are sketchy. Some records indicate that they might have even had a sage in the early 200s, though there aren''t any proper records of it.


    They''ve long since fallen out of power, and the Soren name disappeared a couple of decades ago as far as anyone in recent history knows. Why?"


    "I heard it in passing," Nero said, not revealing his thoughts. "So, about these families¡­"

 Chapter 67: Training

    As it turned out, it was a good thing that Nero did not leave the hospital as soon as he woke up. That was because he only learntter that he had been sleeping for over a day. The headline for the previous day''s newspaper was not about Nero, but about the massive vine invasion that rocked the city.


    The death toll was extremely high - higher than it had ever been in Nero''s life. No one knew where the vine creatures officially originated from, as there was no such flora near the city itself.


    The number of people assuming that it was another terrorist attack was not small, and most looked towards Dolziya, Kr''s neighbour on the east. But there was no proof, which is why there had been no official response yet.


    All of that aside, the reason the attack of the vines had been so sessful was because of a few traits that they had. The vines grew out of tiny seeds which would embed themselves in skin, clothes or fur.


    The vines absorbed aether to grow, and their growth was drastic. On humans, they waited till the target was asleep to begin absorbing the aether to grow within the body first. After hijacking the body''s ability to control aether, they began to grow outwards.


    The terrifying thing was that these vines could absorb energy from absolutely anything, so long as it was aether. That meant humans, but also powerlines, potions, ingredients, batteries, aether shards or about anything else. The most dangerous thing was that if the vines absorbed enough energy, they could transcend levels in a single day!


    That meant a vine that absorbed enough energy could easily reach up to the Arcanist level.


    The only good news they had was that the vines could not sustain such growth. They need to constantly absorb aether from external sources, such as humans or items, or else their level will begin to fall. They werepletely incapable of absorbing ambient aether on their own.


    There may be more to learn about the vines, but that''s what the newspaper said. Technically, that had nothing to do with Nero - except that it did!


    A doctor showed up a few hours after Nero woke up with a test that reported that hundreds of vine seeds had been detected in Nero''s body! Fortunately, they had all frozen to death!


    Nero could only assume that he had been injected when the massive vine creature grabbed him. At that time, he had his entire body burning in his blue me, which is probably what killed the seeds. Still, they needed to be removed.


    At any other time, the removal process would have been swift and painless. But considering how the entire town of Aetherpeak had been overrun with vines, with countless vine creatures reaching the level of thest creature Nero had fought, all medical staff were under great pressure.


    So while the removal process was still swift, it involved a doctor using a card that literally ripped the dead seeds out of his body, which was most of Nero''s chest. Fortunately, the seeds were not buried deep or his organs would have beenpromised and the removal process would have been much more difficult.


    Due to ack of anaesthesia, Nero had to endure that unpleasant experience in full. At least the healing process afterwards was quick.


    But he was still kept in the hospital for two more days for observation. They knew next to nothing about the vines, so they had to be sure that there would be no more unexpected surprises.


    While those two days limited Nero in what he could do, that did not mean he was free to do as he pleased. Much to his displeasure, Gabriel extensively went over the power dynamics and rtionships between the many great families, and how Nero now fit into them.


    Nero, naturally, took the lesson very seriously and learned everything that Gabriel taught, but his personal beliefs were somewhat different. Yes, he was most likely about to face off a bunch of other teenagers from great families, but that didn''t also mean that they weren''t their own people. Personal interests and family interests did not necessarily have to be the same.


    He also didn''t believe that the rtionships were as clear cut as Gabriel was making them out to be.


    When he was finally discharged, Nero left the hospital to a¡­pletely restored and functional Aetherpeak. The infrastructure was repaired, the damage undone, supply chains restored, all of that stuff. The only thing missing were the people that died during the attack - they couldn''t be brought back.


    That''s how it always was. Kr, with ess to the Aether mountain range, was the richest country of the six, at least when it came to resources. Under the influence of Orchardists, the mines would never run out of ores, the food would always grow and with the technology that Nova sold to them, they would always remain functioning.


    That is why, at least on paper, what Kr valued most were its people.


    That''s what Nero grew up believing and being taught at least. Now¡­ he could spot propaganda when he saw it.


    School resumed, but it was a little depressing at first. As it happened, the worst of the casualties hadn''t happened in hostels. Most of the students had been taken over by the vines, but instead of being killed, they were being used as an endless supply of aether, which is why most of them were only brutally physically and mentally scarred.


    But even if they were alive, very few students were actually in a condition to attend. Most of them were still in hospitals. That included Harold and Wendy. Instead of being taken over by vines, they had suffered injuries while fighting them off. Nero did not know the extent of their injuries yet.


    Very few others came to ss besides him and Gabriel. Ss had note either, though Nero was sure he was fine. Of their group, only Vanessa was there. Nero was not surprised to discover that she hade out of the incident wholly unharmed. Stealth really came in handy in such situations.


    But Nero was not in the mood to chat with friends. Now, more than ever, he wanted to get stronger. He immediately made his way to Footer, and exined in great detail how he had been able to use his ability, including how he was able to use another ice-based spell as fuel to spread the mes once they left his control.


    Then he requested that they speed up his training, with the KMA tournament in two months as his goal. Two months was a short time to make considerable progress as a cardmaster, but due to Nero''s limelight the school was more than willing to invest in him heavily.


    Footer designed a new training regime for him that would involve eating aether enriched food three times a day, but also burning all of it off each day! Almost every waking moment of his days would be spent training. If it were anyone else, surviving such training would have been near impossible. Maybe they would have survived a few days, but not more.


    Nero on the other hand¡­ he asked Footer to make an amendment so that he could continue his sses with the chatty Ms. Zim and have a few free hours on the weekends. After all, Nero needed to learn how to make a Radix Augmentation card and hopefully make it soon.


    Footer obliged, and so began the most hellish training Nero had ever experienced, and it began with breakfast.


    After eating an aether rich egg, Nero began training with Footer to improve his understanding and control over his innate ability. If he had known about the fact that Snowke could be used as fuel for Cryome earlier, he may have done things differently in the hostel. He may have found a way to avoid getting caught. No matter what, that day, Nero had failed.


    If he hadn''t been lucky then he would have either died, or turned into a vine creature. Either was an uneptable oue for him.


    During his training whenever physical or mental exhaustion would catch up to him, and they did, Nero would recall that suffocation. He would recall the feeling of being squeezed till his bones cracked and he couldn''t move. He would recall the darkness that nearly closed in on him.


    Then he would pick himself back up and continue to train.


    After a week went by, more students had returned to school but Nero never returned to ss. By now, rumours of his training had spread, and many began to specte over his reasons. The most popr one was that he had been secretly dating someone and his secret girlfriend had been killed, which is why now he was focused on revenge.


    They were only half right. Part of it was for revenge, but another part was also for self protection. After all, he had no idea what the Dom family thought of him, or if they even knew of him before the incident. But now he was set to receive amendation from a sage, and they had killed his brother.


    Gabriel hadn''t needed to point out the fact that he had probably attracted their attention, though he did anyway.

 Chapter 68: Tuition

    The weekend finally arrived, and Nero had 4 hours in which he could do whatever he wanted. After that, it would be right back to training, though on the weekends it was considerably lighter.


    After all, he would not get any aether rich food on the weekend. He chose to spend his first free hour justying in bed. Although he was used to intense training, that did not mean he was immune to the fatigue of nonstop training! The past week had been simultaneously extremely long, and extremely quick for him.


    It was long because while training, whether it was with his innate ability or his spear, he was tremendously aware of each moment. It was simr to how time seemed to slow down when someone untrained performed a nk. At the same time, it was incredibly fast because Nero had absolutely no time to think.


    He waspletely focused on his training. When he wasn''t doing either physical or innate ability training, he was studying with Ms. Zim. He barely got any time to see his friends, and while Gabriel would fill him in on any information he needed at night, that was usually a very quick conversation because Nero did not want to sacrifice his sleep.


    Nero thought that he''d be able to take the training in stride, but now he had to admit that it was¡­ tougher than he anticipated. He was not about to quit, however. He was just going to rest a bit and allow himself to do nothing for a while.


    After all, even though he had only been training for a week, he had felt his growth. Eating aether rich foods was somehow speeding up his absorption of his innate card. Now if he could only get around to making Radix Augmentation his cultivation speed would immediately increase - which is exactly what he had nned for the weekend.


    Or, more specifically, he was nning on increasing his knowledge about card crafting, and looking into procuring the ingredients.


    Someone knocked on his door, and Nero groaned as he climbed down from bed. His body was sore, and though he had been getting massages and treatments to elerate his healing process, no aether cards were used. Natural recovery was always best in these things.


    He opened the door to the sight of Ss wearing a backpack and smiling excitedly.


    "I''m d you could make it. Wee,e in."


    "Of course, how could I miss this opportunity? No one has ever asked me to tutor them before, and especially not someone who has such strong ties with a sage.


    Nero groaned once more. That was one of the rumours flying around school - that he was the sage''s illegitimate child. He didn''t have time to deal with such things.


    "You''re a little early, but I don''t mind. We can get started," Nero said as he made space in his room, but then noticed that Ss was still awkwardly standing at the door.


    "You see, the thing is, Vanessa also asked me to tutor her. Do you think¡­ would you mind if I taught both of you at the same time?"


    "Sure, where are we going? I doubt she cane to the boys hostel."


    "School library. She should be there waiting for us."


    "Excellent. Let me get changed first."


    Nero took out his school uniform and walked to the bathroom to change. After the vine incident, Nero had lost almost all of his belongings. Everything had been burned to avoid any possible seeds left. That meant Nero only had a number of uniforms to choose from, not that he wasining.


    "By the way, can you arrange for this stuff? I''ve looked up the prices online, and everything should fit in around 200 Krims. I''ll give you the cash as well," Nero said, as he handed Ss a list he had already prepared. There were well over 30 ingredients listed down, of which only a few were required for Radix Augmentation. He''d have Ss buy a few, and he''d already asked Ms.


    Zim for a few, which she had already delivered. Tomorrow, he was going to make his first attempt at crafting the card. He expected to failpletely, but failure would let him know where he wascking.


    Ss was in a chipper mood, which made him stand out considering the mood of the city. But, for him personally, things had been going great. They hadn''t seen a single vine back at the mansion, and after Nero came on the news, his father silently allowed him to continue their friendship.


    What''s more, Ss had received a special invitation to apply for an artisan college. He was pretty sure his family had arranged for it, but even so it felt nice to be recognised. Then after that, his two closest friends asked him for tuition!


    On a weekend the school should have been deserted, but that was not the case today. With the uing recruitment, almost everyone was preparing to enter the tournament. Even if they didn''t get selected for KMA, getting a good ranking would boost their application for normal college.


    Besides, for whatever reason, the schools were spending even more resources on the students to help them improve than normal. Hardly anyone would give up such an opportunity.


    The library in their school was not toorge, but it had a number of private study rooms that students could book for study sessions, which is where Vanessa was waiting for them. Nero hadn''t seen her in a while, and was surprised to discover that she had cut her hair short. It was¡­ quite random, even if it did set her face better.


    "Hey Vanessa, nice haircut," Nero said as he pulled out a chair beside her.


    "Thanks, though the intention behind it is more functional than for fashion. Long, untied hair can be a real hassle in abat situation."


    "Talking about the vines?" Nero asked.


    "Yeah. It was¡­ well, I haven''t experienced something like that before. It was quite revealing. Not only is long hair a greater liability, since people can grab it, but they just get everywhere!"


    She wascking her usual energetic spark, considering that she hadn''t tried to make fun of Nero yet. She seemed to be disying the appropriate reaction to a sudden traumatic event, from suddenly changing a significant thing about herself, even if it was just her hair length, to being more distracted and less focused.


    Nero wondered if she was just that good of a spy, or if his original assumption had just been wrong.


    Ss, as the tutor, sat opposite to them and pulled out a number of notebooks.


    "Alright, for this first ss, we''re going to cover some basics, after which we''re going to put what we learnt into practice. We''re going to start with the base of cards¡­"


    Although Nero was generally a very studious student, he could notpete with someone who had been solely focusing on one subject in particr his whole life. While Ss did reach the level of eloquence as Ms. Zim, he still knew what he was talking about. Moreover, Nero had more control over the lesson n, as Ss would move the lecture in the direction of whatever question he asked.


    The problem with creating Radix Augmentation was not that the recipe wasplex, but that preparing eachponent was aplicated process. Once the actualponents were properly prepared, crafting the card would be easy - rtively speaking.


    The ss proved to be extremely fruitful, and Ss had brought a number of ingredients on his own so that the two of them could try their hand at card making.


    In fact, he prepared the necessary ingredients for a fairly simple illusion card called Summon Light Orb, and their task for the day was to actually craft a card using them.


    Nero had to admit, the process was a fair bit moreplex that he anticipated. Even after heyered all the ingredients correctly, when he actually tried to fuse them together to form the card, he failed miserably.


    The ingredients were fried and began to give off smoke.


    It was only now that he was doing it himself that he got a sense for what an achievement it was for Ss to craft a card before he even became a Neophyte. While in other aspects he might becking, but in card crafting he was practically a prodigy.


    The only thing that allowed him to save face was the fact that Vanessa was equally terrible at fusing the card. But Ss had brought enough sets for them to try multiple times, and gave them tips and guidance each time they failed.


    In the end, the ss came to an end when they ran out of ingredients. While Vanessa seemed somewhat disappointed in her own performance, Nero was already thinking ahead of how he could continue to practise.


    But such thoughts would have to wait until the next time he was free. His weekend free time was about to end, and he could practically feel Footer waiting with anticipation to continue sses.

 Chapter 69: Melancholy

    "You seem distracted," Nero said as he looked at the charred remains of his final card fusion attempt. Ss had thoroughly exined to him why Nero had messed up, and at each attempt, the reasons were different. The constant failures did not fluster him, though he did gain a new appreciation for Ss'' talents.


    Knowing a good artisan was key for any card master, and if Ss continued to develop at his current rate, he would be an excellent artisan in no time. Getting his hands on recipes would not be a problem with his family''s backing, and Nero was fairly certain that he would be able to make high-quality cards in no time.


    "Do I?" Vanessa asked forlornly. "Maybe it''s just the vine incident. I am not used to such things."


    "Really? I thought the fact that Nova had a fog clearing meant that the rate of cursed events is even higher over there."


    "They are, but we''ve learned how to deal with them. Just think about it. With the level of technology that Nova sells to the other countries, you can imagine what they keep for themselves. It''s been a long time since a cursed event on such a massive scale has urred in Nova."


    Either she was a really good actor, or she really was shaken up by the incident. Her voice was low and for once, instead of making eye contact, she kept looking down.


    "Were any of your¡­ your friends or roommates hurt?" Nero asked.


    "What? Oh! No, no, they''re all fine. Credit where credit is due, you Kri''s are definitely not scared of a fight. Even though none of them specialise in fighting, they handled the situation way better than myself. Thankfully, none of them were infected to begin with.


    We fought our way out of the hostel, and then just stayed out of the way till the military came."


    "Oh. You seem despondent, so I thought maybe something had happened. d to know you were safe."


    Vanessa was surprised to hear him, and suddenly picked herself up, as if filled with energy. But the expression on her face seemed a little forced.


    "No, although it was definitely an experience, it''s nothing like that. I just expect my family to be a little worried about me. They might want to call me back after hearing what happened."


    "Oh, yeah. That makes sense," Nero replied.


    The group walked out of the school together, and although it was only noon, it was considerably dark out due to the heavy clouds. They must have rolled in while they were studying.


    "Do you think it''s going to snow?" Vanessa asked, looking at the clouds.


    "In the mountains, perhaps, but not down here," Nero answered. "Winter''s already behind us, so I wouldn''t expect it. It definitely looks like it''s going to rain, though. Might even get some lightning."


    As if to confirm Nero''s statement, streaks of white lines shed through the clouds, followed by heavy thunder a few secondster. The group split up, and Nero found his way to Footer to resume his training.


    At some point during the day, a deluge of rain began to pour down, which kept on going throughout the night and until the next day. The soft pitter patter on his window created a cosy environment for sleep, with suppressed sounds of asional thunder outside punctuating the otherwise consistent tempo of the rain.


    Theck of sunlight, however, swept the hostel with an even more depressed mood. Despite the massive floodlights that illuminated the entire city, ensuring that it never got too dark, the artificial, man made lighting could not hold a candle to the real thing.


    Nero stood at the hostel door, looking out at the rain and the field of tiles in front of him, as well as the nket of darkness above him which were the clouds. The air was even more crisp than usual, and the smell of rain hung heavy around him. A few insects had gathered in the rtively dry, covered area in front of the hostel door.


    Rain had a way of seeping mncholy into one''s bones, and Nero was not immune to it either. As he held out his hand and felt the raindrops pelting his skin, he could not help but wonder about something that often gued his thoughts.


    His hostel was not poorly built, so then why did he still prefer the sights of the distant mountains to these monuments of man? The floodlights ripped through the darkness just as well as the sun, so then why did he prefer the light of that distant ball of furious fire? The tiles in front of him wereid out in a beautiful pattern, so then why did he still prefer the sight of fields of green?


    The tiles didn''t even threaten to kill him if he stepped on them by ident?


    Why did the fresh morning air smell better than the filtered air inside buildings? Why did fresh water taste better than the one that they distilled?


    It was not as if any of these things, whether it was the buildings or the tiles or the lights, were results of shoddy workmanship! In fact, each and every one of them was a testament of mankind''s dominance over a cruel world that desperately tried to devour them. So then why was it¡­ that in his heart of hearts, he still found this cruel world to be so beautiful?


    Was it a trap? The ultimate lie. The diaphanous illusion of gorgeousndscapes, arresting your attention so that danger could more easily close in. Was deceit woven into the very nature of this world?


    He wanted to believe otherwise, but that was never the answer his mind arrived at.


    Nero stepped into the rain and walked towards school, leaving the umbre in his hand unopened. He was not really at risk of catching a cold anymore, and he didn''t particrly mind being wet. Perhaps the rain held some answers.


    He had another tuition session with Ss and Vanessa, after which he procured the ingredients Ss handed over. But, to his surprise, alongside the ingredients he asked for, Ss slipped him a card.


    "Don''t tell anyone," he whispered as he looked around for any eavesdroppers. "My dad would be furious if he knew I gave one of these out. But, I reckon this could help you a lot in improving your card crafting."


    Curious, Nero looked at the card and was stunned to discover that it was Ss'' innate card!


    Name: Arithmetic Perception


    Image: A flower drawn on a graph paper


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Augment all senses, allowing extreme precision]


    vour text: "Whether you''re a farmer, a soldier, a businessman or a king, it''s all about the numbers" - Iskunder Macedon.


    Nero was stunned, as he had not been expecting such a card, but instead of falling into formality, he epted the card and gave Ss a grateful nod. He was not one for false modesty. The card would be useful for him, and so he took it.


    Theirtest tuition session let Nero know that he was nowhere near being able to craft a card, even a rtively easy one. But having Arithmetic Perception would make it much easier for him to at least prepare the necessaryponents for Radix Augmentation, not to mention crafting the card itself.


    With everything ready, instead of returning to his room, Nero went to another private card crafting room and locked it. He set aside the box handed to him by Ss, which contained the ingredients he asked for, before also cing a backpack on the table.


    In the waterproof backpack were the ingredients that he had already procured, which he took out and neatly ced one by one, before arranging the ingredients given to him by Ss.


    The recipe for the Radix Augmentation card required only sevenyers, including the base. Considering that eachyer had to be prepared by hand, and had a miniscule margin for error in each, the difficulty of creating the card was evident. But it was not impossible - far from it, in fact.


    Within the card crafting room that he was in were countless tools specifically designed to help process various materials so that they can be used in card crafting. Moreover, now he had even received Ss'' innate card, which should make things easier.


    He took a moment to clear his mind. Right now, it didn''t matter that his body was sore, or whether the world was deceitful, or anything else. Right now, the only thing that mattered was his task.


    Nero held Arithmetic Perception and activated the card. He felt the spell within it activate and flow into his body. A chill ran down his spine, despite the fact that he had long since stopped feeling cold.


    Then the world changed. He did not suddenly get barraged with a lot of new information. Instead, he felt like he was getting more out of whatever he was feeling. When he looked at his hand, he could tell the exact dimensions and curvature of every bit of it. Where his clothes touched his skin, he could tell how many centimetres of cloth touched how much skin.


    The silence in the room was no longer silence, as he could hear how far the walls and various objects were around him.


    It was strange.


    The first thought Nero had after he recovered was what the sunset might look like under the effects of this card. But then he focused back on the task at hand. He had work to do.

 Chapter 70: Bitterness

    Nero raised his hand to pick up the first ingredient, and then paused. He had just been thinking about how amazing Ss'' passive was for card crafting, but that is as far as his thoughts went. But when he moved his hand Nero experienced a whole new function of the ability.


    He could determine the angle of movement, velocity, eleration, deceleration and momentum of his entire arm. More importantly, the information was processed in apletely natural way that was easilyprehensible.


    To be fair, the human brain already calcted all of these things on its own. An example would be trying to hit a moving target with a ball. Not only would the brain have to calcte the velocity, path and eleration or deceleration of the target, but also that of the ball that would be thrown.


    Consistent practice improved hand eye coordination and many other functions that the brain naturally took care of, but there was still a barrier between consciously knowing something and your subconscious knowing something.


    But Arithmetic Perception seemed to break that barrier in an extremely natural way. So, when Nero moved his hand he was both consciously and subconsciously aware that it moved at around 1 m/s (metre per second). The same was true for all the other parameters as well.


    Nero tried again, and this time, he moved both his hands. It was interesting to learn that unless he consciously chose to do so differently, both his hands had the exact same movement speed within two decimal points.


    He took out a random piece of paper from his bag and crumpled it, learning an interesting amount of information about the paper. He learned exactly how much pressure it took before the paper began to crumple, what its weight was while holding it, its air resistance and more. He then threw it between his hands and was thoroughly amazed at the information feedback he was getting.


    He changed his mind. Ss'' innate ability was not just perfect for card crafting, this ability was overpowered! He could not even imagine the kind of things he would learn if he used his own innate skill while Arithmetic Perception was active, or if he trained with his spear with it.


    Heck, even during an actual fight he could see how this skill would help one identify weaknesses or ws in an opponent''s stance or movement.


    The key factor was not the information feedback, but how natural the information seemed. Normally, having so much extra data would distract Nero from whatever it was he was doing, but that was not happening here.


    It was fascinating, and Nero decided to test the card out more when he was training with Footer on his innate ability. But, as beneficial as the card might be, for now he would have to restrain himself from using it too much, at least until he made the radix Augmentation card. That was his first priority.


    The base of the card was made from nt fibre amalgam, but just saying that was misleading. The fibres needed were from specific kinds of nts only, and needed to be collected from the leaf, stem and seed before being mixed into the amalgam. The extraction method for fibres were also different for all three.


    Whether it was fortunate, or unfortunate, Nero did not have a licence to handle nts so it was impossible for him to actually get his hands on such nts and extract the fibres himself. That is where Ss came in.


    Ss was able to purchase pre-extracted and well preserved fibres for his use, though these ingredients could not be preserved for more than a few days with their quality dropping with each and every hour.


    Technically this allowed Nero to skip some steps which would have beenplicated to learn and master, but the cost was a loss in quality of the ingredient. Not only would this make the final fusion harder, it would affect the durability of the card.


    This was merely the first obstacle in the prelude to the very firstyer of the card. Eachyer of the card presented its own obstacles.


    Nero extracted the prepared fibres from their sealed containers and ced them in a stone mortar in the proper ratios. He added exactly ten drops of a serum that would help the fibres hold together, before he began crushing the fibres using a pellet.


    Once done, he extracted the paste and ced it in a rectangr tray with exact dimensions of a card and put it in a small heatingpartment where the amalgam would be baked for 10 minutes.


    While that happened, he began working on the other ingredients that he needed to prepare. Nero had a steady hand, which helped a lot, but even so, if he had been doing all of this without the aid of Arithmetic Perception then the task would have been infinitely more difficult.


    The way Nero saw it, even if Ss never gained a single recipe his entire life, he could still be massively sessful only selling his innate cards.


    It took Nero about fifty minutes just to get all the ingredients ready. Surprisingly, he had avoided messing any of them up - as far as he could tell. After cing everything on a table in front of him, he once more reviewed the steps in his mind and then began.


    Nero moved very methodically, first setting the base and then creating each subsequentyer atop it. Sometimes theyer needed to be created first and then added to the stack, while other times the ingredients needed to be ced atop and then treated with various chemicals. The process wasplicated but Nero never paused, or in fact, even reduced his speed.


    After all, with Arithmetic Perception, he could maintain the perfect speed for his body and mind to work together.


    Another thirty minutes passed, and Nero managed toplete the entire stack. He did not feel like he messed up, so the only thing now was to fuse theyers using aether. This final step was a bewildering one, not because of how it could be either hard or easy depending on the recipe.


    It was because, for some unknown reason, even without an actual spell, it achieved a magical effect, which was to fuse the variousyers into a card with aplete spell model. Many believed that this step in itself should be considered a spell, but humans were essentially incapable of consciously casting spells. That was the whole reason they relied on cards.


    Whatever the secret was, it was buried in the recipe itself.


    It was also a step Ss had managed to do using an aether shard, and Nero himself had failed countless times already in the past two days. Before doing the final step, Nero channelled some aether through his hand to see if he could get a feel for his aether maniption through Arithmetic Perception. He could.


    So with everything ready, he ced his finger on the stack and channelled his aether into it. He felt the cards absorbing his aether, and saw the size of the stack decreasing. The fact that it hadn''t immediately burnt out was a sign of Nero''s tremendous growth.


    With bated breath, he continued to feed the stack his aether, ensuring that he did not speed up or slow down. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction.


    Then a corner of the card caught fire, and Nero knew he failed. He lifted his finger and watched in silence and the crimson me spread over the entire stack and reduced all his hard work to ash.


    Nero had to admit, he felt a little disappointment. Or maybe a lot. Although he hade prepared, knowing that he would most likely fail in his first attempt, Ss'' card had given him hope. That hope is what allowed him to go further than he had ever gone before, and it is also what caused him disappointment now.


    The problem was, he could not tell where he went wrong. He took out a copy and noted down all the changes he observed during the fusion process. When passing on the recipe his father hadn''t made any specialments regarding the fusion, so Nero assumed that it was more his fault than some special requirements of the recipe.


    Once he was done, he put the copy away and began packing everything. He did not have the time for another attempt. He would have to wait until next week to try again. In the meantime he would consult Ms. Zim as well as Ss for where he went wrong.


    When Nero exited his school building, he discovered that the rain had finally stopped, and the cloud cover was beginning to disperse. Faint streaks of sunlight were passing through where the cover had thinned enough, creating random spots of silver - since it couldn''t really be called a silver lining yet.


    With a feeling of mild bitterness in his heart, Nero walked back to his dorm under the beautiful cloudy sky. What right did it have of looking so enchanting after nearly 24 hours of pure darkness? Nero did not know.

 Chapter 71: Testing against curses

    The following days, Nero once again fell back into his training routine. Even though he was growing extremely fast due to the aether rich food, Footer always found new ways to exhaust him and tire him out.


    But beside his immense physical growth, Nero also discovered that his intense routine benefited his cultivation as well. By Tuesday of his second week, Nero had reached 2% absorption!


    Although it was not intense growth, it was the first time he had made measurable progress, and he hadn''t even been spending much time actually cultivating. This was just a passive result of the copious amount of aether that was flowing through his body, not only due to the food he was eating, but because of his training as well.


    To respect Ss'' privacy, Nero did not share details of his card with anyone, but he did use it before one of his training sessions with Footer. Although he did learn a lot about his ability, it was not as fruitful as he expected.


    Unfortunately, his ability did not have a fixed or consistent cooling effect that could be measured. How rapidly his ability cooled something down depended not only on the object''s original temperature, but on how much aether it contained.


    Unlike how his mothers Snowke acted as fuel for his fire, other objects resisted his mes, even if they were icy in nature. It was strange because they were not able to find any other item, aether rich or deprived, that acted in the same way. Instead, they always used their aether to resist his mes.


    That is what led them to eventually begin testing against cursed objects. This was something Nero would normally need to wait a long time for, and gain great proficiency with his innate ability before he could do. But due to his unique circumstances, not to mention the fact that Nero got the subtle feeling that neither Footer nor Ms.


    Zim cared all that much about what they were supposed to do, Nero got the opportunity early.


    They had to go to a restricted part of the school that was in another building and under the highest level of supervision. All cursed objects, nts, and animals were kept there. In individual prisons.


    It was an interesting yet intimidating ce, because although the building was tiny, and inside it Nero could see the individual prisons. They were all cked out, so he had no idea what was inside. But he could feel the immense amounts of aether radiating from the building.


    Eventually, he was brought to a testing room, where the cursed items or creatures would be brought to him.


    "We''re going to start out with something basic," Footer told him, standing behind Nero. Instead of his regr ruler, though, Footer was holding a baton just in case the situation went out of control and he needed it. Nero, too, was not allowed to make direct contact with anything here, and had to use a weapon as an intermediary.


    A guard wearing thickly padded armour brought in a box on a cart, and carefully slid the box in a designated spot in the centre of the room.


    "Don''t let the precautions scare you," Footer said, his eyes fixed on the box and his voice devoid of any emotion. "The vines you faced are a lot more dangerous than anything you''ll be facing today. So just focus on the tests."


    Nero nodded, and tightened his grip on the spear handed to him. By now, he had learnt how he was able to light the fire just on the tip of the de instead of the whole spear. Within a small range, he could control where the me appeared on an object he was touching, like a projection of his own body. However, the farther the me was lit, the more energy it consumed.


    But at the moment, Nero felt like he was bursting with aether, so it wasn''t a problem. He fit the tip of the spear with his blue me and waited for the box to be lifted.


    A few momentster, the box levitated up seemingly on its own, revealing a potted nt underneath. Nero could not identify which specific nt it was, but was able to determine that it was a type of fern.


    It was lush green and showed no abnormality of any sort, sitting absolutely still as one would typically expect from a nt. But Nero was not naive. It was most definitely cursed, he just didn''t know what specific type of curse it was.


    Regardless, he slowly pushed his spear forward so that the me would touch the nt. The point of the test was not to hack the nt with the spear, but test how his mes affected curses.


    The moment the me touched the nt it released a sizzling sound and the me began to dance rapidly on the tip of the spear, as if it was resisting being put out. Nero felt a strain, and the mes began to use a marginally greater amount of aether to stay burning.


    After about twenty seconds, the sizzling stopped and the me turned to normal, and began to spread to the nt.


    "That''s enough," said Footer. "You can withdraw the me."


    Nero did as instructed, and tried to observe for any changes, but could not tell if anything had changed at all. He was naturally not using Arithmetic Perception because, regardless of how useful it might be, he had to save it for his card crafting.


    But while he was not using any spells, that was not true for Footer.


    "It''s very curious. Your mebated the curse first, and was unable to affect the nt until the curse went dormant. Only once the energy from the curse disappeared did it begin to freeze the nt. If this pattern continues, you may be able to use your me for purifying purposes, even though that''s not its original trait. But, keep in mind, it did notpletely purify the curse.


    It only used up its energy. Further testing will be required to determine if it can eliminate the curse without affecting the nt, or if it needs to kill the nt entirely to achieve that. For now, we will move onto the next subject."


    "Is cursed energy the same as aether?" Nero asked curiously. It was something he had not yet covered in ss.


    "Not at all. During your higher education, you will have sses that study the various traits and behaviours of aether. But, in general, it can be summarised to be filled with vitality, or vital energy. Anything with aether bes more active, or reactive, and in general tends to add or contribute to its environment.


    That remains true even for extremely vtile things containing aether, such as different kinds of fires. Even if they burn things, they leave behind especially rich fertilisers in the form of ash.


    "Curses, however, arepletely different. We do not have a strict definition of cursed energy, because its behaviour is random and does not always follow strict patterns. But, seen on a broad scale, curses consume things to grow themselves without providing any benefit to their environment.


    "As such, we can estimate that cursed energy is energy that is formed when a curse consumes something. It is harmful to us, though that harm may present in different ways. Sometimes it''s more obvious than others. Like I said, we cannot easily predict how curses will behave."


    "But we still categorise curses, right? Even if the behaviour is random, don''t we have any prediction guidelines to go by at all?"


    "The thing with that is, there is no unanimously agreed upon standard by which to judge curses. The one used in school to teach you is based on how curses manifest, and in what situations you may encounter them. The problem with teaching with such a method is that curses may still manifest in ways contrary to what you have been taught. So, in a way, your knowledge sets a trap for you to fall into.


    That''s why you wait till higher education, or military training, to learn some identifying traits that usually indicate a certain type of curse behaviour. You are then also taught the appropriate precautions in case the analysis fails to give the proper result.


    "The reason you''re not taught such sses in high school is because its sybus is too vast. Right now, your curriculum is centered around teaching you the general basics. There''s typically no need to get into such matters. Now enough chitchat, we''re going to continue testing. We have 13 more nt types to test on, and then we''re going to move onto cursed objects.


    Tomorrow we''ll test on cursed creatures, and the day after that¡­ Well, if the tests go well up until that point, you may test against abstract curses. If you manage to make it to that ss, it will be an interesting experience for you."


    Nero only nodded. One way to identify a cursed nt was the sizzling he encountered earlier. He would see if the other nts reacted simrly. This may be an easy way to locate curses!

 Chapter 72: Dormant and active energies

    Nero''s training with cursed nts continued. Admittedly, the tests were in a controlled environment, where the nts were not allowed to grow to their natural limit which also kept the curses from growing much stronger. Ifpared to a real world scenario it was more like Nero was testing against nts that had been freshly cursed, and not against mature nts or stronger curses.


    Still, at least in this very specific setting, the pattern continued. Nero''s mes would not begin to affect the nt until its internal cursed energy was used up. This was an interesting difference from objects or beings with aether, who would only resist the effects of cooling, not be immune to it.


    There were key differences between the two, each with its pros and cons. Complete immunity was great, but it was also a much greater drain on the energy reserves. Resistance was not nearly as effective, but energy reserves wouldst longer so the effect could continue for longer as well.


    But that had not reflected Nero''s experience with the vines! He had been able to freeze parts of them even when the rest of the vine clearly had sufficient energy.


    The contradiction presented an interesting challenge for them to exin. The only exnation Nero coulde up with was that the vines exhausted their energy within the locality that it was being frozen in instead of its entire body.


    Footer did not support nor reject his theory. The vines were something they were still studying, and they had a unique biology of their own which consumed massive amounts of aether to sustain themselves, so perhaps that in itself was a unique scenario.


    Then they moved onto cursed objects. Nero had, admittedly, nevere across cursed objects before. They were a lot more rare, and very difficult to identify, which is why at the same time, they were usually a lot more lethal.


    However, since Nero would not be interacting with the objects themselves, he should be safe from the effects of their curses. Probably.


    The first cursed object brought before him looked so ordinary. When the box containing it was lifted, Nero was surprised by how mundane it looked. It was a pink hairbrush for children.


    It had no ominous aura. It did not try to move. It did not threaten him in any way. Nero literally could not differentiate it from any other object at all, at least with his existing senses. Perhaps Arithmetic Perception, or some other ability or spell would truly reveal its nature.


    Nero extended his spear forward and touched it with the me. Unlike the nt, there was no sizzling, or any noticeable reaction at all. After a while, frost could be seen gathering on it.


    "That''s enough," said Footer. "It seems that your mes are unable to act on cursed objects in their dormant state. We will continue testing."


    The hairbrush was taken away without Nero ever finding out what its actual curse ever was. The next few items were simr, and werepletely unresponsive and seemed to suffer no harm from his me save to be progressively colder. Perhaps if he continued, they would freeze until they eventually broke, but he never reached that point.


    But, finally, something changed. After a series of nonresponsive items, the next item that was brought out was a rectangr standing mirror. The moment it was revealed from within the box Nero felt threatened!


    He felt goosebumps all over his body, and a lethal threat to his being!


    Without hesitation, Nero thrust his spear forward, the blue me on its tip raging and roaring. But just before the spear could touch the mirror, his reflection in it also reading forward with his spear, Nero encountered immense resistance! It suddenly came to a halt just before touching ss, and the me suddenly shrunk, as if something were squeezing it.


    Time slowed down for Nero, as he felt like he was being choked. He was unable to breath, and suddenly Nero had shbacks of the vines constricting him!


    The memory appeared in a sh, and woke Nero from a stupor he was in. With all his might, Nero sted his me, and engulfed his own body in the azure me. He heard a crack, as if a ss broke, and suddenly found himself in a very different situation.


    He was still standing in front of the mirror, but he never thrust his spear forward at all. Instead, he was standing still, in the same pose he had been when the mirror was unveiled. The only difference was that his body was covered in mes, and the ss in the mirror in front of him had shatteredpletely.


    "I think that''s enough for today," Footer said, as the box was lowered onto the mirror. "It appears that your fire is still effective against cursed objects in an active state. That is tremendously useful."


    Nero, however, wasn''t listening to Footer yet. He was trying to make sense of what had just happened. How was it possible that he hadn''t moved at all? He was sure he had attacked! But clearly, he was still standing in the same pose as before he attacked, so that must have been an illusion.


    If illusions were so realistic, how could he differentiate between reality and illusion? If, at thest moment, his instincts hadn''t kicked in and told him he needed to epass his body in fire the way he had against the vine creature, he might still be trapped in the illusion!


    In his mind, he would have been fighting for his life, but in reality he would have just been standing still, waiting to be killed!


    Even now, with his body epassed in his mes, he did not know if this was real or an illusion. It felt exactly the same.


    "How can I tell the difference between an illusion and reality?" Nero asked, looking at Footer. He was confident that if he were to get into a really dangerous situation, his protector in the guise of a teacher would step in.


    He was now grateful that both his protectors were exposing him to things he really should not know at his level, as it was giving him a tremendous learning experience. He''d never even heard of an illusion so realistic.


    "It''s scary, huh?" Footer said, with a rare disy of emotion on his face. He looked like he was reminded of something that gave him severe PTSD.


    "I once encountered a guy during my military service who could create illusions so realistic, he had allies end up killing each other. It''s one of the most underestimated abilities out there, in my opinion."


    Footer paused for a moment. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but then his expression returned to his normal stoic self.


    "Detecting illusions is far from simple. Most people can only rely on the help of a few cards. You, it seems, can form a protective barrier around yourself by epassing your body in mes. Or maybe just surrounding your head will work - we will have to test that. From what I have been able to gather, your me''s primary function is to freeze things.


    But it does so through an exchange of energy, which is why it has a secondary function of shing with other energies.


    "That''s why it did not have any abnormal reaction to dormant cursed items - there was no energy flow for it to interact with, so it was behaving normally. By coating your body in these mes, you can protect yourself from the influence of external energies - but that''s not exactly subtle. If we keep testing, we will surely learn more. But for today, let''s end things here."


    Nero felt like he had more than enough energy to continue, but he didn''t argue with Footer. The man had proved himself extremelypetent in judging Nero''s limits. As it turned out, on the way to exit the small school building, Nero was proved correct.


    Both of them needed to endure a thoroughly invasive purification process before exiting - in case they had been affected by a curse, or a curse had secretlytched onto them. Footer, who went first, seemed fine which gave Nero the impression that he was fine as well. He was not.


    Nero stepped into the room which was more of a cylindrical ss chamber where he would undergo purification, and waited for the five individuals surrounding it to begin using their spells. The first one began, and a white light covered the floor and began to rise slowly.


    For the first few seconds, Nero didn''t notice anything, but then he felt the itch. Mild at first, the itch was travelling up his body, as if being pushed up by the white light.


    By the time it reached his knees, Nero realised that something had definitelytched onto him because the itch transformed into burning.


    "So your mes do not eliminate curses that have gone dormant once entering your body either," Footermented. "This is an important point to remember. Don''t worry, the purification may be annoying, but it has nosting effects. It''ll be over in a few minutes."

 Chapter 73: Illegal research

    It was easy for Footer to dismiss the purification as simply annoying, but as the one actually experiencing it, Nero was not having such an easy time. Although the pain was only skin deep, that did not mean it was light.


    The itching got so bad he felt the urge to peel his skin, and the burning was so intense he wondered if he was actually being cooked alive. It had been a while since he had felt the effects of temperature.


    But while the agonising sensation in his body demanded his attention, Nero kept his eyes on the man casting the spell. His expression never changed, even as Nero''s body began to tremble. He maintained the same sense of focus he had when he was casting the spell on Footer.


    So either Footer also went through the same thing, but did not let it show at all, or this was standard procedure.


    Using a great amount of grit, Nero suppressed his body''s reaction, and kept himself from moaning in pain or scratching his body. It was just a matter of mind over body.


    Ultimately, the white light passed over his entire body. The burning sensation faded, and there were no visible marks on his body from the experience. He did, however, notice that arge part of his aether had been drained during the process.


    Did Footer know he had been cursed? Had he expected it? How could Nero possibly prevent himself from being cursed if he didn''t even sense it?


    Then the purification continued as the others began to use their spells one by one. By the end, Nero was thoroughly cleansed of any curses, but the process was far from easy. It was both physically and mentally exhausting, more so than his training had been.


    "That''s it for today," said Footer as he watched Nero put a bit of his weight on his spear. "Go home, get some sleep. We''ll continue tomorrow, but before youe, I want you to do a bit of reading."


    "What do you want me to read?" Nero asked, as he tried to focus on anything other than his wobbly legs. It had been a long time since he felt so weak.


    "I''ll have the reading delivered to you in the morning. For now, just focus on getting enough sleep."


    It was very presumptuous of Footer to assume that Nero would have the energy or the willpower to do anything other than crash once he got home. It peeved Nero a bit that Footer did not warn him or teach him ways to avoid getting cursed. Getting rid of them was far from an easy process.


    But he had an idea that Footer''s teaching method involved experiencing firsthand the dangers he faced. So far, what he had learnt was that keeping his fire active all around him would protect him from curses, to a degree.


    But that was an impractical method. Moreover, this was not a method everyone else could use. Footer surely couldn''t use it. So how had he protected himself from getting cursed?


    These were all good questions that Nero did not have the energy to consider at the moment.


    Instead of forcing himself to return in his weakened state, Nero sat down on the ground once he left the quarantine zone outside the building, and allowed himself to regain some strength.


    Even though Nero always put up a strong front, it was difficult not to get swamped up and feel tiny and insignificant in the face of all that he did not know. It was moments like these, where he paused out of weakness, that such thoughts would inevitably creep into his mind.


    But unless it was some exceptional case, Nero always dismissed those thoughts. It wasn''t as if he was just marinating in his own helplessness. Every second of every day, he was improving. He just had to remain patient and wait for the results to show.


    After a short while, Nero stood up and returned to his apartment, managing to do so without his legs wobbling. Gabriel was busy with his own sses while the rest were asleep due to their night sses.


    He grabbed a leftover sandwich from the fridge, gulped it down cold, and then went to bed. For once, sleep came immediately. It was as if his body was craving it, allowing him to enter a deep and dreamless sleep.


    He woke up, surprisingly, to the sound of his rm the next day! He had slept through the entire day and the night, all the way until his morning rm. At least his fatigue seemed to be cured.


    Just as he turned off his rm, he received a text message from Footer informing him that someone was outside his apartment waiting for him. At least he was punctual.


    As promised, outside his apartment stood a man holding a sealed brown envelope who gave it to Nero after checking his ID card.


    Wondering if he should burn the papers after reading them, considering the level of care taken to deliver them, Nero sat down and pulled them out.


    There were only a few pages, but each of them was filled with text from top to bottom, with a few paragraphs that were redacted. Feeling intrigued, he began reading, and was immediately rmed.


    In his hand seemed to be a research paperpiled after human testing using prisoners! The paper suggested that while humans could not cast spells, they could still utilise aether in a number of ways based on the level of aether sensitivity the user achieved.


    There were four levels of sensitivity, the first being the most basic level, which everyone reached upon bing a Neophyte. Most people stayed at this level, with a few lucky ones moving to the second level, which was called Attuned. The third level, which very few people ever reached, was called Windwalker, and the final one called Seer.


    Apparently, there were ways to consciously increase sensitivity levels, though they were not mentioned in the paper. Instead, the paper focused on what aether functions those at the most basic level could achieve through practice, as was proved by their tests with the prisoners.


    The first was bing cognizant of something called internal aetheric pressure. As the name suggested, it was the pressure created by the amount of aether within the body. Bing cognizant of this was beneficial, because then it allowed the subject to do a few things, though each of them could be considered monumentally important.


    The first was to sense when something external was affecting that internal aetheric pressure - such as another spell, or even some curses!


    The second was to reinforce that pressure, still internally using only aether, and provided the ability to resist external influences.


    The third, and final, thing that one could achieve at the basic level was the opposite of the second. It was not reinforcing the pressure, but reducing it. This was dangerous, as it would make the user vulnerable, but it could also allow the user to blend in better with his surroundings and evade detection.


    The paper was no doubt long, but Nero only had the few pages which discussed the things one could do at the basic stage and some ways in which they could be trained or unlocked. On the final paper, with a pen, was a single sentence. It read, "a paper on aetheric research from New Valeriya."


    Nero read the paper a few more times, and then froze it with his Cryomes until the papers shattered into tiny dust particles.


    Without moving from where he was, Nero closed his eyes and focused on his body. From time to time, he would manipte the aether within him, and try to study what changes took ce when he did so.


    Every now and then, he would also activate his innate ability, sometimes on his fingers, other times around his feet, randomly changing its location. Then he tried to use his ability and channel aether in a different direction.


    It didn''t work as his control was still not refined enough, but it gave him a hint of an insight. Then, from that insight, he expanded, and soon, he became aware of himself in apletely different way. He began to sense a bubble that wrapped around his body perfectly, like a second skin, which kept the aether trapped inside.


    Once he sensed the bubble, Nero began to experiment to see if he could control it like the paper said.


    He was so absorbed that Nero missed the time for his morning workout, and didn''t even realise it until a groggy Gabriel stepped out of the room.


    "Oh, you''re still here? Shouldn''t you be out doingps before breakfast?"


    He was not really expecting a response, but Nero''s eyes shed open and locked onto him.


    "Want to have an early morning spar?" Nero asked, suddenly feeling excited.


    The question caused Gabriel to pause. The two had not really fought since Nero became a Neophyte. There was no need, technically, since if Nero could win even before that, there was no reason to fail now. But he couldn''t help admitting that¡­ he felt tempted.

 Chapter 74: The feeling of growing stronger

    A strange tension filled the room as the two looked at each other. They were friends, partners, roommates, but more than that, they were two young men with strong ambitions. If anyone else were to learn of the scale of their ambitions they wouldugh at them as two deluded kids. But to them, they were absolutely serious in their pursuits, and the source of that was their inherent pride.


    Whether it was their life experiences, their background, their skills, abilities, training, strength or whatever else, it culminated in a sense of pride that allowed them to believe that whatever they aimed for was within reach. In a way, that pride was also their source of self confidence. Or maybe it was their self confidence that resulted in that pride.


    Regardless of which way it was, it was a matter of fact that their strong pride and ambitions sometimes caused them to sh. Regardless of what he said, Gabriel felt an unscratchable itch in knowing that Nero always beat him in a fight. Now that he was a Neophyte, he would be even stronger. That only made the itch worse.


    On most days, he was able to control that itch. The morepetent his allies were, the better it was for him. This was not just a mental mantra, as Nero had proved himself by deftly eliminating the vine from his body when he got infected by it. The fact that he had managed to do so without hurting him at all was remarkable.


    But now that Nero had challenged him¡­ he could not help but feel like this was an opportunity to prove himself. Or, at least, measure their progress.


    "Let''s do it," Gabriel said, his drowsinesspletely gone by now.


    Nero smiled, as he was looking forward to it. The two of them changed and walked to school under the clear, light blue sky. Even the sun had not fully risen yet, which meant that they did not have to look for an uncrowded gym.


    Gabriel grabbed a dius style sword from the weapons rack, but was surprised to find that Nero walked to the centre of the court unarmed.


    "What are you doing?" Gabriel asked, his brows scrunched. He was almost offended at Nero''s nonchnce.


    Nero got into position and raised his hands, covering his left arm in his blue mes from elbow up, but leaving his right arm empty.


    "I''m not going easy on you by fighting empty handed, if that''s what you''re thinking," he responded. "I learned something new this morning that I want to try out. Don''t hold back."


    Gabriel''s expression returned to normal, and instead looked at Nero warily. Did he have a new technique in his arsenal? But he didn''t see him use a card, so it must have something to do with his innate ability.


    Gabriel walked to his spot, and channelled his own innate ability. Tiny red grains, as if they were sand, appeared around his sword. They grains danced and moved in the air, as if they were the embers of a fire, but they weren''t.


    Nero wasn''t exactly sure what Gabriel''s innate ability was, but he did know that those red grains were extremely dangerous. In fact, in terms of short exposure, the red grains of sand flowing through the air would be more dangerous than his own cryome.


    The two stood ten metres (32 feet) apart and took a moment to gauge each other. Considering the fact that they were using their innate abilities, they should have informed one of the school staff members, but as if there were some kind of mutual agreement, neither of them mentioned it.


    For a few seconds, silence filled the room. But in the quietness, the crackling of the cold fire, and the shuffling and shifting of the grains of red sand seemed to suddenly be extremely loud, almost demanding attention.


    Nero moved first, suddenly bursting into a sprint as he ran towards Gabriel. The redheaded boy shifted his stance as he prepared himself to defend. A stray thought entered his mind, though he didn''t have time to focus on it.


    Wasn''t Nero''s initial dash a little too fast?


    Nero approached, but Gabriels reach was greater since he had a weapon. He stabbed forward, using Nero''s forward momentum against him, giving him almost no time to react.


    But he reacted nheless. He pivoted on his foot and turned just enough to move out of the way of the sword, then used his left, me covered hand to brush the sword and its red sands away from himself.


    At the same time, using his right hand, he tried to uppercut Gabriel. The redhead dodged, and retaliated.


    In such close proximity to one another, their movements became a blur as they exchanged moves, attacking, blocking and retaliating against one another. Red and blue shed and crashed against one another.


    Red rose like a tidal wave and crashed down like a tower tsunami, while blue roared like a raging blizzard, unstoppable and never ending. Like two natural disasters meeting face to face, red and blue mixed and grew as they devoured one another, dancing around each other and searching for the barest opening.


    Then something happened that Gabriel didn''t quite understand. Nero somehow got an edge on him, though he didn''t understand why. Unlike their previous fights, the difference hadn''t been overwhelming, leaving him no opportunity to retaliate. Nero didn''t suddenly finish him off in one move. Instead, in a fight where they were both equal, he slowly started to shift the bnce at a measured pace.


    This¡­ this was much worse than losing in one move. This was like he was ying in Nero''s palm, and everything he did waspletely within the others expectations. Amidst his confusion and fear, Gabriel made a move to change the tempo.


    Instead of keeping his red sand just around his de, he covered his other hand in it as well. He expected Nero to spread his me to his second hand in response, but he did no such thing. Gabriel only saw excitement in the others eyes as he retaliated even harder.


    How was this possible? How could he ignore the red sands so easily? His attacks did not slow down at all!


    Gabriel covered his entire upper body with his ability, forming an almost living armour of red sand around himself. Not only would his hands protect him from taking damage, but they would corrode anyone who dared touch-


    A bare fist connected with his stomach, breaking through the sand and knocking the air out of his lungs!


    Gabriel lunged backward, trying to catch his breath as he tried to understand what was happening, but Nero was relentless. His mes still only covered his right hand, but the look in his eyes was that of a hungry beast.


    He followed, moving much faster than it should have been possible, and used his right hand, unprotected by his mes, to punch him. Flesh met sand but there was no rising smoke of burning skin, only the grunts of Gabriel who was tolerating a beating for reasons he didn''t understand.


    He shed with his sword, but Nero caught his wrist somehow, and struck him so that the sword dropped from his hands.


    Unwillingness filled Gabriel. He didn''t understand why he was losing. He was not weak and his ability was nothing to scoff at. So why was he losing? He looked at Nero, and somewhere in his heart, he knew why. Gabriel was a warrior, trained from birth, but Nero¡­ he was a monster.


    Excitement and hunger filled the blue haired boy''s eyes, as he continued to strike. Instead of the familiar stinging they usually transmitted, the red sands only felt warm under his knuckles now. He-


    Gabriel jumped back and raised his hands in surrender, ending the fight. The sudden ending caught Nero by surprise, but now he finally had time to let the thoughts he had been holding back fill his mind.


    That old man was messing with him! Footer gave him a paper that hinted at everything that he could do with aether, but redacted all the good parts! Even though Nero was only at the first and basic level of aether sensitivity, the things he could do with it were much more than just the three listed in the research paper.


    Nero''s body trembled as he suppressed his excitement and his urge tough out loud. Just yesterday he had been feeling so weak, and even defeated almost. But a single, redacted research paper was all it took for a whole new world to be unveiled before him, and for him to grow so much stronger.


    By controlling his internal aetheric pressure, and focusing it on certain body parts, he could give himself a great boost in strength. That was something he figured out on his own. So was the fact that¡­ if he covered the boundary wall, or bubble wall, that wrapped around his skin with aether, it could act as a kind of shield. This was no longer just about resisting energies.


    He directly resisted Gabriel''s red sands this way!


    In the end, Nero could not hold himself back anymore, and burst into excitedughter! This! This was the feeling of growing stronger that he had been chasing after for so long! The world was kicking his butt, but slowly and steadily, he was growing stronger too. And one day, he''d be able to hold his own against the world.


    "Stopughing, you idiot, and tell me what the hell just happened!" Gabriel said, trying to hide his embarrassment at losing once again. Unfortunately, his flushed cheeks betrayed him.

 Chapter 75: Dark Moon

    The moment Gabriel pointed out he wasughing like a maniac, Nero stopped, feeling a little embarrassed at his disy. The main reason he had gotten carried away was just because he learned something new that was also very useful, but also because it did not use up a lot of his aether!


    Sure, covering his body with aether to use it as defence actually ate up a lot of aether, but only when it was actively defending against something, such as the effects of the red sand. Otherwise, it barely used up any aether at all, because Nero could just pull it back into his body.


    It was the same with boosting his speed and strength! Manipting the aether within his body, and concentrating it in specific locations was harder than it seemed. In the midst of a fight, Nero could not quickly strengthen his hand for a punch while also keeping track of everything that was happening, responding to all threats and taking advantage of any openings.


    But whenever did have some leeway, he could boost random punches.


    Then again, this was the absolute first time he was using this ability, and he had never trained with it before, so who knew what he might achieve in the future?


    The most amazing part was that Nero had tried reducing his internal aetheric pressure in the middle of the fight as well. The ability worked incredibly well with feints, and made his other attacks harder to detect.


    Nero turned to Gabriel. He could not actually reveal the research paper, or the extent of what he learnt, but it should be fine to reveal what he had learnt about the basic level of aether sensitivity.


    Although the information had a great impact, he did not believe that it could be such a big secret. Most people would figure it out, at least partially, over time. Probably. How could they since aether was such a big part of everyone''s life?


    Nero had no problem making it look like he figured everything out on his own, especially once he gave the background that he had been trying to figure out how Footer avoided getting cursed the day prior.


    Since Nero did not sense him use his innate ability, and he did not use any cards, logically speaking, aether maniption was the only option left to him.


    He could tell that this was all new information to Gabriel, as the redhead asked numerous questions about how to sense internal pressure as they walked back.


    Their early morning spar only slightly disrupted their routines, and soon Nero found himself with Footer back at the tiny building.


    Testing continued, as usual, and fighting against cursed beasts provided Nero with great experience if nothing else. At the same time, he was able to sense the countless subtle influences he was subjected to while fighting cursed beasts.


    Their means were truly insidious, as at a nce, it seemed like Nero was blocking all of their attacks. But if he had not strengthened his aether boundary, then more than once he would have been cursed all without knowing.


    He even got a sense that the beasts were not doing this consciously. Just close proximity to curses put him at risk of being cursed!


    Nero felt incredibly confident walking out that day, and true to his expectations, he went through the purification without issue, for he had notent curses in his body!


    Footer did not show any form of acknowledgment at the feat, and treated it as if it werepletely ordinary. Since their training that day ended there, Nero spent the rest of the day with Ms. Zim, practicing card crafting.


    The next day Nero went through training as normal, but when he reached the tiny building once more, he finally got a sense that something was different. Both Footer and Nero were given a special uniform to wear, which would help them resist the influence of curses!


    Nero was bewildered that such a thing existed, since it hadn''t been given to him thest couple of days, but put it on regardless.


    The material of the special uniform was rough, and filled with a lot of padding. It made movement slow and difficult, which was highly impractical. But to Nero, that only reflected the difficulty of what he was about to face.


    He recalled Footer mentioning that today he would face abstract curses. He had already dealt with cursed nts, objects and creatures, which consisted of all the kinds of curses he could imagine. What was left?


    Not willing to take any chances, Nero paid special attention and waited for any instructions he might receive. But there weren''t any more instructions. Instead, a team of four guards would apany Footer and Nero for the remaining tests.


    They were led deeper into the building, and then to a verticaldder that descended into a basement. After travelling through an unnerving number of security checks and blocks, even Nero''s patience wore thin.


    "Are you going to tell me exactly what we''re about to face?" he asked, looking at Footer.


    The man looked at Nero and, after his usual bout of looking at him sternly, responded.


    "Something you should ordinarily have no opportunity to face securely at all. With all my experience, I would like to think myself a cognoscente in curses, but even I would not dare take this specimen in alive. The only reason we have it is because it was personally caught by Sage Haiden.


    The only reason it is secure is because it is still being bound by the power of the sage, and the only reason it has not been killed immediately is because the sage has need of it.


    "What you are about to see is an abstract curse. Abstract curses are the most bizarre curses to exist, and most recorded sage deaths that have urred due to a curse are likely a result of abstract curses. The only reason you have permission to conduct a test on it is because of approval from the sage. You see these four men with us? They work directly with sage Haiden. You know what that means?


    That means that they are at least all Arcanists."


    Nero was stunned, and looked at the men who were walking beside them, only to receive a wink from one of them. Well, at least it was good to know that they were friendly. But they still didn''t talk.


    He felt a strange surge of excitement and nervousness as he walked deeper into the undergroundbyrinth.


    "Wait, why is something so dangerous being kept in our school?" he suddenly asked. "Shouldn''t it be in a secure base somewhere?"


    "That''s ssified," said one of the four men.


    A momentter, Footer said, "it needs to stay within a certain proximity of the sage. This underground storage area was built just a few days ago to store it."


    The four men red at Footer, but the man''s expression didn''t shift a bit. The man just did not care about propriety at all. Nero, instead, was amazed at how quickly such an amazing underground prison, basically, was built. It had to have been the work of someone with a profession, or maybe a few of such people working together. He wondered what professions would be good for this.


    Most likely Eldermyst, and maybe Agha.


    Atst, after a few more security checks, they reached their destination. Nero could not help but gulp, before he collected himself, and maximised his internal pressure as much as he could manage.


    He was not about to take a chance with something that could kill sages, regardless of how many other precautions were in ce.


    The four guards all used certain cards, activating protections around themselves as well as Footer and Nero. Then the doors opened, and they stepped in first, before allowing Nero and Footer to follow.


    Nero did not know what to expect, since the name was not exactly revealing. The room was covered in a light mist, and as soon as Nero was exposed to it, he felt something pressing against his internal pressure, though only lightly.


    He waited for something to change, but nothing else happened. There was just mist in the room,which kept moving. It circled around everyone, though for some reason, it seemed to circle Nero more than the others.


    This slight anomaly was picked up by everyone, immediately causing them to raise their guards, but nothing happened.


    "Use your ability," Footer whispered. "See how it reacts."


    Nero nodded, and lit a small, azure me on his hand. The fog seemed to react immediately, though not in any way that Nero had expected. The fog in the room began to gather to a sphere, and began to darken. After a few moments, it looked like there was a ck ball just floating above his blue me, almost as if it was enjoying itself.


    But then Nero immediately noticed something. The sphere was not perfectly uniform. There were bumps and shapes on it. It was a replica of the ever present Dark moon!

 Chapter 76: Upcoming ceremony

    There was a stunned silence in the room as not only Nero, but everyone else came to the realisation at the same time. The abstract curse did nothing, and only floated above Nero''s fire as if it was deriving energy from it. But the sight of it was too stunning.


    The dark moon was one of Neire''s two moons, and was the one that was always present in the sky. At night, when the normal, white moon was more visible, its silvery light illuminating the darkness, the dark moon was ironically the least visible. But it was, nevertheless, always there.


    During the day, if clouds were not blocking the sky, the dark moon could be clearly seen. It never moved, unlike the other celestial bodies, and seemed to be stuck in one ce.


    Many people had concluded, after studying it for countless years, that it hung directly over the Jaggednds in Creta though that hardly made a difference since no one could reach the moon, or enter deep into the Jaggednds either.


    If the location had any relevance to the Dark moon, then it was meant to remain a mystery, at least to the general public. But nothing good coulde of it, because nothing good ever seemed toe from anything in Neire. That was doubly so for the Dark moon.


    On ordinary days, it was little more than a dark blip in the sky. It was an ever present feature of the skyline, present in artwork and children''s drawings, but it offered little other significance.


    There were also a few days where the sun or moon would be eclipsed by the Dark moon, and that still made no difference. But during a rare triple eclipse, that happened once every few decades, where the sun and the moon were both simultaneously eclipsed by the Dark moon, curses were severely affected!


    Some curses were outright destroyed, while others became extremely agitated. Some were severely weakened, while others became strengthened. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for why certain curses reacted differently from others. Regardless, it was both a boon and a blight.


    Whatever the reasoning behind it, the Dark moon was an anomaly that no one understood. Many researchers had already concluded that it was not a naturally urring phenomenon, although then again, there were researchers who said otherwise. Nero didn''t know who was in the right, and had not studied the topic in too much depth.


    But he did not need to study the Dark moon to recognise it, or realise that the abstract curse suddenly turning into it was probably not normal. In fact, he was sure of it, because the moment the curse transformed, he could feel that his increased defences against external influences to his aetheric pressure had failed!


    The tiny moon had silently broken through his guard, and was¡­ he couldn''t be sure, but Nero almost felt like it was absorbing something from his body.


    Before anyone could react, the moon began to disperse, as if it was a mirage seen in the mist, and no longer reacted to Nero''s mes. It also stopped affecting his internal pressure.


    "Increase the intensity of the me," Footer said. "Try to freeze it."


    Neroplied, and summoned the strongest me he could, engulfing his entire body, but the mist remained unreactive to it. It was as if it had no temperature for his fire to absorb, and no energy for it to sh with. No matter what Nero did, it continued to ignore him and everyone else in the room.


    But after a while, Nero could not help but feel that the mist was ever so slightly thicker than it had been when they entered.


    "It seems you cannot affect abstract curses, or at least this abstract curse," said one of the guards. "I think it''s time we conclude this test. Your time is up."


    Footer frowned, almost imperceptibly. Saying that Nero could not affect it was premature, since the curse had clearly reacted to the mes at first. But he could note up with a proper exnation why it would turn into the Dark moon. There should be no corrtion between Nero''s ability and the moon.


    He quickly thought back to when thest triple eclipse was. It did not happen any time near Nero''s birth, so there was no ominous sign linking them either.


    Regardless, heplied without causing a fuss. Abstract curses were too powerful and too unusual for him to risk anything with.


    They left the room, making sure none of the mist was able to escape. All its barriers operated normally, and nothing unusual happened.


    The purification process was a lot more thorough this time, where each of them, the four guards included, were led to individual pods filled with a silverish liquid and made to lie down in it.


    It was not a pleasant experience at all, and lightly burned Nero''s skin all over his body. There were countless steps afterwards, which revealed that Nero was not the only one who was silently affected by the curse. Footer, too, showed signs of having some curses purified as they went through the many steps.


    Over all, the process was not nearly exhausting, but that concluded their training for the day. Footer had other responsibilities he needed to tend to, so he could not overlook Nero. That left him to train with Ms. Zim the rest of the day.


    At night, when Neroy in bed, he could not help but wonder why the curse had transformed into the moon. He had not kept the strange draining sensation he felt a secret, but after a thorough examination it was revealed that Nero was perfectly fine.


    Perhaps others would have thought to keep that minute secret, and that is why they would die. You could not be careful enough when it came to curses, especially one that could apparently kill sages.


    But if the change was special or unusual in any way, no one revealed it. No one questioned Nero, nor did the guards seem to show any special interest in him.


    The next day his training underwent a subtle change, as they spent less time testing his innate ability now toe up with various strategies on how Nero could use it. Footer had also procured a number of other cards with ice rted spells to see if they could serve as fuel for his ability.


    They were now officially moving from the initial, exploration phase of the training to the development phase. Besides focusing on increasing the extent and precision of his aether control, the many applications of it were finally brought onto the agenda.


    Foot also informed him that on Friday there would be a ceremony, in which he would officially receive hismendation. It would be a public event, and to a certain degree, he would be a public figure after that.


    The stern man warned him about what that would mean for his career, should he choose to join the military. Whether he wanted to or not, he would forever be tied to the Demon corps. Nero did not have a problem with that. Instead, he asked the man the question that was on his mind quite straightforwardly.


    "How can I use this to benefit my cultivation?" he asked. "Do you think I could get ess to even more amazing resources?"


    "Don''t be greedy," Footer said, pping the ruler in his hand. "You must not, under any circumstances, ask the sage for anything, especially in public. The only exception is unless he directly asks you if you want anything. Networking is the most important thing you can gain from this event. Make an impression on the people who will attend the ceremony.


    After all, if you do manage to join the army, they''re going to be your superiors."


    The conversation continued onto the expected etiquettes he had to disy, as well as how the ceremony would proceed. If he didn''t know them, technically speaking, it would be fine. After all, army protocols were something he would be trained in once he joined the military academy. But it was never too early to make a good impression.


    But Footer was not the only one who had something to say to him about the uing ceremony. Ms. Zim also gave him some advice, and Ss was over the moon about it, and even came to find him to let him know he would be attending.


    The longest meeting he had, however, was with Gabriel.


    "There is such a thing as being tied to the Demon crops," the red head said, after Nero told him about his discussion with Footer. "But there is also being tied to the Ferro family. You need to learn the distinction, and know what pitfalls to avoid."


    Nero''s roommate was showing his rare serious side, and thought long and hard before he began to borate.


    "Haiden Ferro is the sage who leads the Demon corps, as you already know. That means that the Ferro family is very closely tied with it, and deeply involved in it. It''s impossible to avoid all ties with them. But having ties with them, and being tied to them is not the same thing. There are going to be a few traps you need to watch out for.


    I can''t predict all of them, but I''ll tell you a few of themon tactics used by the great families so you get an idea for them."

 Chapter 77: Pristine figure

    Nero listened in silence as Gabriel exined the dangers he would face, and theplicated social situations he would encounter. The words were different, the topics were different, the concern was different, but Nero could see a pattern.


    Whether it was Footer, who was warning him of the dangers of the military, or Gabriel warning of the dangers of the great families, all Nero could sense was the fear in them. They were not cowards, far from it, but on some level, they had let a certain fear take hold of them.


    That fear brought out their cautious side, and the instinct to avoid the danger they were fearing. They had not said that in so many words, but Nero could feel it nheless. The fear had a grip on them that even they did not seem to realise.


    Maybe they had suffered a certain defeat, a setback, some kind of inconvenience or great pain, or maybe they just thought that Nero would not be able to handle it, but whatever it was, they had allowed others a certain power over themselves.


    But Nero did not understand fear. He had felt it on asion, for sure. When he was on the verge of being choked to death by vines, his body had certainly felt a wave of fear, amidst everything else it was feeling. But in his mind, Nero did not know fear. He did not understand it, nor would he let it slow his footsteps.


    He was not a fool, and understood the need for caution, but he just could not understand why those around him could not see what he saw. Footer and Gabriel were both capable men, so why did they only see the dangers of the uing event, and not the opportunities?


    Nero was not afraid of picking sides. He was not afraid of politics and families andworking with his superiors. These were all opportunities. He had been working hard to raise his strength, but personal connections were also a form of strength, and he would never shy away from an opportunity to grow stronger.


    So Nero said nothing as Gabriel talked. He only listened. He absorbed all his warnings, all his knowledge of traps, all the potential dangers, and not only memorised them to watch out for them, but also to add into his own arsenal. Just because he was a nobody now did not mean he would always be a nobody.


    The tools and techniques that were adequate to be used by the rich and powerful today would be his tools and techniques tomorrow, if not more refined versions of them.


    Nero felt himself recede from the world into his mind, and everything happening around him seemed to be a y, of sorts. Over the next couple of days when he trained, when he ate, when he rested, when he studied, when he prepared for theing event, to him it all seemed like he was just watching a y.


    He became a little more silent over these days, and worked just a little bit harder. Those around him sensed the subtle change and thought that maybe he was feeling the pressure. But that was not it. He was just reminding himself that for all the warnings anyone gave him, if the powerful wanted to use him, it could not be stopped.


    He had no recollection of it, which is why he had doubts, and was almost certain that the time he had pointed a finger at a sage, he was being manipted somehow. But he felt no anger at being used, though he rightly should have been angry. Instead, he epted that the powerful had used him, and focused on how he could benefit from it.


    For better or for worse, he was about to enter the public view, even if only briefly. He had to think about how he could use that to his benefit.


    Like this, amidst his training, preparation and introspection, Friday arrived. When he woke up that morning it felt no different than yesterday, even though that day held a lot more potential than before.


    Nero woke up even before his rm went off, but that did not stop him from getting up. He entered the shower and cleaned himself rigorously. Today, more than any other day, he could not allow even the smallest of ws, for he would be heavily scrutinised. Every fault or blemish in his performance would be a weakness that could be exploited.


    He had prepared a new uniform set for today. Although it would still just be his school uniform, and nothing special, it reflected his status as a student. Footer also approved, although dressing up formally was also an option.


    Nero adorned himself with the uniform, making sure that it remained creaseless even after he put it on. Something strange happened while he was doing so. As he buttoned up his shirt, he felt himself leave the strange state of observation he had entered a few days prior, and returned to his normal self.


    He had made all the preparations he could. Now it was time to act on them.


    Once he was fully dressed, and his hairbed to perfection, and observed himself in a full length mirror, checking for any ws. Once he was sure there were none, he retrieved a card given to him the day prior.


    Name: Pristine figure


    Image: A mannequin wearing a suit


    Type: Augmentation


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Freeze the state of the users apparel, preventing them from creasing, staining or wrinkling]


    vour text: "First impressionsst," - Tony Furgessun


    Nero had heard of cards that were used solely for everyday, mundane reasons, but had never encountered them. Pristine figure was not something he had been familiar with, and was something Vanessa had given him, but he appreciated how useful it could be.


    Not that he didn''t trust her or anything, but he tried it out several times since he got it to test its limits. Discovering no issue, and learning exactly what it would take to ruin the effects of the card, Nero was confident that it would be helpful and that he could maintain it throughout.


    Apparently, this Tony Furgessun was a well known figure in Nova, and though he was not an artisan, he was the one who hadmissioned such a card to be crafted in the first ce. The only w, if it could be called a w, was that this card only worked on his clothes, and would not keep his hair from swaying with the wind. That was also why he had gotten a haircut yesterday.


    With everything ready, he departed. Gabriel and his friends would have liked to join him, but they were not allowed. They would have to watch him on stream. That was why, early in the morning before the sun even began to rise, Nero left his apartment, leaving his knife and cards behind, and walked out.


    Footer, as well as a few guards, were standing waiting for him outside the hostel gates alongside a military jeep. The fact that his teacher had somehow managed to get himself an invitation was quite impressive, since the ceremony was meant to be extremely restricted, and would have surprised Nero a lot more had he not known the man was actually from Whisper guard.


    There were no words exchanged. The guards simply checked Nero''s ID card to verify his identity, before allowing him to sit in the jeep alongside the stern teacher, who even now wore no additional expressions on his face.


    The drive was a long one. Nero did not know the actual venue, but he was mildly surprised when the jeep drove through the gates surrounding Aetherpeak and out into the open country. Venturing out was usually not the safest experience, but maybe that was not such a major concern on that day specifically.


    Nero watched the passing trees and the distant, foggy mountains as the sky began to lighten little by little. It was difficult to keep track of the roads they were taking in the darkness, but Nero tried to learn the route nevertheless.


    An hour went by, and then another. By the time they reached the military base which was their destination, the sun had already parted ways from the horizon.


    Within the base there was a sudden shift. He went from seeing vast, opennds with few to no humans at all, to a suddenly packed environment withrge grey walls that blocked off the view.


    But no matter how high they built the walls, they could not block out the towering mountains. This was the closest Nero had evere to the mountains themselves and the fog around them. He was pretty sure this base was also new, though there was no way of knowing.


    Whatever the case, the base was filled with a vibrancy and energy that thoroughly enticed Nero. Hundreds of soldiers manned the walls, and even more filled the massive base itself. Even though he could see signs of many non-military personnel havinge, that did not interfere with the operations here. Nero could feel the power of thousands of soldiers in every brick and stone in this base.


    It resonated with him.

 Chapter 78: Army ranks

    Everything was in its organic state. That meant that there weren''t troops randomly marching in formation, or being instructed to do certain things a certain way, or that there was any need to put on a performance. All the soldiers around him were naturally just doing their tasks.


    There were some soldiers who were patrolling the ce, but most of them were just carrying out their tasks, whether that was transporting goods, making a report, receiving guests or anything else.


    Nero knew that in the army, there were more logistics and misceneous work personnel than actual soldiers, but even so, the flow of the base felt great to him. It was not the excessive discipline -no, he could have done without that. Or the absolute need to obey orders, if he was being honest.


    But no matter who they were or what their job was, everyone in the army just felt powerful to him. Even if they were chefs, they were radiating power. Their muscles just looked tighter and stronger than ordinary people. The aether around them just felt heavier. Their bodynguage betrayed a confidence that had been buried deep in their bones by countless hours of relentless training.


    Maybe Nero was just having a moment where he was exaggerating everything in his mind. But that was fine. A healthy amount of delusion was even encouraged, as long as it helped him get where he needed to go.


    The moment his car stopped moving, however, Nero stopped staring at the base like a wide-eyed fan, and restrained his expressions. From now until he returned back to his apartmentter in the day, he had to treat it as if he were constantly being observed.


    When he got off, he discovered that an attendant was already waiting for him, ready to take him to his waiting area.


    "Mr. Nero, you''re with me," said the thin, rtively short man, as he gave Nero a salute. "I will be taking you to your waiting area and brief you on the sequence of events as they pertain to you, and what you can expect."


    Nero nodded, respectfully, and said, "lead the way."


    He did not turn around to check on Footer, or see if he was being followed. He walked at an even pace with the young man, whose name, Bes, was clearly written on his uniform. Beside his name was a symbol which identified young Bes as a cadet.


    The ranks and divisions within an army were slightlyplicated for those unfamiliar to it, though Nero was more than just familiar with it, since he had studied his desired path extensively.


    There were two basic streams which divided the role of army personnel, even if their ranks were of a simr grade. They were the enlisted, and the officers. When most people reported for their mandatory military service, they would enter the enlisted stream. To enter the officers stream they had to enter KMA, and then sessfully graduate.


    The difference between the two streams would only continue to increase from there onwards. The enlisted were basically responsible for carrying out tasks and operations, as directed. Basically, they made up the most foundational part of the army.


    They would get training, but it would be highly specialised towards the job skills they would be expected to have in their designated specific role in the army.


    That was not to say that the enlisted could not progress, or gain promotions. Far from it. But their promotions through the ranks would remain focused towards their specialisations, even as they went from private to corporal to sergeant and so on.


    For example, Ss'' father, who was focused on card crafting exclusively, was a director for a division, and was probably a high ranked sergeant - though Nero could not guess the exact specifics.


    So in summary, enlisted carried out the day to day operations of the army, and when they ranked up had the possibility of ending up in leadership roles, but in their specific upations or specialties.


    They were absolutely integral to the army, and could not be dismissed as an unimportant part of it, even if many people had a preference for the officer stream, such as with Nero.


    Even though officers would not be exempt from any of the rigours and dangers of the army, they were typically given various leadership roles. This was because from the first moment they entered KMA, they were given instruction in leadership, tactics, military strategy, and were basically made to undergo specialised training to be able to adopt such roles.


    Depending on the kind of role they took, officers were responsible for nning missions, managing resources, making strategic decisions and guiding their units. There was a misconception that this meant that they would often be away from danger, and make calls and strategic ys from a secure base of operations.


    This was far from the truth. There were fewer officers than enlisted, but they would more often than not apany their enlisted counterparts into the field, and give instruction based on the onground situation.


    For example, a squad consisted of several fireteams. That meant an officer would be leading one of the fireteams, while the enlisted would be leading the others. The individual actions of each fireteam would be handled by their respective leaders, but the squad would operate under themand of the officer.


    Based on the type of role an officer took, their career would lead them through various ranks.


    But of course, not everything was always so straightforward, and cultivation progress also yed a huge part in promotions. It was not umon for enlisted who achieved a high cultivation level to undergo specialised training and then switch to the officer stream. However, in that case, even if they switched streams, the kind of responsibility they would be allowed to take would be controlled.


    After all, strategy and decision making were not necessarily dependent on cultivation, and a high cultivation level did not mean one was a good strategist or nner.


    No matter what, officers were very carefully selected. So the fact that Bes was a cadet spoke volumes about his potential. That meant he was already a member of KMA, and was probably sent here as a part of some specialised training. Although graduation was not guaranteed, it at least promised that he had been identified by the massive militaryplex of Kr as someone with potential.


    It also reflected on the importance that Nero was being given, for ordinarily, a private would be enough to lead him around.


    "Do I have many responsibilities within the uing ceremony, cadet Bes?" Nero asked politely yet formally.


    Nero was looking straight ahead, but he was simultaneously using every single one of his senses to study the cadet beside him as well as theyout of this base, and where he was being led.


    Bes, despite being slightly shorter than Nero, did not show any inadequacy or undue deference. He was confident in himself, and any politeness he was showing was due to the requirement of his role apanied by any innate qualities of his personality.


    "The ceremony has a dual purpose," Bes said, slightly turning his head to observe Nero. "The first is to acknowledge any disy of exceptional courage and bravery, not only by civilians, but also by soldiers who faced extraordinary challenges in the line of service. Amendation, such as the one you are due to receive, is not an official military award, but it will go on your public record.


    Many soldiers, however, are due to receive medals and awards for their service. During this time, your only role is to be present among the honourees, and to go up on stage to receive yourmendation. I will brief you on the exactyout of the venue and where you are expected to stay before and after you have been called up on stage shortly.


    However, I am not privy as to what will ur during the second half of the ceremony, and so cannotment on any expectations. If anything is required of you at that time, you will be duly informed."


    Bes, after scanning his own ID, opened the doors to a building and led Nero in. Once the doors closed, and they were no longer in such an openly observable area, he smiled and said, "if you don''t mind, I am going to speak openly now. Don''t worry, there''s no one around to hear us. I heard what you did, not only in your hostel, but afterwards as well. To be entirely honest, I kind of admire you.


    But at the same time¡­ many soldiers from the Demon corps have developed a sort of grudge against you for being disrespectful to the sage. You might want to watch out, they may try to cause you some trouble."


    Nero smiled internally, though he did not allow it to show on his face at all. So the games finally began, and he faced his first obstacle. Even though Bes was being quite friendly, and Nero had no reason to suspect that he was being anything other than genuine, how he reacted now would set the tone for the remainder of the event, and possibly even longer.


    This was exactly the kind of thing that had both Footer and Gabriel fretting. But Nero saw beyond the danger. He saw an opportunity. The soldiers of the Demon corps already formed an opinion about him, but had yet to encounter him. If he yed his cards right, he could turn everything around, and suddenly gain them as allies.


    The only question was, how should he respond. A familiar sensation filled Nero, as his senses heightened. He felt like he was back on the battlefield.

 Chapter 79: Scheming

    Nero and Bes stood in the entrance of some building. No one else was nearby, so it seemed like it was just the two of them. In such a situation, any conversation they had should technically stay between the two of them. No one else would be privy to the contents of their conversation, not that they were having a terribly important conversation to begin with.


    Nevertheless, Nero did not assume that anything he said would remain a secret. Both Footer and Gabriel had warned him about the probes he would face. He did not know if cadet Bed had a prominent family background, so for now he could only conclude that this was, at the very least, a probe from some faction or group within the military.


    He could bepletely wrong, and it could just be Bes randomly giving Nero a friendly reminder. But in that case, even if Nero assumed that Bes was reporting to someone and was wrong, he wouldn''t suffer any harm by carefully considering his response.


    In fact, Nero had already thought long and hard about how he would handle this particr topic. He could maintain the hard stance, which was that even as a sage, the general was not exempt from the responsibilities of his station. That was technically true, even if no one had the guts to point it out.


    Or he could go with the excuse that he was disoriented and didn''t know who he was talking to. Each one had strategic benefits, and would either bring him closer or push him further away from certain groups.


    Nero needed to make allies, but also had to keep the long view. He needed to establish himself, and had to create a persona for himself that would align with his long term goals.


    "I am not afraid of trouble," Nero said calmly, without any arrogance in his voice. He turned to make eye contact with Bes.


    "If I was, I would not have fought against the vines to protect my schoolmates. If anyone wants to cause any trouble for me, a student, doing their job for them, then they are free to do so. I do regret what happened afterwards though. Even though it was my first time on a battlefield, I shouldn''t have let the death of my friends affect me like that. Next time, I will be better."


    Since Nero''s voice waspletely even, it did not sound like he was boasting at all. He was just stating facts. Even when he subtly insinuated that the reason he had been disrespectful to the sage was because he was overwhelmed from the death of his friends, he did not dwell on or mention the excruciating sights he had seen or experienced.


    He did not mention that he was not yet a soldier, and the deaths were those of children, not of those of trained professionals. It was as if he truly held himself to the standards of an actual soldier. Hisst sentence was also a subtle jab at the army. By saying next time he would be better, he was iming that he was certain the army would continue to fail to maintain the peace.


    Bes, as a cadet, and someone who was being trained to be an officer, should be more than capable of picking up on all these subtleties, though he was sure not everyone would. He was fully expecting more troubleing up soon. But when he saw the emotions sh in Bes'' eyes, and a hint of respect appear on his face, Nero knew he had taken the first right step.


    "I can''t imagine what it must have been like for you," Bes said, shaking his head. "There hasn''t been such a massive security failure in Kr in years. There are rumours that all five other nations are working together against Kr this time, because of the ruins."


    Nero shook his head as well.


    "I cannotment on rumours. Who knows what''s true? I''m just focused on my own training for now to prepare for the tournament in a few months."


    "You''re nning on joining KMA? I should have expected as much. Good luck. The examiners are sadistic bastards, I can tell you that much."


    The environment around them seemed to rx as Bes led the way. Even when they passed by the asional soldier, they maintained their rxed demeanour.


    "The actual ceremony will begin in a few hours," Bes stated. "In the meantime, you will have to wait with the other honourees. Once the ceremony starts, you all will be escorted to the auditorium where each of you have assigned seats. Sage Haiden himself will preside over the ceremony, so everyone has to be in ce before he arrives. There is a proper procedure to hand out and ept rewards.


    I will be giving you a handbook as well as a demonstration before you head out to the ceremony.


    "Once both portions of the ceremony are over, all the guests will be escorted to the mess hall for breakfast. Unless otherwise stated, you will be allowed to leave once that is over."


    "Ah, that means I''ll have plenty of time to get to know the other honorees," Nero said. Of course he would. It was much simpler to make them all wait than to make the sage wait. No matter what, Nero had no delusions about whose time was more important, at least as far as the army was concerned.


    "If that''s what you want. I''ll wish you good luck with that as well. You''ve made a strong impression on people."


    Nero could not help but smile. Bes was either trying to be friendly and warn him, or trying to secretly intimidate him. Either way, Nero already knew what to expect.


    As he had stated earlier, Bes led Nero to a room with a stage where he showed him a demo of how the ceremony was to proceed, and how Nero was supposed to ept the reward. It was not something borate, like a bow or kneeling down, but the army was very particr about its discipline and traditions, so it was important he behaved exactly right.


    The method Bes mentioned required Nero to salute and stand straight, looking directly ahead while the award would be pinned to his chest if he were a soldier, or handed to him if he were a civilian.


    "It''s said that this tradition goes all the way back to when Emperor Iskunder made Harrison Kade the marshal for the region that is now Kr," Bes said, when showing Nero exactly how to ept the reward.


    "Yes, I''ve read about it," responded Nero. "It was during what historians call The Imperial Partition, wasn''t it? The event that roughly outlined how Vriya wouldter be divided into the countries that now rece it? Wasn''t it said that when the emperor offered the southern region of Vriya to Sage Harrison, he bowed and refused to make eye contact because he was protesting the decision?"


    Bes paused for a second, as he was not expecting Nero to know about this obscure piece of history that wasn''t really taught in schools. Moreover, the position Nero mentioned was different from what Bes had just stated, which caused a moment of awkwardness.


    "Different versions of that event state different things. This is the one that the army officially follows. Here, you can read about it in the handbook. Now let me take you to the waiting hall."


    Nero did not bring up the event again, though when he opened the handbook it did indeed show a diagram of how to stand when epting the award, exactly how Bes had stated.


    Nero could not help but smile. How was he supposed to know if this was urate? If someone was setting him up, it wouldn''t be hard for them to make a fake handbook. But only like this were things interesting.


    When Nero arrived at the waiting hall, he only found three other people there, though the number of seats was quite a lot. Bes excused himself at that point, as he was not specifically assigned just to Nero, and instead had to escort many of the arriving guests.


    Nero nodded, and made his way to the others. They were two men and a woman, all of them in army uniform. It seemed he would find out just how many of the army personnel thought badly of him.


    "Hello, I''m d I''m not the only one who arrived early," Nero said, putting on a wide smile. It was time to make some friends. "My name is Nero, by the way."


    But it seemed that the three were not receptive to his friendliness. They continued to re at him as he arrived, and said nothing. For a moment a silence filled the room as no one said anything.


    Nero felt no awkwardness, and was not afraid of his friendliness being rejected, which is why he did not flinch or shy away as the three continued to stare.


    Ultimately, it wasn''t Nero who broke the silence, but one of the men.


    "Aren''t you the kid who was disrespectful to the sage? I don''t know why he didn''t p you into oblivion right there. I know I would have if I were in his ce, Kr has no need for spoiled brats."


    Without missing a beat, and without dropping the smile from his face, Nero responded.


    "Maybe because right before that, I was the one keeping other kids from being killed by the vines. If the sage killed everyone who kept Kor safe, that would probably only leave behind people like you, huh?"

 Chapter 80: Acquaintance

    A sudden tension filled the room as Nero spoke, and the man''s expression fell. The other man and woman were clearly surprised by Nero''s strong response, not to mention the fact that he was still smiling and maintaining eye contact as he waited for the first man to respond.


    There was not a hint of hesitation or fear in him, and his body remained rxed even as the first man''s body began to tighten. But just as the situation was on the verge of escting, the man smirked.


    "Maybe not so lucky after all. Definitely stupid though. My name''s Hamid, by the way."


    Hamid held out his hand, and Nero didn''t hesitate to grab it, still smiling. He had not forgotten how badly and easily he had been beaten by those cops on the first day he became a Neophyte, which is why he could never forget the difference between himself and an Initiate.


    With that said, Nero was no longer inexperienced.


    He showed no indication of pulling his hand back or flinching, or showing any weakness at all as Hamid squeezed his hand while showing a friendly smile. Why would he? Nero had put the entire pressure of all the aether in his body into his hand, granting him a short burst of strength, which is why he was squeezing back!


    "Narin," the other man introduced himself inly.


    "Tiffany," said the girl, with an eyebrow raised as she looked at the two of them still holding hands. Under her tant gaze, the two finally released their grips.


    Nero''s hand, despite his best efforts, was firmly imprinted with Hamid''s handprint, and slightly deformed. But Hamid did not escape scot free either.


    "No matter what anyone else says, it''s impressive what you did," Tiffany said. "Standing up for your schoolmates in the face of danger is quite admirable. If anyone gives you any trouble, you let me know."


    "Thanks," Nero responded positively, without rejecting the offer, even though he had no intention of taking her help. They had pulled the old carrot and stick routine. It was good to know the ssics were still in use. If Nero had been an ordinary student, he would have been too distracted by the pain in his hand to realise, and would have just been grateful for her offer.


    "Do you guys know what the second half of the ceremony is going to be? I thought this was just supposed to be an award ceremony," Nero asked, curious. The unknown nature of it, as well as the timing of it could not be coincidental.


    "No idea," said Hamid, shaking his head. "But that''s most likely the main event. Award ceremonies rarely attract so much attention."


    "Do you think it could have something to do with the Demon corps taking over this region?" Tiffany whispered, looking around the room.


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Narin said, sounding agitated. "The Demon corps only deals with curse rted incidents. They have enough on their te, they don''t have time to deal with this mess."


    "But the sage said so himself," Tiffany retorted.


    The three of them grimaced. Clearly, this was a sensitive topic that had many divided. But Narin was technically not wrong. The Demon corps normally focused solely on cursed rted incidents only.


    This did not make them weak or small,pared to the other two corps. If anything, they were supposed to have the greatest fighting capability of all.


    "Maybe it just has to do with the uing recruitment tournament," Nero suggested, though even he didn''t believe that. Since the ruins had already been acknowledged, and the tournament dered, there was little else left to say about it.


    "What''s the point of that, anyway? Sending untrained kids into the unexplored ruins does not sound like the best idea," Tiffany said, looking troubled.


    The three soldiers began to argue amongst themselves, revealing that they weren''t a part of the same group as Nero had originally imagined. Most likely, they also only met once they arrived here. But the amount of discord between them was unusual. It was as if they disagreed on almost every topic. Was the army so split amongst itself, or was this just an exception?


    The sound of the door opening gave their argument pause, and a small group of people were led in. Much like Nero, they were not wearing army uniforms, which meant that they were civilians, though all of them were much older.


    Much to Nero''s surprise, he recognised one of them! A brief moment of eye contact revealed that the other recognised him as well!


    Invictus Hammel grinned widely upon noticing Nero and walked straight towards him.


    "Why am I not surprised to find you here?" the herald asked, ignoring the attention he attracted.


    Thest time Nero saw him, the man was fighting against an Arcanist back at the AAB! Now, with better lighting, Nero could finally get a good look at the most inspiring other youth he had ever seen. He had somehow reached the Initiate level before even graduating high school! He should only be a year or two older than Nero himself!


    "Maybe because everyone knew I was supposed to be here?" Nero asked, as he walked towards him as well. "I''m surprised you recognise me. We didn''t really get a chance to meetst time. My name is Nero."


    "Nero? Pleasure to meet you, finally. The name is Invictus Hammel. And of course we''ve met! Who do you think carried you to the medic?"


    Nero had not realised that the one who saved him was Invictus. His smile widened as they shook hands, even as he internally wondered if Invictus knew that Nero had overheard his conversation with the assassin. The chances were high.


    From what he recalled, the assassin said that he had been targeted because he was too annoying. That was hardly a sufficient reason to target someone, but maybe if Nero paid attention, he could learn how to avoid being annoying. After all, he was also quite prone to offending people.

 Chapter 81: Hammel

    Up close, Nero observed Invictus fully, and took in the boy''s powerful frame. He was even more muscr than Nero, which was rare in their age group, and stood slightly taller as well. His metallic grey hair was neatlybed to the side, which made him appear simple and straightforward.


    But the man was far from simple. Even if Nero knew nothing about him, the overwhelming confidence in his eyes was a clear indicator of his personality. In this world, where anyone can die at any time from something unpredictable, unblemished confidence was incredibly difficult to nurture. After all, who hadn''t experienced failure?


    Nero himself, during the vine incident, had been confident in his own survival, until a creature that was far more powerful than it should have been appeared. It ultimately led to his failure. Although that did not kill his confidence, Nero did learn the value of having an adequate escape n. But the gleam in Invictus'' eyes was different.


    "It seems I should thank you for saving my life," Nero said.


    But Invictus only snorted.


    "You helped me out plenty as well. Men should not dwell on these little things. Come with me, let me introduce you to a few people."


    Without really waiting for his response, Invictus led Nero back to the group he had entered with. Compared to the two teenagers, the others were quite a bit older, and had clearly been through a lot more. Most of the people in the small group had various scars, and a couple of them were missing limbs as well.


    "Nero, these are the old lumps here are my older siblings," Invictus said, ignoring the fact that none of them had simr hair, or even appearance. "Guys, this is¡­"


    "Nero, yes, we know," said a surly looking woman who was missing her left hand below the elbow. "You''re the only one who doesn''t read the news, kid. This here''s the kid who gave that sage Haiden a scolding-"


    "Iris, don''t start," said a man who mped her mouth shut, an exhausted look on his face. "For goodness sakes, we''re in an army base. Please, for one day, just keep it to yourself."


    The woman tried to argue, but the man refused to remove his hand, and thoroughly held her in ce. He looked at Nero and gave him an apologetic smile.


    "My name is Idris, nice to meet you. Please excuse Iris, she''s been perpetually cranky since she lost her arm. I read about you in the paper."


    "It''s no problem, and please, ignore most of what you read. I was recovering from the intensity of my first ever battlefield, and I''d just seen a lot of my school fellows hurt really badly. I was not in a good state of mind."


    "That''s good," said another man with arge scar running across his face. "A young man like you will find life very difficult if you decide to go against the army. No matter what anyone thinks," he paused and gave Iris a look, "the army keeps us safe. Without them, we wouldn''tst a day. My name is Idear."


    "Oh no, I absolutely don''t think that," Nero rified immediately. No matter what else he did, he absolutely could not allow the perception that he was anti-army to spread. "In fact, I''m nning on applying to KMA. Initially I was going to apply next year, but with the tournamenting up, I think I''ll try my luck in this round. Are you all from Hammel?"


    Although there seemed like nothing connecting them, save the fact that they came together, Nero could not help but notice that all their names started with ''I''. There was also the fact that they all clearly knew each other well.


    All orphanages operated differently, but Hammel orphanage, one of the more prominent ones in Aetherpeak, was unique in the way that it gave all its kids a name starting with I. Taking up the name of the orphanage as theirst name, though, was amon practice across many orphanages, so that was not unusual.


    "I''m from the first batch," said Idris, nodding. "The rest came after me. Even though we''ve left the orphanage now, we decided toe back and work there. It''s a good environment for kids to grow in, so we thought we''d contribute."


    Saying that it was a good environment was an understatement. Child protective services were great in all of Kr, since it was not umon for children to be orphaned, but even by those standards, the Hammel orphans almost always were high achievers!


    Isa, the student who could feel others'' emotions, seemed an exception, but that was only because he hadn''t learned to control his ability. Now that he could, Nero wouldn''t be surprised if he also started to see an improvement in performance. Irene, his brother''s wife, was also one example. Invictus was, perhaps, the greatest example of exactly that.


    It suddenly urred to Nero that if the Hammel orphanage was treated as a great family, their influence in Aetherpeak would be extremely vast!


    "Unlike your hostels, we kept the orphanage clear of any vines," said Idear with a sense of pride. "That''s why we were invited to this ceremony - to get recognition for our service."


    Iris snorted, but said nothing. She was clearly still very upset, but with Idris'' hand over her shoulder, she knew better than to speak out. It only soured her mood even more though.


    Another batch of people came in, also wearing civilian clothes. Nero could not help but wonder if it was just a coincidence that there seemed to be more civilians than soldiers in the waiting room.


    He also could not help but keep his mind from wandering, thinking of possible reasons why everyone was being gathered in a room where they could interact on purpose for a few hours before the ceremony.


    The group who he was with began to talk amongst themselves, and Nero could easily spot the immense familiarity they held with one another. They treated each other as siblings - as a real family. It was endearing to see. It also made him realise that there was no if in the matter - they were a great family.


    "Hey, can I see your handbook," Nero whispered to Invictus.

 Chapter 82: Extended family

    A couple of hours went by, and the room was now fully crowded. Over a hundred civilians hade but there were very few soldiers. The anomaly was so tant that everyone noticed it, and a few of the honourees even began to specte.


    During this time, Nero had talked to various groups, getting to know them better while also introducing himself to them. He also assuaged the rumours that he was anti-military as best as he could, which were more widely spread among the few soldiers.


    But there was only so much he could do. Although they were pleased to hear what he had to say, he could also tell that they only took his words at face value. They did not actually believe him.


    It was a good start. More importantly, by talking to various groups, Nero had noticed one thing that he was not so sure everyone picked up. Although they hid it well, the only soldiers who were in the waiting room were those who were still recovering from some kind of injury. They hid it well, but when it was such a consistent pattern, it was only a matter of time before Nero noticed.


    Something was definitely going on. If more soldiers were present it would have been easier for Nero to probe for answers, but as it was, no one was feeling too talkative. Contention was high right now among the soldiers, and they all had various views on Sage Haiden''s recent actions, though they didn''t say it out right.


    Without more sources of information, Nero also couldn''t figure out why he was being targeted. The handbook Invictus had, and the one he had, were not the same! Clearly the posture he had been given was different, but he did not know why.


    If there was a ploy to use him somehow, or get him into some kind of trouble, then it was a poor one. He had been given more than enough time to interact with others, so it was not like it was difficult for him to find out. What exactly was their y?


    He did not get the time to figure it out as the doors to the hall were opened, and everyone was escorted to an open field covered with countless chairs and a stage. The setup was fairly simple, but he finally understood what Hamid meant when he said this ceremony attracted too much attention.


    Compared to the hundred or so honourees, there were well over a thousand spectators sitting and watching. It was difficult to judge the cultivation level of someone by sight alone, at least in Nero''s level, as long as the other party kept their aura restrained.


    But having said that, the entire flow of either in the region had changed, and was gathering around the countless seated spectators forming an unusual yet natural aura of deterrence.


    The weather was pleasant outside so that the sunlight did not feel too warm, yet walking by the seated crowd felt as if his skin was being scathed.


    Nero noticed Footer sitting in the crowd, his expression fixed in its usual- Nero almost stumbled when he realised something. Footer''s expression was not the same stern face he was used to seeing. His jaw was clenched and his brows furrowed ever so slightly. The man was feeling tense!


    The honourees were seated near the front, with Nero especially being right in the front row. Nero could feel his internal pressure being pricked now and then, even if he increased the internal pressure to boost his defence. Footer had alluded to the fact that many would try to probe him, though he should not be concerned.


    What Nero didn''t understand was why he was being given so much attention. He had been used once, he could understand. In fact, everyone understood that he was merely a prop, a mere reason for the sage to dere what he had. If he hadn''t used Nero, then he would have found another reason.


    But his role was already over. Getting themendation should have been nothing more than a formality. Yet even so, he could not shake the feeling that he was getting too much undue attention.


    On Nero''s left sat some unknown man he hadn''t met yet, but on his right sat Idris. The mature, rough looking man shed Nero an all too practised smile. For some reason, Nero got the impression that Idris was used to scare young children when they misbehaved at the orphanage.


    "Do you have any family in the crowd?" he whispered, clearly trying to divert Nero''s attention.


    "I have a teacher here. My family¡­ well, they''re out of reach at the moment."


    Nero could not help but think of his father. He already knew his mother was undergoing treatment, but his father hadn''t really contacted him since thest letter. He was not worried or anything - his father was an Arcanist, and a good fighter. He would be fine. He just wasn''t used to staying out of touch with his family for so long.


    Idris nodded, then looked at Nero oddly for a moment.


    "I didn''t want to say this in front of the others, stuff like this makes them very awkward, but thanks for taking care of Isa. He told me everything."


    Nero raised an eyebrow. That, he had not been expecting.


    "You still talk to Isa? Hasn''t he moved out of the orphanage?"


    "He has, yes. But we Hammels, we''re a family. We take care of one another. Isa has been extremely troubled since he unlocked his ability, but now, he finally has some peace."


    "Family, huh?" Nero said, smirking. "In that case, do you know Irene? She gave me a really cool back tattoo."


    Idris froze, not expecting that. She was one of the more¡­ entric members of their orphanage.


    "She''s a good kid. It''s hard to live independently, her tattoo parlour is the only means she has to make a living. She won''t let anyone from the orphanage help her, so I guess I should be thanking you once more for giving her some business."


    That had been a sort of test. Considering the orphanage actually had hundreds of kids at any one time, it was impressive that Idris knew who he was talking about.


    Nero turned to look at Idris because he was really curious to see how the man reacted when he shared the next bit of news.


    "She didn''t really charge me since I got a family discount. She married my brother after all."


    SNAP!


    The armrest of Idris'' chair snapped off.

 Chapter 83: Sage Haiden

    "You''re Patricks brother," Idris said through gritted teeth, ignoring the res he was getting from all around him.


    Oddly enough, even though he clearly looked upset, Nero didn''t feel threatened by him at all. That was quite a feat, since for a brief moment, Idris had let his aura as an Arcanist re.


    The veins on his neck suddenly became extremely prominent, which was funny to see because the man was clearly trying his best to keep his face expressionless, and failing miserably.


    "Now I''m impressed. I didn''t think you''d know his name."


    "That brat is the reason we put iron grills outside the hostel windows!" Idris red at Nero, as if he were somehow to me as well.


    "I find that hard to believe," Nero said, a wide, natural smile suddenly on his face. "At home he was the biggest goody two shoes there was. He never broke a single rule, which got me in even more trouble somehow."


    "Lies! That brat broke every goddamn rule we had, as if he was doing it on purpose! Do you know he dared precious little Irene to get her first tattoo! He''s the reason she was led astray."


    "Impossible!" Nero said, even as he chuckled. This was a side of his brother he never knew about. If Irene hadn''t told him that she personally tattooed him, he would have found it hard to believe Idris as well.


    He couldn''t help but wonder why his brother kept it all a secret. Back then, Nero would have been the first to support him if he told him any of this. Well, maybe that was why.


    Idris looked at Nero, his expressions clear as day. He was both agitated, as well as relieved. Nero couldn''t even begin to imagine what was going through his head, but he could venture a guess.


    "When Patrickes back, you want to beat him up together?" Nero asked, his voice filled with longing. "The idiot never even told me he got married."


    Idris'' shoulders slumped.


    "Irene wouldn''t ept our help because she said she had a new family now," Idris said somberly.


    "She does," Nero said, inly. The conversation ended there, and Idris did not mention Patrick again, or Irene.


    If Nero or his parents had known about their marriage, they would have never let Irene survive on her own for so long. But what was done was done. The future is what they had to focus on now.


    An angry looking soldier came by and reattached Idris'' snapped armrest, fixing it as if it was never broken to begin with. He did not say anything, but his re was more than enough tomunicate that Idris should restrain himself.


    Nero chuckled.


    For some reason, in his mind, Idris'' image was cemented as the awkward, angry uncle of the Hammel family.


    A while after everyone was seated, several men walked up on stage and began the speeches. Nero listened, even if the speeches were extremely tedious.


    They reiterated the history of Kr, and the warrior spirit that the country embodied and so on. Basically he was just building hype without actually providing any new information. Nero automatically filtered it out as noise.


    After one guy finished, another came and they continued to focus on Kr''s strong history to the point where Nero felt like they weren''t just randomly filling time. Could they be building up to something?


    Nero got goosebumps when the thought urred to him, and for some reason he recalled Footer''s concerned face.


    What was Kr known for? Its remarkable military might, which had proved itself time and time again throughout history. When exactly was military might most relevant? During times of chaos, or war¡­


    The man on stage abruptly ended his speed, and took a step back. For a moment it felt like everyone was stunned by the abrupt end, so the next person in line forgot to step up.


    Then Nero saw something out of the corner of his eye, and looked up. From a distance, a flying figure was quickly approaching, and it took only a few seconds for it to reach the sky above the stage.


    Sage Haiden had arrived, and he looked out at the entire audience, observing them, before he slowly began to descend onto the stage, right in front of the microphone.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, we all know why we are here today," the man said, getting straight to the heart of the matter. "Disaster does not seek permission before it strikes. Challenges do note with a warning. But whether it be in the heart of winter, or the dead of night, Kr has always stood ready. When dangeres, our men fight!"


    The sky seemed to experience a change under the might of his voice, and red hue began to fill the blue, clear sky.


    "When a threat appears, our women kill!"


    The aether around the guests, which had been scorching, suddenly began to flow in a different direction, and began circling the sage, causing the wind to mimic its movements. A storm began to brew.


    "When a curse strikes, our children strike back!"


    There was a rising momentum in the air, and Nero''s goosebumps became even stronger. He was in awe of the power of a sage, and he hadn''t technically even done anything yet. This was merely the aether responding to the sage''s fiery emotions!


    "When I was conscripted into the army, at the tender age of 16, I swore an oath in my heart. When I grew strong, the children of Kr would go to war no more. But here I am now, a sage, and yet the children still fight."


    Nero cursed his gut feeling for being right. The reason they seated him right in front was because he wasn''t done being a prop just yet. As if on cue, Haiden turned to look at Nero, the youngest in the entire crowd, and with him so did everyone else.


    It took every ounce of Nero''s will to stop himself from gulping.

 Chapter 84: War

    Over a thousand gazes were fixed on Nero, which is why the pressure he felt was not just psychological. Aether was dancing in the air, responding to the surging emotions, almost as if it was just as infected by the sage''s words as everyone else.


    Unfortunately for Nero, that meant that when the sage, and everyone else, looked at him, the aether responded and crashed down on him. If he had not learned to increase his internal aetheric pressure, and gain momentary strength, then just the weight of the aether would have been enough to cause him to stumble.


    But it was not as if Nero waspletely spared. It was clear to anyone looking that Nero seemed to be struggling, and that he was doing everything in his power to maintain a stoic expression on his face. Without understanding the actual immense pressure bearing down on him, they could only imagine Nero as a young child suffering shbacks of a traumatising night.


    Haiden continued to speak, though his voice rising as he spoke, gaining momentum.


    "When our enemies take us by surprise, Kr does not take it standing. We hit back, we fight hard, we sacrifice, and we protect. That is the pride of Kr, and it is as strong now as it was back then. But though the pride of Kr is strong, what of my oath?"


    Haiden looked back at the crowd, but for some reason Nero felt the pressure around him grow even stronger. The sage continued to speak, but this time, his voice softened.


    "To be honest, I have lived a long life, and I am ashamed to say that it took the interrogation of a child, even younger than I was when I took up arms¡­ with eyes filled with questioning desperation¡­ to remind me of that night. You took an oath, he said to me, and suddenly I was sixteen again, marching off to war and potential death.


    Is this the army I''ve been training to join, he asked me, and suddenly, I felt ashamed."


    The sky hadpletely changed colours now, and the blue had mixed with shades of pink turning into orange, turning into red, surrounding Haiden as if he were the rising sun.


    "997 years ago, Emperor Iskunder Macedon changed the world. He showed us new horizons, and a new way to live. For nearly a thousand years, we have lived in his shadow, in a pale imitation of the empire he created. None have tried to surpass him. None have tried to take humans to the next step."


    Nero was struggling to pay attention, but when Haiden said those words, even he felt the anticipation. Something seemed to change. It was as if all the guests who were here, in attendance, all had the same idea altogether. But they couldn''t believe it. They didn''t dare to consider it. Yet they held their breaths nheless.


    In fact, even the flowing wind seemed to freeze, as if the world itself was waiting in anticipation of what Haiden was about to say.


    "Then it urred to me. If even as a sage, I cannot protect my home as a sage, then my journey is not over. How can I find a way to surpass the sage realm? Does such a realm even exist? In all of human history, there has never been such a realm. Even the emperor had no path."


    Dead silence covered the field. No one spoke. They couldn''t believe what they were hearing. At the same time, they wanted to hear more.


    Such questions were asked everyday, but it usually wasn''t the head of an entire branch of the military discussing it in an army base. Instead, it was children discussing their daydreams in school corridors.


    "Naturally, I cannot just do it because I want to. Otherwise, the emperor himself would have reached this unattainable height. But, we finally have an opportunity in the form of the Eldrim ruins."


    Projector screens started to rise behind him, and as soon as they were fully extended various images appeared on all of them.


    Nero expected to see ruins, but instead he saw various terrains in all the screens, and massive armies in each of them. For a few seconds, Nero was confused, until he recognised the shape of some of the mountains in the images.


    Those were¡­


    "You must be wondering, if such a thing is true, why am I so openly revealing it to the world? It''s because for months we''ve been operating in secret, but the news has already been leaked. We have been fighting in secret, but it can be kept a secret no more!"


    The scene on the projectors changed, and instead of stationed armies, the images were of destroyedndscapes. Craters filled thends, and smoke covered the skies. No bodies could be found, because there were no bodies left to be found!


    "Saint Codale and Dolziya have partnered once more, and threatened open war unless we yield the ruins to them. Yesterday, theyunched a probing attack as a warning. Creta and New Vriya watch in silence, waiting for an opportunity, a weakness they can take advantage of. Only Nova has offered some help, in exchange for a chance to study the ruins."


    The screens changed again, this time all of them showing a man floating over a massive body of water.


    "Last night, Sage Morphius intercepted a sage trying to sneak into our borders, and pushed him back. At the same time, Sage''s Christina and Galeunched a counterattack on our neighbours to remind them who they are dealing with."


    Another set of images appeared, this time showing even greater devastation.


    "The reason I am telling you all this,dies and gentlemen, is because after months of fighting covertly, Kr is once again at war. But this time, it is not a war of survival, or resources! This time, it is a war to decide who will define the next one thousand years, and all of it will be decided here."


    The pictures changed once more, this time revealing a sprawling ruinous city, half buried underground, and half covered in white, cloudy mist.

 Chapter 85: Life of a political prop

    Nero''s eyes were glued onto the screen. The pressure on him had faded, and instead spread across the entire crowd. But maybe that was not the pressure of aether. Maybe that was just the pressure ofying eyes on something that could change the world forever.


    It was the pressure of dreaming of a realm beyond that of sages, the pressure of an age changing before their very eyes. Whether what they sought existed or not was uncertain. But if it did exist, then the only ce to search for it would be in the Eldrim ruins.


    For nearly a thousand years, since the time the emperor brought forth the Eldrim cards and changed the course of history, people had been looking for new and unexplored ruins. For a thousand years they had been searching, and it wasn''t as if more hadn''t been found. But even if they were found, they were always out of reach.


    Whether it were the spires of a city only vaguely visible through the fog that covered Lake Natura, or the towers clearly visible deep within the Jaggednds, or heck, even the ruins sometimes visible through the fog in the Aether Mountain range near the border of Kr and Dolziya, many of them had been found. But all of them were out of reach.


    Crossing into the fog that surrounded the six countries was death, in and simple. Even if, on particrly windy days, the fog cleared a bit, after hundreds of years of trial, no one dared venture in anymore - not unless they had a death wish.


    Simrly, the fog covering the depths of Lake Natura were nearly just as sinister. The fabled Mirage isle in the heart of the fog was named so because it might as well be a mirage, for no one had ever reached it. Though admittedly, sailors could technically enter the fog in theke and return alive. It was just that they were more than likely to die, than not.


    As for the Jaggednds, it was hopeless. Despite being the only discovered set of ruins that were technically essible, it was just too dangerous. Even sages were not guaranteed survival against the numerous dangerous monsters that inhabited that ce, let alone anyone else.


    So throughout history, the ruins remained out of reach. Until now.


    Nero could not shift his gaze from the visage of the city, seemingly still half buried. He could see the tops of buildings and towers, jutting out from the ground at the base of a mountain side. The way the city was spread, it almost seemed to continue into the mountain as well.


    The most bizarre thing was how well preserved the city actually seemed, now that he was focusing on details.


    Sure, there were some ces where the tower walls had copsed, and there were quite a few buildings which seemed to have caved in. But upon closer observation, one could also tell that all of these were recent additions.


    The earthquake which had caused thendslide which revealed the city must have been responsible for at least half the damage, with thendslide itself causing the other half.


    Even so, each and every tower was still rich with design. Careful grooves and channels were carved into the buildings, creating works of art that seemed to carry their way up the building.


    Vibrant colours, red, green, blue, yellow and more were still visible under theyers of dirt that gripped the outer walls. Nero felt like he even saw remnants of a statue, though the way it had been sted indicated that maybe it had been destroyed more recently, and on purpose.


    They were called ruins, perhaps because they were old, but they were in much better condition than Nero could have imagined, especially considering how old they must have been.


    After all, even one thousand years ago, the emperor still only encountered ruins.


    The wonder of what he was seeing almost distracted Nero from the fact that the sage had just dered that they were at war. Almost.


    Nero had to rip his gaze away from the screen to look at the sage. Despite his immense self confidence in his skills and power, Nero could not help but feel nervous. War was an entirely different kind of beastpared to fighting against curses. It was hard to say which one was more dangerous.


    In the face of war, all his ns were void. How could he ever n to steadily climb the ranks of the army and raise his cultivation, when every day might be hisst? While that was equally true for curses, the thing about war was now they had to watch out for curses and other humans!


    The number of things trying to kill them had effectively doubled, if not tripled.


    He wondered if¡­


    "To be honest, this is not what was nned for today," Haiden continued, disrupting the thoughts of everyone who was staring at the screens. "Today really was supposed to be about appreciating the heroes who rose up to the asion, and protected one another. It was supposed to be about honouring the dead. It was about recognising heroes.


    "But the events of yesterday, and especiallyst night, have changed ns. Now, more than ever, Kr is in even greater need of heroes. As of right now, Kr is entering a battle ready state. Curfew and states of emergency will be implemented across the country. A level 3 draft notice will be put into effect. Everyone, this ceremony is over.


    Return to your homes and report to your local enlistment office to determine if you are supposed to report for duty. All active war protocols are officially in effect as of yesterday."


    Haiden turned to look at Nero once, and gave him a soft smile, before once again flying away. No doubt he had countless things he needed to take care of now that they were at war.


    What Nero didn''t understand was¡­ if the n had changed, and they were at war now, why did he still put so much attention on Nero?


    The life of a political prop was not easy.

 Chapter 86: Sadistic Maniacs

    A hush fell over the entire field once the sage flew away, as no one knew what to do, or how to respond. Nero, too, was caught up in his own thoughts. All their nning and preparation had gone down the drain?


    What great families? What army politics? It had all been thrown down the drain by the onset of war.


    But there was something about the whole situation that he didn''t understand. Was it really necessary to continue using him as a prop?


    Whatever the reason, he wouldn''t figure out the answer here. Someone else came to the mic and began organising the crowd, allowing them to leave in an orderly fashion. Based on how no one was prepared, Nero could guess that maybe no one knew exactly what was going to happen today.


    Nero didn''t particrly care about not getting hismendation, as he kept wondering about what his immediate future would hold.


    "Kid, take care of yourself," Idris said somberly before they split.


    Footer, whose expression had returned to normal by now, stood waiting for Nero at the end of the field.


    "Let''s go, I got us our own car for now," he said as he led Nero away from the crowd and to a different part of the base. If Nero hadn''t already known his identity, he would have long begun to suspect something for Footer never really tried too hard at keeping his identity a secret.


    From knowing things he shouldn''t know, to having ess to things that civilians should have ess to, he was making it pretty obvious that he had another identity. Or maybe that was just around Nero.


    They remained silent the whole way, and true to his word, Footer had managed to arrange a car all to themselves. There were no guards to escort them back, though considering the long line of cars that would be leaving altogether, security did not seem like an issue.


    "What now?" Nero couldn''t help but ask. He had been prepared for many things, but a sudden onset of war was not one of them.


    He was struggling between thoughts of what his own future would be like, to the safety and security of his family.


    "What now? Kid, don''t be fooled. You''ve hit the virtual jackpot. Yes, there''s a small chance that you''ll get blown to bits by an enemy who you can do nothing against, but in life there are always risks."


    Nero was stunned to see that, for once, there was a wide smile on Footers face!


    "War''s not bad, kid. Oh sure, if you''re a regr person and you want to live a normal life, then it''s horrible. But for people like you, who have certain goals, war is the fastest way to gain promotions. And you, especially, are in the perfect position to take advantage of it."


    "Exin," Nero said, with his brows furrowed. As someone who had never been in war, he could not exactly imagine why it would be a good thing for him. Sure, he might get a lot of credits for each mission, but the danger was simultaneously much greater. Although he was brave, he was not stupid or suicidal.


    "Kid, the ruins were right in front of you. You already saw them. You also know that they need Neophytes for something, that''s why the tournament was supposed to be here. I don''t know if that will still happen or not, but I can sure as hell tell you that they''re still going to need skilled Neophytes.


    "This is where you can shine. Let me tell you, any soldier worth his salt does his absolute best to grow as quickly as possible. That means that the army is severely understaffed when ites to trained,petent and capable Neophytes. All they have are students and early recruits. I can''tment on the rest, but you''ve already proven your worth as a Neophyte.


    Do you know what position that puts you in? The army needs you, not the other way around. If you can do a good job, then that''ll shave years off your promotion route. More importantly, no matter what his reason may be, everyone has seen that Sage Haiden favours you. After all, he''s spoken positively about you twice in public now. That gives you an invisible backing in the army.


    You''re in the perfect position to take advantage of it."


    For a moment, Nero was silent. Footer was right, he supposed. But he still had some concerns. He supposed, if anyone, Footer was in the exact right position to answer him about it.


    "I''m more concerned about my family than anything else. My mother won''t get drafted, she was discharged because of injury and hasn''t healed yet. But my dad is in Whisper Guard. To be honest, he''s been gone for weeks now, and it suddenly makes sense why. I''m just worried something will happen to him."


    For a brief moment, Footer didn''t answer. He withdrew his smile and just looked forward as he drove the car.


    "Kid, if you maintain that mentality, you''re going to die. It''s in and simple. On the battlefield, any and all distraction can prove fatal. I''m not going to sit here and tell you that your family is going to be fine. But even if they''re not, there''s nothing you can do about it as you are. Even the sage said so himself, that he still can''t protect the whole country at his level.


    "The only thing you can focus on is doing your best to keep yourself alive, and know that your family will be doing the same. As far as Whisper Guard goes¡­ kid, let me ask you a question. Do you know the name of any other special forces in all of Kr?"


    The questions stunned Nero. It was so random, he had not been expecting it.


    "No, I guess I don''t."


    Footer grinned once more, though Nero decided a stoic expression suited him much more.


    "That''s because the Whisper Guard are all crazy. Forget any rumours you''ve heard about why they''re so famous, or everyone knows about them. The truth is, they''re all sadistic maniacs who don''t really care about rules or anything else. They consistently fail to keep their identity hidden, to the point where it has be their identifying factor.


    Sorry you had to find out this way kid, but your dad is probably crazy too. The good thing about being crazy, though, is that they''re a lot harder to kill than normal people."

 Chapter 87: Drive back home

    Nero looked at the wide smile on Footers face, fully aware of the fact that the man himself was in Whisper Guard. Did he know that Nero was aware?


    But, in a much more subtle way, his description did match him now that he thought about it. Even Ms. Zim to an extent. They really did not care for the rules, and were always telling him things that he was fairly certain he really shouldn''t know. That was not even considering the redacted research paper Nero had delivered to his dorm, or the underground secret curse holding facility he was brought to.


    The wide grin now that there was an ongoing war also fit really well into his own definition of being crazy. The one thing it didn''t fit was his father.


    Sure, he broke the rules when he gave Nero his innate card. But doing something out of concern for his own son, and being a chronic rule breaker were not the same thing. Maybe that was just Footers'' way of trying to cheer him up.


    Nero took in a deep breath, and flipped a mental switch, putting his concerns aside. Footer was right about one thing. There was only so much he could do, so he would do his best, and trust that his family was doing the same.


    When he breathed out, he turned back to Footer.


    "So what exactly am I supposed to do? How should I take advantage of this? What benefits can I get from the army, and how can I benefit them?"


    "Going with the flow of things is not really your style, is it?" Footer murmured. "Well, for now, you go back to school. The army won''t call for you overnight. They don''t do things half heartedly. I wouldn''t be surprised if all the Heralds from all over Kr gather in Aetherpeak over the next month or so.


    "Basically, you''ll know ahead of time when they need you. After that is the easy part. You just follow orders. They will tell you what to do, and you do it. There''s no amount of nning you can do around that, because that part is non-negotiable. It''s the part everyone struggles with most, and it''s also the easiest part as long as you go with it.


    "The only thing you have to be mentally prepared for is interference. This kind of information is not public, but our enemies will do everything in their power to dy our progress while they try to gain their own advantages. Espionage and assassination are extremelymon. If your mission is particrly important, they may even send Spectres after you."


    "How in the world am I supposed to be prepared to be hunted by professionals?" Nero asked, sensing an obvious w in Footers words. Professionals, in this sense, referred to card masters who had gained professions. That meant they had surpassed the Arcanist level! Nero could not even face an Arcanist at his level, let alone those at higher levels.


    "You can be prepared to run, or hide, or whatever it takes. There is no such thing as fair or reasonable when ites to war. I am not exaggerating to sound experienced. I am telling you that if you have any missions rted to the ruins, then you can expect to face any kind of danger at any time. Obviously, you will also get the corresponding level of protection.


    But personal preparation is something you can never skip on."


    The two continued to talk the remaining journey, and though Footer seemed more excitable now, for whatever reason, Nero took each of his words incredibly seriously. He asked him how he could prepare to escape in case he ever faced a professional, and Footer actually gave him some suggestions. Of course, each of them would require a certain level of luck.


    The talk also helped Neroe to terms with the fact that they were at war, and all his ns had to be thrown out the door.


    He did not have months to a year to get admission into KMA, and then he didn''t have his training period to grow even stronger and make more contacts. He was about to face some very real threats, and the fact that he was weak was the very reason he might be desirable.


    He could imagine how that was an advantage, but the world was vast and anything was possible. But the closer they got to the city, the quieter they became.


    Finally, when they reached the city gate, and were waiting for their car to be inspected before they could enter, Footer spoke one more time.


    "Chances are when we go back, my name will be in the draft list. I''m probably not going to be able to teach you anything from now on."


    "You have been an excellent teacher. Thank you for your tutge." Nero did not smile or smirk as he spoke, and meant every word of it.


    Footer looked at him for a brief moment, before turning back to the road.


    "What I was saying was, I''m probably not going to be able to teach you anything from now on, so let me give you one final lesson. If your father is in Whisper Guard, then don''t for a second assume that you are without backing in the army. There are some things I cannot say, and you will learn with time. But just know this, in war, things are chaotic.


    If you have an enemy, then they can be a casualty of war at any time."


    Footer paused, and made eye contact with Nero to make sure he understood what he was saying.


    "Simrly, if someone treats you as an enemy, then they''d be happy to see you as a casualty of war as well."


    There was a deafening silence in the car after that, as Nero thought about the fact that his teacher was telling him his father would help him cover up murder, or in polite terminology, friendly fire.


    It did not phase him as much as it perhaps should have. After all, he began this very journey with the intention of taking revenge.


    But the fact that others might want to kill him as well was something he should spend some time preparing for.

 Chapter 88: Plaque

    Returning to Aetherpeak was slightly strange. The news of the war had not seemed to spread here yet, though Nero expected it would be only a few hours at most before that changed. It was early in the day, Nero literally hadn''t even had breakfast yet, but people were still out and about.


    There were the ever present police patrols - those never really stopped no matter the time or day. But as they drove deeper into the city, more and more pedestrians were visible. Almost everyone was walking with a sense of urgency, probably because it was not so early that offices had not opened yet. Many of the people on the road were probablyte for work.


    But asionally, a person could be seen casually strolling by. Most of the time it was an older person, or someone with some kind of wound. Amputees were amon sight, and even when they wore their prosthetics, their gait would often give them away. Prosthetics were usually lighter than the limb they reced, and over time, that tranted in how people walked.


    Nero had long learned how to identify them.


    Regardless, whether it was the wounded or the aged, they often seemed to treat life with a¡­ Nero was running short of words. If he was being earnest, then he would say they were cavalier about life. If he was being polite then he would say they had a carefree attitude. Neither of those were exactly right, though.


    Whatever it was, they had their own ce among themunity. In fact, mostmunity centres were run by amputees and wounded veterans. They were alsomon in orphanages.


    Nero could not help but wonder what their role would be in the war. Would they be volunteers? Would they take over the civil jobs formerly done by those who were about to be drafted?


    In the cars around them, Nero could see parents driving their young children to school - kids who were barely four or five years old. How would the kids feel when one or both their parents had to be drafted?


    To an extent, he could imagine. After all, when he was very young, his mother was still in active service. Patrick never talked about it, but he had let slip once or twice every time their mother went away on a mission.


    Their father was, more or less, always around. Even if he was doing missions, they never learned of it. In fact, if he hadn''t disappeared recently, Nero would have thought that he was long retired from the Whisper Guard. He just seemed much too ordinary on normal days.


    As the car continued to drive through the city, Nero couldn''t help but take it all in. Whether it was the traffic, the pedestrians, the street stalls, shops, patrol cars, all of it. It was all about to change, and he didn''t know if it would ever be the same.


    Nero looked out at the mountains in the distance. It was funny, even though the fog prevented any of them from actually climbing those peaks, they had been the most fixed constant in Nero''s life. Yet now, oddly enough, that constant was to some degree the source of the change that was happening.


    Even though he tried to distract himself, during thest leg of their drive, Nero could not help but feel mncholy. He knew that the moment he stepped off this car, he would not allow himself to rest. If his schedule had been hectic before, it would be even more so now.


    Footer was right, Nero felt ufortable if he didn''t have a n of action, something to guide him in the direction he wanted to go. Even if there were too many uncertainties to n adequately, he would do what was in his power.


    He would scrutinise every detail, consider every possible action that could help him in the future, and begin preparing to the best of his ability. He would gather more cards. He would train with weapons. He would learn everything he could about the Eldrim and their ruins. He would do it all.


    Which was why, for now, he allowed himself to get caught up in the swirl of emotions he would have no time for. A small part of himself even wondered if Patrick was still alive, and if this would affect him somehow.


    But his mother had been very direct with him. There was an over 90% casualty rate amongst convicts who were sent to the front lines, even though that meant cursed zones and not the actual front lines of any war. At the same time, his father told him they never got a letter confirming that he was killed in action.


    Or maybe they did. Their house had been empty for quite a while now. Who knew what kind of letters were there, waiting for them?


    "This is your stop," Footer said, as he drove up in front of the hostel gates. "Before you do anything else, I rmend you go and talk to Ms. Zim. Chances are, she''ll get caught up in the draft as well, in which case she''ll want to leave you with some words of wisdom."


    "Thanks. Try not to die, because I won''t have time to attend your funeral."


    Footer snorted,and then handed Nero a que.


    "Yourmendation."


    Nero was surprised he actually got it, but he didn''t care too much about it - until he realised it was made from actual wood!


    He immediately grabbed it and couldn''t help stare at it. He did not care for the praise of exceptional bravery, though he was very pleased with his name being engraved in it. He couldn''t believe he had a piece of wood with his actual name on it!


    The texture was not exactly smooth, but his fingers flowed over it easily, as if it weed his touch.


    "Damn, this is pretty cool," he could not help but say out loud, which just got him another snort from Footer. The past few hours had been the most expressive he had been in months, probably even years.

 Chapter 89: Trap cards

    Nero got out of the car, leaving his mncholy behind. Did it make his emotions cheap that all it took for his mood to improve was a b of wood? But then again, wood was the most expensive material around. It wasn''t exactly cheap.


    Nero had to keep himself from smiling as he walked to his school. It wouldn''t be appropriate to be caught grinning right after he learned they were at war. In his defence, how cool was the wooden que?


    But Nero controlled himself and quickly made his way to school. Unfortunately, he had no time to waste, or to stop by ss and show everyone.


    School was, well, school. There were countless kids crammed in sses, with a few of them roaming the halls. He was not sure how exactly, but he was certain that school would also undergo some changes. Combat sses might be a bigger part of it, or emergency drills.


    Nero quickly found out where Ms. Zim was, and waspletely unsurprised to learn that she was sitting in the library, perusing her own notes. Normally, he would wait for her to finish, or at least pause before interrupting her. But that could take a long while, and today was not the day for that.


    "Ms. Zim," he whispered, since he didn''t want to be too loud in the library. His ordinarily very chatty teacher was stunned at being interrupted, and quickly looked up to find Nero.


    "Oh dear, I hope you weren''t waiting too long. Ipletely lost track of time. Did we have a ss scheduled today? Funny, I don''t remember that. What did we coverst time? Had we begun-"


    "Ms. Zim, I have something urgent to report," Nero was forced to interrupt. Before she could start up again, he quickly and briefly shared the details of what happened that morning. Oddly enough, she showed less reaction upon hearing of war than she did at being interrupted from her notes.


    Nero was reminded of Footers''ment on how the members of Whisper Guards were¡­ a little different.


    "Oh dear, I suppose I''ll have to pause all my research," she said, positively disappointed. "Chances are that our sses will also be cancelled. In that case, it''s a good thing you came to find me. If our time together is toe to an end, then I have something for you. I was going to give it once you finally crafted your own card, but I suppose¡­"


    She trailed off as she opened her grimoire and pulled out a certain card, before presenting it to Nero.


    Name: Words of wisdom


    Image: A pair of lips speaking


    Type: Diminution


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Hypnotise target using your words]


    vour text: "Just say the word, and I''ll die for you," - a dead man


    "Don''t show that to anyone," Ms. Zim said as she began to pack her notes. "I have been expressly forbidden from making those."


    "It wouldn''t have anything to do with the quote, would it?" Nero asked. Chaty though she may be, he never took her for a jokester.


    "Oh that. You don''t need to worry about that. The court cleared me of all charges, otherwise I''d be at the front lines."


    Nero was beginning to think Footer may have not exaggerated nearly as much as he had assumed initially about Whisper Guard. But, Nero couldn''t exactly im that he wasn''t growing fond of them. Heck, if they continued to deliver him restricted papers and cards like this, he''d be their biggest fan.


    "Good luck, young man. Don''t give up on your studies. You''d be surprised, but the battlefield is an excellent ce to continue to learn. Always remember, loot your enemies for their cards, but never actually use them. They''re good to study, but they may also be traps. Oh, actually, here, take this¡­"


    Ms. Zim paused and took out her Grimoire once more, pulling out another card that she handed to Nero.


    Name: Second Life


    Image: A corpseing back to life


    Type: Healing


    Star rank: 1


    Ability: [Deliver a massive burst of healing!]


    vour text: "Wee to your second life," - Zim Burton


    "See, enemies cany traps like this. This looks like a very powerful healing card. Instead, depending on the level of the user, it''ll give them a heart attack, or straight up pop their heart. I made it by altering a healing recipe, which is why the type-symbol on it is still technically healing. I thought the name was quite clever.


    Should an enemy ever loot your corpse and use it, they''ll think the second life refers to theming back to life from the verge of death, whereas actually, it''s ending their current life and leading them to the next."


    "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I hope I don''t need it," Nero said, somewhat stunned. He had never heard of trap cards before! This was actually quite dangerous!


    "Is there¡­ is there any way to determine if a card is a trap card? You know, in case of an emergency, I really need to use an enemy''s cards."


    "None that are avable at your level, I''m afraid. But if you''re a really good artisan, you can identify the recipe used on a card. That could give you some hints. In your case, I''d just rmend using enemy cards as the veryst resource."


    Nero nodded. entric though she may be, theirst interaction ended up being extremely informative, and potentially lifesaving. As for Second Life, he hoped he would never need it. In case he did, he''d try to put it to use while he was still alive. The concept of trap cards gave him much to think about.


    Nero turned to exit, but from the corner of his eye caught sight of a figure that was familiar. Though she had cut her hair short, Vanessa was still easily identifiable, even if he were looking at her from behind.


    Unable to restrain himself, Nero took out his que and jaunted forward. He really needed to show someone.

 Chapter 90: Banter

    It was a rare urrence for Nero to get so excited, and be unable to resist showing off. To be fair, if he hadn''t run into Vanessa at the library, he would have probably started training immediately.


    After all, as a student, he did not need to report for the draft notice, even if it was level 3. Footer had even specified that he would be informed well in advance if, or rather when, he was needed. That meant for now, Nero was free to do as he pleased.


    That was supposed to be convening with Gabriel and nning ahead, but pushing it ten minutes or so wouldn''t really matter.


    But even in his excited state, Nero could not act like a normal kid. He immediately noticed that it was very unusual for Vanessa to be alone in the library, especially when she should be in ss. A part of him wondered why she was missing out, as she was not normally the type.


    But his brain also analysed that it hardly mattered to him as it was unlikely she was doing something that would harm him, so he pushed all those thoughts aside and pulled up a seat right beside her.


    "Fancy running into you here," he whispered.


    Vanessa, who had beenpletely absorbed in her work, let out a little shriek as his sudden arrival startled her.


    "You¡­ what are you doing?" she questioned angrily, as her cheeks flushed out of embarrassment. She quickly looked around, and noticed that almost everyone in the library was looking towards her.


    She tried to retract her head into her shirt as the embarrassment was too great. Nero couldn''t help butugh.


    "What''s wrong? Are you the only one who is allowed to sneak up on people?"


    "I have never¡­" she began, then paused when she recalled that Nero had caught her sneaking more than once. She gave him an angry re and changed the subject.


    "It''s rude to startle a youngdy."


    She puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms, as if she was upset. The sight was quite amusing.


    "Fine, fine, I apologise for rming you, fairdy."


    "Fair? Only helpless damsels are fair. I am a sunkissed warrior!"


    "Oh, my bad. Sorry for scaring you, sunkissed warrior!"


    Vanessa red at him again. Why had she never realised how infuriating he was?


    "What do you want Nero? I''m busy."


    "I can see that," he said, looking at the notebooks in front of her. She was going over something called Imbuing, which was something he only vaguely knew about. It was basically when instead of putting a spell in a card, it was put into another object.


    Imbuing was something that had been conceived as an idea to make spell casting easier, but actually doing it proved to be quite the hassle. Only a handful of sessful cases existed, even till modern day, proving it to be a failure.


    "Why are you studying imbuing when you can''t even card craft yet?"


    "This is one of the books Mr. Rodney gave me," she said with a hint of hesitation. "It''s to increase my theoretical knowledge base."


    Nero couldn''t help but snort.


    "Sounds more like he just wants to waste your time."


    "That''s not how it works. In theoretical fields, the greater my knowledge base the more sessful I will be. Besides, this is true innovation. Not everything has to be reverse engineered from the Eldrim. Humans are more than capable of creating our own inventions."


    "What else have we reverse engineered besides Eldrim cards?" Nero asked, curiously. Originally he just wanted to show off, but this was an interesting topic of conversation. Technologically speaking, Nova was heads and tails ahead of Kr, or anyone else for that matter. Only new Vriya came close. It also made sense if their technology was reverse engineered.


    After all, the Eldrim ruins that the great emperor essed through which he learned of the cards were still present in The Scar, a region between Nova and New Vriya.


    Vanessa looked hesitant, as if she was debating on what she was allowed to say or not. Nero did not try to force or persuade her. Eventually, she relented.


    "You''d be surprised. Aether application is not the only field they surpassed us in. Do you know, to this day, we don''t know what material their buildings are made out of? It''s not a naturally urring mineral, and it''s nothing like modern cement. Despite that, their buildings are able to stand for thousands of years without falling over.


    "We have what we believe are a few books back in Nova, though no one knows theirnguage so no one can decipher them. But it''smonly believed that the idea to make books was also copied by them."


    "Don''t tell me we got homework from them too," Nero said with a smile, but Vanessa only red. "It was just a joke, my bad. I''ve read that the concept of aether power lines and aether batteries is something we copied from them as well. Is that true?"


    "Strictly speaking, no. That''s probably why they''re so inefficient. When studying their ruins, archeologists discovered some buildings that still had power. Their lights and machines were still operable, though we don''t know why.


    "It was theorised that the Eldrim probably used aether as a power source, and used wires or channels to transport it to various buildings. But we''ve never really found anything that resembles power cables, or any other means of transmitting energy at all. We have no idea how those buildings are powered. But that is where the concept came from."


    "Seems to me like we still barely know anything about them. In that case, what have we even sessfully reverse engineered?"


    "You''d be surprised. Back in Nova, the most advanced medical equipment is actually all based off of Eldrim tech."


    "And it works? For us?" Nero asked, genuinely taken aback. "Weren''t the Eldrim another race? How does their stuff work on us?"


    "Who knows? I''m sure there was even more stuff that has been reverse engineered, but that''s all I know of."


    Nero had some doubts about that, but he didn''t bring that up. Instead, he looked back at her notes.


    "So imbuing. This is something we came up with on our own?"


    Vanessa let out an exhausted sigh, and leaned back in her chair.


    "Strictly speaking, not really. I mean, we are just copying their card making. But as far as I can tell, or at least as far as this book says, the idea to use spells in other objects is solely our idea. They haven''t done it anywhere else."


    "Let me guess, the researcher who came up with this wanted to put the spells on a sword. Oh, no way, a spear would be better."


    Vanessa shrugged.


    "The book doesn''t say. It''s just detailing the various attempts, why they failed, or why the few that seeded are theorised to work."


    "Sounds interesting," Nero said dismissively. "You want to see something cool?"


    Vanessa turned to him, and suddenly squinted.


    "Weren''t you supposed to be at your ceremony today? What are you doing back already?"


    Nero grinned, and pulled up the que and put it on the table for her to see.


    Vanessa observed the que and carefully lifted it, rubbing her hand over the wood as she read the words.


    "As far as officialmendations go, this one is not bad at all," she said with a nod.


    "I can''t believe they put it on a piece of wood," he said excitedly.


    But instead of responding, Vanessa just looked at him oddly.


    "What?" Nero asked, suddenly bing conscious. Was it fake wood? They wouldn''t do that, right?


    "What do you find most impressive about this?" she asked with a sceptical look.


    "Tha wood, obviously. Didn''t you get that?"


    Vanessa looked stunned.


    "You¡­ you got an officialmendation from a sage, recognising you for your bravery, and the only thing you care about is that it''s made of wood?"


    "Not just any wood," he said defensively. "This has been treated to resist curses! Otherwise they wouldn''t give it out."


    For a moment Vanessa did not respond, and just stared at him. Then she burst intoughter.


    "You astound me, Nero Grant. But it''s good to know that there''s a child in there after all."


    All of a sudden, Nero no longer felt too excited about showing her que anymore. He pulled it back from her, since she clearly did not understand its value.


    "There''s more," he said, his tone returning to its normal, serious state. "I think you might wish you had gone back home while you still had the chance."


    Vanessa raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. Nero had put away his easily excitable self, and focused on Vanessa to analyse her reaction.


    "Yesterday our borders were attacked. Kr is officially at war."


    Vanessa''s eyes widened, though she clearly tried to control herself. Her expression was frozen and she said nothing, but Nero just waited for her to question how serious he was. She never did.

 Chapter 91: Field trip

    Nero studied her expressions thoroughly. Although there was initial shock, she calmed down fairly quickly. Then her eyes lost focus, as if she were thinking a few things over. But it did notst long, and she immediately focused back on Nero, her expression bing unreadable.


    "You don''t seem too surprised," Neromented.


    "It was quite predictable," Vanessamented. "Thest ruins literally changed the whole world for us, and we''re still benefiting from it. I have been expecting it from the moment the rumours turned into facts."


    "Aren''t you worried about being taken as a prisoner, or treated like a spy?"


    Vanessa rolled her eyes at the question.


    "If you attended any normal sses, you''d know that as per your own foreign policy, Nova is your closest ally. Kr exports all the ores that they need, and in return Nova sends you technology and finished products. The trade ties expand beyond just that. They''re the perks of being the farthest two countries from each other."


    Nero did not point out that allies could also spy on one another, and simply shrugged.


    "Anyway, I just thought I''d let you know. The word is bound to spread sooner rather thanter, but I thought I''d let you know in case you needed to talk to whoever is incharge of the foreign exchange program. If you get in any trouble, let me know. I''ll see what I can do."


    "You''re a student Nero, what can you do?" Vanessa asked, tauntingly.


    "Let''s hope we don''t have to find out," said Nero and just smirked. Whether he could help her or not depended on the kind of trouble she got into. But what he could or couldn''t do didn''t really matter as much as the fact that if she did get in trouble, she would think of him.


    He picked up his que and got up from the table.


    "By the way, I think it would be more effective if instead of imbuing weapons with spells, you directly make weapons that can utilise cards. No point in recreating the wheel, start thinking about what else you can do with it. But then again, theory is not really my field."


    Vanessa kept sitting there as Nero left, and could not help but smile. She thought back to how excited he had been to receive the que. More than anything, she felt an immense amount of relief that Nero still had some normal, teenager feelings left in his body. It seemed to make him seem more human.


    Over this period of time, she had looked into him. His grades were great, his expertise were beyondparison, his instincts were great, and his ability to continuously stick to the never ending tedium of consistent training made him appear more like an alien than anything else.


    She was almost grateful that he didn''t have the backing of anyrge family or organisation - yet. So far, everything he had been doing was based on his own design. But if experts with limitless resources began pouring everything they had into him, she could not even imagine what he would be.


    The crazy part was, she was almost certain that he was restraining himself so as not to reveal everything he had. From spending time with his friends, learning about his goals, and analysing him herself, she came to the conclusion that he did not just want to join the army, he had a very specific aim or goal within the army.


    It was as if, as a kid, he said he wanted to be a sage, but instead of leaving that desire to the realm of daydreams, he began to put every ounce of his free time and effort into making thate true. Of course, bing a sage was not something anyone could achieve just because they wanted to. But that did not mean that Nero''s sheer force of will was not remarkable.


    Vanessa suddenly blushed. She couldn''t believe she called herself a sunkissed warrior! She buried her face in her hands as the embarrassment began to gnaw at her. What had she been thinking?


    Nero, meanwhile, was walking towards the cafeteria. He''d had his fun. Now it was time to get back into routine. The future had suddenly be unpredictable, and all he could do was stay in top form and be ready for anything that came his way.


    Mrs. Aedile was, as usual, happy to see him, though she never let it show. Nero, likewise, was very happy to see his very hearty breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon, some buttered bread and milk with honey.


    After eating, he found Gabriel and updated him on the situation. The redhead did not handle the news nearly as well as Vanessa, but there wasn''t much he could do about it. Nero quickly fell back into his routine of training, since there was not much else he could do.


    The news spread byte afternoon, and that''s when the changes started happening. The environment changed rapidly.


    There was a tense atmosphere all around the hostel, as well as the school, but Nero could not help noticing that there was also a strange hint of anticipation. Any time he came across a veteran, who was preparing to go to the draft notice, he could not help but notice a certain spark in their eyes.


    That was around the time where Nero questioned the sanity of the people around him for the first time, but then shrugged it away. A Krs death was written on the battlefield. That also meant that so was their life.


    The next day, as Nero was beginning to wonder how this would impact his school and the rest of the students, a number of army vehicles drove up to campus, followed by a few buses. Nero, Gabriel and several hundred other students received a draft notice that would go into effect immediately.


    The kids that lived in the hostels were given thirty minutes to pack any essentials, while those who didn''t were told that if there any essentials that they absolutely needed from home, they''d be allowed to send for them at ater time.


    Nero didn''t have much to pack - he just grabbed his card case and knife and he was ready to go. He kept his emotions muted, and remainedposed the entire time. He asked no questions about the draft, partly because he could anticipate what was required, but also because a simple observation told him that these soldiers were only carrying out orders, and didn''t know much else.


    Not everyone else could remain asposed as him, however. Many students panicked, and some even tried to resist. Even though everyone knew they would have to do service in the army at some time, being drafted during war was a different experience entirely. In the end, it was futile. Everyone whose name was on the list got on the buses.


    What did surprise Nero, however, was that Ss'' name was also on the list. The pale, extremely nervous child stuck close to Nero, as if that would somehow protect him. While such a thought was absurd, considering Nero himself was just another draftee, it was true that the mood on the bus he got in waspletely different from the rest.


    After all, everyone was just asked to get on the bus, but there weren''t any specific seats assigned, so all of his friends stuck to him.


    Nero was not as talkative as he usually was, but it was clear that he also wasn''t overly concerned. Gabriel, likewise, was calm. He had enough time to mentally prepare for this. Harold and Wendy werepletely nonchnt, and continued to flirt with each other even now.


    Harold had confessed to Nero a couple of days ago that the two had actually kissed! Since then Nero treated him as a gone case. Long gone was his friend whose only passion was fighting every day in the gym. Now his mind was preupied by another kind of battle.


    Hansel and Malissa were, simrly sitting together, talking about their future professions. That left Maverick and Shelby, who were specting on what was about to happen to them. None of them actually seemed all that worried.


    It did help, though, that from a young age most of them had been infected by Nero''s desire to join the army, and so had decided on a simr trajectory. This was naught but an early start to their careers, which was not necessarily a bad thing.


    The rest of the bus was also filled with students Nero was well acquainted with. While they did not hang out everyday, before Nero became a Neophyte they used to interact quite often. The most important thing was that, whether on purpose or by coincidence, all of them were the top performers in their school.


    While not all of them necessarily had the best grades, all of them were very gifted when it came to controlling aether.


    The soldiers who were apanying them felt strange. Why did it feel like they were apanying a bunch of kids on a field trip rather than a bus full of draftees being taken to base?

 Chapter 92: Collective punishment

    The line of buses didn''t exit the city, as Nero had been expecting, but instead took them to a military base within the city, attached to the southern boundary wall. Since this entire area was a restricted military zone, it was actually Nero''s first timeing here.


    He observed everything, memorising theyout as they passed by, taking note of the various buildings they passed and the arrangement of the various barriers. By now, this was second nature to him, and it was not something he needed to do consciously.


    That was also why, as they arrived at the exact facility they were heading towards, Nero was the first person to notice that the number of buses was a lot more than it should have been. The extra vehicles were probably from the other schools around the city. It seemed they were gathering all the students who could possibly meet their needs.


    If that were the case, he wouldn''t be surprised if a simr scene was taking ce in all other cities across Kr. To increase the chances of sess, there was no reason why they shouldn''t pull out all the stops.


    But that was just him extrapting. It was not necessarily true. Only time would tell.


    Their bus stopped in a parking lot, and the soldiers who were escorting them had them line up and follow them to a vast open track where many other students were already standing in lines.


    "Don''t tell me we''re going to have to stand in line for hours," Hansel groaned just looking at the situation.


    "Don''t let them see youining," Nero said impassively. "If they tell us to stand, we stand. I expect this is a tactic being employed to irritate the students on purpose. Those who act out will be punished. Remember, we''ve been drafted now. We are not students anymore, we''re soldiers."


    Nero''s words washed over the students who were apanying him, and suddenly snapped them out whatever thoughts they were having. They suddenly realised that¡­ what he said was likely very true! They could already see that the many students who had been standing before them were already getting irritated, and shifting their weight from foot to foot.


    They were murmuring amongst themselves, and the sound of theirint was not exactly loud, but could bepletely heard by those near them.


    "Stand at attention, and treat the difort as training. This is not a game anymore. Ss, you stand right behind me."


    Nero took the lead, and stood at the very forefront of his line, bing a perfect example for everyone in his line to follow. His expression was perfectly stoic, and he did not react at all as the soldier told them to wait there for further orders before leaving.


    Soon they were surrounded by more and more students, and the rtive quiet of the track soon turned into a cacophony of chatter. Even if the kids were speaking at a lower volume, when thousands of kids began to do the same, the sound increased on its own.


    Nero neither looked left or right to determine if there were any others like them who had guessed what the reason for this was, but he imagined that there were at least a few others. Underestimating others was not a mistake he was prone to make repeatedly.


    They stood like that for nearly an hour, and even Nero''s feet began to ache though he ignored it. Those standing in line behind him also didn''t move around much, though their aching feet and perpetual boredom weren''t the only things they had tobat. By now, the noise around them was bing extremely distracting.


    Finally, a number of soldiers arrived and stood in front of them. By the rank symbol on his uniform, Nero could tell that the man in the lead was a major, which was one level above captain.


    While Nero knew the army officer ranks, he did not have a proper idea for what kind of authority that represented or what that meant in regards to the army setup. But it didn''t matter. Whether it was a captain, a major, or anyone else, they were all above him in ranks right now.


    "Quiet!" the man said with a voice that had a physical pressure to it.


    Nero was reminded of how the sage had suppressed that Arcanist level vine creature with just his words. This was simr, yet somehow different. It was also weaker, though that didn''t change the fact that with a single word, the entire track field had been suppressed.


    Nero realised that he was even having trouble manipting his internal aetheric pressure under the weight of the majors word. Butpared to everyone else, Nero and those in his line wereparatively much better off.


    "I know this is short notice, and you were all not mentally prepared, so for this one time, I will not punish you too extensively. But the matter of fact is that you have been drafted, and you are soldiers now. Maybe you feel it''s unfair, but in war your enemies won''t ask you your age before killing you. There is no such thing as fair in this world. It is a manmade concept.


    "All you need to be concerned with is the fact that you can be of service to Kr. Your contribution might end the war sooner. So it''s time to get your act together. You will not be getting a second allowance. As a gentle reminder that you are now soldiers, and as a lenient punishment for your recalcitrance behaviour, all of you are to stand for one more hour in the Scorcher room.


    Anyone of you whoins while inside gets an extra minute for everyint. Abilities are also not allowed to resist the heat."


    Nero could feel that those behind him were clearly feeling extremely reluctant. They hadn''t been making any noise at all. But before any of them could do something stupid, likeining, Nero quickly saluted the major, attracting the attention of those in his line.


    It didn''t matter if they got punished together. If Nero was smart enough to see through what the major had nned, then the major was also smart enough to see through the fact that many had just been pretending.


    What the army required was not a group of people who were putting on a show. They had to consistently maintain discipline, and prove time and time again that this was not just a one time performance on their part.


    The major did not react to Nero at all, and observed in silence as a number of soldiers began leading the new recruits inside. Since they were not trained in military discipline or norms, the soldiers instructed them on how and when each line was supposed to move.


    The Scorcher, as the major had called it, was apparently in the building right beside them. It was almost as if all of this had been nned from the start. The reason why the room was called as such was immediately evident, as the room was scorching hot!


    There were no heaters or giant mes in the room generating the heat, so Nero could not tell why it was so hot, but he immediately began to sweat as soon as he entered. While Nero restrained himself, almost every other new recruit immediately was unable to resist at least cursing once when they felt the heat wave.


    Considering how everyone here was used to the cold climate, the heat felt even more pronounced and ufortable. Nero came to the spot he was instructed to stand in and prepared to spend an hour like this, though he doubted it would be easy.


    It was not that Nero was doubting his own ability to survive the heat, but that he felt he would be dehydrated long before the hour arrived. So, he began thinking of other solutions. Although Nero had been forbidden from using his ability, aether use had not been restricted at all.


    That obviously did not mean he was about to pull out his cards, but that he began increasing and decreasing his internal pressure to see if that had any affect on the heat.


    The results were almost immediate. As soon as he pushed his aether to his skin, a buffer of sorts formed between him and the heat, which was strange because he had never noticed it affecting temperature before.


    But Nero found it incredibly hard to think, as all he could focus on was the incredible heat. He turned around and looked at his schoolmates, who were not doing well at all. He wondered if speaking to them would count asining and would end up increasing his time. Fortunately, he didn''t need to speak.


    He split the fingers on his left hand, with two fingers going right and two going left, forming a V. With his right hand, he used his index finger to cross the gap, forming an A.


    Everyone seemed to notice his movements, and focused on the sign he was making with his hand.


    It wasn''t like this was a pre-decided signal, but he hoped its meaning would be evident. As for what to do with their aether, even if they figured out the code, was something they would have to decipher for themselves.


    A drop of sweat dripped into Nero''s eyes, for the first time making him think that his eyebrows weren''t thick enough.

 Chapter 93: Tests

    Nero did not know if his friends could understand his vague code, but it shouldn''t have been hard. Aether was prettymon, and would usually be the first thing people think of when they see an A.


    But that is not what he was focusing on. Instead, he focused on determining if his aether was being consumed. Even though he suspected that not many would be able tost the full hour, Nero intended tost the full hour and have energy remaining to do whatever came next.


    There were many things he couldn''t guess about their situation, but there was at least one thing he was absolutely certain about, and that was that they were being observed. When he and the rest stood in line with discipline, they were being observed. When they epted the punishment without protest, they were being observed. When he shed the symbol with his hands, he was being observed.


    Unlike the rest, what he wanted was not something as futile as acknowledgement or praise for being a good little soldier and listening to orders. No, what Nero wanted was to establish himself as the best.


    Whatever the army wanted with them, they would only use the best and most well suited of theirtest recruits for that purpose. Nero intended for his name to be at the top of that list. He was no longer training under the guidance of a teacher and limited supplies. No, now he had the entire army''s payroll backing him up.


    Now all he needed to do was prove to them that they should invest as much as possible into him and help him grow stronger. To train him in ways he could not imagine, and fix his weaknesses that he couldn''t spot.


    To him, standing in this scorching room, using aether as efficiently as possible to survive as long as possible wasn''t punishment. No, it was aether training, and he took it with the same measure of seriousness he gave every other training.


    Soon, Nero forgot about the time, as all his focus was directed towards his own aether. He could tell it was being used to resist something. At a nce it seemed like he was hardly using any aether at all. But considering the fact that he had to maintain this for an hour, he was pretty sure he would get depleted long before then.


    That left him with two options. Either he could intermittently pause resisting to preserve aether, or try to improve just how much aether he consumed. He didn''t see why he couldn''t do both, so he decided on that.


    In the back of his mind, he wondered if what he was resisting was some ability. If it was made or powered by aether, he wondered if Maverick''s passive to constantly absorb aether from the air around him made him resistant to this ce entirely. If so, then it might work simrly in actual environments with a simr effect. He''d have to get his hands on one of his innate cards.


    Nero lost himself in his focus,pletely indifferent to the heat that was absolutely decimating most others. The students, or rather new recruits, weren''t over their resignation about being drafted, but they knew better than to continue resisting.


    If they continued to cause trouble, they would only invite more punishments. If they continued beyond that, and whoever was incharge of them began to feel like they weren''t worth it, chances were high they''d get sent to a cursed zone.


    But even when they were doing their best toply, there was only so much they could manage. After about half an hour passed, most of them were thoroughly exhausted, and even had trouble standing.


    They had started moaning and groaning a while ago, even as they tried to resist it, but ultimately, they could hold themselves back no longer.


    The first recruit gave the soldiers a desperate look and said he was on the verge of dying. Whether it was true or not, he certainly felt like it.


    The firstint let loose a barrage, and soon all of them were pleading to be let out. They couldn''t take much more. Some had literally stopped sweating because their bodies were running out of water.


    "Instead ofining, why don''t you try to guess why they''re doing just fine," one of the soldiers said derisively, as if the sight of pleading children irritated him.


    The students had already noticed that more than just a few of them were managing to survive, even if all of them weren''t asfortable as Nero. But in their given state, they were not exactly well equipped to solve puzzles. That changed nothing.


    They continued to suffer andin and writhe, until one of them figured out using aether helped, and then yelled it out.


    Somehow, they managed to survive, and the hour passed. Nero, his group and a few others were let out, which made the wait even worse for the remaining recruits.


    Nero wasn''t sure suffering without proper guidance was the best way to train someone, but he wasn''t going to question their methods on the first day. Fortunately, after that, they were led to the barracks where any luggage they had brought had already been moved.


    They faced no more hurdles for the rest of the day. After a short break, they were led to the mess hall where they ate breakfast, whichcked the variety offered by the school cafeteria, but at least they were allowed to eat their fill.


    Then each of them were brought away for tests on their physical state, and cross checking the information the army had on them.


    There were no mistakes in Nero''s profile, which was not surprising, and though his tests took longer than usual, nothing unexpected happened. The extra time was taken because his performance was above average in everything they tested, so that took more time.


    The physical tests were simple things, like having recruits run continuously for a certain time, or run a course filled with various obstacles, carry certain weights, as well as a basicpetency test with several different weapons.


    Nero proved extremelypetent with everything he was handed, from a bow, to a sword to a spear, hammer, axe, sling, and quarterstaff. Although he clearly had his own preferences, his parents had made his train with every standard issue weapon avable. As unusual as the selection seemed, the army probably had their reasons formonly using all such weapons.


    Then came the aether tests. Despite his recent training, Nero was very concerned that he would be behind most others in this field. After all, even if he learned to control his aether really well, he had only absorbed around 3% of the card after histest progress and all the aether rich food he was being fed.


    His cultivation progress was basically still at the starting line, and he expected everyone else was ahead of him. To a certain extent, that proved to be true. Nero had the worst aether capacity of his group - something he figured out on his own after asking everyone else their results.


    He also had one of the worst results in card crafting, though on a personal level he felt like he had made tremendous progress.


    But besides that, he was once again leading in almost every other aspect. His fine control, his spell application, his consumption rate and every other field they checked off were exceptional.


    Well, that was his own assessment of his level, since the soldiers recording down his results did not reallyment on anything.


    Then came the medical tests. This was not really a field in which he could clearly determine his position. What was he supposed to measure? The redness of his blood drawn?


    But even so, the tests were extensive, and he was even exposed to some mild curses to test how effectively his body resists.


    Nero did not have ess to those results, mainly because most of them would take a while to process.


    By the end, it was already evening. Everyone was led to the mess hall once more, and then told they had around one hour of free time before it was lights out. The next day they would be briefed on what they would be doing.


    Yet most students were too exhausted to enjoy the freedom. Almost all of them dragged themselves to the barracks right after food to get some sleep. But then they had to face the harsh reality which was that their muscles were too sore and ached too much to sleep.


    Nero and his group were not included among those students, not because they weren''t sore, but because they were still at the cafeteria. They were sitting close to one another, forming a circle, but no one was speaking. They were too exhausted, physically and emotionally to chat. Instead, they just sat in silence for a while and allowed themselves to go over the events of the day.


    After a while, the sound of footsteps attracted their attention. Nero, who had been missing from the group, was walking over wearing a smile. He had just befriended the chef in the mess hall.


    Bing friends with the person cooking his food was one of his personal tenants.

 Chapter 94: This is war

    "How was everyone''s first day in the army?" Nero asked, his voice much too energetic and jovial for everyone''s liking. "Did it match what you imagined? Or had you imagined a lot more fighting on your very first day?"


    "I feel like I need to get a new body..."


    "Everything hurts..."


    "They took away my phone..."


    "The major can tell me what to do any time..."


    "I know right, he was kind of hot..."


    "This is childbour..."


    Like a dam that burst, all theints, as well as some perverted thoughts, that they had been keeping to themselves all day came pouring out. They hardly bothered to listen to each other, and all the recruits just spoke over each other, which just made Nero chuckle.


    Everyone spent a few good minutes venting before he began to calm them down. They only had one free hour, and if he allowed them to keepining then they would just spend the whole hour doing that.


    "To be fair, if you had all joined me on my dailyps around the campus, none of you would be as exhausted as you are now."


    No one responded well to that. They gave him dirty looks, and probably more than a few unkind words in their minds, but no one spoke aloud. Who would spend their free time running?


    "That''s besides the point. I just wanted to talk with everyone a little about our future. Everyone can feel free to pitch in, I am just going to share my thoughts."


    He paused for a moment, and gave everyone time to adjust. Even though they had been listening to him all day, it wasn''t as if they had any obligation to keep listening to him. It wasn''t like this had been nned by them or something - it was just something that urred naturally. But if he became arrogant and started taking it for granted, then no one had an obligation to keep listening.


    That was exactly why he asked everyone to stay back during their free time so that they could talk. If they officially came to an agreement about how to proceed, it would be in everyone''s interests.


    "I know everyone feels upset about the forced punishment today. It wasn''t fair, considering that we didn''t cause any ruckus. It sucks, and it''s likely going to happen again. If you keep dwelling on it, it will only make your life here much harder. I am not telling you all to just ept the punishments, I am telling you that everyone needs to change their perspectives."


    He paused again, just in case anyone had anyints. It was better to give them a chance to speak up than be interrupted. Fortunately, even though most grimaced, they continued to listen.


    "Our goal here is not to get treated differently. Or at least, that''s not my goal. I won''t tell everyone what to think, but I will share with you all what my mindset is."


    Nero got up, and started walking in the big circle that they had naturally formed. For whatever reason, he found it easier to speak while walking than standing.


    "I don''t need to be treated partially here, I need the best training that they can give us so that whenever we''re deployed, my chances of survival are higher. Everyone saw the Scorcher room as punishment, but I saw it as training. You all probably experienced it too. If we used aether, we could resist the heat.


    "I don''t know why we could resist it like that, but our condition was still much better than everyone else''s. Even though it was so simple to resist the heat, most people didn''t realise it until the end. That''s because they''re not used to thinking of solving problems. They were too busy resenting the punishment.


    At the same time, I''m sure many people felt angry that the soldiers didn''t tell us how to resist the heat either. But the way I see it, when we''re out on the field, there won''t be anyone around to hold our hands and guide us either. It''s better to get used to it now rather thanter."


    He paused once more, to give everyone time to reflect. It was important to give these pauses, and let everyone absorb each of his talking points. Otherwise, if he waited till the end, they would only remember the gist of it, rather than all his points.


    "Not to mention that I benefited quite a lot from the hour-long session in the Scorcher room. It allowed me to practise my control over aether, and reduce my consumption as much as possible.


    "That''s not to say it was easy, or that I liked it. But I just think that even though it was hard, it helped me a lot, and somewhat improved my chances of surviving in a simr environment in the future. After all, if we end up going to the ruins, who knows what we might end up facing. What if the Scorcher room is something they prepared specifically just to train us for that?"


    Although Nero had no proof for what he had just said, hisst sentence changed a lot of expressions, and many students began to realise that this might be a real possibility.


    "Lastly, I don''t know about you, but now that I have been drafted, I want to prove myself, not by listening to orders and being disciplined, but by performing well in my missions. But for that, I first have to get selected for missions.


    "That is why, even if it sucks, I n on doing my best while we''re here. I don''t know exactly what''s going to happen from now on, or what they''re going to have us do here. But the matter of fact is, we''ve been drafted. Some of our parents, or grandparents have been through drafts. Everyone knew this was a possibility.


    It happened a little earlier to us than anyone could have anticipated, but that''s life."


    "Do you really not know what''s going to happen?" asked one of the girls. "I heard you got amendation from the sage? Didn''t he tell you anything when you met him?"


    Nero resisted the urge to sigh. One other reason everyone was so willing to listen to him was because of the endless rumours that had been spread about him. He was certain that many of them thought that by sticking to him they could avoid some kind of danger. He had to disillusion them about that now. That was also one of his objectives.


    "I don''t know what you all have heard, but the sage never really talked to me directly. Well, unless you count him telling me that I''m in shock and that I need to go to sleep. But besides that, we''ve never had any personal interaction. When I went to get themendation, the sage was there. But so were hundreds of other people.


    The sage told us about the war - about how Dolziya and Saint Codale attacked us, and how our armies fought back.


    "He showed us pictures of the battlefield. Thousands of soldiers probably died, but that''s just my guess. Even now, chances are that our armies are fighting on the border, protecting us from being invaded. That''s why I have zero hesitation in my body towards this draft. All my life others have fought to protect and keep me safe.


    Now, even if I''m not fighting in the war directly, I am looking forward to doing my part and helping how I can.


    "If any of you want my help with anything, you can alwayse to me. I''ll also continue to point out the obvious traps that they''re preparing for us. These are justmon tactics to help stubborn kids realise they''re in the army now, and they need to get in line. They''re easy traps to avoid, and like I said, if we continue to get punished for it, I''ll just treat that as training.


    Maybe no one will praise me for it here, and many may even think I''m trying to be a pet student or something, but since when have I cared about what others think?"


    Nero''s voice, which had so far been soft andpassionate, suddenly changed and became firm, along with his expressions that hardened.


    "I am only here to be the strongest version of myself I can be. If others don''t like it, I''ll just ignore them, and if anyone gets in my way, I''ll knock them aside. This is war, and I don''t intend to treat it like a game. Like I said, if anyone wants my help, I''ll continue to provide it.


    But if anyone feels like I''m being too pushy, or want to do things differently, then you can feel free to do as you wish."


    He looked at all the students, their expressions more serious now, but they were clearly caught up in their thoughts.


    "I''ll give you some time to talk amongst yourselves, and decide what you want to do. I''ll be heading back to the barracks."


    No one stopped him as he left, though everyone gave him a nod. They needed to spend some time thinking, ande to a decision themselves. Ss was the only one who quickly followed Nero as he left.


    Right as Nero was about to exit the mess he paused, and looked at the far corner. There was a small group of recruits sitting there as well, all looking at him. Nero didn''t recognise them, so he turned and left.


    "Is that the one?" one of the boys who was staring at Nero from afar asked.


    "Yup, that''s the target."

 Chapter 95: Dont test me

    Nero walked expressionlessly back towards his barracks, his thoughts hidden behind his perfect mask. He had memorised the faces of the group of boys who had been staring at him. He did not recognise them, but he didn''t like the way they were looking at him. It wasn''t exactly a friendly look.


    Hopefully, he was just imagining things. After all, considering how exhausting today had been - for most other recruits - he did not think they would have the energy or intention to make trouble for others. But there was no certainty in the matter. If they caused him any trouble, Nero would not hesitate to set them in their ce.


    "Nero, wait up," Ss yelled as he awkwardly jogged up to him. His entire body was sore, as he was not used to such extraneous exercise, which made movement hard for him. He had imagined himself as a pure academic, which meant that even if he got drafted he would most likely be put in some department away from the battlefield.


    Unfortunately, even if that would be the case, it would not spare him from having to experience basic training.


    "Were you serious about what you said?" he asked, wincing from the pain in his legs.


    "Which part? Though, I was serious about all of it."


    "The part where you won''t tell anyone what to do. I thought everyone had an agreement. Why else did they follow you on to the bus and listen to you all day?"


    Nero gave Ss a side look.


    "We''re all recruits. They don''t have any obligation to listen to me. At the same time, they have a very good reason to listen to me."


    "What is that?" Ss asked, curious.


    Nero chuckled.


    "Why are you following me, Ss? Why do you listen to everything I say?"


    Ss was stumped. He hadn''t actually given it any thought. He always just stuck to Nero because he found him so impressive.


    "Because... you seem like you know what you''re doing..." Ss said in a tone that was more like he was asking a question than answering it.


    Nero smirked.


    "It''s because they know the kind of person I am. It''s because they know I can get results. It''s a mutual understanding. But that does not in any way trante to an obligation to listen to me. With Hansel and the rest it''s different, but not with the whole group. They have to decide for themselves what they want to do.


    So do you, in fact. But I need your help with one thing, we''ll have to take time out whenever we can."


    "You need my help?" Ss asked, incredulously.


    "Yes. I still haven''t been able to make my innate card, and that''s a weakness I need to fix. Being able to craft cards is a very basic skill, and even if I don''t be a full fledged artisan, I should know how to craft some basic cards in case I ever lose mine in an emergency."


    Ss nodded, perfectly epting Nero''s excuse without thinking more into it. The truth was a little moreplex, but he didn''t need to know that.


    Back in the barracks the atmosphere was light, as none of the boys were in the mood to sleep just yet. They had already done all of theirining before Nero arrived, and now were just chatting with each other.


    Nero grinned, and didn''t miss the chance to participate in the banter. There were about sixteen recruits in each room, so he might as well be more familiar with them.


    But the minutes passed quickly, like wind through the fingers of a hand trying to grasp it. Soon, their hour-long break ended, and a siren announced lights out. Even if they didn''t want to, everyone tucked themselves in, as they knew tomorrow would be a rough day. They were right.


    Nero was already used to waking up absurdly early, and was always on his guard. He woke up the instant someone marched into their room, but no one else did. That was, until, the soldier who marched in pulled out a bullhorn and shouted!


    "Rise and shine recruits. You have ten minutes to shower and present in the same track field as yesterday!"


    Nero bolted, even as the rest stumbled out of bed, still half asleep. He showered at his fastest speed, and was the first recruit out on the track. The major, alongside a number of other soldiers, were already standing there, looking at their watches.


    Most recruits managed to make it to the track in time, though there were at least thirty who didn''t.


    "Sergeant Dan, for every minute the recruits arete, give them ten minutes in the Scorcher room. Then bring them to the others."


    A thin man with a neat beard who was standing behind the major saluted, and then quickly marched away. Some of the students who were running to join the group tried to plead, but it was of no use. They were escorted away.


    The major looked at all the recruits, his face impassive. He did not reveal whether he was pleased or disappointed at how many of them had shown up.


    "From today onwards, your training will begin," he said in a matter of fact way. "You will be divided into fireteams of five each, and for the duration of this training your teams will remain fixed. There is not enough time to train you properly in everything you need to learn, so we will be focusing on the most important parts.


    "Learning how to operate in a team, as well as a thorough understanding of the various roles of each team member, is one of the most integral things you will learn, and it is the very foundation of everything that makes up the Kr army. Everything is built on the cohesiveness of the fireteams.


    "Besides that, you will all be getting a crash course on survival skills, as well as spell warfare. Your first evaluation will be in a month. Each fire team will be assigned an individual lieutenant who will supervise you and be responsible for training you.


    "There will not be any second chances, so the result of your first evaluation will decide what your future here will look like, so don''t hold back, and give it your all."


    With that said, the major nodded to the soldiers beside him and left. A soldier stepped forward with a clipboard, and announced, e forward as I call out your names. Your fireteams have already been decided. Nero Grant!"


    Nero was surprised to be the first named that was called forward, but did not let them slow him down as he stepped towards the soldier.


    "Henry Bafford, Charles Boey, Taylor Shimmy, Wendy Crawford."


    Nero walked to the side, memorising his teammates'' names. At least he got one person he knew on his team, which was a surprise. Wendy was no pushover, he was d to have her. But his surprises did not end there, for he saw two familiar faces walking towards him. It was two of the boys who had been staring at himst night in the mess hall.


    This was too much of a coincidence, and Nero was not much of a believer in coincidences. He said nothing, and simply stood aside as the rest of the fireteams were announced. The selection seemed random, or based on some metrics he was not aware of. At the very least, they did not even try to get students from the same schools together.


    Some minor ovep was unavoidable, but for the most part they were divided up.


    It made sense, since they had to learn to work with new people instead of those they already knew. Some of the fireteams were iplete, since their recruits were still in the scorcher. That would be a significant drawback for them since they were about to head right into training.


    They were once again brought to the buses and told to climb aboard.


    "Take this time to get to know one another as best as you can. Since this is a crash course, you won''t be getting the normal instruction of team breakups that new recruits usually get. Instead, you''ll be learning on the field."


    Nero and his team got on the bus, as well as a couple more teams, though each of the teams were sitting by themselves and already talking. Theirs was the only one which was oddly silent, an abnormality Wendy immediately picked up on.


    Without a word, she fell in step with Nero, clearly showing that they knew each other.


    Nero, ultimately, was the first to speak.


    "Well, since we''re going to be a team for the rest of training, we might as well get to know one another."


    He had a jovial smile as he spoke, and held his hand out for Henry, who seemed like he was leading Charles, to shake.


    "Might as well, right. Training is going tost at least a month," Henry responded, his voice quite rxed. It did not seem like he had anything against Nero. Under normal circumstances, Nero would not have tested that, and would have left room for doubt. After all, they had done nothing more than stare at him yesterday.


    But the fact that two of them then got on his team was too much of a coincidence for Nero to ept, so he decided to be proactive. He was not about to risk his evaluation in a month.


    "Oh don''t count on it," Nero said as he gripped Henry''s hand so tightly that bones cracked. "I don''t know what your game is Henry, but if you get in my way, I will kill you. Don''t try to test me."

 Chapter 96: Suddenly hot

    The mood at the back of the bus took a sudden change. Although there was an unusually tense atmosphere between them, it could have easily been attributed to the nervousness of the uing training, or being assigned new partners.


    No one had expected such a drastic turn. Taylor, the only other girl in the fireteam, was a quiet girl with her hair in a boy cut, and a face that usuallycked expression. She also had a thin physique, which did not lean towards being very physically strong.


    With the level of ease she had disyed in the earlier, awkward silence led one to believe that she might have been an introvert, and that she preferred silence to conversion.


    But even if that were not so, suddenly hearing a death threat being given from one of her future partners to another did notnd anywhere within anyone''sfort zone or familiar territory. She was startled, and tried to bury herself deeply into the seat where she was sitting.


    Wendy was also taken aback by Nero''s sudden statement, but then she quickly gathered herself and red at Henry, whose hand was stuck in Nero''s vice grip. No matter how irritating she found his penchant for trying to distract her boyfriend with talks of training and fighting, she also had to admit that he had incredibly sharp instincts. If Nero thought there was an issue, then there was an issue.


    Charles, who was slightly shorter than Henry, was visibly shaken by the sudden development, and then angered. He got up and was ready to shout out at Nero, when the boy in question suddenly turned and gave him a look that stilled the anger in his heart, and reced it with dread.


    For some reason, Nero''s rxed yet indifferent face seemed incredibly daunting to him. The apanying cracking of the bones in Henry''s hand also deterred him from acting rashly.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" Henry hissed, his face turning absolutely red with anger, or pain. He wanted to scream at Nero, to let the whole bus know what the maniac was doing, but he suspected that would leave him with at least a broken hand.


    Perhaps someone else would have made such a decision, but Henry could not. His mind was overwhelmed by the excruciating pain in his hand, and if he weren''t already sitting he would have dropped to his knees.


    "Let go of my hand you maniac! I''ll report you to the army! You''ll be sentenced to the cursed zone!"


    "You''re not listening to me," Nero said, his voice absolutely calm and without the slightest hint of hurry. "I know you two are nning something. I am very strongly rmending that you don''t. Just behave nicely, and do your jobs properly. If you do that, everything will be alright. If you don''t, well, I''ve already told you what will happen."


    Nero held Henry''s gaze for a moment, before letting go of his hand. Nero did not believe for a moment that threats would be enough to keep them in line. But unless their motive was exceptionally strong, he knew what he could do to keep them from acting out.


    Henry immediately pulled back his free hand, his fingers contorted and his hand squeezed into an odd shape.


    "You''ve gone mad! I''m reporting you! You''re going to be kicked from the base."


    "Did you hear the part where I said I''d kill you if you got in my way? Which do you think is the issue? That I can''t, or that I won''t?"


    Henry froze, and suddenly a trace of fear shot into his heart. Nero was genuinely crazy! He was crazy! What had he gotten himself into?


    "I wonder, if something happens to you, who will rece you in our team. Will it be your other tall friend fromst night? Or the one with green hair?"


    Henry and Charles both paled, though they said nothing.


    Wendy narrowed her eyes as she picked up on something, and Taylor tried to bury herself even deeper into her seat.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Henry said, clearly struggling to keep his voice contained.


    Nero only scoffed.


    "Do you think I''m interested in your ns? Henry, I''ll let you in on a little secret. I don''t care what your n is. I just don''t. So here''s what we''ll do. I''ll avoid interrogating you.


    I''ll pretend like nothing has happened at all. You, on the other hand, will properly do your jobs as a part of the fireteam.


    "Like this, we will spend our month, and then hopefully part ways if the training ends. There won''t be trouble for anyone. It''ll all be fine. Of course, you might face a little pressure from whoever is giving you orders, but at times like this Henry, you really need to think about yourself. Is it really worth it to risk so much just to listen to a few orders?


    "I don''t know if you''ve heard the rumours, but people just can''t decide if Sage Haiden is my dad, my granddad or even my great-granddad. Do you really think I''m going to get in any trouble for doing something, Henry? No, no I won''t. You know what the great families are like. Not only will I not get in any trouble, but all the me will be pinned on you."


    Henry and Charles paled even further. Since they had been targeting Nero, they really had heard all the rumours about him - not that they had believed any of them. But the confidence in Nero''s eyes did not seem a lie. The clearck of any hesitation in threatening to kill them out right also suddenly made sense. What if the rumours weren''t fake? What if there was some truth to it?


    Were they just... supposed to mess with Nero if that was the case. Even if Nero didn''t end up killing them himself, if he was from a sage family, then it wasn''t a stretch to think someone would kill them just to ingratiate themselves to Nero.


    Henry''s hand began to tremble, though that could have just been because of how badly Nero had squeezed it. He also suddenly felt out of breath, as panic began to grip his mind.


    Then, to his absolute horror, Nero actually gave him a cordial smile!


    "You see, once you think about it, it''s really not worth it. So how about this? Let''s just pretend that this exchange never happened. Let''s go back to the very beginning, and get to know one another, like a normal team. How does that sound to you?"


    Reluctantly, Henry nodded, though he did not speak.


    "Excellent. I''ll get to you in just a moment. I fear we have been rude to our teammate."


    Then, to Taylors absolute horror, Nero turned to look at her, his charming smile and kind eyes aplete mismatch to what she had seen a moment ago.


    "Please excuse me, I hope I did not startle you."


    Taylor shook her head slightly, and tried to say no, but it came out as a squeak.


    "I mean you no harm, I assure you," Nero said, as he sat beside her. "The boys and I just had a small misunderstanding that we needed to clear. It was just a bit of friendly banter, you know how boys are."


    She suddenly nodded her head, perhaps a little too eagerly, as if to convey that she did indeed know what boys were like. Nero chuckled.


    "I hope we can get past this small hup. I look forward to working with you. I am sure we will learn much from one another."


    Nero turned away from her, and looked at the rest of them, and began to introduce himself, as if he were meeting them all for the first time. He mentioned some of his strengths, and then encouraged the rest to share a little as well.


    But Taylor heard none of it. She could not remove her gaze from Nero, her heart still pounding in her chest. Just moments ago, it was fear that had been gripped at her. But the moment Nero shed her that charming smile, and spoke so gently with her, that fear melted away, and was reced by something else.


    She did not know what it was, but there was a tingly feeling in her chest, and she found it hard to focus her thoughts. She also felt... hot, for some odd reason. Not the same kind of heat she felt in the scorcher room, but of a different kind she couldn''t understand.


    Taylor could not help but gulp, as her mind focused on Nero''s voice. She was too distracted to hear his words, but she was still focusedpletely on his voice. Whatever fear she felt was long forgotten.


    From the other side of the bus, Wendy gave Taylor a pitying look. She had seen that expression a few times back in school, and the only thing it would lead to was heartbreak. So far, she had never seen Nero return interest in any girl. The only thing he cared about was training.

 Chapter 97: Candy from children

    "I focus mainly in closebat, as well as tactics and leadership," Nero said sinctly and with a soft smile. It was as if he hadn''t just threatened to kill his teammates mere moments ago.


    "Hello, my name is Wendy," she said, right after Nero, not allowing an awkward silence to develop. "I am also a closebat expert, with a specialisation in speed"


    They both then looked towards Henry who was pale, grimacing, and clutching his trembling hands. But, eventually, he also introduced himself.


    "Henry. I specialise in scouting, tracking and traps."


    Charles, despite feeling just as hesitant as Henry, also felt incredibly angry. He had never felt as insulted as he did today, but he controlled himself. But anyone with eyes could see that he had not let go of this grudge.


    "Charles. Mid rangebatant with a specialisation in small explosions."


    Then, all four looked towards Taylor, who had been gawping at Nero with twinkling eyes and a blush. The sudden attention startled her though, and reignited her efforts to somehow drown inside her seat. After a failed attempt, she was reminded that she wasn''t in trouble, but instead had to do her turn in the introductions.


    "My name is Taylor. I can''t fight, like, at all. But I have a very useful ability. I can augment anyone for a set period of time, raising their strength and defence by arge margin. I''m also a fast runner."


    Taylor physically flinched when she saw the grimace her self introduction elicited from Henry and Charles. That was usually what happened when she told people she couldn''t fight, but her weak bones made that a sad reality. But, surprisingly, Nero did not grimace, or look down on her. Instead, he shed her a warm, appreciative smile.


    Taylors eyes lost focus as she got lost in her own thoughts, and no one else spoke to fill the silence afterwards. That was fine.


    Nero had no illusions about how uncooperative his new teammates would be. His lies about his background would hold them for now, but depending on what their intentions were, or who was instructing them from behind, it would notst. After all, if there was someone who could get them put in his fireteam, then they had a strong background with powerful influence.


    They would surely know that he wasn''t connected to a sage.


    But he would do what he could. He would keep them in line with threats and intimidation for as long as he could while psychologically suppressing them. Such a thing might work outpletely, or just keep them from acting out until a critical moment. That is why, he intended on creating evidence against them while he still had them under his control, framing them for sabotage.


    If they did nothing, he would not reveal it. If they acted against his interests, he would have them condemned and sent to the cursednds. Nero had not exaggerated when he said he would kill them if they got in his way. He was just being misleading about how he would have it done.


    As he sat there, with Wendy on his left, Taylor on his right, Nero wore a soft and rxed expression. He really looked like he had everything under control. No one could have imagined that he was nning the demise of his opponents at that time.


    After all, if he waited for his enemies to act out first, then he would always be at a disadvantage. He had to act first, and act ruthlessly.


    He would leave the task of investigating who was behind them to Gabriel. In such things, he was more of an expert than him. Instead, he just kept his thoughts on the ns he had for his teammates.


    Soon, they buses exited the city from an unfamiliar gate, and led them into the forest nearby. Such a sight filled many students with fear, though Nero only revised what he knew about resisting curses with his ability in his mind.


    They eventually stopped at a clearing with many chopped down trees and a few man made shacks. There were dozens of soldiers in the area waiting for them, keeping the area safe for their arrival, which is why as soon as they stopped, all of them were made to get off and line up ording to their teams.


    An unfamiliar man stepped up in front of the crowd and immediately began his instruction, without any self introduction or preamble.


    "Listen carefully, for I will only exin this once. For a fireteam to be considered sessful, they need to act cooperatively and instinctually. Usually, there is no set leader who calls out ys in a fireteam, because the team should already have a number of various ns and strategies that they act out ording to the situation.


    "Such a level of understanding takes training and a lot of time to establish, so I don''t expect it from you, but I do expect all of you to be able to operate with a minimum level ofpetency.


    "Despite what the name suggests, the purpose of all fireteams is not necessarilybat. Depending on the skills and abilities of its members, some fireteams act as better scouts, while others are better at infiltration, hunting, sabotage, intel gathering, misdirection or whatever else their makeup inclines them towards.


    The types of missions you will ordinarily be assigned reflect the type of fireteam you have. That means, in normal circumstances, each fireteam keeps on getting simr missions, allowing them to improve their performance in their respective field of focus.


    "At the same time, all missions carry a level of unpredictability, which means that fireteams also need to be ready to face unexpected situations at any time. To expedite the process of you all understanding each other''s abilities, gaining real world experience, anding up with your focus and associated strategies, each fireteam will now be assigned a mission that reflects your level.


    These missions are uncurated, which means that each of them carries a real risk of injury and death, even if they will be supervised.


    "You will be given some basic information and some time to prepare. Take this as seriously as possible, because each decision you make can have a major impact on your life. At the end of the mission your performances will be evaluated, and will determine how you will be trained moving.


    "Do not treat this lightly just because it is supervised, because no one is going to step in to save you in case of an injury. Only if you are at risk of death will the supervisors step in.


    Even then, since their focus will be divided amongst countless other teams, there is a very good chance that they might not detect the danger in time, or act in time, which means there is a very real chance of death. In case of your demise, you will be treated as killed in action and your family will be eligible for half your pension. Now, step forward one by one and ept your missions.


    "For now, since you have not determined what your fireteams specialise in, your assignments will be random."


    Nero immediately felt the tension rise in the air as the soldier stopped speaking and stepped aside, but the only thing he could feel was a rush of excitement. But he didn''t let his emotions get to him.


    He maintained a high level of awareness of his surroundings, as if he wasn''t safe even here, and studied each and every fireteam.


    What were the chances that Henry and Charles were supposed to assist in an assassination attempt targeting him?


    He genuinely and objectively considered the question, and determined that it was highly unlikely. Nero was too high profile these days for an assassination on him to go unnoticed, so he should not be at risk of that. Still, he maintained a level of vignce.


    "Does anyone object to me being the temporary leader of the team?" Nero asked with a warm smile. "I''ve alreadye up with a few strategies we can employ based on our brief self introductions. We can go over them once we know what the mission is."


    Henry and Charles were clearly not in favour of the idea, but Wendy and Taylor were. In fact, Taylor seemed exceptionally enthusiastic about the idea, though she said nothing. Seeing that a clear division had formed within their group, Nero continued to speak.


    "I only said a temporary leader. We can properly decide on whether or not our team needs a leader once we''ve had time to practise more with each other. For now, though, this should help us avoid simple mistakes. After all, we''re not used to working with each other yet."


    He needed the two to be less resistant towards him, even if they didn''t realise it. He would slowly take all their resistance, and turn it either into fear and obedience over time. Whether they knew it or not, Nero would not allow the situation to fall out of his control so easily.


    After a little more convincing, they stopped objecting, though Charles especially was very interested in deciding their leader with a fight once they got a chance. In fact, the whole reason he agreed was so that Nero would ept his condition.


    Once everyone agreed, Nero grinned. Even if they had done it nominally, they had already epted him as leader once, and therefore ovee their psychological barrier resisting him. In the future, when he beat the crap out- en, no, once he fairly defeated them in the challenge for leadership, it would be much easier for them to ept.


    He almost felt bad for him. It was much too easy to manipte children.

 Chapter 98: A squad

    With Nero selected as the nominal leader, the group stood together, even if there was an invisible line dividing them into two. Taylor and Wendy stood a little closer to Nero, while Henry and Charles, together, stood but a single step away. But the distance was still not so great that they did not seem like they were in the same group.


    They waited until they were called to receive a sealed brown envelope which contained the details of their mission.


    "Do not open the package here. You will be taken to a secure room where you can investigate the contents of it and discuss your initial strategies. You will also be given a form with a list of equipment that will be made avable to you before you embark on your mission. Please fill out the form, and you will be given the items before you set out.


    Take your equipment into consideration while nning for the mission."


    Nero nodded, and followed another soldier who led them to what was clearly a room that had only been recently built, though that had not in any way reduced the construction quality in any way.


    As soon as he entered, Nero felt a slightly increased pressure on his internal aetheric pressure, indicating that the room was under some kind of enchantment. He ignored it for now.


    "Let''s read the mission objective first. We can decide what equipment we need based on that," Nero said, even as he unsealed the brown envelope and pulled out a stack of pages.


    The mission they received was quite straightforward. The forest they were in was divided into various zones, with their current location being marked as A-1. In zone C-7 a cursed beast had been identified which was rapidly evolving.


    It was originally a lemur, but had somehow be cursed and was now undergoing rapid changes. The lemurs in this region were catalogued to have aetheric abilities which allowed them to control nts, to a small degree. But after it became cursed, this particr lemurs abilities seemed to have mutated, allowing it to gain a sudden leap in power.


    It had already destroyed the tribe it was originally from, and was hunting expeditiously, with an abnormally fast growth rate. It was estimated that it would reach the Initiate level of power within the week if it was not eliminated.


    The mission seemed straightforward, but it was far from simple. To start with, the distance between A-1 and C-7 was 13 kilometers (8 miles) in a straight line, which was not how they would be able to travel.


    Although they had been given a map of the distribution of the zones, it did not include any existing paths or obstacles in the terrain, which meant that they would have to find their own way through.


    Secondly, they were in a forest, obviously. That meant that every single de of grass they were facing might be cursed, which made their path even harder. Admittedly, the rest of the people in his team had probably been attending aether rted sses longer, which meant that they should have all learnt how to resist curses. But that did not mean it was not dangerous.


    Thirdly, there were a number of indigenous animals in this forest which had numerous aetheric abilities which helped them survive and fight against curses. Those abilities would work just as well, if not better, against them if they ran into them.


    While the papers they had been given did include a list of indigenous animals and their catalogued abilities, it did not provide them with anyway to avoid those animals.


    After studying the task and the terrain they would face, Nero studied the list of avable equipment they could ask for. Unfortunately, it was not as extensive as he would have wished. There was no water or rations, because this was not supposed to be a long mission. The list only included a number of various types of armour, weapons, and other small hiking gear.


    "Time is of the essence with this mission," Nero said as he put the map down. "We have to make our way through the forest as quickly and as stealthily as possible. We cannot, under any circumstances, afford to stay in the forest at night. Right now, we have about eight or nine hours of sunlight left. That means we have to travel all 13km within three or four hours.


    "Considering the unknown terrain, animals and beasts we might face, that is hardly going to be enough. Fortunately, I have an idea that will help us speed up. The first thing we need to focus on is our formation. Henry, you''re going to y a critical role here, since you specialise in scouting. But, at the same time, because of our rtively low level, you also cannot go out alone.


    So this is how we''re going to proceed.


    "Henry will be in front, about 10 meters ahead of us, at most. We''ll keep a fast pace, but first we''ll need to identify our route, so we might need to scale some trees. If anyone has any cards or abilities that help out with this, feel free to contribute. After that, it will be be and Wendy. In case Henry gets attacked by anything, her quick speed will allow her to help. I can also provide backup.


    More importantly, we can also respond to any trouble behind us.


    "Behind us will be Taylor. Since she has nobat capability, being in the middle will allow her to be safe, and augment all of us as needed. Charles will be in the back. His range will allow him to attack any problems we encounter, even from a distance.


    "This is not our most optimal formation, since it leaves Charles exposed from the back. But there''s a reason for that. To reach C-13, we''ll have to walk through three other zones. I''m going to go and find out if any other teams have missions in those zones, or need to cross those zones. If that is the case, we will join up and move together. We will make up for inexperience and weakness with numbers.


    "As we face obstacles and be more familiar with each other''s abilities and capabilities, we will continue to refine our cooperation. It is important that we get at least some sense of how we each fight before we face the cursed lemur. Any questions?"


    The other four looked at him, stunned.


    "Is that... allowed? Can we team up with others?"


    "They have left the strategypletely up to us, which means we can do as we please. Helping each other out and taking advantage of every opportunity around us is exactly what we need to do. I''ll go and find the other teams, in the mean time, you get the equipment and get ready. Wendy, get me the Victus-3 spear and the light synthetic armour set. Let''s aim to depart in 20 minutes."


    After ensuring that they had no questions orints about the initial n, Nero stepped out of the room. Technically speaking, the point of giving them private rooms was so that information about their missions did not leak. The army was indirectly making everyone think that they needed to keep the contents of their mission private.


    That made sense. Ordinarily, within the army, missions would not be publically announced. Only those carrying out the missions would know the details. All this created a blind spot in the cadets mentality where they would naturally avoid taking advantage of their greatest asset.


    Nero suffered from no such constrictions, because from the get go he was nning on asking the rest of the students who hade from Mount Aiden what their missions were, and giving them some advice. Of course, if they were specifically instructed not to do this he would not. But they hadn''t been.


    Since there was a time limit, Nero moved quickly, and asked all of the recruits he was familiar with about their missions, sharing the details of his as well. Most other people didn''t get a target elimination mission like him, which was something he immediately noticed.


    He was sure that this was just a coincidence and the fact that two members of his team might be trying to eliminate or sabotage him had absolutely nothing to do with it. Whatever the case, he did not let his thoughts show on his face. Instead, he did as he promised, and actually gathered 4 other teams who needed to pass through the same zones as him, or had missions in adjacent zones.


    Since no one tried to stop them, they decided it wasn''t a bad idea to move together, especially since they had a lot of ground to cover.


    So, twenty minutester, when he returned to his team, they were all surprised to find twenty students behind them. Not all of them were from Mount Aiden, so it wasn''t like they were going to listen to Nero, but shing over leadership for temporary teamwork would be a waste of time and a mistake.


    Under the curious stares of the entire camp, a group of five fireteams departed. Coincidentally, a squad, which was a collection of fireteams, also consisted of four to five fireteams.

 Chapter 99: Surrounded

    Nero had no doubt that after viewing him and the other teams work together, many others would copy them. But just having many people working together did not automatically make the situation better. In fact, considering that no one had any experience working in their own fireteam, working in arger group could very easily result in mayhem.


    It was why, instead of telling everyone that working together might cause them problems, Nero suggested that everyone practise their individual team formations and keep a small distance between the teams. This way, everyone could get some practice working on their own, but quickly receive help if they encountered trouble.


    It was for that reason the five teams took up arge space as they moved from A-1 to B-5. The forest was not too dense with trees, though even so their canopy covered most of the sky, providing plenty of shade.


    Nero took a moment to look out at everything in their path, taking in everything. This was the first time he was out in the wild, basically on his own, and though he could maintain a calm mind, he could not help but feel excited.


    He had his internal aetheric pressure increased, which is why he could feel countless invisible forces and energies touching his skin. They were not trying to affect him, it was more like they were drifting in the wind and hitting his skin before moving on. They did not feel like curses, but he was not really in the mood to take risks.


    The temperature felt lower in the forest, and more humid as well. There was a constant buzz in the air, a mix of the leaves rustling in the wind, the bugs in the air and the sounds of the army base receding into the distance.


    The forest was also filled with colours. It was not that the city was dull and grey, but that each leaf seemed to have various shades of green and yellow. The bark of the trees was dark, but any scrapes or cuts made it light. The mulch on the ground ranged from yellow to brown to orange.


    The insects crawling on the ground had interesting colours as well, though they seemed to blend into their surroundings. The flying bugs, however few and far they were, came in bright colours of red and pink and green.


    The forest was a moving tapestry, one that could kill him at the slightest hint of carelessness. It demanded the utmost respect and seriousness from him, and he had to prove himself worthy to appreciate its beauty.


    The forest was also in a hilly area, meaning that they all had to hike up or down various slopes, which made their journey even more difficult and slowed them down.


    "At this rate, we''re going to take too long. By the time we reach our objectives it''ll be getting dark, and we''re not equipped to deal with such an issue," Nero said as he used his thin, metallic spear as a walking stick.


    "We need to pick up the pace. The scouts need to mark the best path forward."


    Among the five teams, there were only three scouts, including Henry. Ordinarily, they would be sent forward to explore the terrain and check for any dangers or terrains they should avoid, but Nero was adamant that they should not go too far, or at least not leave their line of sight.


    "We also need to find water, and something edible. If we''re going to be travelling all day, we''ll be exhausted and dehydrated just from trekking alone. If we have to-"


    "Movement in the trees!" Henry suddenly shouted from the front and pulled back.


    All the teams froze as they suddenly started to search for the targets. Nero clicked his tongue as he noticed a mistake they made, but said nothing.


    He quickly spotted a richness of martens moving among the treetops while observing their group.


    "They''re just normal animals! Gather your aura but don''t engage first," yelled a short recruit as he activated his ability, and summoned a strangely visible gust of wind and had it rotate around his body.


    Nero also obliged, and summoned his blue me around the tip of his spear, while many others simultaneously summoned their abilities. The aether in the air swirled around them, suddenly affected by the surge in abilities, and created an intimidating environment.


    The martens paused, still at a distance, and all looked at the group. For a moment, nobody moved as an invisible confrontation took ce. Then the martens started to move in a different direction, allowing the group to breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Martens and other small forest animals are likely to avoid confrontation when facingrge groups. As long as there are enough of us together, we can avoid fights with normal animals as long as they''re not too aggressive."


    Nero observed the short recruit. He was around 1.5 metres in height, but that did not prevent him from cutting an impressive sight. His confident expression and sharp eyes spoke of someone with experience, or at least plenty of knowledge.


    "Nero," he introduced himself when the recruit met his eyes.


    "de," he responded, with a simple nod.


    Nero did not know him before this, but would remember him from now on. He also turned to look at Henry. Admittedly, the martens had been far from them, but it was not so easy to spot them moving above the tree branches, especially when they blended so well with the trees. He was also not ipetent.


    They tried to pick up the pace afterwards, but time and time again they encountered groups of animals moving through the forest, and had to stop again and again, unable to traverse much time. It took them an entire hour just to cover 2 km (1.2 miles) and reach the border of B-5 and C-5.


    At this point, one of the fireteams would split from them. Their progress so far had been less than ideal, not just because of how slow they were, but because they had been unable to find any water or sufficient food.


    The forest was filled with mushrooms and fruits and small animals, but none of them could determine if the mushrooms were edible, and though they collected some fruits, they were not enough for everyone.


    At least they had avoided all fights now.


    But their journey would be even tougher from now on, as the terrain was even harsher. In fact, many of the recruits were already out of breath and covered in sweat despite the cold.


    They took a short break, considering there was a very steep climb waiting for them just ahead. The scouts wanted to move forward for a bit and explore, but Nero was not in favour of it. The other groups, however, decided to send them forward, ignoring him.


    "If they encounter trouble while they''re alone, it''ll be difficult to reach them," Neromented to his own group, keeping his eyes on Henry who stood far away, not going forward with the other scouts.


    "They''re just hoping to find a way around this hill," Wendy said with a frown. Even she was surprised by their poor stamina.


    Before Nero could respond, however, a scream cut through the hum of the forest, attracting everyone''s attention. It was not the scouts, but one of the girls from another group.


    Everyone suddenly jumped to their feet and locked onto the source of the scream. It was a snake, not even very long. It was barely even a metre in length. But no one had seen iting, and it had blendedpletely in the ground.


    For whatever reason, it did not abide by the rule of avoiding arger group, and had bitten her before retreating. Some of the recruits rushed the snake, but that''s when the situation suddenly deteriorated even more.


    Dozens more snakes suddenly appeared,pletely unseen before, and began to bite whoever passed near them.


    "Taylor, defence!" Nero screamed quickly as he swung his spear through the surrounding mulch, revealing two snakes!


    "Charles, attack the empty ground!"


    Without waiting to see if they understood his quickmands, Nero shed once more, cutting the head off a snake.


    Wendy, with her short sword and dagger, cut the head off another snake that suddenly attacked from the side.


    The ground trembled as Charles used his ability tounch explosives all around them, and that''s when Nero realised the extent of the trouble they were in. Hundreds of snakes were forced out of their strange ability to stay hidden.


    "de, what''s going on?" Nero yelled as he covered the ground around their group in blue mes. He could not tell if Taylor had boosted their defence yet, but the mes should keep the snakes away.


    "We might have decided to take a break near their burrows. We can only fight."


    "Charles, keep an eye on Henry. Wendy, you''re with me," Nero said as his expression firmed. He would need to be quick, or else everyone who was bit wouldn''t get time to be treated.

 Chapter 100: A mess

    The greatest mistake their group made was panicking. He couldn''t me the girl who got bit for screaming, but the scream seemed to infect all of the recruits and made them run like headless chickens.


    Without investigating the situation they started running around, which resulted in a few more recruits getting bit.


    Nero wasn''t ashamed to admit that the sudden chaos affected him as well, but it was only for the briefest of moments. He quickly gathered himself, identified the situation for what it was. If they were near the snake''s burrow, then getting them to retreat wasn''t possible. They''d have to fight them all.


    An initial analysis seemed to indicate that their ability was stealth based, but that did not mean that they didn''t have other abilities as well. They also boasted mundane physical attributes but that might not be true for all of them.


    He had asked Taylor to boost their defence to help them resist bites, and asked Charles to attack the ground because the impact of the shockwaves from his explosions seemed to free them of their stealth.


    That was enough for now. The stage was set.


    Nero extended his awareness to the battlefield, taking in everything, before deciding how to act. This was going to be the first time his teammates saw him fight, so he nned on creating a strong first impression.


    Snakes were coldblooded, as far as he remembered, which is why they were even more vulnerable to his mes, as they would seek out external sources of heat for their bodies. That meant that when Nero created a barrier of mes around his group, the snakes weren''t likely to try and pass it, unless they could get rid of the mes first.


    He looked at Wendy, and the two formed a tacit understanding that only came from knowing each other for countless years. He nodded, and created an opening in his mes before dashing through, followed closely by Wendy.


    Nero never imagined himself cutting grass with his spear, but that''s exactly what it looked like he was doing as he ran, swiping his spear left and right in front of him. Countering the snake''s stealth was the greatest obstacle, as was proved when two snakes were cut like ribbons by his spear''s sharp edge.


    Nero hadn''t pulled out a card from his case because the one he wanted to use, Air Push, was inserted into a slot inside his armour. The slot was in his chest area, and kept the card connected to his skin, so he could channel aether into it whenever he wished.


    Arge gust of air hit the ground all around him,unching mulch, as well as countless snakes in the air. Wendy, who was keeping up with Nero, shed forward cutting through the snakes right in the air with her short sword and de.


    The air was filled with screams and yelling as the other recruits were mindlesslyunching their abilities or using their cards to cast various spells, the ground trembling under the barrage of their attacks. But the snakes themselves, somehow, bore the least of the attacks. Though, at least the chaos caused many of the snakes to fall out of their stealth, which was perfect for Nero.


    "Protect your legs," Nero said to Wendy as he covered his own legs with mes, before throwing himself into the thick of things. A spear was not the best weapon to fight countless, small enemies such as hundreds of snakes, but Nero himself was the best weapon against everything.


    His every step crushed a snake, leaving behind a small burning corpse. Every swing of his spear cut through the bodies of various snakes, orunched them in the air, only to be cut through by Wendy.


    The two of them worked perfectly together, forming a lethal whirlwind of des. She would avoid the small mes Nero left behind without any trouble, and he would frequentlyunch snakes into the air for her to cut.


    While the rest were frenziedly hurling everything they could at the ground to keep the snakes away, those two silently cut right into the heart of the swarm, barely using up any energy at all.


    More than once, snakes tried to bite them. The first time, Nero even let it strike, just to see the effectiveness of Taylors augmentation, if she ever got around to using it. The snake bit through his pants, but only managed to scratch his leg, instead of piercing it. Even then, the very second he got the information he needed, he sted his leg with his mes.


    The snake was thrown away, and spent the next few seconds writhing till its brain eventually froze.


    Every attempt after that by snakes, to strike either Nero or Wendy, was met with failure. Nero''s mes kept him protected, whereas Wendy had seriously undersold herself when she described herself as specialising in speed.


    Her nimbleness surpassed even Nero, and she wove through the snakes without ever getting touched at all.


    A few minutes was all it took. Hundreds of snakes were left butchered on the ground, and though there were many left, the majority of them were already dead.


    That''s when Nero and Wendy turned to help the others. The forest near the recruits was a well. A few trees had caught on fire, the normal kind, and the orange mes were quickly spreading onto the mulch on the ground. Potholes covered the ground where spells had struck. Branches had fallen to the ground, forming artificial barriers.


    The earth itself had been rent asunder by what looked like a powerful ability.


    Yet there were still dozens of snakes slithering around, managing to dodge attacks and strike at some of the increasingly lethargic recruits. Swelling and discoloration of their limbs showed that snake venom had started to affect them.


    "I''ll rescue, you kill," Nero said, then pushed forward, sprinkling his own mes in various ces as he went.


    One very important reason he had been sprinkling his me all across the field was so that he could sense the arrival or presence of any curses, which would change the situation drastically should they strike.


    Fortunately, none had arrived so far. More importantly, regr mes served as the best fuel for his own mes, once they managed topletely convert them, so the spreading mes would only serve to enhance their protection from curses while they handled the fallout of this attack.


    Nero dodged another recruit''s attack, which had not really aimed well, ignoring him for the moment, and grabbed a couple of recruits who had been bit, and left separated from their groups. He dragged them to the group, not caring about being polite, and created a ming barrier around them to keep the snakes out.


    "Treat them quickly if anyone has an antidote," Nero said loudly.


    "I can heal them!" a recruit yelled and quickly retreated from the front, where he had been using a hammer to try and squish snakes.


    Nero had not stayed long enough to listen to the response, or study the unusual healer. He began pulling the wounded back, dodging the recruits'' attacks actually bing his greatest obstacle. The way this had been handled was possibly the worst they could have done.


    He looked at his own group, and saw that Charles was just standing there, beside Taylor, not doing anything. Henry, at least, was trying to fight, though it wasn''t exactly easy to cut a snake when you had to aim at the ground, and the snakes were quick enough to slither out of the way.


    A few minutester, just as Nero pulled thest recruit back, making it to a total of eleven wounded, the snakes decided to retreat. They simultaneously slithered away, as if they had been summoned by something else.


    But though they retreated, the recruits did not feel safe. They continued to attack the ground, as if searching for invisible enemies who could strike at any time. Admittedly, even Nero did not have a good way of ensuring there weren''t any invisible snakes left waiting, so the clean up was necessary, but the way they were wasting aether was too careless.


    But they were not his concern - at least for now. He would address his own team and call out their shorings, but if started doing that for strangers, it would only build animosity. As cruel as it sounded, the more they suffered, the greater he would seem if he helped them out, so for now he was content to let them blunder.


    But he had to put a stop to their attacks, it was too loud and could attract unwanted attention. He used Air Push a few times to clear all the mulch from around them and ensure that there weren''t any snakes left.


    "Enough! Stop wasting aether. You won''t have anything to defend yourself with if we face anything else!" he yelled. The recruits listened, but incredibly reluctantly.


    "How are the wounded?"

 Chapter 101: Poor display

    It was a mess. It took Nero and Wendy ten minutes, at most, to clear out most of the snakes, barely using any aether along the way. In fact, Nero was the only one using aether at all, and Wendy hadn''t even done that. Yet if one were to observe their group, it would look like they had just experienced a massive assault by formidable foes. At least a dozen angry bears, or something along those lines.


    Nero was genuinely bewildered by the performance. Kr had given thembat training from a young age. That was a fact. They must have also received survival training. Surely most of them had their abilities much longer than him as well.


    So why then had they all panicked so badly, and reacted so poorly?


    Taylor, Charles and Henry stood unharmed, mostly because his me had been protecting Charles and Taylor, while Henry must have avoided the whole fight. de, who Nero judged as the animal expert, was also fine. So was the hammer wielding boy who apparently had a healing ability.


    That was six out of the twenty who were unhurt. The other two were the two scouts who had left their group. Almost everyone else had been bitten by a snake, or at least hurt in some way.


    He refused to believe that so many of them werepletely ipetent, which could only mean one thing.


    The makeup of the teams had been extremely deliberate. They had purposefully put highly skilled individuals with those whocked physical skills orbat awareness. That did not mean that they were ipetent.


    After all, the army had not recruited all Neophytes, but a select few of them. That meant these other eleven recruits who had suffered tremendously in their first assault had skills outside of the realm ofbat. The whole purpose of the team was to find a way to support each other so that they could survive situations that they weren''t well suited for.


    "The venom is not too strong," the healer said. "That means their lives are not in danger, but at least two of them are going to struggle to walk. It will be a while before they regain full control of their legs. If we can bring them back to camp, they can get better treatment, but that will effectively forfeit their mission."


    Nero was in a tough spot. His entire team was unharmed, so he could move on. But if he did that, he would be abandoning the others, which would not reflect well on him. Especially since he was the one who gathered the teams.


    "They have to choose whether you want to continue the mission or not," Nero said very seriously. "But regardless, we need to move from where we are right now. All the noise we caused will attract attention, not to mention the countless cut up snake corpses.


    If they want to continue their missions, and we end up sticking together, then we have to ept the fact that we will be spending the night here. That means we also need to now look for shelter, as well as food and water."


    de had his fists clenched as he struggled toe to an answer. It was clear that they would need help if they were going to continue, but at the same time, he could not bring himself to ask Nero for help like that. It would be putting him in more danger than he needed to face, and there was a huge chance that he wouldn''t listen either way.


    "This is all your fault," said a girl who was lying on the ground, holding her swollen leg. She had already been treated, which meant that the venom had been removed. But that did not eliminate the damage that was already done, and it would take some time to recover.


    She looked up at Nero, with anger and resentment in her eyes.


    "If you hadn''t kept the scouts from exploring properly, they..."


    Her words were caught when Nero suddenly brought his spear to her throat, his expressionpletely unchanged as he did so. It was as if to him, threatening her did not seem like a big deal at all.


    "If the scouts had gone out alone, then they would not have had the advantage of numbers. They are too weak to survive the forest alone and that''s a fact. They would have suffered, and we would never have been able to find them. Right now, I killed all these snakes and dragged your body out of the hole you threw yourself in.


    I am the reason you''re alive, and your ownck of awareness is the reason you''re hurt. Don''t me others for your own ipetence. It''s the fast ticket to keep yourself from improving, and getting yourself killed."


    Nero looked down at her, like an adult instructing a child, then pulled his spear back.


    "Everyone, grab one of the wounded, we need to get out of here. We can decide what to do next once we''re in a safe space."


    For once, no one argued with him. Even if they didn''t agree, no one wanted to stay here in case the snakes came back. It was fortunate that the wounded weren''t in too bad a condition. It was just that they couldn''t control the leg that had been bit which meant that they had to hop on one foot.


    In the case of the two most wounded recruits, they had to climb onto the backs of others. de and Charles filled that role.


    With their speed considerably slowed down, twenty minutester when they finally decided to stop, they hadn''t gone as far as Nero would have liked, but there was no helping it - they had to rest.


    During this time, he had already thought about what to do. Regardless of what their actual mission was, that was not the purpose of this exercise. Improving their teamwork was the real objective. In that case, instead of rushing toplete the mission, he would rather take it slow and figure things out.


    A part of him also didn''t want to abandon the others, though in his mind he kept telling himself he should prioritise his objectives over such notions.

 Chapter 102: Change of attitude

    "We''re losing sunlight. We should just go andplete the mission ourselves," said Paul, the scout who was on the same team as de. "The rest can just wait here and heal. By the time wee back they''ll be well enough to apany us back."


    "What if something attacks us while you''re gone?" shouted their teammate, feelingpletely aghast at the notion of being abandoned.


    "You''re not doing anything here. Create defences, hide. If all of the injured work together, I''m sure you''ll survive," Paul said dismissively.


    Nero watched all the drama from the side. He was beginning to regret his decision to help everyone. It felt like he had been assigned to care for a group of children.


    "I think we should just head back. This whole thing is a mess," said another boy, who was rocking back and forth on the ground, his arms wrapped around his knees. "They didn''t even give any training for this. They''re just trying to get us killed."


    "If you just wait a bit, the healer can just heal all of us," pleaded another girl.


    "No can do," said Adam, the hammer wielding healer, who looked pale and out of breath. "I''m already on the verge of aether deprivation. I need rest, I can''t heal anyone for now."


    Nero rubbed the bridge of his nose as the rest of the recruits burst into an argument, all talking over one another. This had been going on for a while now.


    Wendy was sitting beside him, looking bored, her eyes constantly scanning the area around their camp. Charles, who was sitting just beside her, also looked bored, though he was ying with some dirt under his nails. Henry had gone out to see if there was water nearby, but since Nero didn''t let him go too far, he should be back soon.


    "They can protect the wounded till we get back," Paul suggested loudly, which suddenly brought the whole argument to a pause. Everyone turned to look at Nero, and then the rest.


    "Oh, good of you to think of me," Nero saidmely. "Please, do tell me how I can serve you."


    Just in case any of them had a frail understanding of the concept of sarcasm, he didn''t give any of them a chance to respond.


    "But on a more serious note, since you cannot decide on a n on your own, allow me to present you with the only two viable options you have. Please, don''t try toe up with better ideas. You only have two options - at least if you want any help from us."


    "You''re ckmailing us," said Paul, looking angry. "You asked us to team up, and now that we need help you''re ckmailing us to listen to you."


    Nero closed his eyes and sighed. Kids.


    He was trying to be diplomatic. After all, everyone was on the same level right now, so he couldn''t be forceful. They had no obligation to listen to him.


    But his problem, Nero realised, was that he was trying to be reasonable with a bunch of unreasonable kids. It was bound for failure to begin with.


    When he opened his eyes once more, his demeanour changed. Nero liked to think of himself as friendly and approachable. That''s how he was in school. But maybe, that''s not how he should be in the army.


    "I think everyone has gotten a little toofortable with me," Nero said, his voice only slightly deeper, yet somehow it gave everyone chills. Whether it was Charles or Paul, whether it was Taylor or Adam, they suddenly felt the air around them change. The hair on the back of their necks stood up, as if their bodies were sensing great danger.


    Only Wendy stayed unaffected, though no one noticed the way she subtly lowered her arms so that it would be easier to ess her sword and de.


    "Since you weren''t here when Ist said it, let me reiterate. Do not me others for your own mistakes. I am not your nanny, and I am not responsible for taking care of your mess. If I have offered to help at all, when you''ve shown yourselves to only be liabilities instead of an asset of any kind, then you should be grateful, not resentful for my help.


    So if you want my help, you only have two options. If you''re unhappy with them, feel free to go on as you wish. But then do note for me to help - taking care of you is not a part of my mission directive."


    Nero spoke slowly, making sure to properly enunciate each word so that they would understand him. For reasons no one could understand, despite the fact that he did not raise his voice nor was he forceful, Nero appeared much more frightening than even when he held a spear to the other girl''s throat.


    Seeing that there were no objections, Nero began to borate.


    "The first option is that you give up. In that case, I can help escort you all back till you are safe and can retreat to the camp yourself. The second option is that you choose to continue with your missions, but still request my help. In that case, I will help ensure everyone herepletes their missions, but simultaneously, everyone must obey my orders.


    From now on, what I say goes, and at the first sign that any of you want to disobey, I will just leave you to survive on your own. Now choose, what do you want to do?"


    Absolute silence hung in the air as everyone considered his proposal. There were some, like Paul, who wanted nothing more to tell Nero to leave. But it was an uncontested fact that if they didn''t have any help, they would not survive long. Even though it was still before noon, and a long day was ahead of them, they did not have enough time to heal,plete their mission and return.


    How the hell had their situation be so bad in just the first few hours?

 Chapter 103: For now

    Why was he doing this? Nero pondered the question for a brief moment. Gathering everyone had started out feeling like a good idea. It even paid off, when the size of their group drove away small animals, such as the martens. But the situation quickly devolved.


    Now he was doing it because it was good experience. The increased burden did not daunt him, nor did the thought of the increased difficulty. He just wanted to use this current situation to derive as much experience as he could, and improve as fast as possible.


    "I''ll give you all five minutes to decide amongst yourselves," Nero said to the onlookers. "After that, if you have note to a decision, then we will be moving on by ourselves."


    Then Nero turned to his own group, and pulled Charles to the side.


    "Howe you stopped attacking the snakes?" he asked straightforwardly. He did not sound interrogatory as he questioned him, nor was he looking at Charles critically. It was as if he was just asking a general question.


    "In the beginning I did attack, but my explosions weren''t doing a lot of damage to them," he exined. "Once a majority of the snakes were revealed, I stopped to conserve my aether in case the situation changed. Although my ability is useful, it also consumes a lot of aether. I cannot keep using it for long."


    "I recall you only caused three explosions," Neromented. "If we were in a critical situation, about how many more of those could you pull off?"


    Ordinarily, this was a very invasive question. But since they were in a team together, bound to face potentially dangerous situations, this was one of the few situations where it made sense to ask such questions.


    "Eight explosions is my maximum," he said with a tightness in his tone that Nero ignored.


    "Do you have any idea what Henry was doing?"


    "Making sure that nothing else approached us while we fought. Although he messed up a bit when he missed the snakes, he is usually very good at spotting others."


    Nero nodded, then turned to Taylor.


    "Your augmentation was very useful. How long can you keep them running? And can you boost strength and defence at the same time, or is it an either or situation?"


    "Both, and eachsts about five minutes. I can do it a few times, but if I have to do both for each person, then maybe I''d be able to augment five or six people at most before I''m out of aether."


    "Alright. I''m making a few changes to our formation, be sure to inform Henry when hees. Staying in a line is a mistake, given our environment, when we make contact with a foe we will spread out. One person has to stay with Taylor at all times since she can''t fight, and that will mostly be Charles.


    Based on the number of enemies we''re fighting, this might change, but mostly we''ll try to keep only one attacker out, and will keep rotating. That includes Henry. If Wendy is the one attacking¡­"


    Nero changed his strategy to be slightly less aggressive, because he realised that not all his team members could fight, and if any of them got wounded it would seriously slow down their progress. By ensuring that only one person engaged at a time, twobatants were left open to help anyone who might need it.


    "Are we really going to help all of them do their missions?" Taylor could not help asking, once Nero was done.


    Even Charles looked at him questioningly. He had not voiced the question himself because they agreed to let Nero lead, and he really didn''t want to get caught up in a tantrum thrown by one of the great families. It would be best to keep his head down and just get through this. But it wasn''t as if he was looking forward to the extra work.


    "What is the point of our mission? To assassinate a cursed beast? No, it''s to test the strengths and weaknesses of our team so that the army knows what to focus on when they train us. As such, the more we experience, the more information they''ll have to determine our weaknesses with. Plus, we''ll also get some experience in what it''s like working with other teams.


    So far, I can''t say that it''s anything special, but that''s because everyone is just starting out. But it''s better to make mistakes now and learn from them, than make themter and die from them."


    Although he was smiling as he said thest part, as there was no need to intimidate Taylor, it gave her chills nheless.


    "Umm, does that mean we''ll be spending the night together?" she asked, her voice bing quieter and quieter as she said each word.


    "If everyone agrees to follow my orders, most definitely. I''ll try to finish our own mission today, so we can do the rest tomorrow morning and make our way back. But either way, we''ll have to spend the night here."


    Taylor only nodded, but as soon as Nero turned around she did a small fist pump, her gaze fixed on Nero''s broad back. Who knew she would enjoy getting drafted so much?


    Nero waited until Henry came back, having discovered a flowing stream nearby, before he turned to the group once more.


    "What''s it going to be?" he asked, setting his spear beside him like a walking stick. But even though his voice had returned to normal, the intensity of his figure remained. No one had the guts to use him of ckmail anymore, or for their failures.


    "Will you¡­ really help everyoneplete their mission?" one of the recruits asked hesitantly.


    "I won''t do anyones mission for them. But I''ll escort everyone to the location of their missions. If you still can''tplete it, then that''ll be on you."


    The recruits looked at each other. No matter what, they didn''t want to fail their first mission, and so, albeit reluctantly, everyone agreed to listen to Nero''s orders. At least, that is what they imed, for now.

 Chapter 104: Unmoving Nero

    The first thing Nero did was question everyone and get a better understanding of what they specialised in. Once he found out more, their performance suddenly made sense. de, who he had been treating as an animal expert, actually came from a family of cattle farmers, which is why his familiarity with animals made some sense.


    He was good in self-defence but, as such, he had not specialised in anything.


    Adam, who had an incredible healing innate ability that was a mutation of the usual innate ability passed along his family line, described himself as the ultimate attacker. His healing could ensure that he could take more hits, while he wanted to use his hammer to deliver devastating blows. In his defence, he really did have some decent strength.


    Unfortunately for him, that''s now how Nero intended to use him.


    Paul was a scout, like Henry and one other recruit. That left Nero and Wendy as close rangebatants and Charles as a mid-ranged attacker. Of the remaining twelve, only three others had their primary focus as a form ofbat, but even that was focused towards curses rather than animals or people.


    Four had decent skill in aetheric studies, which meant that they could study natural aether lines, patterns, technology - both modern and ancient - as well as anything else that depended on aether. They made good researchers and prospectors, but were not ideal soldiers.


    Three more were actually artisans. Nero would have seriously questioned their ce on a fireteam if it weren''t for the fact that their mission was to safely procure some rare and delicate ingredients.


    The final two were synergists, which meant that like Taylor, they could augment their teammates in some way, either by boosting their traits in some manner or improving their equipment.


    All in all, they formed a terriblebination to be out in the forest. At that point, Nero stopped trying to ount for whatever considerations the army had when they made these teams, because he just could not understand it. The worst part was that they did not even understand the extent of how poorly they had performed in the one encounter they had.


    But that no longer mattered. They did not need to understand. They only needed to follow orders.


    Nero remade the arrangement for the whole group, treating it as one big team instead of several smaller ones. Only when they would bepleting their actual missions would they return to their basic, five-man team.


    With the synergists, including Taylor, and Adam in the middle, surrounded by the artisans and aetheric experts, with the rest taking positions around the group, they made their way towards the water stream.


    The three scouts were constantly circling the group from a distance, not only looking for a path to follow, but for any animals that might attack. After the incident with the snakes, everyone was more vignt, which was fortunate because as soon as they reached the stream, something happened.


    Nero felt something m into his aetheric pressure, nearly tearing it apart trying to enter his body. But the sudden change did not stun him, and he responded by increasing his pressure as much as he could while simultaneously coating himself in his Cryome.


    He was not the only one to suddenly activate his ability, so too did the three cursebatants. Two of them surrounded their body with an identical light blue barrier, likely the effect of a spell, while the third, the girl who used Nero for causing the disaster earlier, surrounded her body with a bright, yellow light that made it nearly impossible to look at her.


    Unfortunately, no one else reacted, or even sensed anything amiss.


    "Quickly retreat! We''re being cursed!" Nero said, but it was already toote. A couple of the recruits fell to their knees and became dazed, while the others once again fell into a panic.


    "Stay in formation and retreat orderly!" Nero roared, this time absolutely demanding obedience. At the same time, he sent a wave of mes crashing over the other recruits.


    Caught unprepared, many of them thought Nero was attacking them, but the mes did not stick long, disappearing once they fought off the cursed energy that attacked them.


    Wendy grabbed one of the dazed recruits, prompting the others into action, allowing for a swift retreat after the initial hup.


    Fortunately, they needed to only move a few steps away to move out of range of whatever had been cursing them!


    "Do any of you know how to locate cursed items, or the origins of curses?" Nero asked once they were in the clear.


    "I can," the girl surrounded by light said, as she looked at Nero with an odd expression. "Can''t you do the same with your mes? You clearly dissipated the cursed energy off everyone else."


    "I need to conserve aether," Nero said, not exining that he didn''t know a proper method to look for curses yet. "Can the two of you purify everyone in the group?"


    "Yes, but only if the curse is weak."


    "Do what you can. You," he said, turning to the girl. "Help me find the source of the curse."


    The girl took a few steps forward and condensed the light surrounding her into her hand, before projecting it forward like a spotlight, and began scanning the ground. Everything seemed fine until she shined her light on a patch of the stream.


    A strange, red fog was rising from the water, but it only became visible under her light.


    "The source is under the water, right there. I can try sealing it, but it might take a while."


    "Let me try something first," Nero said, as he lit the tip of his spear in blue mes and walked forward, resisting the curse using only his aetheric pressure. Now that he knew about it, it wasn''t so hard to resist its effects.


    As soon as he came close, Nero spotted the source. It was, surprisingly, a doll made from sticks that had been joined together somehow. That did not reek of sabotage at all.


    Without disying any outward reaction to spotting the object, he thrust his spear forward, stabbing the doll. There was a sudden, massive drain on his aether right as the doll shattered into countless pieces and began flowing away with the water.


    "That¡­ that worked!" the girl said, stunned. "You¡­ you directly destroyed the cursed item!"


    "It wasn''t too strong. Check if there are any other curses nearby. We need the water."


    The girl continued to scan the surroundings, but discovered nothing else.


    Their group finally drank some water and washed their wounds clean before continuing their journey forward. Nero''s disy of destroying a cursed item subdued them even further, for reasons Wendy promptly informed him of.


    Apparently, the standard operating procedure for dealing with cursed items was to seal them and leave destruction up to a proper team. If anyone tried to destroy a curse, they would usually bear the full brunt of the curse themselves. For Nero to so casually destroy a cursed item while remaining unaffected meant that he was much stronger than the rest of them.


    Nero didn''t feel like that was the case. More likely, his mes directly dissipated all the cursed energy in the item till there was nothing left to affect him - not that he would exin that to anyone.


    Instead, he used his increased authority to stress to the group the importance of obeying orders instead of panicking as soon as they encountered any obstacle. He also reiterated how they should react in the face of a sudden encounter. His instructions were put to the test soon after, when they encountered a cursed bush!


    Much like the vines had gained a level of instincts, which they then used to attack the entire city, the cursed bush also had instincts. It waited until the group was well within its range before it disyed any abnormality. Its already towering height suddenly doubled, and dozens of brambles and thorny stems shot out, surrounding them.


    "Gather up and protect each other," Nero spoke loudly, yet with an air of calmness in his voice as he cut down anything that came within range of his spear. "Charles, blow up that bush."


    Nero did not take a single step forward to attack, nor did he retreat a single step when the attack came. It was as if he had everything under control, and was using this situation to train the rest. Considering that if he had not stood in front and cut the attacking stems, many of them would have suffered countless tiny cuts, and possibly even a curse, many of them even began to believe it.


    Nero saw a dark blur shoot by him and hit the bush, resulting in a meless explosion that ripped apart half the bush. The bush writhed, as if feeling extreme pain, before it suddenlyunched itself at the group once more.


    "Once more," Nero said calmly as his ming spear batted the bush back, still unmoving from his spot. Another blur shot past him, and this time the bush waspletely blown to bits, unable to attack any of them.


    "Don''t rx yet. If there was one cursed bush, there could be more. We''ve only just begun to enter the depth of the forest. Stay vignt."

 Chapter 105: Lynx

    Major Liam Carver stepped into the surveince office and walked past the various desks monitoring the base security, right to the centre of the room where a corporal was keeping tabs on various screens by himself.


    Owing to his quick pace and silent footsteps, the corporal did not notice his arrival until his shadow covered the man. He was startled by the sudden appearance of a figure, but when he looked at who it was he calmed down, and saluted the man, giving a very perfunctory "major" as he sat back down.


    The major''s expression remained stoic and unchanging, as if he was unaffected by his subordinates'' casual behaviour.


    "How are the recruits performing?" the major asked.


    "Worse than expected, to be honest. Someone got the bright idea of various teams working together. They haven''t even mastered working in teams of five yet, sorger teams are resulting in even more chaos. Many of them have had to retreat because they ended up walking in the path of another recruit''s spell or ability and got injured. They have no coordination, and no sense of teamwork.


    "But that was expected, more or less. By teaming up, they''re just expediting the result we already expected. If things continue like this then a majority of the teams will fail their missions in the next few hours. There are some exceptions, but they''re very rare."


    "Whose idea was it to gather various teams together?"


    "That would be a recruit by the name of Nero Grant, as far as I can tell. To his credit, he''s actually managed to make things work."


    The corporal pulled up one of the screens that showed arge group within the forest, facing off a host of Thaumic ants - a type of mutated ants that grew up to 60 cm long (2 feet). Ants were some of the worst kinds of enemies one could face in any situation, for if even one escaped, they would bring back their literal horde for revenge.


    Thaumic ants were especially dangerous because their shells were resistant to most elements, and were especially difficult to break through. Liam observed the group fight, and immediately he could pick out the inexperience andck of coordination in the recruits. Fear had also gripped a number of them, which could be clearly seen by the embarrassing disy of quaking knees.


    Yet for all their apparent weaknesses, of which there were many, the group held their position. None of them retreated, regardless of how evident it was that they wanted to. They kept their positions, and while the fewpetent fighters held off the ants, keeping them froming closer, the rest used their long range spells to try and damage or disorient the ants.


    It was an eptable disy of how numerous weak attacks could result in a strong oue - mainly because all of their attacks were pathetic.


    The primary reason, however, that they were able to hold their position, was one recruit who single handedly was dealing with about ten ants. He stood in front of the group, and became the protective wall that kept a majority of the ant scouting party at bay. Moreover, he did so effortlessly.


    He was not desperately attacking, despite being outnumbered. Instead, he was masterfully keeping the ants at bay, using his spear to shepherd the ants where he wished. Now and again, his spear would burst out a blue me and harm the ants, but for the most part, he just kept them where he wanted them, while the others slowly dwindled their numbers.


    "He is rousing courage in them," the majormented admiringly, but that only got the corporal to bark augh.


    "More like they''re more afraid of him than the ants. He told them that if a single one of them tries to retreat in the face of danger, he will send the ants away from the group and towards those retreating. Nobody dares to test him."


    The major paused for a moment, but nodded anyway. It did not matter how he was doing it. What mattered was that he alone was using a group of ipetent recruits and turning them into somewhat productive soldiers. If they continued to gain experience in such a manner, they might even be decent soldiers.


    "No wonder the sage took notice of him," the major muttered, then turned his attention to the other students. Nero was not the onlypetent one of the whole lot.


    *****


    Finishing off the Thaumic ants was more a practice of patience than skill. Sure, he could have killed them all himself, but he would have sustained a few injuries in the process and exerted himself greatly. Comparatively, just keeping them at bay and angry enough not to run away as their numbers dwindled was much easier.


    Traditionally ants would be considered a very dangerous enemy to encounter, but that was because of their swarming tactics. As soon as de identified them as a scouting party, Nero instructed the group to fall into the slower but more stable formation of having the nonbatants use long range offensive spells.


    Whether it was Air Push or Air Bullet, or anything else they may have, it did the trick, slowly and steadily.


    When they encountered more ferocious foes, and they faced many of those, Nero had them deployed in a different formation where the Synergists would boost him and the otherbatants, while the rest would distract the enemies. Nero, Wendy and Charles would take on the responsibility of killing the animal in that case. No matter which formation they took, though, Nero was always in front.


    He had to be, as without him holding the enemies at bay the entire squad would scatter.


    It was not courage holding them in ce, though they had developed some of it with repeated sess in fighting off enemies. It was purely fear of Nero, and his promise to let the animals chase any who retreated without orders.


    The artisans, predictably, held arge selection of cards which they distributed among the others for temporary use. That is where most of the ranged offensive cards came from. But they also proved helpful in harvesting various ingredients from the animals'' bodies.


    More importantly, they had a very thorough understanding of which animals were edible or not, and which parts of them they could store safely for use.


    After all, once Nero announced that they would be spending the night there, everyone started to think of ways they could contribute and make their experience better.


    Slowly, but surely, they progressed, and by the time the run reached its peak in the sky, they had reached the border of C-7. That is where Nero''s team''s target was.


    They took a short rest to recover their aether and eat some food, while the scouts searched the periphery for any ce where they could take shelter at night. So far, the only option they had was a small clearing they encountered a while back, but it offered no protection at all other than being free of trees.


    Unfortunately, their rest was cut short when a couple of Lynx attacked. No one detected them before the attack, even Nero or de. Henry, with his uncanny ability to spot animals might have been able to do it, if he had not been sent out to look for shelter. It was literally the first time Nero sent the scouts farther than a few metres.


    Only when Nero saw a blur did he realise something was attacking, and used Air push without hesitation. His timely intervention saved the life of one of the Synergists as the Lynx had been aiming for his throat, though he still suffered deep gashes on his back. The other recruit who was attacked was Adam.


    The hammer wielding healer''s immediate response was probably what saved his own life, since no one else reacted fast enough. Out of instinct, without even realising what happened, he began to use his ability on himself. At the same time, he punched the Lynx that had just begun to pierce its fangs into his neck!


    Before anyone else could realise what was happening, Nero charged with his spear while bathed in roaring blue mes. A chill suddenly crept into the air as he rushed by, but the Lynx were faster than him, and managed to dodge.


    A fountain of blood squirted in the air as Adam fell to his knees. Someone screamed.


    "Defensive formation!" Nero roared, and more out of sheer reflex than actual conscious effort, everyone formed a circle around the kneeling Adam. It was only once they had surrounded the healer that they realised what they had done.


    Nero didn''t have time to pay attention to them. He could see an abnormal wind surrounding the two Lynx as they stared at him growling.


    Nero made the first move. They were faster than him, but he had a greater attack range.


    The two Lynx dodged, both going in opposite directions. If Nero attacked one, he would leave his back, as well as the group, open to attack from the other.


    That did not give him pause, and he stabbed towards the closer Lynx without holding back.

 Chapter 106: Miserable wretches

    The two Lynx were not so strong, but their ws and fangs were sharp and their speed was unmatched. They also had an uncanny control over the wind, which made it even harder to chase them.


    As Nero stepped forward, he felt a sudden, powerful gust of wind push his leg just a little further than he intended. It was not enough for him to trip, but it was just enough to make him step awkwardly. If he was not careful, he would twist his ankle.


    Despite the risk, Nero lunged forward, driving his spear towards the slightly shorter Lynx, forcing it to retreat a few steps back. But just as it began to retreat, a mound of dirt rose and wrapped itself around the Lynx''s foot.


    The hold was not strong, allowing the Lynx to break free, but it was enough to slow it down. One of the other recruits had used a spell to aid Nero. The timely assist and general awareness of the situation proved how much they were already improving from mindless throwing every spell they had at the enemy.


    Nero''s spear caught up with the Lynx and nearly cut through its stomach, but it was suddenly buffeted by a gust of air, moving it down.


    The fatal strike was diverted, but it still managed to draw blood. Instead of following up with another attack, Nero leaped out of the way just in time to dodge the other Lynx lunging at his back.


    Whether it was inadvertent or nned, Nero had moved away from the group and began to take on both the Lynx at the same time. Their coordination was immacte and indicated a history of hunting together. They would attack from almost opposite sides, making sure to take advantage of the moment Nero was dealing with one.


    Barely a few seconds into the fight, Nero had already buffeted various attacks from both of the animals, doing his best to maintain his bnce against the forceful winds battering him.


    Nero did not get a chance to look back towards the group, so he could only hope that they had managed to stop Adam from bleeding out.


    "Hold on!"


    "Help Nero!"


    "Do something!"


    Various recruits finally got over their initial panic and began to respond to the situation. Wendy drew her sword and was about to run towards Nero when something suddenly changed.


    Under the relentless assault of the two Lynx, Nero finally made a mistake. A gust of air pushed him too hard, causing him to stumble. That momentary disruption created an opening in his defence that therger Lynx did not hesitate to take advantage of.


    It leaped through the protective gap Nero had maintained between himself and the animals.


    Everything happened too fast. Before anyone could even think to help, Nero was falling, and a Lynx was upon him. Blood spewed out into the air.


    Panic finally spiked even within Wendy''s heart, but that''s when she noticed that Nero''s expression had not changed throughout.


    In thest moment, right before the Lynx reached him, Nero twirled his spear, bringing its sharp edge towards himself, and ced it in the path of the Lynx. He didn''t even need to stab, the animal pushed itself through the edge and pierced itself.


    As Nero fell backwards, he twirled his spear once more, using it like a catapult to throw the body of the wounded Lynx onto the other. When he fell, Nero immediately rolled backwards and pushed himself to his feet, readying his spear, though he didn''t immediately attack again.


    He squinted his eyes as he stared at the two Lynx, one of whom was now bleeding out. The two animals growled at him aggressively, but the smaller was clearly protecting the other. For a few moments, they reached a standstill, but then they finally retreated.


    "Why''d you let them get away?" asked Wendy, who finally reached his side, anger and guilt in her voice. Her response had been slowed, especially when she saw Adam bleeding from his neck. By the time she gathered herself, Nero had already been dealing with the two overgrown cats by himself.


    The entire incident hardlysted a minute, but it was extremely intense throughout, especially for Nero.


    "One''s wounded. As long as the other is taking care of it, it won''t do anything risky. But if I kill one, the other will be freed up to attack as it pleases, not to mention it''ll probably be pissed."


    Nero paused for a moment as he recalled the fight. There had been something extremely strange about how aggressive the animals had been, attacking such a massive group, considering how easily they retreated at the first sign of trouble.


    "How was my performance?" Nero asked, lowering his voice a little.


    "Pretty good, but who are you performing for? I have a boyfriend, and I don''t think the others really suit your tastes."


    Nero resisted the urge to snort. What was it with people in rtionships always bringing everything back to that?


    "For everyone who is watching, naturally. Would you please do the honours?" Nero asked, as he handed her his spear. She was surprised by his gesture, but grabbed his spear and activated her ability. It took only a few seconds, and nobody might have even noticed that she took hold of it at all.


    She also turned to look at the botch of blood on the ground near them. It belonged to the Lynx, and the way Nero had injured it was ingenious. But¡­ why had he only wounded it? That did not match the Nero she knew.


    The two returned to the group and found Adam with his bleeding already stopped, though he looked much paler than before. That did not prevent his eyes from gleaming with excitement.


    "Did you see the punch I threw?" he asked as he looked up at Nero. "Knocked out a couple of that big cat''s teeth, I did."


    "It''s called a Lynx," de said, but hardly anyone listened.


    "It was a good punch, it saved your life. We need to move. We''ll enter C-7, finish our mission and then create a shelter for the night. Hopefully, our target will have an abode or a hollow we can use to spend the night. If not, we''ll have to work together to erect some earthen walls and a roof. It''ll be too dangerous to spend the night out in the open," Nero said, prompting everyone to their feet.


    Neither Adam nor the girl would recover from their attackspletely anytime soon, but getting some rest would definitely help.


    "Why are we doing your mission first?" one of the artisans couldn''t help but grumble. "Shouldn''t we avoid fights right now?"


    "There are a few reasons, and hoping it has shelter we can use is just one of them. ording to our mission details, it is mutating rapidly. The longer we wait to kill it, the harder it will be to kill. More importantly, since I''m the one calling the shots, we''re doing my mission first because I say so. If you want to lead the team, feel free to step up. I''ll let you take care of all the fighting."


    "I was only asking casually, no need to get angry," the artisan muttered. Oddly enough, while everyone else was still intimidated by Nero, as well as heavily reliant on him, this artisan had stopped fearing Nero, and instead was treating him like someone grumpy.


    Nero narrowed his eyes. He suddenly recalled the small help he had received with the Lynx, but now that he looked at the rest of the group, it was clear that none of them were in the condition to respond.


    Since no one took credit for the help, he did not mention the matter either.


    By the time the scouts returned, everyone was ready to move on. They had found a cave nearby, but all signs pointed towards it behind inhabited by a bear, and it would not be the smartest idea to try to evict him.


    Nero simply told them to remember the location, and they moved on. They finally entered C-7, and began searching for their target. Along the way, they encountered more animal attacks as well as cursed nts, exhausting them further.


    At a certain point, everyone suddenly became aware of the fact that it was incredibly hot and humid, causing their clothes and armour to be drenched in sweat. Exhaustion was bing a very real hindrance to their progress.


    They had all managed to avoid being bothered by flies and mosquitoes because they intermittently used bug repellent cards carried by the artisans, but when they identally approached a Vapour Bee hive, dozens of bees attacked them!


    Even Nero hadn''t tried to fight them, and called for a quick retreat as fighting bees could quickly be a dangerous endeavour in futility.


    Finally, by the time they managed to pick up on the trail of their target, the sun had already begun to set. They had gone a full day with barely any food and water, and fought off countless animals.


    Any prestige and glory they had imagined belonging to soldiers from childhood stories had long been disillusioned. If this was what was in store for them, then all they could say was that soldiers were miserable wretches, and they were even more so.


    Nero was the only one whose shoulders had not slumped by now - even Wendy was beginning to feel the fatigue.


    "Let''s kill the target. We can rest after that."

 Chapter 107: Surprise attack

    Sticky. That''s what everyone felt like at the moment. Their clothes were damp from sweat, but at the same time they were also covered in dry sweat. A fineyer of salt covered their skin.


    Nero was the only exception to this rule, mainly because every time he used his mes his body''s temperature would automatically regte itself. Even when he wasn''t actively using his ability, keeping his aetheric pressure high somehow kept his body cool enough to avoid being drenched - though he did still sweat from time to time.


    But more than anything else, it was just because he was used to such exertion, and more. Although hiking through a forest filled with dangerous and deadly threats was a tough gauntlet, somehow old Footer had managed to exhaust him even more.


    So while everyone else was ready to give up for the day, he was still ready to continue on, despite doing much more work than everyone else.


    "The rest of you will stay back. Watch from a distance and be ready to retreat at any time. Once my team has eliminated the target, we can judge whether it has any shelter we can use. If it doesn''t, we''ll just have to make do with creating our own shelter nearby. Its territory should be empty due to excessive hunting on its part, so we''ll be rtively safe."


    The group responded with half hearted answers. They were wrestling between their desire to just drop everything and go back, and the logical part of their brain which told them that such a thing wasn''t possible.


    His own group then, under Nero''s lead, stepped forward. Henry did not go out for once, and instead began leading them as it tracked the lemurs trail. Charles, as always, stood the furthest back, right before Taylor who nervously held a card in her hand. Wendy was right behind Nero, her task being to ensure nothing bypassed them and attacked thest two members of their group.


    Although they did their best not to make noise, and not attract any attention, Nero did not expect to take the lemur by surprise. That is why, when they crossed a particrlyrge bush and stumbled upon the sight of a massive lemur snoring amidst the remains of an animal that could no longer be identified, he was both pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised.


    The surprise was pleasant because if it was asleep, they could probably make the first attack unimpeded. In fact, there was even a possibility of ending everything in one strike. At the same time, the surprise was unpleasant because the lemur was muchrger than they had expected.


    Lemurs, as far as Nero knew, grew to a maximum height of 0.7 metres (28 inches), and were ssified as a small or medium animal. At least, that''s what the book he read on animals said. But the lemur in front of him was easily 2 metres tall (6 feet 6 inches), and just as wide! A mix of muscle and fat made up its bloated body, and each of its limbs looked like a lethal weapon.


    The dried blood that covered its entire body only added to that image.


    Moreover, just the sight of it caused Nero to be buffeted by invisible curses. Although they were not strong, they were constantly trying to push through his aetheric pressure. In fact, Nero could see that Henry was already bing pale, though he was not sure if that was due to fear or the influence of the curses.


    He raised his hand and made a circling motion with his finger, indicating that they should spread out and encircle their target. He looked at Wendy and and with two fingers pointed towards the lemur, telling her to make the first strike.


    While he could have taken the first stroke himself, and had utmost confidence in his own skill, there was one fundamental reason why Wendy getting the first hit would be more beneficial.


    Her innate ability was simr to Taylors, in that it was augmentation. But instead of augmenting people, it only worked on items with a sharp edge. Her ability augmented the edge so that it became venomous, poisoning anyone it cut. She also had great control over the kind of venom that coated the edge, so that the effects could range from mild nausea to necrosis.


    Whether the cut would result in mild irritation or death all depended on the kind of venom she chose, but also the strength of the target.


    So, if she managed tond the first strike, even if it didn''t kill the target immediately, it would poison it and weaken it greatly.


    This was also the reason she used two different weapons. Both her short sword and de were coated in different types of venoms, the lethality of which would multiply exponentially when both struck the same target.


    She was, by far, one of the most dangerous Neophytes alive, because her ability didn''t target weapons, but anything with an edge. That meant every nail on her body, every pin, every piece of paper, every card, and anything else she had on her could be a carrier of venom of great potency.


    All she needed was to touch the item once to activate her ability, and the venom would stay until it was used up, or purposefully removed. It didn''t even consume any aether on her part to stay.


    So, after using Muted Self to ensure she made no sound and Masked Odour to eliminate smells, Nero and Wendy approached the sleeping lemur while the others surrounded it. Even with the support of cards muting him, Nero didn''t even dare to breathe as he positioned himself and readied his spear.


    He kept his mind in apletely focused state, keeping even his heartbeatpletely steady. He dared not even stare at the lemur too intently, and instead focused his eyesight on the ground in front of it.


    When everyone was in position, Wendy only gave a single nod. Then she struck. There was no wind up, no preparation or hesitation. With her short sword, she stabbed at the lemur''s neck, intending to cut through it.


    Surprisingly, nothing went wrong. The lemur did not suddenly wake up, nor did an invisible foe prevent them from attacking. But the moment the tip of her sword touched the lemur''s neck, things began to change.


    Nero didn''t know how to describe it except to say that grey static appeared in the air around the lemur. The air and ground around the creature began to distort, and just the sight of the static cut through his aetheric pressure in his eyes, and caused them to start bleeding.


    Nero immediately looked away, even as he stabbed his ming spear forward, but the damage was already done. He could feel a curse taking hold over his eyeballs, slowly distorting his sight.


    But though the static appeared, and caused heavy damage to any it touched or any who saw it, it did not prevent the swords from entering its body, nor the spearhead.


    The lemur rolled sideways, managing to prevent its neck from beingpletely cut through, though ck, gooey blood began to drip out of its neck. There was a gash in its stomach as well, though the me did not manage to stick to its body as the static removed it.


    But before the lemur could do anything else, a blur struck it, causing a devastating explosion that stopped it in its tracks. Its limb bent the wrong way and its body had ripped apart where it was struck, causing it to scream out.


    Yet its voice was abnormal as well. Its voice was distortion itself, and it suddenly caused Wendy, who was closest to it, to drop to her knees and cover her ears. Nero, however, was unaffected and lunged with his ming spear, aiming for its neck once more.


    After the initial shock of the static, Nero covered his entire body in blue mes and looked at it again. This time, he managed to avoid getting cursed, though each moment he kept looking at the static he felt a massive drain on his aether. Cancelling out the effect of its voice only increased that drain.


    Nero thrust forward but was caught by surprise by how viscous the static had be! Cutting through it felt like he was cutting through mud! Just as he was about to pull back, Nero felt a surge in strength, probably from Taylor''s augmentation.


    He heaved, pushing his spear through, and managed to cut into its neck once more. The lemur tried to scream again, but its'' wind windpipe, and probably vocal chords, had been severed.


    The lemur rolled backwards, only to once again be struck by Charles'' ranged attack, resulting in an explosion. Some kind of green bolt of energy, probably the result of a spell, struck it as well. It seemed Henry was doing his part, or at least putting up a show of it.


    Despite all of that, and having half its neck cut as well as Wendy''s venom in its system, the lemur continued to struggle for a minute more. But it never got the chance to do anything more than scream and shout and roll.


    The barrage of attackspletely overwhelmed the creature which was otherwise a very formidable foe. Once it finally fell limp, and the static around its body began to fade, Wendy dropped to the ground as well.


    She let go of her swords and quickly began to search through her deck with shivering hands. She had suffered the worst of the static curse, and needed to purify herself immediately.

 Chapter 108: Shelter

    Nero strode up to Wendy and put his hand on her head.


    "This is going to hurt, but tell me when you can''t take anymore," he said, then covered her body in blue mes. He was not trying to give her hypothermia, although that would indeed be the result if he kept the mes on for too long.


    Instead, he was trying to eliminate any remaining cursed energy that was covering her body, and the sudden drain on his aether reserves told him that there was quite a lot of it.


    "Enough," she said hoarsely, before she finally pulled out the purification card from her deck. Nero more or less knew all the generic cards on sale, which is why just a nce at the picture on the card was enough to let him know that this was not amon card. Wendy must have acquired it from someone who had a special recipe.


    Whatever it was, using it did not bring her relief. Instead, a few seconds after she used the card, Wendy began vomiting out ck and brown sludge. The stench of rotting flesh hit Nero, but he did not so much as twitch his nose as he waited for her to finish, which did not take long.


    Wendy was left severely weakened, so much so that her limbs were trembling under her own weight.


    "You okay?" Nero asked as he helped her stand and move away from her own vomit.


    "The curse around that creature was way too strong!" she said, with a hint of fear in her voice. "My skin felt like it was on fire and my lungs felt like they were being torn apart! How the hell are you fine?"


    She might not have been actually asking him, and was just eximing, but Nero looked around and saw Henry and Charlesing in closer, observing the dead lemur.


    "I''ll teach you when we get back," he said quietly.


    Wendy was startled, mostly because she had assumed that it had a lot to do with his ability. But if it was something that could be learned, she would not hesitate. She only nodded, which was pretty hard to notice because her whole body was trembling at this point. Even though his mes had helped her, they also left her feeling chilled.


    The others also starteding in from where they had been watching. Now that the lemur was killed, their mission was technically over. Adam ced his hand on Wendy''s back, and though he himself was still weak and exhausted, began to heal her.


    "Do we need to get proof or something?" Charles asked as he studied the corpse. After it died, the static that had surrounded its body disappeared, and the pressure Nero felt being exposed to had reduced, but had not vanished.


    "No, the mission is to just kill it. Any body parts it has will be cursed, and we''re not equipped to transport cursed items. In fact, considering how strong the curse was on this thing, I don''t think we can use its shelter to spend the night. Let''s just create our own."


    Everyone was curious, so they observed the lemur for a bit, but as soon as they felt curses begin to influence them they quickly left. They could somewhat understand why Wendy''s condition was so poor even though she didn''t suffer any damage from the lemur - just being close to it was damaging enough.


    But theparison once again brought the limelight to Nero, who was just as close to the lemur as her, but seemedpletely unaffected.


    Just to be sure, however, the three cursebat specialists purified the group once more. As it turned out, Wendy was still notpletely curse free and required more treatment. Even Nero was notpletely unharmed, as a curse had taken root in his eyes, though exposure to his mes suppressed it heavily.


    But his eyes were not something that they could treat, so he would have to go back to base before he could be fully treated. Fortunately, the curse had gone dormant for now. Nero had a feeling that as long as kept summoning his mes around his face regrly, the curse would not be able to build up any energy to be active.


    The next part, despite Nero''s great versatility, actually did not require any help from him at all. In fact, it was the artisans and four aetheric specialist recruits who finally had a time to shine.


    Since they were unable to find a decent spot for shelter, the four instead used various cards to study the natural flow of aether in the forest, and found a region with a steady flow.


    "When you can''t find a good spot for shelter and need topromise, finding a ce with a natural aether flow is your best option," one of them exined to Nero when he questioned them.


    "People often think that a region with a high aether concentration is good, or maybe a low concentration. They have various justification for it, but the truth is, both of those are equally bad. A high aether concentration is more likely to give birth to an Apparition curse, especially at night, while a low aether concentration is likely to be a sign of curses that have been active in the region.


    "A flow of aether, on the other hand, means that the aether is moving, so any curses that appear will move along with it. It also means there have been no curses in the area for at least a short period of time, or the flow will have been disrupted. It''s not a perfectly secure option, but that''s why it''s called apromise. Plus, we can tap into the aether flow and harness it for our own purposes."


    Nero got to see first hand how exactly they did that. The artisans carried with them their grimoires, which were filled with over a hundred cards each, making them impractical to carry around on a mission, but useful nevertheless.


    Nero watched as the recruits first studied then established the aetheric flow leylines, which determined the position and location of the shelter they would build. Housing 20 recruits required a sizable shelter, so they had their work cut out for them.


    But in this regard, they showed a level ofpetence they had beencking so far. They used cards to clear the ground of all grass, even removing the roots in the process, then they used other cards to bathe the ground in mes, cooking the dirt.


    There were a few minor pops and a few strange smells as various gases escaped the me-covered ground, but ultimately, the result was hardened earth, almost making it seem like tile.


    Then the artisan distributed a few cards to the rest of the group, for creating the walls of the shelter would require more aether than any one of them had. This was one of the major drawbacks of being a Neophyte.


    Not only were the cards they could use of the lowest quality and leastplex, but they didn''t even have the aether to do anything substantial with them.


    But institutions where theycked quality, they had to make do with quantity. The process was started by the aetheric specialist recruits who carved out an outline of the walls in the tile, and used a card to raise about 0.3 metres of all the necessary walls before they had to stop.


    They passed the cards to the others, and they continued to raise the walls, doing nothing else for fear of damaging the structure. Even Nero had to contribute with this part.


    Name: Ground alteration


    Image: A house made of dirt


    Type: Maniption


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Manipte the ground around you]


    vour text: "We are a product of our environment, just as much as our environment is a product of us," Hry Bouvin


    The card was technically quite powerful, since it was a Maniption type. Getting such a card to be level 0 was incredibly difficult, no doubt, since Maniption cards let the caster directly manipte the world around them. But as a result of being a 0 star card, it''s efficiency was absolutely terrible.


    It took the entire group, excluding Wendy and Adam who were in no condition to help, to raise the shelter walls high enough for them.


    But getting the walls up was only just the beginning. Over the next few hours, as darkness began to spread over the forest, they made use of various cards and abilities to ensure that their shelter was well protected from the dangers of the night.


    Once it was ready, everyone went in and shut the door. They couldn''t afford to keep any lights on outside, as that would attract too much attention, but they couldn''t allow themselves to be in the dark. For that reason, the inside of the shelter, which consisted of basically just one massive room, was illuminated by a soft yellow glow produced by balls of light in each corner of the room.


    Illusion type cards which could produce balls of light were actually quite aether efficient, so it was not a problem to keep them on the entire night. In a corner, they had also created a basin, where the recruits were once again taking turns using a card called Aqua Dribble.


    Name: Aqua Dribble


    Image: A small puddle of water on the ground


    Type: Elemental


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Produce 100 - 200ml of water that drips from the casters forefinger]


    vour text: "Once, we were at the mercy of the elements. Now, we y with them in our hands," - Iskunder Macedon


    Much like Maniption type cards, Elemental type cards were a great burden on Neophytes. But when none of them had any water all day, it was a burden they had to bear.

 Chapter 109: Attitude

    The shelter was not limited to just having walls and a roof, alongside some drinking water. There were a number of cards pinned to each wall, as well as the roof, with special tools called Activation pins.


    Some cards needed guidance, but other cards did the exact same thing regardless of who used them or what they wanted to do. If that was the case, did the cards that required no guidance really even need a caster? Shouldn''t channelling aether into it be enough?


    The answer was no, otherwise any random aether fluctuation could activate cards randomly, and that would be disastrous. There were, however, ways to keep cards active without the presence of a caster, and Activation pins were just one of them.


    But for their purpose here, Activation pins were perfect. All they required was someone to use the card themselves, before passing the pin through the card. There were drawbacks to this, such as the fact that the card would be rendered unusable afterwards, since it had been severely damaged. After all, a pin had passed through it.


    But the benefit was that the pin contained its own aether reserve that could be recharged, as long as it didn''t run out, it would keep the card active.


    This way, they had given their shelter aspects of stealth, as well as ayer of protection that would inhibit curses from affecting it, or manifesting inside. It was not foolproof, but it was the best they could do at the moment.


    Everyone in the shelter, despite the soft glow of light and the fact that it was just evening, was ready to go to sleep. As they munched on the bare rations they had collected throughout the day, and sipped the scant water they were able to generate, they felt absolutely miserable. But at least they were getting some rest now.


    "Everyone can''t go to sleep at the same time," Nero said in a matter of fact way. "A few people need to stay awake and keep guard. Even though we have shelter, we''re notpletely safe. I''ll take the first sleep shift, since I''ve spent the most energy throughout the day, but I''ll take the watch during the second half of the night."


    No one could exactly grumble orin. They hated their situation, but Nero had more than proved himself throughout the day, and it only made sense that he would be exhausted.


    Ner nodded to Wendy, who also looked like she was on the verge of passing out, before he walked to a corner andy down. He hadn''t had much food either, just a few mushrooms and berries he identified as safe from bushes, but there was not much he could do about it.


    He closed his eyes, and sleep weed him almost immediately. Even though he trained himself harshly, that did not mean he waspletely immune to the effects of exhaustion.


    A few others alsoy down, while the rest kept their conversations to a whisper. Henry and Charles exchanged a look, before they too began to rest.


    As the night passed, nothing unusual happened. All the recruits who were tense about the horrors of spending a night in the forest eventually rxed. After the countless obstacles they faced during the day, half of them expected to be attacked by an entire horde of cursed creatures at night. Heck, if the forest itself attacked them they would not have been surprised.


    Yet fortunately, no such thing happened. They finally stumbled upon some good luck. As their tensions diminished, their exhaustion finally began to catch up with them. Although they were supposed to stay awake and keep watch, they could not help as their eyelids drooped, slowly and steadily.


    In fact, thest recruit to fall asleep was standing, and actually fell over onto some other sleeping recruits. Yet somehow, the fall neither woke him, nor those that he fell onto.


    A deathly silence filled the shelter, disturbed only by the soft sounds of breathing.


    A few hourster, near midnight, Nero''s eyes suddenly opened. It was not like the gradual process one normally experienced. Instead, it was as if the moment he opened his eyes he was fully roused, as if woken by something.


    In fact, that is exactly what happened. After the shelter had been made, and everyone else''s preparations done, Nero had bathed the floor around the shelter in his own mes. He was not trying to freeze the floor, rather his aim was to form thin sheets of ice on the ground, using only the moisture in the air. Considering the humidity in the forest, it was an easy task.


    He was not hoping to cause any unsuspecting target to slip on the ice. Instead, the distinct crack of ice snapping, regardless of how silent it was, was what woke him up.


    There was no other sound afterward. It was almost as if he had misheard, or perhaps the natural heat caused the ice to crack. Perhaps.


    He looked around the room and saw that everyone else was asleep. Even the recruits sleeping atop each other caught his eye, but he did not seem surprised.


    He nudged de, who was sleeping beside him, but no matter how he poked or prodded, thetter would not wake up.


    Almost as if he had been expecting such a thing, Nero remained unsurprised. He looked around the room and spotted Henry and Charles, both of whom were also asleep, and showed no signs of anything amiss.


    Nero picked himself up and stretched, his bodyining about sleeping on the ground, wrapped in his tight armour. The eerie silence surrounding him did prompt any haste, as he took his time flexing his arms and legs, slowly warming up his body. He even spent a few minutes rotating his wrists, as if preparing himself for some strenuous exercise.


    Once he was ready, Nero grabbed his spear and walked over to Henry. Just to be sure he was asleep, Nero poked him once with the butt of his spear, but his teammate remained unresponsive.


    Nero opened up his card case, picked out a few cards, and slipped them into various slots around his armour. The one in his chest was still Air push, a simple and basic card but one that was useful nheless. He did change the cards in the slots in both his arms, though he kept the one on his legs as well as his back the same.


    With everything ready, Nero walked out the front door.


    The forest was dark and silent, absent even of the creaking or buzzing of insects, though a half moon did provide its dim, milky light where it slipped through the canopy. The wind was not consistent, so whenever it did blow, it brought with its whispers the sound of rustling leaves.


    It was almost peaceful, though Nero was not nearly as rxed as his bodynguage suggested, standing in front of the closed door of his shelter. He was waiting for his eyes to adjust, as much as they could.


    Nothing happened in those few minutes. There was no pressure beating down on him, indicating a curse, nor did any animal reveal itself. It was almost as if he imagined the sound.


    Once Nero was ready, he walked straight out, as if he waspletely confident in himself.


    "If you''re not going toe out now, I''m going back to sleep. By the way, I''ll rig an explosive card to the shelter so if youe in after me, you''ll kill all the recruits. I doubt that''ll look nice."


    Nero sounded brash and domineering as his voice suddenly cut through the silence of the night. Each of his footsteps was apanied by the sound of ice cracking beneath his feet, as if he was not concerned about making some noise at all. It was as if he waspletely confident that there was someone there, out in the darkness.


    Nero came to a halt once there was a good bit of distance between himself and the shelter, though no one responded to him yet. Yet all was clearly not well, for his surroundings began to obscure.


    It was not like the effect of the Darkness card, which spread actual darkness everywhere. Instead, it was as if things at a certain distance became blurry and difficult to see. Even the massive shelter, which was supposed to be right behind him, seemed to vanish.


    Then, as if he had been there all along, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him. From head to toe he was dressed in ck clothes, with only his eyes visible. For some odd reason, the sight of the figure reminded him of the terrorists from back at the AAB.


    "You have quite the attitude, don''t you?" said an annoyed voice, though Nero did not immediately acknowledge him. Instead, he began to look left or right, as if searching for more people.

 Chapter 110: Great powers

    Only the sound of rustling leaves and blowing wind answered the man as Nero continued to observe his surroundings. Even with the thin strips of moonlight passing through the forest''s crown made of leaves, it was all too easy for anyone to hide if they wished. They wouldn''t even need to hide behind bushes or trees, just weakening ck clothes and staying still would be enough camouge.


    "What''re you looking for?" the man asked, irritated. "I''m alone."


    "Oh, you''re definitely not alone," Nero answered, finally looking at the man in ck. It was hard to get a read on him, but if Nero had to guess, he''d say the man was at least an Initiate. Not only was that because ordinarily no one gave Neophyte actual dangerous missions, but traversing a forest in the dark was absolutely dangerous.


    "But that''s besides the point. To what do I owe this pleasure? I don''t think I''m important enough to warrant an assassination Were you aiming for someone else back in the shelter? Should I go back and call them?"


    "You''re not dumb, kid. You''ve proved that much at least. So why are you antagonising me? You know it can''t be good for you."


    "Maybe I''m just nervous. This is my firstte night rendezvous, and I''m a little disappointed it''s not with a beautiful girl. The setting could also be improved."


    The man did not immediately reply, as it seemed Nero was insistent on not replying seriously. They stood at a distance from each other, which caused them to speak a little loudly, but neither of them seemed to be treating that as a concern.


    The long silence did not seem to bother Nero, as his body maintained its vignt stance without, and his facial expressions remained calm. He was either an incredible actor, extremely arrogant, or very confident.


    "Nero Grant, considering you just stabilised a short while ago at the age of 15, your performance has been quite exemry. But then again, considering all your mother''s des, it wouldn''t be a surprise for at least one of her sons to take after her, no? You must be the good one."


    There was neither a twitch nor change in expression in Nero''s face as he listened to the man. Although his brother was a sore spot for him, it was not like he was going to advertise that to the world. He knew how to control his emotions.


    The man continued.


    "Your performance is so good, in fact, that you have attracted some attention from some powerful people. I''m here with a job offer for you. A very lucrative job offer."


    "Why do I get the feeling that you''re not exactly offering me a traditional nine-to-five." Then Nero looked around himself in a very animated way, before pausing, as if he came to realisation.


    "Oh, probably because the venue you picked for the interview leaves much to be desired."


    "It''s in your best interest toply, boy," the man said, radiating a bit of his aura, and confirming that he was indeed an Initiate. "Like I said, some powerful people have taken an interest in you. If youply wilfully, you have much to gain, like resources to help your cultivation, and the right assignments during the war. The ones that won''t end up with you getting killed."


    Nero frowned, just a bit.


    "Let''s say, hypothetically, I agree to this job offer. How can you be sure I''ll actually follow through? You going to apany me the entire time?"


    "Do not be ridiculous. You will be marked by a special card to ensurepliance."


    "What if I''m not big on being marked?"


    The man burst intoughter.


    "Kid, one way or another, you will ept the job. I just said it would be more rewarding if you did it willfully. Don''t make me do something unsavoury like threaten your friends or family. I would have to start with exining how your mothers treatment back in Lorilem is a dangerous one, and it''s not unheard of for patients to be unable to bear the treatment and actually die.


    Or should I start with your redhead friend from the Anzem family? He''s not exactly popr back home, you know. He wouldn''t be missed. People die in war all the time."


    Nero''s frown grew heavy, and his re on the man became more intense, but he did not speak.


    "What''s the matter? Cat got your tongue?" the man chuckled as he pulled out a card.


    "Don''t resist," he said, as he activated the card, and a pink light shot out from the card and hit Nero on the chest. It happened too fast, even if he wanted to dodge he might not have been able to.


    Yet he did not feel hurt. The light had not harmed him in any way. He just felt something interact with his aether, before a mild, itching sensation began to develop on his neck. He could not see it, but the image of a small chain seemed to have appeared on his neck.


    "That mark will keep you in line, Nero," the man said, his voice containing too much excitement to go unnoticed. "You want to see how?"


    As if on cue, a burning sensation filled his entire neck, as if it was burning his flesh and bones. Nero had to make an effort not to scream, though he could not keep his expression from distorting.


    "Yes, yes, just like that. You see, if you misbehave in any way, your mark will keep you in ce. I''m d you saw your ce and decided not to resist, although I''m a little disappointed as well. It''s always fun when they try to resist."


    "Do you really think this will go unnoticed?" Nero asked, his voice dangerously low. "I''m in the army. I go through tests everyday."


    "You don''t need to worry about any of that. These matters are way beyond your level. Don''t think that just because you received a little admiration from a sage you''re all that special. You''re just a pawn in their game. You should have the awareness of a pawn."


    "So you''re saying another sage is behind this? For what reason? Why would a sage need to sneak around like this? They lead the entire army, they could have just given me an official order."


    That was not necessarily true. The man in ck never actually said a sage was behind him, but even if there was one, it was not necessary that the sage was from Kr.


    As much as he wanted to avoid problems, he had epted the fact that the situation around him was far beyond anything at his level could even hope to understand. After all, it concerned a level even beyond Sage! It was a level of power he could not evenprehend!


    Whoever reached that realm first stood a chance to recreate the empire only Emperor Iskunder had been able to create, and for nearly a thousand years since no one had been able to recreate the feat.


    "You don''t need to worry about these things, Nero. Stop trying to dig for information. You''re smart, but not that smart. You''re a kid, and a Neophyte. You cannot possibly fathom the level of power and influence at y here. All you only need to do is your little part.


    Someone will contact you, and tell you what that is. Oh, and, someone is going to be keeping a watch on you no matter where you go, so don''t try to act oversmart or¡­"


    The man did not finish his sentence, but the searing pain that suddenly spiked in his neck was more than enough to deliver the message.


    "It''s not a mistake you want to make. But cheer up. What I said earlier was true. As long as you''re useful, you''ll soon find yourself showered in resources. It won''t be long till you realise how fortunate you are to be in this position."


    It sounded like they had a whole secret organisation working that had infiltrated the army. Or maybe they were the army to begin with, just a special branch. Or maybe it was just the man in ck trying to keep Nero guessing as to the size and power of his organisation.


    "Not a mistake I want to make¡­" Nero muttered, as his scowl suddenly turned to a smirk, and his re turned into a look of someone watching an amusing y.


    "Speaking of mistakes, do you know where you guys made your mistake? Or should I say mistakes?"


    Now it was the man in ck''s turn to frown, though Nero obviously couldn''t see that under his mask. But no matter what, he didn''t like the way Nero was looking at him, so he triggered the chain on Nero''s neck, once making him feel like his neck was being cooked.


    But in the darkness the man could not see small likes creeping up from behind Nero''s neck and reaching towards the chain. His tattoo was moving off his back, and surrounding it.


    "I''d say your first mistake was right at the beginning," Nero began,though his voice was heavily affected by the burning sensation.

 Chapter 111: Mistakes

    The blistering heat cooking Nero''s neck was more than enough to drive a man to his knees, kicking and screaming. In fact, Nero was not immune to it, and even wanted to cover his neck in his blue me to reduce the temperature. But he knew that his neck wasn''t actually hot. Rather, the nerves in his body were being hijacked, being made to feel the pain and suffering as if he was being burned.


    As morbid as it seemed, his father had taught him about such torture techniques a long time ago, as well as how to identify them. It was a fun trivia game they yed as kids. Moreover, one of the reasons he was silent for so long, listening to the masked man''s drivel, was because he was waiting to see if his tattoos reacted to it.


    Indeed, just as he had expected, his tattoos slowly moved from his back towards the mark on his neck. That was enough to give him the confidence that he needed.


    "You''ve been watching me, clearly. Did it not strike you as odd that, back at the camp, I went to find other teams, but didn''t bring a single team with anyone I knew in them? Why would I choose to surround myself with strangers when the number of my acquaintances is not few? Almost as if I was leaving myself vulnerable and without reliable support?


    Not noticing the clear invitation was your first mistake."


    Nero paused as she shifted his cor and coughed. The burning in his neck had suddenly reduced as the tattoos began to do exactly what they had been designed to do.


    "Well, maybe you didn''t think about it. I am just a kid, after all. It''s fine if you didn''t see through that obvious invitation I was leaving out for anyone targeting me. But the snakes. Really? Such an obvious mistake so early in the expedition is not what I expect from a secret organisation that managed to infiltrate the army.


    "Timber Horridus snakes don''t have burrows in the ground, they burrow at the base of trees. Moreover, the weather is not warm enough for them to beginying eggs. Having their eggs threatened is the only possible reason they would attack such arge group like that. Not to mention, a litter is a maximum of 14 snakes, not hundreds.


    "Just because they are animals does not mean theyck basic survival instincts. Not expecting me to know everything about the flora and fauna around the city where I''ve lived my whole life is your second mistake. It basically just confirmed for me that someone has taken the bait."


    Nero paused once more as his tattoos finally finished absorbing the small chain mark on his neck, and the burning sensation finally vanished. The man was startled as he felt his connection vanish, but Nero quickly continued talking, this time in his normal voice.


    "The curse was your third mistake, though that was so tantly stupid I genuinely question if that was even you. I suppose if you were observing me, it made sense to test how I react to or handle strong curses. It can''t be exactly easy to find a curse strong enough to test us without instantly killing us, but the cursed item was so clearly not natural.


    Even if I hadn''t been anticipating something, that would have tipped me off. Or maybe what you were trying to test was if I reacted to it in any obvious way. Either way, quite stupid.


    "The number of small encounters we faced after that seemed normal enough. Who knows, maybe it even was normal. But the Lynx. Once again, such an obvious mistake. I don''t even need to mention how they only hunt for food, and targeting arge group that clearly outnumbered them was highly out of character.


    No, just the fact that they only live up in the snowy mountains, and not in the forests at the base of the mountains, is enough to show foul y. I swear, by that point, it almost seemed like you were doing your best to advertise that something was wrong.


    "I wonder, at any point, did it ur to you that I might be feigning everything? I mean, considering the extent of the problems we faced, did you ever wonder why we didn''t turn back? Even when the healer got injured, I didn''t even consider turning back. But then again, it''s so easy to attribute such behaviour to the arrogance of youth, huh?


    "Of all the mistakes you made, the greatest mistake was to underestimate me, and you did so at every turn. You felt like you were in the dark, watching me, but never realised that I was baiting you with everything I did.


    My subpar leadership skills, reliant on threatening people, my weakened moves, my limited application of my ability, myck of use of any cards, everything was carefully orchestrated to make you feel like I was not so remarkable, and everything was under your control.


    "You made a mistake, once more, when you faced me out so tantly, even though I was obviously not afraid of you at all. Although, to be fair, I was acting a little more arrogant than necessary just to give you the impression that I''m overconfident."


    Nero took a step forward, slowly and casually, as if he were walking in his own dorm, yet the man in ck did not react.


    "You made an especially big mistake when you tried to ckmail me," he said, his voice suddenly bing dangerously low. "That was a big one. Not as big as threatening my mom, though only an idiot would do something like that. She was an elite soldier. You know what that means in the Kri army? It means she can kill even in her sleep.


    She is not some amateur who can be taken by surprise."


    Even at his casual pace, Nero covered the distance between him and the man in ck quite easily, though the man continued to stand still, not reacting to his approach.


    "Your final mistake, the only one you''ll probably regret in your short remaining life, is not questioning why I''m in such a chatty mood. Though I guess being an Initiate gave you that confidence, huh?"


    Nero scoffed, as if it was the most absurd thing.


    "Just an Initiate, and already so arrogant. I could not help but share a few words of wisdom with you."


    The pun did notnd as well as he hoped, especially since no one beside him understood it, not to mention, the only one listening was hypnotised and so wouldn''t react to it at all.


    Name: Words of wisdom


    Image: A pair of lips speaking


    Type: Diminution


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Hypnotise target using your words]


    vour text: "Just say the word, and I''ll die for you," - a dead man


    Words of wisdom was the card given to him by Ms. Zim, and it allowed him to hypnotise people by talking. But since it was a 0 star card, its efficiency was not that great, it consumed a lot of aether, and he needed to talk a lot, especially since his target was a level higher than him.


    From the very onset of this trip, or in fact from the moment he discovered Henry and Charles might be targeting him, Nero had been prepared for some foul y. He thought that maybe the Dom family was targeting him, but it seemed he was caught up in something else entirely.


    This entire trip in the forest, Nero had been purposefully suppressing his performance and making obvious mistakes in his leadership as bait to see if anyone strikes. He genuinely believed he was not important enough to assassinate, unless the Dom family was behind whatever was happening.


    But even if that is what he suspected, his experience in the dorms taught him to always leave room for escape and, in fact, have multiple escape ns.


    That is why, earlier on, when he went to look for other groups to possibly join him, he had slipped a note to Gabriel, telling him that someone might be targeting Nero.


    He did not expect Gabriel to save him, but his connections were real, and he definitely could arrange a contingency n. Unbeknownst to Nero, it was actually Gabriel who had, through various connections, prompted major Liam to return and keep an eye on the camera''s personally. He was still in that room watching all the feeds. Unfortunately, he saw nothing amiss on the feed showing Nero''s shelter.


    But, ultimately, that was just one of his contingency ns. He had a few more, and having Wendy feign weakness for so long was one of them. That was not to say she hadn''t been harmed for real by the curse. She had. But she had long since recovered, and was only pretending to still be weak.


    He had other backups as well, but for now, he turned his attention back to the man in ck. He knew for a fact that the man was not alone - after all, either he or one of his allies had the ability or a card that allowed them to control animals. So, at the very minimum, there had to be some animals hiding in the darkness, waiting to attack at the signal.


    But for now, anyone who heard his voice should be thoroughly hypnotised.


    "Who sent you?" Nero asked.

 Chapter 112: Grace

    Standing face to face, Nero was not quite as tall as the masked man. But then again, he was only 15 and expected he would grow a little more, especially now that he was a Neophyte. But that height difference did not impede Nero in any way, and he looked the masked man in his eyes, awaiting his answer.


    "I don''t know," the masked man answered emotionlessly. "All points of contact are anonymous, and we only act when we get orders."


    Nero was not surprised by the answer. It was pretty standard, as far as he knew, to keep information on a need to know basis, even in the army, let alone in secret organisations.


    "What do you want with me?" he continued asking.


    "My objective is to tame you in pursuit of greater goals within the ruins. I do not have the exact details yet."


    "Have you targeted anyone else besides me?"


    "After you, my next target is a young Neophyte by the name of rissa Hunter. She is also on the shortlist to be sent to the ruins."


    "How were you able to infiltrate this army training site without getting caught?"


    "Around the border-"


    The masked man''s right arm twitched as he spoke, and suddenly Nero plunged his spear towards his neck. Whether his hypnosis was truly broken or not, he was not nning on taking any chances. Yet his vignce proved apt, as the masked man dodged to the side.


    Even with the distance between them reduced, the speed and reflexes of a trained Initiate should have been enough to easily dodge the attack of a Neophyte - but Nero proved himself to be the exception.


    His technique was wless and his speed far beyond what a Neophyte should have been able to achieve, and so his actions weed a spray of blood in the air the tip of his spear cut through the side of his neck.


    Even though Nero had not been able to cut through his entire neck, this should have been enough to have the masked man bleed out in a couple of minutes, yet he brought his hand up to his neck and somehow patched the cut and stemmed the bleeding. No doubt he had used a First Aid card.


    The failed attack did not give Nero pause, as he pursued the retreating figure and swung his spear once more, even as he recalled all the relevant information about Initiates.


    There was an increase in overall physical and mental faculties, but besides just that, the upgrade either resulted in an increase of strength in the person''s existing ability, or it allowed the ability to gain a new trait. Which one happened was random, and there was no superior option between the two, as it was always subjective on the ability as well.


    More importantly, an Initiate could finally start using cards above 0 star ratings, which was the greatest threat to Nero at the moment. But fortunately, they still had to be physically touching the card to use it. This limited him, as just like Nero, his armour could only support one card per limb, as well as one on the chest and one on the back.


    If he wanted to use any additional cards, he would have to grab them, and Nero did not intend to give him the chance.


    "Idiot!" the masked man cursed as anger burned in his eyes. He may have been injured, but that was only due to surprise. Now that he had broken free of the hypnosis, he retaliated with full force.


    He had no weapon in his hand, but against a child he needed none. He dodged the spear sh and stepped forward and punched. But Nero was not ordinary by any measure of the word.


    The momentum of the shing spear served as no hindrance, and in fact aided him as transitioned from once stance to another, perfectly blocking the punch with the pole of the spear.


    At just the perfect time, he boosted his internal aetheric pressure in his arms and legs, providing him the strength to block the full brunt of the attack, before he turned the spear in his arms, swinging its de at the masked man''s legs and shing his feet.


    "Fuck!" he roared as he retreated once more and pped his right foot with his hand, once again stopping the bleeding. Nero didn''t pay attention to the three toes he''d managed to cut off and chased after him, but suddenly the sound of something cutting through the air caught his attention.


    He turned his body just in time to dodge a grey dart shooting down at him from up above. More darts appeared in the air around him and shot at Nero just as the masked man shot another beam of pink light at him.


    Cyrome burst out from Nero''s body, painting the dark woods in various shades of blue, even as Nero swirled his spear around him, catching the darts on the shaft. Nero kept moving, though he did not seem in a rush. His body moved in tandem with the spear, and it did not seem like he was fighting for his life on a battlefield.


    Instead, each and every movement or gesture was filled with wless grace and elegance.


    The pink light crashed into his mes, and though the mes retreated for a moment, they ultimately absorbed the light before it could touch Nero''s body.


    The teenager made his way to the masked man underneath the barrage of darts, avoiding each obstacle as if he was reenacting a rehearsed dance rather than oveing the attacks of a stronger foe.


    Barely a couple seconds passed. The masked man neither got the time to ovee the shooting pain in his foot nor the shock of how unreasonably strong and fast Nero was, before the teenager was on him again.


    But even if he was unready, at least he would not repeat his mistakes. He drew two daggers and rushed forward. The spear was better at a distance, so all he needed to do was approach Nero. At a closer range it would be harder to use and disadvantaged against two daggers. His mes were dangerous, but he only needed to be quick and he could kill him without taking any damage.


    But as he rushed past the de of the spear and approached Nero, his des ready to slice through the boy''s throat, all he could focus on were his eyes. There was no anger in them, nor cold ruthlessness. Instead they werepletely neutral, as if looking at a block of wood. A flicker of rage broke through the masked man''s forced calm as he roared, swinging to kill.


    Yet instead of flesh, his des only met the cold, synthetic body of Nero''s spear.


    It was not just the edge of the spear he had mastered - it was the spears'' entire body. The shaft, whether on a more flexible spear or a firm one, took up the greatest part of the weapon so how could he not know to use it? After all, besides the spear, he was also an expert on using quarterstaffs.


    He spun the spear clockwise, rotating his arms but the masked mans as well, pushing the daggers away before he stepped forward and kneed him. The man tried to retreat, but Nero stayed close, not allowing him to escape.


    Being in close proximity to the masked man was also a part of Nero''s n as it forced him to stop using the darts lest they strike him by mistake.


    When the masked man attacked Nero blocked or dodged, and when he tried to run he would suffer small nicks or cuts from Nero''s relentless attacks. No matter how he tried, he could not escape those indifferent eyes, driving frustration and anger to take control of him.


    "Fuck off!" he roared as he finally snapped and once more tried to stab Nero. But his overwhelming strength, which should have made all resistance futile, was once again easily countered by the spinning spear.


    Near timed his bursts of strength perfectly, to always give him just the edge he needed to counter the masked man. Yet this time, before he could attack, a screech cut through the silence of the night as something lunged at him from up above.


    Nero leaped away, just in time to see arge bat swinging by where he had been standing. The masked man finally got his reprieve and jumped back, ensuring there was a great gap between himself and Nero. Now it was two against one.


    Nero heard the sound of something cutting through the air, and moved aside to dodge a dart when his eyes suddenly locked onto a familiar blur. Without hesitation, he swung his spear so that its de would manage to, ever so gently, like the loving hand of a mother caressing the cheeks of her baby, touch the blurred object. Immediately, he used Ultimate grip, attaching the object to the de.


    It was a demonstration of his great control and timing that he was able to catch the object so gently on his de, for it was the explosive projectile Charles would throw to cause explosions, aimed directly at Nero.


    Then, without any breaks, Nero twirled his body and spear, and threw the projectile exactly back where it came from. In the distance, Charles stood with a bewildered expression on his face, his hand still raised and pointed towards Nero, as he saw a familiar blure back at him. It was thest thing he saw before the blur crashed into his chest and exploded.

 Chapter 113: End of Darkness

    Ultimate grip was not a very popr card, not that anyone could be med for not liking it. Its use was very limited, and one would need to stretch their imagination to find an actual application for it. Nero himself had also only taken it to stick cards to his body for when he didn''t have a proper armour with slots in it.


    But recently, he had realised that cards were a little more flexible than the exact use written on them. Ultimate grip itself was a good example of this.


    Name: Ultimate grip


    Image: A man with massive forearms


    Type: Physical force


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Attach something to your body or clothing so that it doesn''t fall off. Lasts for 10 minutes or until pulled hard enough]


    vour text: "Pockets are for the weak."


    At a nce, it seemed very straight forward - until Nero questioned why clothes were also mentioned. His body naturally made sense, since it was the source of aether for the spell. But why his clothes? Ultimate grip seemed very limited, as it was not even as good as Glue, which had the same effect but could stick anything on any surface, but was more expensive.


    So why then did it allow the addition of another field besides his body? Did the card know what clothes were?


    That was impossible. So, Nero tested the card out one day. He grabbed a towel, then stuck his toothbrush to the towel using Ultimate Grip, and it worked. In fact, it continued to work when he hung the tower on a line. But if he tried the same thing again, but without holding the towel, it did not work.


    So Nero summarised that its effect was not limited to just his clothes, but basically anything touching his body. But then that was too vague. He tried touching a wall, and then sticking something to it, but it didn''t work. After various tests, he concluded that the mass of the item he was sticking something to had to be touching him, and less than half his own mass.


    In that case, his spear also qualified to have something stick to it using Ultimate grip.The reason he included that card among the six cards he had in his slots was specifically just to target Charles, if he acted against Nero.


    Considering that each slot was extremely valuable, dedicating one entire slot for a card just to counter one person who might act against him was a big risk, but it paid off. He was not expecting Charles to cause anymore trouble any time soon.


    Of his other five cards, one was naturally Words of wisdom, and another was Air push. The remaining three were also situational cards he had kept that would only be useful under the right circumstances.


    The reason Nero preferred cards with high situational utility, rather than simple offensive cards was his limited aether. In his fight with the masked man, Nero even kept his use of Cryome limited because, so much so that he had only used it for defence and not offence, for exactly the same reason.


    If Nero were fighting one enemy alone, maybe he would adopt a high consumption, quick battle style, but from the beginning he knew that the masked man was most likely not alone. The appearance of Charles meant that Henry too was hidden somewhere, waiting for a moment to attack.


    There was also that bat, and the masked man himself as well as his ability to attack using darts that just appeared in the air.


    Relying on using only his internal aetheric pressure would allow him tost much longer. Given the precarious situation, Nero absolutely could not allow himself to get impatient. The best option was to continue to apply pressure and wait for an opportunity to appear.


    Barely a second passed since the explosion on Charle''s body, which had distracted everyone. Nero rushed forward, since the masked man had built arge distance between the two of them, but the sound of darts stopped him, and caused him to jump back.


    Instead of targeting Nero, the darts were aimed to prevent Nero froming close.


    "You think you''re so great you fucking bitch?" the masked man roared, heaving with his body covered in countless cuts. Each cut had been sealed using some card, preventing them from bleeding out, but that didn''t change the fact that in a direct confrontation, he, an Initiate, was on the losing end against Nero, a Neophyte. That thought was absolutely driving him insane!


    Well, that, and the venom Wendy coated on his spear''s de the day before. The venom was not directly lethal, as Nero guessed something like that would be easier to detect. Instead, the venom did only two things. It made the target more irritable, affecting their mind, and slowly made their body numb.


    By now, the masked man was already seriously suffering from the effects of the venom, which is why it was not the pain of losing toes, or having a piece of his neck cut through, or countless nicks on his body, that was enraging him. It was the embarrassment of losing to Nero.


    That is how Nero preferred it. If he kept attacking, and didn''t realise how much damage he was umting, it was only a matter of time before he fell.


    But being irritated did not mean he was stupid. The man had decided to keep his distance - for now.


    "Let''s see what you can do if your fucking spear can''t reach me! I''m going to chop your body into pieces and mail it to your mother before I kill her too!"


    Dozens of darts started appearing in the air around Nero and began raining down on him, causing him to have to dodge as well as block. Due to the sheer number, he missed some of them, resulting in some of them cutting his body but the wounds weren''t deep for now.


    But even as the situation suddenly took a shift, Nero''s movements remained graceful and elegant as he managed to keep himself from suffering too much harm.


    No matter how much pressure he was under, Nero''s indifferent eyes never changed, which began frustrating the masked man even more!


    A fluttering noise cut through the sound of shooting darts, and Nero''s movements suddenly increased in speed as he leaped aside just in time to avoid the bat swinging down on him. It squeaked, and then chased after him.


    Dart shot all around him, preventing him from dodging, and an air bullet suddenly shot at him from a corner. A faint smile covered Nero''s lips even as he swirled his spear to smack away darts, and used Air push in the direction of the bullet. Henry had finally revealed himself!


    The bat reached Nero, but the masked man missed what happened because Nero was suddenly shrouded in a cloud of darkness. The darkness would not affect the bat, but Nero knew it would give him a brief moment where no one else would be able to see him.


    It was only brief, because the spell model in the Darkness card he had been using for so long finally crumpled, turning the car useless just after Nero generated a small cloud of darkness. But it was enough.


    The bat wasrge, but that did not change the fact that it was not a good predator for its bodycked muscle orrge ws and fangs. Before the bat could even reach him, using a burst of speed, he stabbed it with his spear and then swung its body in the path of the falling darts.


    Then, in the brief moment where no one could see him, Nero activated hisst two cards. The first was a card he had promised himself he''d get, and it was called Dark Vision. As the name suggested, it allowed him to see in the dark.


    Everything he had done earlier to suggest he could not see well at night was just a ruse to mislead anyone watching. The second card he used was obviously the most powerful offensive card he had - Snowke.


    Two massive snowkes appeared in his hand, and he ignited them using his own mes. Since it hade to this, it was time to put a little more pressure on his targets. He threw the ming snowkes at the masked man, while he himself dashed towards Henry.


    From outside, the masked man saw an ominous cloud of darkness covering Nero, which for some reason infuriated him even more - especially since he felt the connection with the bat fade! Heunched more darts, but just then he saw what looked like two des shoot out of the cloud towards him.


    He dodged them easily with the reflexes of an Initiate, but he was not at all prepared for the mes that surrounded des suddenly spreading all around him. In fact, the mes even spread to his legs!


    All the raging fury in his mind suddenly shifted to a heart gripping dread. The sudden shift in his emotions dyed his actions for a moment, which caused the mes to spread even more!


    He screamed.

 Chapter 114: I told you

    The masked man did not even feel the chills of the mes spreading through his legs. He just knew that fire was dangerous, and got caught up in the fear that fire naturally held over men, and began panicking. His rapidly fluctuating emotions did not serve to aid him in resolving his situation, and he even forgot to throw darts towards Nero, granting him the brief respite he needed.


    Nero had not spotted Henry, but he threw a couple of snowkes in that direction even as he ran. The mes held no threat against him, and though he did not intend to attack Henry that way. He just wanted them to spread so that Henry''s path would be blocked.


    He ran past a couple of trees, checking to find Henry, but the scout had hidden himself well. There was a small chance he had managed to run away-


    An invisible wire, tied near the ground, caught in one of his feet as he ran, nearly tripping Nero. It was so well ced that even he hadn''t spotted it, but the wire broke, only causing Nero to stumble and not fall. But that did not make him feel better. He dove to the side, but he fell just short as something cut through his side, scraping one of his ribs.


    It was rare for Nero to make mistakes, but it seemed he had underestimated the scout, who had prepared traps in the area. Darts, bolts, arrows and rocks shot at him from various angles, even as patches of ground gave way to reveal small holes.


    The holes weren''t evenrge enough to fit half his foot inside, but they wereced with spikes, or covered in some kind of slippers liquid, making it hard for Nero to keep his footing.


    The situation suddenly shifted, and Nero went from hunting Henry to being hunted. The terrain became an obstacle.


    Yet even as Nero bled out, he did not lose his calm. The effects of his me on his own body were minimal, but he still used it on his cuts to stop the bleeding, while his mastery with the spear allowed him to survive the tide of traps.


    It was an intense minute, but the w of traps was revealed when Nero survived all of them, and remained rtively unharmed. He had managed to stop his bleeding, though he hoped that none of them were poisoned because he could not search for an antidote card in the middle of a fight.


    In that one minute where Nero was fighting for his life, the mes from his snowkes had also spread, nearly covering the area, until eventually Henry was forced to reveal himself.


    Or, it was more urate to say, that a card he was using to keep himself invisible suddenly lost effect when his mes finally touched him.


    "Dammit!" he cursed as Nero locked eyes with him the moment he was revealed, and shot an Air pullet towards Nero, but that move was much too predictable. Air bullet was a much more concentrated form of air push, but it had the same drawback as Air push which is that the wind it was made up of was easily dispersed.


    Nero responded with a timely Air push, and as the two spells counteracted each other, Nero and Henry also finally shed. Henry had a small, circr shield that he had never revealed before, as well as a short sword. They could not help him.


    A single surge of strength was all it took to knock the shield out of his hand, and leave his arm numb. He tried to retaliate with his sword, but it did not even require the overwhelming skill Nero had to counter that.


    The range of the spear was greater, and so before Henry could even close in, Nero stabbed him, once in the stomach and once in the heart.


    "I told you I''d kill you if you got in my way," Nero said, his indifferent eyes taking on a shade of anger for just a moment. But he quickly returned to his mentally neutral state.


    This state of maintaining absolute calm, or at least as much as he could muster, was also something his parents had taught both him and Patrick. When they were growing up, stuff like this was treated as the basicmon sense all children needed to be taught to survive in this world.


    It was only much, muchter that Nero learned that was not actually so.


    Without dwelling on random things, Nero immediately turned back once he ensured Henry was dead, fully prepared to face an Initiate who had time to break free from the mes. But he returned to a sight that shocked him!


    His mes had gone out, as was expected, but the masked man, with more than half his body covered in frost and shards of ice, was attacking some frozen trees while screaming with a voice full of barbaric rage!


    Nero got chills, not at the unrestrained might of an Initiate, but at the effectiveness of Wendy''s venom. The man hadpletely lost his mind! Of course, part of that was due to Nero''s first strike cutting through his neck. The venom went directly to his brain, which was one of its main targets, but still.


    It was as if the man hadpletely forgotten about Nero, and instead raging against the remains of the fire he had just extinguished. Nero took advantage of his distracted state, not bying closer, but by hiding behind a tree and throwing more ming snowkes at the man.


    For all his confidence, Nero did not want to face a rampaging maniac who had lost his mind. All the skill in the world would not save him against the irrational actions of an overpowered Initiate on the verge of death.


    But the masked man''s state was genuinely horrible. He did not even notice the snowkes as they approached, and so the two of them cut right through his chest, and struck the frozen tree in front of him.


    The mes once again spread, this time on the masked man''s body as well, but he seemed not to notice as he focused on the mes in front of him. That was due to the dastardly second effect of the venom, which numbed his body so he felt no pain. He had not even realised his body had been cut through.


    Nero was prepared for a long, final struggle, but it barely took another minute for the me covered man to start slowing down. One more minuteter, all that was left was a frozen statue of the man who had originally been attacking him.


    For a few moments, Nero just stood there, unbelieving. Was it already over? Then he dropped to his knees, panting and breathing heavily. He looked exhausted, and winced as one of his wounds broke open and began bleeding again. The truth was, he really was exhausted.


    But at the same time, Nero was not certain if there weren''t any other enemies waiting in the shadows. So, he presented an opening. A perfect opportunity to strike when he was weak and distracted. He did not let the sweetness of victory distract him from the dangers of the situation he faced.


    But seconds passed and turned into minutes. No one attacked. In fact, even animals did note and investigate all the noise that they had caused.


    Slowly, the distortion around the area disappeared, and Nero once again was able to see his surroundings properly. It was still the dead of night, and the shelter lookedpletely undisturbed. But just a few metres away from it were the signs of a brutal battlefield, covered in the scars of countless dangerous shes.


    The darts had all disappeared, conjured from a spell as they were, leaving only the holes they pierced in the ground.


    Eventually, Nero stood up, and began to pull all the corpses together. He had to loot them- eh, no, he had to investigate their belongings for clues. He also had to preserve them as evidence, fore morning, he would have a lot of exining to do.


    He did not realise that back in base camp, a screen which had been showing his shelter,pletely undisturbed through the night so far, suddenly flicked, and revealed the true, devastated state the ce had transformed into.


    Major Liam, as well as the assigned soldier who were watching the screens both noticed the change at the same time. They looked over, and the first thing they saw was Nero dragging a headless corpse across the forest floor, before heading into the trees before bringing back another one he was carrying over his shoulder.


    He left the frozen statue untouched for now, for if he tried to move it, it would shatter. Then he began checking their pockets, armour card slots and card cases.


    "Those are recruits," major Liam said, his voice strangely devoid of any emotion.


    "I''ll send someone over right now to investigate," the soldier stated, but was stopped by Liam.


    "No, I''ll go check on my own."

 Chapter 115: Heat

    While the masked man thawed off, Nero gathered Henry and Charle''s body and began to check them for any useful cards they were carrying, as well as any potential hints as to what they had wanted from him, or who was ordering them. At the same time, he could not help but let his mind wander a bit, thinking of the versatility of cards.


    The reason he had discovered the small loophole about Ultimate grip was because of the discrepancy he noticed in his own Innate card. He recalled its details.


    Name: Cryome


    Image: Conjures a fire that absorbs heat instead of emitting it


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [The Cryome burns with a brilliant blue hue, its mes shimmering with icy tendrils and frosty wisps. Instead of consuming fuel and emitting heat, it consumes only heat and produces more mes, leaving the target frozen whole instead of ash]


    vour text: "The death of a Kri is written, and it is on the battlefield."


    Although eloquent in the way it was stated, the ability clearly mentioned that it consumed ''only heat'' and used that to produce more mes. So technically, the cooling effect of the mes is a result of them absorbing heat!


    But the mes clearly disyed the ability to counter cursed energy, not to mentionbat other forms of energies - such as the pink attack the masked man tried tounch at him that would leave a chain mark on his body.


    The me also allowed him to directly destroy cursed items. None of that was stated in its description, so why did that happen? That caused Nero to consider more carefully what exactly ''heat'' was. Since he didn''t know if the card was referring to metaphysics or in old simple physics, he contemted heat from both angles.


    That is when he encountered a small misconception he had about heat. To be sure, he even went and consulted his teachers in school about it. In Nero''s mind, heat referred to the temperature of an object. But, as it turned out, in physics, heat was defined as the transfer of thermal energy. Basically, it was a process by which temperature change urred. So¡­ the card consumed a process?


    That did not make sense.


    ording to his original misconception, the mes were absorbing the temperature of whatever they burned, but if he misunderstood the meaning of heat, then maybe he had misunderstood his innate ability to begin with!


    Then he asked the teacher about a metaphysical perspective about what heat is. But, as a high school teacher, he was not really qualified toment on such an advanced, and frankly abstract field.


    To get a satisfactory answer he would either need to pursue researchers, or perhaps head to Nova which has the most advanced andrgest repository of knowledge in the modern world.


    For now, he would have to go about judging the limits of his ability based on his experiments. All he could conclude, after all his tests by himself and those with Footer, was that his mes consumed energies of various kinds, though it still seemed to have a preference for thermal energy.


    The fact that he did not fully understand the innate ability also exined why some of the behaviours of his me could not be predicted. Perhaps that is why it was also effective against curses - it might be trying to absorb cursed energy, though that obviously did not feed the mes in the same way.


    There was also Wendy''s ability. He always knew it was powerful. After all, being able to coat any edge with venom, and many different kinds of venoms at that, made her a huge threat. But it was only recently that Nero began to ponder why the ability specifically said venom instead of poison.


    He couldn''t find any deeper meaning in it, except that venom needed to be actively administered into the body whereas poison could be absorbed naturally. Considering that it was coating weapons, that was more fitting anyway. But truth be told, the venom she coated on his spear was just as much responsible for killing that Initiate as his own abilities. Without it, his task may have been much harder.


    Nero eventually had to put his wandering to a stop when he pulled out all the cards that Charles and Henry were using. Since Ms. Zim had informed him to never use others cards he wouldn''t, but it wouldn''t hurt to look.


    Their collection was not so impressive though. Henry''s cards, beside Air bullet, basically just helped quickly set up traps, which exined how he had been able to prepare so many to lure Nero into, as well as one card that allowed him to blend in with his environment as long as he stands still.


    Charles, on the other hand, had cards which helped his eyesight, sped up his aether recovery, and a few basic survival cards for first aid purposes.


    Besides the cards, they had nothing suspicious, which was to be expected. Nero had to wait for a few hours for the masked man''s body to thaw enough so that he could move him, and check his cards. Predictably, his cards were much better. It also made sense why he hadn''t attacked Nero in more diverse ways.


    He had only one attack card to begin with!


    Name: Ariel Pincer


    Image: A number of small darts in the air


    Type: Offensive


    Star rank: 1


    Ability: [Materialise darts in the air anywhere within 20 metres of yourself and shoot at a target!]


    vour text: "A rain of darts to shower my enemies."


    Besides that, he also had a defensive card, which he never ended up using.


    Name: Bulwark


    Image: A wall of dirt


    Type: Defensive


    Star rank: 1


    Ability: [Raise the dirt in the ground to form a defensive wall around you]


    vour text: "The walls of Dana will stand forever," - Golden Mistri


    Besides that, there was also amon First Aid card which was basically a more effective version of FAK and could stop bleeding really well, as well as treat minor injuries. But it was ultimately thest three cards which were the most interesting.


    Name: Unseen


    Image: A vague silhouette of a man surrounded by mist


    Type: Stealth


    Star rank: 2


    Ability: [Gain partial invisibility by blending in with your environment, as well as partial immunity to scans and aura detection]


    vour text: "Spectre''s move unseen, even from the horrors of the night," Giovani Belim


    Name: Distortion field


    Image: A blurry circle hiding a group of people from view


    Type: Illusion


    Star rank: 2


    Ability: [Hide a certain region from view or detection]


    vour text: "Not every good deed can be done in public, and every sin in the dead of night," Giovani Belim


    Name: Leash & Cor


    Image: A cor attached to a chained leash


    Type: Binding/Diminution


    Star rank: 3


    Ability: [Mark a target, making them your ve. Once the spell has taken effect, the original user of this card will forever have control over the ve as long as the mark exists. The user can vague detect the ve emotions as well as location, and can punish them at will]


    vour text: ""Kneel, for none may stand in my presence," - Unknown


    Nero did not fail to notice how the only offensive and defensive cards the masked man had were only 1 star cards, but the rest were higher. Especially Leash & Cor. Nero had never heard of a card that allowed others to be enved, but then again, it only made sense that such things would not be widely known.


    A chill went through his heart as he read its ability, and realised exactly how lucky he was that he had, unwittingly, gained a way to free himself of such binding spells. After all, his tattoos, for as massive and intricate as they may seem, served only one very important purpose.


    His tattoos were there to make sure that Nero could never be marked by any spell! This was in preparation for his eventual revenge. Even though Nero may not know everything about great families, he knew that if he killed one of them, chances were high that he would be marked in some way so that he could be tracked down.


    Such things weremon knowledge exactly to dissuade others from trying. That was also why cards that could remove tracking or tracing were extremely rare and never sold publicly. He was lucky that Irene had long ago told him she had a way to help him with that.


    Speaking of great families, his red headed friend. Nero sat down on the ground next to the corpses as he thought about what he had just learned! Was Gabriel really from the Anzem family? It was something he would not quite believe until the boy confirmed it himself.


    But if that was the case, then what the hell was a kid from the second strongest family in all of Kr doing here living by himself?


    Nero didn''t think about this for long, as he suddenly jerked himself off the ground and pointed his spear at the man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

 Chapter 116: Over

    One moment Nero was all alone, and the next he was just there. The only exnation he could think of was some kind of teleportation card or ability, but that was highly unlikely. The alternative was that the man in front of him was so fast, that Nero hadn''t seen him move at all!


    But how could there be no afterimage or trace at all? No matter how fast one moved, it couldn''t seem instantaneous, right? Then again, he was just musing on how versatile cards actually were.


    Nero had his spear raised already by the time he finally got a good look at the man, and realised he knew who it was. It was the major incharge of their training. Why would the major himselfe here?


    Even if the incident here was detected, and the army responded, the major did not need toe personally. Even a sergeant was more than enough, to be honest.


    "Would you care to exin why there are two dead recruits and a dead invigtor on the ground?" the major asked, though his tone did not was moremanding than inquisitive.


    Numerous scenarios ran through Nero''s head as he tried toe up with a way to determine if the man in front of him was a part of the group that tried to enve him, or if he really was just investigating.


    "It''s gravity, it pulls things towards the ground. Pretty wild stuff."


    The man''s neutral expression turned to a frown, but quickly returned to its normal state. He locked eyes with Nero and asked another question.


    "The wounds on the invigtor''s body match your spear. How were you able to kill him?"


    "Pretty easily," Nero answered. It wasn''t that he was trying to antagonise the major on purpose, but that he was trying to buy some time while he thought of a solution. Although he had not hesitated to face an Initiate, hecked confidence in the face of someone who was either an Arcanist or Mystic. He did not know how to be sure that-


    The man disappeared. He vanished from right in front of Nero''s eyes, and before he could even begin to search for him, he felt a smack on the back of his head.


    "This is the army, not high school. Give me a proper answer when I ask a question, not one-liners," the major said, standing behind him. "Now, exin what happened here."


    "You''re not allowed to touch your subordinates," Nero muttered under his breath. It was a rule in the army. Training, punishment and even ragging were prettymon in the army, especially for new recruits. It was seen as a rite of passage. But such things had a way of escting rapidly, and so a few such rules had been created for the sake of new recruits'' safety.


    Usually, they were implemented very strictly, but if a senior officer went around the rules, nobody could really say anything.


    "Do you think this is a joke, recruit?" the major asked, his voice finally taking on a tinge of anger. "There are three corpses on the ground and you''re holding the murder weapon. Give me one good reason why I shouldn''t arrest you right now?"


    Nero turned to look at him, and in his eyes was not wariness but anger.


    "Why don''t you tell me why I was attacked by an invigtor and two other recruits, trying to enve me?" he demanded, and then held up the Leash & Cor card for the major to read. There was no chance that the card was being used by Nero because it was a 3 star card, and there was no way he could use it anyway.


    "If I was attacked, who is to stop others from getting attacked? In fact, how do I know you''re not behind this, huh? What better way to secretly enve the new recruits than to send them into the goddamn forest without any training and unsupervised? Because if this wasn''t some genius plot to get away with some shady business, then it must be some real goddamn ipetence."


    Liam''s expression did not change at all as Nero used him of being a mastermind. He also did not miss the way Nero built a small distance between them, and positioned his spear defensively. It was subtle yet masterful.


    "There''s three dead bodies on the floor, one without a head, and you say you''re not trained?" Before Nero could respond, he felt a tug, and the next thing he knew, the spear in his hands was gone! It had just¡­ disappeared! When he looked up, he found the major standing a few metres from him, holding the spear over his shoulder.


    "You were not unsupervised. All recruits are being monitored from the base, and are assigned a team of rotating invigtors," Liam exined. He did not really need to exin, but he could tell getting Nero to cooperate would be a hassle if he didn''t - he could see it in his eyes. Even against Liam himself, Nero was ready to put up a fight.


    "I''m exining this to you because I want you to understand I know that you could not hide such a fight from being noticed, so you''re not a suspect. But I''m going to take you and your team back, and everyone is going to be interrogated. It is in your best interest to be as forting about what happened here as possible. I cannot protect you if you try to hide things from me."


    Nero clenched his jaw as he tried to consider his options. The truth was, he would need to trust someone, or at least appear to. He nodded.


    "Oh, and I tolerated your insubordination right now because I understand you''re wound up. But don''t ever talk to me like that again."


    As if to show he meant business, the major held up his spear and snapped it in two! That was a Victus-3 spear, meaning it was made of a special alloy blend from the Victus series. It was both strong and slightly flexible. Unlike swords, which could break more easily if they took too much damage, metal spears almost never broke under normal circumstances.


    For major Liam to just snap it with only his hands¡­ that was a disy of strength Nero could not quantify. He was certain that even Arcanists should not have been able to do something like that. Heck, even Mystics should not have been that powerful!


    The iprehensible disy of strength, apanied by the speed Nero could not understand were both more than enough for Nero to understand that he had no hope of surviving if the major meant to harm him. Even one of those alone was enough topletely defeat him. With no other option, Nero could only trust him, and hope for the best.


    He looked one more time at the corpses on the floor. Charles'' entire neck and head had been blown off, leaving behind only a corpse with no head. The other two were not exactly a pretty sight to look at either.


    Nero finally dropped his guard, knowing that he could do nothing else in his current situation, and let himself think about the fact that he had killed humans. Many ex-soldiers he''d talked to mentioned that killing people was an uneasy, soul wrenching experience that one never got over. Others talked about it with maniacal excitement, bordering insanity.


    But Nero felt neither. He didn''t feel indifference either, though. Instead, he likened the feeling of killing someone like crossing an item of a checklist of things to do. It was just that - another thing he had to do.


    In his defence, not that he needed one, he had warned Henry and Charles about what he''d do. They should have listened.


    "The masked guy mentioned one other recruit who was being targeted - rissa Hunter," Nero suddenly said. "There might be even more recruits that they''re targeting, but I only know of her."


    "I''ll take care of it. For now, it''s time to take your team back. All of you will be questioned individually, but you''re not in any trouble."


    Nero finally looked away from the corpses and walked up to his shelter. Inside, everyone was still asleep, which gave Nero pause. Among all the cards he checked, he hadn''t found the one which put all his teammates to fall asleep.


    Had they used some kind of ability? But that didn''t make sense. He assumed Henry or Charles were the ones who somehow knocked everyone out, and their abilities should not have worked in that way. His eyes shed, and before waking anyone up, he looked through the belongings of the two recruits, but found no card.


    That meant that there was at least one more person in his team who could have been working with them, or one more person who hadn''t revealed themselves outside.


    He made a mental note to mention that to the major, then started to wake everyone up. This dreadful training in the forest was finally over.

 Chapter 117: 64 days

    The major had already informed Nero of the story they were going to go with. Charles and Henry had not attacked Nero, but had worked with him against an unknown traitor, and died in the line of duty. That would be the official story, and beyond that he was not allowed to share any other details with anyone for the time being.


    He''d also handed over all the cards he''d collected from the three corpses, not that he had any use for them. If he were not a recruit, and had free time, he could have gone and sold the cards to a remation shop. They werepletely qualified to take in random cards people bought, and Nero was sure that if trap cards were an issue they would have ways of identifying them.


    But that was no longer a concern. The rest woke up pretty easily, though the ones who were supposed to have been on guard immediately noticed that something was amiss. They didn''t even remember falling asleep, and they knew for certain that they hadn''t woken up the next shift. They immediately became alert, something Nero appreciated.


    Maybe in the future, once they learned about how two of their teammates bravely died in the line of duty, they would realise how dangerous the situation had been.


    Being sparse with details, Nero only told them that they needed to head back to base, escorted by the major. So when they exited the shelter and found three corpses on the ground they were incredibly shocked and horrified.


    Taylor, specifically, had the oddest reaction though none of the others seemed to notice. She stared at Henry and the headless corpse for a while, before her gaze locked onto Nero, and her breathing became a little heavy.


    Wendy waspletely nonchnt. In fact, the only thing she was even looking for was Nero''s spear. No one else seemed to have noticed that it was missing, but she couldn''t believe he was taking a single step without it in hand. Oddly enough, she couldn''t find it anywhere.


    The major escorted them back, which sped up their return considerably. For whatever reason, most animals started to avoid them, and cursed nts stayed dormant as they passed. From time to time, Nero noticed that the major disappeared momentarily, before returning to his spot.


    Nero became almost certain that the major had a teleportation ability of some kind, or at least a card, which was much more believable. After all, it wasmon knowledge that all space based abilities were monopolised by the Ayubi family, which was the ruling family of Dolziya. While they were happy to sell cards, they would never allow the ability to leave their family.


    But as they were nearing the base a leaf was randomly falling from the canopy. Nero spotted it, and moved with the intention of avoiding it, but then spotted the major disappearing again, and then returning. It was another great disy of teleportation, except for the fact that other than the major''s appearance and disappearance, Nero noticed one other significant change.


    The leaf had been in the air, but as soon as the major disappeared, by the time Nero noticed, which could have been at most a split second, the leaf was nearly touching the ground. When the major reappeared, the leaf had already joined the mulch covering the forest floor.


    Eventually, they returned to base, and Nero was not surprised to learn that they were one of thest to return, though still not exactly thest. They were also the only ones who came back carrying body bags.


    Rumours no doubt began to spread, but none of them had a chance to learn about them, as they were all immediately escorted to a building for questioning. Nero was personally questioned by the major, alongside one other person who did nothing save sit in the room silently. It did not take a genius to guess that he had some kind of ability that detected lies.


    Nero, for one, didn''t mind, and shared everything with the major truthfully, starting from when he identified Henry and Charles, all the way until he met the major, sparing no detail.


    He even exined his own thought process through each step, exining how he had been baiting whoever had been targeting him.


    There was only one thing Nero did not mention, which is the simrity he felt between the masked man, and the terrorists who attacked AAB. There was no point in mentioning it, since he had no proof of anything.


    There was one more, very important reason why Nero so openly exined everything to the major. He was hoping to impress the major, now that he had decided to trust him, so that Nero would get preferential treatment, and more importantly, better and more focused training.


    But, a few hourster, when Nero was surprisingly told he was free to return, and that he just needed to remember not to share any details of what transpired with anyone else, he did not realise just how effective his strategy had been.


    The only thing on his mind at that time was to meet his redheaded friend and have a little chat with him about his background.


    The major watched Nero leave, then turned to look at the corporal who was sitting beside him the entire time.


    "He did not lie a single time, nor was he invasive with any question. He didn''t even make up anything, which meant that he really had been nning all those things he mentioned, and hadn''te up with them after the fact to make himself look better," the corporal answered with a hint of surprise in his voice.


    "Right. You may leave," he said, and then watched the soldier exit. Once he was alone in the sealed room, he took out a card and activated it. A ck screen appeared in front of him, and for a few moments, it stayed that way, until finally the face of a mature, yet stunning woman with multicoloured hair appeared.


    Upon seeing Liam, she broke into a loving smile.


    "Little Liam, it''s good to see you. It''s not often you give this olddy a call. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"


    "Grandmother, I have found a promising young recruit, a Neophyte. He has already racked up a body count of three, with two being other presumed enved Neophytes and one infiltrator Initiate, while suffering minimal wounds that had no diminutive effect on hisbat capability in the short term.


    I will forward you the After-Action report, but he has disyed all the qualities desired in an officer."


    "That''s wonderful news, and at such an opportune time. I almost hesitate to ask if there is a catch."


    "Yes, there is. Sage Haiden already has his eye on him, and has publicly given him amendation."


    The woman''s smile quickly turned into a scowl at the name of the sage. Clearly, the prestige attached to his name did not hold much sway with her. She grumbled for a minute, then turned back to Liam.


    "I''ll talk to Haiden myself. Unless he has something quite extreme in mind, there is no reason why we cannot share. In times of scarcity, we have to make do with what we have."


    For a moment the woman paused, seeming as if she suddenly had an idea. She took a few moments to consider, then turned her gaze back towards Liam.


    "Livebat experience at the Neophyte level is rare. How do you think hepares to the Heralds? Or the kids from our family?"


    "I doubt he had received the same level of training or education as the kids from great families, but his ruthlessness is not something that can be taught. Even against me, despite realising that he was hopelessly unmatched, he was ready to fight to the death at any moment."


    "Excellent. I canpromise with Haiden, but no one else. If hecks any training, then start giving him a crash course, and start teaching him how to lead a team. ording to our estimates, the fog around the ruins will start retreating in around 64 days. By then, make him the best that we can get. Liam, this is our family''s greatest opportunity.


    We cannot miss this chance."


    "Yes, grandmother. I should also mention, the army was infiltrated¡­"


    "Bah, those bloody swine Dolziyans! Infiltrations is Christina''s department, go talk to one of hers. I''ve heard those brats from Whisper Guard have brought out one of their prized agents they had tucked away. They''ve caught quite a lot of these worms. They can help you out."


    Liam nodded, and ended the spell. 64 days. That''s how many days they had tost before they could continue exploring the ruins.


    During that entire time they could continue to be attacked from all sides. It was going to be a tough few weeks - for everyone involved.


    Liam took out another card and summoned another screen. It was time to have his entire base vetted for spies and infiltrators. At the same time, they had to begin checking everyone for marks from Leash & Cor.

 Chapter 118: Gabriella Anzem

    The bus ride back to base was uneventful, mainly because the bus was nearly empty, and did not include anyone he knew. Wendy and the rest had already returned before him, since his interrogation took longer than everyone else''s.


    By the time he left the forest behind and returned to the city it was early evening, and though it had been a long day for him, he felt strangely energetic. Or maybe it was restlessness. Try as he might, he could not figure out the reason for him feeling like this, so he merely closed his eyes and began to reflect on the day.


    His decision to be forting with Liam was not a mere whim. During their walk back, he had long enough to contemte the ramifications of his actions. Regardless of whether he shared all the details or not, the organisation behind Henry and the rest would no doubt have him marked as a target now. They tried to enve him and he sessfully resisted.


    Following that, he could guess their line of action. Their cover was blown, so they had to eithery low or think of alternative ways toplete their goal.


    If the organisation, if it indeed was an organisation rather than a single powerful individual controlling everything or something of the sort, then they would technically have no reason to continue targeting Nero. The only circumstances they should technically considering after him is if they wished to silence him so that he could not share what he knew, or if they wanted revenge.


    By divulging everything, he eliminated the possibility of silencing him to keep his knowledge secret, though he could do nothing to eliminate the possibility of revenge. Still, it was most likely that they would focus on their ultimate objective rather than focusing on something that could furtherpromise them in this precarious situation like revenge.


    There was still the possibility that they needed him specifically to fulfil some role, but he saw that as unlikely.


    That meant his current position was that he had offended someone unknown, but was not in any imminent danger, should things proceed logically.


    So, he had done everything based on logic. But there was one more reason he had shared everything. He wanted the organisation caught - he wanted them found, and the identity of the true mastermind behind everything revealed. That''s because he wanted revenge!


    Maybe Nero was a little too focused on getting revenge for everything, but not only had they threatened his life and tried to enve him, but they ckmailed him using his friends and family! He absolutely could not just let that go!


    Nero suddenly opened his eyes, finally realising why he felt restless. It was because time and time again, when someone wronged him, Nero had no recourse but to tolerate it for the time being until he was in a position of strength. Sure, technically, this time he ended up killing the people who wronged him. But they were merely a tool used by those who were still hidden!


    Once he realised the cause, Nero spent the remaining time trying to meditate and calm himself. There was no good solution to this problem right now, so it was best not to dwell on it. By the time he reached the base, finally, he had returned to his normal self.


    He was more or less free for the rest of the day, which meant he immediately went and searched for Gabriel, who was sitting in the mess hall with his own team. They were all unfamiliar faces, so Gabriel introduced them to each other and they spent some time talking about how their mission went.


    Nero contributed as well, mentioning his numerous encounters with curses, though he mentioned nothing of what happened at night. Eventually, once enough time had passed, he asked for Gabriel toe aside for a small time since he had something private to talk about.


    Once they retreated to somewhere they would not be overheard, and Gabriel used a spell to cover them with a sound isting bubble, Nero got right to the matter at hand.


    "So, Anzem, huh?"


    Gabriel froze,pletely unprepared to be confronted. He was expecting Nero to give him an update on the Henry and Charles situation. Last they talked, back before the missions, Nero briefed him about them and told him that there might be some kind of trouble.


    From the look of things, there had been trouble, though he could not tell how exactly that ended up with the revtion of his origin.


    Then he sighed. There was no point in denying it, now that it had been revealed.


    "Don''t assume it means anything all too much. If I had any preferential treatment, I wouldn''t have left anyway."


    Nero did not respond immediately and only gave him a look that portrayed disbelief.


    "Gabriel, such an interesting name, don''t you think? It wouldn''t have anything to do with Gabrie Anzem, would it?"


    Gabriel gave him an irritated and exasperated look, before he sighed and leaned back against the wall as he mentally prepared himself for what was toe.


    "She is the sister of my great, great grandfather," Gabriel admitted. "I was named after her. But herst name changed, she¡­"


    "Yes, yes, how could I not know. Gabrie Anzem changed herst name to Kade when she got married to Morphius Kade, shortly before giving birth to Donivan Kade. Thedy who is married to one sage, and gave birth to another. How could I not know about her? You know she''s taught about in history ss in every single year from grade 1 to high school!"


    Gabriel rubbed his temples as if massaging away a headache, though it was more theatrics than anything else.


    Morpheus Kade was the Chief of Army Staff of Kr, which meant that not only was he a sage, he was basically the leader of the entire army, and by extension, all of Kr. He was also known as the strongest Sage in all of Kr, and some even said in the entire world.


    His first son, Donivan Kade, also became a sage, making the Kade family one of the strongest families in the world with two living sages in them! Although little was known about Sage Donivan, it was a fact that he was a sage! If reaching that stage was so easy, all sages would have their kids be sages as well! But such a thing could not be forced!


    Thedy who married Morpheus, back when he was just a young man with an uncertain future, andter gave birth to Donivan, was from the Anzem family. Although the Anzem family itself technically had no sages, one could also say that they had two sages through Gabriel.


    For Gabriel to be from that family exined why he was so well connected, though Nero could only guess at why he would leave all that behind ande to live in the middle of nowhere.


    After all, prior to the ruins that appeared suddenly outside Aetherpeak, it was just one more random city in the country. It was not particrly important, though it was not insignificant either. It was middling at best.


    "If you don''t want to borate then that''s fine, but¡­"


    "No, no, now that the cat''s out of the bag, there''s no point in hiding anything. My position in the family is not so great to begin with, though that''s not the issue. The issue is that my cousins are far superior to myself, and while I don''t necessarily get suppressed by the family, I don''t get any special favours either.


    "Moreover, due to my cousin''s excellent performance, all special attention and nurturing goes to them. If I stayed in the family, all I would ever amount to is my cousin''s assistant or helper - some no name, misceneous member of the family with no achievement save for myst name.


    "So I decided to venture out on my own. I might be losing out on the special nurturing of the family, but I''m also not getting their special protection. My experiences are my own, and they are all very real. If a safe and nurturing environment is what it took to make a sage, then we''d be flush in sages by now. Instead, it''s only by facing dangers and oveing them that there''s a chance for it."


    For a moment Nero did not respond, and looked at Gabriel suspiciously.


    "Still, I can think of less extreme ways to get your own experiences."


    Gabriel sighed once more, making it his third time in this conversation, before he exined.


    "My dad became crippled when he was in the Initiate level, and has been depressed ever since. My mother only married my father for the family name and money, and everyone knows it. That''s why she named me after Lady Gabrie, hoping it would gain her attention. They''re both just¡­ caught up in their own things. Being around them holds me back from being everything I can be, Nero.


    I''m going to be the first sage in my family, or I''m going to die trying. I am not satisfied with living a life as pathetic as theirs."


    A heavy silence fell between the two until, eventually, Nero sighed.


    "Sage should no longer be your target," he said, locking eyes with his depressed friend. "There''s going to be a higher level than sages soon, and if we''re aiming for something, we should be aiming for the peak."

 Chapter 119: Lorilem

    "So do Anzem''s have red hair?" Nero asked to settle the mood. Clearly, recalling his parents was not a pleasant experience for Gabriel, so he was trying to lighten the mood. "I''ve never heard of that, though to be fair, I''ve not heard much about them at all."


    "No, it''s because of my mom," he said, sounding depressed. "Don''t ask what her ability is because even I don''t know. My own ability is no clue either, because it''s a mutation born from both my parents abilities. So I have no idea what her ability is.


    I just know that it is valuable enough for the family to ept her marriage with my dad even though it''s tantly obvious all she cares about is money."


    For a brief moment, Gabriel looked even more depressed. But then he recovered, showing no signs of his previous demeanour.


    "How did you learn about this anyway? I thought you had your hands full with the Henry and Charles stuff. By the way, I''ve already found out about their usual group of friends, so we can keep an eye on them as well."


    "Oh, I actually found out about this because of them. Their associate mentioned it right before I killed them all. Don''t ask, I''m not allowed to say."


    Nero smiled, feeling good about turning the ''don''t ask'' around on Gabriel. But, unexpectedly, Gabriel did not look annoyed at Nero for doing that. Instead, he just looked like he was lost in thought.


    "What?" Nero asked.


    "Nothing. I was just thinking that I''m going to really enjoy it when my cousinse here and I have them beat you up."


    Nero snorted.


    "As if they could," he said, though if anything, after his recent battle, his confidence in himself had actually dropped. When things were limited to just a physical fight, Nero was more than confident at winning. But he had seen how abilities and cards couldpletely change the oue of a battle first hand, which is why he knew that to remain confident would actually be arrogant.


    For example, Wendy had never won a fight against him, even when she only used non-lethal venom so she was technically still using her abilities. But with her help, he was able to easily take down an Initiate. Thebination of various abilities and countless skills brought about possibilities that he could not ount for no matter how he nned and prepared.


    The only way he would be able to regain some of his former confidence is if hepletely reanalysed hisbat style and paired it with countless cards. It would also help if he fought against others with various abilities so that he could raise his experience level.


    Hopefully he had been able to impress the major enough with his performance to get specialised training or attention, because now that he identified the area he needed to improve in, he had to figure out how to address it.


    The following day, much to Nero''s delight, he got exactly what he wanted. He, along with a few others, were shortlisted for extremely specialised training that was specific to each of them.


    Wendy and Taylor were put on a different fireteam so that they could continue their regr training, while Nero was trained in one thing, and one thing alone. It was not leadership or decision making or anything like that. Nero was taught solely how to fight other Eldrim card masters, as well as curses and monsters!


    A weekter, Nero was brought out of training to be interviewed under extremely unusual circumstances. The major instructed him to cooperatepletely, and share exactly what had happened in the forest, exactly as he told the major, then he was brought to a room that waspletely pitch ck.


    If there was someone in that room, he could not tell, at least until a nondescript voice asked him to begin his tale.


    Without stopping, Nero repeated the story, without being interrupted even once. Even though he spent a lot of time in the room, and his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see nothing of the room or the man who was inside it with him.


    Then, without warning, there was a sh of light, leaving Nero dazed and disoriented. He felt like something else had happened, but he could not recall. That was the end of the interview, and the incident was never mentioned again.


    Nero''s training continued, and as time went by, the atmosphere started to be more and more sombre. Stories from the warfront starteding in, and they weren''t all good. There were two more battles involving sages that were publicly known.


    The situation was bing dire. Ordinarily, Kr would have pushed to retaliate under such brutal attacks, but they could not afford to loosen security around the ruins.


    Like that, five more weeks went by, but even as the mood in the country got darker, Nero only focused on his own training. How could he not? The major got Nero a personal artisan towards the end, and then he really began to explore all the possibilities.


    *****


    Spring hade, and it was always a deadly time for everyone, though this year it was even moreso. The rising temperatures also resulted in more humidity, but up in Lorilem everyone was used to it.


    In fact, the locals of the area were hardly bothered by it, because every facet of life in Lorilem revolved around the River Jin, and Lake Natura. When half of them spent most of their time under the water, no matter how humid it got, they hardly noticed.


    Ordinarily, Marilyn hated the humidity. Back when she was serving, every time she would have toe to Lorilem for anything, she would loathe the weather even more than the people, or the extremely rigid grid like structure in which the city was arranged.


    Though the buildings in each district were coloured differently, in an attempt to veer away from the depressing, very literally grey past of the city, she found the extreme conformity the city demonstrated in every aspect to be quite soulless. Each building had a nearly identical design, owing to its very efficient use of space, reaching the maximum allowed height of six stories.


    Each street had the exact same number of buildings, the exact same number of streetmps, the exact same length, the exact same pattern of sidewalk, exact same¡­


    Or perhaps she was simply finding excuses to justify her bias. She just didn''t like Lorilem, and it had nothing to do with the fact that her family had been driven out of this city when she was young. The city was simply soulless.


    But her trip this time around, Marilyn had no time at all to dwell on her distaste. Her treatment was not one where she would lie in bed and be pumped full of medicine. No, a Mystic Orchardist treated her, and she had to be awake for the whole process, informing the Mystic about everything that was happening in her body.


    Were anyone else to find out about this, they would be incredibly confused, as Orchardists ordinarily had nothing to do with the medicinal arts. That was normally considered an Ayuervedists domain. But Marilyn had to work with an Orchardist due to the special nature of her body, as well as the origin of her injury.


    It was a long, and extremely painful and gruesome process, as the Orchardist grew various nts inside her body that would sometimes harm, and sometimes help her. But halfway through her treatment something unexpected happened.


    The army found her, and informed her that she had been reinstated to her former position due to the war. Before she could protest, they informed her the army wouldpletely finance her recovery, and then reced the Mystic Orchardist with an Ascendant one.


    It took him only seven minutes to heal her more thoroughly than she had ever even hoped. Not only could she once more cultivate, she also regained her ability to bear children once more - something she had lost when she became injured.


    But she had no time to celebrate. As soon as she was fully healed, she once again took up her position in the army, and her first mission was one she had nned on undertaking to begin with, though her original n was to do it secretly. It was to break through the Arcanist realm and enter the ranks of Mystics.


    She had prepared for this event already, but hermanding officer was no miser, and maximised her chances by providing her with the best support possible.


    Today, weeks after she began, Marilyn finally opened her eyes. She did not feel the exhaustion that gued her body, nor the sweat that covered her face. No, she only felt the rising might in her chest that signified her new rank. Today, finally, after so many years, she had broken through to the rank of Mystic, with the profession of Monarch.


    Over the next hour, as she got used to her power, a dangerous gleam began to develop in her eyes. She had reached Mystic, next was Ascendant, and then it would be time for blood.


    She exited the room to find that a soldier was standing there, waiting for her with a folder in hand.


    "How long have you been waiting here?" she asked, her voice naturally beginning to carry themand and influence that came with the Monarchs passive ability, not that it mattered. The soldier would have answered her anyway.


    "I''ve been here since you went into retreat ma''am, though the mission I was holding to give to you has changed twice in that time. This is thetest one. It arrived this morning."


    Marilyn took the envelope and opened it, and found a kill order. How nostalgic.


    "Would you happen to have updates about my husband and my son?" she asked, even though she knew he would.


    The man handed her another folder. This one had more pages than even her actual mission.

 Chapter 120: Training over

    "That''s enough!" a voice suddenly stopped Nero in his tracks. Well, the voice as well as the massive wall of stone that suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his attack - not that it was needed. Perfect control over himself and his abilities was the foundation upon which Nero operated, which is why Nero''s mes stopped well before they touched the wall.


    Nero allowed himself a moment to remain as he was, his spear held in both hands, ready to strike. But then he ced the spear upright beside him, and stood up straight as he looked around the room.


    The tough, tiled floor was undamaged, unsurprisingly, though it could not escape the fate of being marred by countless scorch marks. A few recruitsy on the ground, unwilling or unable to get up, their weapons littering the floor. One particr sword had even shattered, its many pieces reflecting the shine of the floodlights aimed at the stage.


    Around the stage were countless seats, though at this time of night most of the seats were empty. Of the few that were upied one belonged to Nero''s personal artisan, who was watching and taking notes of how he used his cards, one belonged to hisbat trainer, who had been teaching Nero about the dangers ofbat against card masters, and two belonged to people Nero had never seen before.


    He did not know who they were or why they were here, but he was not really in a position to ask questions. The past six weeks had been the toughest and most intense weeks of his life. He could say without hesitation that no training he had ever done, on his own or even with Footer, came close to what he experienced in these few days.


    It was excruciatingly difficult, and though Nero did not waver, he found it incredibly difficult to believe that this was the kind of training so many people experienced. It humbled him a little, for he had longe to believe that his will power was well beyond others.


    It was absolutely inhumane training, and its results spoke for themselves. The six other recruits who had just suffered defeat at his hands were proof of that.


    Nero turned to his trainer, who had erected the defensive wall in front of thest recruit, and waited for his instruction. There was always something he could have done better, and his trainer never hesitated to point it out.


    He was absolutely merciless, and if Nero didn''t learn something after being instructed just once, he would train with Nero personally to ensure that the lesson was driven home.


    Fortunately it was not an issue he had to face many times. But to his surprise, for once, his trainer did not speak. Instead, he turned to the two unknown men and discussed something in a hushed tone. Once the conversation was concluded, they departed, allowing the trainer and artisan to approach Nero.


    "Congrattions recruit, your training is over," hisbat trainer said. "Although you''re not nearly at the level I would like, circumstances do not afford us more time. Go get some rest. Tomorrow you undergo medical evaluation to determine your fitness level and check for any remaining damage from overexertion.


    After that, you have four days to get familiar with your new team and go over your mission objectives. Then you ship out."


    For a moment, Nero''s breath caught. He was finally being deployed. It was inevitable, but now he finally had a date for it. There was a tinge of nervousness in front of the unknown, even Nero could not deny that, but for the most part, Nero treated this with the utmost caution. His life was going to be on the line, so he couldn''t afford to take it lightly.


    Seeing that Nero did not have any strong reaction to the news, his trainer nodded.


    "You''re going to be returning to the rest of the recruits, and the situation there has changed a little while you were busy. Keep your nose clean, but most importantly, don''t disappoint me."


    Without exining further, his trainer turned around and walked away, leaving him to guess for himself what that meant. His training had not left him any time to contact Gabriel or anyone else for that matter, so he didn''t know what was happening, but he would find out soon.


    Nero was escorted away, and he finally had an opportunity to sleep without being woken up at an unreasonably early time. He actually slept for ten hours straight, even bypassing his body''s habit of waking up early, that''s how exhausted he was.


    But upon waking up fresh, he did not have the luxury to dwell on the feeling of being fully rested. Instead, he hurried to take a shower and then reported for his checkups. He did not need to be guided because over the past few weeks he had spent more nights in the hospital than his own bed.


    For all the hardships that he had to endure, he still remained in perfect health which caused more than a few doctors to brag about how skilled they were to him. Naturally, since he saw them so frequently, he had be friends with most of them.


    The examination was much more extensive than he would have expected, to the point where the doctors even detected that his tattoo wasn''t normal, though no one could ascertain its purpose. As long as it was not a curse, they did not mind.


    It waste at night when he finally got free. Something told him that the examination was for a lot more than just checking if he had anytent injuries. They were probably testing to see if he was fit for the special circumstances he might face in his mission. Or at least, that was Nero''s guess.


    The next day Nero no longer had the luxury of sleeping till he woke up naturally, and was woken even before first light. Due to the frequent need to face wild curses during his training, he had moved out of the base where the other recruits were, and now he had to return.


    He was driven back, and as soon as they entered the base Nero understood what his trainer meant when he said that the situation had changed.


    There were a lot more recruits now than when he had left, and Nero did not recognise most of them. Thousands of teenagers and young adults filled the base, and the sight of countless recruits runningps around the base, all with hair of various colours, formed quite a sight.


    Green, yellow, pink, blue and red hair could be seen everywhere, with the more natural colours of blonde, brown and ck actually being in the minority. That meant that most of these recruits had special elemental abilities.


    Nero tried to look for faces that he knew as he was driven through the base, but it was just too difficult to find them. No doubt if he used Arithmetic Perception, he would have had a much easier time, but the card was no longer avable to him. He had used it till its durability finished, and the spell model copsed.


    That was because card crafting was also a part of his training, and he had finally bepetent enough to craft his own innate cards. Unfortunately, though he knew he could probably seed now, he hadn''t had an opportunity to craft Radix Augmentation.


    A personal artisan was great for everything, but Nero wasn''t sure he could keep that a secret if he made such a card in front of such a person, and so he was forced to wait. He nned on making it the first chance he got, though.


    Fortunately, despitecking the card, his progress in absorbing the card had kept up, and he had managed to absorb about 8% of his innate card! He was almost at 10%, the first great threshold in the Neophyte realm and it only took a few months. Considering the fact that this amount of progress took others years, he really did turn out to have great talent in this regard.


    The car stopped, and Nero got off. It was ironic that this base was supposed to be where he spent most of his time during training, but it was the ce he visited least. It was for that reason he wasn''t familiar with thepleteyout.


    Fortunately, there was a soldier waiting to escort him to where he needed to go. They entered arge, square building and walked past what seemed like countless sses. In each room recruits could be seen sitting in chairs paying close attention to the speaker. Unbelievably, army training even turned teenagers into good students!


    Or maybe the ones collected here were already the best students in the country.


    Nero was brought to one such room, and as soon as he entered the entire ss turned to look at him. A disruption during ss might be unusual, so Nero didn''t think it was strange to be stared at, but the odd level of recognition he detected from so many people he didn''t know was not normal at all.


    Once more he was reminded about the words of hisbat trainer. He was told to keep his ''nose clean''. Did that mean his trainer thought that Nero had a reason to get into a fight? Was there something behind why so many people knew who he was?

 Chapter 121: Lumina

    Being looked at by an entire room full of recruits might give others pause, or even make them feel intimidated. But Nero did not even pause his steps and approached the lecturer alongside the escorting soldier.


    The lecturer did not seem to recognise Nero, but as soon as he read the folder that was handed to him his face snapped up and he looked at Nero with surprise.


    ''Yup, there was definitely something he didn''t know,'' Nero thought to himself.


    "You''re just in time," the lecturer said to Nero, his voice clearly tinged with a hint of favour. Whatever it was that Nero didn''t know, clearly it wasn''t a bad thing. "Have a seat. I was just about to begin the briefing."


    Nero nodded and walked to the only remaining empty seats which were all the way at the back.


    "Alright, pay attention everyone," the lecturer said, putting an end to the whispering and murmuring in the room. "I am now going to begin sharing all the pertinent information about the Eldrim ruins we have gathered so far, including all the obstacles our forces have faced inside of them.


    "The ruins were discovered months ago around 190 km south of Aetherpeak, following arge earthquake which caused a side of the mountain to copse. This actually contradictsmon sense, because the ruins being uncovered after the copse insinuates that the ''ruins'' were buried under the mountain, and so should be nothing more than rubble, but their state is perfect.


    "In fact we can confirm that the few copsed structures are a result of our uncovering efforts, and not because they were in that state when discovered. The ruins, because of their state, have been given the designation as Lumina city, or just Lumina, so that is how they will be referred to for the remainder of this briefing.


    "Studying theyout of Lumina, it can be concluded that the city continues, even under the remaining, uncopsed mountain, so efforts are already being made to remove the mountain in a way to avoid damaging the city underneath. But that has nothing to do with any of you. Instead¡­"


    The instructor turned around and disyed a picture of Lumina, the same one he saw long ago when he went to receive hismendation award. Everyone immediately realised what the issue was. Most of Lumina was covered in fog, and entering the fog was a death sentence. There had never been any exceptions.


    "Approaching the fog is strictly prohibited, and even if it wasn''t most people would not be interested in it anyway, which is why there is a certain phenomenon that most people don''t know about. No, I am not referring to the Fog Angel. Instead, I mean that as summer approaches, the wind patterns change, and that brings about changes in the fog as well."


    The lecturer changed the picture to one of all six countries surrounded by fog, and began drawingrge arrowsing from Nova, across Lake Natura, and towards the Aether mountain range.


    He split the arrows in different directions, but in general, the winds were always blowing towards the mountains. Nero''s eyes widened as he realised that this was something so obvious. How had he never thought of this before?


    "In the summer months, various jet streams are formed, which are basically just wind currents high in the atmosphere. But they also bring about winds closer to the ground, especially after crossing Lake Natura. The strange nature of theke means that we cannot determine why exactly the jet streams experience a change, but the result is the only thing we''re concerned with right now.


    "As ofst week, the effects of the Chinook jet stream, as we call it, have already been detected. The fog is beginning to move backwards, making more of Lumina essible. To those wondering, this natural cycle of the fog retreating cannot be manually recreated, as it is something that has already been attempted.


    Many of you are also going to be deployed, and as you can guess, your deployment is also rted to the retreat of the fog.


    "Lumina is divided into several levels. There is the ground level, the higher levels in the buildings up above, and the underground levels, or basement levels."


    The lecturer paused at this point, and his expression changed and became much more serious.


    "Although the fog will retreat on the ground and above levels, for reasons we cannot yet ascertain, a thinyer of fog continues to remain in all the basement levels. The reduced density of the fog does not, in any way, reduce the associated dangers of the fog¡­ at least for those above the Neophyte level."


    A sudden wave of understanding washed over all the recruits, and with it came a level of fear and apprehension. For as long as they have been alive, everyone has heard of the only thing that is definitely more dangerous than curses, and that''s fog.


    Not all fog is dangerous. No, only the fog that surrounds all six countries, keeping them trapped within the bowl shaped region, is dangerous. None who venture too deep evere back. Comparatively, at least curses, even abstract curses, leave a chance for whoever is affected to survive.


    But now, most likely, they were going to be sent into the fog. Even Nero was not immune to the effects of this news, though he maintained hisposure since he knew there was no point in sending them all to die in the fog - hopefully.


    The lecturer could clearly tell what was on everyone''s mind. He cleared his throat, attracting everyone''s attention back to himself.


    "Like I said, the fog does not affect Neophytes at all. This is something that has been confirmed already, time and time again. Hundreds of Neophytes have already entered the basement ande back, providing detailed reports of what they saw or experienced. Nothing suggests that the fog affects them in any way.


    "Unfortunately, that does not mean that the lower levels are safe. As countless curses have taken root there. Moreover, the more important portions of the basements still have functional Eldrim security protocols. Both of those are going to be your main obstacles.


    "Now I am going to begin detailing all the obstacles that our forces have faced in the basement. Remember them well, for you might have to face them in the near future. The first and mostmon obstacle is ess authority cards¡­"


    For the next two hours, the lecturer listed out, briefly, many of the problems that had been encountered in the basement, and they were not few. Ironically, the pristine condition of the city had actually be a detriment in exploring it, since many Eldrim structures were still operational even if no one understood how or why.


    The only piece of good news amongst all of that, really, was that if the curses became too strong, even they would be affected by the fog and killed off, so although they probably had to face hundreds if not thousands of curses, at least they wouldn''t be too far beyond their means to handle.


    Nero listened carefully, memorising each and every detail, and noticed that everyone in the same room as him paid the same amount of attention. While such a thing should be normal, in practice, most people were not able to stay focused on one subject for a long time. They would naturally get distracted, or lost in their own thoughts.


    It was a small detail, but it let Nero know that the recruits in that room were definitely the cream of the crop. They all carried themselves with an air of confidence, but when it came time to pay attention, they were not arrogant at all and seriously listened. Eventually, the briefing came to an end - not because they had learnt all the problems they were going to face.


    Rather, it was because they would now be divided into groups, and each group would be focusing on a different part of the various basement levels. No one knew how many levels there were, but the army had already confirmed four.


    Instead of knowing everything about the entire city, it would be better to simply focus on the regions where they would be deployed.


    It made sense, though Nero also got the feeling that even though they had shared sensitive information, they were trying to keep the really sensitive information as locked down as possible.


    Nero got up, but immediately noticed that a number of recruits near him were staring at him. Well, there was no point in picking a fight, so he might as well pick a friendly route.


    He walked up to three recruits close to him who were openly staring at him, and with a smile said, "Hey, my name is Nero, though I sense you guys might already know that. Would you mind sharing why everyone is looking at me? I hope I didn''t forget to shave a patch of hair on my face."


    It was a poor joke, since Nero did not shave yet, but he hoped they''d respond to his friendliness, and they did. Just not in the way he was hoping.

 Chapter 122: Didnt see you there

    "Do you really not know, or is this just some poor way of gloating?" asked the first recruit, a boy with green coloured hair.


    "Don''t be rude, Jamie," said the second boy, who also had green hair, and bore a great resemnce to Jamie. "He''s a big shot after all. He has actual military merits, unlike us who''ve done nothing so far."


    The third boy, with light brown hair, shed Nero an apologetic smile and said, "please ignore these two idiots. They''re just jealous. All the recruits know about you after the Clear Path incident."


    Nero strained to keep his smile on. Even though the recruit with the brown hair answered him and was putting up a polite front, Nero could feel the mild hostility from his bodynguage.


    "The Clear Path incident? I''m afraid I don''t understand. I''ve been away training for a while, so I''m not caught up with everything that has happened. Would you mind enlightening me?"


    He was still being polite, though his friendliness had reduced drastically. Whether it was jealousy or something else, since they had disyed their hostility towards him, he would not forget them, though that did not necessarily mean he would act against them either.


    "You''re joking right?" asked Jamie. "How could you not even know?"


    "No, I don''t believe he is," said the other recruit with green hair, scrutinising Nero. "The Clear Path incident is pretty straight forward. Apparently there is an organisation called Clear Path, and they had enved 39 recruits from the draft, but the army found out about it.


    The details of the incident are not known, but somehow word got out that the reason the army even discovered those kids is because of you, and how you killed an Initiate member of the Clear Path.


    "After that, countless other ves, and members of the Clear Path have been detected in the army. So far it''s only limited to Neophytes and Initiates, but it was a pretty major incident. You''re definitely going to get service merits for your part in uncovering the scheme.


    Those 39 recruits¡­ well, I should say of the 20 recruits who are still stable enough to continue serving recruits, all of them have be great fans of yours. Apparently, they''ve been searching for you to thank you for helping to free them."


    Nero frowned as he realised the scale of this incident was muchrger than he expected! To secretly enve 39 recruits without being detected was no simple task. Nero could not conclude if there was insider help, or if the insider himself was a ve. Either way, this level of infiltration was unprecedented.


    But then again, considering what was on the line, it made sense that everyone was trying their best.


    "Thank you for sharing the details with me. I''m d I could help, however I could."


    Since the three weren''t exactly weing, Nero was about to turn to leave, but the brown haired recruit still had something he wanted to say.


    "Since you''ve clearly been¡­ busy¡­ I thought I''d warn you. Your feat of killing an enemy Initiate has spread amongst all the recruits, and many of the more¡­ let''s say self-confident recruits are irked by all the attention you''ve been getting, and have been looking to challenge you. But since no one could find you, all they could do is spread all sorts of rumours about you.


    There''s a good chance that someone might find trouble with you now that you''re back."


    Nero merely raised an eyebrow in curiosity.


    "I don''t have time to y games with children," Nero said, though his polite smile never wavered, and then with a nod, left.


    The Clear Path incident was shocking, but more concerning was why his involvement was leaked. Whoever had leaked it, and had painted him as the focal point of the incident was trying to create animosity between him and Clear Path - even more than there already was.


    What was their purpose in targeting him? Who had done it? And why hadn''t anyone told him about it?


    Nero left the lecture room with those thoughts, ignoring everyone looking at him. He could imagine that word of his arrival would quickly spread. Considering that hundreds if not thousands of teenangers had gathered here, despite the increased demand for discipline, he could easily see someone finding some way to challenge him.


    It would be annoying, but the best thing to do would be to respond immediately and convincingly to deter any more inconveniences.


    After the briefing, he had been informed that he had to go to his team to receive more mission specific details, but he had no idea who his team was. He hadn''t had enough time to meet them, not to mention that trust would be a serious concern now. After all, it wasn''t necessary that all members of Clear Path had to be enved!


    What if they had other, normal members among the recruits? They''d already proved theirpetence in infiltrating the army, so there was no reason to believe they''d only done so with ves. After all, where there were ves, there had to be vers.


    Although some had been caught, had all of them been caught?


    These were questions he was not going to easily find answers to. But first he had to find out who his team was? So he had to look for the major, or maybe sergeant Dan, who had been leading the training camp.


    But as he navigated the building, he spotted something that gave him pause.


    There was a recruit with a particrly bulky figure, much more so than anyone Nero had seen before. That in itself was not enough to give him pause, since not all recruits were teenagers. The only criteria being Neophytes meant that there were even some recruits in their early 20s, which would naturally give them more time to grow and develop.


    No, what gave him pause was that the tall, bulky recruit had purposely tripped Ss, and then put his foot on his face, squeezing it down.


    Ss'' scream was audible even over the crowded corridor, which naturally drew everyone''s attention. Everyone paused where they were, and those who were close moved back, forming a small circle around them.


    "Ah, Ss, what are you doing on the ground?" the bulky recruit asked, his foot still on his face. "I totally didn''t see you there. Oh dear, it seems like you''re hurt."


    Finally, the bulky recruit removed his foot, revealing Ss'' bloody face.


    Even though Nero was far away, he saw everything clearly, and heard every word. Oddly enough, Nero didn''t feel angry. He had never encountered the scene of his friends being bullied before, so he always imagined that it would cause him to erupt into a rampage. But instead, like he did so often before battle, his emotions becamepletely calm and he became level headed.


    Calmly, and without any urgency, Nero walked through the crowd and approached the scene. No one seemed to pay him any mind. Everyone was focused on what was happening in the circle.


    Therge recruit had picked up Ss off the ground now, using his cor, and was holding him up in the air.


    "Why don''t you say anything, Ss? I''m telling you, lying on the ground like that is not a good habit. Or wait, were you trying to get a peak under some skirts? I didn''t know that''s the kind of man you were."


    Ss, with a stream of blood leaking from his nose and tears running down his face, said nothing, and only red at the bulky recruit. His trembling, yet clenched fists revealed a resignation. Either Ss had experienced something simr before, or he knew he could not defeat the bulky recruit.


    What was everyone else doing though? How could there be no one in the entire hall who could not stand up to him? Nero did not believe that there wasn''t a single person with basic decency in the entire hall, so that could only mean the bug guy had an intimidating background.


    "Really Ss, next time you want to polish my shoes you don''t have to go about it in such a roundabout way. You can just say so and I''ll let you do it, preferably with a rag next time. I don''t want your saliva on my-"


    The bulky recruit suddenly felt something hit the back of his knee, causing his legs to buckle. He tried to keep himself from falling, but before he could do anything, he felt an arm wrap itself around his neck and pull him down.


    The sudden attack left him unable to respond. Falling, while being pulled down as well as choked overwhelmed him, especially since he had not been expecting someone to actually attack him!


    The next thing he knew, his body mmed onto the ground. Before he could get his bearings, Nero kicked him straight in the face, breaking his nose and his teeth.


    "Oh dear, I didn''t see you there," he said, feigning genuine rm. Then he picked up his foot and mmed it down on his neck.

 Chapter 123: Mistake of not fearing me

    The mood in the hall changed, and it changed drastically. When the burly man had been stepping on Ss'' face, or bullying him, or taunting and insulting him, the crowd watched in silence. Sure there was some expression of distaste and disgust. Some even looked horrified as they watched. Others just watched indifferently. There were even a few who snickered and joked.


    But themonality between all of those people was that none of them feltpelled to act in any way. No matter what their reasons were, the way they fell in line meant that they knew exactly what they were supposed to do, or what they were going to do in that given situation. Maybe the big guy had a habit of open bullying.


    But the moment Nero acted against him, everyone suddenly froze. Their muscles tightened up and a collective shock gripped the entire crowd, mixed in with mild horror. Nero took in everything around him, since he was on the lookout for anyone who might want to aid the big guy. But his gaze was thoroughly locked in on the big guy on the ground.


    His foot mmed down on his neck, choking him! If Nero had been even the slightest bit harsher, then the big guy''s windpipe would have definitely been crushed! As of now, he was only in shock, and choking.


    His face changed colour, turning red, and his eyeballs began to bulge. As quickly as he could he grabbed Nero''s foot, trying to remove it from his neck. He was strong, as was clearly evident from hisrge arms, but he could not even cause Nero''s foot to flinch, let alone move.


    He tried to speak, his eyes ring murder at Nero, but all he seeded in doing was sputtering, flicks of spitnding on Nero''s shoe.


    "Oh, I get it!" Nero eximed! "You want to polish my shoe. Why didn''t you say so? You know, spit is no recement for good quality polish. But if you''re so insistent, then I''ll let you do it."


    The recruits eyes began to bulge even more as he exerted more and more strength, but with him increasingly running out of breath, it was hard to exert any real pressure.


    "What the hell are you doing? Do you know who he is? Do you know who his dad is?" a recruit screamed as he began to approach Nero.


    "Not really," Nero answered,mely. "But, do you know who I am? Do you know who my dad is?"


    The recruit froze, feeling confused. Of all the things, he was not expecting such aeback? He really didn''t know who this guy was, but he surely wasn''t a nobody.


    "Nero, don''t do this," Ss said, wiping the blood off his face. "You''ll get in trouble. It''s not worth it."


    He tried to sound strong and brave, but his voice whimpered in the middle, revealing just how much pain he was in.


    Realisation suddenly dawned on everyone, and they realised that this was Nero who they had all heard about! But¡­ none of the stories said anything about his background. Was his dad someone impressive?


    Before they could respond, the burly recruit gave up on pushing Nero aside, and tried mming his leg instead. His face had turned blue by now and he was getting increasingly desperate.


    After a couple of hits without any response from Nero, he aimed for the testicles!


    Nero finally moved aside, dodging the attack and giving the burly man a chance to finally breathe.


    He took in a deep breath, and immediately started a coughing fit. By now, the other recruits had recovered as well. Even if Nero had an impressive background, some of them could not just ignore what had happened, and began to approach.


    "YOU-" the burly man roared, locking eyes with Nero, ready to fight, but he looked just in time to spot Nero''s leg right before he kicked him in the face again. He lifted up the man''s hand and twisted it, putting his body in a lock.


    "This is the hand you used to hold up Ss with, right?" Nero asked.


    "Nero don''t, he-" Ss began to panic now.


    The other recruits realised what was about to happen and rushed Nero, but they were not fast enough.


    Nero twisted, dislocating the man''s entire arm! Before he could do anything else, three other recruits attacked. But Nero was not exactly in a yful mood at the moment. He did not hold back at all, using aether maniption to boost his strength as he took advantage of their poor stance and retaliated.


    A clean, well connecting uppercut directly knocked out the first recruit, whereas a kidney punch dropped the second on the floor. The third recruit Nero took hold of by the hand he was punching with, and then turned, flipping the recruit over his shoulder and throwing him into the crowd.


    Nero''s retaliation barely took a second, but to the burly recruits credit, he had thoroughly realised the danger of the situation he was in, and had gotten back up on his feet. He even managed to forcefully relocate his arm, though the expression on his face revealed that he might not have enjoyed the experience.


    He did not try to yell at Nero this time, because he was still panting. Nero wanted to immediately attack once more, but he held back. Instead, he looked at Ss, the scrawny, beaten and bruised little artisan.


    "Ss, you don''t understand," he said, shaking his head. "You told me not to attack him because you''re worried that I might get into trouble."


    Nero turned to look back at the big guy, whose eyes were firmly locked onto Nero. He was using every avable second to recover as much as possible, thinking that he was taking advantage of Nero. Little did he know that this was time Nero was purposefully giving him to recover.


    "But when he raised his hands against one of mine, did he even feel a shred of fear?" Nero''s eyes, which had up until now beenpletely calm, finally turned cold.


    "Did he consider the consequences of crossing me? No, and that''s a mistake I intend to fix."


    Nero''s words weren''t just for the bug guy. They were for everyone, and as soon as he said his piece, Nero attacked.


    If before, everyone felt horror at seeing Nero attack, now they suddenly felt chilled. They didn''t know what exactly was different, but they all took another step back!


    Nero was a blur as he approached the recruit who towered over him, and though he did not have a spear, he was no less deadly with his fists!


    The recruit tried to block, but Nero was too fast,nding punches even through his defensive stance. The recruit tried to retaliate, but Nero was too strong, and each time a hitnded, the bug guy ended up flinching.


    The big guy roared and tried to kick, taking advantage of their closeness, but Nero simply turned to the side, and with a sweeping kick, knocked the recruit off his other foot, once again returning him to the ground.


    But this time, Nero did not intend to humiliate him. Just as he readied himself to punch down on his face, Nero felt a familiar surge of power erupt from down the hall, covering everyone!


    "Stop! What the hell is going on here?" someone roared. Simultaneously, Nero felt a force push him off the recruit and m him into the wall.


    Yet a timely maniption of his internal aether saved Nero from the majority of the impact against the wall, meaning he could still react.


    Without missing a beat, Nero stood up and loudly announced, "Sir! I spotted an attempted murder, sir! Suspecting the infiltration of a Clear Path ve trying to eliminate a high recruit, I immediately intervened, sir!"


    His voice was loud, and carried across the entire hall, reaching everyone. Suddenly, all the recruits'' expressions changed as the situation just went from apse in discipline to a murder and infiltration usation!


    Even sergeant Dan, who was approaching Nero and the burly recruit from down the hall, faltered when he heard the words.


    Maybe it was a bad habit, but Nero always knew exactly which lie would exaggerate the severity of any given situation. One day it would get him into trouble, and maybe today was that day, but the way he saw it, no one could deny that Nero might have possibly interpreted the situation exactly how he said it.


    After all, the big guy had attacked Ss in front of everyone! Alright, maybe his small speech about making the guy fear him might not support that theory, but Nero could still argue he meant Clear Path. After all, everyone knew that he was behind uncovering the massive infiltration.


    He did not choose to take the limelight for that - he didn''t even know about it - but that didn''t stop him from taking advantage of it.


    "Lies!" the burly recruit screamed, but before he could scream anything else, the sergeant arrived, followed by a dozen angry looking soldiers.


    "Bael, shut up!" the sergeant roared, looking particrly angry. "Restrain all of them! I want to know exactly what happened! And¡­ call the interrogator. We better check if they''re Clear Path."


    Bael, the big guy, suddenly went pale. After red and blue, that was the third abnormal colour his face was adopting in just a few minutes.

 Chapter 124: Two heroes at least

    Nero followed some soldiers, his hands bound in chains in front of him. His expression had long since returned to normal. In fact, he even seemed to be in a good mood as he smirked and turned to Ss, who was behind him.


    "This is not exactly how I imagineding back from special training would be like. I was imagining more along the lines of being given a super secret mission, assembling a top notch team, enjoying all the army perks. Though at least the part where I imagined being escorted by my own team of soldiers came true."


    Ss, who looked extremely worn and weak, trembled at Nero''s words, and whispered, "you shouldn''t talk! We''re going to get into even more trouble."


    "Trouble?" Nero repeated, wearing a curious smile, not even attempting to keep his voice down. "We''ve been drafted into the army, in wartime, to be sent into a fog and curse infested basement inside ruins that haven''t seen a living creature for thousands of years. What exactly can they do to us that''s more dangerous?


    Send us to a cursed zone that isn''t the target of invasion of every other country in the world?"


    One of the soldiers escorting them could not help but let a chuckle escape, though he quickly controlled himself. The others gave him a look, but he only shrugged. Nero''s nonchnce really eased the mood.


    "Anyway, who was that guy? Why was he picking on you?" Nero asked, keeping his tone casual. One could not tell he was talking about a guy he thoroughly beat up just a few minutes ago.


    "He¡­ he''s Bael Thomas, son of Dagon Thomas, and he''s my team captain."


    "Dagon Thomas? As in,mander of the eastern front Dagon Thomas?" Nero asked, surprised. Though he didn''t know why it was so surprising - everyone had kids, even famous people.


    "Now you know why I was telling you to stop," Ss said weakly. Dagon Thomas was a well-known military figure who had sessfully held the eastern border a few years ago when a massive Stygian rift opened in the border between the two countries.


    The man was considered a hero, and Nero had actually seen cartoons based on him! Who knew one day Nero would be beating up his son.


    "Are you saying my father isn''t impressive? The man has the courage to face my mom everyday! That''s got to be worth at least two heroes. He should be cowering before me! You didn''t mention why he was picking on you."


    "It¡­ it''s actually pretty simple. I was assigned to his fireteam, but obviously fighting is not my speciality, and Bael hates that. He thinks anyone who isn''t a good fighter ispletely useless. He wants me to quit his team, but that''s not really up to me. So he decided to take more creative measures to get me kicked from his team. But none of them worked.


    Nobody wants me to leave his team more than myself, but for whatever reason, they''re not removing me from his team!"


    Nero frowned a bit.


    "If he''s been doing stuff like that, how has he not been punished? What about the army''s discipline? How can they just ignore his actions?"


    "Actually¡­ he''s been punished multiple times! But each time, his punishment is limited to some kind of physical reprimand. After that, he''s right back to doing whatever he wants. I¡­ I can''t say for certain, but there are rumours that his father¡­"


    "Is this really the pce you two should be chatting?" one of the soldiers said, interrupting Ss.


    Nero was about to respond, but decided against it, and just decided to follow them silently. He hadn''t missed the timing of the soldier''s interruption. Clearly, nder, whether it was true or not, against a superior officer was not something that could be tolerated in the army. The soldier had saved Ss from a lot of trouble.


    They were taken into separate rooms and left there for a while. Nero closed his eyes and decided to catch up on some rest while he waited. The intimidation tactic of leaving him alone with his thoughts would not work on him at all. He was too well versed in these things, and even employed them in his day to day life.


    Some timeter, someone finally entered the room and the sleepy Nero reluctantly opened his eyes to see sergeant Dan and Major Liam both walking in. Nero immediately stood up, considering they were his superior officers, and then was immediately stunned. The major had a ck eye! How was it that he had an injury that hadn''t been healed yet? Did he just get it?


    "Was that really necessary?" the sergeant asked, sounding exasperated. "Deployment is just a few days away and we have our hands swamped with issues. We don''t need more problems to mess things up for us."


    During his training period, the major would send the sergeant to check up on Nero from time to time, so they had be somewhat familiar with one another. They''d made no secret of the fact that the reason why he was getting so much attention was that the major had a special mission nned out for him, when he was sharing his daydreams with Ss earlier, he wasn''t exactly joking.


    "It absolutely wasn''t necessary. If Bael had maintained discipline and not bullied Ss, none of this would have happened. I rmend strong action against him!"


    "Can you be serious for a minute?" Dan said, sitting in front of him. "Do you know the situation we''re in? Commander Thomas has already heard the news, and since he was in the middle of a redeployment, he was actually close to Aetherpeak. He''s on his way here now. If this issue blows up, it could affect a lot of ns. This could jeopardise our ns."


    Nero clicked his tongue. That was an issue he didn''t exactly seeing. All he could do was hope that the major could protect him and keep the situation from getting out of control. He even had fair reason to believe that the major could.


    After all, despite being an inferior rank whenpared to themander, the major''s background was more special. That had to carry some weight. After all, his was one of the families with a sage!


    "This is victim ming. He-"


    "Nero, you dislocated his hand, gave him a hairline fracture on his vicle, bruises on his ribs, not to mention the severe damage to the muscles in his neck," said the major, his tone not at all amused. "I assure you, he is very much a victim here. But he did also start this problem, which gives us leverage."


    "So, what does that mean for us?" Nero asked. He was thoroughly involved in the majors camp, so protecting Nero was his responsibility, especially since he needed Nero for a special mission. That was also one of the reasons why Nero had been so tant in his response. Otherwise, regardless of how angry he got, Nero would not risk his future over momentary anger.


    After all, revenge could be exacted at any time.


    Nero''s thoughts paused as he realised he was once again thinking of revenge. This could not be a healthy mindset. Then he shrugged.


    The major sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose.


    "The situation has already been resolved. When themanderes, he will meet with you and you will cooperate with his request. In case that wasn''t clear, that''s an order!"


    Nero clicked his tongue once more. So the issue had already been taken care of using back channels?


    But the fact that Nero would be forced to obey some request did not sound so great. But even Nero wasn''t so arrogant as to think he could cross Commander Dagon Thomas! Maybe, given time, sure. But right now he was less than a bugpared to the man. It would be best if they buried any hatchet. But the issue was not themander, but Bael.


    Nero fully expected some kind of retaliation from the guy. Maybe the request would be a part of it. He''d have to see when the time came.


    "Yes sir!" Nero said.


    "Good, now that''s enough of that. We''ve wasted a lot of time already, and because of your little stunt, we''ll have to waste more time on having an interrogator check you out as well in case there''s a Clear Path mark on you. So while we can, let''s discuss your mission."


    The major picked up a file and ced it on the table in front of Nero.


    "Or rather, missions. You will have three missions when you deploy, and all of them are very time sensitive. It''s best if you understand the details to the best of your abilities before hand, and prepare thoroughly."


    The major flipped open the file, and right on top was a very detailed map.


    "This is the first basement level under a building that we are calling a cathedral. This will be your first destination."

 Chapter 125: The first mission

    Cathedral. It was a word Nero knew and understood the meaning of, but it was also strangely alien. Religion as a concept was something Nero understood, but no one in the world of Neire was religious. Or rather, there were norgely followed religions in any of the countries.


    There was the odd cult here or there, worshipping curses or sages or whatever else they wanted, but those were in the minority.


    There was no particr reason for it either. It was just that in a world where death was around every corner, all anyone could focus on was finding ways to grow stronger. Sure, some religions cropped up over the years, and people prayed for strength, but since there was no one to answer those prayers, most of those people died, and those who survived stopped believing.


    Then again, there were also documented cases of people praying to curses, and then getting corresponding responses. That led to a surge in believers, and when the numbers wererge enough, the curse would eat them all, thereby ending the newly formed religion.


    In summary, Nero''s perception of religion did not match up with that of the Eldrim race, who were supposedly mighty and powerful, and extremely knowledgeable.


    But then again, he also noted that the major said that they were only ''calling'' it a cathedral, so there was a decent chance they too had no idea what the building''s original purpose was.


    "The cathedral is in the part of Lumina that we have already explored, but the issue is that none of our agents have been able to go deeper than the first floor. Yet we have reason to believe that some extremely crucial and valuable artefacts are stored in the lower levels."


    Nero took the map and studied it seriously.


    Theyout was¡­ surprisingly straightforward. He had been expecting a maze of some sort. But then again, maybe that was just his youthful imagination running wild.


    The stairs leading to the first level of the basement were clearly marked, and the stairs leading to the level further below were right next to it, as one would expect from a building with a sound architectural design. But if that was the case, why hadn''t they been able to proceed lower?


    When Nero looked up, waiting for the major to exin, he saw the major holding out his hand.


    "Everything you''re about to hear from now onwards is highly confidential. An oath of secrecy needs to be administered before we proceed."


    Nero nodded, and extended his still bound hands to the major and sped his hand. He felt something warm enter into his body.


    "Private Nero, under my authority, you are bound to secrecy in all matters rting to the missions you are about to receive. You may not divulge the information regarding this mission to anyone unless authorised by me, or unless someone bearing authorisation superior to minees alongside a dessification directive issued by Felix corp.


    For the duration of your mission, you may discuss relevant details only with your team members should the situation call for it."


    "Yes sir!" Nero acknowledged,pleting the oath.


    Oaths of secrecy were a very standard issue practice, and required specific cards to administer. It was more or less the best way to ensure that secrets are not revealed by soldiers, either on purpose or by mistake. To a degree, it even protected soldiers from being interrogated.


    The general belief was that an oath of secrecy was impossible to break, and Nero had always been sceptical of that, but now he was almost certain that wasn''t so. He was sure that, considering all the spells out there, at least someone had devised a way to break them.


    "Getting into the basement is not hard, even though it is filled with fog. In fact, on the first level, even all the curses have been cleared out. The issue is that to proceed further down, you need to have ess granted by the mechanism that is still operating within the cathedral.


    Even though there is a way to gain that ess present right within the cathedral, everyone gets only one chance to do so. Although we already have some Neophytes who have gained ess, they are not enough to face the dangers on the lower levels.


    "The first part of your mission is to sessfully gain ess to the lower floors. We do not anticipate that will be an issue for you. All you have to do to gain ess is pass apetency test, which we believe you are more than qualified to pass. The second part of your mission is to get your hand on the artefacts. We believe there will be at least two important artefacts in the lower levels."


    "How do I identify these artefacts? Are they all of the same kind, or are they different?"


    The major pursed his lips. Clearly, this was a question that troubled him as well.


    "I will give you a file depicting the images of some artefacts that we have already uncovered. The artefacts may be the same or different, we cannot be certain. But I believe they will be easily identified since they should be ced on pedestals, or behind protective ss barriers. At least, that has been our experience."


    "Are the artefacts dangerous? Are there any precautions I need to take when handling them?" Nero asked. The surprisingck of knowledge about the artefacts was just as curious as how much importance was given to them. Nero could not help but wonder what the purpose of these artefacts was.


    "Different artefacts have different purposes, and they may react to aether. But you will be given special seal cards which you can use to render them inert and thus easy to carry. That won''t be a problem. The problem¡­ will be the next part.


    "Besides you, there will be other teams with the same mission. The third part of your mission is to ensure that youe back with the artefact, not the other teams."


    This time, Nero was genuinely and properly stunned, so much so that he could not even hide it.


    "I don''t understand. Are we cooperating with foreign teams for these missions?"


    "No, the teams will be all from Kr. But each team will be representing¡­ a different segment of the army. They each have their own ideas about the artefacts."


    The major and the sergeant both stared at Nero seriously. In actuality, it was this part of the mission why they were so eager to implement the oath of secrecy, though to be honest even the earlier parts of the mission qualified for it.


    Nero was genuinely stunned into silence. Was the armypeting with itself? Or more precisely, were the different factions in the army actuallypeting with each other?


    Given the fact that they were currently at war, being invaded from all sides, was the army actually prioritising personal gains?


    He didn''t know why he was surprised by that. He shouldn''t have been. He had already seen their hypocrisy. But maybe, deep down, he still believed there were some good left in Kr. Maybe that was all just childrens fairytales.


    Nero''s expression hardened, and his eyes became slightly colder.


    "To be clear, are you telling me to eliminate the other teams?"


    "Lethal force is not necessary," the major rified. "No matter who gets the artefacts, the beneficiary is still Kr. It''s just that different factions have differing ideas about how to use them. I believe none of the other teams will use lethal force either, since that is not something that can be hidden from everyone.


    Once theye out, if word is leaked that friendlies were killed, then let alone the teams, even the ones backing them will not be able to escape disciplinary action.


    "But in a way, that only makes your mission harder. Oveing other teams without killing anyone will prove a greater challenge. But you have disyed consistent superiority against your peers, which is one of the reasons you were selected for this mission to begin with. It''s also why your previous partner, Wendy, is still on your team. You two disyedmendable teamwork."


    Nero''s expression eased a little. He supposed a littlepetition was stillprehensible. He just hoped that they hadn''t actually fallen to the point of outright ordering elimination of teams from various factions. If that ever happened, then Kr wouldn''t be far from civil war, one way or another. After all, at the end of the day, the backer of each faction was a sage.


    If they started openly killing each other''s soldiers¡­


    "How many other teams will there be? And speaking of teams, who else is on my team? It would be for the best if I can choose the members myself. I know you might have better options lined up, but my history with my teammates will only improve our teamwork, as you''ve already noticed."


    The three began discussing the finer details of the mission, spending nearly an hour without even managing to breach the topic of the other two missions.


    Before they got a chance, the door to the room was suddenly pulled open, and a very familiar face walked in with a grim expression.

 Chapter 126: Abilities

    The man who walked in was easily over 2 metres (7 feet) tall, at the very least, with broad shoulders and a physique that would suit a warrior much more than amander. He was wearing his uniform, and befitting his rank it had the symbols which marked his rank, the division he led, his highest honours, as well as his current position.


    His blonde hair and deep blue might have made him appear delicate, if it weren''t for the long braided bear, his well-defined muscles, his innumerous scars, not to mention the countless legends, stories, cartoons and books written about him that created a persona that apanied him always. The only thing different from the cartoons was that he did not look like a messy, chaotic barbarian.


    Instead, from his uniform, to his hair and beard, to his general appearance and everything about it, all were incredibly neat and tidy.


    Nero did not even realise when he stood up. He was too distracted by a very unfamiliar feeling in his chest. He was nervous.


    It was not because the massive Ascendant, whose son he had just beaten up, was walking towards him with an unreadable expression. With the major there, even if something unexpected happened, Nero shoulde out alright - key word being should. No, his nervousness stemmed from the fact that he was looking at one of his childhood heroes.


    It was so sad that his son was a prick.


    "You are the one who beat up Bael," Dagon said as he stood in front of Nero, observing him. His voice was not usatory, nor was it angry or upset. It was normal, as if he wasmenting on the weather.


    Oddly enough, the man had not released his aura at all, and yet Nero still felt oppressed. Maybe it was because he was not used to bending his neck up so high.


    He didn''t respond, because themander had not asked a question. He just maintained eye contact and waited for themander to make his request. Somehow, Nero could not help but feel that major Liam had been extremely hopeful in his wording. Dagon did not look like the kind of man who made requests.


    Themander raised his left hand and grabbed the chains that bound Nero''s hands and crushed them in his fist, managing to do so without hurting Nero at all whatsoever.


    "Follow me," he said, and just turned around, not sparing a single extra nce towards the major and the sergeant. Somehow, they did not seem perturbed by that, or the interruption, for that matter. Unfortunately, it seemed that themander''smand was only for him, and so the illusory veil of protection that the major''s presence promised seemed to be removed.


    "What is your name?" themander asked, his tone still surprisingly civil. Maybe the cartoons had exaggerated his personality a bit.


    "Nero Grant," he answered, very simply.


    "Tell me, Nero, do you think you would have been able to beat Bael in an up front confrontation? My subordinates assure me you only won because of the element of surprise."


    There was still no anger or irritation in his voice, just in curiosity, which made it very hard for Nero to get a read on what the man was thinking. It was extremely unfamiliar territory for Nero to be unable to guess what was going on in the mind of the person he was talking to.


    "Well, I did have the element of surprise, and Bael did not get a chance to use his ability either - though technically, I didn''t use mine as well. Given those facts, if we fought face to face, the results are unpredictable."


    Dagon suddenly paused and looked at Nero with an expression that nearly froze his heart. The sheer difference in the realm between the two made it so that no amount of self control or restraint could keep Nero from suppressing his body''s instincts in the face of such danger.


    "Kid, I am amander. I face tens of thousands of punks like you every day, and I can smell bullshit from across the horizon. You don''t believe what you just said, so don''t waste my time telling me what you think you want me to hear. Answer my questions honestly and don''t try to use that over-smart brain of yours. A soldier''s job is to obey, not to think.


    Now tell me, if you fought Bael again, what would happen?"


    "He is strong, but his instincts are weak. No matter what the circumstances are, he will always lose to me in a fight," Nero answered directly, still maintaining eye contact. His back was sweating, his heart was lurching and his stomach was rumbling. Under the eyes of themander, Nero''s body reacted like frightened prey, caught in the sights of an apex predator.


    But while he could not control these aspects of his body, he did not allow weakness to appear in his behaviour.


    Unexpectedly, this time, he saw satisfaction sh in the eyes of themander. It seemed he was not purposefully hiding his emotions - it was just that nothing had elicited an emotional response from him yet.


    Dagon began to walk once more through the suspiciously empty halls.


    "Do you know what my ability is?" he asked nonchntly.


    "Herculean strength in passive - at least, ording to the shows¡­"


    "Yes, put eloquently, I have a passive ability called Herculean strength. Put inly, I have the mostmon ability that humans gain, and that is additional strength. A lot of people seem to find that very inspirational - that a man with such amon ability can reach such heights. I find it to be a simple fact. A good soldier uses the tools avable to him, and that''s all there is to it.


    Now, do you know what Bael''s ability is?"


    The most obvious answer would be that he inherited the same ability, but considering that Nero already fought him once, he knew that it was unlikely to be the same. After all, if he had more strength, he would have been able to stop Nero from choking him.


    "No, but probably not strength," Nero answered.


    "Very astute. He inherited his mother''s ability, which is very useful. But the boy worships me too much, and since he found out he didn''t have the same ability as me, he''s developed a mental block. He has never trained it and has lived in denial ever since. At the same time, his personality has warped, and he''s developed a very strong bias against anyone who is weak.


    I have provided the boy instruction, stating that a good soldier uses all the tools avable to him, but he refuses to listen. Quite frankly, if I was not concerned about giving him brain damage, I would have pped the shit out of him myself for his stubbornness."


    Suddenly, a very strange and unbelievable idea began to develop in Nero''s heart. But his brain told him that, logically, such a thing was not possible.


    "When I heard someone his own age, actually someone a year younger, could beat up Bael, I suddenly had an idea."


    The two of them exited the building and then started moving towards one of the manybat arenas in the base.


    "I never thought of this before because, in a purely physical fight, no one his own age has been able to fight Bael. But now that you have the confidence to do it, I want you to fight him again and beat him up fair and square. Even abilities will be allowed in the fight. Your objective is to beat him till he''s forced to use his own ability."


    Dagon had no hesitation in ruthlessly asking Nero to beat up his own son, though Nero could understand the logic. If he had already tried exining the issue verbally, but Bael was unwilling to learn, then he had to be more forceful. He wouldn''t win any parent of the year awards, but if Bael felt desperate enough, he might be forced to ovee his block and use his ability.


    But for reasons he couldn''t understand, Nero felt incrediblyplicated in his heart. Of all the things he could have imagined happening, this was not one of them.


    "Commander, do I have permission to speak frankly?" Nero asked as they finally reached the arena, and saw Bael waiting for them there. He looked like he was in perfect condition, though he must have obviously gone through an interrogation to ensure there was no Clear Path mark on him. His eyes, though, looked like he was ready to kill Nero.


    "Speak," Dagon said, as he observed his own son. The resemnce between them was uncanny. Bael was just a smaller version of Dagon.


    "If you need him to ovee his mental block, it''s not so hard," Nero said, his voice easily carrying across the arena to Bael. "The first time he loses arade or subordinate because he was too weak, or because he was holding back his power, he will naturally realise the error of his ways. Well, either that or he will go deeper into denial so that he can convince himself he did his utmost."


    Dagon raised an eyebrow while Bael ground his teeth. The topic of his innate ability was a sore spot for him, perhaps even more than the public defeat and humiliation he had recently faced. If his father were not standing there, he might have attacked Nero right then and there, but he controlled himself.


    "Are you saying you don''t want to fight him?" themander asked.


    "I''m simply giving you an alternative you might prefer," Nero confessed. "Did anyone tell you why I fought Bael to begin with?"


    "No, it was not mentioned," Dagon said, and then looked at Nero with curiosity.


    "He raised his hand against someone under my protection," Nero said. His voice was in, revealing none of his inner emotions. Unlike Dagon, he was purposefully forcing himself to remain calm.


    But themander''s insight was greater than Nero could have ever imagined, and he was able to tell exactly the turbulent state of Nero''s heart.


    "Hah!" he let out a smallugh. "As long as you don''t try to kill him, I will not interfere. But that goes for you, too. If Bael proves himself superior, I will not save you, unless he is on the verge of killing you."


    Nero nodded.


    "Since you have given me a mission to educate your son,mander, I will do exactly that."

 Chapter 127: Stop showing off

    Dagon and Nero had not had their conversation silently, and Bael heard all of it. By now his face had turned red with anger, but to Nero that seemed normal. After all, in the short time they had met, his face kept changing colours.


    Maybe his ability had to do with that, which is why he was too embarrassed to use it.


    Dismissing his random thoughts, Nero walked onto the arena, waiting for Bael. Thest time they fought, Nero had only thought of him as the big burly guy, and that was for a reason.


    Bael had inherited his father''srge physique, and was one of the few people who was not only taller than Nero, but also more muscr. Considering the fact that he was supposedly only a year older than Nero, that was admirable.


    Nero wanted to redit his progress to gics, but he knew that no one could have such results without sufficient work.


    "Are you ready to pick up where we left off?" Nero asked. If this were a life and death battle, he would not bother with talking, unless he wanted to distract his target or agitate them. But since the meaning of this fight, for Nero personally, was to drive in the meaning of crossing him, Nero had to make sure the other side knew exactly why he had been beaten up.


    No matter how amicable Dagon himself had appeared, Nero was under no illusion that they would get along in the future. The chances of reconciliation between Bael and him, at least, were thoroughly severed.


    "Do not think you will get so lucky again," Bael said as he walked in front of Nero and got into ce. None of them had weapons, but Nero did coat his fists in blue mes. He didn''t need them, and would have preferred not to use them honestly, but since Dagon wanted him to force Bael to use his ability, Nero had to.


    After all, if Nero beat him too badly without using his own ability, he knew it was likely that Bael''s pride would prevent him from using his ability.


    "I''m not the one who got lucky. You put your hands on someone under my protection. You''re the one who''s lucky that there was someone to stop mest time. It won''t happen again."


    Something interesting happened at that point. Instead of getting angry, Bael calmed down, and focused solely on Nero. He observed the mes around his fist, and his posture, making some minor changes to his own stance ordingly.


    "Begin," said Dagon inly, resulting in a burst of movement. Bael and Nero both rushed towards each other, though Nero was faster. Even though he had beaten Bael earlier, he did not take the other lightly at all. How could the son of a national hero be weak? So he held nothing back.


    His maniption of his internal aether had be much better in the past few weeks, not to mention that as he managed to absorb more of his innate card, he grew stronger. Nero finally knew what strong innate talent meant, because even before reaching 10% card absorption, his aether reserves could alreadypete with other Neophytes who had been cultivating longer than him.


    Thatrger reserve also meant that Nero now had more internal aether to manipte, and so the strength he could disy was greater.


    Bael''srger body proved to be a weakness against Nero, as he made for a bigger target. With speed that should far surpass an ordinary Neophyte, Nero dodged Bael''s attacks and punched his ribs. He could have attacked weaker targets, but Nero wanted to take his time, slowly tearing him down.


    After a brief exchange, Bael tried to body m Nero since he couldn''tnd any attacks and kept getting hit. But he once again underestimated Nero''s strength.


    Nero grabbed the leaping giant and flung him across the arena.


    "By the way, in case you were wondering, I don''t have increased strength as an ability," Nero said, as he walked up to Bael, not giving him any time to recover. Even though the fight had just begun, Nero''s great strength was already wearing him down.


    The mes, on the other hand, were actually helping keep Bael focused, as they would numb whatever part of his body Nero would hit, keeping him from feeling pain.


    The fight, much to Bael''s chagrin, did not go as he had hoped. He changed tactics. Instead of trying to fight with skill, he epted hits in exchange for a chance to hit Nero back, and it actually worked to some extent. Even if Nero blocked attacks, it would not keep him from remainingpletely uninjured.


    The only way to do that was to dodge, but that wasn''t always possible in close range, especially since between them Bael had the longer reach.


    But while Nero epted a few hits here and there, Bael''s body was thoroughly bruised and battered. Nero had not broken any bones on purpose. He wanted to keep the big guy fighting longer.


    "Ss told me you didn''t want him on your team because you thought he was weak," Nero said, after a particrly painful punch that knocked Bael to his knee, despite his best effort to remain standing.


    "How can someone as weak as you look down on others?"


    Nero punched him in the jaw, holding nothing back. Bael copsed on the ground, the world shaking around him as he recovered from vertigo.


    Nero did not proceed to continue beating him up, and instead looked towards Dagon. No matter what the man said, Nero doubted that anyone could watch their child get beaten up and not feel anything. It was best not to push it.


    But he clearly underestimated Dagon, who pulled out a card and used it.


    A gust of wind surrounded Nero, and suddenly he felt incredibly re-energised. The few aches in his hands from blocking Bael''s attack faded, and his knuckles which had ripped from the constant punches healed.


    Simrly, Bael, who was on the ground, was surrounded by a gust of wind, and all his wounds began to heal visibly. It barely took a few seconds, and he was back in perfect condition. Nero could not even imagine the level of the card that themander had just casually used.


    "Nero, your frequent use of internal pressure is a huge liability," Dagon said. "There''s a reason why Kr does not use this frequently. The day you face an overwhelming enemy who can squeeze your internal aether you are already putting under great pressure, you will pop like a balloon. It''s instant death, with no chance to heal."


    Nero was stunned. No one had ever identified what he was doing before, let alone given him advice on it.


    "Having said that, your tactic of only using it in brief pulses is a good idea. Not everyone can maintain such fine control over it. You should look into finding some cards that help you strengthen your outer aether membrane to avoid suddenly popping if you face an unexpectedly strong foe.


    "As for you, Bael. You have disappointed me. The difference between you and me is not our innate abilities, but yourck of resolution to use every tool avable, even if it is in the form of an enemy. I cannot believe you purposely tried to discard a recruit that the army itself deemed useful enough to draft. You are not strong, you are just a spoiled brat.


    "Now resume the fight. Only when I say so will this end."


    Nero couldn''t believe themander was giving him fighting advice! Suddenly, he was lit aze with excitement. He would show themander everything he could and make use of this opportunity to get as much advice as possible.


    While Bael might be unwilling to use every opportunity for his benefit, Nero definitely did notck that same drive.


    The mes around his fists grew into muchrger balls of fire. Nero was no longer interested in punishing Bael. Instead, he was interested in using him as much as he could. The fight this time did notst as long, because in only a couple of minutes Bael was brought to the point of suffering extreme frostbite. For whatever reason, he hadn''t even used his aether to protect himself.


    Maybe it had to do with his ability.


    Dagon healed them both once more, and gave them advice. But instead of feeling pleased, as Nero was, Bael began to ground his teeth, mainly because of the only thing his father told him.


    "You still remain reluctant to follow in my legacy, but Nero is already taking advantage of the advice I gave you. He is using this opportunity to improve, yet you who have my advice regrly ignore it. Disgrace."


    The hate in his eyes only grew stronger, and Nero could tell that this would probably cause him issues in the future. But that was for the future. For now, the fight continued.


    This time, Bael fought even more desperately, hoping to exchange blows. But the more desperately he fought, the more easily Nero was able to defeat him.


    "You have lost yourposure, Bael. Did my words hurt your feelings? But your enemies will do much worse than that. Do you realise that every defeat you''ve faced means death? In the battlefield, you would be dead, and the Thomas bloodline woulde to an end."


    Thatst sentence, for whatever reason, finally got through to Bael. The look of anger in his eyes finally changed to something Nero couldn''t recognise.


    But whatever it was, Nero felt like the big dumb brute was finally ready to use his ability. Nero raised his fists and waited for him to make the first move this time. Yet when Bael finally attacked, Nero sensed no aether fluctuations. Had he still not used it? Was he really so stubborn?


    That hardly mattered to Nero though. The more he resisted, the more advice he could get from themander. But it was only after a few exchanges that Nero realised that the tempo of the fight this time was different.


    His punches werending, but Bael was not slowing down. The me was draining his temperature, but the effects of frostbite weren''t showing. Eventually, the skin on Nero''s knuckles began to tear after constantly punching Bael, but the brute looked perfectly fine.


    Nero hesitated, as he began to wonder what his ability could be, but Bael clearly thought Nero felt afraid.


    "Are you ready? It''s your time to take a beating now," he said, his voice seething with excitement.


    But Nero only snorted. He dodged the brutes'' next few attacks until he felt he was in the perfect position, then threw his first kick of the fight,nding right on Baels chin. One hit was all it took to knock him unconscious.


    "Are you sure no one else could beat him up?" Nero asked, as he looked at the body on the floor. "He didn''t feel that strong to me."


    This time, it was themander''s turn to snort.


    "Stop trying to show off, kid. You''re dismissed. Tomorrow morning, report to my office at 6 am."

 Chapter 128: Predictable

    Bael woke up to the very familiar sensation of wind swirling around his body. The healing card worked wonders, which is why he felt none of the dizziness or fatigue that came with a kick that would knock him out, but no spell could heal his wounded ego. Fighting him had been like childsy to Nero.


    From start to end, Nero never saw him as anything more than a means to cate his father, which for some reason infuriated him even more.


    "Bael, you are no longer a child, so why are you acting like one?" themander asked, his massive figure looming over Bael.


    "I am not a child, I''m a warrior!" he said through gritted teeth.


    "That''s what I''m saying. You''re not a child, so why are you behaving like one? What sane soldier goes around provoking unnecessary enemies? When have you ever seen me nurture hate in the heart of my subordinates? Not only have you fostered a poor rtionship with an artisan with a great future, you have turned a great potential ally into an enemy.


    "Now imagine if you and Nero had been friends instead. You could have learned from one another, and aided each other in the battlefield. Now, if you ever face a desperate situation when you get deployed, and Nero discovers it, the best you can hope for is that he ignores you. A more realistic expectation is that he will sabotage you instead."


    "You¡­ you think he wants to kill me?" Bael asked, shocked.


    "Of course. He is an extremely talented man who works harder than anyone else. He has incredible drive. But at the same time, he is just a kid, and he is predictable. That is why he is being used like a tool by his betters. That is the fate of anyone talented who does not have a background sufficient enough to be protected.


    "For example, though he wants to kill you to avoid future potential problems where you target him, he cannot because he does not want to provoke me. He is surrounded by unknown andcking significant allies, which is why tomorrow I expect him to y directly into my hands. That is what I meant by the fact that he is talented, but predictable.


    "The same is true with you, only that you''re even easier to manipte. You did not even realise as the whispers in your ears set you on a path of self-immtion. You ruined your image in the eyes of your superiors, and made enemies among your peers. This is the first andst time I will intervene."


    Bael clenched his fists as a feeling of frustration enveloped him.


    *****


    Nero tried to guess the implications of his most recent exchange. Themander seemed indifferent to Nero''s existence entirely save for how he could use him. That was not the best situation to be in, but it was far from the worst. He had promised to keep Bael from targeting him in the future, but Nero was not going to bet on that.


    The big kid clearly had anger issues, and if he listened to his father to begin with this whole situation would never arise. Not to mention their original grudge, Nero had beaten that kid up a few more times right now, so he found it hard to believe this would be resolved so easily.


    But that was an issue for the future. For now, he had an equally if not even more important task.


    Since the major had not instructed Nero to report as soon as he got free, Nero had a bit of time on his hands. Since he had no doubt the army would fill every waking moment of his time with other things, he had to take this small reprieve toplete the one task he had been unable toplete so far.


    It was already evening, so he could only hope that the others were free from whatever they were assigned to do during the day.


    It did not take him long to find Ss, who was predictably once again trying to have himself shifted from Bael''s team. But unfortunately, whatever Bael''s mission was, it required an artisan, and besides Ss, very few were skilled enough artisans at the Neophyte level.


    Once he found Ss, it was easy to find Gabriel, who brought Nero to a locker where he had everything Nero needed stashed. They were the ingredients for Radix Augmentation, along with many extra and unnecessary ingredients as well. Even if it was Gabriel, Nero could not directly reveal such a valuable recipe, even if he didn''t know what it was for.


    Unfortunately, while getting his hands on these ingredients was easier, finding somece quiet and private where he could craft his card was not so straightforward. The army base was not exactly an Inn where he could ask for a room, and technically they weren''t supposed to have so much free time anyway.


    Nero had to ask for a favour from the artisan who had been assigned to him during his training, and even then he exined it saying that Ss was going to use a recipe privately owned by his father which is why they needed the room. Though Mr. Rodney was a huge ass, at least in Nero''s opinion, his reputation as an artisan was still useful.


    That is how, by dinner time, Nero found himself locked in a crafting room. Ss had only apanied Nero briefly, while they were epting the permit to use the room, but then left Nero to his own devices.


    Even though he had been sessful in crafting an innate card, he had never tried with any other kind of card yet. If he could not do this today, then he likely wouldn''t get another chance any time soon. He didn''t even have Arithmetic perception to help him anymore.


    He closed his eyes and calmed his mind down, discarding any random or stray thoughts. His fight with Bael had sparked many rumours already, and he had noticed more than a few recruits looking at him oddly throughout the day.


    He had no idea what they were saying about him, but he was sure someone would tell him soon. It could not be helped that whether he wanted to or not, he was attracting a lot of attention.


    All the way back from the incident with the sage, Nero had been attracting attention, and he was slightly afraid that he was purposefully being propped up for a specific purpose. Although exnations had been given, he often found himself wondering if they were true. Now, with his recent increase in fame with the Clear Path incident, Nero could once again see an invisible hand promoting him.


    The fact that he had no idea why all this was happening is what disturbed him the most.


    He had been thinking of precautions he could take, and often tried to guess what someone would gain from promoting him, but had not found an answer yet. These were the thoughts he had most trouble pushing away, but somehow he managed.


    With a clear head, Nero began his first attempt at crafting Radix Augmentation. He had enough materials for three attempts, in case he failed.


    But today, whether it was luck or because of his increased experience, his hand was unusually steady. Every step he performed perfectly, and each ingredient he prepared just as the recipe required.


    In one continuous flow, without any breaks or pauses, Nero set everything up and then began crafting the card. Just shy of his second hour, to his genuine surprise, Nero finally managed to craft the card!


    Name: Radix Augmentation


    Image: The silhouette of a tree with a massive rootwork


    Type: Augmentation


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Use external aids to enhance aether absorption]


    vour text: "From the earth we are nurtured and grown" - ???


    The card was simple, and surprisingly smooth. Nero almost expected to have created substandard work, but the card was virtually indistinguishable from any other card. Yet this card was his mothers family''s legacy.


    He wondered how they got their hands on its recipe, and what was so special about it. He wondered if other prominent families had simr secret cards that helped with speeding up their growth.


    But what others had did not matter to him. With this card, he could absorb the vitality from something recently killed which would help his growth.


    To test out the effectiveness of his card, one of the ingredients he asked for was a jar of living cockroaches. These ugly looking insects were actually aether rich, which is why they were used in many recipes. Asking for live specimens was not unusual, since sometimes the ingredient needed to be fresh.


    Using his cryomes, Nero killed one and then ced its frozen body in front of himself, and activated Radix Augmentation. The frozen roach shattered, and Nero felt a trickle of aether flow into his chest. The amount was absolutely infinitesimal, but it mixed perfectly with his own aether, and did not leak from his body.


    The contribution was not great, but it was already faster than naturally trying to absorb aether by almost a dozen times!


    Nero killed another roach, this time by crushing it, and tried again. He needed to see how much the feedback was affected by the condition of the body and method of the kill.

 Chapter 129: Final team

    Nero nearly lost hisposure as he observed his innate card at the end of the night. He had spent some time killing the roaches in various ways, testing not only how the condition of the body affected how much aether he could absorb, but also how he could use the card most effectively.


    As it turned out, as long as he used the card on himself, its effect would stay active for a few minutes. Within that time frame, whenever he touched any dead roach he would absorb the vitality from it. Alternatively, he could directly target the body, and absorb the vitality from it remotely.


    Predictably, the better the condition of the body, the more vitality he could absorb. Though another important thing he noticed is that the effects of the card weren''t subtle on the body. It almost always withered and crumpled, and in case the body was frozen, shattered.


    Moreover, if he used the card on a target from a distance, the vitality transferring from the body to him would be detectable in the form of aether fluctuations. So this was not something he could casually use in front of people.


    Perhaps that''s why his father rmended he use nts for this, since it would be expected for him to kill any nts in his way. Oftentimes, killing them resulted in the destruction of their bodies anyway, so no one would be able to tell if Nero absorbed their vitality.


    Nero thought of countless ways in which he could use this card to help him speed up his innate card absorption. Once he was done with his experimentation, he decided to keep trying to make the card. Since he had the time and the ingredients, there was no point in trying to limit himself to just one of the cards, so he began once more.


    His second attempt resulted in failure right at the very end, although Nero strongly suspected that the failure was due to contamination of the ingredients in some way rather than his own mistake. But he was not yet skilled and experienced enough to make a definitive judgement. Fortunately, his third attempt seeded, and he ended up with 2 Radix Augmentation cards.


    Nero then destroyed every remaining ingredient. It was a waste, but he could not risk any chance at all for someone to deduce what ingredients he used.


    Once he was done Nero was about to leave to get the few hours of rest he could manage before his 6 am meeting with themander, but on a whim decided to see how much of his card he had absorbed. It was apletely impulsive decision since he only recently reached 8% and had not spent enough time absorbing aether to have made a difference.


    Which was why he waspletely unprepared when he realised that he had, in fact, absorbed 9% of his innate card!


    That difference of a single percentage stopped him dead in his tracks because he knew full well how difficult it was to make any kind of progress. For it to take weeks would be considered quick, and for it to take months would not be unusual.


    One could argue that his progress had been extremely rapid so far as well, but that could be justified. If he spent all day everyday working out and exhausting his aether reserves and refilling them, and over a period of weeks such a routine helped him speed up the absorption then it was justified.


    In a way, everyone could find out such a way to increase absorption speed, but how many couldmit to such a rigorous routine even if they knew the benefits? But did he just replicate those weeks of progress by killing a jar full of roaches? Actually, to be exact, a mere 91 roaches!


    But then Nero stopped himself from over-thinking. He refused to believe that the card would be so effective that just a few roaches could increase his absorption amount by an entire percent. If that were the case both his parents would be sages by now.


    No, the most likely answer was that he was already on the verge of increasing the amount, and the roaches had just been the final push. Regardless, the card had already proved its worth!


    If he could continue this progress, then it would take him only a few months before he became an Initiate. It might even be possible to reach that level before an entire year as a Neophyte waspleted.


    Nero paused, and had to think for a moment if such speedy progress was advised. Would it attract the wrong kind of attention? Since he was in the spotlight now, he needed to reevaluate his ns.


    Regardless, he would first at least get close to the limit of Neophyte before thinking about when to enter the next realm.


    Nero cleaned up the room and finally got to his bunk just in time to get four hours of sleep. It was not ideal, but with only three days left before deployment it was important that he crafted the card.


    At exactly 6:00 am Nero reported to themander''s office, which was not hard to find. All he had to do was ask someone. He was not surprised to find Bael in the office as well, grimacing. Clearly he knew something and wasn''t happy about it.


    What themander had nned ended up being a very strange experience. Apparently, back during his early years in the army, there was a tradition if two recruits fought or developed a grudge. The day after the fight, they would buy each other breakfast as a sign to bury the hatchet.


    There were many such traditions in ce which were an informal way for the army to ensure that rtions between soldiers don''t deteriorate too far. It could be ignorable at the lower levels, but an Arcanist or someone stronger with a grudge against a fellowrade could end very poorly for everyone involved.


    So, basically, themander skipped over the purchasing part of the tradition and wanted the two to have breakfast together, and talk things out. But after making his wish known, he left them, bringing an awkward silence in the room.


    But Nero was not one to care but awkwardness and immediately began eating, and made some polite small talk. Bael too attempted to not be entirely obnoxious.


    All in all, once breakfast was over, Nero was free to go, though he wasn''t exactly sure what to make of the incident. He didn''t have much time to consider things either, since he was once again summoned so that his briefing could continue.


    He was then briefed about his second mission, which would be a joint mission alongside many other teams to wipe out curses and any obstacles in what the army was guessing was a research facility. The research facility was currently enshrouded in fog, so there was no way to know what they could expect.


    The briefing for the third mission was strange. The major used a card to embed the details of the third mission in his brain, but they would only be revealed at the appropriate time. He did not know what that time might be, but the excessive caution that the major was taking hinted at the fact that it was especially important.


    The rest of the day Nero spent studying documents and memorising various details about Lumina that he might need to know. It was not easy, since many of the documents were redacted. It seemed like, for whatever reason, the army did not want too many details about what the Eldrim were actually like to spread, which was strange.


    Two days before deployment, Nero finally got his hands on the names of his teammates for his Fire squad. He had forwarded the names of people he wanted on his team to the major, but there was no guarantee that he''d be able to facilitate his request.


    Much to the disappointment of Nero and Ss, Ss remained on Bael''s team still. He did, however, manage to get Gabriel, Wendy and Harold on his team. Besides them, there were two more members in his team, one of whom was a private with the designation Jackal.


    Nero had met Jackal before during his training, since Jackal''s innate ability greatlyplimented his own. The two had trained extensively together, and so their teamwork had improved tremendously.


    Moreover, Jackal was an army asset. He had not shared the details of his background, but from what Nero could gather he had basically been in the army from birth. Some orphans whose parents had powerful, extremely useful or extremely dangerous abilities were kept and raised by the army, which wasmon knowledge. Nero could only guess that Jackal was one of such people.


    That left thest member of their team, Remi. Remi was also an army asset, but from the folder Nero got on her, it did not seem like she had anybat capabilities at all!

 Chapter 130: A little more to it

    Remi had a weak constitution, which meant that she could not tolerate shocks or impacts very well. It was for that reason that she could not fight at all, and was restricted to long range weapons.


    Apparently reaching the Initiate level would cure her of her condition, but until then she had to tolerate her physical weakness. But there was a reason why she was assigned to Nero''s team. Her innate ability was simple yet extremely powerful: it was an enhanced control of aether.


    She was so good, in fact, at controlling aether that if her body had not been so weak, she could have expedited her absorption of her innate card so much that she could have reached the Initiate realm in a matter of days.


    As it was, she had to slow down her absorption because her body could not handle the stress of it. Theoretically, once she reached the Initiate realm, she could then speed up the process and simrly reach Arcanist in a matter of weeks. Higher realms were not so easy, but at least until the Arcanist realm she could speed up her growth.


    The reason why any of that was relevant to Nero right now was because her increased control of aether would be helpful in the ruins in case they needed to use any of the Eldrim technology in the basement. On their own, they might not be able to use it.


    Thest day before departure the base was in a flurry of activity as countless soldiers ran around and loaded various trucks with equipment and supplies. Nero and his team, however, were not required to do any of that. They only hadst minute briefings and a couple sessions of teamwork building exercises.


    It filled up their time and was helpful, but was not exerting in anyway. It was understandable that they wanted everyone to be in their best condition when they deployed. But for some inexplicable reason, Nero felt like there was a little more to it than that. He just couldn''t understand what.


    *****


    Hubert Rodney could not help butugh as he looked out the window of his study, the sound of his voice echoing through the halls of his house. Now, more than ever, he could feel the power he held. Now, more than ever, he was reminded once more that the path he tread was the correct one.


    His son''s foolish friend thought that personal, individual power was the ultimate power. If one could be a sage that might be true, but otherwise, who couldpete with someone like Hubert?


    Now that the Kr war machine was waking up, and about to bare its fangs, who else could rece the influence of people like Hubert Rodney?


    Outside his home stood massive containers, being filled by stacks of cards soldiers were carrying out of his home. There were tens of thousands of cards being carried out of the hidden basement of his home, each one of them capable of destroying the life of those who cling to that so-called personal power.


    His contributions alone were equivalent to that of a whole battalion.


    "Mr. Rodney, please follow me," said a man in a suit, standing behind him. "The preparations for your promotion to the Mystic realm areplete."


    *****


    Harvey Folten had his eyes closed as he meditated, ignoring the sounds of conversation around him. The only thing he paid attention to were the aether fluctuations around him, so when he suddenly noticed the aether density increasing around him, he finally opened his eyes.


    Perhaps long years of keeping a stern expression as a teacher had made it a habit, so even now, surrounded by a group of peopleughing and grinning, old Footer remained steely.


    But these were not his students that surrounded him, but hisrades, so he did not need to give them any instructions. Even though they looked to have cavalier attitudes, they meant nothing but business.


    "Is it time?" he asked, standing up.


    "Almost," replied one of the men near him. "The standby order has been given. We''re due to hear from-"


    The man was interrupted by a sh of red light, which gave everyone in the room pause.


    "Never mind. It''s time."


    The ground trembled after a few moments, as if catching up to the light that had shed a few moments earlier. Everyone put on their masks and silently disappeared into the night. In the distance, bright red mes lit up the Twin rivers that served as the border between Kr and Dolziya.


    Kr''s retaliation had officially begun, but Footer was not a part of the first assault wave. No, he and his team had already infiltrated deep into Dolziya.


    Too many had forgotten the dread of Kr and had actually mustered up the courage to act against them once more. The Whisper Guard would remind them that in this cursed world, it was still them whomanded the most terror.


    On the horizon, there was another sh of red. It seemed like Sage Gale was having a lot of fun.


    *****


    "How did you find me?" asked the man whoy on the floor, doing his best to resist the chill that had seeped all the way into his bones. All around him were corpses who had been killed in the most brutal way possible.


    But even with severed limbs covering the ground and bodies with gaping holes everywhere, there was not a single drop of blood marring the beautiful home. How could there be when each wound was frozen, even as it was inflicted?


    If anyone were to see the scene they would be shocked, not only because of the gruesome scene, but because each person dead was a person with great position and influence across Kr. Some were heads ofrge civil departments, such as the AAB in their respective city or town, while others oversaw industrialplexes, massive agricultural projects, curse vaults and more.


    But now, all of them were dead.


    "You should not have messed with my son," the woman standing over him said with disgust. Unwilling to continue the conversation, she kicked the man, knocking him unconscious. She would have liked to kill this Clear Path scum once and for all, but someone still needed to pull all the information from her brain.


    She had personally vanquished many cults before, and this one would be no different.


    *****


    On the West side of Kr, a line of mountains acted as a natural border between it and Saint Codale. Only a very small piece ofnd connected the two countries, and that too was covered by a dense forest, almost acting like another natural barrier.


    Ordinarily, this was enough to keep the two countries from interfering with one another. But in the recent invasion, Saint Codale cut through the forest as they made their way, and even built fortifications in case they were pushed back.


    They were almost expecting Kr''s retaliation to push them all the way back, and had even prepared multiple surprises for them in the forest when they did.


    But in their wildest dreams they had never imagined that when Kr retaliated, it would not attack through the forest, using the path they had cut out. Or would they go over the mountains, which was virtually impossible due to its many dangers. Instead, Sage Christina would tunnel through the mountains, leading her armies straight into the heart of Saint Codale.


    With their armies gathered at the forest, the country was unprepared for the wrath that was about to be unleashed onto them.


    *****


    In the dead of night, all was calm on the shores of Creta. The twin moons hung in the sky, though only one of them illuminated the waters of Lake Natura. There were no lighthouses to guide the way, nor any floodlights pointed towards the waters.


    History dictated that any attempts to shine light on the ordinarily serene waters at night wrought only death and destruction. The perils of theke were not few, even if its waters were the source of all life in the region. That was also why, even during long voyages, all ships were anchorede nightfall.


    But a passing guard in the city of Emenfeild, the capital of Creta, saw movement out in the waters, and froze. He turned towards theke, wary for any monsters that might emerge from the depths.


    But it was not a monster wading through the waters, it was a ship. The guard breathed a sigh of relief, but did not let down his guardpletely. No ships were supposed to sail at night.


    He was about to ring a bell to alert the others about unusual activity in the waters when he felt a distant power envelop him and cause him to stop in his tracks, his gaze still locked onto the ship.


    Others soon noticed the anomaly, but they too became locked under a simr power, right up until the ship reached the silent harbour.


    Then a man flew up into the air, and under hismand hundreds of heavily armoured soldiers exited the ship. Morphius Kade and his undying legion reached the shores of Creta.

 Chapter 131: Speculation

    A siren woke up Nero long before sunrise, which was not a part of the n though he was not surprised. As usual, he rushed from his bed towards his locker, with the only difference being that now the others in his bunker responded simrly.


    When the siren rang there was no time for showers and they were supposed to report as soon as possible, so Nero was not surprised to see a number of lieutenants waiting for them as they lined up. All their luggage was already packed and loaded, so all that was left for them to do was get in the buses and roll out.


    Even so, there was an element of haste in the air, as if even the superiors were in a rush to depart as soon as possible. Considering that the base was filled with the chaos that usually apaniedst minute changes that were made to ns, Nero didn''t say anything and only silently observed.


    He sat in a bus with his own fire squad, which had been given the designation Azure-1, as well as one other fire squad he did not recognise. Before the others were even ready, their bus departed.


    Nervousness and tension filled the air, as all the others tried to gather up their courage. So far all they had done was train, but now finally they were deployed. Even Wendy and the rest were not spared, though Harold looked more excited than anything.


    Nero was just trying to take in everything that was happening around him. He counted three buses left before them, and several others were following. Considering the thousands of recruits in the base, there hadn''t been enough vehicles.


    The direction they were heading in-


    Nero''s thoughts paused as noticed something on the horizon. The others noticed it as well, getting up to gather on one side of the bus and look out the window.


    It was too far to see clearly, but there had definitely been a sh of red in the darkness. Just as everyone began to wonder if they had imagined it, another burst of red light became visible, close to where the first had appeared.


    "That''s Sage Gale''s Crimson fire!" one of the privates eximed, though he kept his voice to a whisper. Everyone heard it, though, and recognition flickered in their eyes.


    Of course they all recognised the sage''s most iconic ability. Every single sage was the target of extreme worship, as they were literally at the forefront of keeping everyone safe. Not just that, every so often, if a cursed event got out of hand or perhaps if they were in the area during an incident, a sage would make a move to resolve the situation.


    After so many years, almost all sages had been recorded at least once in action, resulting in their most iconic abilities being easily recognised. In all of Kr, Donivan Kade was the only sage who had not been recorded making a move, but considering he was a Monarch, everyone just assumed that like his father, he liked to use an undying legion.


    After the first two shes of red, various bright colours filled the distant sky, revealing evidence of an intense sh between sages.


    But soon the buses entered the forest, blocking the distant sky, leaving all the recruits, now fresh privates, to fill the silence with their imagination.


    "Do you think our base was under threat?" Wendy asked Nero in a whisper. If any of them knew anything it would be him. Everyone had seen the preferential treatment he had been gettingtely.


    Nero thought for a moment, considering various scenarios, before speaking.


    "It''s a possibility. That would exin why we were deployed so suddenly, but I think another scenario is more likely. I think our departure was used as a diversion¡­"


    Nero paused as a few more ideas struck him, making him realise just how deep the considerations regarding tonight might actually be.


    "No, maybe not just a diversion. I think the reason we''ve had our deployment date announced for so long is because the army wanted the news to spread. If our enemies learned about it, all their focus would be on attacking us, or somehow disrupting our deployment. We made the perfect distraction so that the army could actually use this opportunity to strike back.


    "But at the same time¡­ such an open retaliatory attack might, instead, end up serving as a distraction for us to slip through the night, undetected by enemy forces as they rush to deal with the attack of a sage. The actual considerations might actually go even deeper, but that''s as much as I can guess."


    So many things were above board and on the table, but who knew how many things might be happening secretly and unknown to everyone?


    Some people said that war was like chess, but at the moment, Nero felt like chess could never truly epass the trueplexity of war because this was not an exchange of single moves. In each instance, countless moves were being made, seen and unseen, affecting the tide of each battle.


    "Does that mean there''s a chance we could be attacked on the way?" Harold asked, though he didn''t bother whispering. The man who was shameless enough to ditch the boys for a girl felt no hesitation in letting himself be heard in that tense environment, and breaking that unspoken agreement of keeping things quiet.


    Nero ruminated on the question before answering.


    "Our deployment date was well known. There''s a solid chance that the enemy knows about it, and has ns to disrupt us. With the sage attacking many ns might be disrupted, but if they have agents or assets already deployed, we might still face an attack.


    Of course, one more reason why our deployment could have been announced so long ago is to serve as bait, not just for the invasion, but so that the army can draw out all the enemies who have managed to sessfully infiltrate Kr."


    Nero did not notice the bus driver briefly looking through his mirror, memorising Nero''s face. Everything he had said was mere spection, but sometimes being able to specte with such little information was also impressive.


    "In short, the answer is yes. There is a possibility we might get attacked on the way."


    As if the mood had not been tense already, Nero''s words made the situation even worse. Most of them did not even have their weapons. All they could do was sit and wait and hope that nothing happened.


    Ultimately, the drive whichsted three hours, was peaceful, much to the relief of everyone. But that relief did notst long, for when they emerged from the forest whaty before their eyes was a sight they had only seen in pictures so far.


    A half buried city was revealed, some of it disappearing into the towering mountain that stood directly on its right side, while the rest of it faded into the heavy veil of fog that loomed behind it.


    Only a very small portion of the city was out in the open, but even that was a majestic sight. Tens of thousands of soldiers were garrisoned just a couple of kilometres (1.2 miles) away from the city in defensive structures that had clearly only just been built.


    Arge stone wall with numerous towers and countless floodlights also barred entry to Lumina, though Nero guessed they wouldn''t be heading to the ancient metropolis directly.


    As predicted, their buses stopped close to the garrison and a number of soldiers surrounded each bus. Nero and the rest got off and lined up, waiting for orders.


    "How was this group, Harrison?" one of the soldiers asked, approaching the bus driver.


    "No odd behaviours, and none of them reacted any differently when I activated the signal. None of them should be spies, but it would be best to check them all once anyway."


    "You''re lucky then," said the soldier. "One of the buses from the previous batch had three infiltrators. As soon as they figured out they were caught, they used an explosive card and blew up everyone in the bus, themselves included. Even the bus driver didn''t make it."


    Nero showed no expression as he overheard the soldiers talking, though the rest of his team was clearly startled by the news. Nero didn''t necessarily believe them though.


    The soldiers were clearly talking so that all the privates could hear them. They were still being tested and observed. The level of security was both rming and somewhat relieving. If, after everything, they still expected to encounter some spies then that meant they had likely run into a few already, which is what prompted the caution.


    Eventually all the privates were marched into the garrison, where each of them underwent testing before being actually let in. There was nothing abnormal about their group which was fortunate, because shortly after they passed through, Nero sensed heavy aether fluctuation from the gate they had just entered from. Right after them, a spy had been detected.

 Chapter 132: Final prep

    The atmosphere in the garrison was heavy, despite the fact that it was deep within Kr. The soldiers disyed signs of recently facingbat, and even the recently erected buildings showed subtle signs of being rebuilt in certain areas.


    Patrols were just as frequent inside as they were outside, and there was not a single soldier in sight who waszy orcklustre in his duty. In a way, Nero and the rest had entered the most crucial ce in the entire war, and that''s exactly what it felt like.


    The tests they faced did note to an end, and each one of them was scanned thoroughly time and time again for any anomaly. Eventually, though, they were finally brought to a room where major Liam seemed to have been waiting for them.


    This time there was no small talk or motivational speeches or anything. The major directed them towards a few sealed cases which contained the gear they would be using during their missions. Nero and the rest found the cases which contained their specific armour sets and entered the small changing rooms that were provided for them.


    But unlike his excursion in the forest, the armour Nero wore was not designed to block physical damage, but was instead designed to resist curses. As a result, it was lighter and easier to move in, but alternatively, it provided little to no physical protection.


    This was a sacrifice that needed to be made, since the areas they were going to venture into might have harboured curses for an untold number of years.


    As usual, his armour contained six slots for cards, which Nero selected now. The reason all these armours contained six slots was based on the result of a very detailed study that had been conducted over a course of many years.


    Simply stated, regardless of how smart or aware a soldier might be, if too many cards were strapped on their bodies, then they would end up mixing the cards. For example, if there were two cards on their chest, in the heat of battle, there was a high chance that the soldier might mix up the two cards and use the wrong one.


    In a high-risk situation, even a single mistake could be lethal, so this was not a mistake they could afford. Of course, with special training using a fixed set of cards over a period of time it was possible to ovee this barrier, but it was hardly worth the invested time.


    By having six cards, and associating them with significant body parts or limbs, not only was it easier to remember the location each card was in, but soldiers could tap into their body''s instincts associated with the limbs to activate cards faster.


    There was one more reason for six cards, though. This phenomenon was not so prevalent, or rather prominent, in 0 star cards used by Neophytes, but in higher levels, cards, when activated, usually exhibited certain energy fields around them.


    If two cards were activated together, and their energy fields intersected each other, there was a small risk of causing unexpected changes to spells. These changes were a topic of extensive study, and some people had even made ways to profit off this phenomenon when specific changes were consistent between two specific cards.


    But for the most part, it was unpredictable, and so cards were kept at a distance from one another.


    Which cards to use in his slots was something Nero could decide on his own, though over the past few weeks of training with a personal artisan, he hade up with a goodbination.


    The first card he would use was called re.


    Name: re


    Image: A re shooting through the night sky


    Type: Elemental


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Shoot a fire cluster in a straight line. The fire, while not initially hot, spreads easily and has the potential to turn into a massive me]


    vour text: "A shooting star reaches for the ground, and a re reaches for the sky," Alex Harrera.


    Alex was the artisan he had been working with, and took an oath under a card to never reveal information about Nero''s innate card. The reason he took this oath was because he asked Nero to share the description of it, and then worked out many ways to maximise on its traits.


    What ''heat'' actually represented in the description of his ability aside, it was obvious that his mes most easily absorbed thermal energy to expand and grow. As such, it did not take a genius to imagine using actual mes to get the most out of his ability. Nero had thought of this too but never had ess to a sufficiently useful card.


    Alex, however, provided him with a number of me based cards for him to experiment with. Ultimately, they settled on re after countless tests.


    The second card was naturally going to be Snowke. Despite the fact that Nero had used it countless times, it still showed no signs to wear and could obviously be used for a long time.


    The third was FAK, which was still one of the best First Aid cards he''d been able to get his hands on.


    The fourth card was called Aether Pulse.


    Name: Aether Pulse


    Image: A sonar radar


    Type: Scouting


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Release a pulse of aether up to 30 metres (100 feet) in front of you, revealing curses. Might also work on non-curse, camouged targets]


    vour text: "Abra Kadabra in reverse," Alex Harrera


    This one was a card that he had been strongly rmended to keep. Considering that nobody knew what kind of situations they might face, keeping cards with great utility was absolutely essential.


    Nero knew that some people preferred to have allbat oriented cards. He was not pointing any fingers, but prior to Wendy, Harold might have been like that. Who knew if he still subscribed to such a mentality? But Nero at least preferred versatility. That was also why, once again, he decided to keep Dark-vision as his fifth card.


    The sixth card was one he changedst minute, based on advice given to him bymander Dagon. It was called Double skin.


    Name: Double skin


    Image: A very tight piece of armour


    Type: Defensive


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Wrap the users body in a bubble of protective aether that protects equally from physical harm and aetheric pressure, though it is more focused towards resisting aetheric pressure]


    vour text: "Protect the body and soul, my mind is long gone," - Maxim.


    Since manipting his internal pressure was a very effectivebat tool, Nero did not want to eliminate it from his arsenal. With this card, which Alex was able to find from Maxim''s card shop, Nero could continue to use it.


    Although, admittedly, he was going to be a lot more careful with it now that he knew the dangers associated with it.


    These were the six cards he fit in his slots, but Nero added a seventh card as well. The reason why he was doing this was because he did not need it duringbat, so it would not be an issue. Moreover, he would be careful to not activate any other card at the same time as it to avoid any unexpected surprises.


    At the bottom of his right foot he ced Radix Augmentation. Realistically, Nero would not even get a chance to use this card since he would be surrounded by his team if not more people. But even so he wanted to keep it.


    He was already at 9%, and if he managed to reach 10% his abilities would increase substantially, since every 10% of his innate card absorbed was considered a watershed. Though, it was also true that after every 10%, absorbing the innate card also became a little tougher, but he was not concerned with that. Nero just did not want to waste an opportunity.


    Nero checked his armour one more time, making sure everything wastched on correctly, before exiting.


    Besides just armour, more gear had been prepared as well, including his weapon, emergency rations and first aid, as well as a number of misceneous items he might need. He, of course, also had his own card case, as well as an emergency knife. Almost everyone was ready to leave, but the major surprised them with one final action. He had some soldiers bring in some food.


    It was nothing extraordinary, just some sandwiches, but it was still better than dry rations. Nero felt like this was an uncharacteristic disy of kindness. Maybe it was some kind of army tradition. He had noticed that there were a lot of those.


    But once everyone ate, there was nothing left.


    The major brought them to a truck that would bring them all the way to Lumina. There were no final words. Just like that, they were off on their first mission.


    While others felt a tinge of nervousness, Nero only felt satisfaction. He was one step closer to his goal. Now he just had to make sure to seed in his missions ande back alive.

 Chapter 133: Entering the city

    The chill of the early morning was still in the air. Though all the trees leading up to Lumina had been cut, wild grass grew everywhere and was covered with dew. The smell of fresh air was invigorating and filled with temptatious wee.


    Shades of pink and blue filled the sky, and unseen insects were croaking and singing a morning wee. The wind was pleasant and refreshing.


    It seemed like the day was calling out to them, telling them to seize the opportunities life presented, and revel in the beauty of the world. A field of daisiesy in their path, as if weing them to wondend.


    But the more it was like this, the more cautious Nero became. The reason why no one gave them anyst minute briefing was because they had all been given a file containing all the information about it. There was nothing left to do.


    "Don''t drop your guard," Nero reminded everyone, a grim expression painting his face.


    Surrounded by flowers, lush greenery and sunshine, Nero knew they had entered a dastardly ce.


    From time to time, between the tall grass, Nero spotted vines on the floor that looked much too familiar. Even among vines there were differences, but these ones were the very ones that had nearly destroyed Aetherpeak.


    His fire squad was not taking this casually, and all of them kept an eye out for danger, which was good. They could never drop vignce.


    Should anything happen to Nero, the chain ofmand dictated that leadership would fall to Jackal, after whom was Gabriel, then Wendy, then Harold. If there came a time when all of them were lost or indisposed, and only Remi remained, then being inmand would do her little good.


    The pale, petite girl held her gun close to her chest, doing her best to hide her trembling. She was the only one in the group who was using a firearm, which dictated just how weak her constitution was.


    Guns had been around for a while, but they were hardly in use anywhere for a few reasons. The first and most important reason was that even a simple Neophyte card could easily block bullets. Then, upon reaching the Initiate level, unless taken by surprise, it was fairly simple to dodge the bullets just by predicting their trajectory before they were shot.


    That was considering a situation where they didn''t just block the bullets out right.


    They were most effective against people who had not even be Neophytes yet, so basically just children. As if that was not enough, keeping sufficient ammunition was a hassle, not to mention the fact that they were the least effective against curses most of the time unless extremely special, very expensive and entirely unviable bullets were made using rare ingredients.


    So in summary, while a gun was not entirely useless, as it could distract targets and force them to use defensive cards, in case the target was human, they were the least preferable option anyone could take.


    The issue was that normal bullets could not ordinarily be enhanced with aether unless more specialised cards were used.


    As a support based member of the team, however, it would be best if she never had to fight.


    The truck drove right up until it reached a 100 metres (300 feet) of the first building in Lumina, which was a tall tower that looked like it might be a spot for archers, or scouts.


    "You''re on foot from here," the driver said. "Walk right up to the city and you''ll find an escort. Do not try to travel in the city on your own, and follow the exact routes that your escort takes."


    The group disembarked and gathered all their gear. Most of them were wearing a light backpack of some sort. Even though technically they were right next to the garrison, the fact that they had packed even rations foretold just how little the army knew what to expect.


    Nero grabbed his spear which he had been training with and checked if everyone else was ready before beginning their march to the city.


    Maybe because everyone was nervous they were expecting something to go wrong, or for an enemy to pop out from somewhere at each moment, though nothing of the sort happened. They had been spotted long before they reached the city, and a number of soldiers were waiting for them.


    "Identify yourself," yelled one of the soldiers as they stepped close.


    "Fire squad Azure-1," Nero yelled out, and then waited until the soldiers signalled them toe closer.


    "This is your first time entering the city, correct?" the soldier asked as he looked at their young faces.


    "Yes," Nero answered, while everyone else just gathered up silently behind him.


    "Why are you lot here before the bulk of the mission? I thought that all the Neophytes would being together."


    Nero took in this piece of information, though he showed no doubt or hesitation on his face. The fact that they had been sent earlier might have been an attempt from the major to avoid the other groups in the cathedral. That might not be the best n, since now they would have to deal with all the obstacles on their own.


    "Just following orders," Nero stated simply.


    The soldier gave them one look before shrugging.


    "Follow me. I trust you have been briefed at least about the state of the city."


    "Yes, we have."


    "Good. Since the entire city is still operational, that means the city''s self defence mechanism is also still operating. If you enter the city unregistered, or enter an area of the city where you are not authorised to enter, you will receive one warning before the city attacks you. This is quite inconvenient, since as Neophytes you have the least authority.


    Your mission zones might actually end up being in ces you''re not authorised to enter. In that case you need to be escorted by someone who does have authority.


    "For now, follow me as I get you registered. Do not resist the probe, you cannot hide anything from them."


    The soldier led them through an opening into the tower that had obviously only recently been created. The interior of the tower was immacte, and at the same time extremely confusing.


    Dense streams of aether seemed to be flowing throughout every portion of it, and machines of various types were ced everywhere, but Nero could see no terminal through which they were supposed to be used. There was no interface screen or buttons or anything of the sort, but Nero was certain that they did something, because a number of soldiers surrounded almost every machine doing something.


    "What do these do?" Nero asked their escort as he looked at a soldier waving his arms around, seemingly interacting with things that only he could see.


    "This is a toll tower, which is used to control entry and exit into the city," the soldier stated. "Although we only have ess to the lower levels. The higher levels are restricted with powers even the sages cannot prate. It''s enough for your needs. As for the specifics of what these machines do¡­ that''s on a need to know basis. Now step onto the tform one by one.


    I''m reminding you once again, do not resist the probe."


    The soldier brought them to a circr tform at the end of a room with many chairs pointing towards it, indicating that many people were originally supposed to be watching this process. As of right now, this was a mostly ignored portion of the tower.


    Nero tried to understand what the machine was, but upon being unable to discern anything, just obeyed the instructions and stood in the middle of the tform.


    A thickyer of aether was pushed out from the tform underneath him, and gathered around his body, as if squeezing him tightly. Nero felt Radix Augmentation heat up, as if the card was being used, but after a moment the feeling disappeared and theyer of aether travelled up along his body.


    The process was extremely ufortable, not because of the tight squeeze, but because he could feel the very aether within his body being pulled and prodded as the scan passed his body. He felt the urge to resist or fight back, but following the instructions of the soldier, he tolerated it.


    Each of the cards the aether crossed would heat up, though not nearly as much as Radix Augmentation. Eventually, Nero''s entire body was scanned sessfully, leaving him strangely drained. It was as if he had been using his aether extensively, and was on the verge of depletion.


    Once he got off the tform he looked at his escort, who was looking at Nero oddly, but did not exin why.


    "Alright, no point in wasting time. Everyone, get on the tform one by one. After this is over I''ll have someone take you into the city."


    Jackal climbed up, but Nero could not help but notice that his scan was nearly twice as fast as his own.

 Chapter 134: Ancient history

    Nero carefully observed as each of his members were scanned, even going as far as sensing the aether fluctuations in the area. He was trying to understand what the machine was searching for, and how it worked to begin with, but he couldn''t tell much.


    The only thing that was obvious was that everyone else took much less time than him to get scanned. Nero came up with multiple theories for why that might be, though none of them made sense. For example, he even thought that maybe having a seventh card on his person,pared to everyone else who only had six, made the machine slow.


    But that didn''t make sense, because everyone was carrying their card cases. They all had many cards with them.


    He considered that maybe it had judged his ability was more potent. It might be because he was thest one to wake up his ability, or many more reasons. But a majority of his theories had to be thrown out when Remi climbed up, and her scan took much longer than any of them!


    "Why does the machine take different times for different people?" Nero ultimately asked.


    The soldier shrugged.


    "We don''t understand most of what these machines do. I can tell you it''s scanning all of you to give you ess to various parts of the city. Why these levels are needed, or what it''s judging are things we can only guess. Most of the time it''s easy. The higher the realm, the greater the ess. But, within the same level, why there are differences, we have no idea."


    Ultimately, they got no answer for why the machine was taking so long, but something unexpected did happen that shocked even the escort soldier.


    While the rest of their team only got the most basic ess level, Remi got the same ess level as an Initiate! But even if he was stunned, the soldier only gave her an extra look and did nothing else.


    They didn''t receive any tokens or passes or anything of the sort. The city had just recorded their ess level, which could be checked using some machine. They could now enter.


    After reporting that they needed to be taken to the cathedral they were assigned a guide who would basically walk them through Lumina.


    It was obvious that the city in its entirety had not been excavated yet. What essentially served as the ground level right now was equivalent to the first floor of most buildings, with the basement being even further down.


    The army was trying to dig all the way to the actual ground level, but progress was slow, mostly because the city''s defences prevented them from taking drastic action. The dirt had to be dug manually. If abilities or cards were used to speed up the process, the user would immediately be tagged as a delinquent and put in the local prison.


    Breaking out of prison would revoke their ess to the city entirely.


    Even so, what was revealed of the city was spectacr. Kr, in general, maintained a theme of symmetry in all its construction, and in general liked to apply a grid system for city design.


    Some element of this was implemented across the entire country. This was a result of trying to find the most optimal way to develop and provide basic necessities for all citizens, since manufacturing of any kind was quite difficult. With a focus on surviving instead of thriving, the city architecture took on a very nd appearance.


    Only in the most recent decade had there been a push for some kind of beautification of the general living environment.


    So,pared to the mostly grey coloured cities with everything in blocks, Lumina had a lot more emphasis on aesthetics. Each building seemed like a beautiful mesh of carvings, design, vibrant colours as well as functionality.


    There were also a lot of statues, though he could not help but notice that while many parts of the buildings remained in pristine condition, some of the statues had seemingly been destroyed on purpose.


    "It was like that when the city was discovered," the soldier mentioned as he too stared at one of the destroyed statues, the only evidence of its existence the special tform for it in front of a certain building.


    "We suspect that all statues that bear the visage of the Eldrim were destroyed by someone or something before the city was buried under the mountain."


    "Can you tell how old this city is?" Nero asked, even though he did not expect an answer. But, unexpectedly, the escort did not answer immediately. He looked around the city hesitantly, then asked a question instead.


    "How much do you know about history?"


    "Everything that was taught in school," Nero answered, "and a little besides that I looked up on my own."


    The soldier shook his head.


    "In school you''ll only learn about the rise and fall of the Vriyan empire, and the recent wars. But do you know anything about what life was like before Emperor Iskunder?"


    "There are too few records of the era before the emperor. It''s almost impossible to determine what that time was like."


    At least, that was the official answer that they had been taught in school.


    That answer seemed to disappoint the soldier, but before he could say something, Gabriel pitched in.


    "It is said that back then, humans lived a nomadic lifestyle involving many small families of tribes. The tribes used to meet or intermingle for trade or marriage purposes, but most of the time they would try and survive on their own. To date, some of the powerful families in all six countries can trace their heritage back to some of therger tribes from those days. But that does not make sense.


    "A group of humans, no matter how big, cannot survive if all of them are around the Neophyte level. Any random curse could wipe them all out."


    "And yet, humans clearly survived. Unless humans just popped out of nowhere in the emperor''s era, they had to have means to survive even back then. Don''t you think it''s strange that this city, made for and by the Eldrim, which is so technologically advanced that we cannot even begin to understand it, can recognise and give ess to humans?


    Just so you know, other animals cannot get ess levels at all. They are automatically categorised as pets."


    "Are you saying the Eldrim took care of the humans?" Nero asked, not really surprised by the suggestion. The question of what the world was like before the emperor was a popr one which gave birth to many theories. Nero had also wondered about that for a while, though he had a different take on things.


    "Took care of? Who''s to say that the Eldrim existed to begin with? I''ve been in this city for months, and I haven''t seen anything to suggest that they''re any different from humans at all. If I had to bet¡­ I''d say that this city is not that old, maybe a few decades or at most a century older than the emperor.


    Something must have happened back then that destroyed civilization, and humans dropped from their peak all the way down to a few tribes, fighting for scraps. Maybe whatever happened back then is what caused the appearance of curses to begin with. If we can understand what happened, maybe we can eliminate all the curses."


    Nero looked at the escort who had a zealous look in his eyes, and read his name on his badge. He was Ford Hammel.


    This theory that the humans themselves were the Eldrim was quite popr, though Nero felt like it seemed more like the dreams and hopes of the desperate than anything else.


    But Nero himself did not have a proper answer to what happened in those years back then. He was, however, leaning towards the thought of humans just suddenly appearing here one day. Although the idea was absurd, there was one fact that he could not overlook. Unlike every other living being in this world, only humans naturallycked the ability to use aether.


    It was like they were foreigners in thisnd, who were slowly adapting over time.


    But in some ways, this theory was even more absurd than thinking that humans were Eldrim. Either way, they had no answers, nor would they get them any time soon.


    Although the distance to the cathedral was not great, since they could not cut through the city in a straight line, it took them nearly an hour to reach the rectangr building. Although the city itself, despite being eerily empty, was grand, the cathedral was even moreso.


    Six towers rose into the sky, with four being on each corner and two rising from the middle. Up in the air, a ss bridge connected the six towers, to the middle though Nero could see cracks on the ss.


    He didn''t know what the reason for such a disy was, but it certainly appeared majestic. If Nero had to guess, he would have said that this was the house or manor of someone important. He wondered why it had been designated as a cathedral. None of the information in the files he''d been given revealed that detail.

 Chapter 135: Harold & Harold

    Around the same time as Nero and his team were entering the cathedral, dozens of trucks were being boarded by numerous teams of Neophytes. The rtively empty city was about to be crowded.


    But while there were countless Neophytes getting ready to enter the city, the number of Initiates or Arcanists entering was very few. Besides manning the few key points of the city, it was bare of any soldiers.


    This was something Nero had noticed as well, though he didn''t voice his concern. While he absorbed as much information as he could about Lumina, his focus remained on his mission.


    The cathedral had at least two basement levels, and potentially more. The first basementyer had been cleared of all obstacles despite the presence of fog, but the lower levels remainedrgely unexplored.


    Officially, the reason that they had been informed that the lower levels remained unexplored was because the army didn''t have enough Neophytes topletely explore all the basements in the ruins yet. That is why, prior to the war, KMA was going to hold their admission field tests here. They would get the best Neophytes in the country to explore for them.


    But with the onset of war, the need for an extra step was removed. The army could directly draft all the Neophytes and have them continue the exploration.


    On paper this seemed like a valid excuse. In reality, Nero concluded that either the 2nd basement level was too dangerous to explore in small numbers, or those that had been sent were already dead, which is why exploration stopped.


    "I''ll be waiting outside for you," their escort said once they reached the ce. "If you do not return within 24 hours, or send back some news, I will have to return to the tower to report you as possibly missing. An exploratory team wille to look for you inside. Of course, if other teams share the same mission as you and one of them exits I can try to get feedback from them.


    This is just a precautionary measure."


    "Why can''t youe inside?" Harold asked, speaking for the first time. It seemed like the initial nervousness and intimidation he had felt about being deployed had worn off.


    "There are strict orders to stick to the parameters of your designated job. There is a very tight information lockdown in effect. By going inside, I might be exposed to information I''m not supposed to have. In the best case scenario my mission will change and I''ll be assigned to this building, but in the worst case scenario I might end up being sent to a cursed zone."


    "Isn''t that a little extreme?" Harold ashed aghast.


    "It''s to keep all information secure and out of the hands of our enemies. This is a good lesson for you as well. Stick to your mission, and don''t wander around where you''re not supposed to."


    "Let''s go," Nero said, taking the lead to enter the cathedral. He did not want to waste time chatting outside, as he still had to pass thepetency test inside the cathedral before he could even gain ess to the levels.


    Fortunately, upon entering, they discovered that the cathedral wasn''t empty. There were three soldiers sitting at a table, huddled over some documents. The door to the cathedral opened soundlessly, as if the hinges had been just recently oiled, though Nero could see no hinges, but their footsteps at least alerted the three soldiers of their arrival.


    They looked up, confusion painting their expressions, as if they were so deeply engrossed in reading that they forgot the world even existed. Nero, too, was confused, as the three in front of him were clearly teenagers. Were they the Neophytes who had cleared the first floor?


    "Hello, I''m Nero leading Azure-1. Will you be the ones assisting me with thepetency test?"


    The three kids staring at him took a few moments to register what was happening.


    "Is it already deployment day?" one of the kids asked, rubbing his eyes, as if the bright light entering from the open door was hurting him.


    "Thank goodness, I thought we''d be stuck here forever," said another kid.


    Nero could not help but notice that their uniforms looked extremely worn out, not to mention that none of them even bothered carrying around their weapons.


    "How long have you guys been here?" he asked, sensing something amiss.


    "At least six months, trying to decipher ancient Eldrim texts when-"


    "Shut it!" The third teenager, a girl with bright green hair,screamed and mped the others mouth close with her hands. Then she breathed a sigh of relief, and looked towards Nero and the rest.


    "What we''re doing here is confidential. But yes, we can help you go through thepetency assessment. Are you here to clear the lower levels of curses?"


    Nero immediately felt the binding from the oath of secrecy slightly appear, letting him know what he could and could not disclose. He found it odd that the others in front of him didn''t have simr bindings warning them. Maybe no one got around to it.


    "I cannot disclose the details of our mission, but I can tell you that we will probably end up clearing any curse that obstructs us. Maybe once we''re done, other teams wille through who will properly clear out the basements."


    "Oh well, in that case, try not to damage the surroundings down there if you end up fighting something. Everything is extremely valuable, and it would be a shame if it became worthless because of some minor damage."


    "I can keep your request in mind, but I will not hold myself and my team back in the face of any threats. My teammates are more valuable to me."


    The green haired girl looked like she wanted to argue about the value of things, but held herself back.


    "Follow me. My name is Aloe, by the way. This is Patrick and this is Harold."


    "Oh, no way, my name is also Harold!" Harold eximed with too much excitement.


    "Oh, cool. I''m Harold Bauer, what about you?" the pale looking teenager said.


    "Adler. What school did you go to? How cool would it be if we had been together."


    "I went to a school called Fitz Field Elementary, back in Dailin¡­"


    Nero tuned out Harold and Harold, and followed Aloe deeper into the cathedral. Harold had an enthusiastic personality, that much was true, but if he was a dumb guy he would have never ended up with someone like Wendy. By pulling the other Harold aside from the protective Aloe, and talking about seemingly random things, he was gathering information.


    That was fine, because ording to the information Nero had, as long as just one of them passed thepetency test, the rest of them would be able to apany him down.


    "Can you give me any information about the kinds of curses you faced on level 1? Or any of the obstacles in the basement level 2?" Nero asked Aloe.


    "Probably nothing you don''t already know. Besides, I''ve never been to the lower levels. I''m a researcher, not really abatant," Aloe exined. "The only piece of good news I can tell you is that the Eldrim restrictions apply to the curses as much as they apply to you.


    The bad news is that the curses that survived those restrictions fit in perfectly within the Eldrim rules, which means they''re going to be strange and unpredictable. From what I understand, of the group that cleared the first floor, three members suddenly fell ill weeks after clearing the floor.


    As far as anyone can tell, they were suffering from the repercussions of somete acting curse that couldn''t be purified or even detected."


    "Any fatalities?" he asked.


    "None that I know of. Here, enter this room," Aloe said, bringing him to a small, empty room that looked like a broom closet. "I''ll start the test a few seconds after closing the door. You just need to follow the instructions and do your best. If you manage to meet the requirements, you''ll pass the test. You don''t need to worry about being harmed in the test, as it''s perfectly safe."


    "Alright, you may begin," Nero said, nodding to her.


    The cathedral was just as well decorated and vibrant as the rest of the city. Even for someone as observant as Nero, it would take a while to notice all the countless small details that filled each corner of it. But, in essence, it was a very grand building, filled with a sense of solemnity.


    He still couldn''t imagine why it would be considered a cathedral, but he didn''t have time to dwell on such thoughts.


    The test began, and Nero suddenly found himself standing in a de. His body tensed surrounded by so much grass, but nothing untoward happened. He moved his spear into the ground, and was able to cut into the dirt. The feedback he got also felt real.


    Was he in some kind of projection, or had he suddenly been teleported somewhere? He couldn''t tell.

 Chapter 136: Protocols

    Nero observed the situation around him without moving. The sun was nearly at its peak, casting small shadows. But even the midday sun was not hot. Instead it was warm andforting. The soothing wind was perfectly pleasant, and carried the smell of flowers and some fragrant leaves. The air was fresh and crisp.


    It was the stuff of nightmares, yet no nightmare struck. The grass did not try to kill him, and the pollen did not try to poison him or take root in his lungs. That was all Nero needed to know to determine this was a projection, but for what reason would the Eldrim show him such a tense projection?


    Was this a test of faith? That would match the theme of a cathedral. Before he could ponder these questions longer, a stream of information flowed directly into his mind, as if some unseen entity was speaking andmenting on him.


    "Specimen: human male. Age: 15 years. Health condition: optimal. Anomalies detected: none. Existing data entry: none. Gic markers: subject S-28.


    Specimen viability: viable. Initialising physicalpetency test. Specimen, disy your peak physical prowess."


    The stream of information was strange. Although no one was speaking, the way it flowed into his mind was as if someone or something was passing judgement. Nero could not help but feel slightly offended at being referred to as a specimen, and rmed at the mention of gic markers. What did that mean?


    But there were no answers. Whoever or whatever had passed thosements was waiting for his disy. Keeping his mission in mind, Nero suppressed his own curiosity and began to replicate his practice stances with the spear, starting from slow and firm, all the way to quick and ferocious.


    The only oddity was that he was able to go through his entire routine without feeling an ounce of fatigue. He was in peak condition the entire time, which allowed him to disy his absolute best with ease.


    When he stopped there was not a single drop of sweat on his brow, but even so he did not continue. He had already shown his best, there was no point in spending more time repeating the same thing.


    "Physical capabilities are judged to have surpassed the required threshold. Specimen physical condition: excellent. Initiating aetherpetency test. Aether test addendum: humans exhibit weak external aether control thus the basis of aether testing is the aether induced mutations. Specimen, disy your peak aetheric prowess."


    Nero pursed his lips, but then realised that there was no point in being frustrated by the way the stream of information spoke about humans. It was not being condescending, but rather stating the limitations of humans objectively.


    But despite the objectivity, he could not deny that each sentence carried a sense of inherent superiority. If it came down to it, maybe the Eldrim really were superior. But that did not mean humans were weak or pathetic. Though their starting point may have been low, they have risen quite high on their own efforts.


    He pushed these thoughts aside and focused on his task. Since the test had judged that his external aether control was weak, which was an understatement, then the basis of this test would be his ability. If that was the case¡­


    Nero surrounded his body with blue mes, and made them asrge as he could. Considering that in this ce he remained in his peak state no matter what he did, Nero could try this without fear of failure.


    He made the me asrge as he possibly could, while making it as furious as possible. Instantly the grass around him froze in its position, and then eventually shattered. Fog formed every time he breathed, and frost started to gather all around him.


    After a few seconds of maintaining his peak state, Nero let it go. There was no point in stretching it.


    "Aether induced ability is judged to directly affect thermal energy, entropy, light, and sound. Specimen aether ability: Exceptional grade. Additional note: the specimen can be of great value while conducting various tests and can adopt the role of research assistant. Initiating corruption resistance test. Specimen, resist corruption to the best of your abilities."


    Corruption?


    Before Nero could think too deeply about the topic, he felt something pushing down on his internal aetheric pressure. He immediately felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up, and he felt a familiar malevolence appear all around him.


    He was being targeted by a curse!


    This time he did not take any time to think if hold back, and immediately surrounded himself with cryomes. But while the me had beenrge and roaring just a few moments ago, now it was pale and suppressed.


    The cursed energy around Nero was too thick. The strange thing was, it was not manifesting into a curse at all. It was pure energy that was pushing him down, and trying to enter his body, and this time he did not dare to hold back. While previously he ended the test on his own each time, this time he kept resisting as best as he could.


    Unfortunately for him, the cursed energy just kept increasing in density, pushing down on him harder than ever before. He was even momentarily reminded of what Dagon said. If he suddenly felt this kind of pressure while he was manipting his internal pressure the wrong way, it could seriously end up hurting him.


    Ice began to form on the ground around him, but there was no end to the test. His mes kept growing smaller and smaller, right up until they were on the verge of extinguishing.


    Then, without warning, the cursed energy disappeared.


    "Corruption resistance capabilities are judged to be exceptional among all living beings. Extent of corruption resisted when exposed to 100 units of corruption: 100%. Additional note: all 100 units of corruption were simultaneously destroyed. Final judgement: specimen passes the criteria to enter lower levels. ess to lower levels granted.


    "Additional note: specimen disyed unique ability applicable in various tests. Raising specimen evaluation.


    "Additional note: specimen disyed corruption destruction capabilities. Specimens'' judgement rating being upgraded. Specimen passes the criteria to be recorded in thework database in level 4!


    "Error! Error! Network database connection node missing. Running diagnostics. Network connection lost 1209 years 11 months 29 days ago. Searching for possible solutions.


    Initiating emergency repair protocols.


    "Error! Error! Connection to Lumina city gridpromised, emergency repair protocols cannot be initiated. Initiating Last light and Luminari protocols."


    Finally, the stream of information was interrupted. Towards the end the stream of information took on a note of dire desperation, giving up its original objectivity. Yet that desperation did not make Nero feel vindicated. Instead, he could feel the extent of the issue this city had faced.


    He did not even want to imagine, nor could he, what could make the pioneers of the card system they used to carve out their existence feel so desperate. So instead he focused on the information he got.


    There was a good chance that whatever problem urred in this city, it happened almost 1209 years ago. In fact, in just one more day, it would be exactly 1210 years ago.


    There was also the fact that the Eldrim called cursed energy corruption, and the fact that he could apparently destroy it, which was rare even among the Eldrim.


    Before he could continue pondering, Nero found himself returned to the broom closet he was originally standing in. The door opened and a surprised Aloe looked at him.


    "That was much quicker than I expected, though it seems you passed the test. You can now go down to the lower levels."


    "Thank you," Nero said, though he was still distracted. What were the Last light and Luminari protocols? While whatever the stream of information tried to do earlier failed, clearly itsst action had not been interrupted. Was something in the ruins about to change? If so, was he supposed to try and report what happened?


    He looked at Aloe. He was tempted to ask her, but the strictness with which information was controlled had been strongly impressed upon him. He did not want to inadvertently get her into trouble by saying the wrong thing.


    After some consideration, Nero decided that the best course of action would be toplete the mission on hand first. He could then share the oddity of his test when he was handing in the artefacts.


    "How long was I in?" he asked, exiting the closet while flexing his arms. He didn''t feel tired at all.


    "Maybe a few minutes, max. Normally this test takes at least half an hour."


    "Thanks. We''ll be going down then."


    Nero gathered up his team, and finally began his descent into the basement. Even if he had been told that it was clear of all obstacles, Nero was incredibly careful as he descended. It was not just thest, strange actions of the test that caused this caution, but also the fact that he was about to walk into the fog.


    Doing so was supposed to mean certain death, and yet here he was, doing exactly that.

 Chapter 137: Two steps down

    The same warm lights that illuminated the ground floor of the cathedral filled the basement, so the room was well lit. Yet a thin, white veil hung in the room, barely making its presence known. But there was not a person alive who could ignore the fog, even as thin as it was, for this fog had killed even sages.


    To be clear, it wasn''t as if immediate exposure to the fog killed someone. Usually, to be affected by the fog, one would need to go deeper into it, or stay in it for a while. But even Nero could not remainpletely calm right now.


    A chill, the kind that even Nero could feel, shot up his spine as he entered the basement. The temperature was a little lower in the basement, yes, but the fog also seemed to press down on them. It was as if it wanted to enter their bodies, but was being blocked by their skin.


    Nero suddenly became very conscious of the fog entering his nose as he breathed, but nothing untoward happened. He looked at the others, and they were being just as careful as him, if not more. Remi was visibly trembling from fear, though she was doing her best to keep following.


    Someone like her really shouldn''t have joined them, but that waspletely irrelevant.


    "Everyone, maintain peak vignce from here on out. We can expect a curse at any time from here on out, not to mention there''s no way to know what obstacles the Eldrim have left behind."


    "I thought you just got ess to the lower floors," Harold said, looking around vigntly. Even he was not in a joking mood right now. "If you have permission, why do we still need to watch out for their stuff? Shouldn''t you be allowed to do whatever you want?"


    "Who knows how this works?" Nero said, finally reaching the base of the stairs. They had reached the first basement level, and the stairs leading further down were right beside them but Nero didn''t head towards them yet.


    "Let''s explore this floor and familiarise ourselves with it," Nero said, cautiously stepping forward. "Logically speaking, the size oryout of the floors below this should all be simr."


    The size of the basement was twice or thrice the size of the cathedral itself, which was less than ideal for their purpose.


    Exiting the stair hall, the group entered into a room that looked like a lobby, with a single corridor leading deeper into the basement. On each side of the corridor were rooms with ss walls, oddly enough, so everything was visible from the outside.


    A couple of the rooms looked like small study rooms, while one looked like a lecture hall. The rest, though, were filled with machines and obstacles Nero could not recognise.


    "You said this floor was filled with curses too? How did they kill all of them without breaking any of this ss?" Harold asked, knocking on one of the ss walls.


    "This is not ss," said Jackal, speaking for the first time. "These walls have been enchanted or treated with aether somehow to make them see through. In actuality, they''re very tough. Such walls are used verymonly in Eldrim research facilities, which means that they''re actually very strong."


    As if to show what he meant, Jackal shot out a stream of yellow fire from his finger at the wall. But the wall seemed to resist the mes easily, and was not even charred. Everyone else tried to attack the walls as well, Nero included, but could not harm it in any way.


    They continued to explore the rest of the floor, but found nothing worth noting at all.


    "Remi, since you''re here to use some of the Eldrim machines for us, why don''t you try on some of the machines here," Nero said. "It''s better to familiarise yourself with the situation now rather than on the lower floors where we''ll need to be more careful."


    The trembling girl stepped forward, and to her credit, did her best despite how clearly frightened she was.


    She touched the various machines with her index finger, for a few seconds before moving on.


    "These machines are mostly just analysis machines. They record various things like aether fluctuations, radiation and such. From what I can tell, most of the stuff here is used for research," she said, exining to Nero.


    "This ce seems more like a researchb than a cathedral," Haroldmented.


    "Who knows what they used to do in cathedrals back then," Wendy said. "Maybe studying and doing research was a form of worship."


    Nero tried to imagine the emperor snooping through the ruins like this one thousand years ago. Did he discover the cards in a research facility like this?


    Once they hadpletely explored the floor, and everyone was no longer as subdued by the pressure of being in Eldrim ruins, Nero decided to head further down.


    Although there was no gate or blockage stopping them from descending lower, none of the others were able to step down the stairs. It was as if there was a wall of solidified air, blocking their path.


    When Nero tried, however, the wall dissolved. Even a single step down, the lower level seemed an entire world apart. Not only did the fog immediately get slightly thicker, but Nero immediately felt countless curses assault him.


    His internal aetheric pressure failed at resisting them, and Nero had to immediately surround himself with his blue mes to prevent himself from being cursed.


    "The cursed energy is extremely thick down here," Nero said to the others, who were able to follow him after he dissolved the blockage. "Protect yourselves."


    Each member, save Nero, hade equipped with a card that could block cursed energy from entering their bodies so they were fine for the moment, but with each step, Nero felt the concentration of cursed energy rising.


    Nero used Aether Pulse, just to be sure there were no camouged enemies waiting for him. It had been a purely precautionary measure. He was expecting to find more curses only after he reached the second level, but immediately a number of curses were revealed.


    They were like vapours in the air, without a solid body, several of them had wrapped themselves around Nero''s body, and dozens more were drifting up the stairs towards him.


    No wonder he felt like the cursed energy was so dense!


    Nero immediately increased the mes around him, while the rest of his team acted as well. mes, aether shockwaves and various pure aetheric attacks shot out from behind him, targeting the curses. They were effective, to a degree.


    The vapour curses just dispersed their bodies whenever an attack would touch them, minimising their losses as they reappear somewhere else.


    The sudden attacks had only aggravated the swarm, so while they had previously been approaching slowly and stealthily, the curse vapours shot through the air towards them, as if they were birds diving down to catch their helpless prey.


    After blowing away the initial batch of vapours surrounding him, Nero actually reduced the mes around his body, and instead used his card Double skin to provide protection for himself. He would not be able tost long if he kept wasting aether on careless use of his ability. But Nero did light the tip of his spear in cryomes. He also used Radix Augmentation on himself.


    He hadn''t had the opportunity to see if killing curses helped raise his absorption level as well, and this was the best way to find out.


    "Form a defensive line and maintain pressure, but no need to go all out," Nero ordered his team. "Don''t waste aether when you can conserve it. Remi, you stay in the back. Jackal, try to make your mes as widespread as you can."


    Jackal''s innate ability was to maniptemon fire. It was not the strongest or hottest me, and consumed a lot of oxygen so it was not actually the best idea to use it underground. However¡­


    As soon as his mes spread across the hall, Jackal immediately withdrew his mes while Nero summoned his own!


    In a sh, the fire went from yellow to blue, and the heat that had begun to umte suddenly turned to freezing cold.


    For Nero summoning and maintaining his mes consumed aether, and if he expanded them using himself it would also eat aether. But if his mes grew on their own, absorbing excessive heat, then the burden of their expansion was not transferred to Nero. He only kept using the same amount of aether he did initially to summon them.


    Without expending much aether, Nero expanded his me rapidly, cooking all the curses. They shrieked and attacked more aggressively, but by now his team had erected a protective aether wall around them, keeping them safe.


    Just as drastically as the attack came, it ended with all the vapour curses being burnt in the blue mes.


    Nero looked down. He had only descended a couple of steps down, and they had already faced a horde of invisible curses. This was going to be a very long mission.

 Chapter 138: 2nd level

    If he had been on his own, taking on numerous curses like this would have been strenuous at the very least, not to mention dangerous. But with just a few others by his side, the whole matter was resolved easily.


    Naturally, their strategy of using synergistic abilities to achieve maximum fire power was the determining factor for the battle, but even if they would have fought slowly and carefully, it would not have been too much of a hassle.


    None of them moved once the curses vanished. They were standing where they stood, waiting to see if there were any surprises in store for them.


    But unbeknownst to any of them, the primary reason he was standing still was because Nero had be distracted! He had used Radix Augmentation before ying the curses, not really expecting anything.


    Absorbing aether was a matter of draining the target of their vitality once they were killed. Who knew if curses had vitality, but they definitely didn''t have any aether. Yet he received feedback regardless.


    A strange heat entered his body, unlike when he absorbed aether. This heat was notfortable, nor did it seamlessly meld into his aether. Instead, it spread out across all the muscles in his body, and began to produce a mild itching sensation.


    When the massive mes killed all the curses at once, the heat that Nero absorbed was significantly stronger, and the itching much harder to ignore. But fortunately, both the heat and the itching did notst long. Nero could not understand what was happening.


    Despite how ufortable the heat was, he did not feel any worse after it faded, nor did he feel weaker or corrupted. Instead, he actually felt a little more energetic. After deciding that the result was not anything bad, he returned his attention to the situation at hand.


    He once again used Aether Pulse, and though he still detected countless anomalies, they were far away from him, outside the stair hall.


    "Let''s continue," Nero said, stepping forward. Even though the lights were still on, the increasing density of fog made it more difficult to see.


    They reached the second level without any more incidents, but Nero paused. The stairs heading further down to the third floor were right there, but they had not checked out the second floor yet.


    The chances of the artefacts being on a lower floor were higher, or at least he assumed that they might be stored in the lower levels, but going directly down meant taking a risk and ignoring any potential artefacts on the second floor.


    But if they explored the second floor, chances were the others would catch up to them before much longer. After a bit of consideration, he decided not to take any drastic measures. It was best to take things one step at a time.


    He walked up to the door to the second floor and used Aether Pulse to check if anything was right outside the door. Harold and Gabriel also used a couple of cards to scan their surroundings before they finally went through the door.


    Theyout for the second level was different from the first. There was, what seemed like, a reception desk, behind which were three dark corridors. Nero was not surprised that the lights weren''t working here. It was, in fact, quite abnormal that everything else was still working.


    The walls were also not see through, so it was tough to tell what the rooms held. Without any signs that they could read, and without being able to use any of the machines himself, it was very difficult to tell whaty ahead of them.


    "Remi, see if you can ess any of the machines at the reception," Nero said as they edged forward, their weapons gripped tightly in their hands.


    There were no sounds on the second floor which made every step they took seem much louder, and every breath they took was like a siren announcing their location. They were practically inviting something to attack them. But nothing happened.


    One would think that such a situation would call for Muted Self, but considering that their location would be revealed as soon as they entered a single fight, using such a card was just an unnecessary use of aether. At most it would give them a slight edge in the first fight.


    Remi''s breathing paused as she touched a device at the reception.


    "This floor is an archive. There''s six different rooms, each containing files and research on a different topic," she said, sounding astounded.


    "Is there anything about artefacts?" Nero asked.


    "I don''t know. It''s not so easy to use these, let me see what I can find out."


    Just Remi said that, the sound of something heavy and metallic being dragged across the ground suddenly broke the silence, startling her.


    The rest turned their attention towards the middle corridor, where the sound wasing from.


    "Surround the reception desk and don''t just focus on the sound," Nero said, going around the reception and standing behind it, right in front of the middle corridor. "Make sure nothing else sneaks up on us. Remi, see what you can find out about this floor."


    Jackal came and stood next to Nero while the others spread out. They were trying to make sure nothing else attacked, but the loud, grating noise was incredibly distracting. In fact, as the source of the noise came closer and closer, Nero found himself flinching every time he heard it. He realised that this might count as an auditory attack of some sort.


    "This can''t go on. Does anyone have any way of blocking that sound?" Nero asked. Muted Self would not work on an external target.


    Gabriel pped his hand on the floor and red sand began to roll out from underneath his hand, flowing down the dark corridor. In a couple of seconds the entire ground, as far as they could see at least, was red. The sand continued even into the darkness, but no matter how much sand went in, the sound was not reduced. In fact, the source of the sound continued to get louder and louder.


    Nero could hear Jackal grinding his teeth as he was trying to resist the piercing, high pitch noise. When he looked over, he saw that Jackal''s nose was bleeding. This was definitely not an ordinary sound.


    Nero summoned his me and flung it down the corridor. The darkness seemed to swallow up the light of the mes as they travelled down, and the source of the sound was still not discernable.


    "One of the research topics is Corruption," Remi said. "For some reason, the room holding those records has been sealed, at least ording to what I''m reading here."


    It was nice that Remi could focus on her work, but if they couldn''t find the source of that noise Nero had a feeling their ear drums would not hold up.


    "I think it''s misdirection," Nero suddenly said. "We feel like the sound ising from the middle corridor, but it might not be. Jackal, light up the room and spread the fire as far as you can."


    Jackal lit up his yellow mes and began to spread them across the room, but the fog seemed to be diminishing the mes, making it harder for him to spread the fire. To help him out, Nero used re on all three corridors, trying to spread the light and fire but the darkness that filled the corridors were especially menacing, and seemed to swallow up all light. Even the mes could not do much.


    Just as Jackals mes finally reached the mouth of the corridors, white smoke was suddenly blown out from the walls, extinguishing the mes.


    "Attempted arson is punishable by incarceration," a voice suddenly boomed across the room. "Human assistant, you have been gged for your misdemeanour. Stay in ce so a sentinel may appraise the situation!"


    The sound was nearly deafening, startling Remi so much that she actually jumped. The rest were also taken aback by it. But, at the very least, it provided a brief respite from the grating noise.


    Nero did not waste any time, not wanting the heat of the mes to dissipate, and immediately lit the hall on fire with his blue mes. Once again, fueled by the residual heat of Jackal''s fire, his mes spread quickly.


    The grating sound suddenly changed into a painful wailing from every corner of the room. Whatever it was, at least they hurt it. Unfortunately, its cries hurt them back, and much more seriously at that.


    As if that was not enough, the darkness in the corridors seemed to react to his blue mes. It seemed enraged by the constant attempt to light it up.


    The darkness that filled the corridors began to slither forward, slowly entering the main room.


    Remi, as if unaware of all that was happening around her, kept searching through the machine.


    "The second room is dedicated to the study of the moon. That''s strange, it doesn''t say which moon it''s focused on studying."

 Chapter 139: Cursed object

    In the first actual hour of being on mission, of Nero''s first ever actual mission, he had already faced off against a swarm of invisible, vapour curses and was now being attacked by, as far as he could tell, a curse that existed as a grating sound and targeted by endless darkness that was somehow alive - probably also as a curse.


    The army life was nothing if not exciting. Instead of panicking at the rapidly deteriorating situation, Nero found himself feeling a little excited. He was standing on a razor''s edge, and a single wrong move could cause not only his own death, but the death of his teammates.


    Ordinarily, something like that would scare or intimidate a person, but this was exactly what Nero had been training for all his life. Thousands of hours of studying, training, working hard and forcing himself to be diligent instead of rxing had all been so that when such a moment came, he could excel.


    Now the moment hade for him to prove himself. Thoughts flowed rapidly through his mind as he analysed the situation. Lighting the whole reception room on fire had somehow hurt the curse causing the grating noise, but he had not identified where it was, nor had he actually stopped the grating.


    He also could not keep the mes going for long because even though he made sure not to light his team on fire, the cold would soon start to affect them. Jackal also could not continue to light his mes as oxygen supply was a concern and thest thing he wanted to do was fill the room with smoke. That would affect only them, not the curses.


    Nero used Aether Pulse once more, just to see if he could find the source of the grating noise, but the card failed to reveal anything new.


    "Anyone who has cards that produce light, stop the darkness from slithering out the corridors. Harold, use shockwaves in the room. Remi, see if the machine has any failsafes or defensive mechanisms against corruption! Also, anyone who can cover your ears with a spell or card, do it!"


    No one in the team hesitated, mostly because the mind piercing metallic wail made it hard for anyone to concentrate or think. Being given clear instructions made it much easier to act.


    Gabriel was the first person to cover his ears with his red sand, which should have been the obvious choice right from the beginning but the voice had been too distracting. Although it did not eliminate the grating sound, it provided immense relief, allowing him to finally think.


    Nero already had his ears covered in mes, not that it helped much, while the rest also used cards to immediately gain some semnce of relief.


    Nero reduced his mes so that Wendy, Gabriel and Jackal could rush towards the corridors. They brought out cards that either caused sh bangs or summoned glowing orbs of light, creating a wall of light to block the darkness.


    Harold did not rush with them, and instead held out his hand in the air and activated a card he was carrying, which caused a loud shockwave to pass through the room. The floors, the walls, the ceiling and everything else suffered the effects of the shockwave but didn''t receive any damage.


    More importantly, the loud, disruptive bang drowned out the grating noise momentarily. But as soon as the grating returned, it became even louder.


    The sound was so dominating it nearly caused Nero to shut his eyes as his mind was overwhelmed by stimuli.


    "Keep using shockwaves," Nero yelled. "Try to make them louder. I think loud noises hurt it somehow."


    Nero had noticed as much when the loud announcement told Jackal to stay where he was to be arrested. For the brief duration of that message, the grating noise had stopped.


    Harold nodded, and began to produce a shockwave every few seconds. It seemed to be working, as the grating noise kept wailing in pain, but it was not working fast enough. Nero tried strengthening his mes to see if he could expedite the death of that noise.


    "The third room," Remi''s voice cut through all the noise, even though she was speaking normally, if a bit fast, "is dedicated to studying something called the Mists of Shahbaal."


    Nero''s face snapped towards Remi and his eyes constricted. He had focused on everything, except for the most significant anomaly. The fact that someone as fearful as Remi could continue to casually read about the archive while the room was in chaos around her was something he should have immediately picked up. No wait, she did react right at the very beginning, before approaching the reception desk!


    He immediately thought of two possibilities. Without waiting, Nero manipted his internal aether, testing to see if he was under the influence of any illusions. He was unable to detect anything, but that was not conclusive evidence of anything as he had almost no experience in disrupting illusions.


    Without any less subtle means left to him, Nero lit the edge of his spear ame and mmed it down as hard as he possibly could at the reception desk. There was an explosion, throwing Nero back across the hall and into the wall. Harold looked confused, but with the mind piercing sound growing ever louder, he wasn''t able to think clearly.


    He did not even notice as his eyes, nose and ears began to bleed. Nero, too, started to bleed from all over, but instead of being concerned, he was grinning.


    In the brief moment before the explosion knocked him back, Nero felt his mes sizzle. That was exactly what happens when his mes touch a cursed object actively emitting cursed energy!


    Two snowkes appeared in his hand and he immediately lit them on fire before hurling them at the reception desk. Fueled by the snowkes the mes should have spread, but instead they started to flicker heavily as if something was fighting against the mes.


    From across the hall Jackal let out a scream as his body fell backwards. Resisting the darkness was turning out to be a lot harder than expected.


    "Harold, go help the others!" Nero yelled, but over the noise Harold could not hear Nero''s instructions.


    The blue haired teenager could feel that the situation was getting out of hand. If he didn''t do something, he could end up suffering his first casualty soon!


    He had wanted to avoid doing this, since it was a tant waste of aether, but he had no choice left.


    Nero poured his aether into his ability, drastically increasing the mes in the room. At the same time, he channelled most of his mes towards the reception. It was a desperate attempt to quickly turn the situation around.


    The grating, by now, was so loud that Nero could no longer even hear his own thoughts. In the distance, the darkness had managed to slither out of the corridors, and it was beginning to surround Wendy and Gabriel. Harold was still producing shockwaves, nescient that his bleeding had gotten worse, dripping down his throat and turning his armour red.


    Remi, meanwhile, continued to read.


    "The fourth room is about Dimensional Rifts¡­"


    The sound of crack suddenly broke through all the noise. The metallic grating that was desperate to be heard, the shockwaves produced in the small room, the sound of someone screaming, the sound of Remi speaking, all were interrupted by that one, distinctly clear sound.


    It was as if something frozen had splintered. It was immediately followed by the sound of something shattering, and then sweet, sweet silence.


    Something about the room immediately changed, and everyone woke up to the realisation that they had been fighting nothing. In front of the corridors, Wendy and Gabriel stood back to back, with Jackal on the floor, and the vicious darkness that was creeping in seemed to have vanished. The metallic sound had disappeared.


    Harold suddenly found himself clear headed and stopped the shockwaves. Everything came to a halt as they all looked around confused, but the most confused of all was Remi. One moment she had been listing out the rooms to Nero and the rest, and the next the entire reception desk had shattered, and the entire team had spread out at some point.


    She looked at Harold and screamed in fright as she jumped back, but the teenager just looked back in confusion.


    "You¡­ you¡­ your face is¡­"


    "Everyone purify yourselves," Nero interrupted, after finally recovering. Although Harold looked the worst, not counting the fact that Jackal was unconscious, they had all bled a bit. Bleeding was dangerous, and leaving blood out was even more so because it could be used to curse whoever the blood belonged to.


    "Also, check for injuries and help each other heal. We were trapped in an illusion. I think the reception desk had be a cursed object."


    Nero felt that it was a waste that he hadn''t used the Radix card, but the circumstances did not allow it. Nero opened his backpack and pulled out a small aether crystal and began to absorb the aether within. That was the quickest way to replenish his aether reserves, as the crystals contained very docile and easily absorbed energy.

 Chapter 140: A few tough fights

    "What¡­ what the hell just happened?" Harold asked as he touched his face, still wet from blood. The room looked pristine, save for the broken reception. The corridors were well lit, everything was neat and clean, and there seemed to be no threat in sight.


    "We were caught in an illusion of some kind, as far as I can tell," Nero said as he patted his body, checking to see if anything hurt. Any sudden sharp pains would indicate born bones or bruised muscles, but everything seemed fine. Besides the ringing sound in his ears and slight dizziness, he was alright. But the same could not be said for the rest, especially Jackal.


    Nero opened his card case and took out the card that was right on top. It was a simple card used for purification. It wasn''t perfect, but it would suffice. He used the card on himself, but there did not seem to be any residual cursed energy on him.


    Everyone else did the same and most of them were fine, but arge swathe of ck dust leaked from Jackals nose when the card was used on him. His eyes shed open and he immediately began coughing, letting out ck phlegm. After a heavy bout of coughing, and numerous spells used on him for purification, he finally recovered.


    "Thanks," he said, hoarsely. "Did we get the curses?"


    He looked around himself upon discovering that they were not under attack, nearly slumped his shoulders. But he did not have the luxury for such a thing. Instead, he opened his backpack and took out a vial containing a light blue potion and drank it.


    This would prevent him from taking any other potions for the next few hours, but he had to recover as quickly as possible. The mission had only just begun.


    "What''s next?" Gabriel asked as he walked up to them, his face wiped clean off his sleeve.


    "The rooms here seem to hold only records, but we should check them out anyway. We might learn something useful. From what I recall, Remi said that the rooms were about Corruption, the moon, the Mists of Shahbaal and Dimensional rifts. Although I don''t know much about the other rooms, I suggest we check out corruption at the end. That is what the Eldrim seemed to have called cursed energy."


    "Is everyone good? Have you all checked for injuries?" Nero asked, making sure they were fit to go on. They were all fine, rtively speaking. It was ironically Remi, who had not suffered any injuries at all, who was most reluctant to go on.


    Nero could not understand what was going through her mind, but he at least admired the fact that despite her fears and reluctance, she obeyed all orders.


    Nero used Aether Pulse once more, and this time detected a few curses in the corridors, but that actually reassured them. An enemy they could detect was a lot better than one they didn''t even know put them under an illusion.


    "Human specimen, you are charged with the destruction of cathedral property," a sound suddenly red. "The punishment for such crimes are incarceration and a public trial. Turn yourself in to the nearest sentinel."


    "Hey, your property was infected by corruption and nearly killed me!" Nero exined. He didn''t know if the announcement could ept responses, but it couldn''t hurt to try. As it turned out, it could.


    "Corruption usation has been filed. Testing for corruption. Testing¡­ Testing¡­ Warning! Corruption detected on all floors! Emergency protocols initiated! Error!


    Missingponents. Error! Missing data node. Initiating contingency protocols. Error!"


    The announcement suddenly shut down, which was both relieving and concerning. It seemed like whatever happened to this ce must have happened overnight so that the systems did not even detect anything. Or perhaps they had only recently restarted, which is why they didn''t know about the state of the city.


    "Let''s start with the Mists of Shahbaal," Nero said after a few moments of silence. "If we''re lucky, then the mists refer to the fog that surrounds us. We might just learn something new. But remember, our mission is not to gather this data, we''re here to search for artefacts. There will be others after us to record all of this."


    The team gathered themselves up and entered the corridor on the left. Each corridor led to two rooms, and the one hosting the archives on corruption were on the right, which is why they would go therest.


    There were a few curses in the corridor which they easily detected and fought off without much trouble, but none of them lowered their guard. Their recent experience had been too harrowing for them to rx any time soon.


    Nero tried opening the door, but it wouldn''t budge. He had Remi try, and the door opened immediately. It seemed like their individual ess levels in the city mattered a lot, even here.


    Something lunged out of the room at Remi, but the team was both ready and expecting as much, so they easily pulled her back and attacked. The curse once more looked like it was made of vapours, though the shape was different, and it was followed closely by a dozen more.


    The narrow corridor and close proximity made the fight a little tough. Nero used his ming spear to pierce through the attacking curses, while Harold punched through them.


    His ability was a strange one, and had to do with pulses or tremors. Nero did not know the exact details, but his ability could only be used through his body and not other objects, so he was forced to be a close range fighter.


    But that did not make him weak. On the contrary, each one of his punches packed a lot of power. The vapours dispersed under theirbined onughtwhile the others had stepped back to give them room to manoeuvre.


    Once they were sure that the room was empty they entered to discover sixteen green pirs ced throughout the room, and nothing else. Nero touched one, and discovered that the pirs were made of some strange metal.


    "Are these the records? Remi, can you see if you can learn anything from them?" Nero asked.


    The pale girl touched the pirs and tried to ess anything within, but got no response. Each of them tried various things, but the pirs seemed to be nothing more than that.


    Unable to discover anything, they moved onto the next room.


    Unsurprisingly, it too was filled with curses, but this time their numbers were massive. The whole team had to retreat from the corridor as they fought them off. This time, it was Gabriel who became the deciding factor in their eventual victory.


    As they retreated he kept on covering the ground with his red sand, and once they exited the corridor he immediately activated it. The sand exploded off the ground, and burned through the vapour curses as if they were kindling. But there were no mes or heat when the sand burned them. There wasn''t even any ash left over.


    After everything was done, the only thing that remained was more red sand.


    But as powerful as his ability was, neither of them could afford to use their abilities heavily like that.


    They entered the room, only to once again discover sixteen metallic pirs and nothing else.


    "I''m beginning to see a pattern," said Harold.


    "Let''s check the other rooms," Nero said. No matter what, they could not afford to leave any room unchecked.


    The next two rooms, one focused on the moon and the final one unknown yet again, were simrly filled with curses and revealed nothing save pirs. That ultimately left only thest corridor.


    "Everyone, recover your aether a bit before we proceed," Nero said. "We''ve had a few tough fights, and there are more ahead. We need to make sure our energy doesn''t run low."


    After spending some time recovering, they all went towards the fifth room. Surprisingly, this time, when they opened the door they were not assaulted by vapour curses. Instead, the room seemed to contain countless corpses.


    Bones literally fell out the door when they opened it, giving Remi yet another fright and causing everyone to step back.


    The bones were yellow from age, and ck from rot, so it was not easy to determine what they belonged to, but there must have been thousands of such bones inside that room. Even the pirs were not visible.


    Everyone looked towards Nero, waiting to see what he decided. If he still wanted to explore the room, they would have to remove the bones, but none of them wanted to get close to them. It was like asking to get cursed. It was an incredibly ominous sight.


    Just as Nero was wondering how they could explore the room, the loud sound of a door opening attracted everyone''s attention. At the same time, the bones began to tremble, as if some force was bringing them to life.

 Chapter 141: Cooperation I

    Nero did not hesitate beforeunching his mes into the bones. He did not intend to freeze them. Rather, he wanted his mes to consume the energy that was trying to control the bones.


    He did, however, retreat a little to create some distance between himself and the bones. The team also retreated while searching for the source of the sound. If the door to corruption had opened on its own, then they were in for a world of trouble.


    But the door that opened wasn''t the door to the final room, rather it was the one that led to the second floor. Another team had appeared, though they stopped when they saw Nero and the rest.


    No doubt they too had orders topete for the artefacts with the other teams, which meant that they weren''t necessarily allies. Their first interaction would likely determine the nature of their rtionship moving forward.


    Nero looked at them and in a single nce was able to guess many things. They were all teenagers, which was not a surprise, but what usually apanied their age was inexperience, and therefore nervousness and fear.


    Indeed, their stances were tense, holding their weapons close to their chest and looking back at them gravely. In their eyes Nero could detect countless thoughts. There was hesitation, wariness, and even a hint of relief. He could tell that they were considering what action to take.


    His own teammates were wary as well, for they knew full well that they would bepeting for artefacts with other teams.


    Nero decided it was best to set the tone himself before anyone did something counterproductive.


    "There''s some kind of curse trying to animate these bones!" he said loudly, so that the other team was aware of the situation."Help me destroy the curse before we have a new enemy on our hands. We''re all Kri here."


    His words meant that even though they werepeting, they were essentially from the same background. They should help each other when they could.


    Although Nero''s team was mostly unhurt, many of them still had dried blood on their hands and faces, and their armour showed some wear from the constant fighting, which made them look intimidating. It was clear they had seenbat, which clearly revealed that this mission was not going to be a walk in the park.


    The newly arrived team was being led by a young man with blonde hair. Upon hearing Nero''s request, he decisively stepped forward, wielding a sword and a shield. Having to fight against other Kri soldiers made him ufortable, which is why he was more than d to help out when Nero requested it. This is exactly how things should be.


    "Verdant-2, eliminate the curse," he said boldly before leaping forward.


    A white light began to shine around his sword as he ran towards the bones. When he came close enough he shed his sword in the air, and the white light shot out of his de and into the bones. Nero moved his mes aside so that they wouldn''t interfere with the attack, but he underestimated the power of the sh.


    It caused an explosion of light and ground the bones to dust, even going as far as eliminating some of Nero''s mes.


    But even as impressive as the disy was, they had only affected a single drop in the ocean. The room was still filled to the brim with bones, and they had only destroyed the ones that had spilled out.


    The ones that remained began moving even faster, joining together to form canine-like creaturesing up to Nero''s waist.


    "Retreat out of the corridor, we''ll bottleneck them. Gabriel, build a sand barricade a metre (3 feet) high at the opening."


    Nero''s team retreated immediately, but Verdant-2 hesitated, looking towards their gant leader. He too hesitated for a moment, his thoughts unknown, but seeing how many bony creatures wereing out of the room, he retreated as well.


    As per Nero''smand, Gabriel built a small barricade, rising only a metre high, but that in itself was enough. It would cause the creatures to have to jump. If they tried to crash into the wall, they would be burned by the sand. Not to mention, like embers rising with the hot air, grains of sand randomly rose from the barrier, burning anything they touched.


    Originally Nero wanted to try and prevent the bones from bing animated to begin with, but when he channelled his me into the room he realised that the cursed energy inside was extremely dense. Whittling it down slowly, with everyone''s help, would be a much more effective strategy.


    That was assuming that the bones did not take on a much more powerful and dangerous form - an assumption Nero did not make. There was obviously something different about this room, so anything could happen.


    Since the situation called for long rangebat, Nero quickly opened his card case and took out Air Bullet, opting to attack the bony creatures from a distance. The rest of his team did the same, and only Remi stood in the back. Instead of attacking, she used augmentation cards to bolster the team.


    But unlike Azure-1, Verdant-2 had a dedicated long range attacker, as unusual as it was. The archer was short, which was ironic because he was using a short bow with a graceful arc, though its handle where the archer held it from was straight.


    He either had an ability or a card which created arrows, because the archer would only need to pull the string back for a brown arrow with a needle bodkin point to just appear, the perfect size for the bow.


    Each of his shots was extremely deadly and, more importantly, urate, cutting through the skull of each of his targets.


    The size of the bow and the shorter draw, apanied by his clear expertise allowed him to shoot rapidly, filling the corridor with countless cony corpses. With everyone''sbined efforts, it almost seemed like this would be an easy battle. But then the bones of the creatures they had already defeated once again began to move.


    "We need to destroy the bones thoroughly!" the blonde leader of Verdant-2 yelled.


    "I have a way we can do that, but oxygen might be a problem," Nero said, maintaining his calm despite his ever-increasing excitement. This time around, he had used Radix Augmentation in advance, so for every creature he defeated up close and was able to touch, he could feel his body being rejuvenated just a bit. It was almost imperceptible, but every bit counted.


    "We''ll take care of the air, you take care of the bones," the blonde youth yelled, and stepped back giving Nero space. He and Jackal shared eye contact. They had practised more than just simple tricks, such as switching fire yellow mes to blue ones. No, they''d also practised how to create massive explosions that produce an incredible amount of heat for Nero to immediately make use of.


    In the case of these creatures, just the explosion might be enough, though it wouldn''t hurt to use his own cryome afterwards as well if the curse persisted.


    From his card case Nero summoned another card, and used it to spray a transparent liquid down the corridor while Jackal sped his hands together and summoned his mes between them,pressing them as much as he could.


    Jackal''s mes were quite ordinary, but the nature of his ability allowed him to manipte them in interesting ways. Bypressing his mes he could create much hotter, more dangerous mes, but the process was very aether intensive. It was not something he could do frequently. But when the time called for it, it created a powerful explosion.


    If the area of his explosion had already been covered in mmable liquids beforehand, then all the better.


    "Remi, throw up a shield around us as soon as Jackal throws the fireball!" Nero instructed. As the person with the greatest aether reserves, since she barely fought, the task of erecting shields and barriers were hers.


    The number of bony creatures in the corridor kept on rising, and as Verdant-2 retreated a little the pressure on them decreased. A few of them even made it past Gabriels wall, but fortunately Harold made quick work of them.


    The set up for this attack took slightly longer than usual attacks, which was usually bad. But this time, Nero wanted to gather as many bones in the corridor as he could. When the pressure was finally getting too great, and Gabriel''s sandwall was on the verge of breaking, he finally yelled, "now!"


    Jackal did not hesitate in throwing the fireball he had been creating in his hand. It was yellow, and barely a few centimetres wide, but it began to expand the moment it left Jackal''s hand, bing unstable.


    But before itpletely copsed on its own, it crashed into the skull of one of the creatures, dripping in the liquid Nero had sprayed. Then it unleashed a fiery inferno, right mere metres away from everyone.

 Chapter 142: Cooperation II

    A lot depended on Remi putting up the barrier in time. Despite her nervousness, she had not failed to contribute to the team, and she didn''t fail this time either. A ck barrier made of pure aether blocked the corridor the second the inferno was unleashed.


    Yet while the barrier blocked the mes, it did not prevent the shockwave from crashing against everyone. It felt like something had mmed into Nero''s chest and pushed him back. If he had not already been diving away, it might have been worse.


    What apanied the shockwave was a thunderous roaring as the fire spread down the corridor and burned everything. But that did notst long.


    Much likest time that Jackal spread his mes, the building sprayed white smoke on the mes, instantly extinguishing them.


    "Remi, lower the barrier," Nero said, and channelled his mes towards the corridor, instantly soaking up the boiling temperature.


    Unbelievably, even after all that, the walls of the building remainedpletely unharmed, not even umting a darker colour due to charring. Fortunately, the same could not be said for the bones. Although they had not turned to ash, since the me did not get enough time to burn properly, most of them had been broken into smaller pieces, with a few burns on each side.


    That glimpse was all they got before Nero''s own blue mes spread across the corridor, greedily taking in all the heat that had umted.


    The buildings fire defence was much better than Nero expected. The inferno barely had any time to burn, so they never ended up having an oxygen deficiency, though the smoke was still a problem. Fortunately, Verdant-2 had nned for that.


    With the door to the stairwell open, they used cards to generate wind, carrying the smoke into the hall and sending it upwards, to exit the building.


    Although a lot of bony creatures probably died from that explosion, since Nero didn''t touch them he couldn''t absorb whatever it was that Radix Augmentation was filling his body with. It was a bit of a loss, but being unnecessarily greedy wouldnd him in trouble.


    The entire corridor was filled with blue, but Nero did not let them be. He immediately funnelled them into the room, burning away the remaining cursed energy, though it was barely enough.


    They finally had a moment of peace, though Nero was slightly distracted. He couldn''t help but notice that the temperature of the room didn''t drop. Most likely his mes could not absorb all the heat because they werebating the cursed energy. Or there was some other reason, but he''d have to remember this and test it out in the future.


    With the onught of the curses over, the two teams finally had time to focus on each other. Verdant-2 consisted of five members, but none stood out as much as their leader. Or maybe that was just because Nero already knew who the leader was.


    "Bloodfield, you have pretty good timing," Nero said with a smile, showing no nervousness or hostility at the arrival of his team. It was as if he was not even thinking about the fact that they werepeting for artefacts.


    "Do we know each other?" the blonde man asked, a hint of confusion apparent on his face.


    "No, but I know you," answered Nero. "Or to be more urate, I know your family. As the family that owns thergest orchards in the region, who doesn''t know you? Not to mention, the Glory sh is a very easily recognisable move. Harold and I watched Newman Bloodfield fight against a Darkthorn Bullst year live in his debut fight, and he used the same move to cut offone of the bull''s horns."


    "Oh man, I knew that was familiar!" Harold eximed suddenly. "Damn, that was a good fight. Close one too."


    Glory sh was the move the blonde man had used that shot out a beam of light from his sword. It was a signature card used by their family, since only they had the recipe for it, and never sold the cards outside.


    "Right. Of course. Newman," the team leader said, realising how Nero might have recognised him. "He always loved being the centre of attention. The bigger the crowd, the happier he''d be."


    It was fairlymon for soldiers whopleted their mandatory army service to debut as professional fighters. Everyone loved to watch a good fight, and the chase to watch a good fight live was something no one wanted to miss.


    Newman, despiteing from a rich family, was no different. Unfortunately, he and his team disappeared a few months prior to Nero''s synchronisation while journeying from one city to another, with no trace. It was all over the news. Everyone suspected that they had fallen prey to some cursed incident, but no one could find any trace of it. All of them were presumed dead.


    Such incidents weren''t exactly umon.


    "My name is Leonard. Are any of you injured?"


    Nero looked at his team, and as usual, beside a few scrapes, they were fine.


    "We''re fine. We were just about to explore the room we opened before we were attacked by all those bones. Do you want to join us?"


    Leonard exchanged nces with his teammates, who gathered around him.


    "Can you exin the situation first?" he asked, trying not to show how wary he truly was.


    "Sure, no problem," said Nero, and then briefly exined everything they had experienced so far. From the reception desk that trapped them in an illusion to the other rooms, he left out nothing.


    "Do you mind if we check out the other rooms first?" Leonard asked.


    "Be my guest," Nero said, shing him a friendly smile. "By the way, my name is Nero."


    Leonard nodded, and led his team to explore the other rooms that they had already explored. Besides one of the rooms where more vapour curses had formed, they investigated all the other rooms without incident.


    "Are you sure it''s okay to be so friendly with them?" Harold asked, keeping his voice low. "Helping out in a fight is good and all, but what are we going to do if we find the target items?"


    "We''ll deal with that when ites to it, but for now, I''d rather take all the help I can get with these curses," Nero said. "Otherwise, if we''re guarding against other teams and have to fight all these curses by ourselves, we''ll be drained of aether long before we even get our hands on the artefacts."


    Harold just shrugged. Nero wasn''t wrong. Even though none of them were close to having their aether reserve drained, that was only due to their excellent teamwork.


    When Verdant-2 returned, having discovered nothing amiss, the two teams joined together and entered the room. When Nero saw dust and bits of broken bones covering the floor he was not surprised. However, when he saw that all the metallic pirs were destroyed as well, he was taken aback.


    These things were quite resilient, so he could not imagine what had broken them. In fact, even in their broken form, none of them could do much to them. They were not even able to lift any of the shards. Each piece had to weigh hundreds of kilograms, if not more.


    But with nothing else to discover, they eventually made their way to the final room, which is the one that had been sealed. It had records on corruption.


    Nero warned everyone that this room might be the most dangerous yet, sharing his theory. Yet the caution ended up being for nothing. The room really was sealed tight, and no matter what they did, it would not open.


    They tried forcing their way in as well, but they could not leave a single mark on the door. In the end, all they could do was let it be.


    As they stood in front of the stairs leading to the third level, Leonard turned and looked towards Nero.


    "I like your upright and forting attitude, Nero," he said. "As brothers in arms, we should be helping each other and working together. How about we make a deal? Until we reach our target, we will work together. Once we reach it, we canpete fairly for it. May the best man win.


    What do you say?"


    Nero did not hesitate at all and shook the hand that he held out.


    "That''s exactly what I was thinking. May the best man win. After all, we may have many more missions in the future where we work together. It''s best to have a good rtionship."


    Whether that was what Nero was truly thinking or not, at least they came to an agreement for now.


    Not that Nero dropped his guard for even a second. If Leonard had attacked Nero before, it would have beenpetition. If he attacked now, it would be betrayal. The name changed, but it didn''t change the fact that Leonard could technically still attack him.


    But at least now the chances of them continuing to work together were greater.


    Nero began to descend towards the third level, and once again, the fog started to get thicker.

 Chapter 143: Containment

    The pale white fog became thicker as Nero descended, reducing the visibility to only a fewmetres ahead. As if that was not enough, the effective radius of Aether Pulse was also reduced drastically, making it so that he needed to use the card every few steps.


    Considering their previous experience, it was odd that they faced no curses yet, but that could also be an effect of the fog. Despite its seeming harmlessness, it was by far the most dangerous thing here.


    By the time they reached the third level, they faced no challenge, but instead of feeling relieved, Nero only felt more concerned. There were a few things causing such concern.


    Visibility was obviously a big part of it, but another was that there were no more stairs heading downward after the third level. Yet when he was taking the test to gain ess for the lower levels, he was certain he recalled mention of a fourth level. Lastly, it was because he felt no cursed energy at all.


    One would think that theck of cursed energy would mean they were safer, but Nero didn''t think so. In his mind, that only meant that they werepletely incapable of sensing the danger, not that there wasn''t any.


    "The door''s broken," Harold''s voice came muffled through the fog. Did the fog also reduce sound? That would exin the deafening silence on this floor. Even an empty room had some sound, of the air if nothing else. Yet here, in the basement, it was as if sound did not exist at all. Unless, of course, they were the ones to make it.


    The group moved towards him and were rmed to find that, indeed, the door was broken. It was shattered into pieces that stilly on the ground after all this time. That was another reason to be concerned, because so far they could not even scratch the building.


    Nero strongly suspected that the only reason he had been able to break the reception desk was because the curse had weakened its internal structure over the course of many years.


    But much more ominous than even the door was the cracked floor of the room beyond. The floor had caved in at certain parts, while in other areas it remained level. Yet the wide, dark cracks that seemed to split the ground spread everywhere, like a spiderweb.


    Nero bent down and touched the dust that covered the ground, trying to determine if this break was recent or old. The way it had settled made Nero feel like it had been like this for a while, but whether that was a few months over countless years could not be ascertained. The earthquake that uncovered the city could have been responsible for this, or it could have easily predated it.


    "Someone''s using aether up ahead," Remi suddenly whispered. "No, wait. It''s not one person. There are many people up ahead!"


    Nero immediately stood up and looked ahead, but the fog was too heavy to see anything far. What he did see, however, was that there were no footprints in the heavy dust that hugged the floor.


    "It might not be people," Nero said. "Stay cautious and don''t take any rash actions."


    He stepped forward, his team following him closely. No one noticed that the way Nero held his spear, pointed forward, allowed the rear end of the spear toe close to Wendy.


    She brushed against it, but as if it was an ident, stepped aside and stayed clear of it as they moved forward.


    Theyout of the third floor was different from the second floor, as far as Nero could see. There were a few different corridors, but instead of sticking to the rectangryout of the cathedral up above, they seemed to head in various other directions. It seemed like this level of the basement spread farther than the boundary of the cathedral.


    For now, Nero chose to follow the direction Remi sensed other people, and Leonard and his team followed.


    Yet before they went much farther, a vague silhouette appeared in the fog, and the sound of heavy footsteps appeared.


    They halted as they waited for the person to reveal himself, only to be surprised to find something else instead.


    The shape of the thing was humanoid, but it definitely wasn''t human. It might have been a machine, based on how unusual Eldrim technology was, or it could just be some strange monster. Either way, it was not something Nero had ever seen before.


    Its legs had several knee-like joints, meaning that even as it walked, its legs bent in odd ways, though it maintained a perfect bnce. Its left arm was normal until the elbow, but after that turned into a sharp de, or maybe that was just a very pointy bone. Its right hand was normal, save for the fact that it had two thumbs and eight fingers, forming a perfect circle.


    Its face was hidden behind a mask, but based on howrge the mask was, it definitely wasn''t in normal human shape.


    Most importantly, it had no cursed energy leaking from its body. Instead, at this range, even Nero could sense that its body was densely packed with aether.


    "The third level is not open to research assistants," the creature spoke, its voicepletely identical to the announcements they had heard on the upper floor. "Depart immediately. Failure toply will result in the death penalty without opportunity for appeal."


    Leonard brought his shield closer to his body while he raised his sword, and everyone also prepared their weapons. Nero, on the other hand, felt like trying something else instead.


    "I have special permission to ess this floor," he said. "There''s a problem with the data node that I need to look at. You can confirm for yourself if that is true."


    "Checking for exception permission allocation. Error. Unable to connect to the database. Unable to verify permission status. Searching for a proctor to verify status. Error.


    Unable to detect any proctor!"


    For a few seconds after that, the creature went silent, as if it did not know what to do in such a situation. Just as Nero was beginning to suspect it was broken, it looked directly at Nero. He could physically feel its gaze on his body, and even inside of it.


    "Emergency situation detected. Research subjects need to be contained. Research assistant, you have been directed to aid in the containment of research subjects. Follow."


    The thing turned around and began to walk into the fog. Everyone looked at each other, as if unsure they should follow, but Nero did not hesitate. He wasn''t sure what he had gotten into, but he didn''t want to risk losing sight of the thing in the fog. The rest followed without lowering their guard.


    The cracks in the floor continued throughout the corridor, and in some ces even extended to the walls, revealing darkness hidden between them.


    "We''re getting close to the rest of them," Remi whispered once more, her voice barely audible at this point. "There''s something very strange about the others. I don''t think this is a good idea."


    That was the most the frightened girl had spoken so far, and the fact that she was finally voicing her fears did not mean Nero dismissed her thoughts. In fact, her ster performance so far meant that Nero took her words very seriously.


    Yet before he could decide any other course of action, they arrived at arge opening, a result of the floor and walls having copsedpletely, going down a level.


    Nero''s eyes shed. He knew there was a fourth level. But before he could relish in discovering the hidden floor, he caught sight of the ''others'' Remi was referring to.


    Dozens of humans, frail, starved and skinny to the bone, walked around the floor like zombies. There were chains attached to their legs, though the chains weren''t attached to anything. They had likely broken off when the floor copsed.


    Simrly, there were endless tubes attached to their bodies, but they too had been ripped free from whatever they were attacked to.


    It was an eerie sight. They humans were so skinny they might as well have been just skin and bones. In fact, they very well just might be just that, with aether sustaining them instead of organs, for each of them radiated auras of thick aether.


    Before the creature leading them could speak, or any of them could decide how to urately react to such a horrific sight, one of the humans suddenly turned to look their way. It sniffed the air, as if it caught a whiff of something new. Then it bared its fangs, revealing impossibly sharp teeth.


    "Contain research subjects before they disy their corruption mutations," the creature loudly announced.


    Its voice attracted the attention of the rest of the bony humans, and like a pack of hungry dogs, theyunched themselves towards them.


    But their frail exterior was misleading to their actual abilities. Nero barely had time to point his spear in the right direction before the first of the test subjects was on him.

 Chapter 144: Unusual

    The speed of the skinny, deranged humans was unbelievable, easily rivalling a new Initiate. Their speed, apanied by the surprise of their attack, made it so that almost no one was ready to face them.


    The first one lunged into Nero''s spear on its own, but instead of being skewered, the spear only partially stabbed him, getting stuck on the bone. In fact, the spear was nearly ripped out of Nero''s hands due to the amazing resistance the attacking human put up.


    But Nero held on, and turned the spears de, freeing from the bone and allowing it to cut through the body. Yet the attacking human was barely fazed. With ws and fangs that were unusually sharp, it leaped at Nero, dark red blood streaming down its body.


    This time, however, Nero effortlessly swirled his spear, mming its blunt end into the skinny, human and knocking it aside. Taking him by surprise once was already a big deal - he would not allow it to happen repeatedly.


    Beside him, Leonard had also been taken by surprise, yet the shield he carried saved him and bought him just enough time for the other team mates toe to his aid. Yet the fight had just begun. There were easily over thirty skinny humans, all lunging at them like wild animals with speed and strength far greater than their own.


    They were outnumbered and outgunned. The only few advantages they had was that the narrow opening of the corridor meant that they could not be attacked from all sides, and that the humans were only using brute strength, and not their abilities.


    In only a couple of seconds they were almost overwhelmed, but then two veils of mes, one yellow and one blue, covered the entrance of the corridor. Considering that most of the attackers were already close, almost all of them caught on fire, of one colour or another, though they seemed to have no concept of pain.


    Butck of pain did not mean they were not affected. Their bodies were burning or freezing, and that would naturally affect their speed. Red sand covered the ground and would wrap itself around the attackers feet, both burning them and keeping them from moving forward.


    At the same time, Wendy, who was standing further back, pulled out a box of needles and used a card to shoot the needles into the attackers, each one coated with her venom.


    The fight, despite being incredibly intense, came to a close within a minute. The ''research subjects'' were either burned, frozen, limbless on the ground covered in sand, or dying from severe necrosis.


    Compared to curses, fighting living people was a lot easier.


    "What the hell are people doing here?" Harold asked, looking shocked. Although he had not yed a big role in killing them, he had beenrgely responsible for holding back their initial assault.


    "I thought no one came down here before us," said Leonard, still suffering from mild shock. He looked down at the bleeding corpse at his feet, still absorbing the fact that he killed someone.


    "That thing called them research subjects," Nero said, as he bent down and touched one of the corpses, analysing its body. "As ridiculous as it sounds, they might have been here for a very long time."


    "That''s at least a thousand years. That''s impossible, even sages cannot live that long," Gabriel said decisively.


    Nero felt the research subject''s skin and found that it was extremely rough, and almost directly over the bone. There didn''t seem to be much muscle or tissue underneath it, or any at all for that matter. Yet what surprised him most was how dense the aether concentration in his body felt.


    This was unusual, for normal humans radiate a powerful aura which is a reflection of their power when they grow to higher levels. They don''t directly radiate aether. That, instead, made them seem like walking aether shards.


    Nero looked at the machine thing that had instructed them to ''contain'' these ''research subjects'' and asked, "how long have these subjects been here? What were they being tested for?"


    "Research assistants do not have authority to obtain such information. Contain research subjects before their corruption mutations are exhibited."


    Nero frowned, and looked back at the people. He wasn''t exactly excited about the fact that humans were being experimented on, but that was not what he was focusing on at the moment.


    "What do you mean contain them? Haven''t we already contained them? They''ve been killed."


    "Negative. Contain research subjects before their corruption mutations are exhibited."


    Nero exchanged nces with the others, and then looked back at the corpses. They were all thoroughly dead. They were not doing anything exceptying there, slowly bleeding out.


    If Nero absolutely had to pick something unusual about them, it would be that their blood was darker and more viscous than it should have been, but that was it. Also, the aether in their bodies had not dispersed upon death.


    "Do you think there are more of them out there somewhere?" Harold asked, feeling like maybe they needed to kill more of them.


    "One way or another, we''ll find out. We still need to search the premises for our targets. But just in case, does anyone have any sealing or imprisonment cards?"


    "No, but I can do this," one of Leonard''s teammates said as he picked up a chain and fused thest link with the wall - or at least he tried to. At their level, they could not affect the wall in any way. So, ultimately, he just fused all the chains to each other.


    Nero looked onest time at the intimidating creature he decided was some kind of robot. He did not seem weak, so Nero assumed he would have been able to kill these subjects himself if he wanted. But he didn''t. Instead, he asked them to seal them. Why was that?


    Nero felt like the answer to that question might not be a pleasant one.


    "Let''s continue exploring," Nero said softly. "That looks like it leads to a lower level."


    He proceeded softly and cautiously, descending the downward slope. Instead of corridors, it looked like there were massive cracks in the walls which revealed the rooms further ahead. Taking onest look to make sure the machine wasn''t going to stop them, they carefully slid through the cracks. The machine remained where it was, standing over the corpses, waiting for them to be contained.


    But unfortunately, Nero and the rest did not understand what it meant by that. As a result, the aether in their bodies began to slowly disappear. But it wasn''t dissipating out. Instead, it was as if there was something inside their bodies, eating it.


    The structure on the other side of the cracks waspletely different from the basement before. If the previous halls had been in and bare, fitting a research facility, then the room they entered was intricately decorated with carvings and designs. Colourful tiles in intricate patterns covered the floor, creating a splendorous and expansive piece of art.


    Pirs were carved right into the walls, and between the pirs were statues simr to the machine they had just seen in the previous room.


    Paintings hung on the wall, though they had been burnt, leaving only their frames, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Speaking of which, the ceiling itself was also painted to reflect the stars and the night sky, with countless crystals acting as the shining stars.


    The sudden change from bare to opulent was a little strange, but maybe this lowest level was the residence of someone important. Nero continued forward, stepping onto the red velvet carpet on the floor, and walked deeper into the room.


    If there was going to be an artefact, this is probably where it was going to be, so he kept his eyes peeled. Yet for all the decorations that the room contained, it had nothing of any substance.


    The ground was still cracked but everyone ignored that and walked into the next room which had an open door, and entered avish dining room. From there, as they proceeded forward, they found what looked to be a kitchen, and then a pantry.


    The more they explored, the more it looked like they were in an underground mansion, and it didn''t seem to end.


    "What the hell is this ce?" Harold asked.


    "Honestly, I have no idea," Nero responded. He kept searching for something out of ce, but everything was so strange he couldn''t identify what might be strange. Ultimately, they explored the whole area and didn''t find anything that might be an artefact, so they decided to head back.


    But even before they reached the cracks from which they entered, they heard the sound of fighting and screaming.


    At first Nero thought that the machine might be the one fighting, but the screaming didn''t fit. It sounded like a lot of people were fighting. They rushed back and found that another team had entered the basement, and what they were fighting¡­ were abominations that had their legs chained together.

 Chapter 145: Retreat

    Earlier, when Nero had fought, even in their shrivelled state he could still identify that his assants were human. Now, though, he could at most say they were humanoid in shape.


    The skinny, frail humans who had attacked him had suddenly bulked up, gaining a tremendous amount of what Nero could only assume was muscle. They had also grown taller, the smallest of them being at least 2.2 metres (7 feet 2 inches).


    Their hairless skin was a mixture of grey and silver, with a metallic sheen, and with bones sticking out of them despite the copious amounts of muscle that they had suddenly gained. But the most dire thing about them was that each of them seemed to have gained extra limbs and body parts from somewhere.


    Hands grew out of their backs, fingers grew out of their knees, mouths appeared in the randomest ces.


    Their eyes had bepletely white,cking pupils at all. Their teeth had be like iron nails, their ws like daggers. As if all of that was not enough, the dense aether they were previously radiating had beenpletely reced with cursed energy! The only thing Nero could describe them as was cursed berserkers.


    But this cursed energy was unlike anything Nero had ever felt. They did not feel like they were cursed, rather it felt like they were¡­ like they were using cursed energy instead.


    Nero absorbed all of that information in a split second, and then rushed forward. In a different circumstance he might have tried toe up with a n, but as it was those cursed berserkers were thoroughly overpowering the team fighting them, and it would be mere moments before they suffered a casualty if they received no help.


    Wendy, who appeared behind Nero, pulled out her needles once more. During thest fight she had coated them in her most potent necrotic venom and shot them at the research subjects, easily killing them, so she tried the same again. Once she coated the needle, she pulled out a card that would shoot any object she held in her hand wherever she was aiming at breakneck speeds.


    The needle shot past Nero and arrived at the first target. It hit the cursed berserker''s skin, tinged, and then ricocheted off. Her eyes widened.


    Nero noticed as well so he adjusted the aim of his spear ever so slightly as he lunged forward, aiming for one of the mouths that had appeared on the berserkers torso, his blue me roaring at the tip.


    The de of the spear barely managed to push through the gap between the lips and cut into its body, though Nero could tell the cut was not deep. The thing had way too much muscle protecting it.


    The berserker screamed - from its original mouth - yet before it could turn towards Nero a barrage of attacksnded on its body, pushing it back.


    "Retreat towards us," Nero yelled, making sure the others heard him. But their arrival had still been too slow.


    Nero watched as a berserker stomped on a fallen teenager, his face morphed with fear and panic. His entire body was turned to paste, his blood squirting everywhere. At the same time, another Berserker pulled the neck off another girl straight off her body, crushing her head in his arms.


    "Save them!" Leonard roared as he arrived next to Nero and mmed his shield into another berserker, throwing its body away. His sword and shield were glowing, as if coated in some power.


    Nero didn''t have the time to dwell on it, because nearly two dozen berserkers simultaneously looked towards them. Nero could have sworn he saw a hint of recognition in those white eyes, followed by blind rage.


    In that instant Nero knew he could hold back no more, and that even the slightest misstep could result in the death of his teammates or even himself.


    "Gabriel, with me. Remi, run back! Everyone else, focus on rescue efforts!" he yelled as not a hint of fear shone in his eyes.


    Faced with death Nero did not step back, he stepped forward. A cold, blue me appeared in his mind once again, suppressing his emotions, but even his mes could not eat up all the excitement in his heart.


    He had been avoiding it using his internal pressure, but in this moment he showed not a hint of hesitation as he swung his spear with all his might, knocking back a berserker''s swinging arm.


    It was no longer just his de that was covered in blue mes, it was his entire spear and his entire body.


    While his de could not cut their skin, it could scratch them. While he could not match the strength of the berserkers, he could y with them as if they were puppets attached to strings.


    With his spear he guided their attacks into striking their allies, and with his mes he began quenching the cursed energy in their bodies.


    "Contain the research subjects," the machine spoke loudly towards Nero from somewhere in the back, but no one paid it any mind. Though he could not harm them, Nero could contain them easily.


    Surrounded by berserkers Nero danced as if he were in a bad, his every move perfectly dodging and blocking the behemoths. He twirled, swirled, swung and smashed his spear with such elegance that it seemed he was still practising in the gym. Yet the berserkers stumbling, tripping, slipping and crashing at the slightest touch all around was a stark reality, assuring him that he was not in the gym.


    Then Gabriel appeared behind Nero, slipping through between two berserkers, and the tempo of Nero''s movements changed. As if through tacit understanding, the two teenagers began attacking the berserkers, cutting through their armour even if they had to cut a thousand times.


    Red sand covered the ground, and though it could no longer hold down the berserkers'' feet, it slowly streaked up their legs, eating away at their defences. Blue mes licked their bodies every time Nero stabbed them, and though the mes did not much more than sizzle as it touched their cursed energy, slowly it began to drain them.


    But out numbered as they were, even penultimate skill could not allow the two to defend in one ce. They moved through the berserkers quickly but without any urgency, using the hulking bodies of their own kind to block attacks. More than once Nero used a berserker as a stepping stone as he leaped forward to avoid those behind him.


    Surrounded by enemies who could squish him with a single hit, Nero and Gabriel continuously avoided all hits and kept them distracted. If either of them tripped or messed up, the other was there instantly to help.


    But even with the two of them attracting the attention of the bulk of the berserkers, there were still many left. Wendy had managed to shoot her needles into the eyes or mouths of a few berserkers, but the effects of the venom seemed to have slowed down considerably.


    The short archer, too, could barely help in this situation at all.


    In this tough situation, it actually became Harold whose ability was the most effective! Even though to use his ability he needed to touch the berserkers himself, his hand to handbat and reflexes were remarkable. More importantly, every time he punched a berserker, they were knocked back a few steps, unable to stay standing.


    With Leonard on his side, providing his protection with his sword and shield, they managed to give enough time for the rest to rescue the few remaining members of the team that had been fighting.


    "Retreat!" Leonard yelled as the final member was pulled back towards the cracks, slipping into the underground mansion. But he himself did not retreat. He was holding his ground, waiting for Nero and Gabriel to return.


    But Nero had no intentions of retreating just yet. Now that he had no concern about his teammates getting caught in the crossfire, he let his mes spread.


    "Gabe, take a step back, and tell Jackal to start the fireworks."


    Gabriel stepped back, his fists clenching as he realised his sand had not managed to harm even one berserker significantly. But this was not the time to dwell on such things.


    "Jackal, hit the fireworks," he yelled, stepping back. Retreating was easier said than done when countless massive enemies were all around them. Nero was not blinded by his excitement to the extent where he wanted to kill all of these enemies on his own.


    He just wanted to create the appropriate circumstances that would allow him to retreat. Though, a part of his mind could not help but consider that if all his enemies were dead, he would not need to retreat. Whether or not he could manage that depended on if the building still put out Jackals mes.


    Jackal himself had not spent this time doing nothing. He was preparing a contingency in case the building tried to put out his mes once more. It wouldn''t be appropriate if his performance was consistently the worst. He was supposed to be the army asset amongst them.

 Chapter 146: Sweating ice

    Compared to Nero and the rest, Jackal had actually spent much more time in the military, and he had trained quite extensively with his innate ability. His me was actually quite mundane. If he could keep it burning for a while, the temperature would eventually rise, but initially its temperature would be quite low as far as mes are concerned.


    But just because his mes were not as versatile as Nero''s, for example, he had learned numerous ways in which he could make them much more effective. The building kept putting out his mes using some kind of white smoke. He could not guess what that smoke was or how exactly it was putting out the mes, but he couldbat it in a few ways.


    The method he had opted for right now was a special, mmable gel that he had spread throughout the room, though he kept it far from the cracks leading to the next room.


    Until the gel waspletely burned up, the fire would not be extinguished. This was true not only for physical means of extinguishing the me, but aetheric ways as well, since the gel was produced using someone else''s innate card!


    But there was just one problem with setting off such a me three stories down in the basement, or at least one that Jackal was really concerned about. He had to make sure none of the fumes and gases followed him as he descended to the lower level. As for Nero¡­ he would be fine.


    He snapped his finger and lit a small me on the tip of his finger. Unlike Nero, who would not be harmed by strange blue mes no matter how they grew or spread, Jackal could absolutely be burned by other mes even if they started from his own. That was why he flung the tiny me on his finger in the far corner of the room and pulled Leonard backwards.


    The gel did not immediately burst into a massive explosion, though the mes did spread rapidly across the room, even climbing onto some of the berserkers who had bits of that gel on their legs.


    Only the surface of the gel lit on fire, providing a steady source of fuel for the fire to continue burning. In only a couple of seconds, the entire room was engulfed in fire, and the heat and smoke started to rise. Yet only the hall was burning yellow, for the entrance to the corridor was covered in blue mes.


    By now, only Nero and the machine were left fighting the berserkers. Some had tried chasing Jackal and Leonard, but whether it was instincts or fear or something else, they pulled back as soon as the room caught on fire. Unfortunately for them, without having to worry about any allies near him, Nero began spreading his mes as well.


    They climbed the walls and spread across the floor, filling the room. Such generous use of his ability was a great strain on his aether reserves, but he did not intend on continuing like this for long - just long enough for the room to cool rapidly.


    Nero continued to move down the corridor, away from the crack, as he spread the mes, actually having an easier time dodging the berserkers than he would have thought. Due to their bulky stature, their high numbers and the rtively narrow corridor, they actually had trouble moving and more often than not ended up hitting each other.


    They ignored the blue mes that would sizzle as it touched their skins as they were all too focused on their two targets. Moreover, unlike Nero, the machine could actually cut their bodies with its de, though their bodies healed faster than it could hurt them.


    Nero had expended nearly 20% of all his aether in spreading the mes when he suddenly felt a draft, and smiled. Suddenly, he turned and began returning back where he came from, jumping over or sliding under theberserkers, for he knew the phenomenon he was waiting for had started.


    The room at the end was on fire, heating up, while the corridor was on fire, cooling down. The heated air from the room was quickly attracted to the corridor, where his blue mes quickly absorbed the heat from the air, not only refuelling his mes but producing cool air that was dropping low.


    Due to the pressure difference and developing vacuum, the cool air was pulled back into the room with yellow mes, heating back up. This was the reason why he did not have his blue mes eat up the other ones this time. He was creating a fuel source to grow his mes so that all he would need to do was sustain them with his aether.


    As his mes grew, and continued to burn off the cursed energy on the berserkers, they would eventually finish off all the cursed energy, killing the berserkers once and for all.


    Of course, if that didn''t work and the situation deteriorated quickly, he could just surround himself in his cryomes, run through the normal fire, and run into the cracks.


    He reached the other end and saw the room aze with unending mes, the air thick with heat and light. The corridor, instead, was a realm of icy cold, where mystical blue fire consumed all warmth.


    At the threshold, where the scorching room met the chilling corridor, a swirling dance of hot and cold air created a mesmerising spectacle. The hot air from the room flowed into the corridor, instantly cooled by the mystical fire, then sank and drifted back to the room to be heated again.


    This ceaseless cycle of rising and falling air formed an endless loop, a silent ballet of fire and ice, and amidst this unending dance Nero faced off against the group of ugly abominations, betting that he couldst until their cursed energy was all used up.


    Breathing in such circumstances might have been an issue if Nero and Jackal hadn''t practised such manoeuvres already, and anticipated the issues he would face.


    Before Jackal set off the fire, Nero used a card that would allow him to hold his breath for about twenty minutes. It was one that had been specially made for him by Alex.


    As Nero continued to hold off the berserkers, using theirck of skill to easily divert their attacks, directing them where he wished, he began to notice various things in the back of his mind.


    The berserkers were resisting the cooling of his me because their cursed energy was fighting it off, but the machine seemedpletely unaffected by it, the same as the building. Although a sheet of ice had begun to form on the walls, spreading through the cracks, the temperature did not seem to be doing any harm in itself to the building.


    The white smoke that previously put out fires was not triggered, and there was no loud announcement detailing his crimes.


    Nero suddenly bit his tongue and a streak of pain shot through his body, reinvigorating him. In a life or death battle, he could not allow his mind to wander. The fact that his mind was beginning to lose focus was a sign that he had been fighting for too long. Even if he could continue to push himself physically, mental fatigue was setting in.


    A part of Nero had genuinely hoped that he would be able to defeat the berserkers with his clever strategy. Chances were that he just might yet. But he was getting to the level where he had to consider retreat.


    So far, he had forcefully been maintaining an equilibrium, keeping his mes from exiting the corridor. This was so that the cycle of heat exchange would continue, but now he let the control go, and felt as his blue mes raced to devour the yellow ones.


    Nero did not immediately retreat. He waited till the perfect moment patiently, until a berserker overextended itself. With ease and a perfectly rxed push, as if he was in no hurry at all, he caused it to trip and block the others behind it. Then Nero dashed.


    He did not even wait till all the ordinary mes were consumed, instead surrounding his body with blue mes as he ran through the inferno and towards the cracks. He heard a scream and felt the ground vibrate, but he did not turn to see if he was being followed. Instead, he jumped straight into the cracks and pushed himself as deep into them as he could.


    A momentter the wall trembled as something heavy hit it, but the cracks did not extend and the wall did not move. Nero managed to push himself through to the other side.


    The three teams were standing near the edge, obviously mid discussion when Nero came through.


    Nero swept his gaze over them, and only when he ascertained that there was no danger did he allow himself to feel his exhaustion. He extinguished the blue mes that covered his body, but not the ones burning in the hall on the other side, and noticed small sheets of ice covering his skin.


    He had been sweating, and his sweat had frozen right on his skin.

 Chapter 147: How to retaliate

    Nero was struck with a wave of mild nausea. Although he had stamina to spare and was not at his physical limits, expending too much aether too quickly still affected him negatively. This was something he and every other Neophyte would have to live with until they became Initiates. It wasn''t even that he was close to expending all his aether. He had been very careful not to do that.


    But even so, using up arge amount of aether quickly still negatively impacted him.


    But the nausea quickly passed, though he still had body aches across his body. It would take some time to recover from that, especially since he was still using his aether to keep the mes outside going. He was hoping that the berserkers would remain in his cryomes long enough to be affected by it, especially since the machine was still out there fighting them.


    "How are you holding up?" Gabriel asked, walking up to Nero. He checked for signs of bleeding of injury, but besides being a little more pale than usual, Nero seemed fine.


    "I''m fine, but we have a problem. Unless we figure out a way to kill or constrain those berserkers, we''re trapped down here."


    "What are the chances that they go up instead of waiting around?" Leonard asked. "Then we''d be free, and without the fog blocking the way, the other soldiers can take them out."


    "I''m not sure if they''ll go up on their own. There''s also another issue. I don''t think the building''s security is working on these floors. That means if they try to go to the second level, the buildings'' defences might end up blocking them.


    Of course, there''s also the chance that the building could act out against them, but considering how the building ignored the previous curses, I see no reason why it would act against these ones."


    "My ability seems to work against them, but I don''t think it does much damage," said Harold.


    "If my ability works against them, then it''s super slow. I haven''t seen it affect them yet."


    "Their recovery is ridiculously strong," said one of the survivors from the third team, a tall teeanger with dark hair and a bruised face. "James¡­ James had an ability that could hurt them, but those things recovered much too fast. They''re also smart, although it doesn''t seem like it at first. Once they realised James could hurt them, they all swarmed him¡­ until they killed him.


    We couldn''t stop them."


    His body trembled as he recalled how his teammate had died, though he tried to ignore it and stay strong.


    Nero walked over to an empty sofa and sat down, pulling his backpack aside and rummaging through it.


    "So basically, either we get someone to lead the berserker upstairs and hope either the building attacks them or that they can be led all the way to the top, or we need toe up with a way to prate their defences and kill them quickly," Nero summarised everything, his mind already working on ways he could achieve either of the two. The preferable option would be if he could do both.


    He pulled out a ration pack and munched it down in a few quick bites. Although he was not hungry, he had just been through a lot of physical exertion so needed to replenish his body''s energy. Drinking a potion would be quicker, but he didn''t want to waste that opportunity on this yet in case he faced a much more dire situationter on.


    "Did any of you manage to find any artefacts before encountering the berserkers?" Nero asked, looking at the three survivors.


    "No, as soon as we reached the third floor we heard noises and came to investigate, that''s when we met them."


    The survivor paused, and suddenly his eyes expanded as he recalled something.


    "There will be more teams following us soon. We entered the city before them, but there were definitely other teams waiting to get ess to the city behind us who were aiming for this building. If we team up with them, then maybe¡­ maybe we could¡­"


    Nero shook his head. The berserkers were too resilient and strong. Throwing numbers at them would not work unless they were trying to exhaust their cursed energy, which did not exactly sound like the most feasible idea.


    After all, even after trapping them in a ming inferno for who knows how long, Nero had not been able to do that.


    "Everyone, rest and recover to your peak state. Last time we were taken by surprise, but this time we''ll know what we''re heading into. Let''s try toe up with strategies for how we can fight them. At the same time, someone stay close to the cracks at all times and let me know if you hear the sound of fighting. If the other teamse down, they might need our help."


    These weren''t the best and most clear instructions, but it was the best they could do at the moment. Nero had no intention of hiding here for long. Now that he had faced the berserkers in a fight, he could n how to engage them and how they might defeat them. But no matter what strategy he came up with, it would depend on everyone being at full strength.


    At the same time, Nero himself also needed some rest to recover from his aches. The better his condition, the better he would be able to perform.


    Over the next two hours everyone rested, or talked amongst themselves. A few of them, such as Remi who was neither hurt nor exhausted, began exploring the basement mansion again, hoping for a secret exit of some kind.


    After the first thirty minutes, Nero had also let go of his mes. He doubted that the berserkers would have stayed in his mes for that long, since they were apparently smart and had self protective instincts.


    Various images shed through Nero''s mind as he recalled the entire fight with them. He recalled how easy or difficult it was for him to manipte them, and how easily Harold could push them. He remembered Leonard cutting them, and he remembered how they reacted when Wendy sessfully managed to shoot her needles into their mouths or eyes.


    He remembered that they avoided Jackal''s me more than his own. He also recalled how easily they squished someone the moment they got the chance, and how they ripped off someone''s head.


    Slowly an idea started to form in his mind. He thought of the cards that he had brought with him, and he thought of all the abilities avable to him, not only of his teammates but of Leonards as well.


    The greatest problem, for Nero at least, were their numbers. If he faced them one at a time it would be easy to kill them, but with so many of them attacking altogether, it was difficult to implement any long orplicated n.


    If they had to kill them, they would have to do it quickly within the span of a few seconds, if even that. If he could note up with a n for that, leading them away was his best bet.


    "Hey, you okay?" Gabriel said, waking Nero up from his meditation. The red head was holding out a ss of water he got from somewhere.


    "The kitchen has running water," Gabriel exined. "We already checked it. It''s clean."


    "Thanks," said Nero as he took the drink. "How is everyone doing? If they''re ready, we''ll head out soon. I have a n that might work but it''ll require everyone''s help."


    "Scared to death, and the new team isn''t helping at all. One of them, the tall one, is trying to hold up but he''s clearly traumatised after watching his friend get squished to death. I don''t think he can fight. The other two are even worse. I had to¡­ help them go to sleep so that they could calm down."


    Nero nodded.


    "There''s one more thing," Gabriel said, as he looked around, making sure no one could hear them. "Remi said she found a secretpartment. She hasn''t opened it, but she says it''s too small to be an escape hatch or another room. It''s most likely a safe - one big enough to hold an object or two."


    Nero nodded once more, this time much more slowly.


    "I think I''m going to stretch my legs a bit. You should go gather everyone and make sure they''re ready to head out. We can''t stay here forever. We''ll make our first attempt soon. We''ll need Verdant-2''s help as well, so make sure Leonard is here too. As for the third team¡­ you can leave them be.


    They might be more of a liability than an aid in their condition."


    Gabriel nodded and headed off in a different direction, while Nero got up and once more explored the mansion, as if he was just doing it to warm up his legs and get ready for the fight ahead.


    He kept going until he ran into Remi, who was standing nervously in a study. She really did not know how to y it cool at all.

 Chapter 148: Follow me, then

    Nero sighed inment.


    "You''re really bad at acting," he said as he walked up to her. Anyone who saw her in her current state would immediately realise that she was trying to keep a secret or up to something suspicious.


    "I''m¡­ I''m sorry," she murmured.


    "No need to apologise. Nobody is perfect, but your performance so far has been exemry," he said, locking eyes with her. "Now, where is the secretpartment you discovered?"


    "Right here," she said, as she ced her hand on a drawer in one of the tables in the study.


    "Thepartment is cleverly hidden. I actually found it by ident. The carpentry and engineering must be remarkable," she said, the stutter in her voice fading as she began to talk about the table, her eyes beginning to sparkle.


    "If you pull the drawer out, it pulls out like normal," she said, demonstrating for Nero. The drawer pulled open, revealing that it was empty besides some velvet padding.


    "But if you turn the handle clockwise, and then push the drawer in¡­" she demonstrated once more, and as soon as she pushed it open, a side of the drawer popped open even though it did not look like it was a door at all.


    "How did you even discover that?" Nero asked, amazed. He saw no hint or indication on the drawer hinting towards the hidden feature.


    "When I''m nervous I like to fidget with things. It waspletely an ident."


    "Have you opened thepartment to check what''s in it?" Nero asked as he approached it.


    "No, heavens no. I closed it the moment I opened it. I wouldn''t dare experiment with it."


    Nero nodded and approached the slightly openpartment, checking to see if it had any cursed aura leaking out. It did not.


    Still, to be sure, Nero used Aether Pulse to reveal anything hidden, but nothing was revealed.


    Carefully, he pulled it open, ready to lunge back at the slightest hint of trouble, yet no trouble came. Thepartment opened to reveal a few items. There was a small, silver tube with no opening as far as Nero could see. There was also a card sealed within ss, kept isted and insted from all aether, forming a rectangr case.


    Nero recognised it as an Eldrim card. It had all the telltale signs. The title was written in the top corner, there was an image, a sign indicating its star rating, some text describing its purpose as well as vour text.


    Of course, Nero could read none of the text, for it was written in an unfamiliarnguage. The image, too, was unclear. It was an abstract mix of red, yellow and brown colours, but not in a beautiful way. Instead, it looked like the colours were depicting something sick.


    Nero was stunned. Of all the things, for some reason, he never actually expected to encounter an actual Eldrim card made by the Eldrim. He wondered what its purpose was. But he would most likely not find out - or even if he ever did, it would not be any time soon. Instead, Nero turned his attention towards the third and final item in thepartment.


    It was a matt ck key. It wasrge and ornate, clearly crafted with the utmost care and precision. The bow was a delicate filigree, gracefully entwining to form some strange letters within a circr frame, each curve and line perfectly bnced and elegant. The shaft was smooth and straight, leading to a traditional bit with two rectangr notches.


    The key seemed almost alive, its gentle curves almost calling out to Nero, asking him to grab it.


    If the card was ominous, then the key seemed quite auspicious.


    None of the three looked like the artefacts he was told to look for, but Nero grabbed all of them. He checked them to make sure they weren''t sensitive or brittle, before carefully cing them within different zippedpartments in his bag.


    "Have you checked the room for any other suchpartments?" Nero asked Remi, who was leaning over his shoulder to look.


    "I looked around, but I didn''t find anything. Even if there are some more hiddenpartments, hoping to find them based on luck probably won''t work so well. Not unless we spend hoursbing through this ce."


    "We don''t have hours to waste. We''ll just report this ce once we return. By the way, there''s no need to try and keep this a secret from the others."


    Remi was taken aback by Nero''s statement.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, you''re a terrible actor, so if you try to hide it, everyone will immediately realise you''re hiding something. Just assume that everyone either already knows, or will find out soon enough that we had a discovery. It doesn''t matter. Since I have taken this, I have the confidence to keep it safe as well. Even if everyone finds out, they cannot take it from my hands."


    By now most of Nero''s body aches had gone and he had recovered much of his aether using an aether shard. He was ready to go face some berserkers. Remi followed Nero silently, unable to hide her blush of embarrassment.


    When they returned to the main hall, everyone turned to look at Nero and Remiing out from within the mansion, with Remi blushing. Countless guesses went through their minds about what had just happened, and some began to give Nero strange gazes.


    The short archer resisted the urge to give Nero a big thumbs up and a knowing smile. This wasn''t the ce to do that. Then again, this also wasn''t the ce to¡­


    "Is everyone ready?" Nero asked, his calm and clear voice cutting through everyone''s wandering thoughts. "I have a few ideas on how we can proceed, but it requires perfect cooperation. We cannot beat those berserkers on our own."


    "What''s the n?" Leonard asked.


    "We''re going to have to kill them one by one, and Verdant-2 will y a big role in that. Although, I don''t really know whether you have the harder task, or we do."


    "We are not afraid," Leonard said, not even considering that Nero might be intending to use them as bait. Since he had made a deal with Nero, he would honour it.


    "Basically, your task will be to block the other berserkers while we kill them one by one, taking up to a minute at most to kill each one. It sounds almost impossible, and even if the n works we might need to retreat back here frequently to rest and recover. But I believe we can do this. Not to mention, if other teams end uping down, they can help us by distracting them."


    "Is that¡­ is that the extent of your n?" Leonard asked, suddenly feeling stumped. That wasn''t much of a n.


    "I have a n on how to kill them one by one. As for your part, I don''t want to tell you how to hold them off since I don''t know all your strengths and weaknesses. The moreplicated the n, the more prone it is to failure. You just need to hold them off while we kill them."


    On the part of his team, he exined to them in detail what he expected them to do. Not a single one of their teammates was more important than the others, since everyone would have to contribute extensively for the kill. Even Remi was included, not that Nero expected her to use her gun.


    But as an aether expert, there were many ways in which she could help. Nero just gave her the tasks that she could do at a distance. He did not trust her to be able to dodge an attack with her weak body and the berserker''s insane speed and strength.


    Once everyone was brief and they were about to go through the cracks, the tall teenager from the third team spoke up, "Wait, I also want to fight!"


    He did not look too confident as he spoke, and the way he huddled his hands did not exude bodynguage fitting someone going to war. But even so, despite his obvious hesitation, he spoke up.


    "You should stay with your team," Nero said. He admired his resolve, but he could still end up being a liability. None of them had time to babysit.


    "No, no I¡­ I¡­" he was trying to speak but the words were escaping him. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he struggled tomunicate his feelings.


    "I am a Kri too," was all he ultimately said, looking towards Nero as he tried to keep his tears from dripping.


    The kid did not look strong, or brave. He did not look like he was over the trauma he had recently suffered either. But his words, as stupid and idealistic as they were, touched a part of Nero''s heart.


    It reminded him of the feeling he had as a kid, when he heard stories of heroes and warriors, fighting off unspeakable monsters, using their powers, their weapons, their blood and their bodies. It reminded him of a feeling he shared with his brother, once.


    Nero met his gaze for a while, his thoughts hidden, and for his part, the tall teenager met his gaze, even if through teary eyes. No, not the teenager. The warrior, the soldier, met his gaze.


    "Alright, follow me then."

 Chapter 149: Burning sensation

    Logically speaking, bringing in the unknown soldier who was clearly not in his best state was not the best idea. It was a bit of a gamble, and one that was more likely than not going to end up in the soldier''s demise. Nero had no delusions about that.


    Unless heposed himself, or disyed capabilities beyond the norm, then facing the berserkers his demise was all but written.


    But at the same time, this was his own decision. In the face of death, he wanted to resist. If Nero denied him this opportunity, he might continue to live, but the shadow of this memory would haunt him forever. Perhaps, then, that would have been a death of another kind.


    But there was no point in specting. What could have happened if they made different decisions was a pointless thing to contemte, unless one was trying to learn from their mistakes. What mattered right now was that, regardless of the oue, the soldier had a resolve that Nero chose to acknowledge.


    "What''s your name?" Nero asked, looking at the tall soldier who quickly picked up his sword and followed them.


    "My name is Filip, but everyone calls me Pipo," he answered honestly.


    Nero resisted the urge to smile. That was¡­ an interesting nickname.


    "Pipo what are you good at?" Nero asked, diplomatically.


    Instead of answering, Pipo directly showed Nero his ability. He touched the fingers of his two hands, and when he pulled them apart, a green string appeared, connecting the two fingers.


    "It''s called Fibris string. Basically, I can create strings, or ropes depending on how much aether I use."


    "How strong are your strings?" Nero asked with interest. This was both a very practical and very useful ability, depending on how strong the strings were.


    Once again, instead of answering, Pipo showed him. He jumped up, and due to his height, easily touched the ceiling with his finger. A string, starting from the ceiling, followed him down, but before he touched the ground once more, Pipo wrapped his hand around the string, and hung from it.


    That thin little string that emerged from his finger was easily carrying his weight without straining.


    "Will the string disappear if you stop using aether?" Nero asked, suddenly even more interested. If Pipo could make that thicker, then the possibility of trapping the berserkers might be feasible.


    "No, but it does be a lot weaker."


    Nero nodded.


    "In that case, you''re a lot more suited to supporting Verdant-2 in their task. Follow them, help how you can, without getting in their way. Of course, Leonard will have the final say in the matter since it''s his team."


    Considering the already gargantuan task on their hands, Leonard did not turn away the help.


    With everything decided, Nero went through the crack first, proceeding slowly so as to not make any noise.


    He did not expect to see any berserkers waiting near the opening - or at least he hoped there wouldn''t be any. If that was the case then they would be officially trapped, unable to even exit without getting attacked.


    Even before he reached the exit, though, he saw a looming figure, huddled over the entrance. For a moment he assumed the worst, and began to think of contingencies, but then he realised something.


    Even after a few seconds, the figure remained perfectly still, as if it was frozen. A hopeful suspicion sprouted in Nero''s mind, and he used Radix Augmentation on himself, then reached forward with his hand.


    His fingers touched something hard and cold, almost as if he was touching a rock. Then Radix Augmentation worked, and the dark figure shattered!


    Nero resisted the urge to groan as a ring heat entered his body through his fingers. If it weren''t for theforting, almost pleasurable sensation that filled his muscles almost immediately after, Nero would have thought that the heat was burning him from the inside out.


    But the warmth did notst long. It disappeared after spreading across his body, though he was left with an almost imperceptible itchy feeling in his lungs.


    "Stay here, don''te out until I tell you," whispered Nero as he looked back, and stepped out of the crack.


    Beside the berserker he had already shattered, there were four more frozen figures, though each of them were progressively farther from the cracks. If Nero had to guess, he would say that once the berserkers guessed that they might die from being within his mes they retreated, but these few were not fast enough.


    Nero did not let greed entice him into rushing towards the frozen corpses. First he used Aether Pulse to ensure that there were no berserkers hidden just out of sight in the corridor. Only once he confirmed that there were none here did he go and touch the other corpses.


    The burning sensation did not reduce even when he touched the second frozen corpse, and Nero grew no resistance towards it. If it weren''t for his iron will, he would not have gone and touched the other corpses, for the feedback from the berserkers had long entered the territory of torture.


    But the benefits Nero felt were real. Not only did Nero feel his physical fatigue disappearing, he could feel himself getting stronger, even if it was by a small margin each time. Although, that slightly itchy feeling in his lungs was also increasing.


    The sensation reached a crescendo when he touched the final frozen corpse, and Nero could not help begin coughing despite his attempts to stay silent. The noise immediately attracted his team, but since they could not see him from the cracks they had no way of knowing what was happening.


    "Nero what''s happening?" Gabriel hurriedly asked. "If you don''t answer we''re going toe out."


    But Nero could not respond, for his coughing fit grew even stronger. Trying to resolve the itch, Nero pped his chest, hoping that would help whatever was bothering him. It did.


    Nero immediately coughed out arge, ck ball of sludge that looked suspiciously like it was a part of his lungs.


    But instead of feeling weak, or injured, Nero immediately felt much better. He could not help but take in arge, deep breath, filling his lungs to capacity, and realised that the sensation felt amazing!


    "Nero what the hell?" yelled Gabriel, who stepped out of the crack just in time to see Nero spit out ck sludge. "Are you poisoned? Are you okay?"


    "Yes, yes, I''m fine," he quickly assured Gabriel. "Just an Apparition curse of some kind. I dealt with it. I have good news. Five of the berserkers were frozen from my mes. If we''re lucky, the others are in a weakened state.


    Our chances might be better than we imagined."


    Nero looked towards the ck sludge, and lit it on fire. He had no idea what it was, but it was best to remove any evidence of what had happened.


    Gabriel was not suspicious of Nero''s intentions in destroying the sludge. If anything, that was the normal reaction he expected for anything curse rted.


    The rest of the team exited the cracks, and as soon as Nero shared the good news, they began to proceed down the corridor, hoping to find weakened berserkers.


    Instead, they heard the sounds of fighting. It was distant enough that they hadn''t picked up on it before.


    They picked up their pace, though they still remained silent, hoping to retain the element of surprise. Yet only a momentter, they saw two slightly older soldiers towards them, followed by a number of berserkers.


    But the soldiers were retreating steadily, as if their aim was not escape, but instead to keep their enemies upied.


    "Go!" Nero said, andunched himself towards the enemies. The element of surprise was gone, and a narrow corridor was not exactly the best ce to enact their ns, but they would make do.


    The two soldiers noticed their arrival, and tacitly moved aside so as to not block them. But no one, not even Nero himself, anticipated how quickly he reached the berserker. Nero was intimately familiar with exactly what his body was capable of doing, so he knew that he had be stronger, and not by a small margin.


    He manipted his internal aether to boost his strength further, and with inexplicable ease manoeuvred the berserker as he wished, causing it to trip.


    Leonard, who had sprint at full speed, reached just in time, and crossed Nero, ready to block the other berserkers. Even if he had to put his life on the line, he would buy Nero the time he needed.


    His spear, d in raging azure mes, stabbed the berserker''s eyes, cutting through its eyelids and crushing the organ hidden behind. The cursed abomination screamed with each of its mouths in agony, and tried to stand up.


    But Nero kept it pinned down, and Papi showed up just in time, tying dozens of strings around the berserker''s body, attaching their ends to the floor so that it would not be able to get up without first breaking his strings.


    Red sand appeared beside it, and began to flow into the open, screaming mouths of the monster, while Wendy appeared, shooting dozens of spears in the stab wounds Nero was leaving behind.


    Harold began to smack the creature''s head, the pulses from his hand travelling directly to its brain.


    Remi, who was the slowest of them all, stood at the back and used her cards to augment her team. Barely ten seconds passed before they pummelled the first berserker to death.

 Chapter 150: Speak up

    Nero was bbergasted. He was absolutely stunned, and he wasn''t the only one. Everyone almost immediately noticed that this fight was much easier than it should have been, but only Nero himself knew the reason.


    The others could specte. They could guess that the berserkers were still weak from Nero''s mes - he''d suggested it might be a possibility earlier - or that the others who were fighting them had weakened it severely.


    But the simple truth was that Nero was stronger. The increase in strength could both be described as significant and insignificant. It was a big deal because under normal circumstances, it would take him months of training to increase his strength this much. It should have hardly mattered becausepared to a berserker, Nero was still a weakling.


    For example, if prior to his power up, the sum of Nero''s strength could be denoted as 100, then after the power up he was 120, or around that much.


    Such an increase in strength tranted in every facet of Nero''s performance, from his speed to his reflexes as well as brute strength. But in the face of a berserker, who could be described as 300, it was nothing.


    So then why was the actual difference so big? It was becausepared to the berserkers, who werergely mindless beasts wildly waving their hands around, acting solely on instincts, Nero was someone who trained for hours everyday and had done so for years.


    He had perfect control over his entire body, and due to him using a spear he was also intimately familiar with how to manipte force and pressure. He knew how to pivot, and knew when to apply strength as well as when toxen his control.


    As a result, it did not take him long at all to adapt to his new strength. He adjusted almost immediately, and discovered that even the smallest increase was already enough topletely change the entire oue.


    Whereas before Nero''s spear would get stuck in the muscle that was immediately beneath the skin, now his spear could cut through deeper before it stopped. While earlier on the difference in speed forced Nero to focuspletely on survival, now he was fast enough to act preemptively.


    Nero experienced with his body the meaning of the phrase the feather that broke the camel''s back. The smallest boost had changed everything.


    Of course, he alone still could not kill a berserker. He had told Wendy to change her venom. She was no longer using a necrotic venom, but rather one that would make the berserker lose control of its limbs, and so put up less of a resistance.


    Harold was trying to directly destroy the berserkers brain - if it had a brain. Gabriel was burning its body from the inside out, since the defences of its skin were formidable. Pipo, in his own way, was helping by ensuring the berserker struggled even less. Remi was making all their innate abilities just a little more effective.


    Nero, while forcing it to remain on the ground, kept stabbing it everywhere in its body.


    He didn''t know which of them ended up killing the berserker, but it eventually stopped struggling. Radix Augmentation had already run out by now, so he didn''t absorb anything from the berserker, and that was probably for the best.


    Although he did not have any itchy sensation in his body, he did not want to risk another coughing fit.


    Verdant-2 hadn''t seen them finish off the berserker, but the other two soldiers had. They were shocked, but even more, they were ted.


    "Leonard, let one through," Nero yelled as he ran towards Verdant-2. Though they had killed one berserker, the situation was still dire. Leonard and his team were not holding the berserkers back as much as they were holding on for dear life, doing everything they could to stay alive while distracting them as much as possible.


    But since the fight had only just begun, their situation was still manageable. The teams mixed for a brief period, just long enough for Nero to pull aside another berserker.


    Shadows and sapphire light danced in the corridors, apanied by the music of screaming terrors and fighting. The cracked ground and walls vibrated, apanied by the endless echoes of a desperate struggle.


    But the sounds of fighting, of roaring and stabbing came to an unexpected sudden end, leaving behind only the sound of heavy panting. Even Remi was out of breath, let alone everyone else. The two teams stared at each other, and then at the dead monsters, and then at each other, a hint of disbelief in their eyes. Not only had they done it, they had done it without suffering a single casualty!


    Tears were streaming down Papi''s eyes but he hadn''t noticed. Harold massaged his bloody hands as Wendy quickly searched for a card to heal him with. Gabriel reflected on how the sand had been nearlypletely ineffective on the skin, but worked so well on the monsters inside.


    Nero, on the other hand, struggled to understand the worth of the immense treasure that his family held. He thought he understood how precious Radix Augmentation was, and hence his parents extreme caution, but only now did he realise that he still underestimated it.


    He wanted to know where this card hade from. Who had created such an amazing card, and how had they kept it secret for so long?


    Leonard just couldn''t believe his shield wasn''t broken, although a few bones in his body might be.


    "Get up, we need to go help the others," said one of the two soldiers who had been leading the berserkers back. "There''s still at least twenty more of those monsters left up ahead."


    Nero frowned at the not-so-subtlemanding tone in the soldier''s voice, but decided that it was not the appropriate time to fixate on such things. If hurrying could save lives, then that''s what they should focus on.


    "What''s the situation over there? How many team members are up ahead? Or how many teams?"


    "There are three more teams up ahead. Hurry up, you can see the situation for yourself when we get there. Although I don''t doubt that they can handle these monsters on their own, it would dy the mission."


    Nero suppressed his frown once more.


    "Everyone, check your wounds and weapons. We should head on up as soon as we''re ready. If there are three entire teams up ahead, this is our best chance to take out the berserkers."


    The soldier clicked his teeth and looked at Nero angrily.


    "You can check your wounds on the way, soldier. Didn''t you hear me? I said-"


    Before the soldier couldplete his sentence, Nero appeared in front of him, used his spear to swipe the soldier''s legs from under him, and then pointed the tip of the spear at the soldier''s neck.


    "You''re right, I didn''t hear you. Speak up," he said as he applied a little pressure with his spear, pressing down on his neck. A small stream of blood started to flow.


    Leonard and his team were startled by Nero''s sudden change, but none of the others were. In fact, even Papi looked at the soldier on the ground with anger in his eyes.


    "Do you know what you''re doing?" the second soldier asked, anger and disbelief both mixed in his voice.


    "All I know is that I saved your lives and instead of being grateful, you seem to think I''m your servant. I am not going topromise the health and safety of my team just because you''re a little impatient and too ipetent to do anything on your own."


    The soldier on the ground tried to speak, but Nero pressed the spear down even harder.


    "I can''t hear you," he said looking down. "Speak up."


    Silence filled the corridor, and though Verdant-2 looked troubled, they eventually did not speak.


    The second soldier suppressed his anger, with obvious struggle, and spoke slowly, "forgive my partner if he seemed impatient. Usually draftees require guidance, and he was just trying to guide you. It''s very important we return to the other teams and help out. It''s very important that nothing happens to them."


    "Have you guys already found the artefacts?" Nero asked, surprised.


    "What? No, not that. But there''s a very important person in the other teams, and we can''t let anything happen to them. My partner was just feeling the urgency of the situation."


    "A VIP? Who is it? A Historian? Someone who knows about the cathedral?" Nero asked, suddenly interested. He still did not know why this ce was called a cathedral, though more important than that was that Nero wanted to find out about thenguage of the Eldrim. Why had he never seen it before, even in history sses?


    "What? No, it''s- it''s a member of the Ferro family. His mission is something else, but our mission is to protect him."


    Suddenly, even though he didn''t actually know anything about this young member of the Ferro family, Nero developed a very poor impression of him.

 Chapter 151: Blue hair and monsters

    Instead of suddenly bing rmed, or perhaps even enthused like the two soldiers had been expecting, Nero just frowned. Gabriel and the rest of his team didn''t react too well either, though Leonard became even more conflicted.


    As warriors, should they not support one another? He was all for going and helping the other three teams out. But he did not appreciate being treated as disposable while someone else was being given preference just on the basis of their identity. There was no honour in that.


    Nero looked at both the soldiers, then slowly withdrew the spear.


    "Your mission has nothing to do with our mission, nor are you in a position to order us around. If you cannot wait for us, go back on your own. Do not presume tomand us."


    Nero stepped back and let the soldier get up.


    He rushed to his feet and retreated a few steps before turning and giving Nero an angry re. But regardless of how angry he was, the soldier did not speak. The two of them retreated on their own, leaving them behind.


    Truthfully, the two soldiers were not weak. The way they did a controlled retreat while facing the berserkers was indicative of not only their strength, but their confidence and their training. Just their age, not to mention their attitude, revealed that they were regr soldiers rather than drafted, which made them one of the army''s few normal Neophyte soldiers.


    They must be considered elites in their field and power level.


    That is why,pared to the berserkers who were much stronger than ordinary, but not quite as strong as Initiates, they were able to hold their own.


    "Everyone, check your condition and see if you need treatment. If everything is in order, we''ll head forward. Defeating the berserkers is naturally our top priority, but be mindful of the other teams. More people always make the situation moreplicated."


    As everyone recovered from the immensely exhaustive battle, and checked their bodies, as sometimes the adrenaline of the situation keeps a person from feeling the depths of their wounds, Nero walked up to Wendy.


    "What was the venom you coated on my spear?" he asked in a whisper. It was an oversight on his part, but since none of the berserkers nor any of the previous curses they fought showed any signs of being affected by the venom, he forgot it even existed.


    Wendy rolled her eyes.


    "I knew we might be facing other teams, so all the venoms on everyone''s weapons are numbing or paralysing venoms. Only my own needles have something more lethal."


    Nero breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately Wendy showed foresight in this matter. That was the benefit of working withpetent people.


    Everyone took some time to recover, for even though the fight had been rtively short, it had been intense, and they were all out of breath. Leonards teammates helped treat him, unwilling to risk any bone fractures.


    Amidst all this, Remil silently approached Nero and poked him in the back.


    "That guy ced a tracker on you," she whispered. "I can feel it''s aether signature. It''s on your spear."


    Nero was not exactly surprised. Since he had attacked, then it was obvious that the other would want to retaliate in some way.


    "Is it actively emitting a signal?" Nero asked.


    "Yes. It''s near the tip of the spear."


    Nero nodded, and lit his spear on fire. Eating through curses was not the only thing his cryomes could do, they could also easily disrupt aether. This was different from Wendy''s venom, which had nothing to do with aether after she was done producing it.


    Eventually, everyone was ready to proceed.


    "Let''s go. Stick close together if you can. We''ll stick to our existing strategy if possible."


    With Nero in the lead, his spear in hand ready to use, the two teams moved forward. Pipo continued following them. Only once all the berserkers were dead would he return to his team to help them retreat from the cathedral.


    The thing Nero found most concerning was that, though he could hear fighting, it was not nearly as loud or as chaotic as he would have expected. Then they stumbled onto the first corpse.


    It was a headless berserker, a clean sh having decapitated it. Nero''s eyes narrowed, for even with his increased strength he could not fully cut through a berserker''s body, let alone cut through bone. Yet someone had clearly done so.


    Nero couldn''t help but notice that there was very little blood in a berserker''s body, as was evident from the small amount of greyish liquid that was dripped out of the neck.


    He did not stay to observe the body for long, and proceeded forwards, encountering multiple more corpses, all without heads and no other injuries to speak of.


    When he returned to the first hall, at the entrance of the third level, he noticed that the sounds of fighting wereing from different corridors.


    Without wasting too much time on consideration, he quickly stepped into the corridor where the sound of fighting was most fierce, and quickly found themselves in what looked like a destroyed library. Over a dozen berserker''s were fighting ten other soldiers, and with their arrival their numbers immediately doubled.


    Taking advantage of the fact that their arrival had gone unnoticed, Nero lunged forward and pulled back a berserker. With greatly improved teamwork and coordination, Verdant-2 and Azure-1 attacked.


    Pipo this time decided to help Leonard, since the open room made it much harder to hold back berserkers, and his strings could be obstructions, even if only minor ones.


    But the tide of battle changed immediately, even though they had yet to kill a single berserker. With the attention of the monsters divided, a young soldier wielding nothing but an oddly thin, long de gained a lot more freedom to attack.


    A faint blue light coated the edge of his sword, and in one swift motion, he cut off the head of a berserker, and suddenly retreated.


    His team swarmed around him to protect him while he readied his next attack, managing to hold off the berserkers, albeit with great difficulty.


    Shortly after, the berserker Nero was attacking died as well.


    One by one, despite the great strength of the berserkers, not to mention their absurd recovery, their numbers fell. Just as it seemed like the situation was about to be resolved, the berserkers changed their behaviour.


    Without warning, they suddenly targeted the soldier with the long sword. From being mindless beasts, fighting solely on instinct, waving their hands and legs hoping to use their brute strength to gain an advantage, they transitioned into deadly monsters with a very specific goal.


    Compared to their state of attacking randomly, their lethality exploded exponentially.


    The soldier with the longsword was surprised, but he disyed the air of a trained soldier. Instead of panicking, he retreated calmly while baiting them toe towards him, shing at the perfect moment. Each of his attacks, carrying a blue edge, would gravely injure the berserkers.


    It was, instead, his teammates who began to struggle, as they had to take greater risks to block the berserkers from surrounding the target. Considering that all the berserkers stopped targeting Nero and his group, Leonard began helping distract the berserkers as well.


    Ironically, of everyone, Nero and his team who were also busy killing berserkers started to have an easier time.Instead of fighting back, even the berserker they were targeting tried to attack the target they had all selected.


    Their killing speed shot up. But despite all the many advantages they gained, the number of injuries started to increase drastically. Since all the soldiers had to take the initiative to block the rampaging berserkers, they were not in the best position to block or dodge.


    When the numbers finally dwindled, and only a couple of berserkers were left, the fight was basically resolved. Azure-1 handled one, while the soldier with the longsword handled the other.


    The fighting came to an abrupt end, but none of them were in the best condition. Azure-1 and Verdant-2 were exhausted from the frequent high intensity fights, while the other team were literally bloody and battered.


    Nero, too, was covered in frozen sweat, a strange phenomenon that had never happened before. But although this fight was over, there were still a few berserkers left in the other corridors.


    If Nero retreated to rest, the chances were high that the other teams would suffer casualties. If he stayed and helped, even if they suffered no injuries, they would bepletely drained afterwards, and would be at a disadvantage towards finding the artefacts.


    He had not decided what to do when the soldier with the longsword looked towards them and spoke.


    "Gabriel, I almost didn''t recognise you. It has been a long time."


    The red head looked towards the soldier with the longsword, his expression impassive towards the teenager with blue hair - though the shade of blue was not nearly as deep as Nero''s. Was there something about the colour blue that represented monsters?


    "Arter, I see you''re doing well. Quite the protective detail you''ve got. I see your mothers influence hasn''t reduced one bit."

 Chapter 152: A true firesquad

    Arter frowned, and looked towards all the wounded soldiers around him, and then towards Gabriel and the rest. Although their numbers were not few, it was clear that they were two separate teams, all made of draftees, and still they were in a better condition than the regr soldier he had been assigned.


    For a moment it seemed he was going to react strongly to Gabriels words, but then his shoulders slumped.


    "Not as strong as you think, otherwise I wouldn''t have been drafted," Arter said, feeling defeated. "Besides, I just started my first mission and we already have casualties and injuries. I don''t know how I would have survived without the additional help."


    While they talked, Nero looked around at the room they were in. It was rectangr, and filled with numerous shelves, though all of them were shattered now. Destroying anything here wasn''t easy, which is why Nero assumed that all of this destruction preceded their arrival.


    Amidst the rubble of shattered shelves, there were also remains of books. But they had also suffered, their pages decayed and ruined.


    Nero found the addition of such a mundane library strange. If everything else in this building was so technologically advanced, why would they rely on such an archaic piece of technology such as books.


    He bent down and picked up a nearby book cover, its binding scratched anding apart, hollow of the pages that once filled it. If there were words written on it once detailing what book this was, they were long gone now.


    For a moment, Nero imagined that he was not dealing with a super advanced, ancient race that pioneered the very system of aether maniption that the human race relied on. He began to imagine that this was just another building in another human country. Why would they rely on books when information stored onputers was more secure?


    They could store it more safely and create backups. Then he thought of the berserkers, and how they were called research subjects before. He thought of how they were previously filled with dense aether, but now reeked of cursed energy. He thought of the drastic mutations they underwent.


    The answer he came up with was simple. The research they were doing was sensitive, or perhaps forbidden, and they did not want to risk it being discovered. They could make physical records, and if something ever happened, they could easily destroy them.


    Nero looked up and saw that Gabriel and Arter were still talking to one another, while the injured soldiers helped one another. Even Leonards teams had stepped forward to help use their cards to heal them as much as they can, and at least stop bleeding or tend to the most serious wounds.


    Everyone was busy, so Nero used this time to look around the room, searching for possible artefacts, or anything interesting, but discovered nothing. Once he was certain there was nothing of interest in the room, he returned to his team.


    "If everyone is ready, let''s head out," Nero said. "There are still more berserkers to face."


    His team got ready, but his orders attracted Arter''s attention, who had just been assuming that Gabriel was in charge of his team.


    "Your team is not fully recovered yet, you should rest a bit more before going out," Arter said, offering friendly advice. But whether it was on purpose, or it was habit, his tone carried a hint ofmand in his voice, one that he clearlycked when talking to Gabriel.


    Nero looked at him, and felt the urge to give him a scathing response. It would be so easy, and he was good at them. His impression of this scion of the Ferro family was not too great either - Nero assumed he was the one. But he ultimately decided against it.


    "We can afford only so much rest, this is not exactly a safe ce. You, on the other hand, should stay till your teammates have recovered enough to move. We''ll handle the berserkers for you."


    Most of them were already dead, so facing a few more should not be an issue. Arter frowned, and turned to look back at his team. With the condition they were in, he could basically not proceed. Many of them would even need to be escorted back to receive more detailed medical attention.


    Nero and his team began to return, and when they had gone far enough, Gabriel stepped forward and introduced Arter to Nero.


    "That''s Arter Ferro, as you probably guessed. He is the great-grandson of Haiden Ferro. I''ve met him a few times in Lorilem. He''s quite talented, but he has an extremely overprotective mother. She never lets him go far, and never without enough guards. But that does not reflect on his own abilities.


    The only way that has limited him is in terms of experience. His personal skill is tremendous."


    "I noticed," Nero responded. "The way he cut through the berserker''s bone was worthy of praise. It''s not something that just anyone can do."


    Silently, they returned to the main hall, but stopped when they realised that they could not hear the sound of fighting in any other corridor. Nero exchanged nces with his team. This either meant that the berserkers were defeated, or more realistically, that the other soldiers were dead.


    "I can sense some strange aether fluctuations there," Remi pointed towards one of the corridors they had yet to explore. "It''s subtle, but it definitely wasn''t there before."


    Nero nodded, and began to proceed where she pointed, stepping carefully to avoid making noise.


    Halfway through, they encountered a puddle of blood, and a few bits of meat, but there was no body. Large, red footsteps mingled in with smaller ones continued down the passage where an evenrger pool of blood was present.


    A berserker corpsey nearby, covered in numerous wounds, but they had yet to encounter a single human corpse.


    Nero used Aether Pulse and discovered a few minor curses up ahead, and a few very significant signatures. The monsters were still alive.


    They walked forward and entered into a circr hall with fourrge pirs dividing the room into inner and outer circles, with a half destroyed statue right in the middle of the room.


    But instead of that, what attracted everyone''s attention was the sight of four berserkers, huddled over a few corpses, eating them, bone included.


    Remi, who had just begun to ovee her fear, once again began to tremble, though she wasn''t the only one horrified. The sight of human guts being slurped up caused even Nero to grimace, let alone everyone else.


    Nero raised his hand and pointed forward. They had the element of surprise, and he was going to use it to do as much damage as he could. Besides just the fact that they had to kill the berserkers to be safe themselves, this was by far the most intact room Nero had discovered on the third floor. The chances of finding artefacts here was the highest.


    He manipted his internal aether and channelled all his strength in his legs,unching himself forward like a cannonball. By now, after so much fighting, Nero hade somewhat familiar with the anatomy of the berserkers, so he aimed his spear to perfectly slide in between two of its ribs as it cut through the monster''s back.


    His strength, as well as his momentum, pushed his spear beyond his normal means, allowing it to cut through skin, meat and sinew, emerging from its chest. If the berserker were like a normal human, that would have cut through his heart as well as lung. But Nero did not depend on the creature having a heart of some kind.


    Nero lifted his spear, and the berserker along with it, and flung it backwards,unching the berserker across the room screaming and bleeding. The other berserkers reacted, but he was more than ready to face them.


    Maybe it was due to suppressing himself from snapping back at Arter, or maybe it was the disgust of watching humans being eaten, but Nero fought with much greater strength than before, holding back three berserkers himself while the others attacked the wounded one he hadunched across the room.


    Yet he was not the only one who was fighting harder. Red sand floated around Gabriel in thin streaks, as if crawling up an invisible string. He struggled to control them perfectly, but that did not stop him from sending his sand like a serpent, crawling into the berserker''s wounds, its eyes, mouths and ears.


    Harold was especially fierce with his ps, throwing the berserker''s hulking figure around like a toy.


    Everyone was fighting better than they previously had, despite their exhaustion. Even without Nero there to hold the berserker down, they managed to overwhelm it with their teamwork. They were already getting used to fighting with each other, and a silent metamorphosis began to take ce.


    This team of teenagers drafted into war began to fight like a real firesquad, and it had only been a few hours since their mission started.

 Chapter 153: Rejuvenate

    After thest berserker died there was a moment of tion, followed by extreme exhaustion. Nero was better off, not only because he had long been training his body to have exceptional endurance, but because of his recent strengthening.


    Even then, his condition was not exactly the best, let alone everyone else. It was easy to say that they had rested for a few hours earlier, but in truth their body had not recovered from the constant exertion of fighting so many curses.


    Nero had thought that having low aether would be his greatest concern, but he underestimated the physical exertion he had to face. This may be one of the most important reasons most soldiers are encouraged to reach the Initiate realm as quickly as possible. The boost the human body received was much needed for such drawn out missions.


    It was like they were asked to sprint at their fastest speed. Then, before they could rest properly, they were asked to do it again. No matter how excellent of an athlete one may be, after constantly sprinting at full speed numerous times in just a few hours, they would be thoroughly exhausted. But it was not like they had a choice.


    If they avoided running at full speed during each ''sprint'' they were at the risk of dying.


    The fact that they had all survived this long was as much a testament to their skill as it was luck. Nero suddenly realised that no matter how things proceed from now on, unless his team was allowed to rest and recover properly, they would not be able to perform at their best. Compared to the other teams they would be at a severe disadvantage.


    No amount of sheer grit and willpower could make up for the cold hard fact that their muscles were sore and that they were low on energy.


    But although Nero had underestimated how exhausted everyone would be, it wasn''t as if he hadn''t foreseen this possibility at all. There were ways to handle this.


    Nero used Aether Pulse once more, and upon confirming that there were no dangers around, rxed.


    "Guys, take turns and use Rejuvenate. I''ll look around in the meantime."


    Although he did not know if Leonard and his team had a simr card, Nero made sure everyone in his team was equipped with it. Rejuvenate was simr to Raise the dead, except that Raise the dead was more focused towards eliminating the need for sleep. Basically, it was more effective if one had been awake too long, and needed to stay awake much longer.


    Rejuvenate, however, acted more in ordance with its name.


    Name: Rejuvenate


    Image: A man meditating with his legs crossed and arms resting on his knees


    Type: Augmentation


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Use aether to constantly rejuvenate the body, rxing and rehabilitating sore muscles]


    vour text: "Rest is for the weak, so rest and allow the weakness to leave you," - Saint Codale


    This was a 0 star version of a much more potent card with a stronger effect. Although it could not do anything about replenishing their drained energy, it would at least allow them to recover rapidly. Earlier on, when they were on the fourth level, everyone had taken some time to use it as well.


    The thing about this card was that it did not have a fixed effect. As long as one kept using it, the card would continue to work. But as soon as one stopped using it, the effect would end.


    At their current level, this was the best they could hope to get.


    While his team dragged themselves to the far corner of the room, away from the entrance, Leonard and his team also began looking through their card cases. Recovery cards were more or less a staple, so he was sure they wouldn''t make such a basic mistake of not bringing one.


    Nero, instead, walked towards where the four berserkers had been eating. It was not that he was attracted to the mutted corpses, but rather that he saw the broken body of the machine with the de for an arm among them.


    It was no longer moving, and it had clearly taken a beating. But more importantly, at this distance, even Nero could feel the strange aether fluctuationsing from its body.


    He pulled the body aside, putting some distance between himself and the bloody puddle that the bodies were ced in, and began to examine the body. Everything seemed fine until he discovered its still clenched fist. ording to the size of the hand it was shaped oddly, as if it was holding something within.


    Nero pulled out his dagger and pried the fingers open one by one, revealing a white medallion. It was firm, as if made from some incredibly tough material, but at a nce it looked like marble. It looked like marble, just like the half destroyed statue in the middle of the room. More importantly, it was the source of the strange aether fluctuations.


    Nero turned, and for the first time, examined the room in great detail. Compared to the other, rtively in rooms, this one looked a lot more ceremonial. It was not just the pirs, but also the hangingnterns, the carvings in the walls, the clear distinction in the ground tiles between in the inner and outer circles of the room.


    Compared to the others, this room clearly held a great, and very specific purpose.


    Nero approached the statue and studied it. It showed only a pair of legs, some kind of cape or gown behind it, rising up to the knees, after which it was destroyed. Since the statue was wearing shoes and pants, he could not determine if the legs were supposed to belong to a human. After all, who said that the Eldrim didn''t have two legs? Maybe they looked quite simr.


    Regardless, there wasn''t much he could tell from just the legs alone.


    He did, however, notice a small, circr indentation in the floor behind the legs. Without even considering that it might not belong, Nero brought the medallion up and ced it within the indentation.


    The aether fluctuations suddenly vanished and after a long, silent moment where Nero began to think that the statue''s hidden function was broken, the floor in the inner circle began to move. Nero nearly tripped, but caught himself just in time.


    The tiles in the inner circle began moving in a counterclockwise manner, disappearing into a hidden opening in the ground behind the statue, revealing a descending, spiralling staircase.


    Nero''s eyes gleamed, and he turned to look towards Leonard.


    Both of them, no, in fact every person in the room was thinking the same thing. This looked like the perfect ce to hide artefacts.


    Nero and his team were also weakened and tired, much like Leonard himself. Even so, if a betrayal was toe, it would being soon.


    "Recover a bit yourself as well," Leonard said. "Everyone is tired. We don''t know what we might face down there. There''s no point in rushing down."


    Nero pursed his lips. Rushing down did have a point. They could possibly get their hands on the artefacts and leave before the other teams discover them. Then again, it was true that there was no way to know what was downstairs. Going down just to get ahead of everyone might be a terrible mistake.


    Resting and risking being discovered by the others might just be worth it.


    Nero sighed, and then nodded.


    "Everyone recover as much as you can. This might be the most integral part of this mission, so we should be in our best state."


    With that said, Nero went and sat down with his team, taking out his own Rejuvenate card. As he activated the card, he felt his aether began to cycle through his body softly, diffusing into his muscles and alleviating aches and sores.


    He was drained, just as much if not more than everyone else, but with each passing second, he was recovering.


    He had taken a risk by waiting, but going down was a risk as well. Between the two, he had prioritised the one that gave the most chance of his team making it out unharmed. Compared to the unusual curses, and strange monsters they had encountered so far, Nero was the least bit concerned about facing the other teams. They were strong, sure. He never doubted that they would be strong.


    But facing humans was also a lot easier. They were a lot less indestructiblepared to curses.


    Everyone sat there for nearly thirty minutes, recovering as much as they could. Just as Nero was considering ending their short rest, the sound of approaching footsteps began to echo down the corridor.


    It seemed like one way or another, their short break was over.


    Unsurprisingly, Arter soon came into view, followed by four other soldiers. Most of them Nero had already seen when they fought alongside Arter. One, however, was a new face.

 Chapter 154: Lower level

    The new soldier, the one Nero hadn''t seen, was quite tall, at the same height as himself, and had long, blonde hair that had been tied up into a bun. Like Leonard, she was wielding a sword and a shield, and wearing typical synthetic armour. All in all, she fit the image of a regr, female soldier.


    Yet, as Nero scanned her from head to toe, he could not help but smirk. He had seen all he needed to see. Finally, someone interesting had arrived. But he did not let his thoughts dwell on her.


    Nero stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling strength return to his limbs bit by bit. His team also recovered considerably, and since they had taken this time to munch on a high calorie, energy dense snack as well as an electrolyte solution, they were as recovered as they could be without getting proper sleep and rest.


    Arter took a moment to study the corpses piled in the corner of the room. Whether he recognised them or not was unknown, but he was clearly disturbed when he finally looked away.


    He studied the stairs heading downwards, then the other teams.


    "I take it you have not been downstairs yet," Arter said.


    "Not yet," Leonard answered. "We needed to recover after ourst fight. Who knows what we''ll face downstairs."


    Arter looked from them towards the berserkers on the ground. It was clear that they had encountered another fight, and yet they had yet to suffer a single casualty or serious injury. Compared to them, his teams seemed pathetic.


    "There''s three of us. How do you want to proceed?" he asked. He was clearly wary of them, since they had proven themselves to be superior fighters. shing against them would not be a fun experience, and yet at the same time, the mission had to bepleted.


    "If you want to go first, be my guest," said Nero with a warm smile. He did not mind someone else facing all the dangers first for once.


    "How about we all go down together? Before the situation bes clear, we should support each other as much as we can."


    Nero''s brow creased. That subtlemanding tone Arter had in his voice was gone, and Nero could guess exactly what it was that subdued him. With only one new face among his team, it was likely that all other soldiers were either dead or severely wounded. Regardless of the difficulties they faced, this reflected poorly on him as a team leader.


    Perhaps, if he had a conscience, the death or maiming of his team members also weighed down on him.


    "That works. In that case, until all dangers are neutralised we agree not to go for any artefacts. Agreed?" asked Nero. Subdued though he may be, that hint of caution made him less likely to betray this agreement, which suited Nero just fine.


    Arter and Leonard agreed, which made life much easier.


    "By the way, have you dealt with the remaining berserkers? It might not be the best idea to leave them around to attack us from the back as we go down."


    After a long moment of silence, Arter answered.


    "They''re all dead."


    Nero nodded, and turned towards Pipo. With the berserkers taken care of, it was time for him to return to his team and leave. Or they could continue the mission if they so decided, but either way, it was best if he no longer followed them.


    No words were spoken, but Pipo understood. He gave Nero a deep bow, as well as an army salute, before promptly turning around to head back. Nero caught the sight of tears welling up in his eyes again, but whether he wanted to stop them or let them flow down when no one was looking waspletely up to him.


    With that done, they began to descend the stairs with Nero, Leonard and Arter leading the way. Nero continuously used Aether Pulse, especially since the fog was bing especially dense as they descended, and its effectiveness was drastically reduced. In fact, by the time the stairs ended, Nero could only see about a metre ahead of him.


    "Everyone, be very careful," Nero said. "Assume danger cane from any side, and always make sure to stay close to at least one other person. We don''t know if the thicker fog is still harmless."


    "My senses arepletely blocked," squeaked Remi. "I can''t sense anything beyond the reach of my hand."


    Sparks shed on the surface of Arters bare sword as he waved it through the fog.


    "Has anyone noticed there''s no cursed energy?" he asked, confused.


    "It''s probably an effect of the fog," Gabriel said. "The good news is even after I extend my sand up ahead, I don''t lose my connection with it."


    "I''m totally useless here," muttered the archer following Leonard.


    The dense fog made everyone nervous, but ultimately they continued forward, the sounds of their steps subdued in the fog. With extremely poor visibility, they first approached a wall, and traced it until they found a sealed door.


    Nero touched it, fully prepared for the door to not budge, yet it vibrated under his touch.


    "Research Assistant with 100% corruption elimination mutation detected. ess granted."


    The doors swished open, revealing another fog filled room. They did not enter immediately, and instead waited to see if anything attacked. The announcement and the door opening had made enough noise to alert anything inside, yet even after they waited for a few minutes nothing happened. After exchanging nces with each other, they proceeded forward.


    From the very first step, Nero knew that there was something different about this room. Even for someone who had long since stopped feeling cold, he felt a chill travel down his spine. Besides just that ominous sign, the very floor was made of a different material. Even though it looked the same, the fact that their footsteps sounded different told him that something was different.


    More than that, more than anything, the amount of aether flowing through this room was astonishing. Nero had never felt anything carry this much aether through it. To be specific, it wasn''t that there was a lot of aether in the air, but that it was travelling through the walls, the floors, and probably everything else in this room.


    It reminded him of what the berserkers were like before they transformed. The density of aether within their bodies was extreme, but even that paled inparison to the aether here.


    "There''s something here," called Harold''s voice from the left. Nero followed it, stepping slowly and carefully through the fog, till he approached a railing where Harold stood. Right beyond the railing was a rectangr ss box, containing a strange, red liquid as far as he could tell.


    Nero stepped closer, but he still could not see if the ss box contained anything else. After making sure nothing was amiss, he slid past the railing and approached the ss box to get a better view. But, as it turned out, besides the red liquid, the ss box was empty.


    "It''s just some strange liquid in a ss box," he called out as he stepped back.


    "There''s another box here," someone called out from the opposite side of the room.


    "There''s more up ahead," someone else said.


    Nero walked around the box to make sure there was nothing behind, but ran into a wall so he returned and decided it was probably best to stay behind the railing.


    Even though the room proved to be absent of any cursed energy, so far, it did not reduce Nero''s wariness. If nothing else, just the fact that he could be allowed in here to begin with was based on the fact that his ability eradicated ''corruption''.


    "Wait a minute, there''s something in this box!" someone called out, and everyone approached the source of the voice.


    It turned out that the blonde girl had been the one to call out, and the shocked expression on her face was easily noticed by everyone. When Nero looked in the box he also froze.


    There, floating within the box, was a skinny human, wearing a gas mask, suspended in the red liquid. The gentle rising and falling of his chest suggested that he was still breathing, though everyone else in the room had stopped.


    "Those are the things that turned into berserkers," Nero said out loud, making sure Arter and his team knew about it. "We fought them before. At the time they looked like this, and were full of aether. But after we killed them, and came back after a while, they had turned into berserkers.


    Since we didn''t see the transformation, I can''t say for certain that it was them, but the numbers seem to match up."


    "How long has this been down here?" Arter murmured, in shock. "How are they still alive?"


    "I think the better question to ask would be, how many of these things there are down here, and how can we keep them from waking up," Nero said with a grim expression.


    He could not help but recall how it had been called a ''research specimen''. Had the Eldrim been¡­ making berserkers?

 Chapter 155: Free for all

    As soon as that idea popped into Nero''s mind, he had an ominous premonition. He did not know what the Eldrim''s purpose was in making these berserkers, but it hardly mattered anymore.


    What mattered was that, at a nce, it seemed like these research specimens had been alive, or in some kind of stasis state for almost 1200 years, at the very least. Being alive, or keeping someone alive for that long was already enough to drive everyone else insane. Every country would want to get their hands on that technology or technique.


    But more than that, being able to mass produce such powerful monsters such as berserkers in ab ultimately gave anyone the ability to create an army of monsters.


    Nero could imagine a future where instead of being sent to the front lines of various cursed zones, criminals in Kr were instead sent tobs to be turned into berserkers. Whether that was wise or not was another matter altogether. What mattered was thatpared to ordinary Neophytes, berserkers were much stronger.


    If they could be elevated to the Initiate realm, or perhaps even the Arcanist realm, then their destructive capabilities could only be imagined.


    The worst part was that while Nero knew some people might not be open to the idea of testing and experimenting on humans, countries like Dolziya and Creta would not hesitate whatsoever.


    "Whatever you do, do not approach the ss," Nero said in a very calm and tempered voice. "We don''t know if any disturbances will wake them up, and we don''t know how many of them there are in this room."


    "They won''t wake up so easily," said the blonde girl, her gaze fixed on the skinny specimen in the ss box. "I checked the previous boxes. They''re tempered ss, and very strong ones at that. Even if they do wake up, breaking out of the ss won''t be so simple."


    Nero took a step back, and continued to explore the room. He got the feeling that there was more to this berserker research than there appeared, but unless he got ess to their research logs it was impossible for him to know more.


    He continued toe across ss boxes, and some of them had the skinny specimen, while others were empty. He must have crossed dozens of such boxes before theyout of the room suddenly changed. The railing that had been blocking ess to the ss boxes suddenly turned at the ny degree angle, and the room became wider.


    Since there was poor visibility, Nero was not sure if he should continue to follow the railing, or head towards the centre of the room, though there would be nothing guiding him forward if he left the railing behind.


    After a slight hesitation, he decided to head towards the middle of the room. Tall stands and various machines came into view, reminding him of the many machines he saw in the tower when he entered the city. He touched them, wondering exactly how everyone else was able to use them.


    He felt a soft pull on his aether, and allowed it to flow, but as soon as it entered the machine he lost that sense of pull, and nothing happened.


    "Remi,e here," he called out softly. Although he could not see her in the fog, his team was all closeby, so he knew she had to be somewhere close.


    "Can you see what these machines do?" he asked her when she stepped forward.


    With a simple nod, she got to work, her nervousness somehow noticeably reduced in the thick fog.


    "I can''t tell," she said after a moment. "It''s trying to connect to something, but is unable to. Without the connection, this one is as good as scrap."


    But without needing any prompting, she moved from one machine to another, testing them all out one by one.


    The other teams were also exploring somewhere in the fog, and for a brief moment Nero felt like he heard something odd in the distance. It sounded like footsteps speeding up, but due to the strange distortion of the fog, he wasn''t sure if he actually heard that or just imagined it.


    Nero tightened his grip on his spear. In the situation where he wasn''t sure about something, he''d rather err on the side of caution.


    "I found something. It''s a¡­" before Remi could finish her sentence, with a loud click, various lights in the room turned on, and there was a soft tremor in the ground.


    The lights actually reduced the visibility, as they only emphasised the fog more, but Nero did not need to see to identify that the vibration wasing from up ahead.


    "It''s the door to a vault. It''s up ahead," Remi whispered, though that was hardly needed. Everyone in the room must have felt the vibrations.


    As if in agreement, they all moved towards the vault, going around the various machines that seemed to serve no purpose, though as they went through the fog Nero noticed some of the bigger machines had been smashed.


    Ignoring them for now, Nero reached the other end of the room simultaneously with the other teams, revealing whaty ahead. Arge opening revealed a very small room with only three shelves. One of the shelves was empty, while another one had a small statue of a strange figurine of humanoid being in a long robe.


    Nero would have just called it human, save for the fact that the proportions of the body were wrong, and that the skin was grey, and that the head was oddly shaped. Was that¡­ an Eldrim?


    He didn''t ponder the question for long, and looked at the third shelf, which contained a nk te. It looked just like an Eldrim card, onlyrger and nk.


    As it happened, both those items matched the description of the artefacts that they were looking for. Silence filled the room as everyone stood still, first looking at the objects, then at each other.


    They had an agreement to face whatever they found downstairs beforepeting for the artefacts, but now there didn''t seem to be any threats at all. There was no cursed energy either, which did not mean curses could not spontaneously appear, but at least there weren''t any preexisting ones.


    They weren''tpletely safe, but at the same time, there was nothing stopping them from taking the artefacts.


    "How do you want to do this gentlemen?" Nero asked with a smile. "We can do this fair and square, or we can have a free for all."


    Arter frowned. It was not like he expected the others to just¡­ let him take the artefacts, but ability was not an easy one to use if he was trying to avoid killing someone. At the very least, he''d end up seriously maiming them even with his lightest attack.


    "How do you want topete?" he asked. "Keep in mind, if we fight, not just anyone can survive my de. The lightest cut can sever an arm."


    "I remember," Nero said, recalling the headless berserkers. "But if you think only you''re strong and everyone else is a pushover, then you''re sadly mistaken. A fair fight would be between captains. Winner takes all. A free for all would be, well, a free for all. Once again, the winner takes all."


    Silence followed Nero''s suggestion. No one brought up any naive suggestion such as splitting the artefacts between two teams. Everyone here wanted the entire prize.


    Nero looked towards Leonard who had sword and shield ready. A fight between captains suited him best.


    "How do I know one of your teammates won''t nab the artefacts while we''re fighting?" Arter said, scrutinising the two. He had not forgotten how they had been cooperating before. Asking for a fight between just the leaders might be a way to outnumber him. But if that was the case, even a free for all would leave him outnumbered as well.


    "It''s a matter of trust. If there''s no trust, well, I might as well ask you where yourst teammate is - the blonde."


    The question confused Arter. Obviously all his teammates were all around him - they just couldn''t be seen due to the fog.


    But when he looked around, waiting for her to step forward, he noticed that the others came close to him, but the girl was missing.


    "What did you do?" he asked, turning back towards Nero. Even if one couldn''t see the expression on his face, just the sound of his voice was enough to tell how angry he was.


    "What do you mean what did I do? I did nothing. You''re the one with the missing teammate."


    Arter clearly did not believe Nero, assuming that he had kidnapped his teammate earlier on. Just like Nero said, their understanding was based on trust. Since Arters trust was broken, he no longer continued wasting time talking.


    "Grab the artefacts," he barked to his teammates while he swung his sword towards Nero, holding nothing back.


    "So a free for all it is," Nero said, blocking the sword with the length of his spear,pletely unperturbed by Arter''s anger.

 Chapter 156: Old friend

    Nero knew that Arter''s sword was extremely sharp, and although he had not be able to observe him properly, he understood the gist of his fighting style. It would take him some time to use an attack strong ough to cut through berserker bone, though for himself ev a weak attack would be lethal. It wasn''t like Nero''s body, or his defce, were on par with the berserker.


    Having said that, his spear should be fine. After all, metal was metal, and could not bepared to bone.


    Indeed, he blocked the attack sessfully, but was shocked by the mistake he made. Literally. The blue light that coated the edge of his de was the result of Arter''s ability which carried an electric charge.


    Although Nero blocked the de, as soon as the weapons touched Nero felt the electricity travel through his spear and into his body, freezing his muscles stiff. But while Nero was froz, Arter was not. He pushed his de forward, its pointed tip cutting towards Nero''s neck ev as its body stayed connected to the spear.


    Just as the tip was about to stab Nero''s neck he shifted his spear upwards, pushing the sword tip away and kicked Arter right in the crotch.


    Although the kick connected, he felt some resistance, as if there was a barrier protecting Arter.


    The two parted and looked at each other warily. A blue me covered both of Nero''s hand, and slowly began to spread across the body of he spear, while a blue hue began to gather on the edge of Arter''s sword.


    Both of them observed the other''s weapon.


    Nero had anticipated that the sword would be sharp, but he could not have guessed that it would have also carried an electric currt! If he had not reacted immediately, coating his hands in fire to resist the ability, th the fight would have be over immediately.


    It was not that his fire could especially target electricity, but that because both abilities were based on aether, they could offer some resistance to one another. But that did not mean that either ability was strong or weak against the other. Superiority would be reflected based solely on the individual ability''s effects.


    This would be the same for any other elemtal abilities as well, unless the specific elemts themselves had a suppressive effect on each other. For example, if someone faced Jackal with a water-based ability, th his own mes would be naturally suppressed.


    But since the nature of Nero''s mes was differt, he actually might d up with an advantage if he faced someone with a water-based ability.


    Faced against an electricity-based ability, Nero did not automatically assume what its traits were. After all, ev his me was ultimately a me, but it could not be judged based onmon sse. He would have to note its effects as they fought.


    "Shall we try that again?" Nero asked with a grin, and this time struck first. In a one-on-one fight, Nero was at an advantage based on the fact that his spear had a longer range, but this was not a one-on-one fight.


    Just as Nero pushed Arter back, another soldier attacked Nero from the side, distracting him. Arter''s attack triggered a huge fight, though considering the poor visibility, it was hard to tell what was happing.


    The sound of fighting echoed through the room, and there were ev a couple of s of gunfire, indicating that ev Remi had gott involved.


    "Gabe, can you take over for a minute?" Nero called out into the fog. He didn''t know where his redheaded frid was, but he had the confidce to let him handle this for a short while.


    Arter, as if ev more incsed by Nero''s nonchnce, attacked ev more furiously, but with his spear coated in mes to resist the electricity, he had no trouble blocking him easily. That wasn''t to say that Arter was weak.


    He was actually quite skilled with the sword and had great technique, but Nero could also tell that he was heavily reliant on his ability. That meant that as soon as Nero negated his ability, half his battle strgth dwindled.


    Ev th, Nero did not take him lightly. There was a strange protective ability a his body, not to mtion that as a descdant of the Ferro family, it seemed unlikely that he had no other means, which is why he didn''t rush to immediately defeat him.


    Having said that¡­


    Nero stabbed his spear towards Arter, once more pushing him back, and used the oping to attack one of his soldiers instead. He used his internal aether to momtarily increase his strgth, but a ball of ck dirt appeared just in time to block Nero''s attack.


    He raised his eyebrow in mild surprise, but didn''t slow down. He kept attacking, forcing the soldier to retreat continuously until his back wt against the wall. Hitting the wall startled the soldier, which was all the distraction Nero needed. He finally broke through the ball of dirt with the back of his spear and mmed it against the soldier''s head, knocking him out.


    Compared to Arter, this soldier really was weaker, but his ability was still interesting. The ball of dirt, though small, could easily absorb arge impact, directly reducing the strgth of his attacks.


    Nero turned back to see Gabriel and Arter fighting. Or, well, trying to fight. Arter''s sword was deadly, but Gabriels sand was no joke either. Both of them kept trying tond an attack on the other while also dodging each other''s attacks, resulting in them never actually shing.


    Nero smiled mischievously. This was a very serious fight, and giv the odd conditions anything could happ. Failing here could directly cause them to fail their mission.


    But Nero was at least confidt in being able to catch up with anyone in case they took the artefacts, which is why, before trying to finish the fight, he wanted to do one other thing.


    The reason he had noticed that the blonde girl was missing was because he had be paying special atttion to her throughout. Earlier, wh he thought he heard the sound of footsteps speeding up, it wasing from a differt direction of the room. It was just a guess but he felt like she would be there if he wt in the same direction.


    Nero took this opportunity wh no one was paying atttion to him to slip away, and stride into the fog away from the fight. Nero did not step lightly or sneak over, which is why his footsteps could be easily heard.


    Nero walked to a corner of the room and arrived before another ss box, but this one differed from the ones he had se before. Not only was itrger, but the specim inside of it wasn''t human.


    As a result of its skinny, shrivelled state, it was difficult to tell what it might look like ordinarily, but it vaguely looked like a humanoid panther with two horns jutting from its forehead. Moreover, while it was also suspded in a red liquid, and wearing a mask, its eyes were op, and it was looking directly towards Nero.


    He paused to take in the sight, his mind trying to grasp at what the presce of this creature meant, wh he heard a familiar noise.


    He turned and raised his spear just in time to block a sword strike.


    "Why are you following me?" asked the blonde girl, a solemn expression on her face.


    "Come now, is that any way to talk to an old frid?" Nero asked with a charming smile.


    "I don''t know you!" she said, and struck once more. With a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left, she struck quite a gant sight. There was no hesitation in her swing, and quite a lot of strgth behind it too, but Nero parried it easily.


    Before she could attack once more, Nero spun his spear, causing the sword to swing with it and be pushed aside, creating an oping. He stepped forward,ing face to face with the blonde girl, their eyes staring into each other.


    She had blue eyes, which, unlike his, seemed like normal blue eyes, instead of ones changed because of synchronisation. But there was just something off about them.


    "Ohe now Vanessa, you''re going to break my heart. I thought we were finally getting along."


    Her eyes constricted, and the blonde girl suddly pulled back.


    "That''s not my name," she eximed, and readied herself to attack again, but was too slow. Nero used his internal aether to boost his strgth just ough, and knocked the sword out of her hand, and th once again stepped right up to her.


    "You''ve gott better at hiding your daggers, but I''ve also gott better at spotting them. One dagger strapped to each calf, one to each thigh, and four on your back, right above your hips. Did I miss any?"


    Anger and irritation shed in the girl''s eyes as she suddly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve. But before she could do anything with it, Nero grabbed her hand, and stepped ev closer.


    "That''s new. Did you make that one with a card? Or is your ability rted to daggers?"

 Chapter 157: Arrogant prick

    "How did you find out?" asked Vanessa as she backed up. Ev now, she maintained her disguise. It was not just her hair that was differt, her skin was lighter, her height was taller, her eyes were brighter.


    Nero smirked as he looked at her. He had not se through her disguise, though he was very curious to learn how exactly she managed to fool the army. The number of checks they had before letting anyone into Lumina were not few. He didn''t believe that she could fool them at her level.


    "Would you care to vture a guess?" Nero asked, amused by her irritation.


    Vessa dropped her shield and pulled out another ck dagger and tried attacking Nero once more. Technically speaking, daggers were a bad match up against a spear because he could easily use the lgth of the spear to keep her at a distance, unable to strike him.


    Conversely, if she could break in ande closer, th for him to block her two daggers would be difficult.


    But  of that mattered wh the simple fact was that Nero was much quicker than her. He toyed with her by letting her get close, yet every time she tried to strike, he would grab her hand and move it aside, making it look like they were dancing.


    "How did you ev get into the city?" he finally asked, after teasing her a bit. It would have be a lot more fun if she wer''t in a disguise.


    "You''re an arrogant prick, you know that?" she asked, getting frustrated. The problem was she was guinely trying to strike him, but he evaded so easily. In this low-visibility setting, she was supposed to have the advantage. She ev managed to hide from the berserkers, which is how she survived, but not only did Nero see through her disguise, he blocked her surprise attack as well.


    The problem was¡­ she couldn''t just let him go now that he knew her idtity. She knew that he was very patriotic, so there was no way he would ignore a foreign spy. Would he?


    "You''re hurting my feelings," said Nero as he feigned a sad expression.


    But looking at him like that infuriated Vanessa ev more. She almost felt the urge to throw her daggers down at the floor and just leave. But instead, she calmed herself down, and studied Nero.


    He had not done anything threating¡­ yet. There may be a chance that this could be solved amicably. She didn''t want to resort to more drastic measures yet.


    "How did you discover me?" she asked once more, this time calmly and without attacking him.


    "Tch, boring," Nero said, seeing as how she stopped attacking. "I''ll tell you if you tell me how you managed to get into the city undetected."


    "Deal."


    "There were a few hints," Nero admitted. "I wasn''t exactly sure it was you, but the chances were high. First of all, although your disguise is good, there was one major w in it. Everyone in Kr startsbat training at a very early age, in middle school. Long before we''re able to pick out what weapons suit us, we go through basic training for a few differt weapons.


    "In short, no matter what weapon anyone uses, I can recognise their stance if they''ve undergone Kri training. Your disguise was good, but for your height and weight, the way you stood with your sword and shield, the way you moved them, the way you held them, all of it was just¡­ off. I don''t know how else to describe it.


    Most people would not pay too much atttion to it, but it just inhertly gives off the feeling that it doesn''t belong."


    "That''s it? How do you know that I just didn''t undergo a differt kind of training? That''s not ough to determine that there''s something wrong."


    "It really is. You''re underestimating how significant that tiny w is. But anyway, that was just one of many things. Another thing is the way you walk. It''s very silt. Ev though this time a your footsteps could be heard, considering the weight of your weapons, armour, gear and body, your footsteps were still too light.


    Th there are the daggers.


    "In ordinary clothes, it might be fine if you hide daggers under them, but how are you going to ess your daggers underneath your armour? Not to mtion, considering how tight your armour is supposed to be, you shouldn''t be able to fit daggers underneath. They''d cut your skin. But you did it anyway, which is what made me think that maybe your ability has something to do with daggers."


    Vanessa pursed her lips, as if taking a mtal note of everything Nero said, ev if she didn''t think that it was anything significant.


    "Is that everything?"


    Nero smirked.


    "You also got visibly nervous wh you saw up on level 3," he said. "Your muscles tighted and your jaw clched. Considering that we were supposed to have never se each other before, the fact that seeing me made you nervous was odd."


    Vanessa clched her fists. She couldn''t dy that she was not exactly pleased wh she had se him. What were the chances that they would d up on the same mission in this vast city? Considering Nero''s uncanny observation skills, she had gott nervous thinking that he might recognise her.


    She evtually convinced herself that there was no way he could see through her perfect disguise. Technically, she was right. It wasn''t the disguise itself that had be the issue, it was other things.


    "That''s all of it. Now it''s your turn. How''d you get past all the security checks without getting detected."


    Vanessa had a reluctant look on her face, but she told him anyway.


    "I didn''t get past the security checks undetected. I was very much detected. My presce here is a part of some¡­ cooperative efforts betwe both our countries that are best kept quiet for the momt."


    "Are you here for the artefacts?" Nero asked, getting to what he really cared about. It made much more sse that she was purposefully allowed here by the army, though he wouldn''t be surprised if that was done by a specific faction of the army, keeping it a secret from the others.


    Now what he needed to know was that if she waspeting with him, not that it mattered. He would not give up the artefacts, ev for her. But it would be best if she had a differt objective.


    "No, but I can''t tell you what I''m here for, so don''t bother asking."


    Was she lying? Nero didn''t think so, but there was the possibility of it. A part of him was just disappointed that she came to her sses quickly. For reasons he couldn''t understand, Nero was really joying teasing her.


    Either way, now that he had his answer, he could return to focusing on his mission. Yet he remained standing there, looking at her.


    "What is it?" she finally asked, unable to guess what he was thinking.


    Nero turned a, and looked at the ss box. The panther-like creature was still looking at them, observing them.


    "Do you know what that is? It''s be looking at us for a while."


    "I can''t say," she responded sinctly.


    After a momt, considering there was nothing left to say, Nero turned back.


    "Be careful from now on. If someone else discovers you, I doubt you''ll get away scot-free."


    Vanessa oped her mouth to respond, but didn''t know what to say.


    "That know-it-all attitude of yours is really annoying," she murmured.


    "Ev if you don''t know the answer to something, you can''t let others find out," Nero responded with a chuckle.


    Vanessa''s presce here was very interesting. There were a number of things going on beath the surface in Lumina, and that didn''t refer to the basemts where all the Neophytes were fighting.


    Nero still had two more missions to do after this, of which he only knew the details of one. The level of secrecy was absurd, but th again, considering what was at stake, it made sse.


    Nero pushed away all other random thoughts as he returned to the fight. He spotted Leonard and Harold, having an intse fight. Harold''s ability was especially pott against those who liked to use shields, so they were a bad match for each other.


    Nero sprang forward, and instead of attacking Leonard, he used the butt of his spear to slide his leg forward, causing Leonard to trip.


    The sudd changepletely took Leonard by surprise, and the oping it revealed was all the opportunity Harold needed. He finally broke through his defce andnded a good hit on Leonards jaw, knocking him out.


    Harold and Nero made eye contact, and with tacit understanding, moved forward to eliminate the other soldiers, one by one. Harold had known Nero for a long time, ev longer than Gabriel, so their teamwork was impable, much to the regret of their foes.

 Chapter 158: Blue eyed devil

    As hectic and dangerous as the fights were in the fog, it also worked to Nero''s befit. Everyone was fighting randomly, and though the fights were not too intse, that was mostly because being unable to tell what was happing a them made everyone nervous.


    So naturally, in the middle of fights, wh everyone''s nerves were tse, the sight of Nero and Harold emerging from the  haze startled and distracted them.


    But they did not remain nervous for long, as the only thing that surpassed their individual strgths was their impable teamwork. Although Nero had not specifically trained with anyone other than Jackal since he got his ability, sometimes training wasn''t needed.


    Although Nero didn''t know the exact details of Harold''s ability, he knew it was simr to a tremor. It could pass through armour and shield, and if used correctly could ev cause the oppont to drop their weapon due to the heavy vibrations.


    There was something more to it than just that, or else Harold would not have kept his innate ability hidd from everyone, but that didn''t matter to Nero. Knowing a bit about it was ough.


    Nero would strike first, using the range of his weapon to strike, causing the oppont to dodge, only for Harold to attack them just as they dodged. They would be forced to block or defd, only for Harold''s tremors to invade their body once they exchanged blows. Shocked and overwhelmed, they would be too distracted to notice Nero''s finishing move, knocking them all unconscious.


    Such a simple, yet effective manoeuvre allowed them to quickly take out all of Verdant-. It wouldn''t have worked if all the soldiers wer''t spread out and on their own. But with each soldier they took down, their own numbers increased and the emies kept getting out numbered ev more.


    Compared to everything they had be through so far,pared to fighting berserkers and strange curses, fighting humans really was much easier.


    After Verdant-, all that was left was Arter''s team. Considering that Nero had already defeated one of them earlier on, and the fact that Gabriel was keeping Arter busy, it was hardly a fight.


    Before he could ev understand how it happed, Arter found himself sured. One momt he was fighting Gabriel, doing his best to dodge the whips of red sand the other had tak to using. The next thing he knew, Gabriel finally stopped attacking, yet instead of feeling relief, he felt his heart drop.


    Figures stepped forward from the fog, their weapons all pointed towards him. Although  of them could match up to Arter''s lethality, ev Nero couldn''t do that, they didn''t need to match him to defeat him.


    Reluctant and raged at the same time, Arter turned to look towards Nero who was the only one not pointing his weapon at him. Instead, Nero stood straight, holding his spear up next to him, its de rising above his head.


    "I challge you to a one on one duel," Arter said, hoping to goad Nero into a fight. It was his only hope. Yet Nero didn''t respond to his challge. Instead, he only looked at him like he was a fool, which raged Arter ev more.


    "I should never have trusted you. This was your n all along, wasn''t it? Why are you targeting me? Who is behind you?"


    Nero raised an eyebrow.


    "You think too highly of yourself," Nero finally said. "I am neither targeting you, nor did I n this all out. No matter what you think, I didn''t do anything to your teammate either. I also don''t have any reason to ept your challge. I don''t know what you think is going on here, but I''m on a mission, not on a quest for honour.


    It would be best to take you down with everything I have rather than waste time to defeat you single handedly."


    Arter red at Nero. He didn''t believe him. Although everyone only saw the power and prestige that came with belonging to a family with a sage, they didn''t know that it also meant that Arter was constantly challged and targeted.


    The countries wer''t at peace, not real peace anyway, and there were more than just a few emies of the sage families ev within their own countries. From birth his mother had protected him from such forces. Everyone thought she was crazy, or overprotective, but how could they know or understand the truth of Arter''s life?


    For a few seconds Arter and Nero just stared at each other. Th Nero moved.


    He knew that giving Arter time was a bad move, as the longer he had, the more powerful his stroke would be, so he didn''t waste any time.


    Nero struck from the front while Gabriel struck from the back. For this fight, Harold had be relegated to a supporting role. With the lethality of Arter''s sword, it was too risky for Harold to try and fight him hand-to-sword.


    But Arter was no pushover. He dodged to the side, and instead of focusing on fighting back, tried to break out of the circlemt.


    One of Wdy''s needles almost stabbed into his neck as Arter lunged towards Jackal, but an invisible force prevted it from actually touching his skin. Jackal threw a ball of me towards Arter, but the slim sword cut through the fire and forced Jackal to jump backwards.


    Yet Arter couldn''t run through the oping he had created for Nero''s speed was too quick. He appeared in Arter''s path, ming spear in hand, a stalwart guardian.


    They shed, and their weapons caused an explosion as Arter''s electricity and Nero''s me cancelled each other out. But while Arter stumbled back, Nero stood firm. More needles tried to break his defce as two, thin streams of red sand wrapped a his legs.


    Arter roared and a pulse of ergy sted a him, pushing back the sand and the yellow fire that was flying towards him. He had used one of his cards, but it exhausted him greatly. He tried to use the momt to run in the other direction, but once again, like a nightmare he couldn''t escape, Nero appeared standing in front of him, devilish blue mes rising from his body.


    The worst part of it was how calm Nero looked. No matter how Arter fought back, no matter what card he used and what trick he disyed, Nero looked at him calmly and blocked him almost effortlessly.


    It was like everything was under his control from start to finish. As soon as Arter realised that breaking free from the circlemt was impossible, he changed his strategy.


    He swung his de towards Nero, and though there was a distance betwe them, a streak of blue lighting shot from the edge of his de towards Nero.


    It caused another explosion wh it met the blue mes, but it could not shake Nero''s steady steps as he walked towards him.


    Red sand and yellow mes once again attached themselves to him amidst a barrage of needles, and though he rebuffed them all using the same st of ergy, Arter felt cornered and trapped.


    Desperate, he attacked one of Nero''s other teammates. Yet the blue devil appeared in his path once more, barring the way.


    Arter swung his sword, but this time, instead of shing against it, Nero simply used his spear to guide his strike sideways, causing Arter to lose bnce. Before he could regain his footing Nero appeared right in front of him, his cold blue eyes staring deep inside Arter''s soul.


    Nero gripped Arter''s neck, ced one foot behind the panicking teager and pushed him back. Arter lost his bncepletely, falling backwards. Yet ev as he mmed into the g, Nero did not remove his hand from his neck.


    "For what it''s worth, you put up a good fight," Nero said lightly, before punching him in the face. Whatever barrier had be protecting Arter all along finally gave way, and the prodigal child of the sage family fell unconscious.


    From start to finish the whole fight took exactly sixty seconds, as if Nero had nned it all along. In truth, it was just a coincidce. But like he had told Vanessa, no matter the circumstances, he always acted like it was a part of his n, and that he had everything under control.


    He looked at his teammates, and  of them seemed shocked or surprised. After so many years, the impression he had built solidified. They never doubted that they would have won. Wasn''t that also why they followed Nero? To win.


    "Let''s grab the artefacts and get out of here," Nero said, standing up. "Don''t drop your guard. The mission is not over till we turn the artefacts in."


    Calm. Collected. Forward thinking. That is what Nero needed to be, and what he needed everyone to know him as.


    But sometimes, there were things that no one could ount for. As the countless Neophyte teams swarmed into Lumina city, and began to explore the regions from where the fog had rectly retreated, something in the city began to stir.

 Chapter 159: Library

    While everyone dragged all the unconscious bodies to one side, Nero wt and grabbed the two artefacts. He studied the nk te but found nothing significant. On a whim, he channelled his aether into it and discovered that the te absorbed the aether easily, but showed no reaction.


    He instinctively knew that he did not have ough aether in his body to elicit a reaction from the te, though perhaps that knowledge in itself was a reaction from the te. Comparatively, the statue did ev less. It did not absorb any aether, and besides showing the appearance of an odd being, had no value as far as Nero could tell. But finding their value was not his mission.


    Nero put the artefacts in his backpack once more, careful to put them in differt pockets from the key and Eldrim card he already took, before getting up. The others were bound to start waking up soon, so they all quickly began to retreat.


    Nero did not see Vanessa on the way back, and the ss boxes did not shatter and leave them sured by a tide of skinny human specims, which was great. It was not just Nero who had considered that possibility. Fortunately, things were looking up.


    *****


    "I don''t mean to rush you, but hurry the fuck up!" Bael roared as he used a brick to smash the face of the monstrosity he had tak to calling a berserker. Its silverish grey skin was better than any armour Bael had ever worn, resisting his sword as if Bael had be using a feather instead.


    At most, he had be able to leave behind a few  scratches on its skin, and ev those quickly vanished. As if that was not ough, it was faster and stronger than them too. It had killed Jonathan with a single punch, reducing the size of their team to four, with the fourth member being that useless artisan.


    But the thing that made Bael feel the most reluctant was that it was that useless artisan who had be the most effective against the berserker! Not only did he have the most versatile collection of cards in his grimoire, but his innate ability was incredible ev if Bael didn''t know what it was exactly.


    He urately detected that while sharp cutting attacks could not harm it, blunt attacks would do more damage. Th, he found a loose brick in the wall that seemed otherwise whole, and gave Bael that brick.


    As absurd as it was fighting with a brick, the brick was much tougher than any weapon they had avable, and it had a strange suppressive effect on aether that also seemed to work on the berserker.


    But while all the numerous cards blocked and slowed down the berserker, and the brick seemed to be effective in fighting it off,  of them had a way to actually kill the berserker. Moreover, it seemed to never run out of ergy, so all they could do was keep fighting.


    That is, until, the artisan discovered a hidd, secret chamber that required a special card to op. They had no idea what that card might be, or where they could find it, but the artisans ability allowed him to discover exactly what effect the card needed to have to op the chamber, so he started crafting a card right there, in the middle of the battlefield.


    All they needed to do was buy him ough time to op it. But that was easier said than done. Although the other soldiers managed not to get killed by the berserker, ev a slight scrape was ough to break bones and leave them unable to fight.


    That left only Bael, alone, fighting against a berserker. He was a good fighter, so he managed to avoid direct hits, but it wasn''t like he could avoid getting hit at all. A small part of him hated the fact that the only reason he was still alive and fighting was because of his innate ability.


    His father had told him Nero''s words. He said that wh Bael finally faced death, or lost a team member due to his stupid mistake, he would quickly get over his childish reluctance to avoid his innate ability. The fact that Nero was right made Bael hate him ev more, and he channelled all that hate into his brick as he smashed it into the berserker''s face.


    But in exchange, the berserker managed tond a hit on Bael as well, knocking him back and snapping his left arm so that it was dangling.


    It hurt. Oh god, it hurt a lot. But as his passive healing ability began to work, making sure that the bone reconnected in the perfect way, the pain began to fade. In a few seconds, by the time the berserker recovered from having its face smashed in, Bael had also recovered.


    The monster''s recovery ability was ridiculous, but it was only now that he was finally using his own ability that Bael realised that his healing was no less ridiculous.


    Moreover, there was one hidd secret to his ability he had only just realised during this fight. Every time he healed, whatever part of his body healed was just a little bit stronger. If his bones broke, th after recovering, they would be just a little bit more resistant to breaking.


    If Bael had known this all along, he could have be so much better prepared. But there was no point inmting what hadn''t happed.


    "It''s op," yelled Ss suddly, as two bookshelves moved apart, revealing a dark, narrow passage.


    "Pull the other soldiers in, I''ll follow you once you''re safe."


    Ss did not question Bael. In fact, ev before Bael had giv his orders, Ss had be helping one of the soldiers stand up so that they could go through the passage. Fear threated to almost overwhelm Ss, but with the threat of literal death hanging above him, Ss had no choice but to ovee his fear. He just kept thinking about what Nero would do in any giv situation and do it.


    So far, it had kept not only him, but the others alive as well.


    "We''re in," Ss yelled from the dark passage. Bael once again exchanged blows with the undying monstrosity, and th quickly limped into the passage as well. It was too narrow for the berserker to follow, fortunately, and everything in the library they were in was too strong to be destroyed by them or the berserker.


    But knowing that did not stop them. The whole team kept running in the dark passage, unaware of where they were going, until they could no longer hear the berserker screaming.


    One of the wounded soldiers fell, unable to continue running, and that finally caused them all to stop.


    Ss didn''t miss a beat. He immediately sat next to the fall soldier, pulled out his grimoire, and began looking for healing cards.


    "You''re going to have to help me," Ss said. "I''m almost out of aether."


    "And you think I have loads?" Bael retorted angrily, but took the healing cards from Ss and began working on the soldiers.


    The thing about a passive ability was that it was always active, though the user could control the extt to which it was active. It also reduced the aether expditure such an ability should have, which was the only reason Bael had be able to continue fighting that berserker so long.


    Suddly, Bael''s hand paused.


    "Do you think it has a passive ability?" Bael asked without ev realising it.


    "What?" Ss asked, confused what Bael was talking about.


    "No matter how much I beat up the berserker, it kept healing. Do you think it has a passive healing ability? Passives reduce the aether costs, so that would exin why it was able tost so long. Well, the other exnation could be that it had huge aether reserves."


    Ss was silt for a few momts as he looked at Bael with worry.


    "Bael, that thing had no aether," he said softly. "It''s body was full of cursed ergy."


    "Oh yeah," Bael murmured. He was too exhausted, and that was causing him to overlook simple facts. "It can''t be a passive ability because it had no aether. It''s not like it could rely on cursed ergy for its abilities."


    Seeing how the other soldiers were looking at him with worried eyes, Bael shut up. Besides, it wasn''t like he had to dure exhaustion for long. In a few minutes, half an hour at the most, he would be back to his peak state. His passive did not just heal his injuries - it constantly returned him to his strongest state.


    His ability¡­ was not so bad, he reluctantly admitted.


    "Now how the hell are we going to get out of this library with that monster blocking our exit?" Bael asked.


    Ss had no answer. They had already retrieved the Eldrim card cyclopaedia they had be st to retrieve. Now they only needed to return safely and hand it in.


    In the dark, while the others rested, Ss could not help but peak into the book. To think, countless unknown, original recipes were nestled in the palm of his hands. His father would literally kill to get an opportunity like that.


    Fortunately for him, Ss'' own innate ability made it so that darkness could not impede him. He began memorising the strange symbols in the book, ev if he didn''t understand them yet.

 Chapter 160: Lockdown

    With the artefacts collected, a subtle mental pressure appeared in the group''s mind. No one said it aloud, but they all felt it. They were worried that they would be attacked and would lose it. Or more berserkers woulde. Or something else unexpected would go wrong.


    They tried to focus on their surroundings, but after all the hassle they went through to get the artefacts, it made sense that they were worried about it.


    Even Nero felt that subtle urge to just rush back to the ground floor and give in the artefacts as quickly as possible. But feeling it did not mean that is what he did.


    There were still many corridors on the third level they had not personally explored, which meant that there was a chance more artefacts could be hidden there. Nero had no intention to steal other things, but it was for this reason specifically that he also went through Arter''s and everyone else''s backpack. He did not mean to invade their privacy, but what if they had artefacts?


    As it turned out they did not have any, so he took nothing from them. Fortunately, going through the remaining hallways did not take much time either, because they had been recently cleared of all curses.


    The only thing that disappointed Nero was that besides corpses, human and otherwise, they discovered nothing significant. That also dampened the slight tion they felt upon getting the artefacts.


    Nero too took a moment to remember the fact that many had died for this mission. He didn''t know its significance. He was also not the one who killed the others, and in fact he probably saved a lot of lives. But that didn''t change the fact that a lot of people died for those two, tiny objects in his backpack.


    Once Nero was certain that there was nothing left, they began their journey back to the cathedral ground level. It was odd. Climbing back up to the top didn''t even take ten minutes, yet it felt like they had travelled between worlds emerging from the basement.


    The first thing they saw when they came back up was Pipo and his team, sitting together in a circle on the floor, with Aloe and the other Harold consoling them.


    The sound of their arrival attracted everyone''s attention, and upon noticing them everyone showed an expression of relief. Pipo, especially, had been really worried about them. Even though he was in a different team, he had actually fought more with Nero than his own team.


    "You guys made it," Aloe said softly. After hearing the horror stories of Pipo''s team, she and her partners who had been stuck in this building for six months were greatly shaken.


    They couldn''t believe they had been stuck above such monsters for so many months.


    "Yeah, we made it. Why are they still here? Shouldn''t they have been sent back?"


    "There''s been a lockdown," Aloe said with a troubled expression. "You guys in the basement might not have felt it. There was a fight between some very high levelled card masters. The whole city was shaking. That caused a few of the city''s defence systems to activate, so until they shut down, travelling through the city is not safe."


    "Between card masters? Did someone attack us?"


    Aloe shook her head.


    "I don''t know the details. They won''t tell us. But you''re also stuck here for now."


    Nero frowned.


    "Can we step out of the cathedral?" he asked.


    Aloe shrugged.


    "Go ahead. But there are soldiers outside who''ll stop you."


    Nero nodded and led his team outside. They had to see if there was someone they could submit the artefacts to. He knew that technically no one was supposed to fight them for it once they returned to the ground floor, but it would still be best if they handed it over.


    As soon as Nero stepped through the door the first thing that surprised him was the darkness! It was already dark outside! How long had they been in the basement?


    Nero felt like it had only been a few hours, but clearly he had underestimated how long it took.


    After the dark sky, the next thing Nero noticed were the lights. Lumina, as a city, was very much still operational, and once night fell various lights automatically turned on around the city, illuminating the darkness.


    But unlike the harsh, white flood lights that were used to light up cities in Kr at light, Lumina was lit up in a cosy yellow light. Nero could imagine how, seen from a distance, the city would look like a firefly against the dark backdrop of the mountain.


    "The city is under lockdown," a soldier interrupted Nero''s imagination, bringing his attention back to reality. "You must stay within this building until the lockdown ends. It''s too dangerous to travel right now."


    "What should I do about my mission?" Nero asked. "I have to make a report and submit certain items."


    "Who assigned your mission?" the soldier asked.


    "Major Liam Carver."


    "Oh yes, the major has someone on standby. Hey Ford," the soldier yelled to the escort who had brought Nero to the cathedral. Ford had been napping in a sitting position so the sudden yell startled him and made him nearly drop.


    "Yes? Yes! I''m up! I''m awake!" he yelled, looking all around for trouble or a superior officer.


    "Contact HQ and ask about major Ford''s standby team. Can theye in for an extraction?"


    Ford nodded, and pulled out a card as well as some device and walked to a distant corner to get better reception.


    "Can you tell me why we''re on lockdown?" Nero asked, looking back at the unfamiliar soldier. "We have orders to proceed to another mission after this. I don''t know if waiting will affect the mission."


    "Nothing we can do about it," the soldier said with an exasperated look. "I''m just as troubled as you, but the city is no joke. A few hours ago a bunch of buildings red about activating some kind of protocol, and since then all kinds of defences have been put up. Trying to cross through the city right now is like signing your death certificate.


    Until HQ finds a way to shut it down, or it goes down on its own, very few can pass through. Even Spectres can''t get around the city''s defences. Only those with a very high authority given by the city itself can move around."


    "A protocol? One of the researchers told me the defences were activated after some big fight."


    "Well, the lockdown was dered after the fight, but the city started acting up early in the morning. We don''t know what''s happening. And the fight¡­"


    The soldier looked really troubled as he thought about it.


    "Don''t let anyone know you heard this from me, but the defences around Lumina right now are even higher than the border at normal times. I don''t know how¡­ or why, but I think the higher ups expect a battle. I mean a real battle, like, a proper war scale battle.


    I don''t know who was fighting when the city shook, but the way I see it, the city''s defences are actually keeping us safe rather than trapping us in."


    Nero''s eyes gleamed. This soldier¡­ Nero read his name on his badge. Ryan, the soldier in front of him, was insinuating that enemy forces might try to forcefully enter the city. Whether that would really happen or not he had no idea, but all he could do was hope that the ''higher ups'' actually had the situation handled.


    Before their conversation could continue, Ford walked back up.


    "Major Liam ising himself," Ford said, though he looked troubled rather than happy about it. "Also, everyone here has new orders. We need to rest and recover, for when the major arrives, he will be taking us all deeper into the city for a new mission."


    "Did he say how long it will take for him to arrive?" Nero asked.


    "It would take at least four hours," Ford responded.


    "I''ll go share the news inside," Nero said, as he turned around.


    There were a few thoughts running through his mind. He himself had encountered a few protocols throughout the day, and he could not help but wonder if the protocol that put the city under lockdown¡­ had started in front of him.


    Regardless, he and his team had been fighting all day it seemed. They needed to eat and sleep, for it looked like they were about to have another long day tomorrow.


    "Guys, we all have new orders," Nero said grimly. Although he knew his team would be d for the chance to get some rest, the researchers, and especially Pipo''s team, would not be happy that they were being included in the new orders.


    "Get as much rest as possible. The major is going to be leading us deeper into the city in a few hours."

 Chapter 161: The world at war

    Aloe and the rest clearly weren''t pleased upon hearing that they were being taken as well, but it was not like their reluctance would change anything. Nero was not concerned about them. Instead, the thought of working together with Arter made him feel like there might be trouble.


    Although it was nothing personal, and it was for a mission, he wouldn''t doubt that the others would hold a grudge against them - especially since Arter had been suspecting him of betraying their agreement to begin with. Working with Leonard, however, should not be an issue. He had a very straightforward personality,


    Upon hearing that they had a chance to rest, all of his teammates finally allowed their shoulders to slump. The cathedral had a mix of rations that everyone helped themselves to before they found a corner, leaned against the wall, and dozed off while in a sitting position.


    While cards such as Rejuvenate and Raise the dead were effective, they could not rece real rest. There was no room for personal space, and everyone was leaning against each other.


    This was also a protective measure, so that none of them could be targeted while they were asleep. Remi, who had finally stopped trembling, and seemed a little more sure of herself, even used protective spells around them before she too went to sleep. Her spells also kept random noise from interrupting those sleep, which is why Nero went and sat in a different corner.


    He could allow himself to rest, in fact he needed it, but after offending an heir to a prestigious family he could not lower his guard.


    He sat in a meditative position with his eyes closed, and in about an hour when Leonard and his team came, Nero opened his eyes, made sure nothing was amiss, before going back to sleep. A short whileter, Arter came as well, clearly displeased. Upon seeing Nero still there his expression worsened even more, but he did nothing.


    The night passed uneventfully, though sounds of distant fighting could still be heard from time to time. On a couple of asions, Nero even woke to a few tremors. But that was it.


    Their rest, however, was finally interrupted when the door to the cathedral was opened and a few figures stepped inside.


    Nero was immediately woken up by the noise and jumped up to his feet, his spear still in hand. A few others were just as quick, but most were still sleeping.


    Major Liam, who was in the lead, surveyed the room until his gazended on Nero, and then he smiled.


    "You have everything?"


    Nero nodded.


    "The situation in the basement isplicated. There''s a chance that we might have missed some hidden rooms orpartments, but those cannot be found in a short time."


    The major nodded.


    "Hand over the artefacts. Your full debriefing can wait tillter."


    "We also-" Nero began to say as he unzipped his bag, but the major interrupted.


    "Later. The situation has changed. We''re short on time. Hand over the artefacts and wait till your debriefing."


    Unable to mention the key and the Eldrim card, Nero simply handed over the two artefacts to the major. But the major did not grab them. Instead, the two soldiers behind him put on rubber gloves and grabbed the two items.


    Without pause they used three or four cards on the artefacts, their purpose unknown, before sealing them in metallic cylinders, sealing them.


    The major then looked at everyone else in the room.


    "Whatever missions or orders you had before this are being overridden," the major said. "As of right now, you have new orders. Stand at attention and receive your new mission."


    In unison, Nero, his team, and all the others straightened their posture, pped their right feet on the ground once right next to their left ones, put their hands by their sides and looked forward.


    "All of you may know that the fog covering half the city recently receded, giving us ess to arge part of the city. Originally this phenomenon was supposed tost for a couple of months, but due to external interference, we cannot be certain how long it mightst. ording to thetest reports, we may have only a few days before the fog returns."


    Nero felt a chill go down his spine. The fog might return ahead of schedule? How? Why?


    "We are doing everything we can to buy as much time as possible. That is because there is a certain objective we must aplish at all costs before the fog returns. Do you understand what I mean when I say at all costs?"


    Nobody answered, because it was a rhetorical question. Of course they knew what it meant. It meant that the army was willing to spend their lives if it ensured the mission was a sess.


    "In the part of the city that has been uncovered there is a massive research facility. We have thousands of arcanists, hundreds of Mystics and dozens of Ascendants scouring through the facility levels on and above the ground, but there is a certain objective that needs to bepleted in the lower levels as well, and all iing Neophytes have been diverted topleting this task.


    All other exploratory missions have been put on hold. This is the foremost objective for the army right now."


    The major paused, and fixed his gaze on Nero. It seemed like he had some expectations from him.


    "The gist of it is that we need something from the facility, but to get it we need to disable the security systems of the facility. But disabling it is not so straightforward. As of thetest information, two security nodes have been disabled on the upper floors. I have been told that we are expecting there to be at least as many security nodes in the basement that need to be disabled as well.


    "In essence, your mission is to go down into the basement and disable the security. Since everyone has amon objective, you will only find support, notpetition from your cohorts. That is important because¡­ for the past few hours¡­ hundreds of monsters have run out from the basement, with many more still down there. The exact number of such monsters is unknown."


    "Monsters? They wouldn''t be massive, muscr creatures with metallic grey skin, would they?" Harold asked, unable to hold back. Who could me him? His hands were still hurting from pping so many berserkers yesterday.


    "I see you''ve already encountered them," Liam said, looking towards Harold. "Some of the monsters indeed look like that. Others don''t. Regardless, they are not infallible, and you will have the advantage of numbers on your side. You all must find a way to deactivate the security of the building as soon as possible. More rides on this mission than you know."


    Liam was extremely troubled. He was speaking in circles mainly because he wasn''t sure how much to reveal. Revealing too little might not make them feel the sense of urgency that was required for this mission, while revealing too much might overwhelm them.


    How could he tell them that Kr had dered war on the entire known world just to buy time or this one mission? The forces of every country in the world were being kept upied so that they wouldn''t be able to disrupt the winds that pushed back the fog.


    Nova was the only country Kr was not fighting against, and only because some kind of ord has been struck with them.


    Even so, it was estimated that they would only be able to dy the process by two or three days at most, of which one day had already psed! After all, disrupting wind patterns wasn''t hard. It would require only a single sage, which is why every living sage in the world was currently being kept upied.


    But even lower levelled card masters, with enough numbers, would be able to cause a disruption.


    In reality, this mission was not supposed to have taken so long. Who could have guessed that the research facility¡­ actually turned out to be a manufacturing nt for monsters. Or even if they weren''t being manufactured there, they were definitely being kept there inrge numbers.


    "Prepare yourselves and let''s go," Liam said. "I will have to escort you to your new mission site personally. You have to stay within ten metres of me, or else you will be targeted by the city''s defences. Trust me when I say you won''t survive."


    A loud thud sound attracted everyone''s attention. Nero looked over and saw that one of Pipo''s teammates had copsed, his eyes rolling back into his head.


    He looked back at the major to see what he would do, but the major had already turned around and was stepping outside the room.


    "Let''s go," Nero said to his team and quickly followed the major out. As he turned once more to look back, his eyes locked onto Vanessa''s. They weren''t worried, but rather excited. She definitely knew something about this.

 Chapter 162: Briefing

    The sky was still dark, although pitch ck was slowly being reced by a deep blue. Soon the sun would rise.


    Nero wasn''t sure what calendar the Eldrim prescribed to. If their days changed at midnight, as it did in the modern world, then today it would be exactly 1210 years since the cathedral lost its connection to whatever database it had been trying to ess.


    It was a little bit of a jump to just assume that it was also on that day that the city underwent whatever change caused it to be abandoned, or buried under a mountain. But he could definitely say for certain that something significant had happened on that day, if the signs of destruction in the basement were anything to judge by.


    He wondered if the database on the fourth level that he heard about was in the room with the ss boxes.


    It no longer mattered to him for now, but it was something to reflect on.


    Outside, the major was talking to someone through an earpiece, but though Nero could see his lips moving, he could neither read them nor hear his words.


    While he talked all the participants in the cathedral stepped out and gathered around the major, forming up to stay close to him. After a few minutes the major ended his call and said, "follow me. We have to pick up another team from nearby, then I''ll lead you in."


    They started walking through the city, though because of the lockdown it still felt deserted. Nero could not identify any significant change in the city as a result of the defences being up, but then again, maybe that was a good thing.


    Since they were forced to walk, and the major kept a rtively moderate pace so that no one was left behind, it took them twenty minutes before they arrived at another building where another team of Neophytes were waiting.


    Compared to Nero and the rest, who were well rested now but showed signs of having faced intense battles, this team lookedpletely fresh. Their armour was still spick and span, and none of their weapons showed any signs of wear at all.


    Even Nero''s spear, despite being made from a remarkable alloy, was already beginning to dull at the de.


    The new team was slightly concerned upon seeing the condition of the others, but they said nothing. At that point they picked up the pace a little, jogging towards their destination.


    Although the difference was subtle, Nero was able to tell when they entered the part of the city that had been covered in fog. The city so far had been preserved unbelievably well, not only considering how old it was, but also the fact that it was essentially buried.


    But the part of the city they were in now looked practically brand new. If someone told Nero that the construction for everything had beenpleted yesterday he would have believed it. The colours were deeper, the edges sharper and everything looked overall as if it was in a better condition.


    Nero strongly suspected that the reason for that was not the fog, but the fact that the concentration of aether in this ce was suddenly much higher. That may have also been one of the reasons he could tell he had crossed some kind of invisible barrier to where the fog normally resides.


    They continued to move through the city, the long jog already beginning to affect some of them, when they suddenly turned a corner and an absolutely massive building came into view.


    It was rectangr, and rose hundreds of metres into the sky, with a few spires at each corner, continuing the ever persistent trend throughout the city. A hundred cathedrals could probably line up together and they would form just the front width of the building, and who knew how long the length of it was.


    Moreover, unlike the rest of the city which seemed nearly abandoned, there were countless tents set up all around it, with hundreds of soldiers moving around its border. They dared not go too far from the building, lest the city defences act against them.


    Immediately after, Nero noticed that most of the tents were medical tents, and the soldiers running around were doctors.


    What was it that the major had said? Thousands of Arcanists, hundreds of Mystics and dozens of Ascendants were clearing out the upper levels. He was suddenly reminded of the empty ss boxes in the basement. Were they empty because the specimen in them got out, or because the level of the specimen in them was too high, and the fog killed them?


    He didn''t get time to ponder that question because as soon as they arrived a dozen people surrounded the major, rushing to speak to him all at once.


    "All of you, head to themand tent and someone will tell you what to do from there," the major said, turning to look back at Nero. The momentsted for just a second before the major was pulled away by countless soldiers.


    The condition of the temporary base around them was chaotic. Most of the soldiers in view were wounded, wrapped in gauze, and not doing so well. The number of amputees was incredibly high as well.


    There were clearly not enough doctors to tend to all of them, which is why the sight of nervous nurses, running around looking for equipment filled the camp. The noise of running and yelling was apanied by the sounds of wailing and pain filled moaning.


    The chaos was almost overwhelming, especially considering that they were about to join in the battle.


    Nero raised his hand, signalling his team to follow him as he navigated through the mess, prompting the others to act as well.


    Finding themand tent wasn''t difficult. Asking directions only once led them to the tent, and Nero just reported to the first soldier he saw, since he didn''t know exactly who he was supposed to report to.


    At first, even the people in themand tent were confused by his sudden arrival, but as soon as they saw his team, as well as the following others, they quickly brought them all to a briefing room.


    A few minutester, a weary looking soldier walked in, holding a projector.


    "Your timing is excellent," the soldier said as he began setting up the projector. "We just got news that a security node has been found, but the leading team needs backup to get to it. It will take time for the other teams already deployed to get there because navigating inside the research facility is not exactly easy, not to mention the obstacles."


    The projector turned on, and a simple, hand drawn map was projected onto the wall in front of them. Despite being simple, it was apparent that the map was not of theyout of the facility, but rather the path they had to follow to reach the team they had to provide backup to.


    "Memorise this path as you will be taken to this specific entrance soon enough. You will get amunication device, but how well it works inside ispletely up to chance. The device is to connect to themand centre in case you learn some important information, or need back up. But keep in mind that we are short on numbers, so getting backup is not guaranteed."


    The soldier paused for a moment to make sure they understood everything he told them, then changed the slide.


    This time, what was disyed was a picture of a monster they were all too familiar with. It was a berserker, alongside a picture of its skinny, human version.


    "Inside the facility you will face a number of monsters. This is the mostmon kind of monster you will face, and we''ve temporarily titled it Corruption Specimen A. It has incredibly high defence, and is able to resist shing and cutting attacks to a great extent. It also has a very high healing factor. It also boasts excellent strength.


    Its greatest weakness, as far as we''ve been able to determine, is its neck. Blunt force attacks based on its neck will work very well.


    "We will provide you with cards we''ve specially designed for this exact purpose. Although the range of those cards are very small, if you''re able to urately use them then a couple of hits should be enough to take a Specimen A out."


    The soldier then changed the image again, and this time Nero recognised only one of the two images. On the right was shown the humanoid panther-like creature he saw in the ss box, though the horns looked a little different.


    On the right, however, was a monster that made even a berserker look tame. The dark berserker, as Nero named it for himself considering its colour, was not nearly as bulky as a berserker, but it was taller, and leaner. Its horn had somehow grown as well, and instead of going upwards, flowed downwards, forming a webbed, spiked armour around the creature''s torso.


    "This is Specimen B, and it is much more dangerous than Specimen A."

 Chapter 163: Warm up is over

    Many of the draftees fidgeted in difort upon seeing the dark berserker. Besides the group that had seen nobat at all, they all faced the regr berserkers and just that had been enough to nearly kill them all.


    Nero was the only exception who had faced multiple of them head on, and Arter was the only one who killed one with a single hit. But those were extreme exceptions. They could not even imagine what this dark monstrosity was capable of if it was considered even more dangerous.


    "Specimen B is not nearly as physically strong as Specimen A, as you can probably see from its physique. However, Specimen B is much faster, and much more agile. Its bodycks the same defensive capabilities as Specimen A, but it heals just as fast, and has disyed remarkable resistance to most lethal poisons. Its natural bone armour is also very difficult to break.


    Yet, by far, the thing that makes it most dangerous is none of these. Rather it is its intelligence.


    "Specimen A disys the ability to learn, which means that if exposed to the same tactics for an extended period it will eventually adjust ordingly. But Specimen B actively disys strategies and tactics in its fights, and knows how to target the weakest or most effective point.


    "Its neck and head are its weakest points, but due to its speed it''s much harder to target it with the same card as Specimen A. We have not been able toe up with an effective solution against Specimen B yet, but a number of terrain alteration cards and diminution cards will be made avable to you to pick from. Slowing it down is the most effective way to fight against it so far."


    Nero raised his hand before the soldier could continue.


    "What is it? Speak up, no need to raise your hand. We''re on a time rush."


    "Is Specimen B as immune to elemental attacks and effects as Specimen A?"


    His blue me''s effect was used up eliminating the cursed energy of the regr berserkers, but on the off chance that the dark berserkers weren''t leaking cursed energy, the drop in temperature might affect it.


    "No, resisting elemental effects is a trait of Specimen A''s tough skin. So if you manage to hit them with an elemental attack they will suffer the damage, but hitting it is the tough part. You need to keep that in mind. Facing both the Specimens you should take extreme care as they are highly lethal. But fortunately for all of us, the number of Specimen Bpared to Specimen A are very few."


    Then the soldier changed the picture again, this time disying an image of a quadruped monster that looked like a miniature tiger, but it also had wings. It was a very literal interpretation of the expression putting wings on a tiger.


    "These are another type of monstermonly found in the research facility. They have been titled Corrupted Mutt, or just Mutt for short. They are much moremon than both other types of monsters and make up most of the numbers. Other than having high numbers and being slightly quick, they don''t have any other significant features."


    The soldier changed the picture once more, and showed a couple of pictures, one of a yellowish barrier of light, and another one that looked like a strange gun sticking out of the wall.


    "This barrier and turret are something you have to be extremely wary of. Unless you have sufficient permissions and authority within the research facility, you will be attacked by them if youe close. The turret is not something you as a Neophyte can face, and the barrier will directly immobilise you if you try to cross it.


    "Ordinarily, we would escort you to get you entered into the research facilities database first, but the only entry point we''ve discovered so far is above ground and taking you there is extremely dangerous. We still haven''t secured the above ground floors. That means there is no safe way for you to cross the turret or the barrier so don''t try.


    If you''re exploring the basement ande across these, mark it as a dead end and continue down a different path. You will be given cards to help create markers so that everyone else exploring can avoid dead ends as well."


    Their briefing continued for a short while, covering some of the basics of what to expect in the research facility, before someone else came in with a case of cards and began handing some out.


    Nero read the card and was impressed at the fact that the army had so quickly found a way to handle berserkers.


    Name: Thunderous p


    Image: A gust of air shooting out of a palm


    Type: Force


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Shoot out a powerful prative force from your hand, effective up to 1 metre.]


    vour text: "History will not remember the monsters we yed, only that we won," - Morpheus Kade


    Nero took three of these cards, adding two to his card case and recing Dark-vision in his armour with this one. The condition of the city was well enough that it was unlikely that he would be faced with darkness, but even if he was, he could find the card from his case.


    He did not end up recing any other card, or taking any of the diminutive cards for facing against the dark berserkers since he didn''t want to rece too many of his own cards.


    Remi and Wendy took over that responsibility. Considering that Wendy''s venom would not be effective against most of the enemies they were about to fight, she needed another way to contribute anyway.


    Then, when they were ready, they got up to follow one of the soldiers to their entrance point. One of the draftees, the one that had fainted before and was a part of Pipo''s team, started crying and hyperventting, before he suddenly ran off in the opposite direction. The sudden change froze the others, and especially affected Aloe, Harold and the other researchers.


    They were notbatants and were not expected to fight, but they could still contribute to this massive research facility just based on their knowledge of the Eldrim.


    Yet that didn''t change the fact that being sent into an activebat zone had them literally trembling.


    "He lost a couple of partners to a Specimen A," Nero suddenly said to one of the soldiers watching the draftee run away. "I think he isn''t over the mental trauma of it."


    The reason Nero was exining was because he did not want desertion charges to be pped onto the draftee who had run away.


    Desertion in Kr, especially during times of war, was highly frowned upon.


    But the soldier only shook his head and continued to lead them. What would happen to the kid who ran away was unknown.


    "There is more than one entrance to the basement. We''re leading you to the one that was taken by the team in need of backup. But remain vignt. Just because the path has been taken before does not mean it''s safe. The research facility is massive and we have not mapped it all out yet, or secured much ground.


    That means that as you venture deeper, there is a chance you can also get attacked from your back."


    "Other than the monsters, you haven''t mentioned curses. What''s the curse situation down there? Should we expect to face some?"


    The soldier looked back at Nero.


    "Let me give you a piece of advice that will stay valid for as long as you live. Always expect to face curses."


    With that ominous warning, they were finally brought into the research facility, which had a considerably different interior from the cathedral. In fact, with its in walls and standard tiles throughout, it looked exactly like what Nero expected a research facility to look like.


    Dozens of guards were stationed at the entrance, and the heavy security continued deeper into the facility, but their presence didn''t make anyone actually feel secure.


    Every few seconds the building trembled ever so slightly under the force of a fight going on somewhere up ahead, and even here distant screams could be heard.


    Nero looked at Leonard and nodded, signalling that he was looking forward to working with him. Despite their earlier fight, Leonard seemed to hold no grudge. Arter, on the other hand, only red at Nero.


    Soon, they were brought to a stairwell, and that''s when their escort stopped.


    "I hope you''ve memorised the way, because this ce is like a maze."


    One of Leonard''s teammates pulled out his hand and a projection of the map they were supposed to follow appeared floating above his palm.


    "We''ve got it."


    "Then hurry. They''re waiting for backup."


    Nero''s expression turned solemn once more as he began to descend the stairs, once more entering the fog that prevailed in the lower levels of Lumina. Compared to what they were about to face, the cathedral had been a mere warm up. He couldn''t afford to fail.

 Chapter 164: Trapped

    Much like the cathedral, the fog on the first level was thin and didn''tpletely block their visibility. The echoes of their footsteps spread out long before their arrival - it couldn''t be helped as it was much harder to stay silent with so many of them travelling together. But there was no one around to notice which, given their location, was fortunate.


    However, they were greeted with the sight of dried blood as soon as they descended, as well as countless Mutt corpses piled in a corner, as well as a few berserkers. The upper level had been cleaned since there were so many soldiers around who could go there, but in the basement the best anyone could do was pile the corpses on the side.


    Naturally, that also left behind a strong stench of death and decay all around them, creating a nauseating environment. There were stairs leading further down, but they didn''t need to go there, as their target was on the very first floor.


    Nero used Aether Pulse and immediately detected dozens of cursed entities up ahead.


    "We have enemies right ahead," Nero said, just as a Mutt revealed itself. It had been munching on the corpses, but as soon as itid eyes on living prey it growled excitedly and spread its feathery wings.


    The Mutt leaped into the air towards Nero, but before it got anywhere close an arrow shot right into its face, throwing it to the ground. But it was as if a chain reaction had been set off. The sound of the first Mutt attracted others, causing them to emerge from behind the mounds of corpses, or from nearby hallways.


    They mimicked the actions of the first exactly, growing in excitement, and then leaping into the air towards them. Yet even as dozens of Mutts flew towards him, Nero did not move.


    He stood there, his spear nted into the ground beside him, waiting for them toe closer.


    Yet they did not have an opportunity. Between Nero, Leonard, Arter, Pipo and the other team they hadn''t had a chance to get to know yet, there were over twenty five of them there. Arrows, darts, needles, balls of mes and countless other projectiles were thrown past Nero, mming into the Mutts. Even if they weren''t all killed, which many of them weren''t, they were all knocked down to the ground.


    After another simr barrage, all the Mutts died without requiring Nero to move at all. But when he remained standing, even after all the Mutts were dead, his team looked at him with confusion.


    "There are still two more," Nero said, still waiting. A few moments passed in silence with nothing happening. Standing there, in that revolting smell that seemed to be permeating into their very skin, even a few moments seemed unbearable. But then they came into view.


    Two berserkers arrived from showed up, walking in from a hallway, and paused when they saw the huge group.


    "I''ll take care of this," Nero said, finally lifting his spear and taking a step forward. "We should find out how effective Thunderous p really is."


    Since Nero was willing to take on two berserkers himself, most of the others were more than happy to let him take the lead. Yet Arter stepped past him, his hand on his sword''s hilt.


    "I don''t take orders from you," he said.


    The berserkers didn''t like the challenge, and immediately roared, before running towards them. Each of their footsteps was heavy, shaking theground as they ran and squishing the Mutt corpses that came underfoot.


    Nero''s expression turned solemn as he realised that these berserkers seemed slightly stronger than the ones he had faced before. But there wasn''t much time to think.


    As soon as the monstrosities closed in, Nero rushed forward, attacking the one on the right as Arter headed towards the one on the left.


    A stronger berserker also represented a bigger, bulkier berserker, with a much heavier body. The berserker swung at Nero, but he ducked and swung his spear with full force, hitting its foot and causing it to lose bnce.


    Since it had leaned forward when it swung, the berserker just made it easier for Nero to trip it, and after a good push, it crashed onto the floor, its heavy weight working against it.


    If his timing, or his aim, had been slightly off the berserker''s weight would have worked to the monster''s advantage, keeping it grounded. But by now Nero had fought so many of them that he knew how to easily handle them. Neither their strength nor giant body could intimidate him.


    Before the creature could react, Nero brought his palm forward and used Thunderous p, shooting out an invisible shockwave into the creature''s neck. The creature grunted and writhed. It tried to roar but its vocal cords were clearly destroyed. ???§Ô§å&-?$§à?§ñ?#?&-


    Nero tried to use the card again but there was a slight dy. He used his internal pressure and his spear to pin the creature to the ground until he could use it again, once again targeting the neck.


    But instead of dying as promised upon two hits, the berserker began struggling even harder, but it was no use. For a creature that couldn''t effectively coordinate its own limbs, trying to break out of Nero''s hold was far from easy.


    The third st finally caused the berserker to fall limp, its neck imploding, leaving behind only its bone connecting its skull and torso, no meat or skin of any kind.


    Nero turned to look to find that Arter had already killed his own target and stood there waiting for him. He had an unimpressed look on his face, but the only thing that caught Nero''s attention was the cut on the berserker''s neck that he killed. It was not as smooth as it used to be. It looked like Arter had used two strikes instead of the usual one to decapitate it.


    "The berserkers are tougher and stronger here, be careful. Thunderous Push also has a two second dy before it can be used a second time, so keep that in mind during engagements."


    Everyone tensed. The berserkers were stronger?


    But they did not have time to dwell on that fact. They were reinforcements, which meant that there was someone up ahead fighting for their lives.


    They began to navigate the hallways at a fast pace, constantly checking their surroundings for more enemies. Oddly enough, they encountered no curses. But every time they came up upon a pile of bodies, there would be Mutts around it, munching on the corpses.


    Fortunately, the only berserkers they came across were dead.


    Since they knew exactly where to go, and the path had been cleared of enemies at least once, they didn''t face much resistance. But just as they were closing in on their goal, having navigated the countless winding hallways, leaving behind many unexplored corridors, they encountered a problem.


    They approached the end of the hallway, and it led into a hall where dozens of soldiers were fighting an army of Mutts, berserkers and two dark berserkers. The problem was that there was a pale yellow barrier blocking their way. That hadn''t been there on the map.


    A single nce at the situation beyond the pale barrier was enough to tell him that the soldiers were at a disadvantage. Not only were they outnumbered, they were exhibiting clear signs of exhaustion.


    "Do you know how we can get around?" Nero yelled through the barrier, trying to attract someone''s attention, but they clearly had none to spare.


    "We need to find a way around quickly," Nero said, but the sound of screaming distracted him. It wasing from behind him.


    He turned just in time to see a body flying across the hallway, heading straight for the barrier. He leaped, using his internal pressure to strengthen himself, and grabbed the body midair. He also glimpsed at what had happened.


    Berserkers had appeared behind them, standing in a line to perfectly block their path. With the yellow barrier on one side, and berserkers on another, they were stuck. This scene looked too much like a well timed trap to be a coincidence. Even though Nero had been using Aether Pulse the entire time he hadn''t spotted the berserkers, But now, here they were.


    Neronded on the ground and ced the body down. Whoever it was, he was in a bad condition, bleeding profusely and unconscious. Nero used FAK on him once, trying to stop the bleeding, before heading towards the berserkers.


    If this was a trap, they had to get out of it as quickly as possible.


    "Leonard," Nero screamed out. He didn''t give orders, there wasn''t any time. Just calling him out was enough. Their teams would fight together, as they had done before.


    Yet even as Nero approached the berserkers, they remained standing in position, as if waiting for him. Doubt entered his mind and he looked around. That''s when he saw it.


    Right at the back, standing taller than the regr berserkers, was a dark berserker, looking at him curiously. It was observing him - studying his response. It was leading the other berserkers, and that wasn''t a good sign.

 Chapter 165: The war machine

    "Don''t hold back," Nero said as he strode forward. He felt a little regretful that the berserkers were so resistant to his me. Otherwise, grouped up together like this, they were practically asking to be immted.


    But while Nero thought that, those behind him wondered who exactly had been holding back when faced with these nightmare inducing monsters?


    Just as Nero neared, the berserkers attacked too. But this time, instead of the blind destructive rampage they usually went on, they stepped forward in a coordinated manner and attacked in unison.


    Nero met them head on, since his small andpact body,pared to the berserkers, allowed him to easily take advantage of the gaps between their attacks. But he was not alone.


    Leonard raised his shield and stood his ground. If this had happened before such a tactic would have resulted in Leonard being critically injured, but now they had been supplemented with cards and strategies specifically against berserkers.


    A white light shone around Leonard, turning into the projection of a full suit of armour protecting him. At the same time, various coloured waves of light shot at the berserkers, but upon touching them seemed to absorb into their skin.


    The berserker''s weren''t attacked, but countless diminutive cards slowed them down, creating resistance towards movement, and weakening them.


    The few others who had stepped forward as well were all strengthened by various effects, so that when the sh happened the two sides actually reached a stalemate.


    Berserkers and dark berserkers may be monsters from years past, but they were from the strongest army in the modern world. The sharpest minds could analyse any situation and quicklye up with the most effective strategies that could be employed immediately.


    It was not for nothing that humans could survive, and even thrive in this cruel world. Which of them was the true monster was a matter of perspective.


    The group had hastily divided into two. The front line fighters had met the berserkers head on, while the long range and support members stayed at the back. It was a simple, yet effective division.


    The stalematested only a brief moment. The drawback of the berserkers fighting in formation was that they had less room to manoeuvre, which was a weakness Nero took advantage of immediately.


    He tripped the berserker he shed against and used Thunderous p on its neck. Yet he did not need to wait for the cool down to use the card again, for Harold who was right behind him didn''t miss the opportunity and also used Thunderous p on its neck.


    This particr berserker died after only two uses. Nero and Harold''s gazes met and something clicked. That coordination between them hadn''t been nned, but it gave rise to the perfect attack to quickly take down berserkers.


    Normally Gabriel would have also taken part in such an up front attack, but in this situation he could be more effective as support. Streams of red sand snaked between the legs of all the fighters, reaching the berserkers and tying down their legs.


    Normally the berserkers were too strong to be slowed or restrained by his sand weighing them down, but with countless cards working to weaken them, his sand could finally y a significant role.


    In a split second the tide of berserkers broke, as their numbers began to fall and the soldiers of Kr marched forward, each step over the corpses of their enemies.


    Such a unified and effective assault disyed but a fraction of the prowess of the Kr war machine. After all, no matter how well they performed, most of them were still draftees who had only received a month or two of army training.


    Nero felt his blood boil as he cut down berserkers. It had never felt this easy to kill such strong enemies, and with each enemy he killed the rush of the fight, the adrenaline of such overwhelming victory filled him.


    He was convinced once more that the ce he belonged was truly on the battlefield, facing off death again and again,ing out the victor through his own skill and strength.


    Then the fight abruptly changed. No one expected it, not even Nero. Under themand of the dark berserker, the berserkers had actually been putting up a good fight. Had they been fighting as they usually did, their chaotic fighting style in such close quarters would have actually hampered the other berserkers even more.


    But that went to show that if the dark berserker was smart enough to employ this tactic, he could also employ others.


    Silently, and without warning, the dark berserker retreated, abandoning the rest of the berserkers. It moved so fast that by the time Nero noticed a change, it had already disappeared.


    Yet as a result, the berserkers went wild, and though the fight became more intense, it finished quicker as well.


    §Ô?§Ö%§Ñ??*-§ß*¦Å*§Ô%?--?&§á-&


    After thest berserker fell, its neck crushed under the devastating blow of Thunderous p, the suddenck of more foes caught everyone by surprise.


    Nero exchanged nces with his team, as well as the others. Even Pipo''s teammates were stunned. Besides the very first soldier who was taken by surprise, they hadn''t suffered a single other injury amongst their numbers.


    The ease of their victory took them all by surprise.


    "We need to find another way to the others. They won''t be able to hold out for long," said Nero, looking towards Leonard and Arter.


    "Should we split up?" Leonard proposed. "Each of us trying the various hallways to find a path?"


    "I don''t suggest that. The fact that we were ambushed by the berserkers, and that the one leading them ran away is not a good sign. Who knows if it''s monitoring us somehow. Splitting up may cause it to target us one by one."


    "I hate to admit it, but he''s right," Arter said, putting away his personal grudge against Nero. "We can try the nearest hallways that head in the right direction."


    "I have a way," said the captain of the fourth team with them, stepping forward. His silver hair shone brightly even in the dim light of the hallway, making him hard to ignore. He looked towards one of his teammates, a blonde girl who carried a bow.


    "My teammate has the perfect ability for this. Mazes are actually her speciality."


    Everyone was surprised and looked over, though the attention didn''t intimidate her.


    "Honestly my ability is kind ofme, but who knew it would be effective today. I have a passive called True North. Basically, in short, I can never get lost, and always know exactly where to go to reach my destination. It ounts for blockades such as the yellow barrier."


    Everyone was stunned upon hearing the ability. On a normal day, that ability might genuinely seem ill suited for a soldier. But right now, in this basement, it was probably one of the best abilities one could have.


    "You call thatme?" Nero questioned incredulously. "Such an ability is perfect to infiltrate enemy bases or navigate out of cursed zones! That''s incredible!"


    Suddenly, everyone who was just thinking that the ability just happened to be useful today, realised that indeed there were countless situations it could be used. The way they looked at her changed, causing her to finally blush.


    Vanessa clicked his tongue, but said nothing. She just looked towards the blonde girl with a heated gaze. She had snuck into Lumina city? How could someone talk about infiltration in front of her? She was the best at it.


    "It''s decided then," Arter said. "Lead the way. Let''s not waste time. Everyone keep a lookout for any more ambushes."


    The blonde girl, whose name was Shirly, stepped forward, and after a moment of getting ready, began to give them directions. The silver headed captain of her team also finally introduced himself to the rest.


    It was clear that they had all worked before, and since their team was the new addition, he briefly shared everyone''s specialty so that they could work better together. No one corrected him about the details of how they ''worked together'' before.


    While they jogged through the hallways, rushing to reach the others in time, they finally began to go through unexplored paths, which meant that they also came face to face with more enemies.


    But at this point they could not be stopped. They barely slowed down as they charged through any Mutts that came their way, and absolutely pulverised any berserkers they faced.


    But their charge came to an end in only a few minutes when they found their way to the room with the security node and discovered the situation had already changed in just a few minutes.


    Many of the soldiers who had been fighting were already dead, and only about ten wounded soldiers remained.


    Having reached their destination, Nero manipted his internal aether and rushed forward with devastating speed, and smashed a berserker all the way across the room. The hulking silver monsters were no longer a threat in his mind. Instead, he quickly rushed and blocked the attack of a dark berserker, saving a soldier''s life.


    But the fight had only just begun. He would have to find out personally how tough these dark berserkers were.

 Chapter 166: Weakness identified

    Nero swung his spear, umting force as it smashed towards the dark berserker, but the opponent was not as simpleminded as a regr berserker. It paused for the briefest of moments, just in time to let the spear that would have otherwise hit him pass right ahead of him, before continuing his sprint.


    The momentum of his swing was too great, and Nero could stop it and swing the spear back in time to block the dark berserker, so instead he leaned into it. Quickly, he shifted his weight onto a single foot and allowed the momentum of the spear to spin his entire body, right up until he almost did an entire spin.


    Then he nted both his feet back and increased the force in the spear swing, once again attacking the dark berserker.


    But just as Nero was extremely agile, so too was the dark berserker. Now, too close to avoid the spear, it bent its body at an awkward angle and managed to dodge in the nick of time, and lunged at Nero.


    The dark berserker was quick - extremely quick - and Nero had to constantly manipte his internal aether to keep up.


    Close to one another, the duo seemed to enter a deadly dance where each tried to kill the other, but both were too quick to be hit. Yet the close distance served to benefit Nero, even though it made using the spear harder.


    Blue mes began to rise from his body, and quickly began to roil downwards and outwards.


    Sensing the danger from the mes, the dark berserker quickly changed its tactics. It epted one of Nero''s strikes on its bone armour and grabbed onto the spear, then furiously struck forward at Nero''s face!


    At such close proximity, Nero did not even have a split second to dodge, but he never nned to start with. This was not a one-on-one duel, it was a battle, and in battles, just as there were many enemies, there were many allies.


    A green string tied to Nero''s back suddenly became taut as it pulled him backwards, while a stream of yellow mes shot towards the dark berserker.


    Pipo''s knees trembled as he pulled Nero away in the nick of time, the consequences of being even a moment too slow, too dire for him to imagine. Nero, himself, however, was not scared in the least, because it was not just Pipo he was relying on.


    Red sand started to flow out of his armour, where it had been hiding, and shot towards the dark berserker as tiny bullets.


    The blue cryomes licked the dark berserker, but only sizzled and did not end up sticking to its body, while the dark berserker managed to dodge the yellow mes. Yet the moment it dodged the bullets and yellow me, Nero appeared from behind the thin curtain of mes, his spear shooting forward.


    Already in the middle of a dodge, the creature was unable to move out of the way as the spear cut into its face. Yet in thest moment, it managed to save its life. Since it could not avoid the injury, it made sure to reduce the extent of the injury itself by looking downwards, bringing its forehead to the front.


    The tip of the spear, bathed in blue mes and carrying all of Nero''s strength, still could not entirely cut through its skull and got stuck halfway through. Yet even with half the spear sticking into its brain, the dark berserker did not die and pulled back. MVLeMpYr-unofficial-chapter


    Yet waiting for it behind was Harold, ready to p the life out of it. A wave of countless lights shot into the dark berserker, and though they did no harm, its speed suddenly dropped and its strength waned.


    Disoriented still, the dark berserker was unable to dodge Harold, nor could it react quick enough to attack him, causing Harold to p the creature on its bone armour. But while the armour protected its body from being hit, it began to vibrate heavily, causing it to be dizzier as the armour was attached to the hornsing out of its skull.


    Harold immediately realised how effective his attacks were and continued, buying just enough time for Nero toe back and once more stab it through the skull.


    This time, the creature finally died.


    "The bone armour," Harold quickly said loudly, having finally identified a weakness. "Vibrations and vibration based attacks are very effective on the armour. They disorient the thing."


    Everyone in the room heard him, and they all looked towards the remaining dark berserker as if this, until now, monstrosity suddenly became much easier to kill. In truth,nding a hit was still very hard considering its agility, but the fight would genuinely be much easier if this proved to be true.


    Not everyone had an ability like Harold''s that was based on pulses and could cause vibrations, but causing vibration in itself was not so hard.


    The tempo of the entire battle changed as the reinforcements flooded in, and as one of the dark berserkers fell.


    Soldiers covered the exits, both to make sure no new enemies came in and so that the dark berserker could not flee like the previous one they faced. It was, by no means, an easy fight, yet one by one the enemies fell.


    The second dark berserker was killed by Arter and his team, and right before the final berserker fell, another team of reinforcements came running in. But that did not mean the urgency had reduced once the fight was over.


    Most of the original survivors were wounded to some degree, with a few in critical condition. Nero did not have the best healing cards, but that didn''t mean others didn''t either. They immediately started to work on saving everyone, while Nero turned to look at one of the original members in the room.


    Like Nero he wielded a spear, and though he was panting heavily, using his spear as support, he was mostly unharmed. Nero recognised the man from the day he synchronised. He was one of the Heralds on that day.


    "Has the security node been disabled?" Nero asked as he walked up to him, and the man shook his head before finally straightening himself up. He turned to look at Nero, then scrunched his brows.


    "Do we know each other?" he asked, trying to recall where he had seen him.


    "Not really, but I was there the day AAB got attacked."


    Surprise and delight suddenly appeared on the soldier''s face.


    "Oh, I remember you. Gregor said good things about you. Must have been right since you saved our asses today."


    Gregor, from what Nero recalled, was the name of the Herald with the Darkness card. Nero still just preferred to call him Darkness.


    "It was not me, it was everybody," Nero said humbly. No matter how strong he was, he could not have turned the tide alone, nor would he have made it in time without support. The Herald nodded and turned to look at the machines in the centre of the room.


    "The security node can be turned off from here, we can tell that much, but none of us can use the machines," he said with a troubled expression. "This is going to be a problem since the Initiates can''te down here."


    "Not that big a problem," Nero said. "Remi, you''re up."


    The frail girl was startled when Nero suddenly called her, and then became embarrassed about being startled in front of everyone, but quickly and meekly ran over to the machines without saying anything.


    She ced her hand on them and began to do something, though no one could know what it was. After a few, very long minutes, a loud siren red through the building twice, as if indicating something, and from the expressions of the Herald, that was exactly what he wanted to hear.


    "She did it!" he said, a flood of relief crashing in. Unless the nodes were turned off all of them would remain stationed here, which would be a death sentence sooner orter. But with this node turned off, only one more remained.


    But while he was feeling relief, Nero instead became more concerned.


    "What is it?" Nero asked, looking at the worried Remi.


    "ording to the internal database, thest security node is down on the fifth basement level," she said slowly. Since all of them had already been to a basement that went down four levels, they knew how dangerous that would be because of how thick the fog became. They couldn''t even imagine what would happen on the fifth. But, after delivering that bad news, Remi kept on speaking.


    "It''s inside a high security zone of theb. To get ess to it, one will have to receive ess rights from the facility itself. Moreover, even with the rights, a team cannot follow. Each person entering that zone will need individual ess rights."


    The somewhat celebratory atmosphere that had barely developed in the room suddenly vanished. Everyone looked at each other with concern. This was going to be even harder than they had thought.

 Chapter 167: Shorty

    Nero prided himself for being extremely observant. He immediately guessed that the blonde soldier following Arter was actually Vanessa, and very often he was able to pick up on hidden cues that people tried to hide. His strong sense of awareness for his surroundings was something that had been nurtured in him since he was a young child.


    But even he did not notice that up on the roof, in the corner of the room, blended in with the shadow of a pir was a dark berserker. It was the very one that had ambushed Nero and his group earlier on, but then escaped.


    Something that the army had picked up on very early on was thatpared to their simple minded counterparts, the dark berserkers were much cleverer. But even they underestimated the extent of their intelligence, for the dark berserkers had an innate inhibition against showing their two most secretive abilities.


    It was as if that inhibition had been programmed into the very cores of their being, forcing them to follow it even in this corrupted state.


    Although all its other qualities had been studied and noted down by the army, the fact that they could hide themselves and a few others from detection abilities was a secret that had managed to be kept. More importantly, their ability to perfectly blend into shadows, hiding in in sight, was another ability that was never revealed, since the dark berserkers never used it for assassination.


    They only used it to hide in the shadows and study their enemies. The dark berserker paid no heed to their words - it could not understand them to begin with - but it studied their bodynguage. It observed, searching for the identity of the pack leader, and it memorised all the most fearsome warriors.


    It showed not a speck of emotion as it watched its kind be cut down, but it did quickly notice how one of the warriors presented a unique threat to its kind.


    Once the fight was concluded, the dark berserker waited patiently for an opportunity, then slipped out of the hall unnoticed. Even with Nero repeatedly using Aether Pulse, the dark berserker remained hidden.


    With great haste the creature ran through the halls, navigating its way as if it knew the ce like the back of its hand, and eventually began to descend some stairs. It eventually reached a level that was so foggy that it would not even be able to see its hand in front of its face, yet the creature ran as if it could see clearly.


    It began to pass by others of its kind, also running through the fog, going in various directions, but it ignored them until it reached its destination.


    There, it kneeled on the ground and looked downwards. A pink, slimy tentacle emerged from the fog and nestled itself on the dark berserker''s head, and the creature began to tremble as if it was in great pain, but it dared not get up.


    Eventually, the tentacle retreated, and something colossal seemed to arrive in front of it, its twisted outline faintly visible even in the dense fog.


    *****


    For a moment everyone in the room was silent, absorbing Remi''s words. The task in front of them seemed to be even more difficult. Dread and despair began to creep into their hearts the more they thought about it.


    But suddenly a clear,manding voice cut through the silence.


    "Try to reach out to themand tent andmunicate this information with them," said Nero. "After that I suggest we escort the wounded back to the stairs so that they can return upstairs. After that, Shirly can guide us to where we can get the ess rights, and we can clearly mark the way for subsequent soldiers to easily find us.


    Even if very few of us get ess rights, with enough numbers, we''ll eventually gather enough people. The rest who don''t get ess can escort us to the high security zone and hold the position while those with ess try to shut down the security node.


    "Keep in mind that if we can''t get in due to high security, then the berserkers probably can''t get in either. We''re in the final stretch, let''s get to it. Heal and treat the wounded till they can either walk or be carried. We''ll head out as soon as we''re ready."


    Nero was not exactly in a position to give orders to the other teams, but his suggestion seemed reasonable. Moreover, as soon as this information was reported to themand centre, they would probably support his decision.


    The silence of the room finally ended as everyone quickly got to work, and the building despair dissipated mostly because everyone was too busy to think about it.


    Aloe and Harold - the other Harold - walked up to the machines and began doing something with them, asking Remi countless questions as they did. It seemed their curiosity won out over their fear, at least for now.


    story-source-MVLeMpYr


    "Do you mind if I apany you?" asked the former Herald as he walked up to Nero. "My team probably won''t be going anywhere, anytime soon."


    "You''re most wee," Nero responded. "Someone with your strength is bound to gain ess. I''m Nero, by the way."


    "My name is Herbert."


    After a short respite where everyone got to rest and the wounded were treated as much as they could, the teams began to make their way back. After a brief discussion with Herbert, Nero learned that his team and many others had been roaming the basement for hours, blindly searching for the security node.


    Considering the massive size of the research facility, it really was the worst way to go about things, but they had no other alternative.


    The presence of Shirly, however, drastically changed things. It was likely that no one thought of her before, but now that the usefulness of her ability had been demonstrated, she became very important to the whole mission.


    In fact, when they conveyed thetest information to themand centre, they changed orders to a small degree. They had to protect her at all times, and if it seemed like she was in danger, they should retreat and wait for backup, all of which was being sent their way.


    Every Neophyte in the building was being recalled and sent their way. On their way back to the stairs, in fact, they encountered two more teams who had been ordered to join them.


    After reaching the stairs and handing all the wounded over to the soldiers waiting on the ground floor, everyone turned towards Shirly. She cleared her throat, and after a moment to get ready, began to lead the way.


    Fortunately for them, the ce to gain ess rights was also in the first level basement. Along the way, their group encountered multiple Mutts and berserkers, but with the size of their group, dealing with them was not a problem at all.


    In fact, the problem they faced was another. One by one, more and more teams which had been directed to find them joined up. While the boost in numbers was wee, it brought along its own problems.


    More than once a new team suddenly came and tried to dere itself leader, using their formidable individual strength or background to try to force their way. Considering the size of the group, a clear leader would definitely help guide the situation.


    Unfortunately for them, since Shirly was the one guiding everyone, her silver-haired captain, Maximilian, naturally fell into the role of leader. Unable to scare or deter him, they usually gave up.


    Until, that is, one particr group tried to threaten Shirly.


    "Listen up little girl," said the boy who was ever so slightly shorter than Shirly, "I''m saying this for your own good. Toe the line and fall into ce. Don''t think that just because you have a little bit of attention from the higher ups that you''re all that. After this mission is over, no one will even remember your name. Unless you piss me off. Then I''ll remember your name."


    Nero looked at the shorty with an amused expression. It took a special kind of person to threaten someone leading nearly fifty soldiers. While the continuous dys were irritating, starting a fight with each group that annoyed him would waste even more time and energy, which is why he usually just waited for things to simmer down.


    Maximilian, however, didn''t like his team member being threatened.


    "But no matter what you do, no one is going to remember your name," he said, walking past Shirly and up to the guy. "Stop wasting time, short stuff, or I''ll report you for trying to sabotage this mission."


    "Why you-" the guy began to say as his face scrunched in anger. But he made the mistake of grabbing Maximillian''s armour, which is what thetter had been hoping for actually.


    The silver-headed captain''s already shiny head began to shine even more, to the point where Nero had to block his eyes. There was a thud sound, and when he looked back the short guy was lying on the ground, and so was his entire team.


    Nero paused. That¡­ was too quick.

 Chapter 168: Last light protocol

    Nero tried to guess how Maximilian had taken down so many of them so quickly. Obviously it had to do with his ability, but what exactly the ability entailed could not be so easily determined. At least he had not used it earlier during the fight with the berserkers and shadow berserkers.


    He would keep an eye on Maximilian to see if he could learn anything more. Nero looked towards the team lying on the ground, unconscious and merely shook his head. This was a good disy of killing the chickens to scare the monkeys.


    "Someone wake them up. Just just drag them along if you want to avoid listening to themin," he said, and just walked past them as Shirly continued to lead.


    They were, of course, not just left there on the ground. Otherwise any passing Mutt could kill them all. But they were a lot more subdued after they were woken up by someone.


    Another reason why Nero himself had avoided picking a fight was because the group following them was bing too big. They wereplying so far because they literally had been ordered to do so. But with a group thisrge, even if they didn''t disobey, they could create friction and cause problems while under the guise of obeying orders.


    It all depended on their rtionships and personal interests between the groups.


    So there was no reason for Nero to attract attention to himself while Maximilian was in the spotlight. All he needed to do was ensure that the mission wasn''t disrupted.


    From time to time they encountered more obstacles, but with so many soldiers it was easy to go through them. Even berserkers started to avoid them now, which is why soon enough they found themselves in ab filled with extremelyrge machines and various tforms justrge enough for one person to stand on.


    "This is it," Shirly said, stepping aside so that Remi could use the machines. The route to this ce had been marked clearly using special cards so that it would be easy to find for any Neophytes who would be joiningter. At the same time, there were numerous soldiers who were contacting themand centre, giving them the updates.


    Nero and his team moved to the side, standing close to Remi while dozens of other soldiers entered the room, spreading out. From their expressions alone Nero could tell that most of them were not faring too well, though they were somehow managing to hold it in. But tensions were high, and more than once Nero caught a group staring at Maximilian with obvious resentment.


    Compared to some of them, Arter was actually a standup guy even if he was a little spoiled, with a strange world view where everyone was out to get him.


    "The machines are not working properly," said Remi with a troubled look.


    "Does that mean we can''t get ess?" Nero asked.


    "No, no, that can still happen. But I''ll have to stay here to work this machine. I don''t think anyone else will be able to use them."


    Nero raised an eyebrow. Speaking of strange world views, while Arter felt like everyone was out to get him, Nero had somewhat of a habit to see hidden secrets or conspiracies in everything. That was why when he saw Vanessa for the first time he just outright suspected she was a spy.


    For quite a while now, he had been keeping an eye on Remi. It was not suspicious that just yesterday she had been trembling and stuttering out of fear, but was by now doing much better. Even when she was afraid she showed remarkable will power, which is why he never doubted that with enough exposure she would get better.


    Indeed, that is exactly what happened. But the first time her stutterpletely disappeared from her voice was when they visited the basement with the ss containers. The thick fog made it impossible to see each other, but that low visibility calmed her down instead of making her more afraid.


    Getting used to fighting because her team had fought numerous times ande out victorious was one thing. But she had no exposure therapy for being in zero visibility. That should have once again triggered her fear, but it didn''t.


    Yet so long as she didn''t interfere with their mission, Nero decided not to look too deeply into the matter.


    Their teamwork was going fine. But now, once again, her behaviour was out of character. If she had only recently ovee her fear of being deployed in the field, then she should have developed a psychological dependance on Nero and the team. The thought of staying back should have once again triggered all the fear she overcame.


    After all, it was not like she had been properly treated for her fear. This was just some short term progress. To assume she suddenly became brave and fearless would be incorrect.


    Yet here she was, suggesting she stay back. Nero would not have had a problem with that, except for the fact that none of them would be able to shut down the security node without her.


    "How will we shut down the security node if you don''te with us?" Nero asked, maintaining eye contact. The fact that Remi could even maintain eye contact with him was an indication of, either her strong will, or the fact that she had been pretending for whatever reason.


    "I don''t know, but I can''t even take the ess test, since I''ll need to be continuously using the machine for the test to happen in the first ce."


    This was a conundrum.


    "Alright, well, let''s start the test for everyone else. In the meantime I''ll report to themand centre to see if they cane up with a solution."


    Although Remi had already stated that they would need specific ess for thatb, which indicated that it was harder to get than the normal ess permission, Nero did not doubt that he would be able to get it. After all, he still remembered how highly he had been rated back at the cathedral.


    Remi nodded, and turned the machine on. The tforms hummed as they came to life, awaiting someone to step onto them.


    Maximilian, Shirly, and his entire team were the first to step onto the tform to be assessed. As soon as they stepped on and confirmed they were ready, Remi began the process.


    Each of them closed their eyes, as if they had fallen asleep, but their body still spasmed from time to time. It did not even take thirty seconds before the first one opened their eyes, and with a dejected look stepped down.


    One by one the others opened their eyes as well, all wearing the look of failure, including Shirly. But Maximilian stayed on the tform for a full five minutes before opening his eyes.


    "How was it?" he asked, stepping off and looking at his team, only for them to shake their heads.


    "I got ess, which means it''s not impossible. Let''s keep testing, there''s a lot of us."


    The teams lined up, and one by one started to take the test, but the results were worse than anyone expected. Most teams did not even have one person who got ess.


    To be clear, it''s not that they didn''t get ess to other levels of the research facility. But gaining ess to the high security zone on the fifth basement level was incredibly difficult, and as far as Nero could tell, only those with abilities that were unique or useful got selected.


    By the time it was Nero''s turn, there were only four people who had gained ess, including Arter. He stepped up, and as soon as the test started, Nero found himself in a familiar de. It was identical to the one he had entered when he was taking the test in the cathedral.


    A stream of information entered his mind, and it too was identical to what he had experienced before, which was followed by the exact same test.


    He disyed his physical prowess, his aether control and his corruption resistance, and got nearly the same results. The only difference was that while previously his physical condition was judged to be excellent, this time it was outstanding.


    But what Nero was focusing on was something else. After he passed the corruption resistance test, Nero was waiting to see if any errors showed up, or any protocols were triggered.


    Just as he expected, they showed up.


    "Additional note: specimen disyed corruption destruction capabilities! Specimen has been judged to be perfect for the Luminari project! Adding specimen details to the project folder.


    "Error! Error! Luminari database disconnected! Running diagnostics! Network connection was lost 1210 years ago. Initiating emergency protocols.


    Last light protocol is being initiated!"


    The next thing he knew, Nero was kicked out of the test, though he was fairly certain he''d gotten the required authority. The machine never said.


    Just as Nero was about to step off the tform, the building trembled. This was not an umon urrence, but this time the source of the tremors felt nearby.


    A door on the other side of the hall suddenly opened.

 Chapter 169: Honed Instincts

    Everyone turned to look, just in time to catch the sight of a team tumbling in through the door. They were covered in blood and looked like they were in a miserable state. They scampered across the floor for a few metres before they even realised that there were others in this room.


    "En- enemies!" one of them finally managed to blurt out, just as the ground trembled again.


    The sound of barking Mutts was heard long before they revealed themselves. But when they appeared, they appeared as a swarm.


    Dozens of Mutts began to fly through the door, quickly raising their number into the hundreds. The room was already too small tofortably contain the nearly sixty soldiers, so the arrival of Mutts immediately turned the situation drastically chaotic.


    The soldiers, one and all, acted at the same time as they started to attack blindly in the air. At this distance, with this number of enemies, it was virtually impossible to miss.


    Nero did not need to rely on Snowke tounch long range attacks, for even his spear was within range of numerous Mutts. The corrupted hounds circled the room like a wake of vultures, but the problem with that was that as their numbers rose, there was no room to fly. They started crashing into each other, and then falling on other soldiers.


    Like meteors of meat they rained down on all the soldiers, ironically doing more damage than the vultures actually trying to attack.


    But the situation quickly went from bad to worse. With a mighty, ground shaking roar a berserker announced its arrival into the room.


    A single berserker was hardly worthy of being considered a foe at this point. But a single berserker with hundreds of Mutts backing it up was still very much a threat. A single berserker that, for some odd reason, was double the size of other berserkers in both height and muscle, was much more than just a threat!


    "Retreat out of the room!" Nero suddenly yelled. "Hold them at the doors!"


    He did not mean to order all the soldiers. He was focused on just his own team, but many others who heard him immediately realised that it was an excellent idea.


    The room had four doors leading outwards, and the door they came out of was too far out of reach. Nero and the others retreated towards the nearest door, umting many injuries along the way. It was literally impossible to avoid injuries with how packed the room was.


    Yet when they approached the door and opened it, a single nce was enough to reveal that it was no proper escape.


    It was just another, smaller room with no other exit. But even then, it provided some degree of refuge.


    They rushed into the room and immediately turned around, fighting off any Mutts that tried to follow them in, of which there were many. The worst part was that even his own team had not entirely made it into the room. Wendy, Harold and Remi were missing, while a few random soldiers had stumbled in with them.


    Amidst the chaos it was impossible to go find them as all they could do was hold the door. Nero couldn''t even light the door on fire just in case other soldiers wanted to exit this way too.


    The room trembled again, and Nero saw the berserker run through the room as if it were running through a field of flowers, not through numerous soldiers and Mutts. Bodies exploded into meat and guts as it bulldozed through them, and disappeared out of sight. It was still in the other hall, but due to the angle of their door, they could no longer see it.


    "HOW THE HELL IS THAT A NEOPHYTE?" one of the soldiers in the room yelled, but there was no answer for him - only more enemies to kill.


    Nero could not rx for even a moment. Even though Mutts were rtively weak, their sheer number turned them into the most formidable foes at the moment. The entrance to their room turned into a meat grinder as they repeatedly cut down anything that came close.


    Someone stepped behind him, and even in this dire situation, Nero noticed and tensed his body.


    "You''re bleeding. I''m going to treat you," said a familiar voice behind Nero. He immediately recognised it at Herbert, the Herald they had rescued not long ago.


    In the fleeting moment after he spoke, Nero felt a faint hint of confusion. He was bleeding? He definitely was, but he didn''t remember getting hit so seriously that it needed treatment. Maybe the adrenaline kept him from feeling the extent of his injuries.


    Even though, in his mind, he provided himself with a possible answer, Nero''s body moved out of the way. It was an instinctual reaction, honed through a lifetime of training. He didn''t even trust Leonard, that idiotically straightforward guy, so how could he easily trust Herbert?


    He turned just in time to catch sight of a dagger that just missed him.


    Nero''s eyes narrowed, and he stopped holding back whatsoever. He had been avoiding using his mes because he wanted to avoid friendly fire, but given the uncertain nature of the situation, he could only prioritise himself.


    Blue mes rolled off his body, scaring everyone. They hadn''t caught sight of what happened. All they saw was Nero light on fire, and then disappear in a blur. The next thing they knew, he was shing with Herbert!


    A couple of Mutts broke into the room, but Jackal suddenly took Nero''s ce.


    "What are you doing?" Herbert screamed, trying to create confusion. But there was no hesitation in Nero''s actions. His spear mmed against Herbert''s shield like a sledgehammer, lifting the man in the air and throwing him across the room.


    His pupils constricted as he realised his hand was broken, but he didn''t have time to think of anything else. He immediately used a card, summoning a shield made of water right in front of himself, but Nero''s spear cut right through the water and into Herbert''s chest.


    "Don''t!" he began screaming as fear suddenly gripped his heart, but red sand suddenly flowed into his mouth, not only choking him, but burning him.


    Gabriel understood Nero the best. Were the situation different, he may have considered capturing Herbert, even though Gabriel didn''t quite understand why they were fighting. But since they had fought, and the situation was precarious, then it was best to eliminate the threat. They couldn''t afford the risk of him using a card or attacking them from the back while they fought off the Mutts.


    Herbert tried to scream as tears rolled down his eyes. His throat was being burned from the inside, but much more overwhelming than that was the thought that he was about to die. Nero hadn''t even hesitated. He hadn''t even tried to ask any questions.


    His spear pulled out of his chest, the water shield having already frozen and fallen to the ground, and stabbed it into Herbert''s eye, killing him.


    Nero had just killed an Arcane Herald. They were supposed to be the best that their year represented. Yet he could not even exchange two moves with Nero. Truly, killing humans was too easy.


    Nero turned back, his expression now much more grim than when he was faced with only a few hundred enemies and an overwhelming monster. He looked at the unfamiliar soldiers, wondering if he should trust them.


    But the moment didn''t allow for much of any such considerations. The front of their door was nearlypletely blocked by the corpses of countless Mutts, but a massive foot suddenly kicked them, throwing the corpses inside the room like deadly projectiles.


    Nero swiftly dodged, as did Gabriel, but Jackal and the others had been too close to the door to dodge in time. The berserker was literally too big to fit through the door, but it did bend down and look inside the room.


    When it looked, all it saw were the wounded and the frightened. It then gave off an especially baleful grin, then it turned away and started attacking something else.


    The chaos in the main hall had reduced drastically, and as far as Nero could tell, most of the living soldiers had retreated out of the hall through the various doors.


    "Jackal, can you fight?" Nero as he picked up a Mutt corpse from atop the man. He was covered in blood, but it was difficult to tell if it was his own or the Mutts.


    "I think something''s broken," he said painfully. "I don''t think I can move, but I can use my ability."


    "Good enough. I need you to light up that ce. We''re going to turn it into an inferno."


    Jackal grit his teeth as he tried to stand up, but couldn''t manage it. Instead, he sat down on a Mutt corpse and began to channel his ability in his hands.


    experience-MVLeMpYr


    In truth, his condition was a lot worse than he told Nero, but it wasn''t like there was anything that could be done about that right now. He just focused on building thergest me ball he could manage.

 Chapter 170: Frozen Blood

    Nero used FAK to stop any of Jackals bleeding, but that was far from healing him. Ideally, he should not be doing anything at all, but the situation didn''t allow for that. The other soldiers were hurt as well, and though Nero helped remove the Mutt corpse from atop them, even in their injured state they were wary of him. After all, they had no idea why he killed Herbert.


    But as long as they stayed in a corner and didn''t bother him, Nero didn''t mind leaving them be. He rushed back to the door.


    The berserker''s kick had cleared some of the corpses in the way, but it had also scared away the living Mutts from this area so they got a brief respite. But a single nce in the now bloody room revealed that their despite would only remain brief.


    There were still countless Mutts flying around, though they were less focused on fighting now, and more focused on avoiding the berserker.


    Its hulking frame made it so that it could not easily fit through the doors, which was a blessing in disguise as Nero could see that a group of soldiers were holding it off at another door.


    Killing the berserker with his mes was not feasible, but if Nero killed all the Mutts at least then they would only have one target to focus on.


    "Move out of the way," Jackal said weakly, and Nero didn''t need to be told twice.


    Jackal hurled a tiny fireball into the hall, its size beginning to grow the moment it left his hand. Yet despite its deceptive size, the fireball contained a formidable amount of fire power.


    Before it couldnd on the blood covered ground, a Mutt identally flew into it, setting off a devastating explosion.


    The shockwave hit Nero hard, even though he was hiding behind a wall, and all he saw was a stream of deep orange mes sh in the room before fading away. The problem with explosions was that they produced a powerful shockwave, but didn''t necessarily light everything on fire.


    But Nero was forced to amend his views on them when he peeked into the hall. The berserker, as was predictable, waspletely fine. But dozens of Mutts had died, and even more of them were on fire.


    Nero''s eyes gleamed and he started to use his re card, shooting out mes all across the room, spreading the existing mes even more. He suspected that the facility might also put out the mes automatically if they got too big, but until then he wanted to spread them as much as he could.


    Hopefully the heat and smoke would harm the Mutts, but if not, it was just creating fuel for when he used his own mes.


    But the Mutts had other ns. Besides the ones that were already burning, they began pping their wings, blowing the smoke of the mes back into them, quickly extinguishing them.


    "Stay here for now," Nero said to Gabriel, and then sprang into the hall, his own blue mes rolling off his body. They spread quickly, eating up any remaining mes and drinking in the heat that had only just begun to umte in the room.


    The Mutts screamed and dove towards him since he was the only moving target in the room, but that only brought them closer to the ze.


    Nero hurled Snowkes at the farthest ones and stabbed any that came close, finishing them off quickly. In only a few minutes the room was already chilly enough to see fog when one breathed, but that created another problem. The blood on the floor - at least the blood that hadn''t evaporated from the regr mes earlier, froze, creating icy surfaces.


    The berserker, who couldn''t have been bothered to see what was happening behind him, slipped.The fall gave the soldiers an opportunity to target him, but it also brought Nero to its attention.


    The creature grinned, its face contorting in a hair-raisingly gruesome way. Then it stood up, its skin sizzling against the blue me, and lumbered towards Nero. It pped down on the ground, intending on squishing Nero, sessfully catching a few Mutts in the way, but not Nero himself.


    He moved away just in time, but even he was not confident in continuing this tactic for long. This berserker was genuinely too strong and too fast for him topete with. But just as Nero dodged, his eye caught the sight of Arter, standing at the edge of his mes, his sword in hand.


    Nero controlled his mes, opening up a path for Arter as he dodged the berserker again. Most of the Mutts, by now, were writhing on the ground, slowly turning to ice, or flying close to the very roof, avoiding the reach of the mes. That gave the other soldiers the freedom to aim for the berserker, not that it was making much of a difference.


    Nero leaped forward, using the frozen floor to carry him out of reach as he dodged the berserker again. But by now its grin was fading, and an irritated scowl was beginning to paint its face.


    With an angry cry it charged forward,pletely unbothered by the mes, all its focus on Nero. But, once again, it slipped on the blood of the Mutts it had squished and fell backwards with a loud thumb!


    Nero quickly extinguished the mes around it so the other soldiers could also join. Arter was already there, and he had charged up his de quite a bit. Yet instead of trying to cut its excessively thick neck, he stabbed into its eye, hoping to cut its brain.


    He was sessful in the sense that he managed to stab the sword all the way in. He failed in the sense that his attack did not kill the berserker, only enraged it.


    But by now, more and more soldiers wereing back into the hall, picking off the remaining Mutt''s and focusing on the berserker. Maximilian came rushing in, just as Arter dodged a near fatal attack, forced to leave his sword still embedded in the creature''s eye.


    His shining bright hair attracted the berserker''s gaze, and just as the creature looked over, his hair began to shine even brighter.


    Nero was forced to look away once more, but the sound of a loud thud attracted him. He looked over and saw the berserker copsed on the ground, drooling. Its eyes were spinning in its head, and though it wasn''t unconscious, it seemed incredibly disoriented.


    Wasting no time, Nero rushed over and used Thunderous p on its neck. Maximilian did the same, as well as a few other soldiers. Arter used this time to pull out his sword and begin preparing another attack. MVLeMpYr-your-novel-source


    Yet even this barrage of Thunderous ps on its neck was not enough to kill the berserker.


    It got up once more, kicking and pping as soon as it recovered a bit. But by now, things were different.


    Dozens of card spells and abilities rained down on it, pushing it back to the ground and hurting it repeatedly.


    Every time it turned someone would use Thunderous p on its neck from its blindside, and though that did not have immediate effects, it began to slowly wear him down.


    Ultimately, even this behemoth of a berserker died. The final blow was delivered by some soldier that Nero did not recognise, not that it mattered. What mattered was that it was over.


    Nero looked out at the room, filled with countless corpses, human and otherwise. Just a few minutes ago, even Nero had be a littlefortable due to their numbers. They were arge fighting force, and they took down numerous foes before reaching here.


    But just like they had numbers, so too did their enemies. Worse, they also had huge mutated freaks.


    Nero looked down and patted himself down. It was true that adrenaline could make it so that he could miss obvious injuries, which is why this tiny process was always necessary. At least he didn''t feel like anything was broken, and nothing was bleeding. But their almighty fighting force had been drastically reduced in numbers.


    "How many got out?" Nero asked Maximilian, looking towards the door. He could see at least a dozen wounded.


    "Too-" Maximilian paused, coughed to clear his throat because his voice was suddenly sore, then spoke again. "Too few. I think¡­ I think at least half died. I¡­ I lost sight of Shirly-"


    "I''m fine," Shirly called out as she walked in from another door. She trembled, though whether it was because of the bloody sight or the cold couldn''t be determined. "I- they saved me."


    Behind her, Wendy and Harold came limping in. Harold was badly hurt and looked incredibly pale, and Wendy was only slightly better.


    "Where''s Remi?" Nero asked, but the duo only shook their heads, indicating that they didn''t know. Nero looked around and didn''t see any sign of her.

 Chapter 171: Eat and sleep

    It was not just Nero who was rmed by Remi''s absence. Without her, the machines were unusable. There were some machines that, if provided the least bit of aether, would automatically perform their function. But most machines required a higher quality or concentration of aether than Neophytes were able to provide, rendering them unable to even use the machines.


    That meant that if they didn''t find Remi, there would only be a few people who could enter the secure zone in the basement.


    They spread out to search, and eventually found her, but her condition was not great. Remi, to begin with, had a very frail body. That not only reduced her stamina, strength and mobility, but her capacity to tolerate damage as well.


    When Nero eventually found her, she was lying unconscious, her entire face ck and purple from bruises. She was not bleeding from anywhere, and she was breathing, but it was impossible for him to judge the extent of her injuries. Most likely, she would not even be waking up any time soon, let alone using the machines for them.


    In fact, even her survival may be at risk, considering that she needed to be carried out of the facility, and if she had any internal wounds they would only worsen if the journey was bumpy.


    Even if she originally had ulterior motives in wanting to stay behind, there was nothing she could do about it now.


    Nero exchanged nces with the others. They all knew that their situation had just be much worse.


    After a head count they discovered that barely 13 of them were still in a decent condition, and the rest were wounded to various degrees. Since they did not know their exact numbers, it was difficult to tell how many of them had died, but the number was at least twenty of them.


    The others started trying to contact themand centre, trying to decide what to do, but the decision was already in front of them. They had to take the wounded back, and leave the corpses here. But leaving the corpses here meant condemning them to being eaten by Mutts or even berserkers. It was¡­ a disturbing thought. No one wanted to make that call, not even Maximilian.


    Nero could see in their eyes the hope that reinforcements woulde or that they would get other orders. It was unlikely. But regardless of what happened, Nero had something else to do.


    He returned to the room where they had taken refuge, Jackal and the wounded soldiers still sitting in a corner. After making sure they weren''t in need of immediate medical attention, Nero walked over to Herbert''s corpse and began to check it.


    Although body armour typically did not have pockets, sometimes they had hidden pouches. Besides that, each soldier here was wearing a small backpack and a few other strapons to carry other essentials, so Nero went through them meticulously looking for any clues.


    He had no idea why Herbert might try to harm him, and the reasons could range from petty grievances, conspiracies targeting him, or someone targeting Major Liam. Heck, it might even be someone trying to target one of Nero''s parents.


    Without any clues, it would be impossible to get to the bottom of this. Yet as he went through all the pockets, Nero discovered nothing of significance. Most of his cards were generic, and he had little out of the ordinary in his bag.


    There were a few potions, and a few random items that looked like they had been taken from the researchb. Even though they did not look like they might have anything to do with why Herbert attacked him, Nero grabbed them.


    The remainder of Herbert''s team hadn''t joined them to begin with, so none of them were around. That meant that Nero had no way of knowing if he was being targeted by the whole team, or just Herbert? Perhaps the reason he had followed Nero to begin with was to find an opportunity to deal with him.


    Soon the decision from themand centre came. They had to retreat immediately and return to the ground floor. Once enough Neophytes were gathered, Shirly would guide the way to the final security node.


    For now, Nero, Arter and the rest would proceed into the high security area to scout out the area, and if possible, shut down the node. In the meantime, the army woulde up with another way to ess the machines so that they could continue to seek ess.


    The few who could move helped gather all the wounded, but bringing them all back would be a slow process. Not only did a lot of them need to be carried, even the ones who could walk on their own couldn''t move quickly. Such a slow pace naturally meant that, sooner orter, they would encounter more enemies.


    Compared to the ease with which they arrived, their retreat was much tougher, and Nero needed to fight much harder. But, atst, after two torturous hours, they reached the ground level without any further casualties.


    The absence of the fog, and the countless soldiers standing on patrol finally allowed everyone to feel a sense of security, and what followed immediately was exhaustion.


    Even Nero suddenly became aware of how truly famished he was. He had been eating nothing but rations for a day, and though that was not a long period, the amount of exertion he faced during that time was immense.


    But Nero pushed thoughts of food aside. He had to contact the major as soon as possible and tell him about the assassination attempt on Nero''s life. Since there were witnesses to Nero killing Herbert, chances were high that they would reveal what they thought had happened.


    Before that happened he needed to have his defence in ce. Even if, for whatever reason, the witnesses did not reveal the fact that he killed Herbert, Nero himself wanted to get to the bottom of things.


    But as he asked around for the major, he learned that the major was inside the facility as well, somewhere on the upper floors.


    Unable to get in contact with him, Nero told Gabriel, Wendy, Harold and Jackal exactly what happened in detail. As soon as the major returned, any who got the chance would need to share the details with him.


    But that was all the free time that Nero got. Since he was not visibly wounded, and was one of the people suspected to have gained authority for the lower level, he was brought aside for inspection.


    The doctors checked him for any internal injuries and treated some of the scrapes he had umted. Then he was ordered to eat and get some sleep to rest up while the Neophytes for the next push into the basement were gathered.


    MVLeMpYr-unofficial-chapter


    As strange as the orders were, Nero was immensely happy to obey. There was not much variety for food, mainly more rations but of a different variety. Even so, Nero ate ravenously, and drank water as if he''d never get the chance again, and his body thanked him for it by hitting him with a wave of intense exhaustion afterwards.


    Nero was led to the barracks, which had walls insted using spells, so there was no sound that carried through.


    As soon as hey down on a bunk, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Nero woke up with a start to someone shaking him, and realised that he hadn''t even heard the person approach him.


    Either the other guy was incredibly quiet, or Nero was more tired than he realised. When he felt the familiar soreness in his muscles, spreading across his entire being, he knew that it was probably thetter.


    "You''re being sent back down, get up," said the soldier, letting him know what was in store for him. Nero was actually quite surprised no one hade to arrest him yet.


    After all, he did kill someone in the basement. But maybe the witnesses had been too scared to speak. Or, the much more likely scenario was that they were so gravely wounded that they had been artificially put to sleep while they were treated.


    Nero stretched and did a few warm up exercises, allowing the blood to flow to his aching muscles as he followed the soldier out. This time around, most of Nero''s own team was also injured, leaving only him and Gabriel uninjured, so it was unlikely he would be leading a team.


    As it turned out, he was correct, although he misjudged the situation a bit. Nero, Arter, Maximilian and Gabriel were put in a team together, since they were the only ones who gained the basement ess, and Arter was the team leader.


    The others would escort them and Shirly down to the security zone. Since the army had not been able toe up with a way they could deactivate the node safely, they instead handed over a very powerful bomb to Arter.


    Although the activation card for that could be used by a Neophyte, the bomb itself was very powerful, which was another reason they had such a massive escort. They couldn''t afford the bomb experiencing any shocks during a fight, which is why the others would be doing all the fighting.

 Chapter 172: Blind and deaf

    Roughly a hundred Neophytes set out atte noon, but this time there were no problems with others trying to take control of the chain ofmand. Leading them this time was not a draftee, or a new recruit. Instead, it was a veteran named Jack who suffered from a strange injury that brought him back to the Neophyte level.


    Although in a fight he was not the strongest, owing to his injuries, he was still the best choice to lead the group of teenagers. He had the most experience.


    Themand centre hade to the conclusion that while the excessive number and formidable strength of the enemies was definitely a major factor in the high casualty rates they suffered, the fact that everyone became rxed, let down their guard, and didn''t keep sentries to look out for iing enemies was just as significant a factor.


    Considering the severeck of experience and impromptu nature of their missions, this was not listed as a demerit for Maximilian, but pointing out how their inexperience could get them all killed was an excellent way to get everyone to behave.


    From the very start, the procession felt different under Jack''smand. It was no longer one continuous line of soldiers walking through the corridors, but rather countless, broken up teams following each other with a short distance in between. At the very front was a team dedicated to scouting, to watch out for any enemies that they might encounter.


    Most of thebat force was evenly spread out, though Nero and his team were stationed right in the middle, and were in fact told to avoid fighting unless necessary.


    Jack wanted them to not only conserve strength, but avoid sustaining any injuries that the fights may cause. Shirly was near the front, right behind the scouts, passing directions. Moreover, in case they encountered enemies, based on where they came from, Jack even outlined which teams should attack first.


    The closest teams would naturally attack head on while the rest supported while also ensuring no other enemies came in from other ces.


    While this sounded good, as someone who had been to the lower levels, Nero knew how dense the fog would get. But he didn''t say anything for now. It was best not to interfere with Jack''smand.


    The grizzly, middle aged man did not look like he particrly weed criticism or unwanted advice.


    Nero reentered the research facility, and this time the descent was not slow. Since the stairwell went down all the way down, probably even below the fifth floor, and they didn''t need to check the other floors for anything, they just kept descending.


    By now, the faint chill of the fog was a familiar sensation for Nero. But as they went down from the first level to the second, and then the third, their entire group started to be extremely ufortable, and Jack had to change his arrangement.


    Everyone came closer together, and the scouts were spread out across the whole group, using their various sensory abilities to check the fog for any dangers.


    Then, when they descended to the fourth level, where the fog became so thick that they could barely see the people in front of them, everyone started to panic. Fighting a dark berserker in these conditions seemed next to impossible.


    "Silence!" Jack roared, his voice carrying through the fog even to those who couldn''t see him. "Maintain discipline. There are protocols for low visibility conditions. Captains, call out your position after every 100 metres. Move slowly and stay close to one another, but not so close that you inhibit movement."


    Everyone was not necessarily reassured by Jack''s screaming, but at least they did stop making noise. But that hardly did any good when the fog seemed to suppress even sound to an extent.


    Very faintly, he heard Shirly''s voice directing everyone to go one floor even lower. Nero couldn''t imagine what the situation must be like on levels lower than this. But then again, he didn''t need to, for soon he found out.


    The fifth level could only be described as white silence. The white fog made it so that Nero could no longer even see those right beside him. His eyes may as well have been closed for all the good that they did. What''s more, the world felt muted. It was as if Nero had put on a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and all sounds died.


    Just Nero was wondering if he should head back up, since he could no longer see nor hear anyone, he felt a cool wind blow past his head, and suddenly he could see everyone again.


    The fog was still there, but Nero felt like a strange, illusory string was passing through his head, as well as everyone else''s, allowing them to see and hear one another.


    But quickly Nero noticed that, even when he closed his eyes, everyone was still visible. So it wasn''t that he could see everyone else, but rather he was perceiving them directly in his mind through whatever means that was connecting them all.


    "Everyone keep quiet and continue moving at a slow speed," Jack said, though for once he didn''t need to scream. His voice naturally reached everyone as if he was standing right beside them. Hesitantly, Shirly gave directions, and everyone could hear them easily.


    Even though Nero could ''see'' everyone, he held the lower end of his spear out in front of him, as if he were a blind man trying to find his way. Considering the fact that he couldn''t see the floor at all, this was absolutely necessary.


    Nero paid special attention, hoping that like the cathedral, this lower level would be devoid of cursed energy. But that was not the case. In fact, the cursed energy here was particrly thick.


    "Contact on the forward-left," someone with an unfamiliar voice. Nero couldn''t see any enemies, but he did see one of the teams up ahead start shooting out spells towards their left.


    But, from what he could tell through the image in his head, they seemed to be shooting randomly.


    "Target ising closer. It might be a berserker. Take preventive measures."


    The team rearranged themselves, and a few soldiers came up in front and began using various abilities and spells. Nero could not see the effects of the abilities themselves, but from how they positioned themselves it seemed like they had raised a wall to block the berserker.


    Their movement suddenly changed, as if they were hit by something, but quickly recovered. The fight ended without any casualties.


    "Can confirm, it was a lone Mutt. Due to its size, it managed to avoid all our attacks coincidentally. Take note, use more area of effect spells in the future to determine target type."


    With that battle being resolved without issue, they continued to move forward, yet only a short whileter, they stopped again when another enemy was detected.


    It was impossible to avoid fights, especially due to how many of them there were, but with each fight the team actually adapted to blindbat. The unfamiliar voice which detected enemies and gave out instructions was very concise yet effective.


    What surprised Nero the most was that, even when they encounteredrger groups of foes, they managed to hold them off without much trouble.


    Perhaps it was the fact that they could see each other, while the enemies could not see anything at all, which gave them a significant advantage in fights. Through it all, Nero and the rest never needed to lift a finger.


    It was both intense and anticlimactic at the same time. see-MVLeMpYr-for-more


    With slow and steady progress, Shirly eventually brought them to their destination after an arduous two and a half hours.


    The distance actually wasn''t so great, but with no visibility and continuous fights, it took a long time to reach.


    Nero, Arter, Gabriel and Maximilian walked up to her, with Maximilian carrying the bomb in his bag.


    "This should be the door to the high security zone Remi talked about," Shirly said, her hand held out in front of her. She was touching the door, not that any of them could see.


    "The problem is, once we go through it, how will we find the security node?" Nero asked. "Even if we are just going to set off the bomb, we at least need to be sure that it''s next to the node?"


    None of them, not even Jack, had a good solution to this problem. What was worse was that once they went too far away from the group, the ability which allowed them to see and hear one another would be ineffective.


    While they all discussed possible strategies, no one noticed the slimy tentacles on the ceiling right above them. They crawled slowly, so as to not make any significant sounds, and reached towards the very door Shirly was touching. It was as if the tentacles, too, were waiting patiently for the door to open.

 Chapter 173: Conspiracies

    Nero frowned as he held the cards in his hand. Both were supposed to help him find his way in low visibility conditions. One was called Echo Location, and the other was Mind''s Eye.


    Name: Echo Location


    Image: A sonar radar


    Type: Scouting


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Use sound to detect all objects and items within 20 metres of yourself. An image of all objects within this region is directly imprinted in your brain.]


    vour text: "I''ll never need to ask my mother to find things for me again," Artie


    Name: Mind''s Eye


    Image: A third eye appearing on the forehead


    Type: Scouting


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [See through obstructions and obstacles within 10 metres of yourself]


    vour text: "No barrier shall bar my sight," - ???


    Both of these had been prepared for the basements, but the issue was that while in essence they should have resolved the visibility problem, Neophyte remained the weakest in every aspect of a card master. That meant that the cards themselves were weak.


    He had used both of them, but the feedback he got was very different from what the cards stated. Echo Location still worked, although the range had reduced drastically from 20 metres to just a few metres around him, since that is how far sound travelled without beingpletely absorbed by the fog.


    But Mind''s Eye waspletely useless. Perhaps it really could peer through ordinary obstructions, but the fog was far from ordinary, and it refused to be overlooked.


    The others also tried out the cards, bing familiar with them.


    "We will wait here for exactly one hour outside for your return," said Jack. "If you do note back within the time frame we will retreat, alluding to the possibility that you have set the bomb but for whatever reason were unable to escape. Your primary objective is to find and disable the security node. If you cannot disable it, then you will have to rely on the bomb.


    If you cannot disable it, and for any reason do not feel like activating the bomb willplete the task, your objective is to gather as much information as possible ande back to transmit what you learned.


    "I have to warn you that although this bomb can be activated by a Neophyte level card, its strength is far beyond that. We have confirmed that the impact power of this bomb can easily destroy even these reinforced Eldrim structures. The bomb is also set with a ten minute timer to give you enough time to get away from it. Be very clear about this.


    MVLeMpYr-the-story-tform


    If you are anywhere near the bomb when it goes off, your chances of survival are nil."


    For a moment Nero considered if his mes could protect him from the explosion, but then dismissed the idea. If he were just concerned about the mes then maybe, just maybe, he might be able to survive. But chances were high that just the shockwave from the explosion would be enough to kill him.


    "That''s all well and good," said Nero. "But how do we open this door?"


    Everyone looked towards the metal door in front of them. If they brought their face close enough they could see that the metallic door was sealed shut. Even if Nero and the rest had ess to get into theb, how were they supposed to use it?


    "There must be some mechanism to open it nearby. We''re looking for it," Jack said awkwardly. If Remi were here, she would have been able to identify how to open it by trying out the random machines nearby, but none of them could do that.


    Still, they had gained ess, so it was likely that if they scanned some terminal nearby, the doors would open.


    "That''s not how to do it, you''re wasting your time," said a familiar voice from behind them. Nero turned around to see the blonde girl from Arter''s team - the one Vanessa was disguised as.


    She had been suspiciously subdued the entire time they were in the research. She had not secretly ventured off somewhere the entire time, nor had she made any remarkable achievements in any of the fights. Nero had kept an eye on her the entire time, but she did not even look back at him, as if she never knew him at all.


    He had to admit, her acting skills had definitely improved since he first saw her. But he knew that her goals would never be so simple, and he had been proven right.


    Jack, Arter and the rest were surprised, but more than anyone Arter was confused. The blonde girl, whose name he hadn''t even bothered to learn, was just one of the guards assigned to him selected by his family. She had no role other than to obey him and protect him, so why was she speaking up now?


    More importantly, why did it seem like she knew more about this security door than Jack, who had been briefed by the army.


    "If you step aside, I can open it for you."


    But while others felt curious or confused by her actions, Jack reacted differently. Nero noticed how his right arm suddenly gripped the handle of his sword. The man''s aura became extremely fierce as turned to re towards Vanessa.


    "State your name and position, soldier," hemanded, not ready to hear her words just yet.


    Vanessa did not put up any resistance and immediately stood at attention and stated her identity.


    "Jessie Marrin, drafted private, member of team Sapphire-7."


    Jack observed her, trying to judge her intentions, his thoughts unknown. When he didn''t speak for a moment, Arter stepped forward.


    "She''s a member of my team and has a vetted background. Let her speak."


    The only conclusion that he coulde to was that she had been assigned a secret mission from someone in his family, and so spoke up on his behalf. Nero observed the situation in silence.


    He genuinely didn''t know if the Ferro family was aware of Vanessa, and had helped here into the city, or she had infiltrated the team. But he was sure that if she had spoken up, she would definitely know something.


    After all, Nova was one of only two countries with ess to Eldrim ruins, and their knowledge regarding it had to be immense.


    Jack red at Arter as well. Clearly he did not like being told what to do, especially since he was under the impression that he had been briefedpletely by themand centre. The fact that Jessie was speaking up now meant that her involvement was not under the orders of themand centre, but some other faction within the army most likely.


    "State what you know," Jack ordered her atst.


    "Like I said, there is no mechanism nearby with which you can open this door. The way to ess highly secure zones is entirely different. If you step aside, I can open the door for you."


    "Absolutely negative. You will tell me how to open it, and I will do it," Jack stated.


    Vanessa scoffed.


    "You don''t have the authority to ess this information," she said inly. "If you did, then you would already know. If you want to get in, let me open the door. Otherwise you can continue to waste your time until you decide to let me open it eventually once you fail. Take your time, it''s not like we''re under any time constraints."


    Jack growled, but stepped aside eventually.


    Vanessa stepped forward and took out several cards from her case, though Nero could not see what kind of spells they were. One by one she ced them against the metal door, and they seemed to stick there like mas. After cing nearly a dozen cards, she took out a final one, and activated it.


    Surprisingly, the metal doors slid open, without any fuss. For a moment, Nero was amazed at how simple that was. Usually, something tended to go wrong with these things.


    "You can''t see it, but there''s a protective barrier covering the door. Anyone without ess cannot step in," Vanessa said. She looked at Nero, winked, and then stepped through the door.


    Suddenly she disappeared, disconnected from whatever technique was keeping all of them in view.


    "No!" Jack roared, angered and tried to rush after her, but an invisible barrier rebuffed him, pushing him back.


    The man was actually growling in anger, as if he were some kind of animal. Before Nero, or anyone else could respond to the situation, the invisible force field acted again, throwing something back.


    None of them were ready as a massive monster, covered in tentacles, was thrown directly onto Jack.


    *****


    Up in themand centre, those soldiers who were too wounded to continue fighting, but had received medical attention, were being gathered together in one tent. Soon they would be escorted away from Lumina, as there was no point in them staying here. They would only upy space and resources, which they could not afford to spare.


    Wendy and Harold sat beside each other, covered in wraps. For now some spells had been used to keep their wounds from worsening, but they would eventually need casts. Harold, especially, had to be careful since he had broken a few ribs.


    But even so, the two of them were better off than Jackal and Remi, whoy unconscious still in a bed right next to them.


    "Hey, hey, hey, what''s going on?" Wendy suddenly said, feeling panicked.


    Harold looked in the direction she was staring and saw Remi. Except, it wasn''t Remi. Her facial features were changing, and the girlying in bed in front of them was aplete stranger.

 Chapter 174: Escape

    When the invisible force field pushed Jack back, it made a kind of light, yet bubbly sound. It was as if Jack had thrown himself into an stic wall and was bounced back. Besides the shock of being thrown back so suddenly he was fine.


    His grimace, however, was extremely ugly. Clearly there was no information about Jessie gaining ess at the same time as Nero and the rest. Although that did not automatically mean she was an enemy, Jack did not think trust her at all.


    Arter also frowned, but did not do anything drastic. He still believed that since she had been selected by his family, she was on his side.


    But before the situation could develop further, the force field made the same sound. For a moment Nero felt like Vanessa had returned, possibly to taunt Jack, most likely because she had immediately encountered some kind of unexpected obstacle.


    But none of those proved true. He only caught a glimpse of slimy tentacles as the figure blurred past him and fell onto Jack. The poor guy was caughtpletely unaware and was squished.


    For those who hadn''t caught on to what had happened, the ear-piercing scream of the wretched monster was warning enough. Even the fog did not fade that things sound.


    The problem, though, was that unless the enemy was right in front of them, no one could see it.


    Nero did not hesitate to stab directly above Jack, the tip of his spear burning with a blue me, and felt it pierce into something before getting stuck. He could not push it forward, nor could he pull it out. It was as if whatever he had stabbed into was holding onto his spear as well.


    He felt a vibration carry through his spear, and for the first time since he was deployed, Nero let go of his spearpletely and jumped back, just in time to catch the sight of a slimy tentacle shooting above his spear, almost hitting him.


    Although the tentacle was thin and flexible, Nero got the distinct feeling that it would have torn a hole directly through his chest!


    Something in that moment told him that if he had hesitated even the slightest bit, he''d be dead.


    Arter swung his electric de, while Maximilian and Gabrial attacked the creature as well.


    "It''s very strong¡­" Nero had barely been able to say when he was interrupted by an explosion, the shockwave throwing him off his feet.


    Before he evennded Nero covered himself in mes as self protection, and the moment he was able to, he drew the dagger he had strapped to his leg. Yet in the fog, surrounded by countless unseen enemies, he did not dare move recklessly.


    this-chapter-is-MVLeMpYr


    Indeed, there was no longer just the monster that had attacked Jack. He could not see the enemies, but he could see the countless soldiers who had escorted him all either fighting, being flung around, or disappearing from view, meaning that they were dead.


    "The four of you, don''t fight!" Jack said, kneeling on the ground a short distance away. Somehow, he had managed to push the creature away from himself, but Nero hadn''t seen how. He was also bleeding profusely, not only from a massive hole in his chest, but from a cut in his neck as well. One of his arms was also bent the wrong way.


    A single nce was all it took for Nero to know that the man wasn''t going to make it.


    "Take the bomb andplete your mission. Leave the rest to us."


    Nero looked aside and saw that the other four had also been knocked back from the st, whatever it was.


    Nero clenched his fist. He was witnessing a deadly ambush, and from how quickly all the soldiers were dying he could tell that the enemy had some kind of advantage they didn''t. Maybe the fog didn''t block their senses the same way. Regardless, this was one of the worst defeats Nero had suffered.


    Though he was lucky to still be alive, the fact that he had to abandon his spear to save his life stung his budding pride.


    Though filled with frustration, Nero did not hesitate. He rolled to the side, just in time to avoid another projectile. He had learned something.


    Though he could not hear, it appeared like he could not see anything, in actuality he could see the fog. While the fog appeared like it was nothing but a white canvas in front of it, in truth it was like a gas, and moved like it too. Though he could not see the things the fog hid, Nero could see the fog moving.


    It was a barely perceptible difference, but he could use it to detect anythinging towards him in the fog.


    "Let''s go!" he roared as he grabbed Gabriel by the cor and pulled him back towards the highly secured zone. Gabriel seemed like he had sprained his ankle in the explosion, so Nero had to drag him.


    Arter and Maximilian wore expressions worse than even Nero. After all, it felt like they were retreating from a fight. Compared to Nero, who was prideful in how much he had grown, they carried the pride of belonging to prominent backgrounds. It was a lot harder for them to put their pride aside, but they had to.


    The moment all of them went through the entrance of the secured zone and disappeared from view, Jack coughed out some blood, bing even more pale.


    "I''m issuing new orders," he said weakly, though his words were heard by everyone. "Protect Shirly and retreat."


    Jack had only just finished his words when his left eye popped out of his skull, and behind it, from his eye socket, emerged a small tentacle.


    Jack fell limp, though he was far from dead. His body trembled from pain as more and more tentacles emerged from his body, eventually covering his entire body. Arge figure appeared in front of him, holding Nero''s spear.


    Inside the secure zone, Nero was taken by surprise at what he saw - because he could actually see things!


    There was not a single trace of fog in here, all of it magically being kept out by the same barrier that stopped Jack and the monster from entering.


    Arter and Maximilian were just as surprised when they came in, gaping at what they saw. After all, it was not just the absence of the fog that made this ce unique. No, this ce looked entirely different from the rest of the research facility, because it strongly resembled researchbs and facilities in Kr!


    All the machines had visible terminals that could be used, and in fact looked eerily simr even in design to the machines they used. If anything, everything here just looked like an upgraded version of theputers used in Kr.


    A sudden thud behind them woke them all from their reverie, and they turned around to the sight of a dark berserker trying to enter behind them, but it was pushed back by the barrier effortlessly.


    But the creature tried again, or perhaps it was a different one, but none of them were sessful.


    "We need to find the security node," Nero said.


    "Where''s Jessie?" Maximilian asked, looking around the room. He looked warily at Arter, since he had dered that she had been vetted by his family, but Arter kept his mouth shut.


    "It doesn''t matter," Nero said. "As long as she doesn''t get in our way, where she is has nothing to do with us. From the look of things, we might not need the bomb to turn the security node off."


    Nero approached the nearestputer and clicked a few buttons, hoping to turn it on. Instead, he activated some kind of mechanism.


    "Please ce your hand on the scanner to confirm your identity before using any of the machinery," a polite, feminine voice spoke out of a speaker in the corner of the room. At the same time, a hand-shaped scanner lit up on a wall near the entrance.


    Just as Nero was about to go towards it, he noticed something. Gabriel, very subtly, gave him a sign to stop.


    He finished using some card on his ankle, allowing him to temporarily use it like it wasn''t hurt before he stood up and cracked his neck.


    "Gentlemen, we find ourselves in a peculiar predicament," he said slowly as he walked towards Nero, and away from them.


    "I''m sure I don''t need to tell you what this ce is, right Arter?" Gabriel asked, his voice slow and using. Yet Arter did not respond. Instead, his gaze was locked on the scanner. Much like Nero, Maximilian did not know what Gabriel was talking about, but he did not fail to notice how Gabriel had put a distance between himself and Arter.


    Slowly, he too took a step back, and drew a dagger as well. Like Nero, he had also lost his primary weapon, but that didn''t mean he was defenceless.


    But first he needed to understand what was going on.

 Chapter 175: Vault

    The atmosphere in the room suddenly became extremely tense, at least for Gabriel and Maximilian. Nero and Arter remained nonchnt, though both for entirely different reasons.


    Compared to berserkers, dark berserkers, tentacle monsters and everything else in between, the thing that was least challenging for him to face was humans.


    Although defeating Arter and Maximilian without killing them would be a challenge, since when was Nero afraid of a challenge? Which is why a good deal of his focus, instead, was on his dagger. He held it in the forward grip, where the thumb of his hand was on the back of the dagger. Having a forward grip allowed him better control and allowed for more finesse, as well as increased his reach.


    But then, Nero suddenly twirled the dagger in his hand, as if he was ying with it, and switched to the reverse grip. This grip allowed him to use more power.


    He couldn''t decide which grip he wanted to use, since he was equally familiar with both. Compared to his spear, which he honed and treated as a part and extension of himself, he treated the dagger as a toy. But that didn''t mean that he was weaker with the dagger. It was just that the mindset allowed for him to disy a different kind of prowess with it than anything else.


    So while Gabriel took the lead, for once, setting up a confrontation against Arter, who he probably treated as the biggest threat, Nero kept ying with his dagger.


    Of course, in Maximilians eyes, Nero''s casualness was a disy of his extreme confidence. He had already seen Nero''s fight so he knew that he was no pushover, though he still had enough confidence in himself. But that did not mean he wanted to start a fight.


    After all, he had a bomb on his back!


    experience-NovelFire-content


    Arter, meanwhile, waspletely distracted. Unlike Nero, who was taken aback when he saw the room without fog, Arter felt no confusion - at least about where he was. Instead, he couldn''t believe that Jessie had gone in ahead of him!


    If his family truly knew about this ce, then there is no way they would have passed information about it to one of his underlings instead of him. Which meant only one thing. Jessie¡­ was an imposter!


    He should have noticed it earlier. The signs were all there. Heck, in the cathedral, even Nero noticed that she was suspicious, but he himself had failed to notice. Instead, he turned hostile towards Nero.


    Not only was this a huge failing on his part, but it also represented the formidable background for whoever Jessie truly was.


    "Gabriel, we have a mission toplete," Maximilian said, hinting towards the danger outside the doors, the dark berserkers still trying to break in, and especially the goddamn bomb in his backpack!


    "Oh, and we''ll definitelyplete the mission," Gabriel said. "But I doubt we''ll need the bomb anymore. More importantly,pleting the mission does not interfere with anything else¡­ we might do in this ce."


    Arter finally looked towards Gabriel. Despite the fact that they had known each other for so long, Gabriel did not trust him at all. Instead, the fact that he stepped right next to Nero spoke volumes about their rtionship.


    In front of personal interests, any rtionship can be overlooked, yet he still trusted Nero so much.


    "What do you propose?" Arter said. "We need to resolve this situation quickly. I have just realised that ''Jessie'' is an infiltrator. She came in ahead of us, so who knows what kind of damage she can cause."


    Nero did not change his expression, but found it funny. Now, everyone would suddenly be hostile towards Vanessa, but Nero still trusted her more than Arter and Maximilian.


    It was not that he knew her well. Obviously there were many secrets she had kept. But he understood her better than she could have expected.


    She was extremely well trained, but had little to no experience. She trained in dagger, stealth and assassination techniques but had the temperament of a girl who had been spoiled all her life, though never allowed to actually be spoiled.


    She hated Nero for seeing through her and being immune to her skills, but never genuinely harboured any malicious intent towards him. Even when she became extremely angry at him for suppressing her, she only cursed at him.


    It was actually kind of cute. Nero had somewhate to enjoy teasing her. How entertaining would it be if he could figure out what she wanted in this ce, and got it before her?


    A spark of interest flickered in his eyes, but he did nothing. Since Gabriel had taken the lead, it would be rude to undermine him in front of his other friend.


    Gabriel opened his card case and pulled out a card. Though Nero didn''t get a chance to read what the card said, he could immediately tell it was no ordinary level 0 card. Much like the cards his parents had given him surpassed every other card he had in quality, power and application, this card looked like it was of the highest quality.


    "This is an Oath card," Gabriel exined. "Each of us will take an Oath on our lives that within Lumina we will not attack each other, directly or indirectly, and will keep each other''s gains secret, not revealing it to anyone."


    "That suits me fine," Arter said. "You go first."


    Gabriel nodded, and activated the card.


    "I, Gabriel Anzem, swear on my very life that so long as they too take this oath, I will not harm Nero, Arter or Maximilian directly or indirectly within Lumina, and nor will I reveal what benefits each of them gain in this ce to any."


    The card in his hand suddenly shone, and Nero saw the light epass Gabriel''s body, before seeping into it somehow.


    "Now you. Take the exact same oath as me. Don''t change the words," he said, and handed the card to Arter.


    "Just out of curiosity," Maximilian said as he watched Gabriel pass the card, "what would happen if someone did not want to make this oath?"


    "Then without hesitation, Nero and I will kill that person," Gabriel answered nonchntly. Nero showed no reaction whatsoever, as if he knew of this all along, though he was barely able to hold back his curiosity.


    What exactly was this ce?


    Arter, too, did not seem bothered by Gabriel''s promation, and instead made the same oath, only recing his own name. He then handed it to Maximilian, who hesitated, but then followed through.


    Nero took the oathst, and was genuinely surprised to see that all the text on the card was actually blocked out somehow! He could not see the image, read the effect of the card, or even see the quote at the bottom.


    All he could see was that the name of the card was Solemn Oath, and the card rank¡­


    Nero''s eyes contracted! This wasn''t a 0 rank card! Instead, where there should have been a 0, denoting the rank of the card, there was a crescent moon!


    This card was actually an unranked card! Unranked cards were rare beyond mention, and could not be reliably produced. Their effects and abilities were beyond even the most powerful and potent rank 3 cards!


    Nero had no idea that Neophytes could actually use unranked cards!


    But he suppressed his shock and quickly made the oath, solidifying the pact between the three of them.


    Now it was finally time for an exnation.


    "So would anyone care to exin what''s happening?" Maximilian asked, before Nero had a chance.


    "This ce is not just some random ''highly secureb'' as we first thought. No, this ce is known as a Vault, at least by the few who even know of their existence," Gabriel exined looking at Maximilian.


    "Just so you understand why exactly I took so many precautions, the reason Emperor Iskunder discovered the Eldrim cards, started a new age for mankind, and became one of the most powerful Sages in recorded history, if not the most powerful one, is thought to be rted to a Vault he identally discovered."


    It was not just Maximilian who was shocked. Nero himself was so startled, he almost messed up the switch between his grips as he yed with his dagger.


    "This secret is known only to a very few people," Gabriel continued to exin. "But just finding a vault is not enough to suddenly set off on the path to bing a sage. The truth is, very few people can gain anything from a vault."


    "Does it have to do with scanning to confirm our identities?" Nero suddenly asked, turning to look towards the glowing scanner. He had not missed the fact that Arter had been staring at it for so long.


    "Yes. You see, only a very few people can get ess to the benefits in a vault. Or rather, I should say, only people from a very few specific families can do that."

 Chapter 176: Realisations

    Specific families?


    "Sage families?" Nero blurted out. "No, wait, that doesn''t make sense. The sage families are recent, and shouldn''t have anything to do with the Vault or the Eldrim¡­ unless the very requirement to be a sage is to be from one of those families to begin with."


    Nero''s brain started to work overtime, as he sensed as if he was on the verge of a realisation, but he couldn''t quite reach it. He could feel that he was on the precipice of some grand realisation, but he needed just a little more push to get there. He turned to look towards Gabriel.


    "You are both, simultaneously right and wrong," Gabriel said, as he looked at the dark berserkers trying to break in. They''d never seed.


    "Do we need to do this now?" Arter suddenly interrupted. "Who knows what Jessie is doing? We need to find her and stop her."


    "Feel free to go ahead," Nero said. "But I need to understand the situation first."


    Maximilian didn''t speak, but he was also clearly extremely interested in finding out more. He had before him a once in a lifetime opportunity. No, not once in a lifetime. Once in a billion lifetimes! How many people would kill to get into a Vault was unimaginable! He could not squander this opportunity because he didn''t understand something!


    Moreover, while he came from a powerful family, with his father being the owner of Maxim''s card shop, it was nowhere near that of a sage family. If there was any hope of him gaining anything, he had to grasp it.


    Ultimately, Arter did not move.


    "You are right," Gabriel exined, "because Vaults have nothing to do with recently powerful families. Instead, only certain, very few, very old families stand to gain from Vaults. But old does not mean powerful, and in most cases, such families already no longer exist.


    "But you are wrong because¡­ even if the sage families are new, all they need to do is marry someone from those families, and integrate their bloodline within their own descendants. For example, my own Anzem family is one such family, which is why they intermarry with the Kade family so often. In a way, the Kade family has imed the Anzem family under its umbre.


    At the same time, they''ve ensured that all their future generations can benefit from the Vaults.


    "I don''t think there is a single sage family which hasn''t done something simr, though in most cases, they just absorb the family directly. Not every family is as strong or influential as mine, being able to resist being absorbedpletely."


    Something in Nero''s mind clicked.


    "I suppose it''s not just sage families that are interested in these old families, huh?" Nero mused out loud.


    Various scenes began to y in Nero''s mind, connecting to one another. This new context added a whole new dimension to various events that had happened through. Conversations reyed in his mind, and the meanings he took from them suddenly changed.


    "This is a huge secret," Gabriel said. "This kind of stuff doesn''t get out. Anyone who knows gets¡­ put down. Literally, the only reason I can even tell you all of this is because we''re inside a Vault. Being inside a Vault is one of the only few ways I can ever even mention the word Vault at all, that''s how intense my oath is. I''m sure it''s exactly the same for Arter.


    "But¡­ I suppose it is possible that some people may learn of this through unorthodox sources. In that case, it would make sense that they too would try to marry people from such families."


    "Or, if they somehow predict the arrival of some ruins, then they could get rid of thepetition," Nero murmured, his voice too low to be heard.


    He recalled the day his brother had been sent to a cursed zone. It was so sudden. Too sudden. There was no news prior, and no opportunity to appeal the sentence. Yet, somehow, Patrick knew he was about to be sent away.


    Not only did he know that, he had the confidence to survive ande back, so much so that he married Irene.


    He recalled his mothers injury. His father told him that someone had purposefully targeted her, blocking her path as a card master. At the same time, the nature of that injury prevented her from having more children.


    Nero remembered suddenly learning he had an uncle, his moms brother, though his father had a low opinion of him. But heter learned that his uncle had not eloped, as his father originally mentioned, but had been chased away.


    Nero''s father told him that his mothers family, the Soren family, was being targeted most likely because of the Radix Augmentation. But what if¡­ what if it had nothing to do with that? What if someone was just eliminating any potentialpetitors for the Vault?


    Speaking of Radix Augmentation, it was unlike any card he had ever seen before. Its secrets had literally allowed his parents to speed their way to the Arcanist level, and it had strengthened Nero''s body by absorbing something from cursed beings. He had long wondered how his mother''s family had gotten their hands on such a thing?


    But what if it wasn''t something they had discovered¡­ but something their family had from the very beginning?


    The current calendar year was 997V, but Lumina fell nearly 1210 years ago. That meant there was a 213 year gap between the fall of this city, and the discovery of Eldrim cards. How had humans survived in this cursed world all those years? Could their survival¡­ still be linked to the Eldrim?


    Because if it did, it suddenly seemed probable that the Soren family¡­ had directly received that card from the Eldrim themselves. This very research facility proved that the Eldrim epted humans as research assistants, and not only as test specimens.


    Nero was making a lot of conjectures, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed probable. If his family was being targeted, then his survival initially can be exined by the additional protection provided by his parents after his mother assumed that Patrick had been targeted because of her.


    -exclusive


    But it wasn''t as if he hadn''t faced his own difficulties and odd situations. Even if he assumed that the attack on AAB had beenpletely coincidental, and they just happened to attack the building the very day he visited, he had experienced too many other coincidences.


    No matter how Nero tried to justify it to himself, he found it hard to believe that he would ever be so mentally obtuse as to go and scream at a sage, or that everyone in that area would be so distracted that he would be allowed to approach a sage unimpeded. Or that, after getting yelled at, the sage actually took a liking to him.


    He was well aware that, even when he was working for major Liam Carver, he was indirectly associated with a sage. After all, Liam was from a sage family. There was also that unexined assassination attempt he faced just a few hours ago.


    Nero knew that he had little to no evidence, and a lot of the things he was assuming were just that - assumptions. But there was one very easy way to confirm his hypothesis. If only certain families could gain approval from a Vault, all he needed to do was scan his hand. Everything would be revealed.


    "But anyway," Gabriel continued, not noticing the distraction Nero was experiencing, "much more important than which families can gain benefits from a Vault, is why they can stand to benefit from a Vault. Not to mention, what is a Vault to begin with. I can''t say exactly why since no one is exactly certain, but I think, by now, you can venture the same guess everyone else has."


    "It''s because humans used to live with, or maybe work for the Eldrim in these cities," Nero said, as if he was stating a fact.


    "Yes, and it ismonly believed that the old families whose bloodline is required to ess the Vaults directly worked for the Eldrim, or maybe were linked to the Vaults in some way."


    Nero suddenly remembered that, when he was taking the test for ess rights both in the cathedral and in the research facility, one of his listed properties was ''gic markers''.


    Now, Nero was not too knowledgeable when it came to gics, after all he hadn''t even finished high school, it sounded like some kind of identifying tag in his genes - a tag that the various machines in this city could read.


    "As for what a Vault is, well there are a few guesses for that as well. The name Vault was actually given by Emperor Iskunder, and is not necessarily what this ce was called by the Eldrim. As far as I know, this is just one corner of the Eldrim''s research - a very small corner - that is focused towards humans. Which is why the things that can be found here can be used by humans as well."

 Chapter 177: Closing door

    While Gabriel was revealing potentially life changing bits of information, Nero was listening. But only a very small part of his brain was paying attention. Hisrger focus was on something else entirely.


    It would be too much to call it a crisis, but he was experiencing a fair bit of turmoil in his mind.


    If what he suspected was true, then it wasn''t even the fact that Radix Augmentation had been leaked or someone suspected its existence which had caused his family to be targeted. Rather, it was someone eliminatingpetition for this, or any other Vaults that might exist in Lumina.


    How long ago had Patrick been sentenced? Almost two and a half years now. How long ago was Lumina revealed? Much, muchter. Or was its existence revealed long ago, but it had been kept hidden?


    There were too many unknowns. Even with Nero specting as liberally as he was, he could not create spections out of thin air. They had to be tied in with real facts.


    Did that mean that someone had been secretly exploring the mines long before anyone discovered them? His brother got involved somehow, and so was sent away immediately. But sending him away rather than directly killing was an odd choice. That made this theory unlikely.


    That wasn''t to say that something wasn''t amiss.


    There was also the fact that the city had been uncovered by an earthquake. Was it really an earthquake that uncovered the city? Maybe someone did it on purpose, or maybe two very powerful card masters fought and the result was the copse of the mountain.


    But it wasn''t these spections that was causing Nero turmoil. No, it was the fact that someone had been targeting his family even though they were not involved in any of this miss. They were acting covertly, which is why they didn''t dare take drastic measures.


    After all, his family had connections too. No matter what his role was, it was a fact that his father was in or had been a member of the Whisper Guard. Since they were known to be crazy, apparently, who knew how they''d react if Nero''s entire family was wiped out?


    Instead the attack on them had been subtle. His mother had been wounded in such a way that she could no longer have kids, thus eliminating the future generations. His brother had been sent away, and though he had survived so far, that might also be because of the additional security his father got for him.


    Was this all the Dom family''s doing, or were they acting under someone else''s orders? Moreover, if they had been attacking Nero''s family to eliminate old families, then other such families should have been attacked as well.


    Nero recalled the assassination attempt of Invictus Hammel. The assassin had imed that someone had tried to attack him because he was annoying certain people. But what if the real reason was because Invictus was a descendant of one such old family?


    At this point, Nero was justing up with random things. There was absolutely no proof to suggest such a thing.


    But he wanted to keep his mind busy, his thoughts distracted. After all, he could feel thest of his childish notions about honour and valour fading away.


    After all, how could an entire Eldrim ruin be hidden? It couldn''t unless someone or multiple people with immense power purposefully hid it.


    Somewhere, deep down, Nero still wanted to believe that Kr was a nation of warriors. That it was a nation of soldiers who fought to protect one another, unified against the evils of this world. But maybe he had just taken his childhood story books too seriously. Maybe he held onto those dreams much too long.


    Maybe that''s just how the world was, and to make it a little more bearable, everyone lied to themselves, talking about things such an honour.


    The problem was¡­ he didn''t know who could be trusted. Obviously not everyone had been targeting them. Most people were still trustworthy. Or was it that they were not trustworthy either, but just that he was who they had been targeting?


    He could feel his loyalty towards this country fading away, and all that was left behind was himself. He was still loyal - Nero couldn''t change that. It was who he was. But he could choose who to be loyal to. He could be loyal to himself, to the people and things he loved, towards his goals.


    If this is what the world was¡­ and this is how everyone behaved then he could do it. He could make use of others, as they made use of him. He could n and scheme.


    Suddenly, Nero saw a vision. It was his childhood room, filled with his old, favourite toys. More importantly, it was filled with his memories, ced on cupboards and shelves like prize decorations. In that room, he saw himself, as a child, looking out the window at the mountains in the fog.


    "I''m going to close this door for a bit," he heard himself say to his younger self, his voice soft and kind. A hand wearing ck, leather gloves came into view as it grabbed the door handle.


    "Okay," the child responded. "Is everything alright?"


    "Everything''s fine. Don''t worry about it. Just doing a little renovation."


    "Oh, are you making a hero''s castle? No wait, a soldier''s den. No wait, soldiers don''t live in dens. You''re going to make a barracks, right? If you''re going to make it, then make it super cool, and then we can show Patrick."


    The child grabbed onto a toy car that had belonged to Patrick that they had permanently borrowed.


    For a moment nothing happened. He didn''t speak, and the hand remained frozen on the handle. But itsted for only a moment. NovelFire-your-story-source


    "Don''t worry. I''m going to build a castle that''ll keep everyone safe. I''ll call you out when it''s done."


    The child nodded excitedly, and that was thest thing he saw in the vision before the door closed.


    Suddenly, Nero found himself back, standing in the Vault. Gabriel was still exining what the most valuable things in the Vault were, and the difficulties getting to them. He was being extra detailed in his exnation, and Nero suddenly understood why.


    He was afraid that Nero wouldn''t be from one of the old families. He was trying to convince Nero that he would share all of these treasures with him, so that their trust would remain.


    Nero smiled a genuine smile. Of course Gabriel had trust issues. Who wouldn''t feel a tinge of greed in the face of so many treasures? Who wouldn''t want to monopolise this great treasure?


    At that moment, Gabriel almost looked like a cute little child to him. It was good that he was cautious, but Nero never harboured any malicious thoughts towards him at all. Moreover, he certainly would never think about monopolising this ce. No, such thoughts were what would lead to death.


    Unless he could be a Sage overnight inside the Vault, any attempts to monopolise it would lead to death. He would, instead, take whatever gains that would help him immediately. For the rest, he would see how he could stand to benefit the most.


    "I get the gist of it," Nero interrupted Gabriel, who was talking about baseline enhancements. "Shall we start exploring. After all, Arter''s right. We can''t let Jessie monopolise all the benefits herself."


    Gabriel turned his head, feeling as if Nero looked a little odd. But upon a closer look, he waspletely fine. As for that excited smile on his face - who wouldn''t be excited in this situation? Even Maximilian was struggling to keep his calm.


    "So I just need to scan to check if I can use the machines here, right?" Nero asked as he ced his hand on the lit up scanner.


    All three of the others looked as they saw the scanner light up. Nero felt something warm enter his body through his arm. It wasn''t exactly aether, but it felt simr. The warmth spread throughout his entire body, before slowly retreating back to the scanner.


    "Identity confirmed. 51st generation descendant of Soren Daelor identified. Please submit your name and a blood sample for record keeping and progress reports."


    Gabriel and Arter were genuinely surprised, and Maximilian''s eyes gleamed with excitement and possibility. From what he could tell, Nero''s background might be even simpler than his own. If he had one of these ancient bloodlines, then chances were high that so did Maximilian.


    "Nero Grant," he said out loud casually, and walked over to another machine that had lit up, and ced his arm inside. He could see a needle pierce his skin and take a small blood sample - barely a few drops - before retreating.


    "Sampleplete, ess granted. Wee, Nero Grant, to the Lumina research centre for anti-corruption research."


    Nero turned and looked back at the dumbfounded expression of Gabriel and Arter.


    Gabriel distinctly recalled that a few months back Nero had asked him if he had ever heard of the Soren family. At that time, he didn''t find anything significant. Now, it seemed like it was not such a random question after all.

 Chapter 178: Liquified aether

    "Well? What are you waiting for?" Nero asked at the three others who were staring at him, waking them from their reverie. Gabriel and Arter were genuinely surprised, and Maximilian was excitedat his chances.


    Gabriel gave Arter a look, before he went and scanned his hand as well. Turned out, he was the 52nd generation descendant of someone called Anzem Fade, which was a remarkably close number to Nero''s own ancestor.


    It was quite curious to think that fifty-something generations ago, their ancestors might have known each other, just like they knew each other. Nero wondered what their rtionship must have been like. Were they research assistants and partners?


    Or was the timing more of a coincidental thing, and the truth was that they might never have known each other at all, and just happened to work for the Eldrim at a simr time.


    The same could be said for Nero and any number of draftees in this war, so it was entirely usible.


    Arter went next, and he ended up being a 64th generation descendant of someone called Corvo Perth. It was not surprising, though, that Arter did not carry his ancestors name. In fact, the surprising thing was that Gabriel''s family still used their family name - and his mothers family too, if they were alive somewhere out there.


    Unfortunately, their great momentum was broken when Maximin tried to scan his hand, and the machine did not recognise him or his ancestors at all. His excited expression suddenly fell, and he almost looked like he had lost a fortune. In truth, he had lost a lot more than that.


    "Don''t worry," Gabriel said. "Like I said, even if you can''t use the machines yourself, there is much for you to gain here. As long as even one of us can use the machines, it''s good enough."


    Although his immense disappointment could not be hidden, Maximilian picked himself up. His resolve was not so weak, and he was still determined to get the most out of this opportunity.


    The quartet head off, moving deeper into the facility through open doors. Theypletely ignored the dark berserkers still trying to crash through the door, but after a while that stopped. Instead, a bulky figure with a squirming outline appeared in front of the door, holding a spear.


    This time, he did not try to touch the forcefield, but he did try to peer in, yet there was no one for him to see.


    Nero once again let Gabriel take the lead, though they seemed to be following a path of open doors, probably following Vanessa''s trail. There were many closed doors as well, though he got the feeling that he could open them.


    Yet he did not experiment yet.


    This Vault had its fair share of anomalies. Just being able to inste the fog was not enough. What was more important was the absence of curses. In the research facility he could believe that the dark berserkers, berserkers and mutts had taken care of them all. Yet what was the excuse here?


    If the barrier the Eldrim employed could sessfully prevent curses from appearing¡­ then that would be an earth shattering discovery! The impact it could have on life was no less than that of the discovery of the Eldrim cards themselves. At least, if the barrier was replicable.


    Eventually, following a long, winding path through open doors, they arrived in a room filled with cylindrical ss pods, though each of them was sealed save one.


    The pod revealed nothing extraordinary. Yet besides that, and a few other machines, there was no other prominent discovery here.


    "She must have hidden in one of the other rooms," Arter swore as he scanned the room but discovered nothing. He seemed particrly pissed off at being deceived.


    "Is that why we''re here?" Nero asked. "I think we''re focusing on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on Jessie, we should focus on finding the security node, as well as getting as many benefits as we can from here."


    "Oh don''t you worry, that''s exactly what we''re doing," Gabriel said with a wide grin as he approached one of theputers and turned it on. "Did you think I was following the open doors? No, I was following the signs on the ceiling that led to this very room. It seemed our imposter had the same idea."


    Gabriel began to use theputer, and though he was clearly struggling in figuring out how exactly to use it, it seemed like he was looking for something specific.


    "What is this room?" Nero could not help but ask. He approached the open cylinder to take a closer look, and that''s when he noticed that the walls of the cylinder actually contained a few empty vials, as well as racks that clearly held more vials previously.


    Instead of immediately answering, Gabrielughed as he managed to open one of the cylinders.


    "This, my unenlightened friend, is one of the most valuable treasures you will ever get your hands on. This is purified, liquified aether!"


    "No way!" Arter suddenly eximed, his sour mood suddenly forgotten as he approached the newly opened cylinder. He reached in and grabbed one of the vials, still filled with a light blue liquid.


    "No way!" he eximed again, and his hands began to tremble!


    "What the hell is liquified aether?" Nero asked. He was not dumb. The name clearly insinuated what it was. But the fact was that he had never heard of such a thing, and more importantly, he did not know what it was used for. Clearly, based on the reaction Gabriel and Arter were having, it was extremely valuable.


    "Liquified aether is exactly what it sounds like," Gabriel answered with a grin. "As for what it''s used for¡­ Nero, this stuff can help boost your progress regardless of what realm you''re in. Do you understand what I''m saying? Regardless of your realm! It can help you speed up your progress from Neophyte to Initiate, just as it can help a Sage grow stronger within their own realm! Can you imagine?


    Even Sages want this stuff!"


    Maximilian was startled as he heard those words, and rushed to the cylinder to grab a vial for himself. This¡­ this was too valuable!


    "Nobody knows how to make this thing," Gabriel said as he looked at the vial with a heated gaze. "But records have passed down from the Emperor''s time. This is one of the reasons why the Emperor and his generals became Sage''s so quickly! But after they used it all, it''s never been seen again, and despite hundreds of years of effort, no one knows how to make it still."


    Nero frowned as he saw how crazed each of them looked. He turned around and looked around the room. If someone wanted to assassinate them right now, it''d be incredibly easy. Not that he thought of Vanessa as an assassin, but still.


    "Contain yourselves," Nero said sternly, his heavy voice a stark contrast to the feelings of the other three boys. "Don''t forget that we''re in a warzone, with a time limit counting down till the fog blows back. Not to mention, if Jessie got in here, there''s nothing preventing others froming in as well.


    -official


    Although liquid aether sounds good, we don''t have the time to use it nor do we have the means to take all of this away. The second we leave this pce and return to themand centre they''ll take these vials away from us."


    Gabriel gave him a derisive look.


    "As level headed as ever. But you''re wrong about one thing. We definitely have time to use at least one vial each."


    Since the other two each had one already, Gabriel handed Nero a vial as well. The cylinder had a few more, and there were approximately a hundred cylinders in this room, meaning that there were hundreds of such vials in this room.


    "Liquid aether can be used at any level, but it is not absorbed over a short period of time, not to mention it does not hamper you in any way. That means, after drinking this, we can still keep a few more with us to turn in to themand centre for credit while our body slowly absorbs it. After all, remember, after we leave, and the foges back, no one cane here till next year.


    So if we deliver a few of these vials, our credit will be huge.


    "Meanwhile, our own progress will have sped up incredibly. Just make sure you don''t break into the Initiate realm while we''re still in the basement. It would be quite sad to survive this long, only to be killed by the fog."


    Without exining any more, Gabriel opened the vial and chugged it. Technically speaking, since this liquid could help even Sages, it was a huge waste for them to be drinking it. But none of them felt like it was a waste. Bing an Initiate even a day sooner would make them stronger, and increase their chances of survival. After all, they were the weakest members of the army in a time of war.

 Chapter 179: Flirting

    Nero kept his gaze fixed on Gabriel as he watched him drink the liquid from the vial. It wasn''t that he doubted Gabriel''s statement, but even so it would not hurt to be cautious. The thing that Nero was especially focused on was how Gabriel specifically knew what he wanted, whereas Arter had only reacted after he had been told what the vial contained.


    They both knew about Liquid aether, but Gabriel seemed more familiar with it, as well as with Vaults. Considering how a new Vault hadn''t been essed in centuries, Gabriel''s intimate knowledge of what it was and what it contained was noteworthy.


    Nero watched as Gabriel closed his eyes after drinking from the while, a satisfied look on his face. Arter and Maximilian did not hesitate either, chugging down their vials.


    It didn''t take long. Only a few secondster Gabriel opened his eyes, and upon discovering that Nero still hadn''t drunk his vial gave him a curious look.


    "What does it feel like?" Nero asked.


    "It''s warm, and instantly spreads throughout your whole body. It''s going to take a while to absorb. Considering our low level, it might take up to a couple of weeks, or even more to absorb it. But don''t bother taking more than a vial. The amount of liquid aether we can contain is already less than the contents of this vial, and everything extra will just permeate out of our bodies as natural aether.


    It''s a waste."


    "It just permeates out? No risk of poisoning or over consumption?" Nero asked, surprised.


    "Like I said when I first introduced it, this is liquified and purified. It''s the easiest form of aether to absorb. This thing¡­ this single vial is worth at least a few hundred million Krims."


    Nero''s eyebrows shot up! Hundred million Krims? That was more than theworth of his entire family, even considering the fact that his mother might be a Mystic by now! Nero was not a greedy man, but even he felt light headed as he thought about how much money he was holding in his hands.


    But the feeling barelysted. The thing Nero cared about least was money. As long as he was strong money would naturally flow in.


    Seeing that all three of them were fine after consuming the liquid aether, Nero chugged the vial as well.


    The liquid aether tasted refreshingly minty, though the sensation of warmth being associated with that vour was strange. As the liquid travelled down his throat, even before it reached his stomach, Nero could feel it being absorbed into his body.


    A strange, euphoric sensation filled his entire body as the influence of the liquid spread, and Nero realised why each of them wore such a satisfied expression as they drank.


    For a few seconds his entire body was warm, and Nero was certain he broke the 10% card absorption threshold, yet the feeling faded. If Gabriel was to be believed, over the next couple of weeks, the increase in percentage of his absorption would skyrocket. As for how much it increased, that remained to be seen.


    "Do you want to know something absolutely crazy?" Gabriel asked as he looked at Nero with a smug expression.


    "What?"


    "What we just drank¡­ is actually rocket fuel!"


    Nero raised an eyebrow. He was familiar with rockets. It was said that Nova had experimented with building a so-called rocket with the intention of flying over the fog, or at least going high up enough in the atmosphere so that they can catch a glimpse of their world beyond their ''small'' enclosure. It was, of course, a failure of a project.


    There had yet to be a single sessfulunch, at least as far as he knew.


    "What you''re saying is that the Nova rocket initiative was inspired by Eldrim technology?" Nero took another look around this room and saw nothing that looked like a rocket. But then again, they were in the fuel storage area, technically speaking.


    Gabriel clicked his tongue in disappointment. He was hoping for more of a reaction from Nero than simple curiosity.


    "Everything we have is based off of Eldrim tech," Gabriel responded ndly, now that he lost interest.


    "There are more benefits for us to find in this Vault, but none of them are as simple and straightforward as drinking liquid aether. We also have to ount for the fact that we might encounter new things that weren''t in any reports of what other Vaults contained.


    "From here on out, I think we should search for the security node while keeping an eye out for any research on Eldrim cards. If we discover anything new, we can take some time to explore it but we have to be careful. I know of at least two Eldrim augmentation machines that put a person to sleep for a few weeks while they enhance the body that were recorded in previous Vaults.


    If any of us get stuck in things like that¡­ then they''re going to have to find a way to survive down here for another year at the very least before helpes."


    "I propose we split up," said Arter suddenly. "We can cover more ground, and if any of us finds the security node we can alert the others."


    Nero and Gabriel shared a look, before looking at Maximilian who seemed hesitant. Out of them all, he had the least information about this ce, and had the least ess. He certainly couldn''t go alone, and Nero and Gabriel seemed like they were more than happy to work together. If they did split up, it would either be teams of two, or Arter heading off alone.


    "Of course, we cannot bepletely alone. Who knows what Jessie might n," Arter said. "We can move around in teams of two. Max and I can go together, and you two can go on your own."


    After seeing that Maximilian was amenable to the deal they split up, though Nero and Gabriel stayed back in the fuel storage room and watched the others go. Maximilian kept the bomb with him, since leaving it lying around was not a good idea.


    "You think he''s nning something?" Gabriel asked as he watched Arter leave.


    "No, he just doesn''t like being reminded that we beat him up. On top of that, Jessie''s betrayal has resulted in him facing two failures, all within the span of 24 hours. He''s just in a bad mood," said Nero.


    "What about us? Are we nning something?" Gabriel asked, referring to why Nero had him stay back.


    Nero smiled. Instead of replying to him, he looked around the room, and especially towards the first cylinder which was already open when they arrived.


    "Getting out of the Vault might not be as easy as you imagined, Jessie," Nero said out to the room. "Right after you came in, the entire escort group was attacked, and realistically speaking, annihted. Whether we can truly exit safely or not is still in question. So¡­ if you, perhaps, want some help exiting when we''re about to leave, feel free to reach out to me. I''m sure we can work out a deal."


    The room returned to silence after Nero spoke, and nothing unusual happened. It was as if Nero had spoken those words to an empty room. But he only smiled, and walked out with Gabriel, who was also looking around curiously.


    A few minutes after the two left, Vanessa stepped out of a shadow, grinding her teeth. She didn''t believe Nero had found her. He had to be pretending. He had to be! thank you for using mv _l _e _mpy _r


    She clenched her fists and stomped one of her feet.


    That stupid boy was messing with her, she knew it! If it were anything else, she would not have cared. But Vanessa was especially proud of her stealth and infiltration skills. After all, her innate ability allowed her to hide perfectly inside a shadow.


    From the day she woke up this ability she had been training especially to be a spy, even though she didn''t need to, and even volunteered for this mission. There was no way she was going to mess things up just because Nero had a strange way of flirting.


    Vanessa snorted, then walked up to theputer. She had no way of knowing that she could enter a Vault inside Lumina, but in case she had, she was fully prepared.


    Getting her hands on a few vials of liquid aether was great, but the thing Nova really needed was to understand how to manufacture it. Sure, there were other great things inside the Vault, but this was her primary goal.


    Vanessa could not help but snort once more as she recalled Nero''s statement about needing his help exiting from the basement. She would show him. Without the need to fit in with the rest of the group, her stealth capabilities inside the fog were unmatched. It would be impossible to find her.


    She would see who needed whose help when the time came.

 Chapter 180: Old Valen

    As soon as Nero stepped out of the rocket fuel storage, he paid much closer attention to this ce. The hallways were well lit, and vaguely reminded him of the corridors in schools. There was a thick white border around every door and window, while the walls and floor carried neutral colours.


    The venttion in here was perfect, making it seem like he was breathing fresh air rather than processed air, and the temperature was extremelyfortable.


    It seemed that,pared to the rest of the research facility, which was just a little too cool, this ce had been specifically designed to be upied by humans for long durations of time.


    He looked up and saw boards with directions pointing towards different directions of the Vault, and was incredibly surprised to discover thatpared to other Eldrim texts he had encountered so far which were in an entirely differentnguage, the boards contained Old Valen.


    Valen was the dominantnguage in all six countries, though that had not always been the case. Each region had its ownnguage, and oftentimes even their own dialects of the samenguage. Yet when the emperor unified thends into one empire, he also spread the use of Old Valen across thends.


    Those who had been colonised could only adapt. But over the course of a thousand years, thenguage naturally evolved, taking on some influences from the manynguages it reced and also adjusting for how thenguage developed colloquially. That was to say, Nero could easily read Old Valen, but it just sounded a little odd to him.


    Arter and Maximilian had walked somewhere far off into the distance, but Nero saw no reason to start searching anywhere specific. They walked up to the nearest door, and Nero ced his hand on the scanner right outside the door.


    The door swooshed open, sliding into the wall itself, and revealing the room behind it. Just like the previous rocket fuel storage room, it was unassuming. Instead of countless cylinders, this room contained countless small, ss jars, each holding a small marble sized ball floating right in the middle.


    What was intriguing was that each ball was a mix of different colours, as if arge volume of certain items had beenpressed into a ball. The only thing that came to his mind was dirt though.


    Dirt had a different appearance based on theyer it was in, so starting from the ground to several metres deep, if someone collected dirt andpressed it into a marble sized ball, it might look like what he was looking at.


    "Any idea what these are?" Nero asked Gabriel as he studied the countless jars. There had to be hundreds of them.


    "Nope, I''ve never heard of something like this. Wait, let me check theputer."


    Nero followed him and watched as he turned on theputer, revealing an interface that looked unnervingly familiar. It was exactly like theputers they used in school. That eliminated the difficulty of trying to understand how to use them, though he immediately understood why Gabriel showed such an ugly expression while he tried to figure out what the samples were.


    Everything was written in Old Valen, and it was incredibly awkward to understand.


    After going through a few different files that contained highlyplicated jargon discussing things that werepletely beyond Nero''sprehension, he finally spotted a paragraph summarising a particr researcher''s findings! Experience adventures on m _v _lempy _r.


    "Upon diverse samplings of de mone, we discover that each sample holdeth a strange and unknown energie. De energie in de samples waxeth and wh, ording to de depth from whence they were taken. De deeper de sample, de richer de energie; and as men draw nearer to de core, de greater de concentration of that wondrous energie."


    Nero read the paragraph twice, and his gaze locked onto a specific word: mone. In modern Valen it was pronouncedpletely differently, but there were just too many hints. He could easily guess that ''mone'' was actually the moon!


    After all, the whole city was named Lumina! While in modern Valen Lumina might be thought of as referring to light, in old Valen it meant moonlight! This whole city was, perhaps, closely rted to the study of the moon!


    "Gabriel, I think¡­ I think these are samples from the moon!" Nero said, unable to hold his shock.


    He looked from theputer back to each jar, and especially at each of the marble. No wonder they reminded him of dirt so much. They might literally be dirt samples.


    If Nero understood the brief correctly, then these samples might not be limited to just the surface of the moon, but might be taken from deep within it!


    Did this mean that hundreds of years ago, the Eldrim had already visited the moon? How was such a thing possible? But then again, he had juste from a room containing rocket fuel.


    "Do you think we should grab a sample to bring back?" Gabriel asked, clearly not as impressed at Nero. "I''m worried that the container might break. The document did say that they had a strange energy, and I don''t really want to experiment with that."


    Nero frowned, then shook his head.


    "It''s better not to risk it. This can neither provide us with any immediate benefits, nor should it be of any value to the army. We can leave it here for now."


    "It''s strange. None of these samples look like they''re from the Dark Moon. Why do you think that is?" Gabriel asked as they left the room.


    "Who knows?" Nero said, shrugging. He suddenly remembered the Abstract curse he saw back with Footer, and how it took the shape of the moon.


    Interest shed in his eyes. There were secrets hidden here, but right now he was not really in the state to go exploring them.


    The two walked up to the next room and opened it up. Who knew whaty in store for them behind each door? The Vault¡­ was truly fascinating.

 Chapter 181: Art

    The next room they visited was, once again, of little use to them. In fact, as much as Nero prided himself for his self study in high school, he could not even understand what the purpose of that room was.


    He was able to gather, through a trend, that they were in some kind of warehouse or storage portion of the Vault, which is why each room simply stored specific items or items of a simr nature.


    The items in this room seemed to beponents of some other,rger machine that neither of them could make heads or tails of. The fact that everything was written in old Valen did not help either.


    But they were able to gather that it was not relevant to them, so they moved on.


    The fourth room they entered was a little special. It contained small nt samples. What was interesting was that each nt sample was alive.


    Considering the fact that this facility had been abandoned for 1210 years, the fact that the nts were alive was amazing! Especially since Nero could identify most of them! They were just the native flora around Aetherpeak.


    "Do you think that this facility has some kind of research on immortality?" Gabriel asked as he rubbed the leaves on a tree sapling. They feltpletely ordinary.


    "The berserkers, dark berserkers, and mutts have been alive for hundreds of years, and all it took was being corrupted beyond recognition. I wouldn''t call that immortality, I would call that eternal damnation," Nero said.


    He checked theputer to see if there was anything special about the nts, but since he was unable to discover anything with a quick search, they left the room.


    "Man, even cursed creatures don''t naturally live that long," Gabriel said. "Assuming there''s a steady supply of aether to feed cursed creatures, their natural lifespan is directly predictable using their body mass. The greater the mass, the longer they live. Neither of those have enough mass to have survived a thousand years."


    Nero frowned for a bit, then confessed a suspicion he had.


    "I think they were testing on creating biological weapons. If they were, then it''s only a matter of time before Kr gets its hands on that research."


    The fifth room actually contained something Gabriel recognised. They were stacks and stacks of boxes, each contained a small, wrapped item about five centimetres long.


    "This is good stuff," Gabriel said as he went through one of the boxes. "They''re called Aether candies, or at least that''s what the records I read said. The potions we drink are a pale imitation of these. We should definitely take some of these back."


    After going through theputer, they discovered that the Aether candies in this room had rapid physical rejuvenation qualities. It was tough to gauge how good they were, or if they had expired or not - if they even expired to begin with - but these were absolutely valuable, especially in times of war.


    Nero regretted the fact that he could only take a few as he did not want to weigh his bag down.


    "By the way," Gabriel asked, as they exited the room and walked into an adjacent hallway. "What was that about with Jessie? I was waiting for you to exin but you didn''t say anything."


    "Jessie was only a few minutes ahead of us," Nero exined. "Not enough time to hide far if she was truly in the fuel storage room. More importantly, she knew how to open the Vault while the rest of us had no idea, not even you. I don''t think we''re going to be getting a rescue party after we aplish our mission - not after how the entire team was torn apart.


    If we want to escape, we''re going to have to do it ourselves - through fog that blinds us but apparently not the enemy. I don''t know about you, but I''d rather have someone as knowledgeable as Jessie on my side. Who knows? There might even be an escape hatch in here that can help us avoid all those dark berserkers."


    They entered another room, and this time Nero paused right at the door, stunned. For a moment, he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. Right in front of him were a number of weapons racks, each containing different weapons.


    There were swords, axes, maces, hammer, and many others. But most importantly, there were spears, and they looked magnificent!


    Each spear was a masterpiece, crafted with an elegance and precision that defied belief. The shafts were a uniform, gleaming silver, their sleek surfaces reflecting the ambient light with a cold, wless lustre. They were slender yet sturdy, etched with intricate patterns that seemed to call to him.


    The spearheads were even more breathtaking, forged from a crystalline substance that caught the light and refracted it into a dazzling spectrum of colours. They were sharp, deadly, yet exuded an ethereal beauty that made it hard to believe they were instruments of war.


    Each one was unique, some adorned with what looked like ancient runes, others with delicate filigree that seemed to hum withtent energy.


    Nero did not realise when he crossed the room, or when he reached out to them. One moment he was standing at the door, and the next moment he was right in front of them.


    His fingers brushed against the cool surface of a spear, sensing the smooth touch of the strange material. He was mesmerised¡­ until he tried to pick them up.


    That''s when he realised that this spear, despite its slender frame, was much too heavy for him to wield, not unless he was constantly manipting his internal aether. Realistically, he would have to leave these behind - not unless he found one that he could carry without being hampered. m|v|l|e m|p|y|r original content


    The thought filled his eyes with reluctance. He was already suffering from a wounded ego after losing his spear inbat, and now he would be forced to leave behind these works of art.


    But logic prevailed over his emotions, and Nero steeled his heart. The spears were great, but a spear was worse than worthless if it resulted in him getting killed rather than serving him as a weapon.


    He knew he had to put it back, and focus on more pertinent tasks. But, on a final whim, he wanted to see what it would feel like using it. He manipted his internal aether, and let a bit of his cryome loose.


    That''s when the spear began to hum.

 Chapter 182: Augmenting weapons

    There was a very literal hum that broke the silence of the armoury, as if the spear was waking from a long and deep slumber. It vibrated gently in his hands, and the silver body of the spear took on a bluish tinge.


    Nero''s aether flowed into the spear, and from the spear power flowed into Nero. Nero instantly felt strengthened, so much so that the weight of the spear went from being a burden to being just right. But he experienced more than just an increase in brute strength.


    Nero could feel his thoughts flowing faster, clearer than before. He could tell that his speed had increased as well. He experienced an overall augmentation in every aspect of his being, and it was incredible.


    Yet it was not free. He could feel the spear feeding off his aether, and Nero knew that it was at an unsustainable rate. If Nero used no other cards and did not use his innate ability, then he would at mostst twenty minutes holding this spear, or less. Probably less.


    But much more importantly, this kind of augmentation stunned himpletely. It was not that augmentation in itself was a new concept. There were countless cards that could do as such. As soon as he entered the Initiate realm they''d be avable to him, since they were tooplicated to be used by Neophytes.


    Yet there was no card at y here, nor did Nero have any control over this phenomenon. Instead, it was as if this was the standard augmentation that this spear provided.


    He recalled a casual conversation he had with Vanessa regarding making equipment that could utilise various effects or spells. Now he hade face to face with one such piece of equipment. Had she already known to expect this?


    "Channel your aether into one of these weapons," Nero said, looking at Gabriel. He wanted to see if they all had the same effect. In fact, he put down the spear and picked up another one. Yet the augmentation he received was identical.


    "Whoa!" Gabriel eximed, and Nero looked at him to see him holding a sword tinged with red. His movements were extremely quick as he tested the de by swinging it through the air - too quick. It seemed the augmentation he got from the sword was less bnced, and more focused on speed.


    But the red colour attracted him. Was the nature of the augmentation due to the weapon, or the colour that the weapon took on when they used it.


    "Swap weapons," Nero said and handed him a spear while he grabbed a sword himself. Much like the spear, the sword was too heavy to be used normally, though its weight was not as exaggerated as the spear.


    He channelled his aether into the sword, and as it took on the colour of his mes, Nero felt a different kind of power flow into him. The world seemed to slow down, just a little, as his mind felt faster than ever before. The weight of the sword seemed marginally better, but it was not to the level where he could dismiss it inbat. In that sense the spear suited him more.


    Yet it was obvious that the augmentation he received was based on the weapon.


    Nero went and grabbed an axe, and channelled his aether into both weapons at once. The rate of his aether depletion multiplied, but he felt even more power flow into him. It almost felt as if, while he was standing on the ground, he would be able to pull infinite strength from it into his limbs.


    But before he could experiment, Nero groaned and stopped his aether maniption. Using two weapons at once depleted him too fast, and though he was not close to emptying his aether reserves, his body could not adapt to such a drastic depletion of aether.


    He was hit by a mild wave of nausea. He strongly suspected that if his body hadn''t already gone through a round of strengthening then the nausea would have been much worse.


    But Nero was too excited by the implications to care. As much as he wanted to, he knew he might not be able to bring out the spear with him - especially if he expected a fight after exiting the Vault.


    But there were more than just spears in here. While most weapons might weigh him down, literally, there was a great number of smaller weapons as well. For example, the beautifully curved, immactely designed daggers that were hung in a particr rack.


    Even if they were made from heavy materials, their small size allowed for them to be a manageable weight. There were also wrist guards that also functioned as iron knuckles, as well as even smaller throwing knives.


    All of these could, technically, be taken with him. Though for all the utility that wristguards provided, serving as a defensive tool against weapons in closebat, Nero was averse to them. They restricted the movement of his wrists, which he was too reliant on, regardless of what weapon he used.


    "This is incredible¡­" Gabriel murmured as he held a shortsword. "We have to bring these back out. The amount of merit we can get for something like this¡­ might be even more than bringing out liquid aether!"


    Gabriel kept checking out the various weapons, but while Nero recovered he opened up theputer to check if there were any notes on the production of these weapons. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As he had long suspected, this was just a warehouse of sorts, so the only information he could find was on how many weapons were stored here.


    In the end, both of them left the room geared with multiple new weapons. Nero grabbed one dagger with a 30 cm (11 inches) long, curved de which gave him a minor boost in both strength and speed, and three throwing knives, all of which enhanced Nero''s strength and precision by an absurd amount. Gabriel, on the other hand, took a shortsword and a dagger.


    Just the addition of those few weapons made them both considerably stronger, and Nero swore to himself that he would somehow get his hands on one of the spears from the Vault sooner orter.


    Although ordinarily, he was highly focused and logical in his pursuit of greater strength, at the end of the day he was human too. The allure of such an amazing spear was not one he could easily ignore.


    Their exploration of the Vault continued, and after visiting several more rooms containing misceneous items that they either could not understand the use of or could not use under the present circumstances, they eventually exited the storage section of the Vault, and entered into another one.


    At first, it seemed like the rooms they were discovering now were even more useless than the ones they didn''t understand back in the storage area, until Nero made a significant discovery.


    "We''re in the administrative section," Nero said as he read through aputer. The reason why he was even moderately fluent in old Valen was because of his interest in history, but even then it took him a while to understand what was written.


    "This is the logistics office," he said. "These are the files pertaining to the everyday use of supplies for the operation of the Vault. That''s strange, why is there such arge number of weapons being regrly brought into a research facility?"


    "If this is the administrative section, then the security node should be in one of these rooms," Gabrielmented.


    "No seriously, Gabriel,e look at this. They were bringing in hundreds of weapons every week, though there is no mention of what they were being used for. There''s a lot of Revitalization tablets as well, which is what I assume is the proper name for Aether candies. This looks like they were supplying an ongoing battle rather than a researchb."


    There were also countless other items mentioned in the logs, but Nero did not know what they were so he could not guess what their purpose was.


    "We already know that something must have happened 1210 years ago to empty out the city so abruptly. Maybe they were fighting a war with someone. Maybe they all ran away to the Moon when they thought they were going to lose. Regardless, Nero, we don''t have time to be spending on these things."


    "Even if they''re fighting a war,why bring the weapons here? And where are they? The armoury was not nearly big enough to fit them all¡­"


    Eventually Nero relented. As interesting as it was to try and unravel the mysterious past, they were on a time limit.


    Once they discovered that the security node might be nearby, they sped up their search of the rooms until they eventually stumbled onto a particrlyrge office with dozens ofputers.


    Even if the security node was not in here, it would probably have some information on where it might be¡­ and maybe, some more information on what was happening all those years ago.

 Chapter 183: Corpses

    "Nero we''ve been inside the Vault for 37 minutes," Gabriel said, surprised at his own words. This was the first time he ever saw Nero distracted from the task at hand, or failing to make the most of a situation. He couldn''t understand why he was prioritising delving into long forgotten matters when they should be prioritising gaining as much strength as they could from this Vault.


    Nero looked at him and understood exactly what the other was feeling. But what Gabriel didn''t understand was that Nero was prioritising the most important things. These ruins would not be going anywhere, and unless Kr lost the war, chances were high that he would visit them again.


    Yet the chances of visiting the Vault again would be minimal. Even if next year the fog did retreat and the research facility was once again essible, it was unlikely Nero would still be a Neophyte.


    That meant he had to make the most out of the resources avable. That left him with the obvious choice of scouring the Vault, trying to gain as many benefits as he could. But Nero also strongly valued all the information he was getting here.


    The Vault seemed specifically designed for humans, so the information he could get from here about the Eldrim, or Lumina, or any other critical topic was much more likely to be relevant to him. Maybe what he learned today could help him unravel the secrets of the city tomorrow.


    He was thinking long term, but it was also true that after a certain point he needed to prioritise more immediate benefits.


    "Yes, yes, I''m done," Nero said as he finally left theputer. "I discovered the medical bay, as you requested, and also found where the security node is."


    "What about cards? Anything about cards?" Gabriel asked excitedly. How could he not be excited? Supposedly, the origin of all Eldrim cards was one of these Vaults. If they could find more¡­


    "I couldn''t look up everything in detail. Everything I got was from a blueprint of the Vaultsyout. There''s nothing on it that suggests anything even remotely rted to cards. However, I did find what I think is the director or overseer''s office."


    Gabriel raised an eyebrow in curiosity.


    "The exact word used was ''Reeve'' so I can only assume it means boss of some kind. Come one, let''s disable the security node first. Then we can hit the other two ces. I don''t think we should spend too much time here. Don''t forget, the fog coulde back at any time."


    The fog that Nero was talking about was not the fog that filled the basement, but the fog that used to cover the research facility entirely. It would be tragic to attain upgrades the likes of which had not been seen for a millenia, only to be killed by the fog.


    "Did you at least learn anything interesting?" Gabriel asked, unable to hold back. His impression of Nero was too strong. He was a man with a one track mind. He didn''t believe that Nero would waste so much time on history because it was a hobby of his.


    "It''s not like theputers contain diaries or journals that can tell me what was happening back then," Nero said with a shrug as he led the way to the room with the security node.


    "I went through some of the documents and tried to see what they were about. As for the situation back then, it can only be deduced from clues. There is no mention of the berserkers or corruption, or anything even remotely rted to that. But I did see personnel files. There were over three hundred humans working in this Vault.


    Considering that everywhere in these ruins, humans are only considered assistants or research specimens, it really raises the question of why these Vaults are so different."


    "People have been debating that for hundreds of years," Gabriel stated.


    "Besides that, theputers I essed didn''t really have anything I could make sense of. I tried to find the database that records whoever essed the Vault, but I couldn''te across it. I was really interested to find out the ancestor of Jessie."


    There was another reason, though he didn''t mention it. He doubted anyone had been to the Vault, considering it was covered in fog, but if he could somehow get his hands on any kind of database for this sixty, he could find proof if someone had essed it before the earthquake.


    Yet even knowing it was unlikely, he could only search for evidence here, since it was unlikely he''d be able to essputers anywhere else.


    They soon entered the room with the security node, and paused. Compared to the rest of the Vault, which was in pristine condition, this room was very different. Specifically, there were human corpses in this room - three of them.


    They had long be skeletons, their clothes hanging loosely over their bones, and their weapons on the ground besides them. Two of the bodiesy haphazardly on the floor, as if they had fallen inbat, while the third sat on the ground, leaning against aputer.


    The room also disyed signs of battle, as the walls showed cracks and scratches, though that was the extent of it.


    "How exactly are corpses supposed to look if they''re a thousand years old?" Gabriel asked as he looked at the bodies.


    Despite the passage of a millennium, the bodies were in a remarkable state of preservation. The absence of insects and the constant, controlled airflow from the venttion system had prevented typical decay. The first corpse, sprawled nearest to the door, had a desated, mummified appearance. Its skin was taut and leathery, stretched over bones that jutted sharply against the shrunken flesh.


    The features were still discernible, which was incredibly disturbing.


    The second body had reached a more skeletal state. Much of its flesh had withered away, leaving a ghastly framework of bones inteced with fragments of dry, parchment-like skin. A few wisps of blonde hair clung to the skull, and tattered remnants of clothing hung from the brittle limbs.


    Both those skeletal corpses looked, more or less, like what one would expect from a thousand year old bodies. Byparison, the third was extremely anomalous.


    This body was preserved in a way that defied natural decay, as if it had died yesterday. The skin, though pale and slightly translucent, retained a semnce of vitality, and the facial features were hauntingly intact, eyes still showing an expression of fear in them.


    The hair, blonde and lustrous, cascaded around the head, untouched by the ravages of time, adding an eerie sense of immediacy to the scene.


    In fact, even the blood on his clothes looked like it was still fresh. Yet how was that possible? Could¡­ could someone else havee in before them and then died under mysterious circumstances?


    Before their imaginations could run wild, Nero noticed something and kneeled beside the body. Carefully, he poked the corpse''s face, as if checking to see if he was alive.


    "I think¡­ I think this one was a Mystic, or maybe even higher," Nero said.


    "But that''s not the only issue, is it?" Gabriel asked.


    "No. It isn''t," Nero answered solemnly.


    If these bodies were really a thousand years old, how was it that they weren''t cursed yet? There was a very good reason Kr and all the other countries cremated all their dead.


    Nero finally got back up and moved around the body to see if theputer was still working. Fortunately, despite the screen being cracked, it was.


    "Help me figure out how to disable the node," Nero said as he tried to navigate the processes in theputer. Eventually, after some trial and error, they found the protocol to disable the node, but ran into an entirely different problem.


    "Confirm identity to disable security node," a voice said out loud. It was the same voice that told them to confirm their identities before moving on.


    Hearing it also caused Nero to realise something. The documents in theputers were all in old Valen, but whatever program was speaking was speaking in modern Valen. Nero only added it to the list of mysteries before pressing his hand against the scanner, yet he was rejected.


    "Insufficient authority. Cannot disable the security node."


    Nero paused for a second, then turned to look at the incredibly preserved corpse right next to theputer.


    "Do you think¡­?" Nero asked, looking at Gabriel.


    "Well, that would be highly convenient, wouldn''t it?"


    m-vl _e mpY _r exclusive content


    They tried again, this time using the palm of the incredibly well preserved corpse. It was actually a bit of a task, since the body was much heavier than it appeared to be.


    "Identity confirmed: Carin Johnson. Initiating security node shutdown."


    A loud siren went off across the entire research facility, and suddenly everyone knew that the final security node had been shut down. Themand centre outside suddenly experienced a flurry of activity, as more and more soldiers ran inside the facility, trying to achieve whatever objective they had set out for.


    With that, Nero''s mission was alsoplete. Now all he had to do was leave the basement without dying.

 Chapter 184: Evolution

    Arter was strapped to a chair, biting tightly on a piece of leather as his body experienced multiple excruciating jolts. Sparks shed around his hair and his fingernails, and he did his absolute utmost to free himself of his binds, but it was no use.


    He knew nothing about the world save for pain. For a very brief moment, the sting sound of a siren going off across the research facility was able to pierce through the cloud of pain that covered his mind. But it was only for a second. Then the overwhelming pain returned, and it continued for eternity.


    But even mired in pain that originated from the very depths of his being, Arter''s resolve never wavered. He never wished for release. He never wished for death. He did not even wish for the pain to be over. He simply waited¡­ until it was.


    The leather strap fell from his open mouth and he took in deep breaths, his pale yet sweat covered body greedily taking in air as if he had been on the verge of suffocating. Maybe he had been. It was hard to focus on such things amidst so much pain.


    "Are you¡­ are you okay?" Maximilian asked, filled with hesitation. For a moment, he almost thought Arter would die. But he made it through.


    As Maximilian observed Arter, and undid the straps holding him down, he suddenly noticed that the colour of his eyes became much deeper all of a sudden. Then, for the first time, the sparks of electricity around his body shed, but instead of appearing around his hair or his nails, they shed across his face. The across his arms, and then the rest of the body.


    Arter grinned as he held up his freed arm and allowed electric shes to dance around the palm of his hand.


    "It happened. It really happened! My ability has evolved!" he said with a hoarse voice, and thenughed.


    Even Maximilian was stunned, for before administering the necessary injections, Arter had shown him exactly what his ability was limited to. always on m|vl|e|mp|y|r


    "Don''t forget our deal," Maximilian said as he undid the rest of the straps. Although Maximilian was disadvantaged in the Vault due to his ancestry, he still wasn''t afraid or felt inferior to any of them.


    Even with Arter''s evolved ability, Maximilian had more than enough confidence in his own ability. Yet at the same time he could not imagine how powerful it would be if it evolved further.


    "Yes, yes, I haven''t forgotten. Get in the chair. I''ll strap you down and give you the injections. How long did this take?"


    "Around half an hour if I had to guess," Maximilian said nonchntly as he sat down and warily looked at the kit which contained the four injections that were able to cause Arter''s ability to mutate. But the cost of that mutation had been long, incessant pain that was extremely horrifying to watch.


    In truth, he really wanted to avoid experiencing it. But he could not allow fear to stop him from growing so much stronger.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to tell the others about this?" he asked. Arter had used up one kit, and there were four more left in the room where they were.


    "We have no obligation to hand this to them, as they have no obligation to hand us anything that they obtain," Arter said with a voice exceptionally devoid of emotions. "Think about it. There are only four kits left, and after you use one, there will only be three. Do you really want to give two to them? Don''t you have anyone whose innate ability you''d want to see evolve? A family member?


    A friend?"


    Maximilian frowned, but then sighed. Even though these injections could, apparently, only work on Neophytes, there were actually many people he could think of he''d want to use these on.


    "Are you sure you can get the army to give us the kits back once they take them from us?"


    "They''ll definitely take one," Arter said and he strapped Maximilian down. "That leaves one for each of us afterwards. Now bite hard on this. Trust me, you don''t want to identally bite off your tongue."


    He put a fresh leather strap in Maximilian''s mouth, and then positioned the first of four injections on his arm before closing his eyes. That was not really an effective defence against Maximilian''s ability, but at least it would prevent him from immediately fainting.


    As soon as he used the first injection, Maximilian began to writhe, and a blinding sh of light filled the room.


    Arter stumbled back. Even with his eyes closed, he nearly fainted. He supposed that he deserved that for electrocuting Maximilian a dozen times during his own injections.


    *****


    "What exactly are we looking for in the medical bay?" Nero asked as he led the way.


    "Well, ording to the documents I''ve read, when the emperor found the first Vault, it contained a special room where there was a machine that conducted an automated operation. The details are vague, but apparently it took a couple of weeks to recover from that, but when he did, he gained a tremendous amount of strength for a normal human.


    Now the next part is just spection, but a lot of people theorise that gaining so much strength before he became an Initiate is one of the reasons he was so abnormally strong in theter levels."


    "We don''t have weeks. I thought we were going to skip that."


    "Yes, but who''s to say that they don''t have easier ways to augment strength? After all, the records are old and full of spection. Besides, there is one more thing in the medical bay that I have my eye on - if it''s here."


    Gabriel paused, and gave Nero an ominous look.


    "There was also a lot of spection that the emperor may have gained something in the Vault that increased his ability to manipte aether. It''s hard to believe that the man didn''t receive multiple boosts from the Vault. It was not for no reason that the man defined an entire era all by himself."


    It was true. Although, at his peak the emperor had many Sages serving as generals under him, it was also a fact that none of them couldpete with him. ording to his history books, there were recorded instances of the emperor fighting against as many as four sages altogether without losing.


    The identity of those sages was never mentioned, nor why they would be targeting the emperor, but it was a generally epted fact that the emperor was, to put it in modern vernacr, a boss.


    There were even manyparisons drawn between Sage Morphius Kade and emperor Iskunder, at least in Kr. Though, considering that the emperor had managed to unify thends, he is still reluctantly considered to be the stronger of the two.


    "Fair point," Nero said and quickly led the way to the medical bay.


    Unlike the rest of the Vault, which divided each section into multiple rooms along a few side by side corridors, the medical bay only consisted of a fewrge rooms. The first one they entered looked like a ward for patients, as it contained numerous beds, each one attached to some kind of machine - or at least the remains of them.


    This was the second room they hade across that bore signs of a fight, and the signs here were much more devastating than thest - or at least more deliberate. The room itself and the beds were all fine, but each of the machines next to each bed had been thoroughly destroyed. Even theputer at the reception had been destroyed.


    There were also countless medicine vials whichy shattered on the floor, the liquids they contained long having evaporated.


    Gabriel wore a troubled look, but said nothing. Both of them explored the room and upon finding nothing of value, moved onto the next room.


    This one looked oddly like a dentist''s room, although Nero struggled to imagine why the Vault would need a dentist''s office inside of it. There was a reclining chair, attached to a machine with countless mirrors and lights pointed towards the chair, as well as a few odd ones he could not understand the purpose of.


    Fortunately, this room was not destroyed so they opened up theputer to try and understand what the room was for. It had nothing to do with dentistry. Instead, it was a room for minor surgeries. Some more delving revealed that each of the patients were getting some kind of imnts.


    Since it could not benefit them at all, in any way, they moved onto the next room which was much more promising. It looked like a pharmacy, or something close to it, and it was in good condition.


    Both of them immediately began looking through theputers for anything even remotely simr to an enhancement drug or procedure.

 Chapter 185: Treasure trove

    Entire shelves were stocked with bottles and vials containing pills and potions the likes of which they had never seen. There were minor medical tools, bandages and antiseptics. There were also well preserved, well packaged raw materials that weremonly used in the manufacture of Eldrim cards.


    Nero didn''t even bat an eye when he saw a transparent block that contained a still living lead. He had basicallye to ept the fact that the Eldrim basically just wielded immortality as they wished and how they wished. Preserving a few ingredients was a lot more feasible than monsters.


    There was an abundance of medicine all around them, yet it was painfully useless, for both the bottles and the documents in theputers were listed by their medical names. Whether it was Aethercillin, Lunatropin, Dracovin or any of the other countless bottles present, they could not tell what their purpose was at all.


    If they had no idea what the medicine did, there was no way they were just going to ingest it.


    With great reluctance, they both just grabbed a bottle at random and put it in their bag. There was still a chance that these would be super useful and would earn them great credit, but one was their limit. In fact, Nero''s bag was already beginning to bugle.


    "Let''s just go to the Reeve''s office. This is a bust," Nero said with disappointment. Let alone some mythic operation that could enhance their bodies, they didn''t even find a temporary performance enhancing drug.


    Yet Gabriel insisted they check one more room, as if a great treasure would be hidden in thest room they checked, and so they did. Whether it was luck or the process of elimination, they really did end up stumbling on something unusual.


    There were several, small circr pools about 1.5 metres (5 feet) across, each with stairs leading down into whatever liquid filled them. The liquid was transparent, like water, but was much too viscous to ever be mistaken as water, not to mention the fact that it kept moving despite the presence of anything stimting it. It was as if the liquid could not possibly sit still.


    There were also conveniently ced gas masks right next to the stairs, so that whoever descended into the pools could stay there for a long period of time.


    As curious as the situation was, neither of them were going to just jump into the pool without investigating.


    The answer was found almost immediately in the very first document Nero opened, which was an observation log.


    "In our quest to understand de newly discovered magical energy, CR-1, we have found its might to empower folk, yet it is perilously unstable. At this point in our research, we have devised a way for men to y-absorben this energy, but such a venture is fraught with great dangers.


    To prevent men from grievous mutations of de flesh and to y-preserven de sanity and de wits that are proper to humankind, we ordain that the research subjects be y-immersed in a stabilising liquid. This wondrous liquid keeps their bodies whole and their minds y-safe, warding off de dire effects of the vtile CR-1. only found at NovelFire _e-mp|y,r


    Thus, we proceed with utmost caution, striving to y-harnessen the power of CR-1 while safeguarding the well-being of our subjects."


    "A new kind of energy?" Gabriel read, confused. "You think they''re talking about aether? Could these be from when humans hadn''t adapted to aether yet?"


    "But that doesn''t make sense. We don''t need external aid to adapt to aether - just to get stronger with it," Nero mentioned. He continued to go through the documents, and eventually found images that gave both him and Gabriel pause. The pictures were of the mutations that CR-1 caused. They looked exactly like the shrivelled up versions of humans before they turned into berserkers.


    "Gabriel do you think¡­ that they were absorbing cursed energy?" Nero suddenly asked. "CR-1 sounds an awful lot like corruption. Do you think that they¡­ were trying to absorb cursed energy? No wait, this said it was a new energy. Does that mean cursed energy came into existence 1200 years ago?"


    They both were stunned. They could not imagine what a world without cursed energy would look like - although thisb which somehow managed to iste it as well as the fog was a pretty good example.


    "Wait a minute!" Nero suddenly eximed. "The Vault can prevent cursed energy froming in, but it also prevents the fog froming in. You think the fog is the source of all the cursed energy?"


    "That''s circumstantial. You can''t just say one is the cause of the other. What if it just so happens that the means to restrict cursed energy happens to work on the fog as well? Rather than that, I''m more interested in this liquid. If it could prevent cursed energy from causing mutations, do you think it can be used to seal and store cursed items?"


    Nero''s eyes gleamed as he realised how valuable that would be. This Vault was a literal treasure trove, but as valuable as this was, it was of no immediate benefit to them.


    Eventually they moved on, and went to the director''s office. Gabriel was tempted to look through one more room in the medical office, but they were just wasting time at this point. Besides their weapons, they had no other concrete gains in strength or ability in this ce, which was less than ideal since Nero was genuinely concerned about being able to exit from the basement.


    By now they had spent well over an hour in the Vault already, and each minute they spent here was a gamble.


    Finding the office was not difficult at all, nor was getting into it. For a moment Nero expected he might need more authority, but the door opened for him after a single scan. Yet the office was not like what he had been expecting. It was too¡­ human.


    Multiple shelves covered the walls, each of them filled with books, ornaments and strange objects. There were a couple of indoor nts in the corner, still alive of course, as well as a painting of a young looking man and a woman, dressed formally, standing side by side.


    There was a table with aputer on it, a few chairs, various tables, each with a few decorations. There was even a water bottle ced on the side.


    It looked so mundane. It was exactly like what he might expect from an office for a principal of a high school or maybe college. It was so out of cepared to the rest of the Vault that it was jarring.


    Nero looked at the painting, and realised that he recognised the man. It was the very one they saw in the security node room - the one who was perfectly preserved. He wondered who thedy was. Maybe it was his wife.


    "Nero!" Gabriel eximed, though his voice only came out as a whisper. "Nero look at this!"


    Nero turned around to find that Gabriel had made himselffortable by sitting in the chair behind the office table, and pulled open a drawer. Yet he had frozen still right after.


    Curious, Nero peeked over, and then grinned. Within the drawer were cards - Eldrim cards! But, much more importantly, each of those cards had unusual symbols where the star rating was supposed to be! They were all unranked cards!


    The name unranked cards made it sound like this specific rating of cards were weak, whereas the truth was actually quite the opposite.


    Unranked cards were cards that, for some as of yet unknown reason, surpassed the traditional limits of cards, which was the 3 star limit, and became moreplex, as well as unique.


    No two unranked cards were the same, especially because no one ever crafted an unranked card on purpose. Whether one was an artisan of the highest capability, or someone crafting a card for the first time, they all had an unbelievable equal chance of creating an unranked card.


    The absurdity of the situation was that not only were unranked cards more durable than even the best of 3 star ranked cards, but the effects of the cards werepletely random.


    For example, if a recipe that traditionally resulted in a card that threw a fireball resulted in an unranked card, then the effects of the card could range from creating a soft light to a rain of fire to an earth shattering explosion.


    The unpredictability of the card is what resulted in useful unranked cards being so rare. After all, the only thing that happened during the unusual mutation of the card was that the spell model became moreplicated than the intended one somehow.


    Nero''s theoretical knowledge of unranked cards was limited to surface level. He knew enough to understand that no one understood anything about them. Yet often theplexity of the spell model within unranked cards made them unique and valuable. Moreover, Nero only recently learned that even Neophytes could use them.


    Which meant that the two had literally stumbled onto a treasure trove.

 Chapter 186: Cards

    Nero looked at Gabriel, who was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the cards. It only made sense. All the cards they could use had extremely basic functions. Only higher starred cards had more impressive and intricate functionality.


    More importantly,pared to other items that could just them some random merit, these cards could actually contribute to their survival down in the basement.


    Gabriel picked up the stack, yes it was an entire stack, of unranked cards. As he went through them, what he saw surprised him even more than the actual stack of unranked cards!


    All of these unranked cards were actually just copies of the same three cards.


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    Name: Ful Defend


    Image: A figure in aplete set of armour, holding out arge metal shield


    Type: Defensive


    Star rank: X


    Ability: [Maketh an area of ful defend, so long as aether is fed]


    vour text: "Their honour we will defend, so long as we drawen breth," - Gravis June


    Name: Ful Hele


    Image: A body being lifted as a white light fills its chest


    Type: Hele


    Star rank: X


    Ability: [Allow de user to fully recover from all harms taken while itsteth, when de spell is dispelled]


    vour text: "This body we give, for all that they have given us" - Gravis June


    Name: Fair Weather


    Image: The sun is shining on a field of green


    Type: Domain


    Star rank: X


    Ability: [Allow de user to void all artificial atmospheric effects within a certain range around]


    vour text: "De world must be cleansed of pollution, so that they dwell in de world longer" - Gravis June


    It was just three cards, but each of them had exactly thirty copies in the stack, for a total of ny cards.


    The fact that the cards were identical copies broke the rule that all unranked cards were random and couldn''t be replicated at will. Basically, all that meant was that they, as a civilisation, still had much to learn about cards.


    But considering that neither Nero nor Gabriel were too familiar with the depth of card manufacturing, they were not too bothered by it. Instead, the effects of the cards themselves drew great astonishment.


    "This¡­ probably causes a massive drain on aether," Nero said, holding up Ful Defend. If he was reading it correctly, and he was certain that he was, the card would allow him to maintain an unbreakable defence as long as he supplied the card with aether.


    But even that was not nearly as insane as Ful Hele, if he understood it correctly. He dared not bepletely confident until he tested it out.


    From what he understood, once he activated the card, any damage he would rue would revert or disappear once the card became inactive. He had never heard of or never came across such a card, and he dared not test its limits though his mind could not help but wonder. He visualised a scene where he used the card until he died, which would automatically deactivate the card, bringing him back to life.


    It was not something he was willing to experiment with on himself, but that would be one hell of a surprise for his enemies if it worked.


    Yet, just like with Ful Defend he guessed that it would probably consume a veryrge amount of aether.


    Both of these cards were incredibly impressive, which is why the third one, initially, was a big disappointment. At a nce, there was no utility for Fair Weather at least in his present circumstances. He could see how it would be helpful against someone who spread poison or toxic gases in the air. But besides that, it seemed like it was useless.


    Yet, almost immediately, something urred to Nero. What if it could push back the fog? That was something Nero would never have even imagined had it not been for the Vaults ability to keep the fog out to begin with. The only catch was that the card stated it could only push back ''artificial'' atmospheric effects, which is why he was uncertain if the fog counted or not.


    Perhaps the fog outside might not count, but at least for the moment the fog in the basement wasn''t connected to the source, so it should count as artificial right? Again, this was not something he could conclude without trying, but if it worked, then he might have just cleared his greatest obstacle in fighting the tentacle monster outside.


    He shared his theory with Gabriel, who went from grinning like an idiot to being thoroughly stunned.


    "Do you¡­ do you realise what this means if it works?" Gabriel asked. "If it works then the army will no longer need Neophytes to explore the basements! This could literally change everything! If it could work on the regr fog as well then¡­ then the other ruins might be within reach as well!"


    Lumina might be the newest ruins within reach, but it was far from the only discovered ruins. For example, on the Mirage Isle within Lake Natura ruins of another Eldrim city could be seen from the coast of New Vriya. But no one could ess Mirage Isle, not only because of the fog that covered the centre of theke, but also because of its illusory nature.


    If one focused on it too much, or tried to approach it, it would disappear.


    Simrly, near the border of Kr and Dolziya, in the foothills covered in fog in front of the Aether Mountain Range, another set of ruins could be seen when the fog thinned.


    But both of these could only be viewed, and never reached. Yet if these cards could reliably push away the fog¡­


    "We''re getting ahead of ourselves. It still needs to be tested, and we need to get out of here first. Let''s continue looking around, I feel like this room might hide more things."


    Indeed, the very next drawer they opened contained a box full of Aether candies that Gabriel identified with having an aether restoring effect. There were also a number of documents which were too technical and beyond the realm of Nero''s understanding, especially in old Valen.


    The more they searched the room, the more treasures they found, yet what Nero discovered most of all was a sensation he had never felt before. It was a feeling of encountering valuable treasures that he was destined to part from.


    There was an obsidian dagger that just touching filled Nero with raging strength, so much so that he suspected he had be as strong as an Arcanist! Moreover, it did not even require him to channel aether into it, yet not even thebined might of Nero and Gabriel, even strengthened by the dagger, could lift it from the disy case where it sat.


    There was a strange nt that wafted off aether, which was something Nero had never seen nor heard off. Even Gabriel had never heard of such a thing. Aether was sourceless, as far as they knew, and if they did have to name a source for aether then aether shards is what they would think of, not nts.


    When the two of them tried to ess theputer, they were unable to for it required identification verification which they both failed. They could probably go and fetch the corpse from the other room, but it would take too much time and there likely wasn''t anything in theputer that could immediately help them, so they let it go.


    The two of them continued to scour the room, and Nero made sure to check for secret or hidden switches orpartments simr to the one Remi discovered, although he genuinely did not expect to actually find one.


    That was why, when his finger rubbed against a switch behind the border of the one painting in the room, he froze. Filled with a hint of disbelief Nero pressed the switch, and heard a distinct click, pushing the painting out of the wall from one side.


    The two teenagers looked at each other before Nero swung the painting open, revealing a small hole in the wall.


    "What is that?" Gabriel asked, focusing on it. The hole was too small for even the pinky finger, so he could not understand the purpose of it.


    "It can''t be," Nero murmured and opened up his backpack. Back in the cathedral, afterpleting his mission and handing over the artefacts, Nero had tried to give the major the other items he found, but the major was too distracted to ept them.


    Nero pulled out a ck key and studied the grooves on it. It would be too much of a coincidence if he had somehow stumbled on the key, and yet as he pushed the key in through the hole, it slid right in without resistance.


    Nero turned the key once, and the mechanism behind the wall clicked, and pushed open a perfectly blended door in another wall.


    The two teenagers nced at each other, then moved towards the door with haste. It felt like they had discovered a secret treasure.

 Chapter 187: Secrets

    As curious as he was, Nero approached the door with caution, even though nothing inside the Vault had been dangerous yet. He approached the slightly ajar door and pulled it open, revealing behind it another small room, as well as the door to a massive vault.


    The walls were sleek and metallic, reflecting a cold, sterile light. There were a few things in the room, a table, a cab, a chair, but Nero''s eyes were attracted to the vault at the end, a silent sentinel of whatever secretsy hidden behind.


    The vault door was circr, fashioned from a dark alloy that gleamed dully in the low light. The centrepiece was a giant wheel that dominated the door''s surface, its design unmistakably reminiscent of a ship''s helm. Around the wheel, spaced evenly like the points of apass, were six keyholes shaped remarkably simr to the one Nero used to open this room to begin with.


    To the right of the door was a hand scanner, though guessing whose scan was required was not tough. In fact, they were incredibly fortunate that the corpse, formerly known as Carin Johnson, was in such good condition, or else even disabling the security would have been a hassle.


    Nero''s gaze then focused on the puzzle. It was integrated into the vault door itself, aplex mechanical enigma made up of interlocking gears, dials, and sliding tes. Or perhaps it was not a puzzle, but just the Eldrim version of a numberbination lock. Except that instead of numbers, they used aplex mechanical contraption that would need the exact correct configuration to open.


    It made sense that whatever would be hidden behind the vault door would be incredibly valuable, but Nero had a gut feeling that whatever was behind the door was more than just valuable.


    Every casual thing inside this Vault had the potential to change how human civilization existed as a whole. Not only were there ways to block off cursed energy, as well as the fog, potentially even in card form, but there was liquid aether that could speed up the growth of all card masters, Sages included, and weapons that could enhance their users.


    It had safe ways to store cursed items, and potentially the secret to immortality, at least as far as nts were concerned - Nero wasn''t sure being mutated into a monster counted as bing immortal. This ce even held secrets from celestial bodies such as the moon.


    Nero had not even begun to consider how valuable the technology itself would be, not to mention the possibility of shedding a light on the history of man, as well as a time when cursed energy may not have even existed at all. There were quite a few impressive things about this ce, each of which could define an era.


    Yetpared to all of them, Nero got the feeling that whatever secret this vault held it was astronomically more important.


    It was an easy assumption toe to considering this was the first thing he hade across that was locked behind a sealed door. Nothing else he had seen had this level of protection, which naturally demonstrated the value and worth of whatever was hidden. But even beyond simple logical deduction, Nero could almost feel that this was a huge opportunity waiting for him.


    Time seemed to slow down as countless ideas ran through his head. He thought of everything he had seen in Lumina so far. He thought of all the history he had learned. Nero thought of all the variables at y around him.


    There was too much he didn''t know, including why someone might want him assassinated to begin with. It seemed like there were many forces conspiring against him and his family, so now it might be time to begin conspiring against the world.


    Many ideas fell into ce in his mind, but before he did anything he needed to get the full measure of this secret room first.


    He looked towards the cab and opened its doors, revealing a few items ced haphazardly. The most surprising of them all, perhaps, were a notebook and a small yellow pencil ced together. Of all the things he was expecting to see in the vault, these were not on the list.


    Besides those, there was a piece of jewellery, a bottle filled with a light brown liquid, and a loose gear that looked like it was from the puzzle on the vault door.


    Nero grabbed the notebook and opened it, surprised to find that the only thing that it contained were some scribbles that looked like someone was trying to solve the puzzle. Or maybe it was the solution written down by someone who had a poor memory.


    "Gabe, how much do you trust me?" Nero asked as he flipped the notebook to some empty pages and neatly ripped out two.


    He grabbed the pencil and began scribbling on one of the papers.


    "I think you know the answer to that," Gabriel answered, looking at Nero seriously. "I can help you when you decide to get revenge on the Dom family, and you can help me by growing stronger and bing an important partner for me when I try to gain an important position in the Anzem family. Hopefully, down the line, you might even be able to help me be the family head."


    At this point in time, Gabriel''s ims might sound absurd. How could Nero, a single person, y an important role in influencing arge family that is one of the most prominent in the country? Yet in a world where card masters existed, the power of a single, powerful individual can never be underestimated. It can literally change the history of the world.


    Nero was cognizant of that fact, much like he knew that his actions could possibly be altering the trajectory of history right now. He felt a rush as he thought about that he was, alone, influencing how major events would y out from now on - that was only if he was sessful though.


    "Gabe, we''ve been dreaming," Nero said as he put down the pencil and began searching for a card in his cardcase. "It''s time to wake up. It''s not just the Dom family I''m after - I realise that now. You also don''t need to care about what the Anzem family thinks. If you''re powerful enough, you won''t need to go to them. They''lle to you the way they follow Lady Gabrie." Find more at m _v _l _e _mpyr.


    Nero finally found the card he was searching for, and pulled it out. It was Luminalink, his father''s innate card.


    "What I''m trying to say is that right now, we have the opportunity to change our lives forever, but ites with a risk. Are you willing to take that risk?"


    Nero paused before doing anything else, and looked towards Gabriel. He needed that redhead to be on his side for this. But he knew that he wouldn''t need to pressure Gabriel into this.


    True to his expectation, Gabriel''s expression became firm after a few moments of contemtion. Although he couldn''t be med for being unable to defeat berserkers and dark berserkers on his own, he hated the fact that his performance was so much weaker than others.


    Sure, he could im that Arter''s innate ability just happened to bepatible with the enemy which is why he was able to beat them, but then what about Nero? At the end of the day, the why didn''t matter. All that mattered was the result. If he died, it would not matter if his opponent was a berserker or a Mutt - the oue was the same.


    So irrespective of external variables, he just wanted to be stronger.


    "When we exit the Vault, the army is going to thoroughly check everything we have and confiscate everything we''ve found so far. Of course, they''ll give us merits for it, but the point is we won''t be able to get them. We''re also going to be interrogated in detail so I doubt we''ll be able to keep anything secret.


    But, not only do we need to keep this vault secret, but we''re going to need to get our hands on a few things after the army takes them away from us? Do you think you can pull some strings and make that happen?"


    Of course, even though he was asking the question, he had a pretty good idea about how toplete at least one of those objectives. For the other one, he had some ideas as well, but whether or not to go through with them would depend on how much he trusted Vanessa.


    Unfortunately, Nero trusted Vanessa very much to act in the best interests of Nova, which was not necessarily in his own best interest. The n was stilling together in his head, and he was certain that he''d be able to figure something out.


    "Well, keeping secrets is not so hard," Gabriel said as he pulled out the Solemn Oath card. "As for recovering items¡­ well that depends on the item."


    "I guessed as much," Nero muttered, and then pulled out one more card. "Well, since we can keep secrets, then let''s see if we can discover if there''s even a secret worth keeping."


    The card he pulled out was Mind''s Eye, which would allow him to look through obstructions. It might not work, but then again, what if it did? Nero wanted to see if he could peer into the secrets of the vault. Everything else would follow that.

 Chapter 188: Oath upon oath

    The Mind''s Eye card had failed when Nero tried to use it in the fog, so chances were high that he might not be able to use it to peer past the vault either, but there was no harm in trying. More importantly, if he was able to get a sense of what the vault was hiding, his motivation to execute this n sessfully would grow immensely.


    Nero walked up to the vault door but suddenly paused when he felt the aether in his body tremble, resonating with a certain hum in the door. He had never felt something simr before, and for a moment felt like his body was reacting to the door. But it wasn''t.


    It took him only a moment to realise that his body was reacting to whatever was behind the door, and the gentle hum wasing from behind it as well.


    Slowly, carefully, Nero raised his hand and touched the cool, metallic surface of the vault door, and felt it vibrating just barely so. More importantly, the aether in his body reacted to the vibration, bing more active than before.


    In truth, one more reason that Nero wanted to use Mind''s Eye was because it urred to him that his sudden confidence in the fact that whatever was behind the door would be greatly beneficial was unusual. He was concerned that he might be under the influence of some kind of charm. It was a very real possibility.


    Yet the feeling he got when he touched the door was an incredible one. It was true that this could be more of the charm affecting him, but it wasn''t like Nero was about to open the vault now. At the very least he needed to get his hands on the six keys, the verification and solve this puzzle.


    He used the Mind''s Eye card, and to his immense and genuine surprise, he was actually able to peer through the door.


    Behind the vault door was a room filled with darkness, as far as he could tell from his limited view. Images of dirt filled his mind, and though whatever was hidden in that room was not in his view, Nero saw what looked like a root digging into the dirt at the very edge of his range of vision.


    He spent a significant time looking, but found nothing else. It was not what he expected, but whatever it was, Nero was determined to get his hands on it.


    Nero held up the page from the notebook that he had scribbled on, and activated the card. The effect of the card was simple. It allowed Nero to transmit any kind of information using light. But applying it was incrediblyplicated.


    It had allowed Nero to receive a secret message his father had sent, and since then he had practised until he learned to be able to do the same with this card, though in the process he learned that the effect of this card was infinitely more versatile than he had imagined.


    "Old man, don''t ask any questions, and don''t think twice for this is incredibly important. The first thing you need to look into is Vaults. I think the reason mom and Patrick were targeted had to do with Vaults. This guy named Herbert tried to assassinate me though I took care of it for now.


    There were witnesses, so it''s only a matter of time before someone finds out that I killed a ''friendly'' so I don''t know how that will y out.


    "These are just some things I needed you to know about, but they''re not the most important. I cannot tell you where I am or why I''m here because I cannot divulge mission details, but there''s something unrted to my missions I can tell you.


    After I''m done here, the army will likely go through my belongings, which means I''m going to have to rip your innate card so you''ll have to make me a new er. Much more importantly, old man, this is critically, and I mean critically important. There is a chance that among the confiscated items there is a ck key. I don''t know how you can manage it, but you have to get your hands on that key.


    Also, if you do manage to get it, never mention it out loud. This is the kind of thing best discussed through Luminalink."


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    He deactivated the card and looked at the page in his hand. Besides the small note to his father that read, "For Edward Grant. Whatever they said I did, I denypletely. Visit soon. Nero Grant."


    The note was meant to look like something he wrote after getting arrested for killing Herbert - in case that happened. If it didn''t happen, then it was just meant to look like a random joke. The point was, the note was simple enough not to receive enough scrutiny to be destroyed.


    "Here, take this," Nero said, handing the note to Gabriel. "When we get out, find a way to get that to my father one way or another."


    While Gabriel read the simple note, Nero pulled out the second, empty paper and activated Luminalink once more. This time, however, instead of transmitting an image of himself speaking, he began recording the appearance of the vault door, with special attention to the puzzle. After making sure that he got everything he needed, he handed the second piece of paper to Gabriel as well.


    "No matter what happens, make sure this is safe. Don''t lose it," Nero said, and then ripped Luminalink. It was a little premature, but he always knew that bringing Luminalink with him meant that before returning he would have to destroy it. After all, his father was technically not allowed to produce this at all. He also couldn''t have any proof that he was secretly transmitting any information.


    "Gabe, what kind of oath do we need to make to make sure no one can force us to divulge information about this ce?"


    "It''s notplicated. All we need to do is make an oath that without both of using to an agreement, neither of us will divulge information about this vault. Later, even if the army interrogates us, barring any unexpected situations, they won''t be able to get anything regarding this ce without raising gs."


    "Isn''t that a pretty big loophole that anyone can exploit?" Nero asked, shocked by how simple it seemed. "It is, which is exactly why it''s not so easy to get your hand on an oath card without official sanction - especially an unranked one!"


    Nero nodded.


    "In that case, once we leave, do you think you can get your hands on the Fair Weather card once we turn them in? Even if they work on dispelling the fog?"


    Upon mention of the fog, Gabriel was startled. He quickly realised what Nero was insinuating, and if the Fair Weather card could really push the fog away, then the Sages could finally explore the fog! So much unexplorednd will suddenly be open to them!


    "It''spletely impossible. Unless the cards be verymon, I doubt we''ll ever get a chance to even see them ever again."


    Nero frowned, and then made some adjustments to his n. It might seem like the solution was easy. All they''d need to do was swear yet another oath about keeping the card a secret, but it was far from simple.


    There was no proof of the existence of this vault, nor did anyone know to look for it. But once the Fair Weather card was revealed, Nero was certain they''d be questioned about it thoroughly. There was also the option of just not revealing Fair Weather at all, but if he needed to use it in the fog to fight the tentacle monster or the dark berserkers, then it would be revealed eventually.


    Fair Weather was a very important card to get his hands on because it literally was the key to returning to the basement once they surpassed the Neophyte realm. Which meant that if they didn''t have one, the chances of getting their hands on whatever this vault hid was basically null.


    "I''ll think of a solution. In the meantime, we need to swear the oath, and we need to bring Carin Johnson into the vault and hide him. We can''t risk his body being taken away in the future for tests and experiments. We have to be quick about this, and we can''t let the others see us either."


    Nero then exined a bit of the n he was beginning to develop with Gabriel, who also frowned. It was incredibly risky, and had great chances of failure. But it wasn''t like he had a better n to suggest either.


    The two swore their oath and promptly exited the vault room, closing the door behind them. Now all they had to do was smuggle the ancient corpse into the vault and finalise their ns for how to identally lose some cards under strenuous circumstances. It waspletely believable. Who didn''t identally lose a card here and there in a fight?

 Chapter 189: Tense silence

    As Nero pulled out the card Echo Location, he found it ironic that he was using the cards given to him by the army to hide from them. Nero and Gabriel quickly made their way through the facility, even using Muted self to ensure that they made no sound.


    Their journey to Carin was smooth, though the journey back promised to be tougher since his corpse was far from light. In fact, Nero almost immediately began manipting his internal aether so that their return would not be slowed down.


    But the more rush that they were in, the more careful they needed to be. Although Echo Location was good, in the sense that it would allow him to see past corners, it had a limited range, which is why Nero kept his ears strained the entire time.


    Their vignce proved itself prudent when Nero picked up on a slight noiseing their way. Immediately, the two of them ducked into the closest room, closing the door behind them. Nero even used Mind''s Eye to keep an eye on the corridor outside, and as expected, the two were spotted soon.


    Originally, he just wanted to keep an eye out for the other two and ensure they were spotted, but his expression slightly changed when he spotted Arter and Maximilian walking by.


    Nero had a habit of being observant and made sure to remember minor details. If anyone who was familiar with the two saw them right now, they would feel that something was different, but wouldn''t be able to tell what. Nero, however, knew.


    Arter''s eyes, which were previously light blue, now carried a deeper hue than even Nero''s own, while Maximilian, who previously had silver eyes, now had entirely white eyes, distinguishable from his actual eyeball because of the design in his iris. Even their hair was slowly taking on a deep colour, though it was not apparent yet since hair took some time to change.


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    Nero was able to spot these details in such a clear way only because the cards he was using allowed images to be directly imprinted in his mind.


    More than the changes in colour, Nero began to wonder why the changes happened in the first ce. The colour of someone''s hair was usually only affected if their innate ability had an elemental aspect to it, and it usually happens when someone bes a Neophyte.


    But it wasn''t as if there weren''t any instances of colours changing. For example, when one transitioned from one realm to another, such as from Neophyte to Initiate, the innate ability experienced an upgrade.


    The innate ability could either gain a new attribute, or grow stronger in its existing effects, and which one happened was random. So when an innate ability grew stronger, it was known to produce deeper colours in the eyes and hair.


    The fact that these two experienced a change in their eye colours reminded him of what Gabriel had recently told him. It was assumed that the emperor, back in his day, had experienced something that upgraded his ability to control aether. Receiving an upgrade in one''s innate ability was not exactly the same thing, but it was pretty good as well.


    More importantly, receiving this upgrade at the Neophyte realm meant that every subsequent upgrade would be even greater!


    His thoughts remained hidden, but Nero''s attention focused on the three boxes that the two of them were carrying. They were held like briefcases and were toorge to fit into their backpacks.


    There was no way to be certain that the boxes contained whatever was responsible for them receiving such a boon, but it was his best bet at the moment.


    Nero was tempted. He was extremely tempted to find out how exactly they had received such upgrades, but now was not the time. More importantly, he did not think they would give it up so easily if such opportunities were limited.


    Even in the best-case scenario, Nero saw himself needing some kind of trade to get them to reveal the details, though he had nothing concrete which was even close to such a massive windfall.


    Nero needed toe up with a way to get them to divulge how they experienced this enhancement without needing to fall into a fight. Despite the fact that his rtionship with Arter wasn''t the best, they would need everyone''s support to escape. More importantly, Nero believed that in any given situation it was better to make allies than enemies.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like he was better at thetter than the former.


    After the two of them left their range, they waited for a few minutes before carrying the corpse forward. It seemed like Arter and Maximilian had a specific target they were going towards, which worked fine for them.


    As soon as the two left, Nero and Gabriel quickly took the corpse back to the Reeve''s office and ced it inside the vault. Nero did not even take the opportunity to unlock theputer, for as much as he was tempted to learn its secrets, he did not want to leave behind even the slightest trace that he could avoid.


    He was certain that somewhere, eachputer that was being used was being logged. The fact that they shut down the security node was already too much evidence of Carin''s existence. Some things needed to be sacrificed for the future gains.


    "Gabe, did you notice?" Nero asked.


    "Notice what?"


    "Their innate abilities have evolved¡­ or grown stronger at the very least," he said.


    Gabriel paused.


    "We need something to trade with. If you can think of something we might be able to find quickly, we can take a look. We need to find a way to convince them to tell us about it."


    Gabriel still didn''t speak, and began frowning. He seemed to be lost in thought.


    "What''s wrong?" Nero asked.


    "Arter''s not exactly a sore loser, but his family is different from mine. He''s faced a lot of pressure from them to always be the best. Considering he''s lost to us, in more than one way, he might be bitter about that. It won''t be easy to get him to hand over anything like that. We''re going to need pretty big leverage for him to give up something like that.


    By the way, even though earlier when we entered the Vault, I put up a tough front. Don''t take that too seriously. All scions from big families have more than one high-level card used on them at all times. Killing him will not be easy, and most likely, we won''t survive the fallout from killing him either. Even if we manage to do both, we''ll be marked for life and won''t be able to hide it.


    So there''s no way we can pressure him into giving this up if he doesn''t want to."


    "I wasn''t nning on doing that to begin with. That''s why I said we need something to trade."


    "The unranked cards are our best bet, but we can take a look around. I can''t really recall anything else that would be useful. Most likely, the number of records Arter had ess to are much greater than my own, so he probably knows a lot more about what to expect than me."


    "Let''s be quick. I don''t want to take too long here. We''re already pushing our luck," said Nero. The two of them quickly started exploring the nearby rooms, and while they found a number of things that might be useful, none of them were as simple or intuitive, and would require investigating through theirputers, which might take a while.


    Eventually, Nero and Gabriel had to stop. They had spent over two hours within the vault already, and retreating would also take some time since they didn''t have Shirly to guide the way, and hundreds of other soldiers to help them fight off attacks.


    They instead focused on finding the other two, which did not take nearly as long since they were also looking for them.


    Yet when they finally met, both the groups paused to observe each other. Appearance wise, Arter and Maximilian had obviously undergone some changes, though without being particrly attentive someone might not notice. They were hoping that the change would go unnoticed, but their hopes were destined to lead to disappointment.


    "Nice look. Deeper blue suits you," he said to Arter. "And white looks better than silver."


    "Thanks," they answered together. But that was followed by an ever increasingly tense silence.


    The other two didn''t know how the others might react, and nothing could be said for the human heart. The prizes of the vault were enough to turn even the most loyal heart into traitors, let alone two allies by circumstance.


    At the same time, while there were no physical changes in Nero and Gabriels appearance, it would be a mistake to assume they had gained nothing.


    Finally, Nero sighed.


    "Would you be open to a trade?" Nero asked. "We can share the details of what each of us found. If not¡­ then we should really head out. It''s not wise to linger here any longer."

 Chapter 190: Remove all evidence

    Nero really wanted to get that innate ability upgrade, but it was a fact that only Arter and Maximilian could provide it to them. If they had unlimited time then Nero would havebed through the Vault looking for it himself, but it was not possible right now. They had barely covered a small portion of this facility that used to house hundreds of workers at one point.


    Arter and Maximilian could even tell them that such a procedure was no longer possible since they used up all the supplies, and Nero would have no way of knowing if they were telling the truth or lying.


    The truth was that Nero considereding up with aplicated n to get them to divulge the details, but such a thing was not something he could execute in their present circumstances, and the chances of failure were high. So he came up with a better, more direct n.


    He would try to trade with them, and if theyplied then that would be for the best. If not, then he would subtly influence circumstances so that they would be forced to trade.


    "What do you have to trade?" Arter asked after a moment of silence.


    "I have duplicate copies of unranked cards, Aether candies that offer physical recovery and aether recovery, as well as weapons that augment your physical capabilities while you use them," said Nero.


    Arter and Maximilian shared a look, though what that look represented was hard to tell.


    "I can allow you to look at the cards. They''re pretty good. One allows you to have invincible defence, one allows you to practicallye back from the dead while thest one might be able to push back the fog. We will need to test it out to be sure."


    "The weapons aren''t bad either," Gabriel said as he drew the dagger and disyed his sudden boost in speed.


    Their disy, while tempting, did not get the reaction Nero was hoping for. Although, to a degree, it was also expected.


    "Unfortunately, we have nothing we can trade with," Arter said. It was true. While Gabriel and Nero had explored multiple rooms, the two of them spent most of their time experiencing the upgrade, which was a long and painful process, and then getting used to their new abilities.


    "What about the ability upgrade? Or whatever is in those briefcases?" Nero asked. "I don''t mean to tell you what to do, but leaving this ce is not going to be particrly easy. We will have to fight our way out. It''s not going to be so simple with you carrying those briefcases."


    Their expressions worsened, since even though Nero was telling the truth, it sounded a whole lot like a threat.


    "We will manage," Arter said. "If the situation bes drastic we might consider leaving the cases behind and destroying them since we can''t risk them falling into the wrong hands, but otherwise, it will be worth it. More importantly, even if we wanted to help you get the upgrade we can''t. As it happened, there were only two such injections avable."


    Arter nced at Gabriel as he spoke, almost as if he was waiting for Gabriel to realise what he was talking about.


    "That''s a shame," Nero said, with genuine disappointment in his voice. "But we can''t dwell on such things anymore. We''ve already disabled the security node, so it''s time to get out of here. We haven''t been able to find another exit to this ce. We haven''t run into Jessie either.


    I have no idea where she is or what she might be doing, but we need to exit, and it looks like we''ll have to go out the same way we came in. Unless you guys managed to find another exit to this ce."


    That made Arter and Maximilian genuinely frown. None of them had forgotten the attack they faced in thest moments before they entered the Vault. More importantly, they remembered the dark berserkers continuously mming into the opening, as if they were determined to enter.


    If they were really as determined as they appeared, then a small army of dark berserkers would be waiting for them upon exit. Even with their upgrades, they were not arrogant enough to think they could take them all on alone.


    "If we canmunicate with the outside somehow, we can try and request backup," Maximilian said.


    "I''ve seen a map of the vault. There''s nomunication room, but there is a logistics bay. Maybe that might have a way to contact other parts of the facility."


    "You''ve seen a map? Are you sure there was no other exit on it? Can you show us?" Maximilian suddenly asked.


    Nero wanted to reject the offer, stating that they would have to pay if they wanted Nero''s help, and there was only one price to gain his help. But it was premature. He was at least 50% certain that whatever they used to upgrade their abilities was inside those briefcases.


    As such, he wanted to maintain the facade of cooperation until a critical moment when they needed his help. At the same time, he also wanted to exit from here, so there was no harm in cooperating for now.


    Although this was the first time Nero was conniving against someone like this, it was not so hard. It was about taking certain risks, and unfolding his n at the critical moment. It was a shame things unfolded like this. Nero even revealed some of their gains as a gesture of good faith, but not only was it not returned, Arter and Maximilian had essentially not revealed anything about their gains.


    Even if the briefcases did not contain the secret to upgrading their abilities, what they did contain was not revealed either.


    Since that was the case, Nero didn''t feel bad about taking advantage of them at all.


    "Follow me," Nero said as he navigated the halls back to the room where he saw the map and pulled it up on theputer for the others to view it. They looked for details of an escape route, but besides the one entrance, there was no other - at least on the map.


    "There''s a security room," Maximilian said, pointing towards a side of the map. "I think our chances there are much better than the logistics room."


    Nero frowned, and looked at the map. The ce on the map was marked as "Saufte" which he had been unable to decipher as meaning the security room when he first saw it.


    "You''re familiar with old Valen?" Nero could not help but ask.


    "Familiar is one way to put it," Maximilian said with a begrudging voice. "My father is a little¡­ entric. I''ve been exposed to a number of very unusual things. Old Valen is still one of the more relevant pieces of knowledge that I have."


    "And there''s no other exit on the map?" Arter asked, reading the map for himself but finding himself unable to decipher the unfamiliar words.


    "None."


    "The security room seems like a good option," Nero admitted. "Even if there''s no way to contact the outside, it might help us better equip ourselves. If that doesn''t work we can try the logistics room. Otherwise, we will just have to risk going out on our own. I don''t want to stay here for too long."


    Nero thought about mentioning that their chances of surviving would be stronger if he and Gabriel had an upgrade in powers, but resisted. It was clear that Arter''s guard was up, much more than Maximilian, and Nero had to be sure he was in the perfect situation before he proposed the idea of the trade once more. It was fortunate that he had endless patience.


    They made their way to the security room, and paused. On the way Nero had been considering how to destroy any evidence of him and Gabriel moving the corpse in case the surveince in the security room was active. He strongly suspected that Arter was thinking the same thing, but for how they got their upgrades.


    As it turned out, they didn''t need to. Compared to many other ces, the destruction in the security room was thorough! There weren''t even corpses here, only random bones. All the machines were thoroughly destroyed, and there were deep gashes in the walls, revealing the adjacent rooms even.


    Standing at the entrance, as Nero analysed the room, he got the feeling that the security room was taken by surprise. Someone had attacked them when they were unprepared, with such devastating strength that they were unable to retaliate at all. It was aplete and genuine ughter.


    It saved Nero from the task of destroying evidence of what he did, but he strongly suspected that whoever attacked the security room so long ago had the same intentions. They wanted to destroy any evidence of what happened here, or what was about to happen at that time.


    Nero walked it and searched the rubble that cluttered the floor, hoping to find something useful. Maybe there were weapons or armour that he could use. But there was nothing of the sort.


    "Logistics room it is," Gabriel said.

 Chapter 191: Reroute aether

    The state of the security room was quite a shock for Arter and Maximilian, especially since it was already well established how incredibly sturdy and resilient everything inside the ruins were. Even if they wanted to, the Neophytes would not be able to put a single scratch on the wall.


    Maybe Arter might be able to do that now that his ability had upgraded, but since he had not tested his limits yet it was hard to say.


    Nero and Gabriel, on the other hand, took it in their stride. Nero especially became a lot more rxed since the possibility of their actions being uncovered in the subsequent years was reduced. After all, if nothing else, just getting his hand on all six of the required keys would not be an easy task, which is why he was prepared for this to take years, if not decades.


    He strongly suspected that this would definitely be worth it.


    The logistics room was more of an office rather than a storeroom, with multipleputers probably used for logging and monitoring the supply and demand for all items required to run the Vault.


    All four of them spread out and began to check through theputers, looking for an alternate exit or some way tomunicate with the rest of the facility. After all, the means given to them by the army did not work so deep in the basement.


    At the same time, in the depths of Lumina city, in a ce that was still out of reach since the fog still surrounded it, there was a particr building that looked simr to the cathedral that Nero had visited, only much grander in every aspect. A shimmering white light surrounded the six towers around the build, slowly getting brighter and building power.


    But unlike the other parts of the city, which were mostly pristine, this building seemed to have suffered some kind of damage.


    Cracks lined the buildings walls, but more importantly, they travelled up the surface of the towers. Bright light was leaking from those cracks, as if each of the towers was actually used to store the purest of lights. As the lights slowly got brighter, the cracks, slowly but steadily, began to spread, as if they were approaching the verge of what the towers could tolerate.


    Yet, for now, the towers held on. The same could not be said for the interior of the building. While Nero had run across a few human corpses within the Vault, if he could see the inside of this building he would finally see corpses belonging to the humanoid panther creature that the dark berserkers originated from, though in their uncorrupted form.


    There were, naturally, human corpses as well, not to mention a third race that bore a vague resemnce to Mutts, though their bodies were muchrger.


    All the bodiesy underneath or around the rubble of broken walls, shattered pirs and destroyed rooms, their numbers increasing the deeper they went into the building. Yet what they managed to do, at the cost of their very lives, was to preserve the innermost chambers of the building.


    In the heart of the building, a kind of the automated worker that Nero saw in the cathedral was dragging its broken body forward, using the very blood in its body to inscribe some characters on a massive, cylindrical contraption that contained six individual chambers, each one of them sealed.


    Once it drew thest of its characters, the hitherto sleeping contraption suddenly came to life, as if it was finally connected to some hidden source of aether.


    "LUMINARI PROTOCOL INITIATED¡­ INITIALISING¡­ ERROR! LUMINARI COMPENDIUM MISSING PROTOCOL ABORTED!"


    Each of the six chambers suddenly opened, revealing six cardholders, each of them empty. It seemed that whatever they held had long been removed.


    "LAST LIGHT PROTOCOL INITIATED¡­ INITIALISING¡­INSUFFICIENT AETHER¡­ REROUTING AETHER SUPPLY THROUGH LUMINA CITY GRID! ERROR! LUMINA CITY GRID IS COMPROMISED AND IS OPERATING AT 17% CAPACITY! SAFETY PROTOCOLS OVERWRITTEN. TEMPORARILY REROUTING POWER IN 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­"


    For a moment, the entire city of Lumina went still, as all the buildings, machines, and security measures within the city failed.


    In the basement of the research facility, the power supply to the Vault was suddenly cut off, turning off each of the machines that the quartet was using, and throwing them into the abyss of darkness.


    Nero reacted instantly, summoning his blue mes around his hand to illuminate the room, yet it was unneeded, as Maximilian''s white hair began to glow softly. It did not blind them, or cause them to faint, fortunately, and was just enough to light the room, and reveal the shock and surprise evident on each of their faces.


    For a couple of seconds, they just looked at each other, trying to understand what had happened.


    As a result, before they could even begin to discuss or ponder what was happening, they all heard a loud noise that sounded like rushing water. Yet it was not water that came flooding in through the open doors, it was the thick white fog. More importantly, within the fog Nero could see the shapes of monsters!


    "Attack!" Nero yelled at the same time as Gabriel screamed, "enemies!"


    Arter and Maximilian also realised what was about to happen, and each of them quickly prepared to face the uing challenge.


    Nero showed the Snowke card and threw out sharp, ming snowkes into the fog, just before it crashed into them.


    Though itcked a physical impact, Nero felt as if the aether inside his body had been mmed by a sledgehammer when the fog hit him. He was certain that, if at that moment, he had been manipting his internal aether, it would have popped like a balloon.


    Yet he didn''t have time to dwell on the death he had just evaded, for death was stilling for him. Since he had not yet reced the cards inside his armour with Fair Weather, he was not able to instantly try it out. It would only take him a few seconds, at most, to find and use the card, but a few seconds he did not have.


    A berserker with a ming snowke inside its face came running at Nero. For a few moments the fog was not nearly thick enough topletely blind them, so Nero easily manoeuvred the berserker, causing it to trip on its own legs and fall to the ground.


    In seamless teamwork, Nero and Gabriel attacked the berserker''s neck with Thunderous p, breaking its neck and killing it.


    But that is where the teamwork ended, for that was all the time needed for more of the fog to flow in, blinding them both. A heavy silence surrounded Nero - heavy because he knew that there were dangers all around him yet he just couldn''t see them yet.


    There was no time for hesitation at all. Nero and Gabriel had split the unranked cards between themselves, so both of them had copies of each. Nero reached into his card case, and in an instant even found three cards which, based on texture alone, he knew were the cards he was looking for. But he couldn''t tell them apart based on feel.


    Before he could do anything, a flying body crashed into Nero from behind him, and he had beenpletely unable to anticipate it. He was toppled onto the ground, and in that moment he knew the situation was extraordinarily dire.


    Without differentiating, Nero activated all three cards within his hand, granting him a brief moment of rity. The fog was instantly pushed aside, allowing him to see that it was Maximilian who had been thrown onto him, and he was bleeding from somewhere. Nero didn''t look at the two dark berserkers looming over his body - an invincible defence had already formed in front of him.


    Rather, his eye fell onto the cards in his hand and he finally saw which one was Fair Weather. It was the third.


    Nero disabled the cards, just as the nausea was beginning to develop, and threw Maximilian off of himself. This was not the time to be polite. He jumped to the side, anticipating that the dark berserkers might try to attack him, and this time only activated Fair Weather, pushing the fog back once more.


    A few seconds had passed and the lights in the room suddenly turned back on, but that did nothing to remove the fog that had already entered the Vault, of the dark berserkers and berserkers within the Vault already.


    He heard a thump, and based on the sound alone, knew that a dark berserker had stepped behind him. He leaped to the side once more and drew his curved dagger and got ready for a fight.


    He turned around, ready to fight off the dark berserker, but saw a wall of red sand protecting him from an attack.


    "Nero, these things are incredible!" Gabriel eximed,ing into view, his short sword in his hand, dripping with blood. "This can even cut through a berserker with ease."


    Nero raised an eyebrow. Now that changed a few things.

 Chapter 192: Full Moon

    In the heart of the ancient pce known as Pzzo Macedon, whose first bricks were supposedlyid by the emperor himself, sat three men, looking out the window to a view of a magnificent garden, with Lake Natura as the backdrop.


    The pce was a little ways from Valencrest city, which is why it was deprived of the hustle and bustle that apanied a metropolis. But more importantly, it was deprived of all the security that usually apanied such a ce. The fact that it even contained a garden, full of grass, bushes, trees and flowers, meant that it was practically asking to be cursed.


    Yet the pce had withstood the test of time, surviving for nearly a thousand years.


    From the window the three men could see a host of men and women, tending to each corner of the pce, from the gardens, to the orchards, to the small pond filled with fish. That in itself was not odd. The odd thing was that each of them bore a strong resemnce to the three men sitting inside.


    But anyone familiar with the royal family of New Vriya would not be surprised by such a scene. After all, it wasmon knowledge that tending to and maintaining the heritage of the Barakus family was something the family did on its own. They had not a single servant working not only in their pce, but in all theirnds.


    Those who proved themselvespetent would rise through the ranks, and gain important positions, and those who did not would get delegated duties in service to the family. The family lived to serve and raise the prestige of the family, and through that secure a prosperous future for New Vriya.


    It might sound backwards, and destined for failure, but it was a fact that New Vriya was at the forefront of research and development in the whole world when it came to Eldrim cards. Though their country was small, it was only so because the Barakus family disdained to distract the focus of their country by acquiring morends.


    As it was, they needed nothing from the outside world, nor did they want anything. At least, until very recently.


    "The Ayubi family has petitioned us once more to interfere with the Kri invasion," the youngest looking of the three said. He was the current king of New Vriya, Hathaway Barakus.


    "They got what they deserved for poking that wasp''s nest," said the middle-aged man, Cornaro Barakus, the former king, who had given up his throne some decades ago.


    "This time they''ve offered to split the gains from the ruins 70-30, 70% going to us and 30% to them. They''ve also offered the exclusive services of their innate ability for 10 years."


    "Yes, well, they have gone out of their way to nurture their space-based innate abilities. They''re useful, but not that useful. They''re just trying to tie us down to themselves. They need us as allies for 10 years a lot more than we need their services for 10 years.


    If it weren''t for the fact that Creta and Saint Codale are upying their attention as well, I''d say Morphius would finish of Dolziya this time."


    The two, current and former king, continued to chat amongst themselves as they enjoyed the changing skyline as the sun dipped towards the west, heading towards early evening. Nothing in the world truly seemed to catch their interest, that is until the third among them turned his head towards the south. Then the two kings, and Sages, hushed in deference to the third.


    He was a handsome man, even though old age was clearly visible in his features. His once blonde was nowpletely grey, though it only added a mature charm to the visage of the man.


    "There is an ominous energy in the air," the old man said, his voice barely a whisper. "Perhaps Kr should tread new grounds more carefully, instead of rushing into the unknown so blindly."


    The two men bowed deeply, and without a word, flew out of the pce at full speed, their Sage auras on full disy. This was not a sign just to their country, but to the whole world. When New Vriya, the former seat of power of the great Vriya Empire, made a decision, the whole had to obey, one way or another.


    All lines dividing countries vanished, all personal interests were set aside, all conflicts became irrelevant in the face of absolute authority. Although Morphius Kade was widely considered the strongest living Sage, that was only because he had the highest kill count for other Sages. That did not actually mean he was the strongest. At least, among the Sages there were those who did not fear him.


    The Polymaths of New Vriya feared no one. In fact, it was due to their distinctck of fear that they allowed Kr to explore the new ruins without serious interference. They were not afraid that the benefits they gained would allow them to overshadow the Barakus family.


    The great powers of Neire looked as they distinctly felt the aura of two Sages. The Barakus had finally made a move. Yet before the many forces could insinuate what that would mean for the ongoing war, an even more distinct phenomenon than the aura of two Sages rocked the whole world.


    From the south, in the foothills of the Aether Mountain Range, a beacon of silver light shot out into the sky.


    The sun dimmed. The world dimmed. All light seemed to have been absorbed by that one, single beacon of light, leaving it the one,st light source in the whole world of Neire. Anyone and everyone who was exposed to the open sky looked towards the light that shot out from the mist and followed it as it moved in slow-motion towards the White Moon.


    It rose¡­ and rose¡­ until it finally crashed into the crescent shaped celestial body hanging up above the world, and for a moment everyone held their breaths. The Sages who were at war paused. The soldiers who were killing halted. The curses which were devouring the world trembled. For that one, brief moment, nothing happened.


    Then the crescent moon became whole, even though ording to the moon cycle, the full moon was still days away. Its borders shone with a silvery light, which seemed to seep deep into the celestial body bit by bit, and the former White Moon suddenly became a Silver Moon.


    Sunlight returned to the world, and all was normal once again, yet the silver hue emanating from the moon never dimmed. The once mundane, less feared and almost forgotten moon of the world shone brightly demanding full attention from all living and nonliving beings.


    The phenomenon ended, or perhaps it had only begun. No one knew for certain, but the two Barakus Sages burned with even more zeal as they flew through the sky and into Nova territory.


    There, near the shore of Nova, its mighty naval fleet stood and guarded the area where the winds blew from, fighting off against other ships. In the air Ascendants fought each other, trying to prevent interference in the natural flow of the wind.


    There was even a Sage watching over the battle from the side. Yet all of that ended when the two Sages appeared.


    No words were exchanged. They weren''t needed. All the ships suddenly stopped working, as if they had lost all power, and the Ascendants fell out of the sky like flies after suddenly losing consciousness.


    The single Sage who had been keeping guard fell to his knees, and though he showed great reluctance, he did not try to stop the two of them. Not even Sages fought against other Sages against a numerical disadvantage. Though it was not easy for a Sage to die, they could at least be humiliated and beaten badly.


    In this moment when the equilibrium was finally broken, it was best to ept things as they were. More importantly, everyone was shaken by the beacon of light, and no one knew what it meant.


    Silent messages passed through all battlefields, and one by one, the fighting slowed down even if it didn''t ceasepletely. The hidden preparations of Kr to face these two Sages were set aside, and fiery tempers were cooled.


    In a world as dangerous as theirs, anyone whocked caution had died an early death.


    Hathaway Barakus cut through the wind with a single palm, and the winds seemed to divert elsewhere. It waspletely natural, as if that is how the winds had always flown. In a few hours, at most, the winds blowing across Kr would naturally cease, and the fog that had retreated would once again reim its territory.


    For better or for worse, the exploration of Lumina had slowed down, if notpletely ceased. Everyone watched with bated breath to see how the world would change over the next few hours. Everyone except those who were caught in battles of life and death.

 Chapter 193: Grotesque

    With a dagger in one hand, and a card in another, Nero sprang forth without a single shred of fear, ready to reap the dark berserkers. He had already gained a minor boost to all his physical capabilities recently, and the additional augmentation to his speed and strength made him all the more deadly.


    More important than all of that, however, was that the greatest obstacle Nero faced, which was the handicap the fog created, disappeared for him. The drain that the Fair Weather card exerted was not excessive either, which not only meant that he could continue it for a long time, he could even control the size of the area that remained fog free!


    For a split second all the fog in the room was pushed out, and Nero caught sight of everything that was happening. Maximilian, bleeding and wounded, had summoned a shield made out of white cloth around himself. It did not look strong, but who knew what effects it had.


    Arter, too, was wounded, A dark berserker had struck him, its ws cutting through his body. But before it could do much harm, it was paralysed by the electricity circling his whole body, and cut to pieces from his sword. In fact, more than one dark berserkery chopped up beside him.


    In the rtively small room there were two more dark berserkers and one berserker near the door.


    That was all the time he needed. The fog came rolling back in as he reduced the output of Fair Weather, and Nero flew forward like a cannonball. The berserker in his path did not bother to defend, and tried to attack him, which is why it waspletely unprepared for how easily Nero decapitated it using his dagger alone.


    Its body fell forward even as its head rolled away, but Nero had already moved on by then. The dark berserkers were a lot more agile and less willing to sustain injuries, but it was no longer so easy for them to avoid Nero.


    He cut through the bone armour around their chest with ease, dismantling it one cut at a time, leaving their upper body exposed. Without the weight of the bone keeping them down, the dark berserkers were slightly faster, but it was not enough.


    They hade rushing like predators who had stalked their prey, only to be cut down. The fight did notst long, for Gabriel had been right. These weapons were phenomenally sharp! What was once nearly impossible to cut not became like warm butter. This had to be an additional feature of these weapons besides just their augmentation!


    Nero waited by the door to see if anymore berserkers came in, but it seemed like they had gained a reprieve.


    "Why''d the lights suddenly go out?" Maximilian asked aftering out from behind his cloth shield. "Do you think it might have been Jessie?"


    "It''s not just the lights - the whole facility lost power," Nero said. "Otherwise the fog wouldn''t have broken through the defence of the Vault. Whatever happened, I don''t think any one of us could have been responsible for it. But there''s no time to dwell on that now. We need to get out of here."


    While he spoke, Nero began recing his cards. He reced re, Aether pulse, and Double Skin with Fair Weather, Ful Hele and Ful Defend respectively, but then paused. Initially, when he ced all the six cards, or in his case seven cards, inside his armour he had not taken the warnings too seriously.


    One of the reasons why everyone was limited to six cards only was because it was easy to confuse which card was where. In the heat of battle it would be less than ideal if he used a first aid card when he meant to use an offensive one. For such things, he needed to have his card configuration memorised by heart and through instincts.


    For Nero this was not a problem, as he constantly practised memorising things to keep his mind sharp. But it was only now that he was recing Double Skin that he realised he hadn''t used it nearly as much as he should have.


    There was also a very brief moment in which he forgot which of his cards he had ced where. It was not easy to memorise 7 cards and associate each body part with one card, especially since he kept changing cards. While initially he had been fine, changing them mid-operation gave him a mild pause.


    This was something he needed to pay attention to. He could not afford to mess up which card he used when.


    But the moment passed. His memory was as excellent as ever, so it would not be an issue for now.


    "Do you have more of the cards you''re using to keep the fog at bay," Maximilian said, looking at both Nero and Gabriel, near whom the fog would note.


    Nero gave him a grin, and answered in the same remorseful tone Arter had used with them.


    "Unfortunately, you have nothing you can trade with, and we don''t have enough spare that we can afford to weaken ourselves by giving them away."


    There was a moment of tension between them. Arter''s body still had electric arcs circling around it, and Maximilians hair was still slightly glowing. Yet they were not the only ones who had grown stronger. Both of them had caught glimpses of the ease with which Nero and Gabriel had taken out the berserkers.


    Unfortunately for them, while both their abilities had increased in strength, that did not allow them to cut through their enemies so easily. Even though Arter could still charge his attacks to cut through berserkers, that part of his ability had not be stronger, so in that sense he was still the same.


    But then the moment passed.


    "Even if we had a way to get you to upgrade your ability, we don''t have the time," Maximilian said. "It takes around thirty minutes for one person to go through the procedure, and another short period to get used to the change. It''s not something we have time for right now."


    "How convenient, then, that you don''t have a way to help us," Nero said with a shrug. "We don''t even need to waste time considering the option. Now let''s go. We have no idea what the situation is like, and there''s a solid chance that the tentacle monster also snuck through. We''ll just have to risk going through the same way we came in."


    Gabriel nodded very seriously, as if he was d that they didn''t have anything to bargain with.


    Without giving them a chance to really argue back, the two of them walked out, even reducing the range of the fog they pushed away, forcing Arter and Maximilian to follow. If they got lost in the fog, the chances of finding each other was incredibly slim, so they had no choice but to follow.


    They both looked grim, but did not say much. Arter especially, who had to carry two of the ck boxes which filled his hands, was not pleased with the situation. If they had to fight, which they likely would, his hands would be tied up.


    The thing that was irritating him the most¡­ was that Nero literally warned him about this. But Gabriel was also right. He was used to winning, not losing, so having to cooperate with the person who made him lose not once, but twice was grating for him. He was in a struggle between logic and his ego.


    Unfortunately for him, Nero had not been paying attention to him from the get go. Maximilian had nothing against either of them, so as long as he agreed to cooperate, Nero would get his way. More importantly, now that they had confirmed that the fog could be pushed back by Fair Weather, many of his ns changed.


    Not only did this reveal that the fog was an artificial atmospheric phenomenon, which was a massive discovery for all countries, but the deadline that was ced on him to return quickly was no longer in effect.


    They could literally take their time and explore this Vault in full! That was a risk, a huge risk, but it was also a once in a lifetime opportunity.


    Nero was considering how exactly he would push Maximilian just enough to get him to agree to the trade when he suddenly stopped walking. The range of the fog clearing he had created was 2 metres (6.5 feet), for maintaining any more than that would cause a huge drain on his aether.


    That range was also just enough for him to react to a sudden dark berserker attack. Yet from within the fog, it was not a dark berserker that stepped out, but another, even more harrowing monstrosity.


    From what was left of the face, Nero could tell that the body standing in front of him had once been Jack. Yet now it was a grotesque abomination, with tentacles of all thicknesses and sizes,ing out from his entire, now shrivelled, body.


    It was as if the tentacles had fed on the mass within him to grow, and were now controlling a husk in search of their next target.

 Chapter 194: Embarassed

    Everyone acted at the same time. A raging, cial blue fire epassed Nero just as he threw out as many Snowke''s as he could. A tide of red sand encased Gabriel, leaving him looking more like a red snowman than a real person. At the same time, he moved to the side so that the effect of his Fair Weather card and Nero''s wouldn''t ovep.


    They needed as much visibility as possible to deal with any other foes that might be hiding in the fog.


    Thin, blue streaks of electricity started to dance all around Arter''s body rapidly as he threw away his briefcases and drew his sword.


    Maximilian''s hair began to shine brightly, but it was his fingertip that suddenly shot out a beam of light so bright it forced everyone to close their eyes.Yet his foolproof attack, which had rendered every foe before this unconscious and at his mercy, failed - and for good reason.


    The monstrosity that was inhabiting Jack no longer had eyes. Instead, it had two tentaclesing out of those holes. So as a result, his own teammates were the ones who suffered from the coteral consequences of his attack.


    But, fortunately, he immediately realised that this would not work, while the others had seen him sh blinding light so many times that they were ready. Everyone closed their eyes the moment they detected the brightness from his hair rising, resulting in them missing the light shooting out of his fingers. They did, however, see that the light had no effect on the tentacle monster.


    As it happened, the tentacle monster was actually the slowest to act. It was only after the beam of light struck it that it seemed to notice the presence of new targets. Once it did spot them, however, it wasted no time in attacking.


    Instead of bringing Jack''s body forward, the tentacles sprang out of his body like bullets from a gun, each with enough force to burst through their skin and enter their bodies. Their aim was also incredibly urate, so instead of shooting out in random directions, each tentacle shot out towards a specific person.


    Even though he was well protected by his me, and had ess to defensive cards as well, he did not need them. Despite the speed of the tentacles shooting out, with all the boosts he had to his body, as well as his maniption of his internal aether, Nero easily cut through each of them.


    Gabriel was not as fast, yet the tentacles proved unable to pierce through the thickyer of red sand surrounding his body. Instead, they suffered severe burns and tried to retreat into Jack''s body, yet once they had touched the red sand it was not so easy to escape.


    While they had not cut through the sand, they had created small bumps in them, and for each grain of sand they disced, two grains of sand wrapped themselves around them. They were locked in the embrace of the red sand, which is why when the sand squeezed the burning tentacles, while the tentacles themselves tried to retreat, blood vessels all around their body burst.


    Yet their red blood was not visible in the red sand.


    Arter neither had reflexes as quick as Nero, nor defence as solid as Gabriel''s, but he did have protective cards on him. The tentacles crashed into his body and bounced back, unable to pierce through his skin. Yet the moment they failed to cut through his body, they were also condemned to death.


    Though they bounced off his body, the electric current travelling around his body paralyzed them so that they fell backwards, theyy on the ground waiting for Arter to make short work of them, and he did not disappoint.


    Compared to all of them, Maximilian fell short. Despite having an extraordinary innate ability, thepatibility of his enemies with his ability put him at a disadvantage. But being at a disadvantage did not mean being destined to fail. As the heir to Maxim''s card shop, the kind of cards he had ess to were beyond what most people would ever see in their lives.


    While he tried to fight off the tentacles, he failed. Yet when the first one touched his body, primed to rip through his skin and feast on his innards, Maximilian''s body automatically teleportedhalf a metre to the side, effectively dodging every single tentacle.


    His eyes shed, as he realised that one of his hidden aces had been revealed. A self activating card was something most people did not even know about. The fact that it had been activated literally meant that he was an instant away from death. He did not take that knowledge well.


    Yet the fight had begun, and there was no time to dwell on such matters, lest he end up dying for real.


    Nero took everything in, though he focused only on the tentacles. Most of the ones that had been ejected had been killed, with only the ones that targeted Maximilian returning to Jack''s body. Yet new tentacles still emerged from their formerrades'' flesh, and their strategy changed after facing such an overwhelming defeat.


    They began to tremble in the air, as if they were letting out a scream that the others could not hear. Other corrupted creatures could hear those screams, however, which is why all the berserkers and dark berserkers which had entered the Vault in the few seconds its defences had been down all swarmed towards the group.


    At the moment none of them knew that, however, so they rushed towards Jack''s body toy it to rest. Even though, without the element of surprise on their side, the tentacles seemed powerless, each of them felt an acute threat for the tentacles, as if they were genuinely more dangerous than any other enemy they hade across.


    Nero''s blue mes sizzled as they burned the cursed energy emanating from the tentacles, and Arter''s electric arcs burned through flesh and turned it to ash. Together they were eliminating the tentacles from the source. Gabriel had used all the sand that surrounded himself and forced it to pour through every hole in Jack''s body, pushing the tentacles down while burning them.


    Maximilian was the only one who did not attack. It wasn''t because he couldn''t but rather because the others didn''t need his help, and he might end up getting in their way, so he stood back. That did not mean, however, that he was cking. Far from it, which is why when the first dark berserker dashed through the fog towards Gabriel, he was the first one to act,


    A much more concentrated sh of light, one that wouldn''t blind his allies, shot out of his finger tip, blinding and disorienting the dark berserker. Even though it was not rendered unconscious, it was debilitated temporarily.


    Near the three furiously attacking the tentacles, that may as well have been the same as death.


    Arter cut off its neck, just in time to watch a berserker break through the fog, followed by several more. In an instant, a swarm seemed to have surrounded them.


    Yet Maximilian struck faster than any of them could attack. Compared to the rest, who had avoided the dangers of the tentacles on their own, he had to rely on his father''s tricks, which greatly embarrassed him. Perhaps that''s not what he should have been feeling in the midst of battle, but it was, so he was determined to redeem himself in his own eyes.


    So he unleashed the full might of his newfound abilities.


    In the span of a few seconds, from one, to ten, to dozens of berserkers and dark berserkers broke through the fog, yet it was all for naught. A beam of white light struck each and every one of them, dropping them to the ground like flies, ready to be killed based on the whims of others.


    He did not miss even once, his aim perfectly striking their eyes every time. For all the resilience they boasted, the berserkers and dark berserkers werepletely unable to resist his attacks.


    Maximilian was so focused that hepletely missed the wary look Nero gave him. Single handedly, in a matter of seconds, he had brought dozens of berserkers to their knees, and he did not seem like it had been a burden on his aether reserves.


    Maximilian had transcended the realm of formidable Neophytes and be an absolute weapon. The nature of his ability was such that Nero even doubted he would be able to defeat him - after all, he''d have to fight with his eyes closed throughout to even have a chance.


    Yet besides that wariness, Nero was also filled with great expectations.


    As soon as they killed thest of the tentacles, which was actually a lot less daunting than they assumed, as well as killed thest of the berserkers, Nero approached Maximilian once more.


    A part of him clearly kept an eye on the ck briefcases, but he made no attempts to approach them himself.


    "That was a close shave there," he said, patting Maximilian''s back as if reassuring him. "I didn''t know the Ayubi family sold their cards to Kris. I thought because of the feud, they would avoid doing that."


    Nero didn''t even pretend to wonder about the origin of the card that allowed Maximilian to teleport. Everyone knew that only the Ayubi family boasted innate abilities rted to space. They were also the only ones who could create cards with space attributes.

 Chapter 195: Manipulating children

    Maximilian ignored thement, though not because he wanted to hide the details of his card, or keep his secrets close to him. He just hadn''t recovered from the intensity of the fight yet.


    Never in his life had he been so focused on anything before, and never had he reacted under such immense pressure - even if he was the one putting himself under pressure. It was to the extent that he genuinely seemed unable to process the fact that enemies had stoppeding, and kept searching for any signs of approaching berserkers at all.


    It was only when Nero pped him on the back that he woke up from his state of hyper focus, and even then it took him a few seconds to remember what was happening.


    He then looked at Nero, who seemed tock a single wound on his entire body, and was not showing even the slightest signs of exhaustion. He tried to understand how exactly Nero was so strong, for he hadn''t shown anything that special.


    His ability, while impressive, was nowhere near as lethal to the berserkers than Arter''s, yet he handled them like an adult handling a child. He genuinely couldn''te up with an answer, so he could only attribute it to the advantages he had gained from the weapons, even though he knew that wouldn''t be enough to exin it.


    "I can tell you how you can upgrade your innate ability, but I want one of those weapons and a card to keep away the fog," he said directly, ignoring everything else. He was not dense. He knew what Nero really wanted. Anyone in his shoes would want the same thing, though not everyone would have shown the same restraint as him.


    Even with oaths preventing each other from harming one another, there was always the possibility that he found a way around it.


    Nothing in this world was ever certain, especially in ces like the Vault which were full of miraculous things.


    "You''ll just tell me how to do it? That''s a lot you''re asking just for a piece of information. Now if you helped ensure I could do it as well¡­"


    Nero didn''t borate, but the insinuation was clear.


    Maximilian looked from Nero to Arter, who was ring at him ruefully.


    "Don''t be like that," Maximilian said firmly. "There is no point in trying to keep benefits if you won''t survive to realise them. They don''t even need to harm us. They just need to not help us with this fog and we''d be doomed. Look past whatever is holding you back, because even if you can''t, I don''t intend on dying to sate your ego."


    Maximilian had nothing against Arter, but he was the one who insisted that they not share these gains with Nero and Gabriel. He wouldn''t mind helping him out if it cost him nothing, but he was certainly not willing to blindly risk his life for him - especially when Nero and Gabriel had been quite upright in their desire to trade.


    Sure they had applied some pressure, but at least they had openly shared their gains. Technically speaking, Maximilian and Arter hadn''t even done that yet.


    While Arter grappled with the reality of his situation, Maximilian picked up the ck briefcase and brought it to Nero and Gabriel.


    "This contains four injections, each of which needs to be administered in order, and at regr intervals. Be warned, the process is extremely painful - more than anything I have ever experienced. Don''t expect that you''ll be able to just go through it easily. You won''t. You''ll need a lot of time, and you''ll need someone to administer the injections for you.


    It''ll take you roughly half an hour to go through the whole process. Don''t open the briefcase until you''re ready to take the injections - once they''re exposed to the open air, the injections automatically start undergoing a strange process. If you wait too long, they''ll be inert."


    Nero raised an eyebrow and looked at the briefcase, and then at Arter. One briefcase would only be enough for one of them, and if they had to choose between Nero and Gabriel, then it might end up ruining their rtionship. In that case, the best scenario is to have enough for both of them.


    On the floor near Arter were two briefcases, and though no one had reached for them, Arter red at the group challengingly, as if daring them to reach for them. Yet the sight only made Nero chuckle.


    "Do you think having a stronger innate ability will allow you to be stronger than me, Arter?" Nero asked out loud. "I''m sorry to inform you, but it won''t. If you don''t believe me, you can challenge me to a fight right now, and we can find out which one of us is stronger. But the result won''t be what you think. The difference between us was never of our innate abilities to begin with.


    On top of that, now that you''re afraid of me, you''ll never be able to ovee me."


    "I am not afraid of you," the scion dered, yet his voice reeked of someone throwing a temper tantrum. Nero wondered how much of a sheltered life he had actually lived? Had he never lost in anything to anyone before? That was just setting him up for failure.


    "Let me give you a lesson in basic psychology. The reason why you, to the point of putting yourself in danger, refuse to allow me ess to these briefcases is because deep down you think that if I get them, then you will never be able to defeat me. That is called fear.


    "On the other hand, I do not fear you at all, even with your upgraded abilities. Do you want proof? I am so confident that I can defeat you as is, that I don''t even need to take this upgrade."


    Nero chucked the briefcase Maximilian had given him to Gabriel.


    "Here, you take this. Looks like it''s your lucky day. Let''s see if we can turn your red sand into red pebbles."


    Gabriel snorted at the sheer disrespect, but he couldn''t prevent a massive grin from appearing on his face. He genuinely wondered what his ability would be like once it upgraded.


    Nero stopped looking at Arter, and instead looked at Maximilian.


    "You wouldn''t be opposed to swearing an oath that you''re telling the truth, would you?" he asked. "As soon as you confirm that, I''ll help you with-"


    Wait!" Arter said loudly, interrupting Nero. He looked angry. He looked miserable. But more than anything, he looked like he had made a difficult decision. "I''ll give you one of my briefcases as well. Trade with me too."


    Nero raised an eyebrow, as if he did not care either way, but internally he was ecstatic. He had said it before but¡­ manipting kids really was too easy. Of course, there was also the chance that Arter would have be even more stubborn, and refused to help out at all, even at the risk of suffering harm.


    Fortunately it had note to that. Nero''s ns for what to do in that situation were not exactly foolproof, or savoury.


    After having both of them swear that they were telling the truth about the injections to upgrade their innate ability, Nero handed both of them a single copy of the three unranked cards he found, and then led them to the armoury.


    What Nero, nor anyone else for that matter, noticed was that in the shadow of the corpse of a berserker, a figure of a young woman had been hidden.


    Vanessa dared not look at Nero - she was convinced he had some uncanny ability to sense if others were looking at him - but that did not really matter, for her gaze was fixed on thest briefcase which Arter was holding onto for dear life.


    Injections which could enhance her innate ability even before she became an Initiate¡­ If she took that, she''d be ahead of everyone else in the world as far as the potency of her innate ability was concerned. Well, almost everyone, considering that surely Nero and Gabriel would take the injections at the first opportunity, and Maximilian and Arter had already done so.


    "We''ll have to part ways from here," Nero said, once he brought the others to the armoury. "You guys can pick your weapons at your convenience, and then decide how you want to proceed. Gabriel and I will go find a safe ce to take our injections."


    Gabriel gave Nero a certain look, but didn''t say anything yet. The news was, to a degree, expected. After all, if they brought the cases out then the army would confiscate them and they would never get a chance to use them. The only option was to use them now. But it wasn''t like there was any ce left that was safe.


    At the same time, Arter and Maximilian didn''t really want to wait in the basement anymore. Who knew what other dangers lurked down here? It was best to exit as soon as possible, as swiftly as possible.

 Chapter 196: Pain

    With Nero and Gabriel''s guidance, as well as the fact that most of therger weapons were too heavy to actually be brought along, Maximilian and Arter quickly selected their new weapons.


    Maximilian tried to convince Nero and Gabriel to join them - there was strength in numbers and who knew what other enemies stilly in the fog - yet those two were adamant about wanting to take the injections first so the groups once again divided.


    But instead of heading back to the Reeve''s office, where Nero had nned on taking these injections, he first went to a random room and flooded it with his blue mes, startling Gabriel.


    "What are you doing?" he yelled in rm, but then realised that the mes never actually touched him.


    Nero didn''t immediately respond, instead he looked around the room.


    "Just making sure we''re not being followed," Nero responded. "Minimise the use of Fair Weather and let''s go."


    This time, Nero moved rather quickly through the hallways. Even though there was a risk of running into an enemy, it was a risk they had to take. But due to the speed at which they were moving, only a couple of minutester they returned to the Reeve''s room, and opened the hidden room on the side, before venturing in and closing the door behind them.


    "You suspect Jessie is following us?" Gabriel asked. By now he had already thought of an exnation for Nero''s actions.


    "We haven''t seen a single sign of her this entire time. I suspect she has a very powerful card that allows her to hide from us, or maybe that''s her innate ability. Either way, better safe than sorry."


    Gabriel nodded, then looked towards the two briefcases. It was a little hard to believe they were about to experience an upgrade in their innate abilities before bing Initiates. If he hadn''t made both Arter and Maximilian take an oath that what they said was real, he might have had doubts about this.


    "By the way," Gabriel said, interrupting Nero''s thoughts, "I think after this, we should also leave the basement as soon as possible."


    Nero was surprised.


    "Why? Don''t you want to explore the Vault? With Fair Weather we can take our time and really get a lot of benefits."


    "It urred to me that it might be a little too easy," Gabriel said. "Using an unranked card to push back the fog is way too easy a solution. There''s no way no one has tried it before. Heck, Sage''s wouldn''t even need a card to do it as their own Profession abilities would be enough.


    Which is why I think Fair Weather is only effective on the fog in the basement since it is being held back by artificial means, rather than the fog that covers the mountains."


    Nero took a moment, and realised that Gabriel was right. He had let the allure of the Vault distract his thoughts. It was not a risk with taking.


    "In that case, we should get this over with as quickly as possible."


    "I''ll go first," said Gabriel, and opened up his briefcase. Inside were four injections, and a piece of paper with instructions on how to use them. Though the instructions were written in old Valen, Maximilian had already told them what to expect, so they had no problem simply confirming the information that Maximilian had provided earlier.


    Gabriel used the sheath for his dagger as something to bite on as hey on the ground while Nero got ready to inject him. There was nothing here they could use to strap each other down, so they would have to do without it.


    In truth, the only real reason to even strap each other down was so that they would not be able to resist when the next injections were being used.


    Once Gabriel gave him the nod, Nero used the first injection. At first nothing happened, but as a few minutes went by Nero noticed that Gabriel''s skin was turning red. He thought it might be due to the body heating up, or flow of blooding to the skin, until he noticed that the colour was too significant. He was turning red like his sand.


    Then the difort set in. At first he only knew about it because of Gabriel''s idental groan, but as time went by, Gabriel''s body began fidgeting and rocking back and forth.


    Nero used the second injection, and saw that the effects became more prominent. Gabriels colour slowly returned to normal, but he started rolling back and forth on the ground as he resisted some groans that inevitably escaped.


    He started sweating profusely, and as they approached the twelve minute mark, it was the first time Gabriel yelled. He was biting down on the sheath hard, but even so he yelled, and began rolling around like mad. He started to scratch his skin, his nails digging in, but then a moment of rity would hit him and he would resist, only to start scratching himself a few momentster.


    Even if Nero wished, he wouldn''t be able to hold Gabriel down, yet the time for the third injection wasing. He readied the injection, and treated it as if he were about to administer poison to a resisting enemy. For some reason, that heightened his sense.


    He moved swiftly, put Gabriel in a body lock, and before he could resist he administered the third injection and quickly rolled away.


    At that point Gabriel wentpletely mad, losing all sanity as he yelled as loud as he could and his body trembled on the floor, no longer even rolling around. At this point, a trace of doubt filled Nero''s mind. Had Arter and Maximilian found a way to bypass the oath? Were they just trying to kill both of them?


    Yet at this point there was not going back. Administering the fourth injection was actually easier than the third, since Gabriel did not have the strength to resist. Yet as soon as he used the final injection, the situation became much better.


    Almost instantly his body stopped trembling, and he stopped screaming. He was still fidgeting every now and then, but he was in a much better condition.


    Gabriel''s eyes shed open and he suddenly sat up straight. He tried to speak, but in his excitement he forgot he was still biting onto the sheath.


    He spit it out and looked at Nero, almost no signs of the severe trauma he had suffered in his eyes.


    "Nero, my ability gained a new trait!" he said hoarsely. He tried to summon his ability to show Nero, yet just as Maximilian promised, it was not so easy to use his ability. He would have to relearn it, which would take a short while.


    "How was the experience?" Nero asked, worriedly.


    "Absolutely the worst thing I''ve ever felt," he said, while heughed. "I think thest injection helps your mind and body get over the trauma you experienced. I honestly don''t even care that just a few minutes ago I wanted to rip my own throat out so that I would die. It was totally worth it."


    Nero smiled weakly, unsure how to feel. It was great that Gabriel wasn''t scared¡­ but the thing about wanting to rip his own throat out¡­


    Nero took a deep breath, sat down cross legged on the ground and put his own dagger sheath in his mouth. They didn''t have time to waste, and Nero would not let fear of pain, no matter how great it was, prevent him from growing stronger.


    He once thought that someone had acted against Nero''s brother, but now he suspected his entire family bloodline was being hunted down by unknown enemies. He wanted to be the strongest he could when he faced them. He wanted to burn them all.


    Gabriel, who waspletely ecstatic about his change, finally paid attention to Nero and stopped experimenting with his ability. Though he was uncharacteristically euphoric, that did not mean his judgement was affected. He knew what was important.


    He injected Nero, and took a step back to watch the change happen. Just as Gabriel''s skin had turned red, Nero began to turn blue.


    Throughout the process, Nero kept his eyes closed and did not make a single sound. The difort was beginning to set in, and it was unlike anything Nero had ever experienced before.


    The pain was not in his muscles, or his bones, or something like that. It was in his very being, and inside his aether. Nero never knew aether could hurt, but now he knew that the aether in his body was very much a part of him, because he could feel it undergoing a certain change.


    The change was putting immense pressure on Nero''s body, but as Nero''s body had been strengthened recently, his body''s ability to support the pressure was also greater.


    Gabriel used the second injection, and his pressure increased. At first Nero thought that because he had a stronger body, he would be able to tolerate the pressure better. He was wrong.


    Because he had a stronger body, he could tolerate more pressure, and so the pressure that built up inside Nero was far greater than anything Arter and the others had experienced.Then came the pain, and it was so overwhelming that Nero lost all control of his body. He did not know if he was screaming, rolling, scratching, or anything else. All he knew was pain.

 Chapter 197: Frozen Kingdom

    Nero did not consider himself prideful for having a high opinion of himself. The distinction between confidence and overconfidence is that confidence is based on empirical evidence and historical proof, whereas overconfidence is based solely on emotions.


    Nero had, time and time again, proved himself to be exceptional in various fields. He also had countless advantages over others, which included the fact that he was highly disciplined and strong willed.


    With that background knowledge, it was a fair estimate to say that Nero would be able to handle himself better than others in a given situation. In the case of pain, especially, he was confident, for he exposed himself to great pain every time he trained.


    Not only was it extreme physical exhaustion that he subjected himself to, but there was also the emotional equivalent of forcing himself to do things he knew would hurt, only for a long distant dream or goal he had no way of knowing he would ever achieve.


    So when the pain came initially, he handled it well. But in this one situation, Nero had overestimated his ability, simply because he did not understand the situation well enough. It was not that he was being exposed to pain, no. It was that he knew nothing save pain.


    His mind was incapable of thought, since it was consumed by pain. Time became an abstract concept, since the passage of time became irrelevant. The past was pain, the present is pain, and the future would be pain. Without any distinction between the three states, what was the point of distinguishing them?


    He had no self awareness either. There was no Nero to exert self control, or consider things such as the difficulty he would present to Gabriel for further injections. No, his brain had no spare capacity to consider such things.


    It was doing its utmost to fullyprehend, and then experience, the pain that Nero was going through.


    Gabriel had said that he wanted to rip his throat out, but Nero had not even enough thought power to consider such forms of death, since the pressure he was experiencing was far greater than anyone else.


    Yet, like the flip of a switch, the pain ended, and a strange force took hold of his brain, and reached deep inside of it. It swept through the ocean of pain, diminishing the memories as if they had existed many years ago, casting a cloudy filter over those memories.


    Instead, it took hold of the being that was Nero, at least before he experienced such terror inducing pain, and wrapped itself around him, as if to protect him from changing.


    With his memories of pain slowly fading away, and his very being artificially entered into a state where he could not experience any character growth, the trauma of such indelible pain slid off him like rain sliding down a pane of ss. He could see it, but even if he tried to touch it, he would only touch the ss, not the rain on the other side.


    At the same time, his brain was experiencing life as it was normally. Yet having just experienced such extreme pain, normal itself was greatly euphoric, as if it was the best feeling in the world, which filled Nero with a sense of glee.


    Nero smiled as he looked up at Gabriel, and then focused on his innate card deep in his chest.


    The card had experienced the slightest bit of change.


    Name: Cryome


    Image: Arge, deep blue me


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [The Cryome burns with a hue of brilliant, deep blue, its mes shimmering with icy tendrils and frosty wisps. Instead of consuming fuel and emitting heat, it consumes only heat and produces aetheric mes, leaving behind a frozen kingdom instead of soot and ash.]


    vour text: "The death of a Kri is written, and it is on the battlefield," - Marilyn Grant


    For a moment Nero was confused. It seemed like nothing had changed. Yet his current state, Nero had eidetic memory of everything that happened before the ''pain episode'' which was, even at this moment, continuously fading from memory till he could barely recall it. As a result, he recalled word for word what his card used to say.


    It used to read, ''The Cryome burns with a brilliant blue hue, its mes shimmering with icy tendrils and frosty wisps. Instead of consuming fuel and emitting heat, it consumes only heat and produces more mes, leaving the target frozen whole instead of ash.''


    There were a few changes. First, the colour seemed deeper, for whatever reason. Second, instead of producing more cryomes as a result of absorbing heat, it only produced aetheric mes, whatever that meant. Lastly, instead of leaving behind a frozen target, it left behind a frozen kingdom.


    Nero analysed the differences, and immediately got to the crux of the matter. His mes did not gain any new abilities, likely, and instead just grew stronger in effect! It would need to be tested to be sure, but it more or less seemed like that was it.


    "Gabriel, my innate ability grew stronger!" Nero eximed, wearing an ecstatic grin. It felt like he was having the best day of his life, while at the same time it felt like he was looking at the world through a special lens.


    Was this what it felt like to be drunk or high? Why was that ouwed? This was great!


    Then he realised that Gabriel was looking at Nero glumly, with a ck eye and quite a few scratches on his face.


    "Oh no Gabriel, what happened?" he asked. "Were we attacked? Don''t worry, with my new ability I''ll kill them all!"


    He raised his hand, as if to disy his newfound power, yet nothing happened. He was just holding out his hand in front of him like a kid pretending to be a superhero.


    "Forget it," Gabriel said as he suppressed his dour mood. "Focus on recovering your ability and let''s get out of here. I think I might be beginning to develop some anxiety - the fog is making me increasingly nervous."


    Nero looked at his friend, wondering how he could possibly be in such a bad mood during such a wonderful day. Then he looked at the fog, and something deep within himself trembled, as if it sensed something immensely dangerous.


    Yet in his highly euphoric mood, even danger felt exciting and thrilling!


    But while he was going through a rush of emotions, his decision making processes were notpromised. He knew what was important, so he quickly began working on regaining full control over his ability.


    At first he was unable to produce any mes at all, at most releasing a few sparks and embers. But the more he practised, the easier it became, though he noticed a distinct difference in the use of his ability. Producing mes had be significantly more difficult, and it was not just due to him needing to relearn how to control his ability.


    It was because the mes did not innately produce more mes as a result of devouring heat. So every single me, he had to use his own aether to create them.


    It seemed like he had suffered a loss. But the truth couldn''t be further from the truth. He snapped his fingers and a tiny me appeared on his fingertip, almost like it had been lit on a tealight candle.


    The mesmerising blue me stood steady on his finger, not dancing or moving about, yet the temperature of the room began to drop drastically. Frost began to appear on the floors almost instantly, and Gabriel who was nearby felt a chill travel down his spine! He had to coat himself in red sand to keep himself from feeling cold.


    Yet Nero felt none of that. No, all he felt was the single me, its life fueled from his aether, greedily devouring all the heat around it. As it did so, the colour in the me became deeper and deeper, with tiny blue embers beginning to rise from the single me, almost making it look like the me was shimmering. The more heat it devoured, the stronger his me was bing!


    Yet before he could see what the me turned into, Nero snapped his finger again and closed the me.


    He turned to look at Gabriel, the massive grin on his face suddenly fading. He was still feeling euphoric, but now he was returning to his normal self, which meant he was less easily distracted.


    "The fog is extremely dangerous," he said, stating the obvious.


    "Yes. Yes it is," Gabriel replied.


    Whether it was because they had experienced a change, or the fog had, was unknown. But what mattered is that the both of them suddenly felt grave danger from the fog, and could not, for the slightest moment, consider spending more time there.


    Even though Nero was notpletely used to his ability, he did not want to waste more time here. They immediately gathered their stuff and departed.

 Chapter 198: Only good things

    Nero, who was especially used to paying attention to his environment, was feeling ufortable despite the fact that he was still under the influence of the injection that should have prevented him from feeling negative or ufortable. It was a testament to the threat they were feeling from the fog.


    It was the feeling of being in the sights of a powerful predator, getting ready to pounce at a moment''s notice. Yet instead of a single predator, they were surrounded from all sides and angles from countless predators.


    "How much control have you gained over your ability?" Nero asked as he stretched his limbs, getting ready for their prompt exit.


    "Not nearly as much as I''d like," Gabriel said as he summoned red sand in his hand. Nero could vaguely tell that the sand was supposed to be in the shape of a sword, but wasn''ting together quite right.


    "My innate ability gained a new trait without losing out any of the old ones. It''s basically a lot more versatile and easier to use than before, but it''s almost like I have to learn how to use it from the beginning. Past experience helps, but only so much."


    "Mine just grew stronger," Nero said as he looked at the frost on the walls. "As a result, it actually lost a few traits, but the overall effect should still be stronger. We''ll just have to find out by how much the old fashioned way."


    Once Nero had limbered up, and Gabriel was also ready, they quickly left the room, ensuring they closed it properly and left no hints of its existence. They had ended up spending an additional hour in the fog, so chances were high that Arter and Maximilian had already made it out - if they had not been intercepted by enemies first.


    They quickly made their way to the entrance of the Vault, all without facing any obstacles, which was a good sign. There also weren''t any dark berserkers smashing themselves on the barrier at the entrance which was for the best.


    Even so, as they exited, they had their weapons drawn and werepletely ready to face any sudden attacks. Fortunately, none came.


    "Follow me," Nero said as he began navigating the way through the fog. He had made sure to memorise the path on the way over, so he was certain that he would be able to backtrack their way through the research facility - until they reached the stairwell. Or, to be more specific, the entrance to the stairwell.


    There was a massive, metal sheet that had been ripped out of somewhere that had been ced where the entrance was, blocking it. On the metal sheet Nero could spot signs of weapons trying to cut through, and suddenly imagined Arter and Maximilian trying to make their way out.


    Yet they had clearly failed, since there was no opening to the other side, and they were absent as well.


    "What the hell is going on?" Gabriel said as he touched the metal sheet to see if it was real. He even brushed it with his red sand to see if his sand could eat through the metal, only to be faced with failure.


    "Someone clearly doesn''t want us to exit," Nero said with a frown. It was genuinely difficult to think clearly when his senses were messing with him. He felt danger all around him, which he could understand represented the fog. But that meant if he faced some other kind of danger, it would be masked by the threat of the fog.


    "Do you know another way out?" Gabriel asked, although he was certain he knew the answer.


    "No idea. With the fog blocking the way, it''ll be even harder to find another exit. I suggest we try to pick up where the others left off and try to cut a hole through the metal sheet. If we use the augmented weapons, we might be able to cut through slowly. We just need to keep an eye out for¡­ for whatever drew the others away."


    It was a bad n, but so was blindly searching through the fog for an exit. A part of Nero felt like he was letting the pressure get to him, but in truth, sometimes the stupid n really was the best. Unless they tried and found out whether they could cut through the sheet, they''d never know.


    Unfortunately, their trial ended up with worse results than expected. It seemed like they couldn''t even make the scratches that Arter made. It was likely a benefit of his ability that allowed him to scratch the wall to begin with. In the end, they were forced to explore the facility, which brought them to a new problem.


    Should they follow the same path Arter and Maximilian took? It was easy to tell which way they went because of the asional corpse leading the way. For a brief moment, Nero considered going the opposite way. It would be perfect if those two could serve as bait.


    Yet Nero quickly decided against that. Whoever ced the metal sheet in front of the door was clearly targeting them, and considering that they could not move the heavy sheet, nor cut through it, facing them alone would be an incredibly difficult task, if not an impossible one.


    Relying on strength through numbers would be the best idea.


    They followed the corpses, moving quickly yet carefully, through the facility. Whether it was luck or something else, they did not run into any living berserkers on the way, but the number of dead ones began to concern them until they suddenly reached an intersection, and couldn''t find a single corpse in any direction.


    "What are the chances that they finally managed to kill all the berserkers in the entire facility?" Gabriel asked with a troubled look.


    "I wouldn''t bet on it," Nero said, and with a defeated sigh expanded the range of Fair Weather till it covered the width of the corridor. They started looking for clues, travelling through each of the three new paths until they found something they weren''t expecting to see.


    Nero found a ck briefcase on the ground, opened and empty. Not only had Arter and Maximilian lost the case, but someone had looted their contents, or already used them somehow. Yet the only person Nero could think of was Vanessa, posing as Jessie. Yet who helped her take the injections if she really was the one who took the box?


    Either way, it seemed like they were on the correct path so they continued forward only to discover blood smeared on the ground. It looked like someone had been dragging a bleeding body.


    "Only good things happen when you follow blood stains," Gabriel said out loud, though Nero could not tell if he was being sarcastic, or hoping for a positive manifestation.


    They naturally followed the blood to an open door, though the entrance had been barricaded using various pieces of furniture.


    "Arter! Maximilian!" Nero whispered through the door, channelling Fair Weather through the door so that the fog would disperse, allowing his voice to carry. "Are you guys in there?"


    "Nero?" a familiar voice suddenly eximed from the other side. It was Maximilian.


    "Shit! You guys need to hide quickly! Return to the Vault if you can! That thing isn''t something Neophytes can fight! Arter''s entered aa due to aether exhaustion, and I''m practically out as well!"


    Maximilian''s voice was filled with genuine panic and fear, yet before they could ask anymore questions, Nero felt a tremor travel through the floor. His dagger already drawn, he turned around from the direction of the tremor, yet saw nothing. But a momentter, he felt another tremor, and another, as if something heavy was walking towards them.


    Finally, through the fog itself, before he could see anything, Nero heard a faint ''thud''. He saw the outline of an enormous, misshapen creature a moment before it passed through the fog, into the clearing of Fair Weather.


    It had the body of arge berserker, its silver skin stretched to the limit with packed muscle. Yet there were a couple of key differences. Instead of a right arm, the thing had dozens of tentacles emerging from his left shoulder, twisting and turning together into the shape of a right arm that was somehow bigger than its body itself.


    Even more surprising, for some odd reason, was that in its left hand, it held a spear that Nero was all too familiar with.


    "My spear," he couldn''t help but whisper as heid eyes on it.


    Upon hearing Nero''s words the creature stopped walking, and instead looked at him through the soulless eyes of the berserkers.


    "My spear," the creature spoke, its voice like nails scratching on a chalkboard. There was a certain amount of glee in its voice as it spoke, and a level of intellect that made Nero extremely wary. This was apletely different level of enemy from the berserkers they faced before.


    "My Vault."

 Chapter 199: Die

    Some time had passed, but Nero was still slightly under the effect of thest injection which put him in a highly euphoric state. Despite the grave situation, when Neroid eyes on his lost spear, all he felt was extreme, untainted tion.


    "My spear," he had whispered in disbelief and excitement,pletely ignoring the gruesome, deadly thing that was holding onto the spear.


    But then that thing spoke, and the mood changed.


    "My spear," it said in a voice fitting one''s worst nightmare. It was an abominatione to life, an amalgamation of two equally monstrous beings - a berserker and the tentacles which had taken over Jack''s body. It was death incarnate for the young Neophytes.


    Yet Nero did not feel fear. Instead, he felt like his reunion with his long, lost spear had been ruined by this ugly thing. His pure, wholesome tion suddenly turned into a furious, raging anger.


    "Your spear?" he said, unable to control his changing emotions. "Have you seen a mirror, you twisted freak? The only way you''re worthy to touch my spear is with it sticking through your face!"


    Nero was in a strange state where he had lost control of his emotions, an extreme rarity, yet maintained the same cold, calcting brain that allowed him to stay calm at all times.


    The logical side of his brain said that he could not escape unless he killed this thing, and his emotional state said that thing needed to be fucked up, so forming a unique mix of emotion and logic, Nero focused his entire being into killing it.


    His blue me, which he had been unable to control just a short while ago, coated the de of his dagger as his body darted forward without hesitation, using even his aether maniption to move as fast as he could.


    Nero heard the creature speak once more about the Vault, but couldn''t care less. He threw ming Snowkes at the creature''s tentacles while he appeared on its left - where it held the spear.


    Instead of going for a direct lethal attack, Nero instead targeted its joints. Though the berserker''s body healed ridiculously fast, Nero was in a hyper-focused state where he did not need toe up with a conscious n - all the pieces were naturally falling into ce.


    The Snowkes, which had been faster than Nero, cut through a few of the tentacles and the tentacle monster had initially been indifferent, but that quickly changed when a tiny, blue metched onto one of the cut ends of its tentacles.


    The me was tiny, and it did not growrger either, but it began to turn into a deeper shade of blue as it began freezing the tentacles solid. The danger it felt from the tiny me was enormous, so much so that it cut off the burning tentacle and flung it away.


    Simultaneously, the monster disyed remarkable control over the spear as it used its body to block each of Nero''s attacks from the ming dagger.


    "DIE!" the monster yelled out at Nero in anger as it attacked. It whirled the spear, remarkably simr to exactly how Nero used to, and turned its de towards Nero before stabbing. At the same time, its right hand lost its shape and dissolved into a mass of tentacles that attacked Nero.


    Yet a sturdy, red wall of sand appeared in its path, blocking the tentacles. As if the wall were made of concrete rather than sand, it remainedpletely unmoved against the onught. At most, mild cracks appeared within the sand wall each time a tentacle tried to pierce through it, which quickly began to heal as more sand poured in.


    Wielding his shortsword, Gabriel appeared on the other side of the tentacle monster and attacked it from the opposite end. He was not nearly as fast as Nero, but he had augmentations from his weapon nheless, and Gabriel was no pushover. His shortsword cut through the berserker''s legs, revealing not its usual mass of muscture, but rather more tentacles inside its body.


    Yet even so, the cuts rapidly healed. The tentacle berserker, snarling and roaring in anger, still managed to show remarkable adaptability as it changed its position to distance itself from both of them andunched more tentacles their way.


    This time the tentacles wereunched too quickly. Gabriel, who was being targeted, had no way of summoning his sand wall in time and nearly froze.


    Nero, without missing a beat, or slowing down his barrage of attacks in any way, used Ful Defend in front of Gabriel, summoning an imprable shield, blocking the attack.


    Yet he himself was not too sessful in attacking the berserker. It was moving too quickly, and was far too adept at using the spear, effectively reducing Nero''s attacking range. Furthermore, when Nero used Snowke, the tentacle berserker would, on purpose, take the attack with a few tentacles that it immediately cut off, so as to not let the me touch it.


    The ground became littered with countless, frozen solid tentacles. The deep blue mes would vanish after a while, as if the cut off tentacles could no longer provide it with enough fuel, and momentster the frozen tentacles would shatter.


    The temperature of the room began to drop rapidly. But beyond that, there was no progress.


    Nero and Gabriel had great teamwork, but they were unable to deliver significant attacks. For a brief moment they reached an impasse.


    Then Nero''s eyes flicked.


    "He''s using my own spearmanship," Nero said aloud, as if informing Gabriel. "I don''t know how, but this thing must have been watching me."


    The tentacle monster grinned suddenly, its ugly mug enough to traumatise children for life.


    "Nero¡­ Grant¡­" it said slowly as it looked at him, then looked towards Gabriel and said, "Gabriel¡­ Anzem¡­ I will¡­ eat your memories¡­"


    The creature began tough out loud cryptically, and its skin began to move and bulge, as if something was moving from underneath.


    "Psychological tactics¡­" Nero muttered, and then resumed his attack.


    The tentacle berserker blocked his dagger with the spear,but this time tentacles suddenly burst out of its arm andshed out at Nero. They were too quick to dodge, and too close for him to n anything, yet Ful Defend appeared just in time to block them nheless.


    Nero had already assumed that something like this might happen when he saw the bulging and moving underneath its skin.


    "Hold it in ce," Nero said as he resumed his attack.


    Red grains of sand rolled on the ground and begantching onto the thing''s legs, climbing up while other grains began gathering around its feet, formingrge, dense blocks of sand.


    It was not enough topletely stop the thing, but as the sands gathered, its legs became heavier and heavier, slowing it down.


    Nero, who had been forced to hold back, gave his spear onest, remorseful look, before he stopped holding back at all. Better to let the spear rest in peace than let it continue to be used by a monster.


    To be specific, he had not been holding back against the monster, but whenever it was blocked with the spear, Nero had restrained himself so that he wouldn''t end up damaging it. But no more.


    Nero attacked once more, the me in his dagger a slightly darker shade of blue from when it started, but was blocked by the cold, metallic spear. Yet in this sh of the two spears something different happened.


    The mestched onto the spear, rapidly reducing its temperature, and a small, almost invisible scratch marred its body. Yet it was not invisible to Nero.


    Seeing the sess of his attacks, Nero only became more angry since he himself was the one harming his spear.


    He roared and attacked again, but the tentacle monster was not resigned to just continuously being attacked. Moreover, it was smart enough to understand Nero''s intentions, so it changed things up.


    It shot out more tentacles, this time aiming for both Nero and Gabriel, forcing them to hide behind Ful Defend once more. The creature didn''t know it, but using Ful Defend was a great drain on their aether reserves, and they were already beginning to feel the effects of its repeated use.


    Instead, it took this opportunity to leap away from them, leaving the range of Fair Weather and hiding within the fog.


    Were this any other time, Nero would have calcted the drain on his aether, ounted for countless other variables ande up with a much more viable battle n. But it wasn''t.


    Under the strange influence of thest injection, and the emotional turmoil of having to destroy his own spear, Nero absolutely didn''t care about being efficient.


    He opened his bag, took out the vial which contained liquid aether and took a big gulp. At the same time, he maxed out his use of Fair Weather, revealing the entirety of the corridor. He was ready to chase the tentacle berserker down.


    Yet what was revealed once the fog dispersed caused even the rade induced Nero to pause.


    Hundreds, no, thousands of tentacles lined an entire region of the corridor, and the berserker ran into them and somehow docked into them, suddenly bringing them to life.


    Something in Nero''s brain suddenly clicked. No wonder even Arter and Maximilian had been forced to retreat. This was no easy foe.


    But the pause he felt was only mary. As far as Nero was concerned, he only had a bigger target now. He rushed forward again.

 Chapter 200: Frozen

    Liquid aether, as per Gabriel, increased the rate of his growth to the next level, while the additional aether simply dissipated from his body. Neither Nero, nor anyone else had any reason to believe that the aether absorbed from the liquid form could be actually used for abilities and cards.


    Yet at the same time, considering the rarity of the liquid, it was not like they knew much about it, anyway. It was unlikely that anyone had tested it to be used like this, and Nero didn''t mind being the one to do it. As valuable as the liquid aether was, it was not as valuable as his own life - at least to Nero himself.


    As such, Nero used his abilities liberally. Now that he knew how much of this ce was covered in tentacles, he threw out ming Snowkes as if it were actually raining. Using multiple cards at the same time was not impossible, just very difficult. Simrly, using 3 cards at the same time made it even harder, almost actually impossible for Neophytes.


    Fortunately, neither Fair Weather nor Snowke required a lot of maniption.


    The burning snowkesnded within the tentacles, and though the mes flickered heavily, clearly battling against cursed energy, they were much more resilient than they used to be. In fact, even from a distance, Nero could see a thinyer of ice forming over the tentacles, meaning that as the mes fought against cursed energy, they also were fueling themselves by absorbing heat.


    The tentacle berserker unleashed a savage yell, angered by Nero''s relentless pursuit. Like a staff, guiding his tentacles, the berserker pointed at Nero with the spear in its hand, and hundreds of tentacles suddenly short forward towards Nero, causing the corridor to sound like there was a storm going on within it.


    But, already expecting such an attack, he switched from using Snowke to Ful Defend the moment he noticed the tentacled monster make its move. Each time an attack stuck Ful Defend''s barrier blocked an attack, Nero felt the aether inside of him drain. Quickly, much quicker than he anticipated, he was already on the verge of having a dangerously low amount of aether in his body.


    Yet somehow, it never actually ran out.


    Ful Defend kept absorbing aether, and his body kept providing. Nero''s brain kept telling him that he was on the verge of running out of aether. In fact, he was already beginning to feel slightly nauseous. Even so, he never actually ran out of aether. It was like he had a limitless reserve of it in his body.


    Actually, even in his emotion heightened state, he did not think he had an endless supply of aether, but it was pretty big. Plus, he had only taken a single sip from the liquid aether. There was still much more he could drink.


    "The liquid aether can act as a reserve," he said out loud towards Gabriel, as he continued to block tentacles. The moment the attacks paused, Nero began attacking on his own, cutting tentacles off and lightning them on fire.


    With this tentacle monster, it was difficult to locate any specific weakness, so the fight would be one of endurance. Who canst longer while doing the maximum damage to the other? Only, their tolerance for suffering attacks was much lower than the tentacle monster.


    Gabriel did not hesitate, either. He was also getting low on aether, so he quickly took a sip from the liquid aether, and then looked at the fight from afar. The situation did not look too good, no matter how he looked at it. A single mistake, and they''d be goners.


    He thought for a second for possible solutions, and something clicked in his mind. He began manipting his red sand, and started weaving it together, as if creating something massive.


    The tentacle berserker, which had been trying to attack Nero for a while now, became frustrated. For whatever reason, it could not break through Nero''s defences, so instead it turned its attention towards Gabriel, who was in the back and attacked him.


    The defence these two were using was remarkably simr to the ones the previous two humans had used, yet they weresting much longer. The previous two humans had also started off strong, but their energy ran out a lot quicker than these two.


    The monster, while attacking from a distance, was also thinking of ways to break the impasse they found themselves in. Upon recalling the other two humans, who it had already defeated, it had an idea.


    From the memories it stole from other humans, it knew of something called hostages. That might work. After all, the n of leaving some humans alive as bait to attract more humans was also something that it stole from others memories, and it had been working splendidly so far.


    The tentacles slithered across the walls, bypassing Nero and Gabriel, and reached towards the barricaded door and began to push the items out of the way. It was not easy considering the considerable weight of the barricade, but it also had innumerous tentacles, so physical strength was not a concern.


    Inside the room, Maximilian hadid Arter''s unconscious body on a side and was quickly using recovery cards to recover as quickly as possible. Yet suddenly he heard the sound of things being pushed, and opened his eyes to the sight of all the furniture being pushed aside.


    "Dammit!" he yelled and quickly got up to his feet. He had also been listening to the fight outside, and heard Nero''s absurd idea of using liquid aether. He didn''t want to waste something so valuable, but in this moment, he couldn''t care for how amazing it was.


    Outside, Gabriel was finally ready.


    "Nero, light these on fire!" he yelled, and turned all his sand into hundreds of darts. He had been rubbing his grains of sand against each other, using friction to heat them up as much as he could possibly manage. The idea had actually worked a lot better than he expected, and in fact Gabriel noticed that his sand took on a deeper red colour when they became hotter.


    As much as he would like to try out their effect, now was not the time.


    Nero needed no exnation, and immediately unleashed a nket of blue mes around him through which the darts passed, catching on fire before striking the endless tentacles in their path.


    For a moment it did not seem like it would make much of a difference, but as the mes quickly absorbed the heat from the darts, they turned a deeper shade of blue, so by the time they touched the tentacles, they had already be more potent.


    Hundreds of tiny mes merged together into a ze, and suddenly there was a change. Gabriel, who was far away, suddenly shivered as his body felt a chill. The next moment instead of ayer of frost, ayer of ice began to cover the tentacles.


    The tentacle monster screamed as it suddenly felt genuine fear. All its thoughts suddenly became chaotic as panic set in, and instead of acting under guidance, the tentacles began to writhe about and m across the entire corridor in panic.


    Yet the fire had taken hold, and it was growing stronger, slowly reaching the ceiling. Nero himself remained unharmed, but even behind Ful Defend he felt his armour begin to stiffen. The solution to this was simple. If he coated his armour in his own mes, he could prevent them from suffering under the effects of his mes.


    But the monster had no such luxury. At first, his tentacles were encased in ice, but as its own energy within the tentacles depleted, the tentacles themselves began to freeze.


    Under the sapphire hue, the corridor started to turn into and of ice.


    Desperation suddenly, for the first time, filled the tentacle berserker''s eyes, and it acted as such. Instead of cutting its tentacles free, it brought the rest of its tentacles from down the corridor, and smashed them into the fire.


    Though bitterly cold, the fire was affected by its cursed energy, so it began to suffocate the mes with its own body. For a moment it seemed to work. All the ice shattered under the weight of the new tentacles, and the mes began to sizzle as they were smothered by cursed energy.


    But Nero obviously wasn''t just going to sit and watch as their efforts were brought to naught. They finally saw hope for victory, but they weren''t there yet. The closer to victory, the calmer they had to be.


    Nero stepped back instead of stepping forward, and beganunching his Snowkes towards the berserker''s actual body. He didn''t know if the monster had a brain, or something simr, but if it did, then it should be inside the body.


    A loud crash suddenly echoed through the hall, and the makeshift barricade protecting Maximilian and Arter finally gave way.

 Chapter 201: Castle of Ice

    Bright light shone through the barricaded room through the gaps between the tentacles pouring in. Neither Nero nor Gabriel could afford to distract themselves by paying attention to the room, so the others would have to protect themselves.


    Step by step, Nero cut off invading tentacles and blocked the rest as he approached the monster. Gabriel kept a distance, but once again he began weaving his sand together, using friction to heat it up.


    At the same time, a part of him was trying to understand why his sand became redder when heated. He did not reveal the details of his innate ability to anyone, letting them draw his own conclusions. But the truth was that the red colour was a result of a mutation, and something he likely inherited from his mother. If that was the case, its originsy in an innate ability rted to blood.


    The burning ability of his sand was not actually burning, but corrosion, and it worked better on animals than everything else.


    None of that tranted to anything with heat, but that was exactly what was happening. He was not sure, but he felt like the corrosive ability of his sand might be better if it was hot. It was something he could only test in the future.


    For now, he morphed his heated sand into arrows instead of darts, and shot them towards the tentacle monster, whose body was docked in a gruesome swirl of fleshy tentacles near them.


    "Nero!" he yelled, and the other needed no other prompting. The sound of the arrows was enough.


    Nero unleashed another curtain of mes which greedily grabbed onto the hot sand, turning into a devastating rain of ming arrows.


    The sound of something scraping suddenly distracted Nero, and the speed with which it was approaching rmed him. He tried to use Ful Defend behind him, but since he was already using it to his front, he could not move it, so instead he used Ful Hele while he tried to dodge.


    His timing couldn''t have been better, for the next moment an entire cab smashed into his lower body. He had moved just enough to avoid having his entire body smashed, but he could notpletely avoid being hit.


    The tentacle monster had grabbed the furniture blocking Maximilian''s room and mmed it into Nero. It had happened too fast for Gabriel to warm him, and the result was Nero''s body being hurled to the side, his lower spine, pelvis and legspletely crushed.


    The sudden, sharp pain overwhelmed Nero, causing him to drop his connection with all the cards he was using. Ful Defend disappeared, and Ful Hele was cancelled. But upon ending, the effects of Ful Hele came into y, and Nero''s body began to rapidly heal. Even then, it could not be instantaneous.


    This was the first time Nero had allowed such a mistake to ur, but the fact that it happened meant that though his aether was continuously being replenished, physically his body began to grow exhausted. His senses dimmed and his concentration waned, or else he would have noticed the attack long before it struck.


    But there was no time to dwell on these things. Gabriel had no idea that Nero had used Ful Hele and was recovering. All he knew was that Nero was on the verge of dying as countless tentacles shot towards him, ready to pierce through his body.


    He shot his sand forward, wrapping it around Nero and forming a sort of sarcophagus, hardening around him without really crushing him. The tentacles crashed into it a split secondter, but weren''t able to break through.


    Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. If his ability hadn''t gained a new trait, more easily allowing him to form solid objects by fusing his sand together, then the protection his sand could provide would have been paltry.


    A momentter, Ful Defend formed in front of the sarcophagus, and Gabriel felt Nero knocking on it from within, so he dismissed it, revealing an unharmed Nero.


    "There''s no air inside," Nero said calmly as he emerged, his focus reverting to the tentacle berserker.


    The ming arrows had struck its main body, and the fire hadtched onto it. It had to use the same old strategy of smashing the mes with its tentacles to smother the me, but the effects of the me were evident.


    "Use more arrows," Nero said as he retreated toe closer to Gabriel. Since physical fatigue was setting in, it was best to reduce his strain as much as possible. Long range attacks would have to suffice. This was a test of endurance between his aether and the creature''s ability to heal from attacks. It was best to reduce all other factors, such as Nero''s own physical endurance as much as possible.


    Nero and Gabriel partnered up, protecting one another, as they readied andunched their salvo of ming arrows again and again. They couldn''t do it too quickly, for it took time for Gabriel to heat up his sand, and during that wait Nero made use of ming Snowkes!


    Snowkes acted as fuel for his fire, and though they didn''t allow his mes to grow deeper in colour, they were much harder to smother.


    Combined with the deep blue me produced by Gabriel''s heated arrows, the damage they were doing to the tentacle monster almost became obvious. In fact, the tentacles its body had docked into eventually froze, and shattered, disconnecting the monster.


    As soon as that happened, the barrage of tentacles shooting at them stopped.


    Nero saw an opportunity and instantly dashed forward at his fastest speed, using the opening from theck of tentacle attacks to cut through in a straight line towards the monster, and threw himself at it.


    Just to be careful, instead of Ful Defend Nero began using Ful Hele, but he intended to suffer no strikes. Instead, his ming dagger constantly stabbed into the berserker''s metallic skin, leaving countless small mes covering its body.


    The already hulking monster moved slower than ever, stiffness having set in from the piercing cold. The tentacles revealed within the body after each stab moved slowly and lethargically, as the cursed energy drained from them.


    Nero''s eyes shed and it suddenly urred to him that the mass of tentacles covering the walls was not only a potent weapon, but also a reserve of cursed energy. That was the exact reason no other curses had appeared in the basement, because the tentacles were absorbing all the cursed energy.


    He absolutely couldn''t allow it to reconnect with the tentacles.


    Even before he said it aloud, Gabriel began constructing walls around them, blocking the monster from the other tentacles. He must have had simr thoughts.


    A sh of intelligence shed through the tentacle monster''s eyes as it realised how desperate its condition was bing. It tried to resist, fighting as brutally as possible to break free from them.


    Yet its movement had slowed down, and without the aid of countless tentacles to smother the mes, Nero''s cryomes slowly drained it of all its cursed energy while ice began to form on its joints, slowing it down even further.


    Nero sensed victory, but the more it was like this, the more he did not let himself grow impatient. His emotions were still raging, and he was still influenced by that, but Nero would never allow himself to make such a critical mistake regardless of his state of mind.


    After all, the closer the berserker was to death, the more desperate it would be.


    In fact, that is exactly what happened. One of the berserker''s knees froze solid under the influence of the mes, but since it did not stop moving, the knee suddenly cracked.


    It suddenly lost bnce and fell over. The berserker saw Nero approaching, as steady as always, to take advantage of its situation, and it felt the shadow of death.


    A mix of fear, pain, desperation and a reluctance to die forced it to do something it never thought it would. The creature used thest of its strength to cause its body to self-destruct.


    As close as Nero was, it was impossible to dodge.


    Dozens of tentacles, some frozen, some already dead, and some left struggling against the mes covering them, shot out of its body, and more than a few pierced Nero''s body. He managed to protect his face and neck, but he felt something cut into his stomach, and began wriggling around.


    Yet instead of fear and horror, Nero felt victory in his grasp. Using all of his concentration, he kept Ful Hele active, covered his entire body in cryomes, and began using Radix Augmentation.


    The many dead tentacles around him turned to dust as Nero''s body absorbed something from within them, which only made his own body stronger.


    At the same time, Nero''s mes began eating away thest of the tentacle''s vitality, while Radix Augmentation waited to absorb everything else.


    Covered in head to toe with blue mes, Nero finished off thest of the writhing tentacles, even as thickyers of ice began to cover everything around him, forming a sort of mini-castle of crystal clear ice.

 Chapter 202: Greatest monster of them all

    Maximilian, who had been huddled in a corner in front of Arter''s body, using Ful Defend to protect himself from the tentacle assault, thought that today was the day he would die. He did not know how he could continue to supply aether to the card, but he was managing somehow.


    But even then, his body was too injured to fight, and he was being assaulted by too many tentacles to even consider fighting.


    But then, suddenly, the assault stopped. All the tentacles stopped attacking. Maximilian was stunned, and thought it was some kind of borate trap. But he could still hear fighting outside, so after a moment''s hesitation, he stepped forward.


    Doing so meant leaving Arter vulnerable, but also presented him with a chance to help end the fight. Lumbering over the uneven terrain made mostly of tentacles, he came out to a chilling sight - literally.


    His body trembled as it was hit with a wave of biting cold wind, which managed to seep through his armour and clothes. But what gave him pause was not the wind, but the sight.


    In front of him was a world of crystal clear ice, nketing an army of tentacles, encasing them forever under its enormous weight.


    The sight was just as stunning as the realisation that there was no fog in sight. He looked over to Gabriel, who was surrounding weaving, flowing streams of red sand, looking towards something. His body was blocking the view, so Maximilian moved a bit more and finally saw Nero''s broken, bloody visage, covered in flowing blue mes.


    Nero grinned, as he felt the tentacle inside his stomach finally stop moving, and then disintegrate into dust under the influence of Radix Augmentation. At the same time, he felt a deep warmth spread within his body, massaging his aching, bleeding body.


    He finally let go of Ful Hele, and watched in amazement as all his wounds began healing in mere moments. The hole in his abdomen closed, and the countless cuts from the explosion vanished. He was pretty sure he had a few hairline fractures as well that healed.


    He let out a deep sigh of relief as he returned to his uninjured state. Ful Hele did not eliminate his physical exhaustion, just returned him to the level he was at before he began using the card.


    It was truly remarkable.


    He looked around, searching for any signs of Vanessa hiding, but couldn''t find her, so he began reducing the coverage ofFair Weather. Even though he was continuously supplying aether, physically he felt like he was on the verge of depletion. He had been for a long time.


    Finally, the tentacle monster was dead, and most of its body was trapped under ayer of ice.


    Suddenly it urred to Nero that besides heat inducing cards, he should also keep cards with him that can produce water - or at least increase the moisture content in the air. It would be useful in freezing things.


    His eyes traced the ground, and found his spear. It had suffered more than just a few scratches. The entire length of its body was damaged, and at some point the tip of the de had broken off as well.


    Nero sighed, and covered the spear in mes. It''s body was too tough, it would not shatter from being frozen. But it would be encased in an icy grave forever - or at least a long time.


    Then he frowned, and looked up. He just realised that since his mes did not end up multiplying, the automatic me dispersal did not activate. That, or there was something wrong with the facility.


    Even more reason to depart as quickly as possible.


    He turned, and paused, realising that walls of ice had formed around his and the tentacle monsters'' final battlefield. Using his dagger he attacked the ice, and was surprised to find that it was actually not so easy to break.


    He smashed the ice again and again, while Gabriel, who noticed his actions, did the same with his short sword from the other side. Eventually, they broke through, and cleared an openingrge enough for Nero to crawl through.


    Around the same time, Maximilian arrived close, carrying an unconscious Arter on his back.


    "How¡­ how the hell did you beat that thing?" Maximilian could not help but ask, fear still evident in his voice.


    "Let''s just say, you should be grateful you left us those two cases," Nero said as he adjusted his mood. His emotions were finally calming down. "Speaking of which, we found the fifth open case on the way. What happened to you guys?"


    Maximilian shook his head.


    "I have no idea. Once we were attacked by the tentacle monster, Arter had to drop the case. The fight was too bitter to focus on anything else. We ran out of aether too quickly to put up a fight. If it had urred to us to drink the liquid aether like you, maybe things would have turned out differently. As it was, we barely managed to survive.


    In fact, if Arter hadn''t used his ability on his own body, he would have be another host for the tentacles by now."


    Nero nodded. It made sense. It was not that Arter and Maximilian were weak, but that they ran out of aether too quickly. Such was the peril of the Neophyte realm.


    "We should get out of here before something else pops up out of the fog. Do you know where we can find another staircase," Nero asked.


    "Actually, I just might. As long as we don''t run into any yellow barriers blocking our way, I think I can find another stairwell."


    Nero and Gabriel did not question Maximilian. Maybe he had a copy of Shirly''s innate card, or he had some other secrets. At this point, they just wanted to leave so they did not question him as he led the way.


    Due to the fog, none of them noticed a dark berserker, hiding in a corner of the room, watching them, as if it could see them. Intelligence gleamed in its eyes as it watched them, its mind busy with plots of something insidious. A bulge moved underneath its skin, slowly and weakly, indicating something squirming within its body.


    Dark berserkers had a stealth ability that no one had detected so far. They had been using it with the utmost care under the direction of the tentacle monster.


    Yet while the dark berserker stalked its prey, it was like a mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. Vanessa stood not in the shadows, but right in the open. Yet it was the shadows that wrapped themselves around her, hiding her from the dark berserker''s view.


    There was a mad grin on her face, a sign of the extreme euphoria she was still feeling. She drew a dagger from its sheath,pletely identical to the one Nero used, and in one swift motion decapitated the dark berserker.


    Immediately after, she used a card on the berserker''s body, sting it to bits and killing the tentacle hiding within.


    "Let''s see if you can find me now, Nero Grant," she said out loud andughed like a giddy child. She still hadn''t recovered from Nero discovering her so easily. Now that her innate ability had been upgraded, she wondered if he could still find her.


    For some reason, she held a little bit of expectation in her heart. If Nero still managed to find her, then he really was something.


    Still under the influence of thest injection, she frolicked through the fog as if she were in her own home. On her back, she wore a backpack filled with numerous vials of liquid aether -the price she would have to pay to her aplice to take away something else of even greater value.


    She left, her footsteps making no sound as she passed through the cold, sterile, muted hall. The thick fog shrouded the aftermath of the fight in an eerie silence.


    The only sound was the faint, almost imperceptible crackle of ice settling over the mass of tentacles that had, just moments before, writhed with a terrifying life of their own, but the fog absorbed that too.


    The floor and walls were now andscape of frozen horror, the tentacles that had covered every surface encased in a thickyer of glistening ice. The once-slithering appendages were now solid, grotesque sculptures, their twisted forms captured in a moment of violent death.


    Ice glimmered in the pale, artificial light, a cold, crystalline blue that seemed almost beautiful, if not for the monstrous shapes it preserved.


    Far ahead, Nero paused and nced back, his breath visible in the chilled air, and for a moment, he could see the creature as it had been¡ªa nightmare of writhing limbs, each one pulsing with malevolent intent, ready to ensnare him, to tear him apart. But now, all was still. The ice had taken the fight out of the beast, locking it in ce, forever trapped in a final, silent scream.


    He felt the cold seeping into his bones, not just from the ice, but from the understanding that this was only a glimpse of the horrors that this world had to show him. Yet, almost immediately after, that cold was reced with the heat of his resolve. In this cursed world, he was determined to be the greatest monster of them all.

 Chapter 203: Trust

    "Do you need help?" Gabriel asked Maximilian as he watched him carry Arter. It wasn''t like he himself wasn''t tired, butpared to the rest Gabriel had exerted himself less. While Nero was fighting up closer, or well, closer, he had been fighting from a distance. Maximilian was already injured from his previous fight.


    Compared to them, Gabriel was just suffering from regr old exhaustion.


    "I''m already carrying him, might as well continue," said Maximin. "If I get tired, I''ll let you know."


    The trio only took a short rest after covering enough distance so that the tentacles weren''t visible anymore.


    Nero hadpletely lost track of time, so he had no idea how long it had been already. On top of everything, he hadn''t had food in almost a day, so now that he was physically exhausted, his body was not recovering the way it usually did.


    He, as well as the others, ate some aether candies to help with the physical exhaustion, and they were surprisingly effective, but it didn''t change the fact that Nero felt a fire burning in his stomach.


    It was a conscious effort not to drag their feet, but they had to. Not only because dragging feet would produce more sound, but it would take more energy as well.


    During their small rest, Nero had to cut pieces of his armour off. The damage the tentacle monster caused left a massive hole in his abdomen, and parts of the armour were sticking into his skin, stabbing him. He rounded it out as much as he could, and removed other parts entirely, which left a massive chunk of his chest exposed.


    Now that he was no longer fighting, Nero also realised that his nausea was actually much worse than he imagined. Although he found a way to keep using aether in the fight, his body clearly did not appreciate it. His own aether became somewhat sluggish, and it was slow to recover.


    Nero was, once again, amazed at how dependent his body had be on aether even though originally his body did not have it at all.


    Nero bit his cheek and tried to get his mind to focus. He could not have stray thoughts. He needed to keep his awareness up in case they were ambushed by other enemies, or encountered curses. But it was easier said than done.


    After a certain point of exhaustion, the body bes incapable of maintaining focus. From time to time his thoughts would wander, and for entire stretches of time he had no thoughts at all.


    They navigated the maze, following Maximilian as he led the way, and though Nero tried to memorise the path they followed, as he usually did, it was not so easy for him to focus.


    At a certain point, his eyes began to droop while walking, and he suddenly stumbled.


    He woke up instantly, all drowsiness escaping in a moment, but it had crept up on him without notice. That was bad. If it happened once, it could happen again.


    He looked out ahead and saw that Gabriel and Maximilian hadn''t even paused. They didn''t notice his stumble at all. They, too, were extremely exhausted.


    Nero''s expression firmed and with his regr dagger, he cut himself on his arm slowly and deliberately.


    He felt the pain coursing through his body, suddenly producing adrenaline and pushing away his umted fatigue as much as it could. He surveyed their surroundings and found it eerily silent and empty.


    Nero narrowed his eyes. He had been trapped in a powerful illusion curse before, so just to be sure he opened his case and used all the cards he had avable to him to survey his surroundings.


    He expanded the fog free area using Fair Weather, then one by one used Echo Location, Mind''s Eye, and even Aether pulse. The other two finally noticed something when they saw the fog suddenly clear up, and turned around to see Nero bleeding from his arm, a slight frown on his face.


    "Is everything alright?" Gabriel asked, looking around warily with his sword drawn.


    Nero frowned for a bit, then turned around and looked behind him. Echo Location was supposed to directly send an image of everything in his mind, Mind''s eye was supposed to allow him to look through obstacles and Aether Pulse was meant to reveal hidden curses around him, and might even work on other hidden objects.


    None of them revealed much of anything, and if he had only used any one of them, he would not have noticed anything. But when he used all three together, he noticed a small anomaly.


    The image created in his mind from Echo Location, and what he saw using Mind''s Eye was not exactly the same, even though there was nothing around him.


    That meant that what he was seeing through his eyes, and through a card were not the same - even though both of them were showing him that there was nothing significant around him. But even nothing was not always the same.


    It was confusing. But, in essence, when he used Echo Location, he sawrge shadows near him, but when he used Mind''s Eye to see through objects, he could not find any significantly sized shadows at all.


    The unusual part was that there was only one spot where there was some kind of anomaly, while the rest of the hallway was clear. Then, when he used Aether Pulse, nothing was revealed meaning it likely wasn''t a shadow. But while nothing was revealed to him, for a moment he was able to naturally notice that a certain shadow in the room looked odd.


    It was a tiny, miniscule shadow cast near the edge of the hallway walls caused by an extended windowsill. Ordinarily, it was not worth notice. Yet when he used Aether pulse, for a brief moment, it extended itself into the shape of a person.


    Exhausted, tired, bleeding, Nero was not at his best. But that moment, he looked towards the shadow and gave it a knowing grin.


    "Yeah, everything is okay," he said slowly, then reduced his use of Fair Weather and followed the duo as they continued forward.


    At the same time, his previously lethargic mind began working overtime. Things were lined up as best as he could possibly hope. Now it was up to him to decide how to proceed. The most important thing was to decide whether he could trust Vanessa or not.


    This was an absolutely critical decision, because whether he trusted her or not would determine his future ns. He thought about Gabriels oath card, but requiring an oath from her was not something he could hide from Maximilian, not to mention that he didn''t think the oaths were foolproof. If he trusted her, he would have to trust her fully.


    If not, then in the future he would have to think of another way to get his hand on Fair Weather so he could sneak into the basement.


    After a bit of contemtion, he decided to risk it. It wasn''t like he was losing anything himself to begin with.


    The group started walking forward once more, but Nero turned around, shed a smile at the shadow he was fairly certain was Vanessa, and hoped she would get the message.


    "Hold on guys, I need to adjust my armour," Nero said as he began moving his armour. "This hole is really ufortable."


    It was not surprising, as everyone could see that massive hole over his chest was not the most convenient thing. Yet as he moved his armour, the Eldrim card that had been locked in the chest position of his armour slipped out of the hole. Coincidentally, it was the Fair Weather card.


    The moment Nero lost contact with the Fair Weather card, it deactivated, causing the fog toe rushing in around him. It was barely a second before Gabri and Maximilian stepped close to allow him into the clearing, yet in that moment, Nero had lost sight of the card in the fog.


    The others expanded their clearing, but the card seemed to have vanished entirely. It was rming, since that was an exceptionally valuable card. But more importantly, considering how weak all of them were, the disappearance of the card like that was extremely concerning.


    They searched for only a moment before Nero just pulled out another Fair Weather card and they all quickly departed. Fortunately, soon after, they found a different stairwell.


    Once they had found the stairs, returning to the ground floor only took a few minutes. Finally, after hours and hours surrounded by that suffocating fog, they were in the clear.


    The ce they came up from did not have guards standing by, which meant it was outside of the army''s control zone. That also meant there was a possibility of encountering dangers above the Neophyte realm.


    As such, none of them wasted any time at all. Maximilian finally shifted Arter onto Gabriel''s back, and they set off to return to the army.


    Behind them, Vanessa looked at the three leave with a frown. Her emotions were still in a state of heightened euphoria, but that did not prevent her from thinking clearly. Nero had not only found her in a matter of minutes of her beginning to follow them, for reasons she didn''t know, he handed her a very important card.


    He did not seem like the kind of guy to betray his country like that, which is why she frowned. She had no idea what to make of this gift - or if there were any traps in it waiting for her.

 Chapter 204: Ascendant Oana

    Their journey to the ground floor went without incident, but the same could not be said for the ground floor. Almost instantly they ran into the yellow barrier that prevented them from moving further, while directly on the other side they found soldiers.


    They were told to hold their position while the soldiers came to them for extraction. They were more than happy to obey those orders, except that right after they could hear something approaching them.


    Peeking past a corner, they saw a pack of Mutts running by. If they were ordinary Mutts, merely in the Neophyte realm it would not have been a concern at all. But the sight of Mutts running by in a blur was enough to let them know that these Mutts were, at the very least, Initiates.


    Even then they might have been able to hold on if they were in their best condition. Unfortunately, they were far from being in a good state. They could not even try going somewhere else, as not only would that increase their chances of being spotted, but the army would have to spend more time looking for them.


    In the end, all they could do was retreat, and use Gabriel''s red sand to build a wall blocking off the entrance to the hall where they were. Once fully blocked, Gabriel kept addingyers of sand to the wall, making it more durable.


    His diligence paid off, because only a few minutester something began attacking the wall. Gabriel''s sand wall, which easily endured the attacks of the tentacles, suffering only minor damage, cracked under the very first attack.


    But cracking didn''t mean breaking, and with Gabriel consistently repairing and expanding the wall, they managed to buy themselves some time.


    Nero and Maximilian prepared themselves for the inevitable fight, while the soldiers from the other side of the barrier simply watched. The rescue team had already been sent, but finding a way to Nero and the rest through uncharted territory was not easy.


    The red wall eventually broke and ferocious Mutt dove in through the sand, angry and ready to fight. Yet the very moment his face was revealed, Maximilian blinded him using his ability while Nero attacked.


    The Mutt managed to resist falling unconscious, but it was heavily distracted nevertheless. It put up no resistance as Nero sliced through its neck, for it was too disoriented. Unfortunately, it was not alone.


    More Mutts attacked, but fortunately they were forced to use the small opening in the wall, which gave the others time to fight them off, while Gabriel tried to repair the hole itself.


    The fight was a desperate one despite the huge advantage Maximilian''s ability provided. Nero could not use his mes freely within their small confines, though he threw plenty of burning Snowkes through the hole in attempts to slow down the Mutts.


    They managed to kill three Mutts before one of them managed to avoid Maximilian''s light beam. It was not disoriented, and so put up a much better fight. Despite his best attempts, Nero was ultimately not able to keep up with its speed. The Mutt smacked Nero across the small room and into the wall. Fortunately, it was not through the yellow barrier or that would have been bad.


    From there, the fight became bloody and bitter as they all struggled to kill the Mutts while protecting themselves. Just as Nero began to consider desperate measures, such as lighting their tiny enclosure on fire and then forcefully trying to protect the others, the soldiers arrived.


    It was a team of four Initiates led by an Arcanist who disposed of the Mutts within seconds. Gabriel finally let the sand wall copse, while struggling to stay on his own feet.


    "What are you lot doing here? Didn''t you get the evacuation notice?" the team leader asked while the other soldiers used some emergency first aid on them, stopping their bleeding and allowing them to regain some semnce of strength.


    Nero and Gabriel looked at each other, then towards Maximilian and Arter.


    "We were sent to the basement to turn off the security node," Nero said slowly. He knew exactly what was to follow, and knew it couldn''t be hidden so he might as well be proactive about it.


    The soldier''s expression suddenly changed. Nero and the rest didn''t know this, but almost the entire team sent to the basement to turn off the security node had been decimated. Shirly had barely made it out under the protection of a few others.


    Themand centre barely had any hope of their sess when the security node turned off. No one knew the situation of those who had managed the feat, and they were in no condition to mount a rescue operation either since not only did they not know where Nero and the rest were in the basement, there weren''t enough able bodied Neophytes left.


    Most of them were either severely wounded, dead, or had been evacuated for various reasons.


    As such, the fact that Nero and the rest managed to get out on their own garnered the soldiers respect. But what Nero said next changed everything.


    "We¡­ we discovered a Vault down in the basement¡­" he whispered, looking directly at the Arcanist. He saw his pupils constrict and his expression suddenly change.


    The Arcanist did not ask Nero any questions or confirm his statement. Instead, he pulled out a card and activated it.


    "This is Fireteam Indigo-13, requesting emergency support for high value target evacuation! Requesting protocol Clean Sweep!"


    Nero was unaware of whether the Arcanist got a response or not, for his entire team suddenly set themselves up as if they were expecting a siege. More importantly, Nero felt an invisible force wrap itself around him.


    "It''s for your protection," the Arcanist said, though Nero was more than certain that force would prevent any of them from running away. Not that any of them intended to run anyway. Arter wasn''t even awake.


    The strange yet heavy silence that had fallen over themsted not even a full minute when Nero felt a distant, yet familiar sensation. It was the sensation of someone incredibly strong. Maybe even an Ascendant.


    Nero had barelypleted the thought when a woman wearing a in cloth uniform rather than armour suddenly appeared in front of them, looking like she was ready for the fight of her life. Instead what she got were stares from a few, confused teenagers.


    Before her own confusion could be evident, the Arcanist stepped forward and whispered something to her. The woman''s expression suddenly changed.


    Nero felt something in the air change around him, and suddenly he felt stronger. His weak body began recovering its strength faster, and his sluggish aether regained some of its normality.


    "Hold on," she said, as chains came out of her hands and wrapped themselves around Nero, Gabriel, Maximilian and Arter. The next thing Nero knew, he was yanked forward, and being pulled along as the woman ran through the halls, her speed far too fast for him to understand where they were passing.


    The very same invisible force that wrapped itself around Nero ended up serving its purpose well, as they were all protected from the whish of being pulled along at such fast speeds. All four of them were even flying, their legs prevented from touching the ground by a mystical force.


    A few times, Nero was certain that the woman had encountered enemies, and even fought, but everything was happening so fast he could not be certain at all.


    When she finally stopped, Nero found himself in themand centre, which was noticeably emptier. Yet before he could focus on the details, Nero felt a pair of hands grab him and lift him up.


    His backpack was removed from his shoulder, his weapons and cards confiscated, and his armour removed. Everything was happening too fast for his weary mind to keep up. When he finally settled down, Nero discovered that he wasying nude, save his undergarments, on a medical bed while an entire team of doctors worked on each and every one of his wounds.


    He felt a cold,fortable energy course through his body healing all the aches and bruises. It felt sofortable that Nero fell asleep without even realising.


    When he came to, Nero could feel a severe headache but he didn''t pay any attention to that. He was in a bed with a number of drips connected to his arms, and multiple bandages wrapped around his limbs and chest. There was a doctor taking notes nearby, muttering to himself while he wore a frown.


    After a few seconds of waiting, when Nero realised that the doctor wasn''t paying attention, he coughed to break the silence.


    "You''re awake?" the doctor said, with surprise and excitement in his voice. "Remarkable. Just as our tests indicated, your body is a lot stronger than what a regr Neophyte should have - no doubt a result of some miraculous drug from the Vault! What can you tell me-"


    "That ssified," a voice but through the doctor''s question, as the same woman who had rescued Nero came walking in.


    "Private Nero, I am Major General Ascendant Oana, and one of themanding officers of the deployment in this research facility. Everything you experienced within the research facility is considered highly ssified, and cannot be divulged to anyone without express permission to do so. Do you think you are well enough to be debriefed?


    Your other teammates are all still asleep, recovering from the ordeal."

 Chapter 205: Sealed Vault

    Nero immediately decided in his head that she was probably lying about half the things. The things that were most likely true were her identity and position. It made sense that she was an Ascendant, which made her position likely true as well. He also believed that everything that happened in the basement was ssified.


    The part that he did not believe was his ''teammates'' were still asleep. Or maybe they were. Who knew? But the reason Nero had doubts was because it seemed like a simple trick. If Nero believed that he was the first person to give testimony of what happened in the basement, and there was anything he wanted to hide, he would likely report things the way he wanted.


    He could then also level any usations he wanted to discredit others.


    By giving him this opportunity, they would allow him to y his hand, in case he wanted to hide something. Whereas in truth, everyone else might have already been debriefed.


    Considering the sensitive nature of what they had discovered, Nero wouldn''t be surprised if they took even more drastic measures. But he was already prepared for this. If he wasn''t, he wouldn''t have torn and discarded his fathers innate card.


    There was still some concern about Radix Augmentation, but the test on it was meant to be deceptive anyway so that others would not be able to discover its actual use. Not unless they tried to use it on a freshly dead corpse anyway.


    "I''m feeling much better," Nero said, truthfully. "How long was I asleep?"


    "Twenty minutes, give or take," Ascendant Oana said.


    The answer surprised Nero immensely, because not only was his bodypletely healed of not only its wounds, but even the sprains and various aches. Moreover he feltpletely physically and mentally rejuvenated, which should not have been possible with mere 20 minutes to sleep.


    The only possible answer was that they used very powerful restorative cards on them. Nero looked towards the doctor and his clipboard. They had also clearly taken tests and readings of his body to determine whether or not they had received any benefits from down there.


    "That''s shorter than I was expecting," Nero confessed. "I am ready to submit my report at any time."


    "Good. Start from the attack in the basement on the main team. We have certain reports already, but we want to learn more about this new, unidentified threat."


    Nero nodded.


    "Due to the fog, we never saw the enemying. Jack and the rest of us were focused on opening the security door when Jessie¡­"


    Nero systematically, and in detail, reported everything that happened. He did not hesitate to sell out ''Jessie'' who first opened the Vault door, then disappeared inside. He specifically mentioned that he did not see her again a single time after that - which was technically true.


    Nero was especially careful about this. His father had long briefed both him and his brother on various interrogation techniques. If the Ascendant in front of him waspletely determined, then Nero could keep no secrets whatsoever. But if she did not want to cross certain barriers, then at the very least Nero could avoid major suspicion as long as he never lied.


    Nero even mentioned how the situation became extremely tense between him and the others once they entered the Vault, and only after swearing an oath did they regain some semnce of trust. It couldn''t be helped.


    At this point, though, Nero did not mention his family background, or the fact that the Soren family had been recognised by the Vault. This was a simple omission that Nero waspletely certain would be discovered by the Ascendant sooner orter.


    But the point of leaving it out was because keeping secrets was natural, and to a degree, somewhat expected. By trying to hide this, he would make the Ascendant, and anyone else who read the records of his experiences in the basement, think that the secret he wanted to keep was regarding this. If they thought they knew his secrets, they would likely not dig deeper.


    But if everything looked too clean, then they might try to investigate what it was he was hiding.


    These were all tricks and tips his father had taught him from an early age. He didn''t even need to think about it to do it.


    If Nero imed that all of them were virtuous soldiers who put their mission at the forefront even in the face of so many benefits, even he wouldn''t believe it let alone someone else, so it was best to give them some kind of a lead on his own.


    "Because of the oath we took, I am unable to mention any gains that any of the others made within the Vault, but I can mention my own," he said straightforwardly, and then mentioned the room with the liquid aether.


    At that point, for the first time, the Ascendant asked him some questions. She asked about the size of the room, the number of liquid aether bottles he saw or estimated were in the room, how many they drank and how many they took.


    Nero answered truthfully, and then proceeded to share the rest of the tale, including the trade he made with the unranked cards for the ck box that allowed him to upgrade his innate ability.


    "When the fog came into the Vault, Gabriel and I split from Maximilian and Arter as they didn''t want to wait. But because they anticipated that the return journey would be fraught with danger, Maximilian left the bomb he had been carrying behind. We left it hidden in one of the Vault rooms so that it''s out of sight and not easily discovered. We figured future missions could retrieve it."


    The Ascendant made noment on it, so Nero continued his story up to the point where they fought the tentacle monster, how they overcame it, and then the rest of the journey.


    When he was finished, he waited patiently for the Ascendant to say something, who seemed like she was lost in thought.


    "What you said sheds some light on certain matters," she finally said, locking eyes with him. "We came to the same conclusion as young Gabriel - the fog in the basement is there due to artificial means, so the Fair Weather card works on it. But it will not work on regr fog. Once we ascertained as much, can you guess what we did?"


    Nero paused for a moment to think, and suddenly had a realisation.


    "You sent someone to the Vault!" he eximed.


    "Yes," she said, nodding. "To be more specific, I myself used the Fair Weather card to go down to the Vault. On the way, I did not miss the little ice sculpture you left behind. I must say, I am actually impressed by what you achieved. I will be sure to give you amendation for taking down such a massive cursed beast.


    "But more importantly¡­ once I reached the Vault itself¡­ the door that you said Jessie unsealed, had been resealed. Since it is a high security zone, even I was not able to force my way in. If it were not for that, by now I would have gotten my hands on all the remaining liquid aether. That alone could have catapulted the strength of Kr, making it the unquestionably strongest country in the world.


    As it stands, we will have to make do with the samples your group brought with you."


    Nero was stunned, even though he realised he should have seen iting. That was incredibly nefarious of Vanessa. By resealing the Vault, she prevented, or at least dyed Kr''s ess to the Vault''s treasures.


    "Ordinarily, given how valuable the Vault is, we would have refocused our efforts into opening it once more. Since we have Fair Weather now, it would be easy. Unfortunately, the situation on the war front is not great, and the fog is set to cover half of Lumina once more. As is, we are evacuating in full, which means there is no time to attempt to change things."


    Nero frowned. While he could understand why the Ascendant might share the details of the Vault being sealed - to gauge his reaction to determine if he had any involvement in it - but would she be telling him these other details? As a superior officer, there was no need for her to give him exnations.


    He looked at her with a trace of doubt, and saw deep meaning in her eyes.


    "Nero now that you have been debriefed, it is time to move onto other matters. At the moment, upon examining your performance and keeping in mind the various upgrades you have received from the Vault, we can easily determine you are the strongest and most capable Neophyte we have ess to. As such, there is a certain time-sensitive mission that you have been assigned."


    Ah, it suddenly clicked. The reason she was exining various details to him was because they were not done with him yet.


    "You have to know that certain usations have been made against you, which is why there was a debate on whether or not you can be trusted with this mission. But keeping your recent performance, as well as a rmendation from Commander Dagon, this task ultimately fell to you."

 Chapter 206: Final mission

    Nero knew full well what the usations would be. Since his killing of Herbert had been witnessed, it was only a matter of time before the army found out. The fact that he hadn''t been immediately arrested was a testament to how much they needed manpower. Of course, by letting him know that the usation had been made, it was like informing him that he was under supervision.


    It was either to make him do something like trying to escape, which would solidify his guilt, or to make him behave during his mission.


    Either way, they were able to serve some purpose.


    "usations?" Nero asked, pretending like he didn''t know what she was talking about.


    "Certain soldiers have reported that they saw you killing and looting a friendly soldier," she said slowly, staring at him. "Until an investigation, you will not be judged guilty but the usation does put you under supervision. You should know that an usation like this, under normal circumstances, would see you in a prison cell until the investigation waspleted.


    The only reason you''re not is because of the special circumstances of the current situation."


    Nero pondered if he should defend himself right now. But even if he made the im that there was an assassination attempt on him, for the time being, he would be admitted to killing Herbet one way or another. Considering that he was being sent on another mission, it might not be the best idea to make any such ims.


    More importantly, the more this matter was dyed, the better he could prepare. He needed to get word out to his parents, as well as the folk from Whisper Guard.


    "I have nothing to hide," Nero said without breaking eye contact. "I am ready to cooperate fully when the investigation isunched."


    Nero also had to mentally prepare for the fact that words of him entering the Vault might spread out. If that were the case, whoever targeted his brother might target him as well. Friendly fire was a very good excuse to have Nero sent away to a cursed zone like Patrick. Away from the view of society, in those zones with a very high fatality rate, who''s to say what might happen to him?


    Fortunately, Nero was no longer just dependent on his parents. He had a few contacts of his own now.


    The Ascendant only nodded, as if this were a mundane concern, and then lifted her finger and tapped Nero''s forehead.


    "As I understand it, you had already been given this mission even before you arrived in Lumina," she said. "It''s just that circumstances have changed drastically, so I need to trigger the mission myself."


    Nero recalled that major Liam had given him a few missions, with thest one being sealed within his memories. The mission details would have revealed themselves to him under the right circumstances. It seems like the army could no longer wait for the right circumstances.


    A stream of information softly entered Nero''s mind, filling him in on the details of the mission. To his immense surprise, it was a rescue mission.


    ording to the details, the mission would be triggered if the targets used an emergency evacuation device, or if they disappeared for 24 hours without contact. As more details filled his mind, Nero''s expression suddenly changed.


    "I need to update you on the changes to your mission," the Ascendant said, ignoring Nero''s surprise. "As you are already aware, the target for your rescue mission is the team led by Bael Thomas. They were sent to retrieve a high value object from a library within the city, but we lost contact with them several hours ago.


    ording to ourstmunication, using underground tunnels found in the library, they entered an unknown building. Since then, we have lost contact with them. It has been about 18 hours since then."


    The Ascendant paused, took a deep breath, and then sighed.


    "The library stands right on the edge of where the fog usuallyes till, and we cannot be certain of the direction the underground tunnels went. If they went in towards the fogged city, then there is, at most, two hours left before the fog rolls back in.


    We have a sage slowing down the return of the fog to facilitate evacuation efforts, but even then it''s not possible to dy any further than that.


    "That means you have, at most, two hours to find them and bring them back. Or rather, your objective is to ascertain the condition of Bael and his team. If they''re alive, bring them back. If not, your objective is to locate a book in their possession. Retrieving that book is of the utmost importance."


    Nero understood the mission, and its urgency, but there was a look of confusion and hesitation on his face.


    "What is it?" the Ascendant asked.


    "I understand the mission but¡­ wouldn''t it be much more effective to send an Arcanist, or just someone stronger for the rescue mission. The restraint of the fog is basically gone. Now I''m not saying that I can''t do the mission, but the chances of sess will be much higher if you send someone stronger."


    Oana shook her head.


    "I don''t me you for thinking like that. But the fact is that with the Fair Weather card, our future exploration of the ruins will be much easier. As such, the card has been dered a national treasure, and cannot be used without the approval of a sage.


    Using the card for a rescue mission for soldiers that might or might not be alive, reducing the card''s durability by an unknown amount of time¡­ unfortunately, regardless of the identity of the soldiers it''s not worth it.


    "The item can, at most, be retrieved next year when the winds push back the fog again. But if a Fair Weather card is used up, there''s no way to rece it. So, for better or for worse, this mission can only be assigned to a Neophyte. But I''ve seen your work down in the basement. I have full faith in your ability to find the targets, and bring them back if they''re alive.


    Or, at least, retrieve the book if they''re not."


    Nero hadn''t forgotten that Ss was on Bael''s team. He didn''t want to think about what might have happened to his artisan friend, but he was certain that if Ss faced a berserker or dark berserker, he''d be done for. That was not even ounting for any other curses they might face.


    Without reservation, Nero pulled the various drips attached to his hand and jumped onto his feet.


    "If I can get my gear back, this will go a lot faster."


    "All your personal equipment will be returned to you, and you will be provided new armour as well. You may even use the dagger you brought out from the Vault, although you will be expected to return it once the mission is over. You will not however get any of the unranked cards, or liquid aether. You will have to make do without them."


    Nero didn''t argue. Getting even the dagger back, temporarily though it may be, was a great boon already.


    Nero walked quickly behind the Ascendant who led the way.


    "You will be going alone," she said. "We have no one else who can apany you, and even Gabriel and the rest have not recovered yet from the effects of their treatment."


    "It''s not a problem," Nero said calmly as he controlled his aether and checked it. It was back to perfect, without the slightest hint of sluggishness. In fact, it actually felt like the total amount of aether he had had increased.


    They walked into an armoury where a soldier stepped forward and presented Nero with his own card case as well as his own dagger, alongside the one he brought from the Vault.


    Nero quickly went through all his cards and was relieved to find all his Radix Augmentation cards in ce, as well as Snowke and all the others.


    He kept the case back and went to put on his armour, slipping in his cards in all their set positions. As much as he wished to grab a new spear, it was a simple fact that no spear he could wield would be as sharp or deadly as the dagger from the Vault, so he chose to go without it.


    In exactly a minute, Nero was fully back in gear and ready to go.


    "Do you have a map of the library?" he asked.


    "Not of the lower levels," the Ascendant replied, giving him pretty much the answer he expected. "Hold on tight."


    Nero felt an invisible force wrap itself around him, which was immediately followed by the familiar sensation of being dragged behind while the Ascendant ran around at unbelievable speeds. He saw the world blur past him, but because of how quickly everything was moving, Nero didn''t notice anything odd.


    It was when they finally stopped in front of arge, rectangr building that Nero felt something strange. He looked at his hands and saw that a silverish light was shining down on him. Nero looked up and was stunned when he saw a silver full moon hanging in the sky.

 Chapter 207: Alone

    The Dark moon was there in the sky, partially hidden by clouds, exactly where it always was. Compared to the normal, white moon it was ominous and the source of many ghost and horror stories. It didn''t help that the triple eclipse, or a dark moon eclipse was considered very bad luck,pared to an eclipse with the regr moon.


    Nero never gave it much thought specifically. The moons were just there. They were a part of life and no one could do anything about them, not even the sages.


    That was exactly why, when Lex saw a silver moon hanging in the sky, he was stumped. For a moment he thought he was caught in some kind of illusion curse when the Ascendant also looked up.


    "Oh yeah, that. You were in the basement when that happened so you didn''t get to see it. Around the same time you lost power in the basement, the entire city lost power too. Right after that, a brillight, silver beam of light shot out from the fog towards the moon, turning it silver. The world seemed to dim when that light shot out, as if all the light in the world was absorbed into that silver beam.


    That light is one of the reasons that the situation on the warfront changed so much."


    "All light¡­st light¡­" Nero murmured to himself as he realised some things - or rather, made a few assumptions. Based solely on Oana''s testimony, what she described sounded a lot like it might be called Last Light protocol. But he had no actual proof. Even if he did, it wasn''t like he knew anything about it, or what it signified. It was best to keep it to himself.


    "Is it dangerous?" he asked.


    "As far as we can tell, besides the changed colour of the moon, there are no other changes."


    Nero nodded


    "In that case, let me get started."


    "I''ll escort you to the stairs," she said, and brought Nero inside the library. The entrance lobby was simple yet regal, like it once weed the noble, the educated, the curious. Now, though, it only weed soldiers and curses.


    The rooms that followed were strippled clean, leaving behind countless empty shelves and while Nero suspected this was the work of the army, there wasno way to be sure. The deeper they went into the library, the more grand it seemed while retaining a theme of simplicity.


    The walls were not carved from top to bottom, there were no borate paintings, there was no decorative furniture. Through subtle touches, each room and hallway was made to feel like it was the home of kings.


    Nero almost felt the mood of the architecture infect him. If he did not need to focus so much on his current task, he may have allowed himself to be swept up in the emotions of this ce. Whoever the architect of this building was, they must have loved books.


    Atst, at the very end of the first floor, behind a bookshelf that had clearly been moved aside manually, there was a tunnel that descended into the fog.


    "Don''t forget, you have limited time. But don''t end up getting yourself killed in your haste either. There will be a very loud siren ten minutes before the foges back into the city. If you manage to hear it wherever you are, you better start running back."


    Nero simply nodded, and waded into the fog, his dagger already drawn. The fog was still light here, but he did not let that fool him into developing a sense of security. In this world, not even the dead were safe till their corpses were burnt to ash.


    While there was a shortage of time, Nero''s boost in strength had not made him blindly arrogant enough to rush into an unknown environment. Step by step, he descended the stairs, the dagger ready at all times.


    He also used Aether pulse consistently to search for curses, and found one soon after. It did not look dissimr from any other step in the entire staircase, but Aether pulse reacted to one of the steps, indicating that it was a curse.


    From a distance, Nero threw a burning snowke. His new me was resilient to begin with, using temperature to fuel itself while it fought off cursed energy. But in the absence of high temperatures, the snowkes his mothers innate ability produced just as well.


    That was why when the snowke embedded itself in the stair, Nero''s blue me began to flicker wildly, but it didn''t go out. For an entire minute the flicker continued, causing a thinyer of frost to begin covering the step, until finally the fire stabilised.


    There was no indication that the curse was gone save for the steadiness of the me, and nothing seemed to change. Yet when he used Aether pulse, it did not react anymore.


    Nero smiled softly, and after extinguishing the me, continued his descent.


    The reason Nero smiled was because now, all alone, he did not need to hold back. The Vault had given him the perfect cover, so now he could use Radix Augmentation with wild abandon, draining every foe he bested.


    Unfortunately, Radix Augmentation needed living things, so it had no reaction to the cursed object that was the single stair. Even so, he was not deterred.


    Nero continued his descent until finally he reached an open hall, though the fog interfered from letting him examine it thoroughly. The level of fog was equivalent to a 2nd level basement, which meant it was obstructive but notpletely so. The effectiveness and range of Aether pulse was also reduced, but he made do.


    Yet before he proceeded forward, Nero used all three of his detection cards. He used Mind''s Eye, Echo Location and Aether pulse one by one, searching for any abnormal shadows. The fog made it harder to be sure, but as far as he could tell, he was truly alone.


    With the concern of being followed gone, Nero finally picked up the pace. He stuck close to the walls, moving silently through the room as he searched for any signs of a team having passed.


    "Nero¡­" he heard a breathy whisper, as if someone had spoken right into his ear. Yet when he turned around there was no one. He used an Aether pulse, ready to once again use all three cards to search for any signs of Vanessa, but the pulse immediately reacted and Nero''s eyes constricted.


    An invisible curse had wrapped itself around him without him noticing at all! As soon as it was detected, the curse tightened itself around his body with such immense strength he could not resist at all.


    "Nero don''t resist¡­" a sensuous voice whispered in his ear, carrying a mild hypnotic effect. Nero''s eyes drooped while the curse wrapped itself even tighter around him, as if a lover embracing him.


    "Nero rx¡­" the voice whispered again, nearly causing him to doze off. His body lost its bnce and fell on the floor, the jolt suddenly waking Nero.


    Without a second''s hesitation he lit his entire body on fire, and immediately the invisible curse detached from him. But it was toote, for his azure mes had taken hold.


    Nero saw his mes randomly dancing around in the air, and knew that the curse, whatever it was, was suffering. His fire would kill it soon enough, but Nero was pissed.


    He hadn''t even ever had a girlfriend yet! Who would have thought that a curse of all things would try to take advantage of him?


    Keeping his distance, heunched a few burning snowkes all around him, and to his surprise, all of themnded onto the invisible curse! Whatever it was, it had a huge body.


    Instead of being intimidated, Nero instead felt assured knowing that the chances of him missing were few.


    He waved his burning dagger at the thing, and felt the dagger actually cut it! That was all the confirmation he needed before he started waving his dagger through the air as if fighting a formidable foe instead of an invisible enemy, hoping a hitnds.


    It didn''t take long before the flickering mes became steady, and fell to the ground, beginning to spread frost. Nero used Radix Augmentation, unsure if he would get a response from the invisible enemy, but the feedback was instantaneous.


    A rush of energy filled his body, travelling into all of his muscles, subtly enhancing his physical body.


    But Nero could not enjoy the sensation for long. Through the pale fog, Nero spotted several dark shadows approaching him. His arrival had been silent, but a fight, especially an extended one, could not be.


    Alone, in the basement, surrounded by curses and monsters, Nero was not intimidated. Instead, he smiled. This was the most direct, and quickest way he coulde up with to be stronger. No, instead of fear, he felt excitement.


    Nero dashed through the fog, choosing to attack first rather than be attacked. He saw the familiar figure of a berserker. But the menacing silver monster no longer looked threatening to Nero. Instead, he looked like a birthday gift that was waiting to get unwrapped.

 Chapter 208: Diminishing returns

    The first time Nero saw a berserker, it was a huge shock. The first time he fought a berserker, he couldn''t hurt it at all. If it weren''t for a few tricks he''d prepared for with Jackal, even killing one would have been a hassle.


    Of course, since then, he''d been briefed by the army and knew their strengths and weaknesses. A couple of Thunderous ps is all it would take to bring this bulky monstrosity down. But Nero had a sneaking suspicion that he no longer even needed to do that.


    Since his me had been upgraded, fighting against the cursed energy coursing through this monster''s body was easier than ever. Of course, Nero did not intend on wasting time trying to discover the limits of his ability.


    He wanted to kill the berserker as quickly as possible and use Radix Augmentation on it.


    As soon as the silver monster saw Nero it dashed forward, its body deceptively fast, yet it was not fast enough. Nero had already moved out of the way, and with a single ming sh, cut the berserker''s knee.


    The monster fell down, its leg suddenly unable to support its weight, yet even before it could hit the ground Nero mmed its neck with a Thunderous m. Even before the cool down for the Thunderous m card was over, Nero extended his other hand and released another Thunderous m!


    Now familiar with the use of the card, Nero had swapped outDouble Skin with another Thunderous m. Since the three unranked cards had been removed, excluding the second Thunderous m, Nero brought back Aether pulse and re.


    With two attacks on its neck back to back, the berserker sumbed, falling t on the groundpletely. It was dead, yet Nero had no time to enjoy his victory.


    He quickly used Radix Augmentation on the corpse as he flung ming snowkes at the other nearing shadows. They weren''t berserkers, they were cursed corpses belonging to other soldiers.


    Their faces had shrivelled up and turned grey, while their bodies deformed under the influence of cursed energy. Some hands morphed into ws, while others turned to whips or just longer hands with extra joints.


    Energy flowed into Nero''s body from the berserker, but he paid it no mind. He was already attacking his next targets.


    One of the cursed corpses spat green sludge towards Nero which he quickly dodged, and used re to shoot a cluster of mes at its face. At the same time, he used his dagger to cut through the neck of one of the cursed corpses.


    It died instantly, and became fuel for Radix Augmentation, but not all the corpses were so easy to take down.


    One of them had a dark, baleful aura around it like some kind of gaseous armour, and it was able to perfectly resist the effects of re, so Nero just stayed away from it for now. His n was to first generate enough heat in the room before letting his own mes lose to kill the tougher cursed corpses.


    Nero was like the wind, flowing between the corpses without being caught or slowed down. If he could kill a cursed corpse in one hit he''d do it, otherwise he''d settle for cutting through their bodies with his dagger, slowing them down.


    Each time a corpse, well, turned into a corpse, the sh of Radix Augmentation was not far behind. Nero''s body was coursing with energy, though he was already beginning to notice that it was not nearly as effective as it used to be.


    The mes from the re card were not too hot, and weren''t enough to kill any cursed corpses, but the mes spread very easily, so soon the fire spread from one corpse to the others.


    Just before the mes could get big enough to attract attention from the building, Nero unleashed his own cryomes. They did not rapidly spread, as they used to, but the mes suddenly turned an incredibly deep shade of blue, immediately freezing the corpses solid.


    The rapid temperature change caused chaotic wind patterns within the room, causing the fog to swirl around all the frozen corpses there were, just moments ago, burning hot!


    Yet Nero never slowed down. In fact, he was speeding up. As his blue mes travelled through the room, slowly, the terrain changed from dangerous to home ground for him. In a matter of minutes, all the corrupted corpses were dead, and Nero absorbed the energy from them all.


    Instead of exhaustion after the fight, he felt filled with energy and power. Compared to when he was with others, and had to avoid using Radix Augmentation in fear of getting noticed, he was much morefortable now.


    Except, there was one abnormality he noticed in his own performance. Once he was sure that no more enemies wereing, he withdrew the Snowke card from within his armour and gave it a thorough examination, and frowned.


    This card, which had been an integral part of his offence for a long time, was beginning to fade.


    Nero sighed. It was inevitable. He used Snowke more than any other card he had, so it was about time for its durability to diminish. The very fact that it had evensted this long was a testament to how well made the card was, and how high quality the ingredients had been.


    The reason he noticed the change was because the Snowkes he made were much smaller than usual. The card was on the verge of having its spell model broken. It couldst anywhere from one more use to a dozen more uses. It was best to use it sparsely from now on, and only in integral moments.


    He put the card back, then focused on his body. Even after killing a berserker and so many corrupted corpses, there was hardly any change in his body. He was energetic, sure, but he hadn''t gotten much stronger than before. It seemed like there was a limit on the card.


    To improve further, Nero assumed that either he needed to kill curses of a higher level, or he himself needed to be an Initiate. It was too bad that Lumina was filled with curses and no ordinary living enemies.


    If that were the case, Nero could have used them to speed up his progress to the Initiate realm.


    Nero continued exploring the floor, finding countless book shelves, some lined with books and others empty, but no sign of Bael and his team. He ran into a few more curses, but fortunately they only tried to kill him, not smother or molest him!


    Eventually, he found a staircase leading up, and with no other leads he followed them up until the fog was almost entirely gone, but not quite.


    This level was a little more ostentatious than any he had previously seen, with massive wooden shelves nearly twice Nero''s height, each filled with thick tomes. Nero picked one up and noticed that it was written in unfamiliar characters - probably thenguage used by the Eldrim.


    He put the book back and began exploring the floor, and quickly found arge, dried bloodstain that covered a massive part of the library floor. If Nero had to guess, he''d say the stain was the size of all the blood inside a corpse.


    The blood stain was also giving off very strong cursed energy, so much so that Nero could feel it from afar. He thought about getting rid of it with his mes, but something about how ominous the bloodstain felt made Nero hesitate.


    He kept his distance from the bloodstain and went around it, hoping that he wasn''t avoiding Ss'' blood. After all, none of the previous corrupted corpses bore even the slightest resemnce to him, so there was still hope that he was alive.


    Beyond the bloodstain, Nero spotted bloody footprints looking like they belonged to a berserker so he followed him. A few minutes after he left, the bloodstain in the ground began to bubble, as if it were a boiling pool of blood rather than a stain.


    Nero, unaware of the aberration, followed the bloodstains till he walked into what looked like a battlezone. The wooden shelves were fine, but the books themselves had suffered tremendously, having been shredded to pieces.


    Nero''s attention, however, was attracted to a narrow open corridor in the wall, looking quite out of ce.


    It seemed like he had found the tunnel Bael used, and it hadn''t taken too long. Lighting up his mes, Nero entered the dark and ominous tunnel. If he encountered something in there, he would have no room to fight, which is what made him so cautious.


    Once more, he used all his detection cards such as Aether Pulse, Mind''s Eye and Echo Location, confirming there was nothing odd or suspicious, before entering.


    He could not see the end of the tunnel, but at the same time he dared not walk too fast. He needed to be alive to rescue Bael, and rushing would greatly decrease his chances of staying that way.


    A few minutes after Nero left, a stream of deep red blood followed.

 Chapter 209: Chambers

    The corridor was long. Nero walked for a few minutes before he began to notice that the fog was increasing, with no end to the tunnel in sight. He sped up, going from a fast walk to a light jog.


    He had to bnce the dangers of rushing, with the dangers of being caught in the fog once it returns. Once the actual fog returned, Nero doubted that Neophytes would be safe. Or maybe they would. After all, the monsters living in the lower levels of the city had been alive for centuries at the very least.


    Whatever the trick of their survival was, he didn''t want to experiment with his own life, so he could only speed up.


    Soon he encountered a sudden, sharp right turn, which would exin why the end of the tunnel was not in sight. Yet after he turned, while he did spot the exit, it was far.


    At that point Nero broke into a full jog, holding his dagger out in front of him and lighting it on fire. He was ready to face any threats that mighte, but the corridor waspletely empty.


    The corridor opened into a vast, circr room, the fog within acting as a soft veil that added to the mystery of the ce, its tendrils curling around the intricate carvings and high arches that lined the passageway.


    The walls were a deep, polished stone, the colour of twilight, with veins of silver and gold running through them like rivers of starlight. The ceiling arched high above, supported by columns of pure white marble that gleamed in the diffuse light. The fog clung to the floor, swirling around the base of the columns, giving the room an ethereal quality, as if it floated above the ground.


    In the centre of the chamber stood a massive door that pulsed with a faint, otherworldly glow, casting hues of blue, green, and violet across the fog-drenched room. But the door was slightly ajar, as if someone had managed to just barely push it open.


    Nero noticed right in the middle of the door an Eldrim card was stuck, its image an abstract array of random colours, and the name of the card simply Test1. The most interesting of all was the card ability.


    Ability: [This card produces a continuous stream of heat at exactly 27 degrees celsius for four seconds, then at 30 degrees for two seconds, after which it produces a chill at exactly 0 degrees for five seconds]


    The card was the most absurd, useless card he had ever seen, and at the same time it was one that gave him immense reassurance. At a nce, it seemed like the card was used as some kind of key. But, much more importantly, it meant that Ss was likely still alive.


    After examining the room and ensuring that there was no threat, Nero stepped through the door into the second chamber.


    The room wasrger than the first, its ceiling soaring high above, disappearing into the shadows where the light could not reach. The air was thicker here, the fog swirling innguid, silver-grey tendrils around his legs, as if reluctant to part and reveal the mysteries of the room.


    The walls, too, were works of art, covered in murals, depicting scenes of battles, rituals, and the rise of an empire.


    At the centre of the chamber stood three grand pirs, each one a masterpiece of craftsmanship and design. They were arranged in a perfect triangle, their bases rooted in the polished marble floor that gleamed like a mirror beneath the soft, diffuse light.


    Intricate runes spiralled up their lengths, glowing faintly with an internal light that seemed to pulse in time with the beat of the room''s silent, ancient heart.


    Each pir was adorned with symbols and figures, telling stories of a long-forgotten era. The first pir bore the image of a great beast, its eyes glinting with a fierce intelligence as it loomed over a tiny figure that Nero felt like should be one of the Eldrim.


    The second pir depicted a sort of truce between the beast and the Eldrim, inscribing their agreement on a massive b or marble.


    The third pir depicted the beast watching from a distance looking at the Eldrim standing amidst mes, its eyes filled with an ominous light, holding a card that crackled with energy.


    Nero was instantly and greatly intrigued by the story, especially since he was just making out his impressions of the scene. What they could be depicting might be something else entirely. Yet whatever it was, Nero felt like it was a great, hidden secret.


    His heartbeat quickened, but he forced himself to look away. He did not have the time to delve into these ancient secrets.


    The door at the far end of the chamber mirrored the majesty of the pirs. It was enormous, made of the same dark stone as the pirs, but iid with intricate patterns of gold and silver that shimmered in the fog. The door''s surface was smooth, but as he approached, he could see faint indentations¡ªthree shallow recesses, each the exact shape and size of the symbols on the pirs.


    More importantly, this door too was ajar, with a card called Test2 stuck to it.


    He was beginning to see a pattern. The doors likely could not be opened through simple strength, but required cards with very specific effects. That meant that unless one had special keys, or one was an artisan of great skill, they would likely not be able to pass through these doors.


    Now Nero did not exactly look down on Ss, but he should not have been skilled enough to open these doors without at least some clues about the effects required to open them. Yet as Nero studied the room once more, this time in detail, he found no such hints anywhere - the door included.


    There was a mystery here waiting to be solved, but since there was no danger, Nero just moved through the opening into the next chamber.


    The third chamber¡­ was different. Or rather, unlike the first two chambers, the third one had a walkway leading up to it, the walls of which were covered in beautiful murals, clearly depicting some kind of story.


    The flow of images was not exactly clear, which was why Nero could only take a guess at what the story was telling. There were humanoid beings, which Nero could only assume were the Eldrim, all originating from one ce, venturing out into the world.


    One of them approached therge beast Nero saw depicted on the pirs in the previous chamber. Another one reached out towards the moon, or perhaps he reached the moon. It was difficult to determine what it meant.


    Another found a tree so massive, its canopy cast shade over the surrounding mountains.


    One approached a mighty empire, filled with towering buildings and massive castles.


    Some of the murals blurred, as if someone had purposefully ruined them, leaving behind only small tidbits of what they actually held.


    Among them, there was one that gave Nero pause. One of the Eldrim approached a tribe of savages, and from the way they were drawn, Nero could tell that they were meant to be humans.


    Was this a summary of the Eldrims history?


    Nero wanted to study the murals further, gaining insight into a potential history no one knew of, when a loud bang from the opposite end of the hall suddenly attracted his attention. With his dagger raised, Nero approached the end, resisting the allure of the murals.


    The walkway opened into a room with arge ss window, looking down at something. What it was supposed to look down on, Nero could not tell for the fog obscured most of it. But what Nero could see were outlines of dark figures, fighting in the fog.


    All sounds ofbat werepletely muted, which is why Nero was momentarily confused about what caused the sound.


    As if to answer him, a Mutt was thrown up from down below, and mmed into the ss, producing a loud bang.


    It seemed that Nero had finally found his targets. He searched for a way down, and found what looked like a servicedder of some sort in a corner of the room. He used Aether pulse and went down, reaching a small room that showed signs ofbat.


    He ignored the debris and searched for a way to ess where he saw the fighting, but he kept running into walls, and the only avable path led away from the fighting. With no choice, he followed the pathway that seemed to curve, ever so slightly till Neropletely lost his sense of direction.


    He arrived at an intersection and paused. Nero waspletely lost, with no idea of where he saw the fighting, which was not normal. Nero had an excellent sense of direction, so losing his bearings so easily meant that something was affecting him.


    Nero suddenly felt like he understood why Bael and his team had lost contact so long ago. This chamber was disorienting those who entered it, and the thick fog wasn''t helping either.


    Nero took a deep sigh, then walked forward.

 Chapter 210: Unity

    Nero checked his watch and saw that he had already spent up to half an hour just getting here. The good news was that he was close to his targets, while the bad news was that time was running out.


    He needed to navigate through the disorienting fog, find them, and then navigate back before time ran out. As much as he hated to do it this way, it was time to rush things.


    Nero lit his dagger on fire and took a moment to enter the right state of mind. He was no longer going for efficiency, but rather maximum results.


    He touched the walls of the intersection to see if he could feel any vibrations in them. It was not exactly the best way to find his targets, but it was better than going through them blindly.


    To his surprise, it was the walls leading straight ahead through which he could subtly feel something. Yet hadn''t he turned in the opposite direction?


    He ran forward, and almost immediately found the remains of a devoured human corpse. He could not confirm the identity of the corpse, but at least this was a good sign that he was on the right path.


    But his excitement was short lived for he soon encountered another intersection, this one with six different paths. His technique of trying to sense vibrations also came to a failure since three of the walls were vibrating.


    Since there was no way to know which way to go, or how things would proceed, he would have to treat this as a maze. Back when he entered the research facility, he had been given a card which could leave marks on the walls so that whoever was passing them could know what was ahead.


    Since Nero did not know what to expect, he left himself marks to know which path he had been down already.


    The fog was not the thickest he had seen, which meant he could still see about a metre in front of him, which is why he had plenty of time to react when he saw a Mutt. The Mutt and Nero saw each other and froze, but Nero reacted quicker.


    One shed neckter, the Mutt was dead and absorbed through Radix Augmentation which meant that it was soon ash.


    Nero went forward, only to run into another intersection. After leaving a mark with the number 2, indicating it was his second mark, he continued exploring, picking up his speed. Yet he stopped as soon as he reached another intersection, because it bore the mark 1. How was that possible?


    He turned back, and was able to go back to the second mark, so he left another mark on the tunnel he was in, writing leads to mark 1, before he continued. This quickly became problematic because sometimes he reached intersections without marks, and at other times he somehow ended up back to his old marks.


    Fortunately, backtracking always worked. In that case, Nero could only brute force the maze, leaving marks at the entrance and exit of each pathway. Inparison, running into Mutts and berserkers was not much of an issue at all since they were easy for him to kill. So far, he hadn''t run into any dark berserkers, but that didn''t mean they weren''t there.


    Nero was practically running through the tunnels by the time he finally heard the sounds of fighting, and followed them. Soon, he was greeted by an extremely unexpected sight.


    Bael was standing over a berserker that had been pinned to the floor with some rope that grew out of the ground, and smashing its face with a brick repeatedly. Behind him, a bruised and bloody Ss wasunching ice spikes at countless Mutts, keeping them at bay.


    Nero took in no time to take in the unexpected sight of the two most unlikely allies, working together to keep each other alive. Instead he rushed forward, and with a double Thunderous p, decapitated the berserker, leaving behind a stunned Bael.


    But there was no time to gloat. He rushed past the shocked teenager and dove into the pack of Mutts, decapitating them left and right, rapidly dwindling their numbers and alleviating the pressure from Ss.


    Unfortunately, now that he was inpany he could no longer use Radix Augmentation, but he was too relieved about finding his targets to care about that.


    It did not take long before the Mutts were eliminated, allowing him to turn and find the somewhat stunned duo, staring at him like he was some kind of anomaly. They couldn''t be med. Compared to when he arrived in the ruins, Nero was already considerably stronger and faster. They, in the meantime, were more normal, and did not undergo any rapid growth within the short time frame.


    A single berserker was nearly enough to take down their whole team, let alone the berserker and the Mutts.


    "It''s good to see you guys are alive," Nero said, not wasting any time. "Do you guys have the book?"


    "Oh, oh yeah," Ss suddenly said, pulling out a pristine book from his backpack, as ifpletely untouched throughout the fight. "It''s here."


    Nero looked at it, saw the writing he did not recognise, and shrugged. If they said this was the one, then it was the one. He saw nothing that particrly stood out.


    "Alright, let''s get out of here. We don''t have long," Nero said as he looked towards his watch. It had already been over an hour since he arrived here. Fortunately, if they rushed back they would have plenty of time.


    "No, wait Nero," Ss suddenly said. "We''re almost at the end. I believe there''s a huge secret hidden at the end of these chambers."


    He looked desperate and excited at the same time, if one looked past the fact that he was bruised to the point where he could barely see.


    Nero shook his head.


    "I''m sure the secret is great, but the situation has changed," Nero informed them. "The fog will roll back over the city in less than an hour, and we need to get out of here before then."


    "That''s troubling," Bael said, stepping forward. "That means we have to do this quicker than I had hoped."


    He reached into his bag, raising Nero''s wariness though the teenager didn''t show it. Nero didn''t fail to notice how rapidly Bael''s injuries were healing, or the fact that Bael didn''t seem too surprised to see him. The only shock he had received was how quickly Nero defeated the berserker.


    "A lot of care and consideration has gone into arranging this meeting, Nero," Bael said, pulling out a file from his backpack. "But you have impressed certain people, and the fact that you''ve been sent here means you must have continued to impress people during your time here. To cut the long story short, and this is a very long story, I would like to invite you, Nero, into our Unity faction."


    Bael paused, looking Nero up and down, and studying hisck of reaction upon hearing the name.


    "You may not know this, Nero, but you''ve been embroiled in a war since the moment you''ve been born. This is a war that transcends nations and borders, and is between people of a certain¡­ ideology. If you join us, then you can suddenly gain a lot of support, and finally learn about the secrets that have influenced your life, even though you never realised it."


    Nero frowned, looked at Bael, and then the folder he was handing him. His brain was working rapidly, trying toe up with all the possibilities that this could mean, but there were too many.


    "What if I''m not interested?" Nero asked.


    Bael shrugged.


    "I don''t care. I''m just doing my mission. If you reject this offer, then that''s that. The reason this offer is being made here, in the fog, away from prying eyes, is because even if you agree, you will have to swear as if you have no knowledge of Unity. You see, you are in a very particr situation where you can be of great use."


    "What is Unity?" Nero asked after a long, drawn out silence. "What do they want from me? What do you mean this meeting was prearranged? More importantly, how can they help me if I agree, and what do they expect from me?"


    Nero also eyed Ss, who looked just as confused and shocked as him. "And what about him?"


    Bael shrugged.


    "I don''t know. All I can tell you is that if you agree, you''ll have to swear an oath to keep all this a secret. If you don''t agree, then no need to keep a secret. You can go tell whoever. It''s not like Unity''s existence is a secret from those who matter, and those who do not matter cannot do anything even if they learn the name.


    If we had more time, I would exin the background of Unity to you, but right now we really don''t.


    "I can summarise it by saying that Unity is an organisation that is not limited to Kr, though it includes high-level members of the Kri army. All I was told to tell you was that this file contains everything that we could find out about your brother''s situation. Feel free to look inside. Whether you choose to cooperate or not makes no difference."


    Nero immediately grabbed the file and opened it. It waspletely empty.

 Chapter 211: Awesome weapon

    "What the hell is this?" Nero asked, his expression bing stern. He did not mind listening to an offer from some mysterious organisation, but he absolutely wouldn''t tolerate being yed like this!


    "Exactly what it looks like. There is no information on a ''Patrick Grant'' within the Kri database at all. Such a person does not exist, at least on paper, since there are no documents that prove his existence at all. Either there is more to this story, or someone did a very thorough job of erasing his tracks for some reason."


    Nero frowned as he tried to understand what this meant. He looked at Bael, and from him sensed a very different aura than the one he had shown before. Earlier on, he was like an immature, spoiled brat whereas now he gave off the impression of someone with great confidence and experience. It was almost as if¡­


    "Previously, were you goading me on purpose?" Nero asked.


    "Yes, of course. We had to test your personality traits as well as yourbat abilities. It was a two in one kind of situation. Don''t take it to heart. We did not intend to ever seriously harm you or your friends. Considering the short time frame we had, we were forced to rely on such crass means."


    Nero pursed his lips. After the initial shock of things, which had taken him by surprise, his brain was now quickly working again. He did not waste any energy trying to determine if the file containing information about Patrick was true or not.


    Instead, his own current situation required more attention. He had attracted the attention of some powerful organisation, and though Bael stated that Nero would not be troubled if he decided not to cooperate, he was sceptical of the im.


    This was an organisation that had clearly done its research about him, and needed him for certain, as of yet unknown reasons. The only possible reason he could think of at the moment might be because of his somewhat flimsy connection to a couple of Sages.


    After all, he was working with a descendant of Sage Gale Carver, and Sage Hiaden had focused on him too many times for people to believe it was a coincidence.


    "You still haven''t told me what you want from me? You can''t seriously expect me to blindly join an organisation I know nothing about."


    "Look, like I said, I don''t know what they want from you. But you don''t have to agree to join just yet. Even if you just agree to consider joining Unity, I can bind you to an oath of secrecy which will prohibit you from mentioning that you were approached from Unity. Then, at ater time, someone cane and familiarise you with Unity and what it does.


    You can even take this time to do your own research about it - as long as you do so discreetly.


    "The reason I showed you the file is because Unity can help you look into your brother''s situation, and who destroyed all the files to begin with. We can also help you look into the unusual circumstances regarding his sentencing."


    Nero stared at Bael deeply, yet the teenager simply looked back without the slightest hint of difort. Considering the vast difference in their strengths, as disyed by Nero on multiple asions, he must be pretty confident that Nero could do nothing to him.


    Then again, Bael''s identity was special to begin with. If he died there would be an investigation. If he died naturally it would be fine, but if there was some kind of foul y it would easily be discovered.


    Nero hadn''t forgotten that it was, in fact, Bael''s father who rmended Nero for this mission.


    Nero turned and looked at Ss, who was considerably rmed.


    For better or for worse, Nero saw only one feasible path forward in his given situation. It didn''t help that they were under severe time constraints.


    "Alright, I can consider working with Unity. But my final decision will have to wait until I know more about the organisation and what they want from me. The ndestine nature of this meeting does not exactly arouse trust."


    Bael shrugged.


    "It can''t be helped. This, too, is a kind of a two in one situation. In the fog, away from prying eyes is the best ce to have such a meeting. You also saved our necks back there. Either way, I consider this a win. Now hold out your hand.


    I will administer the oath. Fret not, the only thing you will be forced to hide is the fact that Unity approached you for cooperation. For now, that is enough."


    Nero held out his hand, but instead of handing Nero an oath card, Bael firmly pressed his thumb into the centre of Nero''s palm. Nero felt something warm interact with his aether, and then felt a soft restriction form around him.


    He could feel what the restriction was. It was exactly as Bael stated. For now, the oath only prevented him from discussing that he was approached by a secret organisation.


    "ept it, and the oath will be confirmed."


    Nero epted the oath, and felt it take hold.


    "You too," Bael said looking at Ss, though the poor artisan was not given the luxury of choice that Nero got.


    Nero did not let anything show on his face, but he made a mental note to somehow find out if Bael had coerced Ss to forcefully ept any other oaths.


    "Now let''s get out of here," Nero said, unwilling to spend another moment here. "I''ve marked the walls. We can just backtrack our way out. It''ll be pretty quick."


    Indeed, finding the way out was much easier with each of the paths clearly marked, which made the maze not so impressive in Nero''s eyes. After all, under ordinary circumstances one would not have a time limit to solve the maze, which meant that it was only a matter of time before it was solved. Maybe there was something more to it.


    The trio had only partially retreated when they were forced to a halt. In their pathy an ever growing pool of blood, slowly creeping their way, filling the entire path!


    Nero wasn''t the only one who sensed the danger from it, so did everyone else. It felt like they were caught in the gaze of a ferocious monster, far beyond what they were able to face.


    The trio retreated, though Nero shot out a ming Snowke. He recognised the pool of blood, and while initially he had chosen to avoid it, that might not be a possibility anymore.


    Yet his mes, which were his strongest weapon so far, proved to be ineffective for the first time!


    The blood immediately quenched the mes and absorbed the snowke as if it was actually a very deep pool of blood, rather than a shallow one.


    "This is very bad," Nero said as he led them down a different path. Thanks to how interconnected it was, there was a possibility of reaching the exit through another path. But there was also a possibility that¡­


    The trio stopped as they saw the pool of blooding at them from another direction.


    "Ss, you said that there''s a secret at the end of this chamber. Do you think there''s also an exit?"


    The artisan hesitated, but then answered truthfully.


    "It''s unlikely. Who would put an exit right where they hide treasure? Wouldn''t that be the same as putting a path directly to what you''re hiding."


    "And what do you think are the chances that it''s an awesome weapon?"


    "Uhh, it could happen," he admitted in a very sure voice.


    "Excellent. Lead us to the weapon Ss," Nero said, hoping for a very severe case of manifestation. Of course, Nero did not believe in leaving things up to fate, which is why he also asked Ss to take out every me and heat rted card he had in his grimoire. He was going to turn this ce into an oven and see if the blood could still contend with his deep blue mes!


    "I need to go through thest few intersections before I can solve the puzzle of this chamber," Ss informed Nero. "The disorienting effect of this chamber is actually a hint towards the key to resolving the puzzle. I need to design an Eldrim card with a very simr effect, but the recipe is hidden in the intersections. I need to go to them to find out the recipe."


    "There''s a recipe hidden in the walls? Howe I didn''t see anything?" Nero asked out of habit as he lit mes up on the walls and ceiling, away from the reach of the blood. This was a very tricky thing to do, because he wasn''t sure how good the venttion was down here. There was a very real possibility that he was using up thec oxygen supply, but there was no other choice. Hey had no other way.


    "It''s because my eyes can see through the hints left behind by the Eldrim," Ss said in a very matter of fact way.

 Chapter 212: Walls

    There was not a hint of hesitation in Nero''s movements that betrayed his thoughts, but internally he was genuinely surprised. Ss'' ability was genuinely a ridiculously useful augmentation ability. He could not help but imagine how many secretpartments he would have found if Ss had been with him in the cathedral, or how many secrets he would have learned down in the Vault.


    At the same time, he began to wonder if his experience was different, or if it was normal for innate abilities to not only be so versatile and varied, but also so powerful. His understanding was that humans unlocked rtively normal innate abilities, and that their true strength relied in Eldrim cards.


    Only after bing a Mystic, and unlocking a profession, which had their own associated abilities, were humans somewhat capable. But the innate abilities he had been seeingtely were quite a bit absurd. Or perhaps he was only being exposed to the best of the best abilities as a result of being filtered out by the army.


    For example, Commander Dagon Thomas, who was an Ascendant, had a rtively mundane innate ability of increased strength. That was more aligned with what Nero had been taught in school about humans and their abilities.


    In fact, growing up he had encountered many people with ordinary abilities, such as improved hearing or eyesight. He once had a visiting school teacher whose innate ability was perfect memory. He had once attended the funeral of a major who died fighting a curse. The man had numerous des and awards, but his innate ability was the ability to trigger a sneeze in any animal.


    Those were all very one dimensional abilities, and what he hade to expect. Buttely, he had been encountering a lot of people withplex abilities, with more than one facet to them.


    Patrick, for example, had passive defence. But his defence was based on how much cold he could absorb. Measuring cold was a strange concept, but that is what he needed to do because he genuinely needed to be in a colder environment to effectively use his ability.


    That was besides the point. The point was that two elements hade into y with his ability: defence and cold.


    Nero''s own ability was simr, in that it absorbed heat, so in a sense it had a cooling effect, but it also produced something called aetheric fire. Two elements hade into y.


    Gabriel''s sand was far from ordinary, and after his recent upgrade Nero suspected it had three elements instead of two, with shapeshifting being one of them. Maximilian and Arter were much the same. Nero could not even begin to understand if Ss'' ability counted as only one element of numerous, but it was powerful nevertheless.


    What was absurd was that Bael, whose ability seemed like passive healing, had a single element ability as far as Nero could tell, but it was incredibly overpowered due to how quickly he healed!


    What Nero didn''t know was that Bael''s ability was even stronger than it seemed, since every time he healed from an injury, his body was slightly stronger.


    Nero had no idea what any of this meant, but it was a passing thought anyway. He didn''t have time to focus on such things. They had to temporarily stop at an intersection so that Ss could study the clues, yet the blood was getting ever closer.


    Unwilling to wait till the blood came closer, Nero used his Cyrome, spreading it across the walls and the ceiling so that it could quickly feed on all the umting heat.


    As always, his blue mes quickly consumed the ordinary ones, and the temperature rapidly started to drop. Chaotic winds began to flow between the intersections, forming mini-hurricanes, yet Nero ignored them all. Instead, he waited till he felt his mes were strong enough, then brought them down and blocked the path in the hallways through which the blood pool was progressing.


    He could have just directly sent the mes to the pool, but honestly the danger he felt from the pool was so great he did not think that he could stop it at all.


    He was fairly certain that the blood had somehow crossed the threshold of the Neophyte realm, and might even be near the very peak of the Initiate realm. Why the fog wasn''t acting against it, he could not say. All he could do was see how long he could hold off the blood.


    It did not take long, maybe only a couple dozen seconds before the pool met his blue mes.


    Nero could not see what was happening since the fog blocked the view, but he could feel it.


    His mes were not immediately extinguished, which was great, but they were sizzling and flickering, rapidly growing weaker.


    "Ss, how much longer?" Nero asked.


    The danger was worse than he expected. Even if Nero caused massive mes, and grew his own to be much stronger, he could only dy the blood pool for a few dozen seconds at most.


    "Getting the recipe? As long as I''m not interrupted by berserkers and Mutts anymore, it should not take long. Making the card itself? Nero, honestly, it will take a while."


    Nero grimaced. It was time for a new strategy.


    "Do you have any cards that can produce water? Or better yet, let me control the water that is produced?"


    Ss simply handed Bael his grimoire and told him what pages to get the cards from. He could not afford to be distracted right now.


    "What do you have in mind?" Bael asked in a whisper, so as to not disturb Ss.


    "Use the water to build a wall, blocking out the entire path, and make it as thick and dense as possible. I''ll freeze it."


    Following Nero''s instructions, Bael began producing the wall of water while Nero started to freeze it, forming a wall of solid ice. He was not sure if this would work any better than just blocking the blood with his mes, but he was running out of ideas.


    "Come on, we need to move further," Ss said once he''d written down the recipe, and then led the group deeper through the fog.


    Every time they stopped, Nero and Bael began blocking off corridors using ice walls,pletely uncertain if they would even work.


    "Ss, will you have all the ingredients for the recipe?" Nero asked eventually, realising he had overlooked one critical piece of information.


    "To be entirely honest, I brought along a small artisan kit with me to make cards on the go, but while I have most of themon ingredients, I''ve run out of ink," Ss admitted. "But that was already during thest chamber. We had to¡­ we used human blood as a recement for the ink, since it can carry aether as well.


    It''s not the best, and reduces the durability drastically, but it gets the job done."


    His voice was a little shaky as he talked about it, but that was it. Clearly he didn''t want to think about it.


    "I''m also running low on papers," he said very quietly. "Hopefully I''ll have enough."


    That was not good for papers were the most basic andmon materials to form the variousyers of the card. Each card, depending on the recipe, had variousyers.


    These were problems he literally couldn''t do anything about at the moment, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.


    "The ice seems to be working," Nero said, trying to share a bit of good news. "But we don''t know how much time we''ve bought for ourselves. Let''s hurry up."


    Nero looked at his watch, and there were only 35 minutes left till the two hour mark. This was really cutting things close.


    He tried to think of other ways they could escape, but with the blood blocking the way, he waspletely out of ideas.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if the reason he was sent here was actually because the sages didn''t want to use Fair Weather, or because someone just wanted him to meet with Bael in secret. If it was thetter, and things didn''t work out, avoiding the use of Fair Weather would be the most counterproductive n possible.


    Nero did not let his thoughts wander, or else he might end up cursing Unity, whatever it was.


    "We''re here," Ss said, as he brought them further into yet another sealed door.


    Ss immediately sat on the ground and pulled out his artisan kit from his backpack, while Nero and Bael began blocking off the paths using walls of ice, making them as thick as possible.


    The three of them worked quietly, with only the crackle of newly forming ice breaking the silence. Nero resisted the urge to check his watch every few seconds, for knowing the time would make no difference to him whatsoever.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, he soon discovered something to distract him from his urge to check the time. The pool of blood had reached his final ice wall.

 Chapter 213 Rising dread

    Chapter 213 Rising dread


    Ss sat on the ground, hunched over his kit, working meticulously to try and create the card from the recipe he had copied. The teenager had used a silence card around himself so that he would not be distracted by any sound, as he could not afford any distractions whatsoever.


    Each of them were feeling the immense pressure of the situation, but Ss more so than any of them. He was not ustomed to working through his fear and nervousness, yet that is exactly what he had been doing for the past¡­ he didn''t even know how long it had been.


    Ss had not slept in so long, yet he had been underground and surrounded by fog the entire time so he had no idea whether it was day or night. His watch had broken within the first hour, so he couldn''t even keep track of the passing time.


    All he knew was that he had created cards in the absolute worst conditions of his life, and if he had failed even once in any of those circumstances, he would have died. When Nero came to save him, Ss felt a huge flood of relief as he thought the danger was finally over. It was as far as berserkers were concerned. Nero cut them down like nothing. But that was only followed by a much more dangerous obstacle in their path, bringing him back to where he started.


    So he tuned out everything and focused only on making cards. Truthfully speaking, many times throughout the past few hours, Ss felt like he couldn''t do it. He couldn''t do what was required, and he couldn''t make these ancient cards on his very first attempt despite how good or bad his eyesight might be.


    Yet each time something like that happened, he was reminded of the fact that he had even made an Eldrim card when he wasn''t even a Neophyte! Since he had done the impossible once, he could do it again - and that is exactly what had happened so far. Now he just needed to continue the trend and do the impossible one more time.


    Bael ced a small vial next to containing blood, and Ss ignored it as if it were nothing. Since Bael could heal ridiculously fast, he was the clear target to draw blood from for his purposes. In case he actually ran out of papers then¡­ then Bael would need to contribute a little bit of his skin. Ss didn''t like thinking about that.


    What he didn''t know was that behind him, Bael and Nero looked grimly out into the fog. The blood pool had arrived, and once it touched the wall of ice, it slowly began to rise. Since Nero and Bael couldn''t do anything else, they just kept making the ice wall thicker and thicker so that it would survive longer, yet Nero couldn''t get the image of the rising blood pool out of his mind.


    If it truly filled the entire height of the wallway, how dangerous would it be? That was a question Nero did not want an answer to.


    Since expanding the wall did not require too much attention from Nero, he began to go through Ss'' grimoire. He needed toe up with other possible solutions. He was not resigned to just dying.


    He could actuallye up with quite a few different solutions, but the problem was that the level of the blood pool was just too high. Even the smartest and cleverest strategy would end up failing in the face of sheer.


    "Ba- Bael, I''m going to need yo- your help," Ss said with a trembling voice. "I don''t have enough papers. I''m¡­ I''m going to need a recement. I need-"


    "Just tell me how much you need and from where," Bael said, interrupting him. "We don''t have time for hesitation."


    "Human¡­ human skin is not really suitable but if we had to make do¡­ then I''d need the softest skin on your body."


    "Softest skin is on the lips I think," said Nero. "But that won''t be enough. The skin on thighs or the arse will do. Remove your armour, I''ll do it."


    Nero had skinned animals before, but this was hardly the same thing. He was not looking forward to cutting Bael, but Ss couldn''t do it and Bael seemed to have the grit to tolerate it. Considering he had the greatest chances of recovering quickly from such a wound, it could only be Bael.


    Without any hesitation, Bael removed the lower half of his armour, revealing legs thick with muscle.


    "Bite something and don''t move," said Nero as he held out not the dagger he got from the Vault, but his own. Being too sharp was not a good thing, as Nero needed to feel the resistance of the skin and muscles to know exactly how deep he was cutting.


    Neither of them acted slowly or made a fuss. Nero used cryome to freeze off all the hair on Bael''s leg, making him look like he had waxed before immediately putting his knife to the skin.


    Bael grunted, and the smell of blood leaked into their small enclosure, making Ss more nervous and Nero more determined. With incredibly steady hands, Nero cut a round strip around his whole thigh, before delicately yet swiftly cutting the skin loose from the leg.


    There was not nearly as much blood as Nero might have expected.


    Bael used water to wash his own skin before handing it to Ss, who tried not to vomit. It helped that he hadn''t eaten anything in a long time.


    "How much time do you think it will take to make the card?" Nero asked.


    "If I rush, about ten minutes," Ss said as he tried to steady his trembling hands. He had never held someone''s skin before.


    "That''s great. You''ve improved a lot it seems. You have two minutes."


    "But that''s-"


    "Two minutes, don''t waste a single second!" Nero said firmly as he saw the first crack on the ss wall form.


    Bael ignored his bleeding leg and put his armour back on, all the while he continued to supply water to the walls to turn into ice. But the problem was that they were running out of space. They were already almost pressed up against Ss. If it was getting hard to breathe, it wasn''t because of the intensity of the situation - they were literally running out of air. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Behind them, Ss was working as quickly as he could, doing his best to minimise his mistakes. But that was impossible.


    Each time he made a mistake, he just began again instead of trying to fix it, because they genuinely didn''t have time.


    There was another loud crack, but Ss didn''t hear it, nor did Nero urge him to hurry up once more. He only kept his eyes locked on the pool of blood, which had risen waist high by now. Yet more daunting than the fact that the pool was rising was that Nero could see the blood seeping into the crack.


    It was as if the blood had a mind of its own, and it was desperate to get to them. Nero might have been imagining it, yet he felt like the blood did not want to let them ess the next chamber, whatever it was.


    More cracks formed, yet there was nothing more they could do. Nero and Bael were already breathing out fog, and Ss was much too focused to even notice the changes taking ce.


    There was another crack, and this one was particrly loud. More importantly, it cut from one end of the wall to the other, meaning the blood could seep through it. Nero was about to attempt to fight the blood with his mes one more time, out of desperation, when Ss suddenly yelled, "I did it!"


    The teenager held up a shoddy looking card that looked like it might wilt under its own weight. Yet Nero could read its name clearly. Test3 was sessfully made.


    Then Ss'' eyes rolled in the back of his head and he copsed. Nero and Bael moved quickly, one grabbing Ss while the other grabbed the card. Without wasting a moment, Bael stuck the card to the door and channelled energy into it, and the door slowly turned backwards.


    Yet the duo did not have the patience for that, so they pushed it open and went inside¡­ only to encounter another door. This one was not a chamber door, but an aetherically sealed one, with a scanner on the side.


    Bael ced his hand on the scanner, hoping against all odds that it would work. It did not.


    With a developing sense of dread that Nero tried to keep suppressed, he ced his hand on the scanner. There was no reason to expect the door to open for him when it didn''t for Bael, yet¡­


    "Gic marker S-28 identified," a fading voice said, and the door in front of them opened. Nero rushed inside, only to be pushed back out.

 Chapter 214: Virtuous Moonlight

    The repulsive force which pushed Nero back was so strong that it nearly knocked him on the ground. Bael, who ran in right behind Nero was also pushed back, and looked forward in confusion and panic.


    Beyond the door there seemed like another room, but the view of it was blocked by a wall. There were clearly paths going around the wall, which meant the sole purpose of the wall was to block the view.


    There was no time to consider why the wall was there, or what the room was hiding. Nero could tell the only reason he was pushed back was because he was carrying Ss, so he put the teenager down.


    A part of him recognised that depending on what he found in that room, this might be thest time he saw Ss and Bael, and that death might be around the corner. Somehow, despite that realisation, a lifetime of training himself to maintain mental rity prevented him from letting fear and desperation take over.


    "Whoever arranged this meeting was a real smart ass," Nero said to Bael as he looked through Ss'' backpack and found what he was looking for - the book he was sent to retrieve.


    "Pray that I find something useful in there."


    "What are you doing?" Bael asked, not understanding the reason behind Nero''s actions. He had been pushed back just like Bael himself. Yet a momentter he was stunned when he saw Nero sessfully running through the door as he slipped the book into his backpack!


    His heart felt like it dropped to his stomach as he finally understood. Since Nero was the one who opened the door, he was the only one who could go through it.


    A loud, sudden crack attracted his attention, and when he looked back, he saw drops of blood starting to drop down from a crack in the ice wall. The blood pool had reached them. Bael could feel the cold embrace of death, ready to bring him into its embrace, and at that moment, Bael forgot everything.


    He forgot his worship of his father, his grudge against his own ability, his defeat at the hands of Nero. He forgot the humiliation he felt when Nero beat him, even though he was told to expect it. He forgot his ''friends'' who whispered things in his ears, inciting him towards bullying others, not understanding that everything he did and showed was a facade arranged by Unity.


    He even forgot the expectations of his father.


    The only thing Bael felt at that moment was regret. He was not strong enough, and if he hadn''t been so stubborn, and truly taken every single opportunity to get stronger, maybe he wouldn''t be in this situation.


    Come to think of it, wasn''t that how his father described Nero?


    Nero, meanwhile, had emptied his mind of all unnecessary distractions, his breath steady but his heart racing with the adrenaline of survival. The only thing he allowed himself to feel was urgency, keeping his mind otherwise clear, ready to grip at any opportunity for survival.


    As he searched for anything that could give him hope, trying to see through the fog, Nero was especially aware of his surroundings.


    The temperature was cool, almost unnaturally so, as the fog swirled around his body. This would not have normally attracted his attention, except that Nero was normally immune to low temperatures.


    This chamber, unlike the previous ones, was smaller and more intimate, yet it exuded a grandeur that spoke of its deep purpose.


    Three ornate pirs lined the circr walls, towering to the ceiling, each carved with delicate, abstract symbols. They were crafted from an ancient stone, smooth and polished, but veined with gold. At the base of each pir, intricate designs weaved together, forming a pattern that pulled his gaze toward the centre of the room.


    The fog obscured his vision, so he stepped closer to see what secrets the chamber held. In the very heart of the chamber stood a plinth, illuminated by a single beam of cold, silver light that seemed to fall from nowhere. The plinth itself was carved from ck marble, its surface so glossy it looked like an endless void.


    Hovering above it was a single card floating in ce, rotating slowly as though suspended by unseen threads. The text on the card was the same, unknownnguage of the Eldrim that Nero could not recognise, which is why he focused on the image printed on it.


    A sleek ck silhouette stood out, like a ribbon or some elongated object, its form abstract yet deliberate. Near the base of this figure, there was a small circle, almost like an eye or a focal point, subtle yetmanding attention.


    The card was giving off a silverish glow that bore too strong a resemnce to the silver moonlight he recently saw for it to be a coincidence.


    The whole chamber, Nero realised, seemed to draw all attention toward the card. Every detail of the room guided his eye to that central point. It was as if the designer of the room was afraid that whoever entered might fail to notice the card - as if that was even possible.


    Approaching the card, Nero felt, should require some kind of ceremony, if only because of the majesty it exuded. But Nero wasn''t exactly in a ceremonial mood. There was no other path forward, which meant thest of Nero''s hopes rested with this card.


    It was odd that for some unknown reason, the aura that the card gave off was faintly familiar. Given the urgency of the situation, he did not pause to ponder, and instead reached out for the card.


    What if it was some unranked card that could rescue them from their dire straits? But the moment Nero touched the card, it shattered into countless motes of light that were absorbed into his fingers.


    Nero was stunned, and almost felt like he had been yed a prank on from across the ages. As if, hundreds or thousands of years ago, someone had set this stage as an borate prank. But his attention was immediately drawn to a change Nero felt within his own aether.


    He sensed his aether, to see if there was something wrong, and then noticed the most bizarre thing he hade across yet.


    Like a video sent directly into his mind, he saw the travelling motes of light surround his innate card within his chest, covering it like a projection. They converged, and the strange card he had seen in this very chamber reappeared. Except that it was covering his innate card, almost as if it had reced it!


    Nero was not one to panic, but in that moment he almost panicked. The threat of death was not enough to stir his heart, but the loss of his innate ability nearly sent his thoughts into a fray.


    Yet, almost as if sentient, the cardmunicated with him, and Nero realised what was going on. His innate ability was not reced. Instead¡­ instead he had somehow¡­


    Nero suddenly felt out of breath as his mind tried to wrap itself around the information he was learning. He almost wondered if he was going crazy!


    He had not lost his previous innate ability, but rather he had gained another one! They both could not exist at the same time, yet he could switch between them as he wished.


    He tried to change it, and he saw the projection of light around his Cryome innate card vanish, revealing the innate card he had grown to love! He tried using his mes, and they worked exactly as he expected.


    Then he tried to summon forth his second innate ability. It was not instantaneous, taking up a few seconds, but the projection of light covered his innate card once more, and the mes in Nero''s hands extinguished.


    Nero gulped, and focused on the card, and was awestruck as he realised that he could read that strange, foreignnguage as if he had known it his entire life.


    The name of the card was Virtuous Moonlight.


    As soon as he read the name of the card, as if the chamber could sense his very thoughts, streaks of silver lights travelled down from the plinth, through the patterns on the ground, and into the three pirs, lighting up the room in holy light.


    The fog did not vanish, yet its obstruction seemed to affect Nero no more. He felt like he was in the gaze of something¡­ of someone vastly more powerful than he could ever imagine, and he, or she, was judging him.


    Nero felt the light travel through his body, as if reading every experience the body had ever had, judging his worthiness. The aether around him swirled as if it was wind, and then began to enter into his body, directly travelling to the illusory Virtuous Moonlight in his chest, slowly making it more solid.


    Outside, the silver moon slowly lost its lustre, returning to its mundane, former state.

 Chapter 215: Siren

    For the first time in a long time, Neropletely lost hisposure. As the illusory image of Virtuous Moonlight became solid, and the sense of being observed by a superior being faded, Nero became aware of the fact that something historic had just happened to him.


    He had felt the aura of Sages before, but even they could not be as overwhelmingly as what he had felt. Sages, no matter how unbelievably powerful they were, still felt like they were human. They were just very strong humans, standing at the peak of their species. But whatever had looked down on him¡­ if Nero believed in religion, he might have thought that a deity had looked down on him.


    Since he didn''t, the most logical answer his brain coulde up with was that a very, incredibly powerful Eldrim had peered over at Nero.


    He did not know how he was judged, or what the criteria was, but Nero knew that what he had received was far from a simple boon. He had never heard of anyone having two innate abilities, even the great emperor. He was certain that this boost that he had received was greater than anything he could possibly find within the Vault.


    Completely out of breath and covered in cold sweats, Nero almost forgot that he was on the verge of being hunted down and killed. Almost.


    Nero focused his attention once more, taking in the details of his new innate ability.


    Name: Virtuous Moonlight.


    Image: A sleek ck silhouette stood out, like a ribbon or some elongated object, its form abstract yet deliberate. Near the base of this figure, there was a small circle, almost like an eye or a focal point.


    Type: Luminari


    Star rank: X


    Ability: [The light of the virtuous Aeon graces the world with its brilliance, a flicker of purifying mercy.]


    vour text: "When the banners of GriNovelFireerge fell, when the armies of the the Wardens retreated, when the mysts of Hjorflow spread, all that remained was the memory of a better time," - Karv La Heim


    Nero felt chills. His body, which was nearly immune to the changes of temperature, felt chills across his whole body as he read the words on that card. He did not understand much of it. Heck, he didn''t even understand what the innate ability even did, nor did he understand what the Luminari type meant, or what the vour text was talking about.


    But he felt chills nheless. It was as if he had be privy to some secret that had been forgotten for a long time. Even though he did not understand what those secrets meant, nor how they were relevant to the world today, it was as if there was some physical or mystical power in just knowing the secrets - as if they had once again entered the living world.


    Nero did not know what was happening, but he knew at least that the sensation he was feeling was far from normal. Something external was causing him to feel like this.


    At the same time, Nero knew that no one must ever know about what had happened here. He almost felt an urge to kill Bael. Ss was still fine, for he was knocked out as soon as he finished the card, so Nero could make up a story, but Bael would know that he went inside.


    This secret was so great that he felt nopunction, yet Nero also knew he wouldn''t be able to get away with it - especially since he was already under scrutiny for murder.


    Nero was still trying to understand what had happened, and what he should do, when he was woken from his reverie from a subtle sound of cracking from the distance.


    The fog obscured sound, so the fact that he heard it meant it should have been very loud. With no options left, Nero rushed back outside, hoping with all his heart that this light, that this purifying mercy or whatever it was, would resolve their situation. Or at the very least, give him some hope. Even if there was the slightest possibility of surviving, Nero would grasp it tightly.


    But first, he needed to see that glimpse of hope.


    He ran out to find that Bael had picked up Ss and had retreated as much as he could without being pushed back by the invisible forcefield that blocked their path. In front of him, a shallow pool of blood was creeping ever forward. Arge crack in the wall of ice caused even more blood to flow out.


    Nero held out his hand and used his newest innate ability, hoping that it wouldn''t be thest time he used it.


    The first thing he noticed was that a soft beam of silver light emerged from his hand, and that summoning it caused a massive drain on his aether - much more than the mes.


    The next thing he noticed was that the light did not extend infinitely. It spread forward exactly one metre (3 feet) and stopped. The range was extremely limited, and hadn''t even reached the blood pool, but Nero hadn''t lost hope yet.


    He stepped forward,ing closer to the blood pool, and shone the light on it. Nothing happened.


    There was no smoke, no sizzling, no bubbling or anything of the sort. The blood did not react to the light at all. But instead of despair, Nero''s eyes were filled with delight!


    The blood did not react, but it didn''t proceed forward either. In fact, only the blood that wasn''t exposed to the light crept forward. As Nero took another step forward, the blood was pushed back, as if it waspletely incapable of existing within that silver light.


    "Get over here!" Nero eximed, startling the dumbfounded Bael and causing him to quickly step right next to Nero. In fact, he was pressed up against Nero, since the range of the silver light was incredibly small.


    Nero didn''t care. Instead, he created a dome of light all around him, extending it to its limit, before taking a small step forward. The blood moved out of the way again, even though it stopped moving forward. Instead, it circled around the silver light, as if it knew that its target was within.


    Nero did not understand why it couldn''t enter, and right now he didn''t care. At his current rate, he could only support the light for a few minutes. Hoping that the liquid aether he previously drank was still in his system was not something he nned on doing, so he had to escape as quickly as possible.


    "Stay very close to me," Nero said. "I''m going to run. This light around me won''tst for long."


    "I will," responded the muscr teenager. "But take the artisan. It will be easier if you hold him."


    Nero took Ss from Bael, holding him over his shoulder, and then took a confident step forward and watched as the blood receded.


    Nero smashed his dagger against the ice wall and watched as an entire wall of blood came crashing down into the hall, yet it never touched Nero. In fact, the ground he walked on was not even wet as there were no signs of the blood within the silver light at all.


    Then Nero began to walk through the fog and tide of blood, before slowly breaking into a jog and then a run. He felt no resistance whatsoever as the blood parted to make way for him regardless of how fast he moved. The blood also never slowed down in moving out of the way either. It was as if it simply couldn''t exist in the silver light, so if it did not move out of the way, it disintegrated.


    Soon Nero saw the marks he left on the wall, and began making his way back to the previous chambers, when a loud siren suddenly red through the building.


    "Shit!" Nero eximed, and began running as fast as he could manage while carrying Ss and having a beefy teenager sticking close to his body. Bael had grabbed onto Nero''s shirt so that he would never move too far from Nero. He did not want to risk even a single finger of his exiting the protection of the silver light and touching the pool of blood. He did not think he''d be able to survive.


    "What is it?" Bael yelled as they ran.


    "The siren! It means there are ten minutes till the fog returns!"


    That meant that within ten minutes they had to exit the chambers, go back through the long tunnel and then exit the library, which was not a short distance to cover.


    But as soon as Nero spoke, something else happened as well. As if it had understood Nero''s words, the blood pool began to rumble and sway as the pool also made its way out of the chambers. Was the blood pool also trying to escape the iing fog?


    Unable to answer that question, Nero kept running, though he couldn''t help but let a thought creep into his mind. If he pushed Bael out of the light right now¡­ who would know what happened?

 Chapter 216: Risks

    Nero had not thought of a way to exin the silver light, so the best solution would be if he didn''t have to exin it. Pushing Bael into the blood would be so easy, and there would be no fight to leave any traces. Even if there was an investigation, no one would be able to prove that Nero yed any part in his demise.


    Death by curse was the mostmon kind of death in this world, and regardless of how strong or well prepared he was, how could Bael survive a curse that even Nero could not face?


    He did not intend to do it, but his brain naturally presented him with possible ws in his n. Maximilian had used a space card, which meant that it wasn''t impossible that others had them too. More importantly, the kinds of cards were so diverse that Bael could literally have any kind of card hidden for his survival with effects that he could not anticipate.


    The threat of the unknown was too great. After all, with such a powerful father, Nero did not believe that Bael did not have a fewst resources.


    That was not even considering the influence of the mysterious organisation Unity.


    There were a lot of risks, but the benefit of keeping the silver light a secret might be worth it.


    But Nero''s brain, which was used to analysing situations thoroughly, did not stop there. He even began to consider the benefits and drawbacks of not killing Bael.


    The exposure of the silver light was thergest risk. He would need toe up with a convincing way to justify it. But the thing was, it would be impossible for Virtuous Moonlight to remain a secret forever. Eventually, someone would see him using it. That, in itself, was not a risk. In fact, as long as he exposed a false hand now, no one would look deeper into this matter.


    He would, at most, seem like he was hiding a very valuable card he got from the chamber. No one would suspect that he received another innate ability.


    A gleam shed through Nero''s eyes as a n began to form. He could kill Bael, but he could also make use of him.


    Both of those paths had potential risks, but they also had their potential benefits as well. He just had to choose which one he wanted to take.


    Nero did not, even for a second, feel bad or guilty about deliberating whether to kill Bael or not. He was in this situation because of Bael to begin with. The organisation Unity was just making use of him, and that came with associated risks. If he wanted to make use of them, he also had to ept the risks that came along with it.


    Although he himself was still a teenager, this world did not give him a chance to act like one - not that he was too interested in it anyway.


    Nero quickly made his decision, just in time to swipe the Test2 card from the second chamber door as they passed. They kept running till they were dead in the middle of it before yelling, "stop!"


    "What is it?" Bael asked in a panic, looking over Nero''s shoulder to search for any dangers up ahead.


    "Listen to me close, Bael. The situation has changed," Nero said grimly, staring Bael in the eyes. He had to put up a facade as if he was feeling intense pressure - as if he had discovered a treasure that aroused his greed, which was affecting his decision making process.


    "I don''t have a lot of aether left, and we don''t have a lot of time left either, so you better make a decision fast. If Unity wants to work with me, they have to prove themselves first. Once we exit from here, my bag and equipment will be taken as is standard, but you have to stop my cards from being taken. If you can''t manage that, then I have no interest in working with an organisation like Unity."


    "You- what? This is not the time¡­"


    "This is exactly the time," Nero said dangerously. "I don''t mind too much. It''s not much of a loss for me. If my cards are taken, I''ll still be in the same situation I was when I came here. But Unity can forget about working with me - ever!"


    By sessfully directing all attention towards his cards, he made Bael think this silver light was a result of an Eldrim card, which technically wouldn''t be wrong. Through Bael, Unity would also be influenced into thinking that he had some card he wanted to hide.


    If this n seeded, he would effectively maintain the secret of his second innate ability. It was in the situation that Unity failed, and his cards were confiscated and inspected, that he would have issues.


    It was precisely for that reason he had swiped the Test2. It was poorly and hurriedly made, and was already on the verge of copsing. All Nero needed to do was push it over the edge, disfigure it and ce it within his card case without being seen.


    In case his card case was confiscated, in case Unity was unsessful, or became greedy for the card, what they would discover was a card that had already disintegrated. It waspletely believable that a really old card discovered in some ruins would have very little durability left.


    Nero could then im that he never really cared about the card, and was just testing Unity. Either way, the preliminary precautions to protect his newest secret were taken. Now he just needed Bael to respond.


    The teenager grit his teeth and then eximed, "alright! I''ll make it happen somehow."


    "Good. Then keep up."


    Nero resumed his run, cognizant of the fact that four minutes had already psed. They wouldn''t make it at this rate.


    "Grab on to my back," Nero yelled backwards once. As soon as he felt Bael grab him, Nero began manipting his internal aether as strongly as he could, and bolted forward!


    He literally carried Ss, and dragged Bael through the fog and pool of blood, moving as quickly as he could.


    With all his attention on running, and all of Bael''s attention focused on holding on, no one noticed Ss open a single eye, look at Nero, then close it back as if he were still unconscious.


    They exited the tunnel atst, and saw how the pool of blood seemed to be draining into a brick shaped hole in the wall, as if it too was escaping the iing fog.


    They didn''t slow down and kept running, though fortunately soon they escaped the limits of the blood pool which meant that Nero could deactivate Virtuous Moonlight and preserve his nearly psed aether.


    The duo did not stop running though, and now without the need to worry about Bael keeping up, Nero bolted forward.


    A berserker appeared in Nero''s path, angry and ready to fight, only to receive a ming fist right in the face,unching its massive body across the room.


    Completely out of breath, Nero finally reached the ground floor of the library, where Ascendant Oana was waiting for him.


    "Bael is right behind me," Nero yelled.


    "You''re cutting it close," she said as she wrapped an invisible force around Nero and Ss, waiting a few seconds longer for Bael.


    As soon as he exited, without waiting for him to say anything, she wrapped him in her energy as well and then dashed out of the library as if her life depended on it. Already somewhat familiar with the blur, Nero was fully expecting not to be able to see his surroundings at all once more.


    But what he didn''t expect was that as soon as Oana exitted the library, she ran in a straight line away from the library, giving Nero a clear view of a massive wall of fog rolling over the city.


    Nero saw as the research facility was engulfed by the thick fog,pletely vanishing from sight, as if it had entered the maw of a terrifying beast. The rest of the city followed right in its example, with the library engulfed less than a minuteter.


    The fog was moving fast, but fortunately, the Ascendant moved faster, and soon they crossed the boundary of the city where the fog previously stopped. But the Ascendant kept running, and soon they exited the walls of Lumina.


    Nero didn''t understand the urgency, until he saw that the whole city itself was soon covered in fog, with no indication of the wall stopping any time soon. It was as if the fog was chasing after them, demanding back the secrets Nero had stolen from within Lumina.


    But ultimately, after proceeding forward a couple of kilometres, coveringnd that had never felt the touch of the fog before, the wall stopped, as if its momentum was lost.


    Nero finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally out of Lumina. The most urgent threat was gone, but Nero was far from safe just yet.

 Chapter 217: Dont mess with a Grant

    Nero, Ss and Bael were brought to the camp built outside of Lumina where a great number of soldiers were moving about, brimming with confident and excited energy. Their numbers were not as great as Nero expected, considering the number of Neophytes that entered within the ruins.


    But the grinning faces of the soldiers and general buzz that filled the camp led Nero to believe that the others had just been evacuated from the camp rather than lost in the ruins. But considering the obstacles Nero faced within the ruins, he expected the losses to be incredibly high.


    So did that mean there was another reason for the excitement? He looked around and tried to listen in to the chatter, but it was not so easy to make out a single conversation within the buzz of the camp.


    Nero turned to give Bael a look, as if judging his actions, while the teenager was frowning, lost in thought.


    If Bael''s father was actually involved in this Unity organisation, it should not be difficult for him to arrange to keep Nero''s cards safe. Dagon Thomas was a Lieutenant General in rank, which meant his rank was above Ascendant Oanas, not to mention that she was only assigned a part of the research facility while Dagon was overlooking an entire region.


    Despite both being Ascendants, the difference in them was immense.


    But if he was not involved, or for whatever reason they wanted to keep his involvement hidden, then it would be tougher to resolve the situation.


    The three of them were led into a single story building, and as soon as Nero entered, he saw a number of soldiers standing there, looking towards him.


    "Ah, I''m about to be arrested," Nero said out loud, as if he was having a realisation. In truth, he was just waking Bael from his thoughts and letting him know what was going on.


    "Very astute, private Nero," Oana said. "But worry not. This is mostly just a procedure. I''m sure your name will be cleared promptly, and you will receive your due honours for your service within the ruins."


    The soldiers took a step forward, but paused when Bael suddenly stepped in front of Nero.


    "I''m sorry to say this, Ascendant Oana, but the nature of our mission is somewhat sensitive. Before Nero is debriefed and all his equipment and items turned over for examination, he must not leave my sight."


    A silent tension suddenly filled the room as the Major General Ascendant stared down at the Private Neophyte who was deigning to interfere with her orders.


    "Bael, your father cannot protect you from insubordination. Step aside."


    Bael shook his head.


    "I''m afraid you misunderstand, Ascendant Oana. This has nothing to do with my father. Instead, this matter is now under the purview of the Demon corp. If you must, then take this matter up with Sage Haiden."


    *****


    A number of beaten and battered trucks were driving down a broken road in Dolziya out in the open, heading towards the twin rivers that acted as a border between this country and Kr.


    Despite the appearance of the trucks, the truck drivers were grinning andughing. The war had ended, and with the royal family of New Vriya acting as mediator, no new territories were imed by Kr.


    It seemed like a massive loss for the country, but the massive tribute that Dolziya and Saint Codale would pay to Kr would keep both the countries weak for another decade at the very least. That was a win in their books.


    But the caravan suddenly came to a halt, much to the distress of the soldiers watching them depart in secret. Were the Kri''s going to break their word?


    A single soldier jumped out the back of one of the trucks, and quickly climbed into another before the caravan once again continued, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.


    Within the truck that the soldier had climbed into stood a man, looking down on a captive, hogtied and their mouth stuffed. Thin lines of golden mes were being sucked out of the captives eyes, gathering together in the palm of the standing man.


    "Edward, I have news," the soldier said with a hint of amusement in his tone. "Word just came in from our man in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Someone is setting up to charge Nero with treason with overnight execution. They won''t even banish him to a cursed zone."


    The man suddenly crushed the golden mes in his hand, causing the captive to faint.


    "Have we made preparations?" asked Edward, his facepletely neutral.


    If Nero saw his father now, covered in dried blood and carrying an aura of unrelenting ughter, he would scarcely recognise him as the man who was smitten with his wife, and liked to crack jokes at every opportunity.


    "That''s the funniest thing. We didn''t need to - although I have sent word to do so anyway. The Carver family has stepped in to intercede, and there are signs that the Demon corp is also dissatisfied. That psychopath Hurbert Rodney also made a move to protect the boy. It seems like there are a lot of people with eyes on your son."


    Edward nodded, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    "He''s been undertaking Whisper Guard training since he was born, Harvey - he just didn''t know it. It should not be surprising that he''s been making friends in all the right ces. Do we know who acted against Nero?"


    "That''s the troubling thing," Harvey said, suddenly losing the tone of amusement in his voice. "It''s not the usual suspects. Something must have happened in the ruins, but they''re keeping a tight lid on it. Whatever it is, Nero is directly involved."


    Edward Grant turned and looked at one of his oldest friends - the man Nero had known as Footer - and frowned.


    "I don''t care. All our preparations are done, so we don''t need to hold back anymore. It''s time to send a message to all these old families. You do not touch a Grant without suffering the consequences."


    Footer grinned widely, a hint of bloodlust appearing in his eyes. Yet of the two, he was still the normal one, since he kept his bloodlust contained. The world itself started to turn red around Edward, as if rivers of blood were about to flow, all originating from him.


    Footer clicked his tongue. He had never seen anyone with a more broken innate ability than Edward. He could not even imagine what it would be like once he became a Mystic.


    *****


    Marilyn Grant was standing over a corpse. That was not unusual. What was unusual was the fact the corpse was wearing the uniform of the Kri army and had the badges indicating he was a Lieutenant Colonel. That was one of the highest ranking officers on-ground usually, who usually decided how the on ground battle was fought.


    Those of a higher rank did not usually concern themselves with the operations of the on-ground units, but rather concerned themselves with other matters.


    "Where is she?" Marilyn asked, her voice oozing with a burning anger.


    "I¡­ I don''t know what you''re talking about. This¡­ this is treason! You''ll be crippled and executed!" eximed a man, holding the frozen stump that formerly connected to his hand.


    "Where is Irene Grant?" she asked once more, andunched another Snowke at the man, cutting off another one of his limbs.


    He screamed, but there was no one around them to hear their screams. All of them were dead, a frozen solid.


    "I¡­ I''ll tell you! Please¡­ please stop¡­ she¡­ she was smuggled to Saint Codale¡­"


    Marilyn punched the man, knocking him unconscious. Since this man had information, she would bring him to Edward, who would extract the truth from his brain, one way or another.


    She had long known that her son got married, but since the couple did not mention it to her, she acted as if she did not know. Yet she kept an eye on Irene, nevertheless.


    The young girl was a promising talent, which is why her sudden disappearance attracted Marilyn''s attention, as well as that of a few others.


    *****


    Invictus Hammel, wrapped in a very thick shawl, hiked through the raging snowstorm, climbing the stretch of mountains that divided Kr and Saint Codale. There were no roads, no paths, no mountain trails for him to follow. Combined with the countless curses in the wilderness, this was a practical death trap.


    It helped that he had a secret Mystic level protector, but even Mystics were not safe where he was heading.


    It helped that the storm never really touched Invictus. It woulde close to him, but then just swerve around him, never entering within one metre of him. It was as if the wind itself was forbidden froming close to him.


    Eventually, though, the storm eased, and Invictus saw a small outpost which was his destination.


    "Halt!" a voice cut through the noise of the waning storm. "You are about to enter the outer bounds of the cursed zone, Kalichi. State your purpose."


    Invictus simply handed the soldier a letter, which he promptly tore open and read, while keeping a wary eye on Invictus.


    "Oh, you''re here for the Burning Aegis!" the soldier eximed, his mood suddenly easing up and a bright smile painting his face. "Follow me, I''ll take you. And remember, whatever you do, don''t look directly at Kalichi."


    Invictus nodded, and looked towards the ground as he followed the soldier. His protector would stay back, on the off chance that he might be discovered within.


    Everyone knew that the cursed zone Kalichi was a frozen abyss - an endless hole that descended deep into the earth, from which countless ghosts, wraiths and other cursed abominations emerged.


    No one in Kr, not even the sages, had the means to eradicate the cursed zones, so all they could do was manage the damage it could cause.


    There were soldiers stationed here around the year, from Kr as well as from Saint Codale, who fought against the monsters and prevented them from wreaking havoc.


    But the dangers of a cursed zone were not few. Merely looking into the depths of Kalichi would cause the viewer''s soul to be pulled out of their body and dragged into the infernal depths.


    Soon, Invictus was brought to the battlefield, where even he was forced to fight a bit, but they did not stop.


    Eventually, from the side of Invictus'' eye, he saw a massive, yellow me epassing a particr soldier right in the heart of a massive fight.


    Invictus grinned, and joined the fray, not hesitating to contribute to the battle, bringing it to a swift end.


    Then he looked towards the handsome young man who had earned the nickname Burning Aegis - the only source of warmth in this frozen hellscape, literally.


    "Patrick Grant," Invictus called out loud, attracting his attention. "My name is Invictus Hammel. I have a letter for you."


    "Hammel?" Patrick suddenly said, his head snapping towards Invictus. His bright smile, fueled by the thrill of battle, wavered as he studied Invictus with solemn eyes.


    The two did not speak more on the topic of Invictus'' background, but there was a silent understanding between them. Invictus held out a letter for Patrick.


    "By the way, you know someone called Nero Grant? It just urred to me that you guys might be rted. He''s a tough kid - saved my life once."


    *****


    Nero closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall of his prison cell. Despite being captured, he was not rmed in the slightest. Things were progressing as he expected.


    His hands yed with his cards, shuffling them as if they were ordinary ying cards, but his attention was not on them.


    Instead, he was studying Virtuous Moonlight, his newest innate ability. On the backside of the card, which usually only contained the cover art of a card, and asionally carried the personal mark of the artisan, there were a few words printed on the very bottom.


    It read: Luminaripendium card 06.

 Chapter 218: Show on the road

    The cold, pale streaks of the morning light broke through the iron bars of Nero''s prison cell. Outside, the sky was covered in clouds as far as they could see, casting a grey shadow over the world. Scattered rains had kept the atmosphere damp and humid, and theck of direct sunshine kept the winter chill from receding.


    It was alreadyte March, which meant spring should havee by now, but the weather had been a mess these days. Nero heard some of the guards talking. They thought it was because of all the Sages who had been fighting recently - that had messed with the weather in all six countries. Others, apparently, med the silver moon and the ruins.


    There were also the religious fanatics who thought that an old Deity had awoken, and was beginning to exert its power on the world once more.


    Nero¡­ well Nero didn''t care what the weather was like. He had been in prison for a few days already, not that he minded. It was more of a formality anyway. Considering the fact that he literally had all his Eldrim cards with him, how could this even be called a real imprisonment?


    Nero shuffled his cards within one another, his gaze fixed at the clouds outside through his window. Since the window was near the top of the wall, the clouds were really the only thing Nero could see anyway - not unless he grabbed the iron bars and pulled himself up for a better view.


    It could barely count as exertion, but Nero was not in the mood for it anyway. He spent thest few days recovering from the extremes of his excursion into the ruins. It onlysted a few days, but they were the most eventful days in a long time - perhaps in his whole life.


    He had seen so many wonderful things, and witnessed so many things with such immense potential for harm.


    The ability to manufacture berserkers from humans using cursed energy was something that could literally destroy the bnce of all six countries should anyone master it - even if the berserkers remained in the Neophyte realm - which he was fairly certain they were not limited to.


    After all, while the countries were protected by the strong, the majority of the poption was weak. Most people never make it past the Initiate realm, and everyone was born below even the Neophyte realm.


    So if the weaker citizens of any country were targeted, or perhaps in the case of those psychos from Dolziya, even used to build an army of berserkers for their own country, there would definitely be a shift.


    Then there were the secrets of immortality. As far as Nero knew, it was rare for high levelled card masters to die from old age, but that didn''t mean they didn''t age. Along with ageing came physical and mental decline, making it more likely for card masters to die duringbat. If that could be prevented, then the number of high levelled card masters in any country would increase rapidly.


    Beyond that, there were the strange artefacts Nero got, whatever it was in the research facility everyone wanted, the Eldrim book on card recipes, and even the Vault, which ironically contained another vault within that Nero and Gabriel had kept secret.


    Too many things had happened close together, and Nero hadn''t had time to process all of them, which was why spending days on end inside the prison cell with no visitors, save the guard who delivered food, was something he weed.


    It gave him time to go through everything, step by step, and analyse all that had happened. That allowed him to catch onto many things he had missed the first time around. Surprisingly, the thing that caught Nero''s attention the most was Remi.


    The seemingly innocent, underprepared girl who was too afraid to do much, but had an immacte innate ability which allowed her to so much¡­ Nero had always been suspicious of her, but now upon reflection, he figured that he underestimated how suspicious she was.


    Whether it was through luck, such as identally finding a hiddenpartment within whichy a ck key that would be incredibly important for himter, or through the fact that she was the only one who could use Eldrim machinery, almost everything Nero experienced within the ruins was guided by her.


    One could say that she was just doing her job honestly, but if she harboured even the slightest bit of a hidden agenda, then she could have been pointing Nero in the direction she wanted him to go. The genius of it was that her weak constitution and timid demeanour made it difficult to suspect her.


    Even now, Nero could not tell if she had any ulterior motives whatsoever. But he was at least no longer ignorant of the fact that she was not as simple as she appeared to be.


    Then there was Vanessa. She was definitely working with someone from within the army, and someone powerful - yet not too powerful. Whoever it was had enough power and influence to sneak her into the country right as the ruins were about to be openly announced, but still needed her to do things they could not openly do themselves.


    This was likely a part of an alliance between that unknown person or organisation and Nova.


    There was also a matter of Herbert. Nero still knew next to nothing about him, and hadn''t even been questioned on his murder just yet. But why did he try to kill Nero? The fact that he followed Nero as soon as they met each other meant that he already had orders to kill Nero from before he entered.


    Was he the only one with such orders, or were there others? His assassination attempt was the only reason Nero was in his current situation.


    Over the past few days, Nero was hit by the irony countless times that he was in this situation because he saved the lives of those injured soldiers who saw him kill Herbet. If he had just killed them, or better yet, just let them die, nothing like this would have happened.


    Yet when the thought came, Nero also struggled with his morality. That would have been the easier route, but he couldn''t just randomly kill innocent people, could he?


    They were hisrades in battle. They had done nothing wrong, technically speaking. How could he just kill them for the sake of convenience, or to avoid some problems?


    Yet somewhere, in the back of his mind, he couldn''t help but think that they hadn''t exactly been grateful for Nero saving their lives either. Moreover, this whole country was a lot more corrupt than he had ever imagined. Kr was not the bastion of honour and loyalty that he had imagined it to be, growing up.


    How many secret deals had urred within Lumina? How many spies had infiltrated despite the best precautions? How many people had acted secretly, working for their own secret agendas.


    Nero himself had encountered more than just a few of such situations, with Unity trying to meet him being one of the most prominent. In fact, their attempts to meet him were what made Nero the most wary.


    He had no idea how influential they were. Were the Sages involved? Nero had been given the mission to save Bael even before he entered Lumina, so did that mean major Liam was alsopromised, and working for Unity, or was he simply following someone else''s orders and knew nothing about the details of why Nero was being sent on this mission?


    He could not decide which one was a greater disy of power.


    Of everything else, though, Nero thought about Virtuous Moonlight. That card held greater secrets than Nero could even fathom, and the possibilities its very existence insinuated were era defining!


    Could innate abilities actually be created by artisans? If that was the case, then people like Bael could finally get the innate ability they wanted. Sages could be even more versatile. High levelled card masters who had weak or useless innate abilities could suddenly gain new, more powerful abilities. The possibilities were endless - not that Nero had any intention of sharing his discovery.


    At least, he wouldn''t do so just yet.


    He would have to grow stronger first. Over the past few days, other than contemtion, raising his level was one of the things he focused on the most, and he was already at around 29% card absorption. He was more than halfway to Initiate already!


    As soon as he got out, he could find a way to put Radix Augmentation to work and speed that further even more. No one would be suspicious because of how much liquid aether he drank. Then it would be time for KMA, and then¡­


    A loud ng woke him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see a number of soldiers open the door to his cell and walk in.


    "Nero Grant? It''s time for your hearing. Hold out your hands and ept the handcuffs."


    Nero breathed out a deep sigh, and then stood up. It was time to get the show on the road.

 Chapter 219: June

    Four guards to fetch Nero seemed a little excessive, especially considering that the cuffs were supposed to freeze his control over aether. He put away his cards in the card case attached to his hip, attracting a few eye raises, before presenting his hands to be cuffed.


    Nero''s history withw enforcement was not exactly the best, but hopefully today there would be no cause for concern.


    The soldiers proceeded to cuff his hands tighter than was probably necessary, and gave him what was likely meant to be an intimidating stare. Nero maintained his calm, not giving any significant reaction.


    While he studied and took notice of all the soldiers, his mind was upied with other things. This was not going to be a simple in and out case for a few reasons, number one of which was the fact that someone was clearly targeting him. It had been a few days by now so Gabriel should have delivered the letter he wrote for his father, or at least sent it.


    But even assuming that his father already got the letter, wherever he was, the chances that he''d be able to help out on such short notice was next to none.


    Though, to be fair, more than once he''d been hinted at the fact that if he got into some trouble Whisper Guard would take care of it. Now he''d just have to find out how much of that was true.


    Of everyone else, Nero was most certain that Unity would not want him sentenced to a cursed zone, since they''d already invested in him by ensuring that his cards weren''t confiscated. Not unless the whole reason they wanted to work with him was because they needed his help in a particrly cursed zone.


    Nero could not help but sigh as he followed the guards through the prison building where he was being kept. To his immense surprise, the prison was actually quite big and densely popted.


    Though thews were quite strict in Kr, and most convicts didn''t actually spend time in prison, it appeared that if the influx of prisoners was high enough over a short period of time, the prisons would still fill up.


    He was no longer anywhere near the campsite outside of Lumina. In fact, he had no idea where he was. If it weren''t for the very peak of the Aether mountain range visible above the prison walls, Nero would think he''d been taken to the other side of the country.


    Fortunately, the site of his hearing was a courtroom within the very prison, so he didn''t need to endure another, longmute.


    When Nero was brought into the courtroom, he was actually surprised to see a panel of three judges sitting at the very front, with quite a number of fully armoured soldiers filling the seats, though none of them were familiar at all.


    The sight gave Nero a pause, though the guards escorting him weren''t polite enough to let him take everything in. A strong tug on his cuffs pulled Nero along, keeping pace with the guards.


    But Nero still didn''t focus on that. Instead, he was trying to recollect everything he knew about the legal system in Kr. It wasn''t really a topic that had been covered in school, but he still knew some things about it.


    Unlike the democratic country of Nova, which had a jury system, courts in Kr were presided over by a single judge. Civilian and military courts were separate, and no civil judge could sentence an active soldier or make a decision in a case that fell under the jurisdiction of the army.


    But to prevent rampant corruption that such a system would encourage, the military court was extremely strict and was not answerable to any of the corps.


    Their authority extended over all three corps, they had directmand over the military police and it was even said that they enjoyed direct Sage oversight.


    If Nero hadn''t looked into this stuff specifically to find out what happened to Patrick, he would never know anything about the courts and legal system at all. But Patrick''s case was presided over by the civilian court, which is what Nero focused on in his research. Byparison, he knew only very little about military courts.


    What he did know was that hearings usually did not call for a panel of judges. In fact, Nero did not know what required an entire panel of judges. This was a rarepse in his knowledge, but to be fair, between training everyday, keeping up his grades, making contacts and trying to get enough sleep, he''d only had so much time to do research on various topics.


    What he did know was that he was supposed to have some form of legal representation at least - but no one had consulted him during thest few days, so he did not know what his current situation was.


    Nero looked across the various faces in the room, trying to get a read on them, looking for anyone giving off a friendly or hostile vibe. He saw plenty of thetter, and almost none of the former.


    The only one not giving him a death stare was a stunningly beautiful woman with deep green hair that had been tied into a neat bun, wearing a military uniform instead of an armour, standing near the front of the courtroom. She was grinning and waving at Nero as she was an old friend, meeting him at the park instead of in his own criminal trial.


    For some reason, that woman intimidated him more than all the others who were giving him a death stare. There was something about the twinkle in her eyes.


    Before they got a chance to talk, the soldiers escorted Nero to a stand and one of the judges mmed down his gavel, its thunderous bellow echoing through the hall.


    "Private Nero Grant," the middle judge, a handsome yet old man with a scarred face and bright blonde hair, began, "you have been brought to trial, used of intentional fratricide during a time of war, espionage on behalf of an enemy state, treason against your country, and attempted conspiracy to cause countless deaths to the Neophytes within the ruins of Lumina."


    His aggressive and judgmental voice mmed down on Nero, each usation like artillery fire raining down on him. He had anticipated that someone might be trying to act against him in secret, either because of the Vault or for rted reasons, but this was beyond his expectations.


    A feeling of solemnity filled him as he realised the immensity of the challenge in front of him, yet his expression did not as much as flinch. His expression remainedpletely impassive throughout, as if everything was within his expectations.


    Nero''s thoughts raced as he threw out all his old ns and tried toe up with new ones. Unfortunately, he knew too little about how those usations came about, so he could note up with a good defence for them. Not to mention¡­ whoever was targeting him should have already anticipated any easily thought of reaction he might have to the situation.


    He would need toe up with an exceptional n to get out of this situation.


    The judge had paused for a moment for the usation to set in, yet upon seeing Nero''s indecipherable expression, he continued deprived of the satisfaction of watching the horror set in.


    "Due to the sensitive nature of the case, and to ensure aplete and unbiased ount of events, the military police has privately conducted its own investigation into the circumstances of each usation and turned it over to the court.


    At the same time, during thest few days, witnesses have been called to the court to give ounts rting to their interactions with you at or around the time of each individual usation.


    "It needs to be stated, for the record, that over the course of the trial the court has discovered many meritorious actions performed by the used, but meritorious behaviour does not void or invalidate the crimes.


    "Before the trial is concluded, and the court makes its decision, the used has been summoned to deliver his own ounts regarding each usation, and offer up defence or exnation if he has any. At the end of these proceedings, the court will announce its final decision regarding the case.


    "Nero Grant, you have fifteen minutes to consult your legal counsel who will brief you on your current standing, and whatys ahead of you. Young man, if you are innocent then the court will find it so. If you are not, then no power in this world can protect you. Your time begins now."


    The judge mmed his gavel once more, and the beautiful green haired women excitedly approached Nero. Meanwhile, Nero grappled with how dismal his situation seemed.


    He had no idea if the court''s investigation had been tampered with, and what the witnesses said about him. Without that knowledge, if he were to give a statement that was contradicted by the statements of other witnesses, it was unlikely they would side with him. Or maybe they would look into why there were conflicting reports - he didn''t know.


    There was too much he didn''t know, and not being present for the majority of his own trial put him at a severe disadvantage. He had no idea what he''d be facing. He needed to be ready to respond in the moment.


    "Hey Nero," the woman said, with all too much affection in her voice. "My name''s June. I don''t know if you''ve heard of me, but I was your dad''s old girlfriend before that skank Marilyn showed up!"


    Nero, who had faced the full force of the courtroom''s attention and aggression unphased, suddenly tripped!


    "Oh shit!" he couldn''t help but exim. He had, in fact, heard of June. He had heard of her extensively.

 Chapter 220: Objective I

    Nero did not know any man as jovial and lighthearted as his own father. Living in this cursed world, where at any time death maye for anyone, most people eventually turned cold and callous.


    Lives were easily lost, which is why they were worthless, and at the same time the most valuable. Everyone tried to save as many lives as possible, yet epted the truth that it just wasn''t possible to save everyone. As such, as people aged, they usually shut themselves off and became more rigid.


    His father was not like that at all. The man took nothing seriously, ever, and made it his life''s mission to tease every single person he came across. For some iprehensible reason, most people didn''t seem to mind it either, and in fact, enjoyed hispany.


    His own mother was the greatest example. Nero''s dad used to wake up early when he didn''t need to, just to boast about how he could sleep longer if he wanted to, and rub it in his mother''s face. He had no inferiorityplex or anything about the fact that she made more money than him. No matter what she did, he found the perfect way to tease her about it.


    Yet, despite the angry front she put up, she was enamoured with him.


    The gist of it was, his father was quite popr, and always had been, so it was not exactly surprising that he had a girlfriend before he met Nero''s mother. Within Kr, where everyone lived fast and often died young, it was quitemon for couples to form in high school, and get married right after.


    Higher education was not necessary for most professions, so most could get vocational training and still end up with a decent job. After all, basic food and decent housing was all provided by the state, so everyone could live a decentlyfortable life.


    Nero''s thoughts were going off on a tangent, mostly because he wanted to avoid thinking about his current predicament. He was now face to face with June, his fathers ex-girlfriend and a woman his mother strongly detested.


    That would not have mattered much to Nero at all, except that she was apparently his legal counsel, yet she seemed even more¡­ entric than his own father.


    Her excited and animated energy was a stark contrast to the mood in the courtroom, and each and every one of her actions attracted the kind of attention Nero didn''t want. Much more importantly, it made him doubt her skills as legal counsel, though the rational part of his brain knew that she wouldn''t be here if it weren''t a part of her job.


    "Yes¡­ hello, I¡­ I have heard of you," Nero managed to say with much difficulty. But the awkwardnesssted only a brief moment. Regardless of her rtionship or personal peculiarities, he needed her help to understand his situation.


    "Ms. June," Nero began, but was immediately interrupted by the woman who pretended to be upset with him.


    "Call me Aunt June. Your father and I are still on very good terms."


    Nero resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and simply adapted.


    "Aunt June, what can you tell me about my situation? These¡­ these usations are far more than I was aware of. When I was arrested, the only charge at the time was suspected of fratricide."


    June gave Nero a mischievous, knowing grin, as if to indicate that she knew exactly what Nero had been up to.


    "You''re the only one who has been having it easy for the past few days. It is unprecedented in the history of Kr for the trial of a mere Neophyte to gain so much national attention. But much more rming than that is the fact that the details of the proceedings were made public across all of Aetherpeak!


    Military court proceedings are usually confidential with the details not being revealed to the public due to the secretive nature of the things that need to be discussed. No one knows how or why this happened. To top it all off, some of the judges personal details were also made public, revealing that some of them were not as¡­ unbiased as they should have been.


    "The original judge in your case has been arrested with a pending investigation into his previous cases and his affiliations. Due to the sudden high profile nature of your case, as well as the history of external interference, a panel of judges took over to ensure an unbiased verdict. I''m sure now you can understand why everyone is in such a bad mood.


    No matter what their original crime was, the way in which the previous judge was exposed may have left a¡­ bitter taste in the other judges mouths."


    Nero raised an eyebrow, and took another look at everyone in the room. He suddenly understood why everyone was ring at him. Even though Nero himself did nothing, it was his trial that caused an unprecedented information leak.


    It also exined why there were so many guards in the room. They were here to ensure no one who didn''t have authority snuck in or collected information somehow to leak to the outside.


    "Will this affect my judgement?" Nero asked.


    "Not at all. They''re grumpy, but they''ll do their job well, especially now that so many people are paying attention to it. Now, about your usations. You''re right in saying that originally there was just one charge against you. But once you were in custody, as if out of thin air, a bunch of new charges were brought up against you.


    There was also a lot of evidence linking you to those crimes, from your presence at the AAB when the terrorists attacked, to you being directly named as a high level conspirator by captured enemy agents. I''ll be honest with you, it didn''t look good."


    Nero scrunched his brow. Circumstantial evidence was irrelevant, but directly being named by captives was not good. He didn''t even know who these ''enemy agents'' were. Did that mean Clear Path members, infiltrators from enemy states,mon criminals? It could be anything.


    "What do you mean ''didn''t look good''? Did something change?" Nero asked.


    June looked at Nero for a moment and then chuckled.


    "Do you know why your father called me and asked me to take over your case?" she asked, her voice taking on a rare tone of seriousness.

 Chapter 221: Objective II

    "Wait, dad called you and asked you to handle my case?" Nero was taken aback, for entirely different reasons. Did mom know dad was on talking terms with his ex? His mother, for all her many great qualities, was an intense woman in every aspect. She was intensely loving, protective, capable, but that also made her intensely possessive and¡­ intensely jealous.


    For some reason, the moment he heard that his dad had asked June to take over, he rxed. It was as if, on a subconscious level, he felt like everything would be alright now that his father had a handle on the situation.


    "Of course. I''m usually in Lorilem. I had to travel overnight to get here in time, and let me tell you, ever since that silver moon appeared in the sky, night time has been even more dangerous than usual. The number of Apparition curses in the wilderness has increased manifold. Anyway, I''m getting sidetracked. The reason he asked me to take over is because I don''t lose.


    Ever.


    "From the moment I took over, your case was as good as handled. Let alone everything that happened after."


    "What happened after?" Nero asked as soon as she paused. He could tell that June liked to build suspense, and then give big revtions. For the sake of speeding things up, he humoured her as much as possible.


    But Junecked the sense or urgency that filled Nero, and was insistent on taking her time. She smiled, and for a moment her eyes seemed to lose focus, as if she were lost in thought.


    "Do you know what a true man is, Nero?" she asked, though this time she did not pause for impact, and just continued speaking. "A true man is someone who can gain deep, heartfelt admiration for anyone around him. Someone deeply reliable and trustworthy, so that the people around him want to help him, even if it doesn''t give them anything in return.


    At the same time, a true man is someone who can help others in their time of need, without making them feel as if they epted charity, or make them feel weak for needing help.


    "Your father is a true man, Nero. You have no idea the kind of influence he has. If it weren''t for¡­"


    June''s eyes suddenly regained focus, and she caught herself from saying something she shouldn''t. She focused on Nero, and smiled.


    "The point is, Nero, that after new judges were assigned to your case, there was a reinvestigation. All evidence was reexamined, and witnesses questioned again. A lot of details that were previously missed came to light. Tell me Nero, do you know what your mother has been doing the past few months?"


    "No, I haven''t met her since my synchronisation," Nero answered truthfully, though he couldn''t understand what she had to do with any of this.


    "Personal grievances aside, I have to acknowledge that your mother is exceptionally talented and skilled. She is so skilled, in fact, that she was recruited into a special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).


    It''s one of the rare few units where the military and civil government work together, giving its members an extremely high level of executive power, all so that they can target those within Kr who are charged with corruption, fraud, treason, etc. Suffice to say, she''s been very good at her job, which also means she''s attracted a lot of scrutiny and hate from certain groups.


    "Targeting your mother is not so easy, but targeting you is much easier. There is no exact proof of this, so it won''t stand up in court, but it''s basically an open secret at this point that you''re being targeted to get back at your mother. This has caused a lot of political turmoil, and an immense level of dissatisfaction from those in the MIA.


    At the same time, many Great families, who are being implicated in this case for interference, are also dissatisfied, iming that they''re being targeted unfairly.


    "Although all of this started out as a fairly simple fratricide case, it has be a three way standoff between the government, the army and the great families. Combined with the fact that details of the proceedings continue to be leaked everyday, there is a veryrge chance that this is heading towards a mistrial.


    Do you know what happens when there is a mistrial in a case with a panel of judges?"


    Nero shook his head, though he was slightly distracted as he tried to understand the ramifications of what all this meant. The situation waspletely out of hand¡­ or, as June''s demeanour suggested, well within her and his fathers expectations.


    "One of two things will happen. Either the case is sent up to the Supreme Court, which in this case is highly unlikely. The Supreme Court even has authority to sentence Sages, and as such only receives critically important cases that can influence the entire country. Or the case will be handled ording to martial tradition.


    "Kr is a country of warriors, formed by soldiers, for soldiers. Strength and service are respected above everything else. If it can''t be proven that you are a traitor to the country without slightest bit of doubt, then you will adhere to the tradition of redemption through service.


    Regardless of whether you are innocent or guilty, you will be sent to perform military service for your country - though all of it will, of course, be counted in your military record. If you have enough merits, you can even gain ranks during the course of your service.


    "So, Nero, when you go up on the stand, your objective is not to prove that you''re innocent. That will hardly matter. No, your objective is to make an impression on as many people as possible so that for your reconciliatory service, you are assigned to the best possible department."


    Nero took this all in, and at the same time realised that he had been conducting an obvious and tant oversight in many of his introspections. He had been wondering why he had been receiving so much attention by Sage Haiden, and then gaining so much political relevance thereafter. Hepletely forgot to consider that it might not be because of himself, but because of his parents.


    "By the way, you''ll be interested to know that during all of this, there is one Great family in particr that has been extremely active in controlling the narrative, and benefiting greatly from all the attention," June said, a flicker of yfulness shing in her eyes, her serious tone finally fading back to its original, jocr state.

 Chapter 222: Taking the stand

    A Great family benefiting from the attention somehow? Nero''s thoughts immediately went to the Dom family. Besides the original issue with them forcing Patricks sentencing, they had never done anything to Nero''s family - at least overtly. Even so, he would think that they would be at the forefront of trying to get rid of Nero and his parents.


    If his mom had recovered, and moreover managed to get a job in the MIA, then families such as the Dom family, who used their power and influence to persecute others would be the first to suffer. Considering their own personal history, she would likely target them first, which is why they might want to eliminate Nero''s family - or at the very least get some leverage.


    But when he saw the look in June''s eye, Nero knew it had to be someone else.


    "It''s the Grant family," she told him, after dangling the bait for a bit.


    Grant family? For a split second Nero tried to recall any such family that he had heard of, but then realised what June was saying. Since his mother had risen to the rise of a Mystic, technically speaking her family became a Great family.


    They were still at the very bottom of the totem pole as far as Great families were concerned, but technically they fell under the umbre of a great family. Still, considering that their start into this society of Great families was marred by them acting against the interest of other Great families, he wasn''t sure how it would turn out.


    "How has the Grant family benefitted from this?" Nero asked, in an amused way. It was funny to think that, as a member of the family, he had to ask others what benefits he had received.


    "It''s not much tooplicated," June said. "The narrative is quite simple. Those who target the Grant family will suffer, and suffered people have. You do not know what kind of power it takes to get a judge arrested, or the kinds of things that have happened in the past few days. You''ve probably heard of Jacob Dom, right?"


    Nero''s expression did not shift, and he showed no signs of being agitated. His control over his desire for vengeance was like a vice grip. The more political things got, the more he knew the value of hiding his intentions.


    "I have heard the name," Nero said inly, as if he was not intimately familiar with the details of the man responsible for his brother''s exile to a cursed zone.


    "Well during the reinvestigation of your charges, it came to light that he may have influenced certain events to make the charges against you seem more convincing. Before he could even be judged, he voluntarily signed up for service in Broceliande forest and departed."


    "He signed up to go to a cursed zone?" Nero asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.


    "The alternative was much worse for him, trust me," June said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Anyway, we are getting side tracked. Remember, your current objective is to make a strong impression. Assuming the pattern of this trial''s proceedings being leaked continues, then whatever you say is going to be read by a lot of people."


    "What can I expect when I go up to the stand?" Nero asked.


    "A military trial is not the same as a civilian trial. The only thing that matters here is the judges opinion. The statewyer, who has been assigned to prosecute you, will ask you questions, and you have to answer. That''s about it. You may not be able to tell what usations those questions pertain to, or what anyone else has said.


    It''s basically standard practice to keep the defendant unaware of what has been said or what is going on.


    "Keep in mind that the judges will be using cards to determine if you are telling a lie, and you will be under observation through various means. All I can really say is¡­ don''t say anything you don''t want anyone to know in case it might have been left unsaid. But besides that, just go make your mark."


    Nero pursed his lips as he thought about what to say and what not to say up on stage. He was restricted from saying a lot of things anyway by his various oaths, but the court might waive the authority requirements to mention the things restricted by the official oaths. In that case¡­


    "Oh, right, silly me," June said, pping her forehead. "One thing you should know is that before you are questioned, the judge will use their judicial power to speak freely on topics pertaining to the case even if you have oaths restricting it. But¡­ the details of yourst mission within the Research Facility have been sealed by a Sage, we don''t know which.


    It ispletely impossible to question you, and therefore persecute you for anything that happened during that time."


    Nero maintained a neutral expression, as if he had nothing to hide, but June made a knowing expression, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Though, Nero did not think for even a second that she had any idea that he had basically orchestrated the handover of an unranked card to a spy from an enemy state, and discovered some immense secret that he had not disclosed.


    Over the past few days, Nero genuinely wondered if the secret he had discovered was somehow bigger than that of the Luminari card. He found it hard to imagine, but there was nothing he could do about it for now anyway.


    Before their conversation could continue, the judge mmed his gavel, indicating the end of the fifteen minute period he had to get caught up.


    "Good luck," June said, and gave Nero a thumbs up as he walked up to the stand beside the judges panel.


    Nero no longer minded the pointed looks he got, and instead focused on depicting the very image of poise and discipline.


    He went over all his thoughts one more time, ensuring that he knew what things to avoid mentioning, and basically deciding on how he would go about this. One thing was certain - this was not the time to be humble.


    "Nero Grant, I hereby grant you authority to answer any and all questions asked by your prosecutor during the course of this examination - even if your official oaths forbid you."


    The words were simple, and it was as if he was getting simple permission to speak, but he felt a fluctuation in the aether within himself. His oath had adjusted itself ording to the judges words.


    Nero wondered how that worked exactly - it was not like his oath came with an instruction manual concerning who could, and could not influence it.


    "You may begin," the middle judge said, turning towards the prosecutor.


    A rather mature man, wearing early signs of older age, walked up to Nero''s stand, dressed in military uniform. His stern expression might have been an attempt to intimidate Nero, but if it was, it wasn''t working. Compared to the berserkers and tentacle monsters, the man almost looked like a harmless child.


    "I''m going to be asking some basic questions to get started," thewyer told Nero, his voice cold and unfriendly despite how disarming his words were meant to be. "State your name and age."


    "Nero Grant, fifteen years old," Nero responded sinctly. He was interested to see how these questions would go.


    "How long have you lived in Aetherpeak?"


    "All my life."


    "And during this time, have you had any affiliations or encounters with any criminals, terrorists, anti-state agents or international spies?"


    "Obviously," Nero answered with an expression that said he had been asked the most absurd question ever. "Jailwalkers and shoplifters aside, I have faced what I can only assume were terrorists or enemy agents on many asions. On the day that I synchronised, the AAB was attacked. During my draftee training for fire squads, we were attacked by the group known as Clear Path.


    Even when I went to Lumina, I''m pretty sure I encountered foreign forces, though I cannot be sure what their background was."


    Nero had to be careful with his answers. While he could not be questioned or persecuted for things during hisst mission in the research facility, open-ended questions were dangerous for an entirely separate reason. The fact that he had recognised Vanessa but never reported her put him at risk.


    He was walking a tightrope, and he had to be careful of what he said - especially if the judges could tell whether he was speaking the truth or not.


    He wished he knew exactly what the cards they were using had as their description. Their ability to detect the truth might not be as thorough as Nero was assuming, but he had to be prepared for the worst.


    "Have you ever colluded with these forces against the interest of Kr?" the prosecutor continued without a moment''s pause.

 Chapter 223: Why do I need them?

    "No," Nero answered with a voice full of conviction, without a moment''s hesitation. This was a question he answered without a shred of doubt in his mind, even though he had coordinated with Vanessa before. That was because the question was that had he colluded with them against the interest of Kr.


    He genuinely and firmly believed that by working with Vanessa, and improving himself and making himself stronger, he was working in the best interest of Kr.


    But this was a tricky game. Not only did he need to remember his answers, he needed to maintain the same stance he had already. For example, ifter on the prosecutor asked him if he had colluded with such entities, leaving out the part about ''against Kr''s interests'' he might be forced to say yes, since he technically had worked with Vanessa.


    Yet since that collusion took ce during thest mission in the research facility, he need not answer it, which meant he could still say no. But he was not too worried.


    Although he had no experience with courts, he did have a lot of experience being interrogated - or at least training in that regard. His father had been thorough with that one, even going as far as torturing him with tickling.


    "Have you ever passed on confidential information to those you should not have?"


    "No."


    "Have you ever used your powers, official, aetheric or otherwise for your own personal gain?"


    Now Nero looked at the prosecutor like he was a genuine idiot. He looked around the courtroom to see if he was the only one who thought so, or if others shared his views. Everyone save June maintained their stern or angry expression, so it was hard to detect their thoughts.


    June gave him a double thumbs up, as if encouraging him.


    "Of course I''ve used my power for personal gain!" Nero said. "I''ve used my grades to influence my teachers'' opinions of me, getting better ss cements! I''ve used my better physical performancepared to my peers to get personalised training!


    I''ve used my excellent aether control to get noticed by my superiors, and get even more specialised training so that I can take on more dangerous missions that no one else can take.


    "I fully n on using my ster performance at the ruins, and my military merits to get ced into Kr Military Academy (KMA). I have no qualms about using the benefits and perks I have rightfully earned to progress further. That does not, however, mean that I use my powers and influence inappropriately, if that is what you''re getting at."


    The prosecutor made no show of whether Nero''s response was what he had been hoping for. Instead, he continued his line of questioning without the slightest pause.


    "So you arefortable using your power or ''rightfully earned'' perks for your own benefits, as you see fit. Does that include using your power to bully or coerce those in your way towards a certain objective? Or maybepetitors for certain benefits you desire?"


    Nero smiled as he looked at the prosecutor. The man was asking questions, and then immediately using them as a setup, trying to make Nero look guilty. There was also a chance that he was establishing a line of questioning so that there would be a greater impact for questions he askedter. Either way, Nero had already identified the trend. It was almost cute.


    But he was not the only one who knew such tactics. If Nero''s goal had been to prove his innocence, he might go with a less aggressive strategy. But, aware of the fact that this case was heading towards a mistrial, his goal was not to prove his innocence, but make an impact. In that case¡­ he did not need an borate and subtle response. A more explosive and abrupt one would do.


    "Of course!" Nero stated out boldly, his answer taking quite a few people by surprise - including the prosecutor himself. But before they had a chance to specte on what that meant, Nero continued.


    "For example, there was this one time a terrorist organisation known as Clear Path that was taking draftees as ves, right within militarypounds,pletely undetected by Kri military intelligence. When they came to attack and capture me, I was very much of the impression that bing an enemy ve would not be good for my career, so I bullied the Initiate terrorist to death.


    "Oh right, there was also this one time cursed vines attacked my entire hostel, and I had to coerce the vines to not kill my neighbours as I saved their lives. Let me see, what else? Oh right, there was that time when on a mission I was attacked by berserkers - called Specimen A by the army.


    I was being extremely self-serving by wanting toplete my mission without a hitch, so I had to bully the berserkers to death once again. Quite tragic really."


    The prosecutor was only momentarily surprised by Nero''s answer, but quickly noticed the sarcasm in it. Instead of letting it get to him, he continued as he expected.


    "Ahan. If that''s the case, you wouldn''t mind telling me about this person?" The prosecutor pulled out a picture of Ss.


    Nero raised an eyebrow. He could understand how an outsider might think that he used to bully Ss, but that was far from the truth.


    Ss was an extremely talented kid, but an incredibly insecure and antisocial one. Being nice to him and encouraging him would not work in helping him escape his shell - only by forcing him to consciously step outside hisfort zone, and achieve something he genuinely recognised as worthwhile would he grow.


    It was the drawback of having parents with incredibly high expectations. Despite his clearly amazing talent, he felt like he was insufficient. Crafting a card without having aether was a big boost for him, and then synchronising right after helped as well.


    But being tough on him so that he was naturally inspired to ovee his barriers was also necessary. Of course, those not in the know would just think that Nero was bullying a kid.


    "That''s Ss, my long time friend. During the-"


    "Friend?" the prosecutor interrupted Nero''s statement. "Is that what you call a friend? I have countless reports of you physically and verbally isting him from other kids in your ss. I have here a report from a psychologist stating that the nature of your rtionships seems to be one of building psychological dependance in Ss towards yourself.


    Tell me, is taking advantage of your ''friends'' family connections one of the ways you use your ''rightfully earned'' benefits?"


    Nero turned his head, as if to look at the prosecutor from a different angle, with a frown on his face. There was a hint of white in his hair right behind his ears, indicating the man had lived for a long time - at least by Neire standards. Yet the pressure Nero felt from the man indicated that he was probably just in the Initiate realm.


    "Tell me, prosecutor," Nero said slowly. "Are you an idiot or are you just really bad at your job?"


    He finally managed to get a reaction out of the man as a trace of anger shed on his face, but he quickly controlled himself and took advantage of the situation.


    "Is that also how you talk to your friends? Or the people around you? You insult them?"


    Nero shook his head. He could guess that the angle thewyer was trying to take was to create doubt about Nero''s character. Yet the way he was going about it was too immature.


    "I am going to say this for the record, so that everyone hears it loudly and clearly. Hurbert Rodney is crazy, and I would not make use of his contacts even if I had no other choice. You want to talk about bullying? The way that man treats his son is like a ve that he''s grooming. I do not bully Ss, I hold him to a high standard, which he knows and has benefited from.


    I don''t know who you called out as witnesses before me, but if you called out even one witness who actually knows anything about anything, you''d know that I defend him more than anyone.


    "I fought the son of a war hero for bullying Ss, and in Lumina I ran into a monster infested building while the fog was returning to the city to rescue him. I treat my friends as friends, not as contacts. I don''t need to rely on anyone else for that. With my service record during the war, and my skill set, why would I need to rely on anyone else?


    "I may not be the best soldier in the army, but within the Neophyte realm, there is no one who can best me. With a record like that, why would I be afraid ofcking contacts? For now, I am only the best in the Neophyte realm, but it is only a matter of time before I be the best in the Initiate realm, and then the Arcanist realm. Why then do I need to rely on others?"

 Chapter 224: Stating facts

    The impact of Nero''s words was great, but it was more about how he said than anything else. Standing up on trial, facing possible banishment to a cursed zone, brought low by the cuffs restraining his aether, facing the scrutiny of three judges and an entire courtroom, Neromanded the audience''s attention as if he had been doing it all his life.


    Everyone other than the judges suddenly became extremely aware of the fact that Nero was standing up on the¡­ well, stands. More importantly, he was standing on an elevated tform so that he could be easily seen. But right now, it did not look like he was a criminal facing his trial. It looked like Nero was a warrior, standing above them, looking down.


    The whole notion was entirely absurd because he was a mere Neophyte, the lowest level in the whole room. But it was also a fact that he had already killed more Initiates than many of the people in this room ever had, or ever would. After all, even if everyone joined the army for mandatory service, they didn''t all bebatants.


    "For now, I am only the best in the Neophyte realm, but it is only a matter of time before I be the best in the Initiate realm, and then the Arcanist realm. Why then do I need to rely on others?"


    Nero''s words echoed in the hall, and reeked of ignorance and arrogance - yet no one thought that. Indeed, as Nero suspected, over the past few days, many witnesses had been called, and Nero''s excellentbat prowess hade to light, as well as his impressive fight records.


    He had defeated Bael, son of Dagon. He had defeated Arter, progeny of the Ferro family. He killed berserkers left and right as if they were random strays. He could single handed destroy curses, which was far from ordinary! Normally, curses were only sealed! To destroy a curse would requireplicated procedures and high level cards!


    He feared no danger, was a natural born leader, and was an excellent warrior. He was the very culmination of all that Kr admired, and it was a result of his own hard work and diligence. It was impossible not to be impressed by him.


    "Bold words," the prosecutor began, but this time it was Nero who interrupted him.


    "It''s not bold, it''s a fact. The Initiate and Arcanist realms are too far away from me, but you can test me in the Neophyte realm. The things I can do, no one else in my realm can do. And the things others can do, I can do better."


    Nero red openly at the prosecutor as if weing the man to challenge him. But there was no need. Everyone of them already knew the truth. Even if they had not learned of Nero''s enhancements from the Vault, they knew his performance was better than his peers.


    After a slightly prolonged silence, the prosecutor continued.


    "You have mentioned an incident - the one with the cursed vines. It was the very first incident whereafter you gained a bit of recognition for your valiant efforts in trying to save your neighbours. Tell me, isn''t it a little too coincidental that you, of all people, did not suffer from the same curse?"


    "Hardly," responded Nero, though he could not help but notice the oddity of that question. It was¡­ it was too dumb a question. It was as if he was being awarded a chance to show off on a silver tter. Could this be another trap? If it was, it was one Nero would walk into willingly.


    "I was not the only one in the hostel who was unaffected by the vines. I was just the only one who stayed back to fight - everyone else had run away or had been caught already."


    "Yes, yes you were the only one who stayed back when everyone else ran away. You say you used this opportunity to save as many people as possible, but a lot of people also died that day. If you were, to say, take that opportunity where no one was around to kill some of the students who were captured, no one would be the wiser, now would they?"


    Nero narrowed his eyes. It was a trap, but a clumsy one. Or was this just bait too?


    "If I killed anyone, it would be easy to identify. More importantly, I was not alone. One of the students I saved, Isa Hammel, was there with me throughout, and was a witness to all my actions."


    Nero was suddenly struck by an odd thought. He had not noticed before, since he was too preupied, but now that he thought about it, it was strange. Howe he never saw Isa again after that incident?


    The prosecutor looked at him oddly, then looked at a few documents he was holding. He went through a few pages, before looking back at Nero.


    "I''m sorry, but there''s no report of any ''Isa Hammel'' with you during the event. ording to the reports, you did everything alone and unsupervised."


    Nero frowned, but at the same time some things made sense. No wonder he never saw Isa again - he disappeared. There was yet another mystery for him to look into.


    Nero had once felt like the ruins in Lumina were filled with secret deals and conspiracies, with a plot and a new danger around every corner. Yet now he hade to realise that normal, day to day life was no different. Someone had disappeared right beside him, and he had never noticed!


    He, who prided himself in being so attentive, never even noticed when an entire person disappeared entirely. Who knew how many other secrets there were all around him? How many of them had Nero touched without ever realising them.


    "I don''t know what''s in your documents, but I can tell you that I was with Isa Hammel through most of that ordeal. I discovered him¡­"


    Nero told the whole story in vivid detail, leaving out only Isa''s innate ability. Whether anyone believed him or not was not something he could control, but he could at least bring a shred of awareness around the situation.


    Once Nero told the whole story, the prosecutor did not ask him any more questions about that instance, onlymenting that, "at least at this moment, no one can confirm whether you killed others at that time or not."


    Then the questions continued, and for hours Nero was asked a number of seemingly random questions, all from various times in his life. He did not seem to be building up towards anything, but it was as if he was searching for a loophole in Nero''s ims.


    Unfortunately for him, Nero had been ying this game his whole life. It was not so easy to trip him up.


    Eventually, the prosecutor finally started to ask him questions about Lumina.


    "Is it true that, within the cathedral, you threatened to kill two soldiers, even going as far as cing a knife to their necks?"


    "Yes,pletely," Nero answered without hesitation. "They were unknown soldiers whose life I saved against a horde of berserkers. But instead of being grateful, they wanted to use me and my team as cannon fodder to protect their progeny of a Great family.


    When I did notply, they became aggressive, which is why I had to remind them that while they were content to act as servants of others, we were not. We were not willing to give up our mission to help themplete theirs."


    "So you im that you only threatened them, and did not kill them. Yet they never made it out of the cathedral. Are you saying you had no hand in their deaths?"


    Nero audibly scoffed.


    "They were not worth the time it would take to kill them. Throughout the mission I was under view of my teammates, as well as the team Verdant-2 so you can ask them about it if you wish. If they died, I had no hand in their death. I just did not prevent them from rushing into it."


    "Yes, but you are quite fond of threatening people, aren''t you? Does it irk you if you don''t get your way? Is that why you beat up Arterter on? Because he wouldn''t listen to your orders?"


    Nero shook his head. It was not good form to say such things, but since the judge excluded him from responsibility, and allowed him to speak freely, he wouldn''t mind revealing what actually happened.


    "It had nothing to do with that. His mission directives directly shed with mine. For ownership of the artefacts, we were forced to fight. Even so, I did not hurt more than his ego during that fight. You can confirm this with others as well."


    At this point, Nero was almost certain that he would be questioned about Vanessa. Her betrayal had already been revealed. Yet surprisingly, that did not happen.

 Chapter 225: Anvil

    "Tell me, Private Nero Grant, the greatest Neophyte alive, is it true that after you defeated Private Arter, you left him there, unconscious, within the cathedral? Is that not the same as condemning him to death?"


    Nero turned his head and looked at the prosecutor oddly, which everyone knew by now meant that Nero was questioning the man''s intelligence. Nero tapped his finger on the railing in front of him, before suddenly snapping his fingers.


    "I''ve got it! It must be my mild mannered appearance and temperate character that has given you some kind of misconception. Let me tell you something, since you''re not just asking questions around the main topic, shy of getting into the meat of things.


    "If I wanted to kill Arter, he''d be dead. If I wanted to sabotage people, it would happen. If I had ulterior motives, or wanted to take advantage of others, it would not be an issue of timing and hiding. No one would even suspect me of such things.


    "It''s because I do things in an open and above board manner that you think you have a lot of circumstantial evidence linking me to various crimes. In truth, if I really harboured unapparent motives, no one would ever suspect me. There would be no evidence. There would not even be anyone who could conceive that I might have anything to do with it. Covering one''s tracks in the most basic rules.


    "You think you have witnesses who saw memit a crime? Wrong, you just have people who think they know what they saw? You think that if I wanted tomit a crime, I''d casually do it in front of multiple witnesses? You think I''d leave a string of evidence lying around for someone to find? From the day I would walk I''ve trained to fight and kill.


    You think I''d make a mistake as simple as leaving witnesses around to tell on meter on?"


    Nero shook his head, the casual smile on his face slowly vanishing as the look in his eyes deepened and became more severe.


    "Don''t insult me with these paltry usations," Nero said, his voice suddenly much deeper than before, carrying across the room with new weight. "I am a Kri warrior, born into a family of warriors, trained from birth to be the best. Until such a time that I am convicted, I am still a Kri warrior, no, a soldier who has served in war time.


    I have stood in front of myrades, using my body to shield them from the ancient horrors of Lumina, and I have used the blood of monsters to grease the wheels of sess for Kr."


    Nero was suddenly reminded of the evil, insidious blood he saw in the library - of the feeling it gave him.


    "I have looked death in the eyes, bubbling, boiling, greedy for the meat and bones of my body, and I have pushed it back. I am not the ''greatest Neophyte'', I am a weapon, shaped by my parents, forged on an anvil of curses thrown at me by this ursed world.


    If I want something dead, be it man or curse, then I will see it dead, and if I want something alive then even an ocean of cursed blood will have to part way before my steps.


    "So no, I did not leave Arter to die. If I wanted to kill him, I would crush his neck. In fact, I have saved his life time and time again - but I can''t really tell you about that, since it was during my confidential service to Kr. So please, just get to the point. My time is more valuable than you think. Every day I miss out on training, all of Kr suffers."


    Thest line was a little arrogant, even for Nero, but it was exactly the kind of thing that resonated in Kr. In a nation founded on the principle of war andbat, every single soldier was believed to be directly contributing to the welfare of the entire state.


    In a state where every single person in their professional life was a veteran, or someone who had seen some kind ofbat, weaklings were not appreciated.


    Only someone who had the guts to stand out could resonate with the people. Someone with guts and an impressive service record, as well as the iron will to improve even more? If Nero kept this up, he could imagine the day he made a guest appearance in the cartoons made on Commander Dagon.


    He could feel the change in the room. There were countless soldiers standing in the courtroom, and all of them had looked at Nero with a hint of disdain and aggression when he came in. Yet all of a sudden, that had changed.


    It would be too farfetched to say that everyone had a favourable impression of him now, but at least the negative impression had reduced. There was even a bit of curiosity, and even hints of approval in them.


    The prosecutor also looked at Nero for a little longer before asking the next question - his actual thoughtspletely imperceptible.


    Nero found the man a little odd. He waspletely unreadable, giving Nero the impression that he was dealing with someone formidable, yet his line of questioning had been too weak. How could he be someone impressive and simultaneously someone ipetent?


    "You have made a lot of ims, young man - oh, wait, my bad. You have made a lot of ims, weapon-forged-on-the-anvil-of-curses, but then answer this for me. Why did you kill Herald Herbert within the research facility? It is true that, at that time, the few witnesses to your murder could have easily been silenced by you. In the chaos of battle, no one would have suspected it.


    "In fact, the few witnesses to your murder of Herbert weren''t even willing to testify against you until there was a court order, going as far as stating that you saved their lives, so they could not speak ill of you - or that they had been suffering from hallucinations. But the fact remains that we have confirmed, through various means, that you did, in fact, kill him."


    Nero snorted.


    "Of course I killed him," he said, inly and boldly. "Like I told you, if I want to kill someone, why would I be shy about it? But at the same time, why would I find the need to kill my own ally in a time where we are being besieged by a swarm of cursed monsters, and survival is not assured?"


    Nero let the question hang in the air for a moment.


    "It''s because he tried to assassinate me first. It was not an ident, nor was it a misunderstanding. He waited till a moment he thought I waspletely vulnerable, and then struck with the intention to kill. You yourself acknowledged that he was a Herald, which means he is not someone who was not aware of the consequences of his actions.


    If I were not in the midst of such a dangerous battle already, I would have subdued him and then interrogated him


    "But as it was, circumstances did not allow me to take such risks. After all, who knew if he would do something desperate to avoid capture? It was not a risk I could take, so I killed him, in full in view of everyone. I did not try to hide it, nor did I intend to keep it a secret.


    Circumstancester on did not allow me to report to my superior, but I had full intentions of delivering a report to major Liam, as I believed at the time that the assassination attempt was to prevent me frompleting the missions the major had assigned to me."


    "You were not the only one assigned that mission, private. Why did you think you were being singled out?"


    Nero snorted.


    "I wasn''t the only one assigned, but I was the one whopleted it, didn''t I? If you want more details, you can gain permission for me to discuss my final mission in the research facility."


    Afterwards, the prosecutor continued to ask Nero a few questions, but he could tell that most of the tough questions were behind him, which is why he allowed his thoughts to focus on one particr fact that he picked up on!


    Apparently, the witnesses who saw him kill Herbert didn''t want to testify against him! In that case, how had Nero''s murder been revealed to begin with? Someone else must have done it. If he could find out the identity of whoever reported on him back at the research facility, he could gain some clues about whoever was targeting him - or at least get a lead.


    After all, even before he went to the library, Ascendant Oana hinted at the fact that usations against him had already been made.


    There was one other thing that Nero kept thinking about this entire time. He was standing in court, with aether handcuffs on him, yet no one questioned why he had his Eldrim cards with him. Why was that?

 Chapter 226: We finally meet

    As far as making an impression went, Nero felt like he did alright, though that was most certainly not the strategy he would have gone with if he were to try and prove his innocence. On the off chance that June was trying to trick him, he was in trouble. He had already guessed as much.


    But if things were at the level where even his own counsel was against him, Nero had lost this case anyway, which is why he went along with her suggestions.


    "You may return to your seat, Nero Grant," said the same judge who had been speaking throughout. While the soldiers looked more amenable to Nero, the judges maintained the same, stern expression throughout. "Court will reconvene after judicial deliberation."


    With that, the judge mmed his gavel onest time before standing up and exiting through the path meant specially for judges, followed by his two peers, leaving the courtroom hanging in heavy silence.


    "What now?" Nero whispered to June.


    "This is more of a formality than anything else. Now you''re going to be taken back to your holding cell while the judges deliberate for a few hours. In truth, they have no choice but to dere this case a mistrial due to external interference.


    "Considering that the details of this case have been leaked continuously, and the political pressure mounting up over thepromised judge, it''s impossible that there is no external pressure on the judges. It''s impossible for them to make an unbiased judgement. If they''re quick, the decision wille in a couple of hours. If they take their time, then by tomorrow morning, you''ll hear an answer.


    All you''ll need to do is survive the night."


    "In that case, it was nice meeting you June," Nero said with a smile.


    "Likewise. Say hello to your dad for me. Let me know if you ever drop by Lorilem. I''ll have you know, although my own son is not the best Neophyte alive, he''s pretty good as well."


    Nero smirked. That name was going to follow him for a while.


    As the team of soldiers came to escort Nero back, he felt like he should have been a lot more nervous about his future than he really was. Having a criminal record would kill his chances of getting into KMA. Yet instead of nervous about the final decision, Nero was feeling excited thinking about what kind of service he would end up doing.


    He wondered what kind of military department he would be put into. He could already imagine that a few people, such as major Liam, might want to pull him into their ownmand, but he was certain it would not be as simple as that.


    Nero was letting his thoughts run wild, even considering being recruited by some secret agencies, such as the vaunted Whisper Guard, when he noticed something odd.


    The lights flickered in the hall they were walking through, which was not unheard of, but was still unusual. He raised his awareness to the max, looking out for any Apparition curses, when the lights flickered a couple more times.


    Between flickers, Nero felt like he saw a dark figure standing in the distance, but he only appeared for a split second. When the lights flickered once more, he was gone.


    Nero did not for even a second think that he was seeing things, or doubted himself. There was no room for doubt in the world of Neire. Something was wrong - he was possibly under attack.


    He opened his mouth to alert his guards, but realised he couldn''t. That''s when he noticed that his mind was working a lot faster than his body. It was as if his mind had started working a hundred times faster, which made him feel like his body was practically standing still.


    Even his eyes could not move left or right, and were stuck staring forward where the figure had been.


    The lights flickered once more, and the figure suddenly appeared, standing right in front of Nero. This close, Nero recognised the man instantly, though his clothes were different. It was the prosecutor.


    Even now, the man looked harmless. His features had softened, as if it had been a long time since he had had an intense workout, and age had taken away the man''s edge. But perhaps that was all a facade, Nero realised.


    Nero looked into the man''s eyes, and realised that he still couldn''t read his expression at all. The hints were all there, yet for some reason Nero never put them together. He was only now realising that he didn''t even know the man''s name.


    Wait a minute¡­ Nero didn''t even know the names of the three judges making a decision about his future! Something¡­ something had been dulling Nero''s mind and instincts, and he never realised it!


    "You''ve picked up bad habits from your father," the prosecutor said, in an admonishing way. "Your smile, when you tell a misleading truth, is not the same as the one you tell when telling the whole truth. Moreover, you''re aggressive when you want to divert the conversation in a specific direction, but that in itself is a huge tell.


    In the future, be aggressive when answering truthfully, to make your opponent doubt the truth and believe the lie.


    "Of course, once you''ve established a pattern, it is up to you to change it frequently, so the opponent can''t get a proper read on your thoughts and intentions. Also, in the future, remember this. The courtroom is just as dangerous as a battlefield, and that''s exactly how you should treat it. You''re much too young if you think a simple speech will sway anyone. Speeches sway the masses, not the elite."


    The prosecutorpletely took on the role of an elder, guiding the younger generation, pointing out the ws in Nero''s performance, and instructing him on how he could do better.


    "Remember this kid, the Whisper Guard protects their own. Today, you have benefited from us. In the future, if you see any from the Whisper Guard in need, return the favour."


    The lights flickered once more, and the prosecutor disappeared. Time returned to its normal flow, or rather, his brain was once again working at a normal pace.


    Nero looked around and saw that none of the soldiers who were escorting him noticed anything amiss. That man¡­ was terrifyingly powerful! From start to finish, Nero did not feel his aura at all. He could have been an Initiate or Arcanist for all he showed. He could also very well be a Mystic or Ascendant.


    But while a lot of things still astounded him, a few things finally made sense. The reason the prosecutor was asking such silly questions, which so easily worked in Nero''s favour, was because even the prosecutor was on his side from the beginning.


    Compared to his mother, who was always hailed as an elite soldier with an exceptional battle record, and even had the ability to assail the Mystic realm years ago, his father seemed quite ordinary - even as a member of Whisper Guard.


    But Nero was beginning to realise that maybe his father was not as simple as he appeared.


    Obviously he was never simple - anyone could see that much. After all, his mother had the highest standards, so she would hardly settle for a mediocre man.


    Nero never really knew the extent of what he did as a member of Whisper Guard, and always imagined that his dad was a secret badass. Now though, he was beginning to realise that his childish daydream¡­ might not be so far off from reality.


    As he was escorted back, Nero did not notice that he once again forgot to ask his guards about the prosecutor''s name. It was as if he was still under the influence of whatever was affecting his mind.


    Yet the farther he went from the courtroom, the lesser the effect became. Right before he reached his cell, Nero suddenly realised that June''s farewell statement did not exactly fit her oblivious, jolly mood. She had told him all he needed to do was survive the night. It sounded harmless enough but¡­


    As he approached his cell, Nero suddenly noticed that it was darker than when he left it. It was not unusual, since a few hours had passed and the lighting in from the single window had reduced. But why had the light in the room not been turned on?


    Nero looked at his guards, and noticed that none of them were making eye contact with him. For a split second he considered running, but with his aether restrained, he would not get far. His only option was to wait for the cuffs to be removed, then face whatever obstacley before him.


    The guards reached his cell, took off his cuffs and then pushed him in the door, before quickly shutting it and disappearing as fast as they could.


    Nero didn''t look towards them. Instead, he looked towards the darkest corner of his cell. He could see nothing there, yet¡­


    A blue fire appeared on his fingertips, shedding its faint light into the corner, revealing the outline of a man sitting with one leg folded atop another.


    "Nero Grant, the man of the hour. We finally meet."

 Chapter 227: Private Intelligence

    Nero stood still as he studied the man sitting in the dark corner. The azure light of his flickering me was not the best to see in the dark, but at least it was enough to push away the dark.


    The man was wearing some skin tight, ck clothes that made him blend in with the darkness much more than any normal clothes should have. He seemed to not be solid, and instead looked like he was a morphing shadow.


    His face was hidden behind a mask, and his voice was entirely neutral, sounding neither masculine nor feminine. In fact, the only reason Nero assumed that the person sitting in front of him was a man was because of his mannerisms and the style with which he sat. Of course, that too could have been a ruse.


    Nero took in everything. The way he was sitting was forfort, rather than stealth or convenience, which meant that he was extremely confident. There was no weapon visible on his person, but he could have had cards hidden beneath his ck clothes. His shoes were either a part of his clothes, or blended in seamlessly with them so no division was visible.


    Nero summarised that the man was not here with overtly hostile intentions, and seemed rather pleased with himself over his disy of power and stealth.


    "Do I have you to thank for this?" Nero asked as he raised his card case.


    "Quite clever. I''d ask how you came to that conclusion, but I find that not knowing keeps the mystery alive. To avoid any ambiguity, I''ll say it out right. I am from Unity, Bael told you about us, and you can call me Flintlock. For the foreseeable future, I will be your sole means ofmunication with Unity."


    "I haven''t officially joined Unity yet," Nero said. "I still don''t know anything about your organisation. Your choice of venue for my introduction was not so great."


    "Yes, yes, you haven''t joined, yada yada yada. Listen, I''m going to skip over the part where I impress you with how powerful Unity is, and I''m not the biggest fan of desperately trying to recruit others either. Let''s get one thing straight here. You made use of Unity, and now Unity is going to use you.


    "It''s going to be a pleasant cooperation, where you are going to help us out. Do not worry, we won''t make you do anything too questionable. Once our cooperation is over, you can live your life, and we can go about doing our own thing. We''re going to do the whole standard oath of secrecy spiel where we promise to not ckmail you for working with us, and you have to keep what you did a secret. Deal?"


    Truthfully, the offer did not sound so bad. Unfortunately, Nero did not trust it whatsoever.


    "No deal," Nero said as he walked to the opposite end of the cell and sat down. "I am not averse to working with Unity, but unless I know exactly what I am agreeing to, I refuse to take part in anything. As for me making use of Unity, I told Bael that helping me keep my cards was just a way to make me consider working with Unity."


    The masked man did not respond immediately, instead beginning to tap his finger on the stone seat where he sat. Though his words sounded pleasant and straightforward, Nero heard something else in them. He heard impatience.


    He did not know if it was his own doing, or Unity''s, but Flintlock was clearly in a rush to get this over with, which meant that Nero absolutely had to take his time. Considering this was his jail cell, Nero wasn''t exactly in a position of power, but he had some power and he needed to use it.


    Though he was already involved with Unity now, for better or for worse, he still had to make sure they didn''t pull him into some kind of trap.


    He was not even free from his first treason case, he didn''t want to set himself up for another one without knowing it.


    Most importantly, however, though he had no power at the moment, Unity didn''t necessarily know that. From what he could tell based on what June said, his trial had caused quite themotion. If he could get Unity to believe that he was entirely aware of what had happened, and it was a result of his connections, then he could gain some leverage.


    The fact that Flintlock hadn''t immediately responded automatically proved that his strategy was effective.


    "You know what you don''t need right now, Nero? It''s more enemies. You already have people after your life, and you don''t even know who they are."


    "Are you threatening me? I just said you wouldn''t ckmail me, and now you''re doing just that."


    Flintlock shook his head.


    "You misunderstand, Nero. I am not threatening you. I am reminding you that you do not know who your enemies are. But with the help of Unity, you can find out. From what I understand, Bael was not able to borate deeply on what Unity is. I was really hoping to not have to bother with this, but fine, I will.


    "Unity is a private, intelligence organisation with a very specific agenda, but at the same time, it has a very loose organisational structure as well. The existence of Unity is not a secret from any of the states, and in fact many of them even avail some services from Unity from time to time.


    "Unfortunately, since the existence of Unity ismon knowledge among the states, they are also extremely wary of having their secrets revealed. For example, if your affiliation with Unity is revealed someday, as long as you haven''t acted against Kr, or revealed some uneptable secrets, you will not actually be penalised.


    Instead, it is more likely that Kr will put you in a position where they can use your affinity with the organisation. Unfortunately, that also means that you won''t be exposed to the inner secrets of the state.


    "Bael, although he doesn''t know it yet, is in such a situation. His identity as a Unity affiliate was actually never a secret from his own father - it''s just that he himself does not know that his father knows. As for whether themander has shared the details of his affiliation with anyone, that is open to spection.


    That is one of the reasons why we were so open to having Bael publicly antagonise you. Even if his identity was revealed, considering how poor the rtionship between you two appears to be, no one will suspect that he has tried to recruit you."


    Nero frowned, as Flintlock''s story soundedpletely absurd. Why would any state ept a foreign intelligence agency working within their borders? He believed the part where a state would be willing to work with Unity against others, but why would they tolerate the existence of Unity within their own domain?


    "If Kr knows about Unity, why would they allow its existence? That''s a hazard to the country and a security risk, especially if it''s an intelligence agency."


    "That''s because, as you can probably tell from the name, Unity''s goal is to actually prevent the fallout of another world war. I''m not talking about the kind of deterrent war that Kr just orchestrated. I mean a true, genuine world war where states try to destroy one another and take over all of Neire. The repercussions of such a war, as I''m sure you think you can imagine, would be dire.


    In truth, whatever repercussions you think you can imagine, the truth would be much worse.


    "In pursuit of that goal, Unity has worked with various states multiple times to prevent¡­ undesirable events from taking ce. In fact, it was because of how amenable each of the states became to the operations of Unity that its structure changed, and room for external recruits, or affiliates came to be.


    "Just so you know, if you do join Unity, that''s what you''ll be - an affiliate. Bael is also an affiliate. I myself am also just an affiliate. People like us work for Unity, and in exchange we get perks from Unity that are hard to find elsewhere. All actual missions within Unity are decided and assigned by inner, true members of Unity. It''s not so easy to be one of them."


    Nero shook his head, finding the story too fanciful.


    "An international spy agency, working in various countries around the world, with the sole goal of maintaining world peace. Sounds like the kind of fairytale one would tell to a thirteen year old kid."


    "You, yourself, are just fifteen," Flintlock said. "You''re not that different in age."


    "Regardless, your story sounds very unlikely, and the more you tell me that Unity wants world peace, the more I suspect them of doing something entirely nefarious."


    "Yes, I didn''t think you''d buy that, which is why I didn''t want to do the speech to begin with. Now, let me get to the pragmatic reason for why you might want to work with us."

 Chapter 228: Anticipation

    Nero could not call himself an expert on foreign policy, nor was it a topic that was covered in school so far. At most they established, with broad strokes, the rtionship Kr had with the other countries.


    Kr was not on good terms with Saint Codale and Dolziya, considering the multiple wars they''d had in the past. The usations against Kr for assassinating multiple Saint candidates didn''t help much either, nor did the fact that Dolziya was heavily suspected of sponsoring every kind of illegal activity that took ce in Kr.


    The rtionship with New Vriya was tense, but mostly neutral due to the fact that the residents of the country saw themselves as too superior to concern themselves with the rest of the world. It did not help that they were, in fact, at the forefront of Eldrim card research and manufacturing in the whole world.


    They also didn''t share a border with Kr, so conflicts were usually kept to a minimum.


    Nova was considered Kr''s oldest ally, and they had a long history of cooperation, mostly because the two countries were the furthest away from each other.


    The rtionship with Creta was once again neutral, mostly because it was treated with such disdain. It was the most barren of all countries, had thergest curse zone in the world, often suffered from invasion of cursed beasts through the fog clearing, and overall had the most deplorable conditions of any country.


    All of that might not necessarily be true, but considering that Nero''s only source of information were books and the inte in Kr, it more or less covered the impression Kr had of the country.


    The fact that, for the ruins, Kr had been willing to dere a world war, fighting multiple countries alone, dictated the enormous military might of the country. They did not take everyone too seriously, though they didn''t ignore them outright either.


    But it had not always been like this, so the fact that Kr had reached such heights meant that it had been governedpetently, with a clear vision and due vignce against domestic and foreign threats. At least, that''s what Nero learned from the little research he had done on his own.


    That was precisely why Flintlock''s ims about Unity soundedpletely preposterous. If nothing else, the sheer arrogance of Kr should have kept it from cooperating with any foreign powers operating within its own borders. That was his first thought.


    But then he was immediately reminded of all that he had experienced in Lumina. The fact that different factions werepeting with each other for artefacts, and that someone had been willing to bring in spies from Nova, and the countless other examples he saw of subterfuge and undercurrentgave him pause. It made him realise that maybe Kr was not as united as he had always thought.


    By now he knew it. In fact, he had even used that very fact to his own advantage when he used Unity to hide the secrets of Virtuous Moonlight, not to mention all that Whisper Guard had done for him. But it was just difficult to move past some of his conceptions from his childhood.


    "Unity is divided into two distinct strata: an inner and an outer stratum. The inner level isposed of the core of the organisation.


    They are the only ones who can issue missions, and they maintain the organisation, ensure it stays true to its mission, and basically ensure that none of its outer members use the facilities and services provided by the organisation to do anything counterproductive to the goal of the organisation itself.


    "The outeryer consists of affiliates, such as myself. We carry out missions assigned to us in exchange for internal organisational credits, which can be used to avail the services of the organisation. Affiliates do not have the authority to issue missions, but we can still make use of Unity''s vastwork.


    Most importantly, as an intelligence agency, Unity has ess to many secrets from across Neire, and using credits we can even purchase ess to some of each country''s core secrets. From what I understand, you yourself have quite a few enemies, not to mention an interesting history with your brother - who does not even exist ording to public records.


    "If you can''t ess information using official channels, that does not mean you can''t find out using Unity''s far reaching influence. Of course, besides just information, you can avail a number of other benefits as well, such as hiring artisans, gaining ess to prohibited or contraband goods, or even smuggling yourself or goods across borders.


    "As long as your actions don''t risk inciting international conflict, there''s a lot of things Unity can offer you. Moreover, Unity''s influence even within Kr is greater than you think. I''ve heard you''re an ambitious person. Which corp and division you''re assigned to will, to arge degree, determine the end path of your career. What if I tell you that I can influence that?"


    Nero maintained a neutral expression, but internally he had to admit that, as unbelievable as it all was, it did sound enticing. But the more enticing it was, the more careful it had to be. Often the most venomous creatures were the most colourful and beautiful.


    "It all sounds well and good, but I still refuse to join unless I know what you want me to do. What if to protect international peace you want me to betray the country''s secrets? Or worse, assassinate someone? I know how the game works, so even if I know your ends, that does not mean I would approve of your means."


    Flintlock shook his head, and got up from his seat though oddly enough, that made the man appear even more ethereal. It was as if he would disappear into the darkness itself.


    "That''s not how it works, but I can understand your hesitation. You have one week to decide whether you want to work as an affiliate or not. Let me remind you, your usefulness to Unity is contingent on the fact that there is no known affiliation between you and Unity as of yet.


    If you so much as use the word unity in a sentence over the next week, even in your sleep, we will know, and your invitation will be rescinded. If you ept, just use this card, and I''ll arrange the rest. I''ll be seeing you soon."


    Flintlock softly ced a card on the very stone seat where he sat, and turned to look at Nero as if giving him a warm smile.


    "That''s it? If I decide not to join Unity, you won''te after me or anything? You''re just going to let me go? Just like that?"


    Flintlock chuckled, as if he was waiting for that very question.


    "You see, Nero, information is a very valuable thing. It lets you¡­ how should I put this delicately? With the right information, you can anticipate anyone''s actions. It''s quite an addictive feeling, knowing the future. For you, let me see. I anticipate that you will use this card to join Unity in the next two to three days, depending on when they release you from this prison.


    Just remember, Unity''s informationwork spreads across all of Neire, across any border."


    With that cryptic prediction conveyed, Flintlock stepped back into the darkness of the corner, and disappeared. Even the flickering blue mes could no longer find his outline in the cell. A thin streak of pale moonlight suddenly slipped through his window, as if the moon was revealed from behind parting clouds, illuminating the cell.


    Besides Nero there was no one else there, almost as if he had imagined the whole thing.


    Yet the card, ced upside down on the stone seat was no illusion though Nero didn''t move to pick it up just yet.


    He reflected on his conversation with Flintlock, and came to the conclusion that the masked man more or less knew that Nero would not so easily agree to join. But he did not seem concerned at all. From start to end, it was as if he was acting out a formality.


    His confidence that Nero would join, regardless of how Nero tried to distance himself from the shady organisation, was slightly worrying. What did he know, or what did he anticipate would drive Nero to them? His final hint was about their cross border intelligence.


    Did this have something to do with Vanessa? Was she a part of Unity, or had she encountered some kind of problem?


    Unable toe to a conclusion, Nero stepped forward and picked up the unassuming card.


    Name: Flickeringntern


    Image: A white candle, nearly used up entirely, inside a ssntern


    Type: Illusion


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Disperse the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge]


    vour text: "As I sate my greed for knowledge, my power grows," - Iskunder Macedon


    Nero put the card in his cardcase and sat down, beginning his meditation. Since he could not train his body, then he would continuously train his aether, reaching ever closer to the Initiate realm.

 Chapter 229: Parental love

    Nero spent the entire night meditating, not sleeping for a single wink. Or at least, that is what it seemed. Nero spent the entire night maintaining peak vignce. Unity had already proven that he was not totally secure even within his prison cell, and with his verdict on the horizon, these would be hisst few hours of imprisonment.


    That also meant that if anyone wished to harm him before he was free, this would be the time.


    So, in truth, while he maintained a guise of meditation through the night, he was actually waiting for something to happen. Fortunately, there was no disturbance throughout the night. The first rays or early morning shone through the window, bringing with it many new beginnings.


    A few hours after dawn, a lone guard came to Nero''s cell, not looking nearly as surly as the guards from the day prior.


    "Hey kid, looks like you''re free to go," the guard said as he opened the door and stood aside. "That''s pretty rare, you know. Most of the time, if a persones as far as a prison cell, then they''re as good as sentenced. You''re actually the first person I''ve seen get off scot free."


    "I was just here due to a misunderstanding," Nero said modestly. Regardless of what he actually thought, he could not really go around throwing usations.


    "I''m d it got all sorted out. I heard some of the guys back from break say something about corrupt judges. Apparently, it''s the talk of the town in the city. I don''t get off for a few more days, so I''ll have to wait till I get to hear all the drama."


    The guard was quite talkative, and on the short journey from Nero''s cell to the processing centre discussed everything from corruption to modern farming trends, and everything in between. Apparently, the guard''sst posting had been at a food processing centre, so he knew a fair bit about farming.


    Nero mostly listened, and offered an asional acknowledging word or two. It was rare to find such talkative people amongst those who had already served their mandatory service. Of course, much like this man, his father had been an exception¡­


    "Nero!" a familiar voice yelled across the prison yard, and Nero looked filled with both embarrassed shock and excitement. A part of him was also in disbelief, because he knew he was about to relive an embarrassing memory from his middle school years.


    "Nero, over here!" a man yelled, waving his hand as widely as he could, afraid that the whole prison might not see him. The ridiculous thing was that he was standing inside the processing facility, behind the ss, yet for some reason his voice carried through as if the numerous barriers between them didn''t exist.


    "You know that guy?" the guard asked with a strange expression.


    "Yeah. That''s my dad," Nero said with a straight face. If he let anyone know he was embarrassed, it would only be worse. Part of the reason why Nero was so psychologically strong is because he had to endure his father''s constant attempts to embarrass him throughout his life.


    His dad was here¡­ to pick him up from prison. For a moment, Nero turned and looked back. Was freedom really worth it? Prison hadn''t been so bad. But unfortunately, unless there were special circumstances, all prisoners were only here for a short stay. It wasmon knowledge that sooner orter, all criminals were sent to cursed zones to fight and die.


    Or live, ande back a hero.


    Suppressing his urge to sigh, Nero entered the processing centre, ignoring the fact that there were at least a dozen strangers looking at him.


    "Don''t worry Nero, I''m here now," Edwards voice carried through the numerous blockades that were supposed to separate prisoners and those on the outside. "If anyone tried to bully you, let me know and I''ll kick their ass! I hope no uncles tried to touch you in strange ces."


    Nero had previously felt his body pierced and invaded by a living tentacle monster, yet this felt much more painful.


    The guard who was escorting Nero coughed, and then took a wide step aside, distancing himself from Nero. Nero pretended not to notice.


    His father continued to talk as he went through the processing to be released - though for some inexplicable reason, he was allowed to cut the line and skip right to the front. It totally wasn''t because even the guards wanted his father gone.


    "Nero Grant, though you have been judged as not guilty, you have been assigned six months of military service before you arepletely free. Your service will begin in eight days in Fordham base, and if you do not report to the base in time, for any reason, you will be judged as having tried to escape service, and will be arrested once more.


    Do you understand?" asked the guard who was handling his exit paperwork.


    There were a number of formalities he went through, and after he signed for the small box that contained all his personal belongings that the prison had held, he was released into the custody of his father. Nero suspected that this was not exactly protocol, but his father had a way of getting around that.


    Nero looked at the processing officer reluctantly, wishing that the process took longer, but there was really nothing left for him to do. Under the gaze of everyone in that office, guards and prisoners included, Nero carried his box through the security room towards the exit, where his father was waiting.


    "Look at you, my young boy, all grown up," Edward said, towering over Nero. The man still looked remarkably unimpressive despite his impressive height, golden eyes, and rtively handsome looks. Nero had always suspected that his father''s mundane appearance was something he purposefully presented to the world. It had to be.


    How could an ordinary guy impress his mother, whose standards were higher than the sky?


    The answer was, despite pretending like he was an average Joe, Nero knew that his father was not so ordinary.


    "They grow up so fast," Edward said, turning to look towards a guard who was standing nearby. "Just a short while ago he was synchronising, and moving into the school hostel. It''s because he wanted to train, he said. Look at him now, a war veteran who''s also served hard time. I wouldn''t be surprised if he got some tattoos as souvenirs while he was in there."


    Nero stiffened. So his father knew about his back tattoos. Well, of course he did. They were not exactly subtle.


    "What''s with that look?" Edward asked as he rubbed his chin and scrunched his brows.


    Nero coughed, as if clearing his throat, and said, "In fact, I did get some tattoos¡­"


    "That''s a good joke," Edward suddenly said as he locked Nero in a chokehold and rubbed his knuckles against his head. Nero tried to struggle. Genuinely, he really did. But even with all the improvements he had undergone, he could not put up a fight against an Arcanist.


    "I know for a fact that I didn''t raise a child who would just up and go get tattoos while he''s still a minor."


    "I''m not a minor anymore! I got my ID card and¡­" Nero suddenly started to exin as he was struck by an ominous feeling. He knew what wasing, he just hoped he was wrong.


    "Oh, what''s this?" Edward said, as he peered at the ck lines of his tattoo that touched the base of his neck. "Looks like you have some dirt on you. Don''t worry, I''ll get it."


    "Listen, dad, let me exin¡­"


    "Strange, why isn''t this dirting off?"


    "Look, I had a very good reason¡­" Nero tried to exin to his father, nervousness kicking in. Even against the tide of cursed blood, Nero maintained a calm state of mind, but there was just something about his father that broke past all his defences.


    "Wait a minute, is this a tattoo?"


    "I went to see Irene and¡­"


    Nero suddenly faltered, as his father''s grip around his neck loosened. The teenager didn''t wait. He hit his entire body in blue mes and made a run for it as fast as he could, even going as far as manipting his internal aether.


    But it was for naught. He seemed to lose control of his blue mes, as they flew off from his body and nestled into the small, golden me in his father''s hand, leaving his body undefended.


    No matter how fast he ran, he couldn''t run faster than parental love, also known as a good ass-whopping, which is why, in in view of a dozen guards, Nero felt a solid kicknding on his left buttock, throwing him in the air.


    "What are you doing?" he roared.


    "I''m kicking your butt!" Edward eximed.


    "You''re not supposed to kick the actual butt!" Nero yelled as he continued to run, but Edward Grant was a man who did as he pleased. Soon, another kicknded on Nero''s right buttock!

 Chapter 230: When no one was expecting it

    "I will fight you old man!" Nero finally roared,pletely unable to hold back his embarrassment and anger any longer. He opened his possessions box, took out his trusty dagger, and turned to fight his father.


    Yet for all the growth he had experienced, for the strength he had gained, fighting against his father he was no different from when he hadn''t synchronised at all. There was no substantial difference in their roles at all. The most frustrating thing was that his innate ability, which had actually upgraded once, may as well have not existed in front of his old man.


    It would disappear from Nero''s control as if it weren''t his ability to begin with.


    "You unfilial brat! If you absolutely had to get a tattoo, then you should have tattooed my face onto your back to thank me for bringing you into this world!"


    "Old man, you won''t always be stronger than me! Watch out for the day I throw you in a disabled elderly home!"


    As the father and son fought in public, as they had done countless times throughout Nero''s life, a small crowd gathered to watch, though no one came close, which frustrated Nero even more. This was a goddamned prison! What kind of security did they have to allow a fight right outside their doors?


    Yet at the same time, he was not surprised. His father always got away with everything he did.


    "You stupid brat, I''m going to kick your ass, then take you to get a tattoo of my face on your forehead."


    The fact that, with a father like this, Nero had managed to maintain somewhat of a reputation was quite incredible.


    The fight continued, with Nero unleashing every bit of power he had recently gained, searching for even a hint of an advantage. But no matter how he pressed, it was always out of reach.


    He remained focused on the battle,pletely unaware that in reality, he was actually standing still right outside the processing centre, his gaze unfocused. The guards, the prisoners, the visitors and all the surrounding staff, too, stood in a daze, bathed in the golden light of the me in Edward''s hands.


    Unlike in the illusion that Nero was experiencing, Edward was notughing and smiling as he kicked his son''s butt. Instead, his expression was deathly grave.


    Edward looked to the depths of the prison, from where an invisible force rushed towards him, and attacked him. The golden me in Edward''s hand flickered, and for a brief moment, his appearance changed from being mundane and unimpressive to a towering man with a presence that could not be ignored.


    But just as his mes recovered, enduring the invisible attack, his appearance returned to the one Nero was used to seeing.


    "How dare you show off your power here?" a voice reached Edward from within the prison. "Thews of Kr cannot be ignored, even by the Sages! You will be exiled to the depths of hell!"


    "What is the conviction of the corrupt judge?" Edward asked,pletely ignoring the voice''s threat.


    "The matters of the tribunal are ssified. You have no authority to know, and no authority to intervene. Your attempts to interfere are akin to mutiny. You will never recover from this."


    "Authority?" Edward repeated, a hint of disdain evident in his voice. "In Neire, where there is earth below and sky above, I have authority. If by tomorrow, I don''t learn of his public execution, then I will visit you again."


    "You-" the voice began to roar in anger, but was suddenly cut off. Deep within the prison, a judge looked down in horror as a de stuck out of his heart.


    Assassin!


    He tried to scream, but his voice failed him, and his body fell limp. But as he hit the ground, he was not weed into the cold, dark embrace of death. Instead, he woke up from a dream with a start, and discovered that he was still sitting in his chair,pletely unharmed. There was no wound on his chest, no blood in his clothes. He had imagined it all¡­ or rather, it had all been an illusion.


    He looked forward and noticed that the only real difference between reality and the illusion he had been a part of was the undrawn curtains of his window, which revealed the golden horizon. The sun was shining, particrly bright that morning, painting the sky in a resplendent yellow.


    Anger and a trace of horror shed in the man''s eyes. He had already heard. How could he not have? News of thetest mad dog unleashed by the Whisper Guard was already spreading within many circles. But how could he be so strong?


    The judge looked down at the documents on his table and jumped up with a start. A single drop of blood had tainted the very document discussing the case of the judge who had been caught for corruption.


    This was a very serious case, especially because it invalidated every decision that judge had ever made, and had automatically initiated an investigation into every single case he had ever been a part of.


    There was a lot of invisible pressure to make this case disappear, alongside the judge himself. Yet as the man looked at that drop of blood, and recalled the pain he had felt in his heart when he felt himself stabbed, he knew this was no longer a matter that could be handled silently.


    If the Whisper Guard had taken notice, then there was no telling what those crazy maniacs would do.


    Outside the prison, Edward pulled along Nero''s copsed body using one of his legs.


    "You went to prison, you got tattoos. Don''t tell me you''re even nning on bing a father before turning sixteen? I raised good, solid boys, not a pair of delinquents," Edward said with a tone of dissatisfaction, yet at the same time he looked at Nero with a faint hint of expectation.


    "Don''t be ridiculous! I''m not bing a father, I don''t even have a girlfriend!" Nero eximed as he recovered his breath. For some unexpected reason, he was not as tired as he should have been after such a strenuous fight, but he wasn''t one toin.


    "Why are you saying that with so much pride?" Edward questioned, severe disappointment apparent on his face. "When I was your age, I was already considering marriage, and you don''t even have a girlfriend yet. What did you even do during the war? Don''t you know the battlefield is the perfect ce to pick up girls? Just save their lives¡­"


    "...and they''ll fall in love with you, yeah I know," Nero said as hepleted one of his father''s favourite lines. "I was a little busy fighting for my life to think about picking up girls."


    "Tsk, weakling," Edward said as he looked at his son withplete disdain.


    The father and son continued to bicker with each other, as if they weren''t meeting each other after the longest separation in their lives.


    "I''ll have you know, now that your mother has recovered, I already n on expanding the Grant family. I can''t rely on you failures to spread the Grant name."


    "As if," Nero snorted, ignoring the shamelessness of the man discussing the topic of having more kids with his own son! "Mom''s in the MIA now. Until she moves to another department, you can''t do anything that affects her performance."


    "Brat, what do you know? I can do what I want!"


    Before their conversation could continue, Edward lifted the limp Nero and threw his body inside the side door of a van, before getting into the driver''s seat himself.


    The moment both of them were inside, the atmosphere between them changed. Edward continued to berate his son out loud, while at the same time lifting his left hand and showing Nero a golden me in his open palm.


    The next thing Nero knew, he was in the same familiar environment he found himself in every time he used Luminalink.


    "How have you been, kid? You alright?" his father asked within the illusionscape, allowing a hint of concern to appear on his face. "How''d your first deployment treat you?"


    "It was about exactly as I expected," Nero confessed, his voice a little sombre. "I was taken into custody as soon as I returned, so I actually don''t know the condition of my team. Almost all of them were seriously injured. I''m pretty sure I had a spy or something on my team, although I do not know what her agenda was. How are you guys doing? What happened during the war?"


    Edward sighed as he leaned back.


    "The war went pretty much as expected. The preparations for something like this have been going on for longer than you know. It''s other, unexpected problems that have caused a really big problem. You''ve heard of Clear Path, right?"


    "Yeah, I''ve heard of them," Nero answered, and recalled the Initiate who hade for him.


    "Well, they''ve be a really big problem. They used the war as a distraction, and managed to strike when no one was expecting it. They''ve kidnapped a lot of people from all over the world, and nobody knows why."


    Edward paused for the briefest of moments before continuing.


    "They also kidnapped Irene. From what we''ve gathered, they took her to Saint Codale, though we lost the trail there."

 Chapter 231: You did WHAT?

    The inconspicuous grey van drove on the lonely road, leaving the prison behind. Thend was covered with lush greenery, hugging the rolling hills. The steady incline and decline, apanied by the pine and spruce trees revealed to Nero that they had not travelled too deeply into the country, and were still near the base of the Aether Mountain range.


    Of course, the sight of the towering, fog covered mountains themselves should have revealed as much, but apparently the mountains had some kind of unusual effect where they looked just asrge no matter where one looked at them from so long as they were within Kr.


    The two, father and son, drove through the rtive wilderness, which in itself was quite a dangerous task. ording to June, Apparition curses were bing moremon and more dangerous, and all nt life itself carried a certain danger. But it could not be helped.


    The prison was not close to any city, and unless they took the designated bus, which travelled to and from the prison once every three days, they had to travel alone. Yet Edward had taken precautions.


    Or at least, that was what Edward seemed to be telling Nero out loud. In fact, the two of them were having another conversation within the illusionscape of Luminalink.


    "When was she taken?" Nero asked gravely, his expression suddenly turning dark.


    "It''s been six days already," Edward said. "She wasn''t alone when she was kidnapped. There''s a special Kri facility where they nurture those with unique or powerful innate abilities. The whole point of the facility is to protect a specific group of people, so you can imagine that the security of the ce was impable.


    "Yet Clear Path faced almost no obstruction when they executed their kidnapping. In fact, the kidnapping was only noticed an entire dayter. By the time the investigation team reached, all the corpses had been cursed, transforming into monsters, destroying a lot of evidence. We have no idea how it was done, but a preliminary guess suggests an inside man. We won''t know for sure for a while."


    "Moving arge group of people through the country couldn''t have been easy," Nero remarked.


    "And yet, there''s surprisingly little trail of their departure. The few leads we have we¡­ let''s just say we did not get them through official channels."


    Nero fell silent as he absorbed his fathers words. Being kidnapped by as a whole group was good in the sense that she, as an individual, was not being targeted. If any danger were to befall them, it would be divided over the whole group. But six days¡­ it was a long time, especially since they''d already left the country by now.


    The worst part was that there was nothing Nero could do about it. He was just a Neophyte, and although he might have made some decent contacts during the war, it was unlikely any of them would undertake an international mission just at his request.


    Of course, Nero also immediately realised that this was likely what Flintlock was referring to. It was the reason he had emphasised that their intelligencework spans all of Neire. This was a way to bait him in, and at the same time, a disy of their power.


    Not only did they know about the details of Irene''s capture, aware of the fact that she had a rtionship with Nero and that she was in another country already, but they also knew exactly how much information the officials had about this.


    Nero did not ignore the possibility that the only reason Clear Path had been able to pull off such a mission was because they were also working with Unity, but at least on surface level such an act seemed to go against Unity''s mission.


    "So what''s the situation? What are we doing to get her back?" Nero asked.


    "Well, Clear Path has beenbelled as an international terrorist organisation. Even Saint Codale has suffered at their hands. On an official level, we have reached out to the sects within Saint Codale, but considering that just a week ago we were at war with one another, diplomatic rtions are not the best.


    "Eventually though, I expect a joint task force will tackle this issue - assuming we can get more leads, and they don''t leave Saint Codale as well. This is confidential, but we have sent some undercover operatives into the country, but as a result of increased security and surveince, the levels of the operatives who have gone is not too high to avoid suspicion. For now¡­ that''s all we can do.


    "Between you and me, your mother tried to sneak into the country as well, but was discovered by border patrol. It wasn''t pretty. She''s received an official reprimand."


    "Is there nothing else we can do?" Nero asked, while at the same time wondering if he should convey the details of Unity to his father.


    Theoretically, their conversation within the illusionscape could not be overheard by anyone else. That was the whole point of having this conversation here. But he could not be sure what kind of precautions Unity took, and revealing information might actually make him lose out. Eventually, he decided not to reveal the details, but he would hint at it though.


    "Unfortunately not. Moreover, you should focus on your own situation for now. I got the letter you sent to me. I''m looking into the matter of the ck key you told me to find, but the records for events in Lumina are highly confidential. Even I''m having trouble looking through them. For now, it''s impossible to know who has the key or where it is.


    "More important than that, however, is that we discuss matters of the Vault. How much do you know about them?"


    Nero had left his father a message asking him to look into Vaults, although he could not mention that he himself had gone inside a Vault. There was a great distinction between the two, for there had only ever been one other Vault that was publicly known and explored - at least as far as what Gabriel told him. That was the Vault the emperor visited.


    "One of my teammates mentioned it when I was in Lumina. I cannot discuss the details at all."


    "Vaults y a role in being targeted. Most ancient families no longer exist, or have already been absorbed into the more powerful Great families. This is a worldwide phenomenon. At the same time, there is a secret, silent battle going on between the Great families as well, trying to eliminate others with such ancient bloodlines.


    "While the Great families themselves are often able to tolerate being targeted like this, families like your mothers which have fallen on hard times or weakened often end up as casualties.


    "This is something we have always known, and been cautious of. But that is not entirely the threat your mothers family faces. Even among ancient families, your mothers family holds a special position. I''m sure you''ve taken the time to experiment with Radix Augmentation. What have you discovered?"


    "It''s¡­ very effective," Nero said, as he recalled all his fights back in Lumina. "But you gave me iplete information. You told me that I can absorb vitality from living beings that have recently died to increase my cultivation. But I was able to use Radix Augmentation on cursed monsters as well, absorbing¡­ well, I don''t know what I was absorbing, but it raised the physical strength of my body."


    Nero was expecting his father to praise him for spotting that hidden aspect of the card, or perhaps exin what the actual process was behind the increase in his physical strength. Instead, what Nero saw was his father''s stumped face.


    It was not often that Edward Grant was caughtpletely by surprise. It was so infrequent, in fact, that at first Nero did not realise what his father''s expression meant.


    "Wait, you didn''t know that?" Nero asked, genuinely shocked.


    Edward, instead, looked at his son in even greater shock and asked, "you looked at a cursed monster and thought it was a good idea to absorb things from their bodies?"


    Phrased like that, in the incredulous tone of his father, Nero began to feel like what he had done was not the smartest move. In his defence¡­ he didn''t have a defence. Why hadn''t he considered it a tremendously bad idea at the time? He couldn''t recall.


    "I mean, Radix Augmentation is a card designed to aid in cultivation. It just so happens that it absorbs things from cursed monsters just as well as, well, normal beings that have recently died."


    For a moment, Edward was silent, and studied Nero for a while.


    "Did it work specifically on all cursed monsters, or just the oddly mutated ones in Lumina?"


    For a moment, Nero tried to recall. He had used it on other beings as well, but it seemed true that the feedback he got from berserkers and dark berserkers was the best, followed closely by the Mutts.

 Chapter 232: Arcanist form

    "As long as it was a cursed monster, Radix Augmentation worked. The boost I received to my physical strength was so immense that I had to hint to my superiors that my gains were a result of something I discovered within the ruins."


    "I noticed," Edward said, as his foot on the elerator of the van pushed forward ever so slightly, increasing speed. "When I fought you, I noticed that your performance was actually significantly better thanst time. But then again, the best Neophyte alive should be at least that strong, or it would be a little disappointing."


    Nero did not flinch or show the slightest sign of weakness. If he let his father know he was embarrassed his life would be over. Adopting the mentality of someone willing to die through torture than reveal critical information, Nero put on a stoic expression, and instead questioned his father.


    "Old man, how could you never experiment with the Radix Augmentation card? Even if you didn''t try it on yourself, you have experimented with someone else."


    "I don''t know what to tell you kid. Whether it''s pure oversight on our part, or sheer stupidity on your part, no one ever thought to use Radix Augmentation on cursed creatures. I think pretty much everyone just expected it to be pure suicide. Let alone try it, I don''t think anyone even ever conceived the idea of it."


    Outside of the illusionscape, the van was crossing a particrly dense line of trees. It was notrge enough to be called a forest, but the gentle downward slope, apanied by the towering evergreens on the hillside made it so that the van was no longer in open view.


    It was at that particr time that the van seemed to suddenly veer off the road, suddenly driving into a clearing, the vehicle bumping up and down as it struggled to traverse the uneven path.


    With his seatbelt keeping him firmly seated, Nero had no idea what was happening outside the illusionscape. He did not even feel as his body jumped up and down due to the bumpy ride.


    "Well, either way. Now we know. I will have it tested shortly. For now, what I want to tell you is that besides just being targeted for belonging to an ancient family, another reason your mothers family is targeted is because it was a secret heritage. Radix Augmentation is just one of the things from that heritage."


    "What do you mean? What else do they have?" Nero asked with immense interest.


    "I only know some of the details regarding your mothers heritage. Unfortunately, your grandfather died before he could tell much to your mother. Your uncle hinted at the fact that your mothers family has a hideout where the secrets of the family are recorded, but there was an assassination attempt on his life before he could share the details with your mother.


    To preserve his life, he escaped from Kr, though we do not know where he went."


    "Do you know where this heritage came from? What''s so special about it?" Nero asked, his thoughts quickly going to the Luminaripendium. He did not automatically assume that his family''s heritage might have to do with that, but the more light that was shed on the ancient secrets of the Eldrim, the greater the chances of him learning about his newest innate ability, and what it meant.


    Edward looked at Nero and smirked.


    "Kid, do you really think it''s such a good idea learning about this? Can you afford to keep a secret like this? When your mother told me about it, I even lost my appetite for a full thirty minutes."


    Nero could tell that his father was just teasing him, but he also heard the truth in those words. Having too many secrets also might not be a good thing - at least before he could protect himself. Maybe he should-


    "Alright, alright, if you insist I''ll tell you," Edward said, as if Nero had been nagging him. "Let me share a bit of hidden history with you. You should already know that the emperor began his conquest when he was already an Ascendant. That much is taught in schools.


    You''ll also know that the main threat he faced against when he began his conquest were the innumerous curses that gued thends, as well as the cursed zones which had no restrictions in those days.


    "But there are things that are not taught in school. This part, I learned from your mother. Apparently, when the emperor and his armies made it past the twin rivers that divide what is currently Dolziya and Kr, they were in dire straits. The rivers, at that time, were home to an insidious cursed serpent that lived underwater.


    "After a fight with the serpent, the emperor and his generals were forced to retreat. That is when they encountered the first tribe of humans who lived in thesends, and took refuge with them. The name of the chief of that tribe was Koaler Soren."


    Edward paused, as if to let Nero specte on what that meant.


    "Later on, after the emperor became a Sage and started his conquests once more, this time determined to rule thends, and he crossed the twin rivers, and once again found the same tribe, he discovered, to his wonder, that Koaler Soren was also, already a Sage."


    "How is that possible?" Nero suddenly eximed. "Are you saying that the emperor wasn''t the first Sage? But¡­ but that doesn''t make sense. How is it possible, then, that I haven''t even heard of this Koaler Soren before? In fact, I''d never even heard of the name Soren before you mentioned it to me."


    Edward shrugged.


    "How am I supposed to know? That''s what your mother told me. It could easily have been a story made up by someone in her family. At the same time, this story is somewhat an exnation of where the Soren family''s heritage came from. Apparently, it was all passed down from Koaler. As for where he got it from, even she didn''t know.


    Alright, get off. We''re here."


    Suddenly, the illusionscape ended, and Nero looked out the van to find himself inside what looked like a young forest. There was no sign of civilization anywhere.


    "Where the hell are we?" Nero asked, suddenly pulling out his dagger and opening his card case, looking for the Aether pulse card.


    "Rx kid," Edward said as he opened his door and jumped out onto theyer of umted mulch. "I told you, we''re going to test Radix Augmentation. I found a nice little cursed nt for us to try on."


    "Isn''t this a little drastic?" Nero asked hesitantly as he suddenly recalled something someone had told him once. They said that those in the Whisper Guard were all crazy. At the time Nero had scoffed, but right now he felt like he was looking at things from a fresh perspective.


    "Drastic? Definitely," Edward said.


    Before Nero could respond, the ground started to tremble. At first he thought it was an earthquake, but then he saw the ground beginning to crack and split until a thick, barbed root was revealed.


    Like a massive whip, the root was suddenly pulled into the air, beforeshing down at the ground. Fortunately, the ce where the root was targeting was far away from the van.


    The ground trembled as the root pulverised a tree with a loud boom. Many other trees splintered as well, breaking under the force of the whip, and the rtive silence of the forest was broken. Yet that was not the end, it was only the beginning.


    The ground continued to crack, as more roots emerged from the ground, all beginning to whip the very first location that had been attacked. From a distance, Nero watched in awe and horror at the explosive might of the attacking cursed nt!


    He realised almost immediately that all the roots belonged to one tree in particr - a very thick tree, devoid of the green needle like leaves that usually filled trees of its kind. Instead, it grew sharp, dagger-like cones that looked like they would make incredibly lethal shrapnel grenades


    "Don''t worry, the tree is trapped in an illusion," Edward said casually as he watched the carnage unfold with his hands in his pockets. The man''s hair was on fire, but the golden mes covering his blonde hair made it look like his hair just had a forcefield around it.


    "Trees can suffer illusions?" Nero asked, shocked.


    "I guess so. Who knew?" Edward shrugged, though Nero was certain that the man had known. He was just showing off.


    "Is this about me saying I''ll be the best Arcanist when I reach that level?" Nero suddenly asked. "Forget it old man. In the same realm, I won''t fear you."


    Edward only smiled at Nero, as if he could not be bothered to reply, and activated his Arcanist form.


    "Good luck with that," Edward said and pointed a finger towards the cursed tree.

 Chapter 233: Ungrateful child

    Nero had, of course, seen the Arcanist form many times throughout his life, though admittedly it was less in person and more on television. It was an expression of the immense amount of pure aether within a card master once they reached the higher stages.


    It was said that activating the Arcanist form more rapidly depleted a card masters aether, but the boost in strength was more than worth the price!


    It was more than just the fact that while the Arcanist form was active, the card master would have enhanced healing, super strength, increased endurance and multiplied speed. No, the true might of the Arcanist form was in the fact that all aether rted abilities were much more effective.


    This of course meant that innate abilities were stronger, but much more importantly, even Eldrim cards would have an improved output. The Arcanist form could use a card that produced a breeze to summon a mighty gale!


    As impressive as the Arcanist form was, the appearance of the user when activating was even more impressive. This was the first time Nero had seen his father use his Arcanist form, which was why he absorbed everything he saw.


    Aether, the invisible energy that defined the natural order of the world, suddenly became visible around Edward, in the form of golden, shimmering crystals that swirled around him as if caught in an invisible tornado around his body.


    The crystals, despite appearing so, were not solid. They were just produced as a result of the copious amounts of aether being expended by him throughout every inch of his body. The golden colour of the crystals represented the colour of Edwards innate ability, as every card master produced different coloured crystals.


    Those without elemental innate abilities produced clear crystals, though they were still visible to the naked eye.


    Standing so close to his father, Nero suddenly felt pressured, as if a heavy weight had suddenly been dumped onto his shoulders.


    "Listen closely, kid," Edward''s voice echoed inside Nero''s mind. "Don''t be too proud of being the best Neophyte. You''repeting against a bunch of undertrained, inexperienced kids with next to no battle awareness."


    A golden ball of light began to shine at the tip of Edwards'' finger. It looked like countless golden mes, but the ball of light was too bright for Nero to look at, so he had to turn away.


    "That is going to change real quick once you enter the Initiate realm. You don''t know what a true Eldrim card master is like, because you''re still using 0 star cards. There''s a reason why we''re called card masters, and not aether masters, or innate masters. It''s because our true strength lies in the Eldrim cards."


    Even looking away, and shielding his eyes, the brightness from the tiny ball was too much for Nero to tolerate. He had to mp his eyes shut with his hands, but even then he could feel the light reach him.


    "That''s not to mention, if you think you''re the strongest Neophyte, then you''re sadly mistaken. As you are right now, I can tell you that if you had fought Patrick when he was at the peak of Neophyte, you would have lost - especially since your innate ability would be practically useless against him. In fact, worse than useless. It would actually empower him most likely.


    Patrick might not have a meticulous mind like you, but his battle intuition is much greater than yours. He too would kick your ass. It''s too soon for you to be arrogant."


    It was incredible. Nero could not see, but just from feeling the immense amount of aether fluctuating in the air around him he felt like he could see. It was like there was a massive reading current of aether flowing all around him, being sucked into the tiny ball of light - except that with his eyes closed, relying only on the sensation of aether nothing about that ball seemed so small.


    "There''s also the fact that a lot of things change as you go up levels. When I was a Neophyte, I was quite ordinary, but when I became an Initiate¡­ when I met your mother, everything changed. Tell me Nero, you recall my innate ability. Do you think it has anybat capabilities?"


    Nero quickly recalled all the details of Luminalink.


    Name: Luminalink


    Image: A golden me, resting in a hand.


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Transmit any kind of data through light]


    vour text: "Knowledge will light the way forward," - Edward Grant


    "No, no it should be quite¡­ quite in," Nero said. Initially he wanted to say that the innate ability sounded like it was quite weak, but he couldn''t bring himself to say such a thing - especially since he could feel just how much power his father had at his fingertips.


    It was not that he thought the innate ability must be strong, but that his father was unpredictable. Who knew if he might fire that ball of light at Nero if he was criticised?


    "Good. Then open your eyes and see the heritage your mothers family left behind. There may be more to it than this hidden away, but even this is enough to turn a once ordinary man into a master of war."


    Despite his instincts, Nero opened his eyes to take a look since his father had told him. But the moment he opened his eyes, the brightness vanished, silently and without much fanfare. Yet in front Edward, in the direction he had been pointing, the forest had disappeared.


    There were no scorch marks, no signs of something ripped out of the ground. There was simply nothing, revealing the dark brown soil which was once covered in grass and mulch.


    The tree, which had been subject to his fathers illusion, and had been bashing the ground, had also disappeared in its entirety.


    All that was left was Edward, standing there with his eyes closed, his Arcanist form already extinguished.


    Nero wanted to call his father a showoff, but he was genuinely mesmerised. His father had never before revealed his powers to him so overtly. Before this, it had all been subtle hints and guidance. Now though¡­ now he was revealing that under the facade of a mundane, unimpressive man walked a deadly weapon.


    Edward opened his eyes finally, and looked at Nero with excitement.


    "Radix Augmentation works like you said. I can feel a change within my body."


    "I already know that, old man. What¡­ what the hell was that you just did? Are you telling me mom''s family heritage can¡­ can let you change your innate ability?"


    Nero did not directly mention gaining another innate ability. Somehow, the concept that an innate ability could be changed onmand was easier to ept than gaining a new innate ability. After all, innate abilities always underwent some change upon transcending from one realm to another.


    "No kid. Your mother''s heritage isn''t something crazy like that. Instead, it''s just a few secrets about card manufacturing that no one else knows about. Only through mastering the manufacturing of new and unique cards, with much more powerful abilities can you truly be a powerful card master.


    "I''ll tell you straight up, my innate ability, in itself, does not seem too impressive, I know that too. But my innate ability,bined with your mother''s heritage, allowed me to create cards that have made me invincible. Since the day I mastered it, I have not suffered a single defeat inbat."


    Edward looked in his son''s eyes, and was surprised to find that he did not seem as impressed as he had imagined. There was intrigue, yes, and there was a desire, a greed for the knowledge and power Edward had promised, yes, but there was no surprise.


    In truth, Edward had undersold his own innate ability. It was a habit nurtured through a lifetime of unexpected obstacles and surprises. He himself knew how unsafe secrets were as long as they were revealed in the slightest. So he only revealed to Nero things that would directly impact him and influence his growth positively, keeping unnecessary information hidden.


    At the same time, it served to emphasise how impressive his mother''s heritage was, not that it needed any extra emphasis. Even so, he did not get the reaction he was expecting - which was incredibly interesting. He was even more curious now about what Nero had experienced in Lumina.


    "Now that we''ve tested out Radix Augmentation, let''s get out of here," Edward said, still speaking directly into Nero''s mind, no doubt through one of the cards that empowered him so much. "You have eight days before your service begins, which means your mother and I only have seven days to impart everything pertinent to you. Hopefully, it''ll be enough.


    Compared to other subjects, you''ve always been average in your artisan studies."


    "Oh? I''m going to meet mom too? I thought she''d be busy!"


    Edward kicked Nero on the bottocks once more, throwing his body into a lightly cursed bush nearby.


    "Why do you sound so happy to see her? Where was that excitement when you saw me? Ungrateful child."


    Nero, who had covered his body in blue mes, did not have time to pay attention to Edward as he fought to keep the bush from showing leaves down his throat. That was why he missed it when Edward quickly shot a few more orbs of light into the distance.

 Chapter 234: Dedicated soldier

    Nero eventually overcame the bush, and did not forget to use Radix Augmentation, but as usual, the feedback he got was a lot reduced. Covered in countless scratches on his face, Nero walked out of the bush,pletely ignoring his father who was already sitting in the car.


    Nero did not allow the man to gain satisfaction byining about being thrown in the bush. Instead, he remained silent as they left, his mind revolving around what his father had told him.


    If his mothers heritage revolved around card making, then that meant Nero needed to work on his crafting skills. Currently, he was only at a passable level, and it would require a lot of study and training.


    Shortly after the van left the first, a couple of people showed up. The courts had the power to directly pass instructions to the military police, but that was only in regards to matters pertaining to their cases. For their own security, the judges were assigned another, independent security force known as Judgement Wardens.


    The Judgement Wardens were an elite force who answered to no one else, and in fact did not even answer to the judges. They were not the judges'' private army - they were just the security for the judges, since they regrly encountered difficult and dangerous cases and people.


    The two figures that showed up wore the badges of the Judgement Wardens. They arrived at a site a small distance away from where Edward and Nero had destroyed the tree. In front of them was a man, kneeling on the ground, drool dripping down his face, his eyes rolled back into his head.


    He was perfectly unharmed, but he was clearly unconscious. There was also a single item missing from his possession: a warrant for Edwards arrest.


    "At least we can confirm the identity of Whisper Guard''s newest rabid dog now," one of the Wardens said as he looked down at the drooling guard.


    "What good does knowing his identity do us?"ined the second, shorter man as he pulled out a cigarette. He lit it up, took a deep puff, but then his frustration got the better of him, and he ended up mming the cigarette on the ground and stomping on it.


    "What is Sage Triss doing, giving Whisper Guard such a free hand? They''re trampling over thews of the nation! They''re a bunch of blood crazed dogs!"


    "Sage Triss is doing nothing," the first man said, his tone uninfluenced by his partner''s agitation. "To be clear, she is not stopping the Whisper Guard from acting out, but she also does not protect them if they are arrested."


    The Whisper Guard, as a secret branch of the military, most likely fell under the purview of Sage Triss, who led the Felix Corp, which was incharge of Kr''s domestic affairs. Of course, it could be under the purview of one of the other corps, no one knew for certain. But everyone agreed that since the Whisper Guard mostly acted within Kr, it was most certainly under the Felix Corp.


    "This is not the end. Does he think that it''s so simple? Burn up the warrant and we''ll let things be? We''ll send the warrant to every military police station in Kr, and bring that man down in chains! How dare he demand the execution of a judge?"


    The reason the short man was so incensed was because when Edwrad threatened the life of the judge, all the Wardens nearby were trapped in his illusion. The man, from across the prison, had embarrassed all the Judgement Wardens in the area.


    "Don''t you think it''s unusual that he so openly revealed his identity?"


    "They''re thugs and goons," the short man answered. "What do they know of discretion? You will see, I will make sure he will never see the light of day again!"


    "I wouldn''t be so sure about that," said the taller man, still rtively indifferent. He stook a step back, and pulled the shorter man to exactly where he had been standing. All around them were trees, but in front of them there was an abrupt clearing in a straight line, as if everything in that path had been annihted. It was where Edward had shot the tree.


    From that clearing, a road was visible upon which a van was travelling in the distance. More importantly, there was one other vehicle on the road: it was an impressive truck, barreling towards the prison.


    On the front of the car bo, the letters ''MIA'' were boldly printed in ck. They wereing. For the first time in Kr history, the Ministry of Internal Affairs wasing so openly and boldly for one of their judges.


    The short man trembled, and his shoulders slumped. With great difficulty, he pulled out another cigarette, but before he could light it, it turned into an Apparition curse. A fight broke out.


    *****


    The Aether Mountain range covered Kr in the south and on the west, but the chain of mountains on the west were often referred to as the arm, or the leg of the Aether Mountain range. Some even called it the little pinky finger of the mountain range, but that was besides the point.


    Each individual mountain also had names as well, though most people did not bother learning them. Only locals who lived nearby, and the army who regrly sweeped them for curses knew the individual names.


    For example, the mountain that Pattrick was currently descending was called the Matterhorn. It was a particrly tall, easily identifiable mountain even amidst the range. Its fame, though, mostly derived from the fact that despite its great height, its slopes were easier to descend than others.


    "You''re way too good at this," said Invictus who was trailing behind Patrick, despite using a hiking stick. The snow covered mountains were not easy to traverse, even when there was a path, and summer was not necessarily better than winter for crossing.


    In the winter, one could be buried in the soft snow, or buried under an avnche which were moremon than one expected, or fall into a pit covered by snow, eventually bing buried once more. All in all, crossing the mountain in winters, one did not need a grave, as it would be readily provided.


    In the summers, however, the melting snow made the ground unstable. Fresh streams would sometimes follow old paths, but other times they would go where there was no path of a stream, making the ground wet and slippery. Heavy winds and rain storms were likely to causendslides. The recovering greeny would attract curses.


    All in all, crossing the mountain in summers, one should be mentally prepared for their corpse to be cursed or be fed on by scavengers birds.


    "Spend two years in the mountains and you''ll be good at this too," said Patrick as he surveyed thends in front of them. In a few more hours, they would finally descend from the mountainpletely, and enter into Saint Codale. From there, they would need to find a nearby town or vige, acquire a horse and then head towards the Evergreen Sect.


    That was where Kri agencies believed that Clear Path had brought Irene to.


    "Do you think they''ve discovered that you''re missing by now?" Invictus asked casually as he looked back into the mountains.


    "Cursed zones are not as tight on discipline as you''d think - mostly out of necessity. They''re too busy fighting to take care of anything else. Sooner orter they''ll notice I''m missing, but I suspect it will take a week at the very least."


    "And then, what? They''ll tag you as a deserter?"


    Patrick turned, and gave Invictus an amused look.


    "Missing people in cursed zones are assumed to be KIA (killed in action), not MIA (missing in action) or AWOL (away without leave). No one will look for me. After all, trying to leave a cursed zone isn''t any easier than fighting in a cursed zone. Only a suicidal idiot would do that."


    "What does that say about us, you think?" Invictus asked as he finally reached Patrick. "By the way, Cursed nt ahead, 250 meters. Possibly Arcanist level."


    "I think that means we''re exceptional," Patrick said with a straight face, no signs of humility in it. He continued to walk straight, as that was the fastest way towards Saint Codale, and towards finding his wife. The snow on the path around him suddenly started to melt, and a faint, yellow me began to envelope him.


    "Hey, walk slowly. You''re melting all the snow, it''s making the ground slippery," Invictusined as he chased after Patrick, heading straight towards the cursed nts.


    A few days ago, when he delivered the letter to Patrick, he did not know it contained a couple of new identification cards as badges, one for Patrick, and one for him. Without warning or ceremony, they had joined the ranks of the Whisper Guard, and already had their first mission, which was to find and retrieve all the kidnapped personnel, dead or alive.


    Invictus naturally was not intimidated by the excessively difficult mission, but he was quite curious to learn that Patrick was neither surprised by the difficulty of the mission, or his instatement to the Whisper Guard.


    Invictus always knew that he was destined to join their hallowed ranks - it had been decided from his birth - but why was Patrick so casual about it? This was not exactly the usual route to join. Unfortunately for Invictus, Patrick kept his mouth shut on the matter. To be fair, he was very concentrated on finding the kidnapees. Such a dedicated soldier.

 Chapter 235: Normal night

    The drive from the prison to Aetherpeak took six hours, which included a slight pause that they had to take when they were attacked by an Apparition curse that appeared as a Malevolent wind.


    As if being attacked by wind was not unusual enough, that was the day he learned that even wind can suffer illusions. Nero did not mention how absurd that was, since he did not want to give his father any satisfaction. He was, however, beginning to understand why he so rarely encountered danger growing up.


    The very nature of Edward''s ability was such that even if he was using it, no one would ever know. After all, Edward could just create an illusion of himself not using any ability.


    "Old man, I have a problem," Nero said right before they returned to the city. "I have an affiliate with a very elusive innate ability. If I use multiple cards in quick session, I can sense them, but without them, I can never find them. They''re also very quiet, and careful not to create any environmental disturbances. How can I detect them if they are spying on me?"


    "Is it a girl? It''s a girl, isn''t it? Forget it, I won''t tease you, lest you give up on the girl. Do you know anything about her innate ability? Is being quiet a part of the innate ability, or is that something she does herself? Does the ability hide her appearance, or does she do it through another way?"


    "I think she uses shadows to hide," Nero said, as he recalled the time he sensed her within the research facility. "She used to cause environmental disturbances, but when I used them to detect her, she became very good at avoiding them. She''s been trained well, so she produces no sound."


    "There are two ways," Edward said, serious for once. "Which way is useful depends on whether she only uses shadows to hide her body, or if she hides within the shadows. There is a difference between the two, which is that in one her body is only hidden but maintains its physical state, while in the second, her body bes immaterial and hides within the shadow.


    "The first is that if she is only hiding her body, within the shadow, you only need to produce a little light. Don''t do it in a conspicuous way. Instead, develop a habit of summoning your me from time to time, watching how it affects the surrounding shadows.


    No matter how effective her body is, if it relies on shadows to hide her body, if there is no shadow, or if the shadows diminish the way her ability behaves will change. Even if she is not entirely revealed, there will be hints.


    "The second is if she hides within the shadows themselves. This is a slightly moreplex situation, and touches upon a topic of other dimensions. You have not studied other dimensions yet, as this is not a topic most people need to delve into before reaching the Mystic realm.


    "All you need to know is that if she is hiding inside a shadow, even if you eliminate a shadow, she will not be revealed. Instead, she will move into another shadow automatically. What you have to do in this situation is simr to the first. Use light to affect shadows, but this time, instead of eliminating shadows to search for her body, you affect shadows to test for resistance.


    Is a shadow more resistant than it should be? Is it darker than it should be? Is it bigger than it should be? A shadow with someone hiding within it will resist vanishing if only a small amount of light is shone upon it.


    "It''s more difficult to spot, and requires you to pay more attention. I can train you a little on how to spot the difference in the second situation, but that''s all I can do. There are, of course, other ways of detecting those spying on you, but they require high level cards that you can''t use right now."


    Nero nodded, and said nothing.


    When they returned to Aetherpeak, everything seemed so normal that it was hard to believe that they had been at war only a short while ago. If Nero was being critical, the only thing he could say was that there were fewer people on the roads.


    They returned to their old home, which felt like an almost alien experience. He had not seen the ce since he left the morning he synchronised. Everything was the same, from the furniture to the decorations and the paint, yet his life was entirely different. The neighbourhood also seemed emptier.


    The building and the belongings were the same, but the people had changed.


    "We''re going to spend the night here, and tomorrow morning you can go to your school for a bit to say farewell to your friends. Many of the ones in the draft should have returned. Only those who are KIA or wounded won''t havee back yet. By tomorrow evening, your mother will return. Once she''s here, we''ll depart to¡­ oversee your training.


    In a few days, when your service is about to begin, we''ll drop you off at the base."


    Nero nodded, and strolled through the house suffering from a strange mncholy. He walked back to his room and saw that his blinds were partially open, just as he left them. On his study table, there were a few history books, detailing the history of the Great families of Kr, just as he had left them.


    He walked over to the one with an open page and wiped his finger over the open page and saw not a speck of dust. Someone had been cleaning.


    His gaze fell on the contents of the page, which described the Ulnar family, thergest fishing family on Kr. They owned eight fishing viges, hundreds of fishing boats, and were an integral part of providing food to the vast poption of Kr.


    The current Matriarch of the family was only a Mystic, and had taken over when the previous Patriarch of the family, who was an Ascendant, died battling a cursed monster that emerged from Lake Natura one day.


    Nero closed the book, set it aside neatly, and instead walked into Patricks room. He hadn''t visited it in two years, but now he could avoid it no more. He ignored the fact that the room looked identical to the one he saw a few times in his illusion of a younger Nero, ying with toys.


    He walked to the bookshelf and grabbed all the books he could find on card crafting and brought them back to his own room. Since this was his weakest subject, he would have to work on it, and Nero believed in wasting no time.


    He started from the basics of the basics.


    An Eldrim card had specific dimensions, but the card ingredients didn''t necessarily need to match those dimensions. Usually, in the crafting process, the cards would automatically conform to the Eldrim card size requirements. The greatest example of this was that when cing countlessyers, they would stack to being thicker than a real card.


    The way in which the crafting process would bring about this change was fascinating, and there were several theories about why this was so. But those were moreplex topics, and Nero focused on the very basics of the basics for now.


    Each card required a base, an aether conductionyer usually formed from aether dust or other aether rich materials, and a main ingredient. Often enough, in the production of an aether card, amateur artisans also used a nk card or a temte card. It was also used in mass production.


    The most important part of card crafting was to produce a spell model, which required a perfect card recipe. These two things defined how a card would turn out, but Nero still did not quite understand how a spell model was transferred into the card.


    To produce an innate card, the spell model was provided by the innate ability itself, but where did the spell models for other cardse from? If it was only a matter of getting the recipe right, then why was it not just the recipe? Why was there an emphasis on the spell model?


    He noticed this small, unexined loophole in the exnation of card crafting, but since it was not addressed at the moment, he just kept it in mind and continued to study. Outside his room, Edward looked at his son, and then walked into the kitchen and began cooking.


    It was a quiet, mundane night in the Grant household, with nothing special happening, even though the world atrge was not at peace.


    Slowly the night deepened, and darkness reigned as the clouds covered the sky. But eventually, even though the heavy veil of clouds, dawn came, and the darkness was pushed back.


    With the first light of the new morning, Kr was rocked by the news on the front page of the national newspaper. In a controversial move, the MIA executed a corrupt judge, and broke the precedent of exiling a felon.

 Chapter 236: Together again

    Nero, unaware of the turmoil spreading through the country, decided to sleep when he noticed the first light of dawn. A few hours of sleep was better than no sleep. Considering that he expected the next few days to be filled with studying and learning rather than physical exertion, even a few hours of sleep would be enough to bring him to top form.


    At the same time, Edward drove to town, unafraid that the ever increasing Apparition curses might strike Nero while he slept. These days, it was incredibly dangerous to sleep alone, and without someone to keep watch. Fortunately, though it appeared as though Nero was home alone, there were guards hidden around the house, protecting it.


    Neither curses, nor enemies would bother Nero.


    Within the city, a heavily armoured train arrived, carrying supplies, troops, essential materials, and a small number of civilians. Trains were a rtively new addition to Kr, having been brought into use only twenty years ago. Even so, they had be the backbone of Kri logistics in the country, and were one of the key ways in which troops moved.


    Unfortunately, there were very few tracks throughout the country, mostly because it was too difficult to maintain the tracks and prevent curses from attacking them. Even the tracks leading to Aetherpeak had only beenpleted a couple of months ago, and had beenpleted after the existence of the ruins was brought to light.


    This was one of the key contributions of Nova to Kr, and was one of the conditions for cementing the alliance between the two countries so many years ago. Even now, though Kr could produce its own train tracks, the actual train engine was still produced in Nova, and merely assembled in Kr.


    For a moment, Edwards thoughts wandered to the reports of Nova having discovered a reliable method for air travel. If such reports were true, then the future¡­


    His thoughts paused as he finally caught sight of a graceful, blue haired woman making her way through the crowd unimpeded. People would move aside to give her space, all without even realising, allowing her an easy route to the exit.


    Her silky hair, even tied up as they were, bounced with each step she took. Her fair skin, though, which was usually without a single blemish, bore the signs of sleep deprivation in the form of dusky rings underneath her eyes - a silent testament to sleepless nights.


    The enchantingdy seemed distracted as she got off the train, but soon her eyes caught sight of a man, dressed in a simple button shirt and pants, holding a fresh bouquet of flowers.


    Her posture straightened automatically, her head rising high as she walked up to him, her cold gaze focused, as if piercing into the secrets of the man.


    "For you," Edward said as he held up the flowers, and Marilyn bent forward to smell them. The bouquet contained Forget-me-nots, Snow Gentians, Arctic Poppies, and Daisies. Marilyn naturally recognised all the nts not because she was an enthusiast, but because numerous crafting materials came from these flowers.


    Specifically, the materials that these flowers provided were used in elemental cards that had to do with ice and frost.


    "They smell real. I can''t tell if your illusions are getting better, or if you were always so good."


    "What do you mean, illusions? These are real flowers? I went out in the morning to pick them myself."


    Marilyn scoffed, and then looked at the man with a solemn gaze. She had now ascended to the rank of Mystic, which meant that she had to select a Profession. Although Kr had ess to most Professions, owing to the fact that two of the six Sages in Kr were Monarchs, that Profession somehow became the most preferred in the country. Marilyn, too, had be a Monarch.


    Whereas previously she was introduced only through her realm, now she would be introduced as a Mystic Monarch, depicting her rank and Profession. Both were important. The rank represented her power level, as well as the number of times her innate ability had been enhanced. Since she was a Mystic, which was the fourth realm, that meant her innate ability had been upgraded or enhanced three times.


    The Profession represented the type of additional abilities gained.


    Each Profession had its own set of active and passive abilities, and for each realm a Profession would gain an additional active ability. So as a Mystic Monarch, Marilyn had one active and one passive ability from her Profession, which were the same for anyone who had the Monarch Profession. These were aside from her own innate ability.


    If she gained another level and became an Ascendant Monarch, her passive would be stronger, and she would gain two active abilities.


    As a Mystic Monarch, Marilyn had the passive known as Regal Command. It basically just gave her more influence andmand. At a nce, it seemed like an unimpressive passive, but since it was a passive shared by every Monarch in existence, the limits of the ability had been thoroughly explored.


    The influence extended to the obvious, such as the people around her in the train who made way without even knowing it. But it also extended to her control over aether, and hermand of Eldrim cards and how they worked. As a Mystic it was still at a basic level, but Sage Monarch could evenmand natural phenomena and expect to be obeyed.


    Her active ability was called Monarch Dominion, which basically just created an area around her in which her allies were strengthened, and her enemies were weakened.


    Now, standing face to face with Edward, she activated Monarch Dominion, and selected her husband as the enemy. He suddenly paled, as if all the blood had drained from his face, and he nearly stumbled.


    "Okay, okay, the flowers were an illusion. No need to be upset, honey!" Edward eximed with a weak smile, but Marily narrowed her eyes and kept staring at him, as if searching for something.


    "How many years have you been an Arcanist, with no signs of promotion?" she asked, though her voice was tinged with scepticism.


    "Not everyone is as talented as you, honey. Another four or five years, and I''ll definitely get there."


    "No. I cannot abide by weak men. You either fight me and prove to me you''re strong, or you find a way to be a Mystic."


    Edward only smiled weakly as he put on the expression of a husband struggling to meet his wifes unreasonable demands.


    In truth, Marily suspected that Edward had broken through to the Mystic realm years ago, but was hiding it. The problem was, she had no way to prove it, as Edwards'' acting was perfect. His damned illusions were even more insufferable, and gave him the perfect means to keep any secret he wished.


    A few hourster, Edward and Marilyn came home. Edward grinned and brought Marilyn to the kitchen to show the breakfast he had prepared, while Marilyn continued to wear a frustrated and sullen expression. The result of their fight¡­ she didn''t want to think about it.


    Upstairs, Nero, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly woke from the faint noise downstairs. Though he was drowsy, he knew what that sound meant so he jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs.


    "Mom!" he eximed as he rushed in to hug her. He hadn''t seen her in months. But the moment he saw her expression Nero froze. She was in a bad mood. He looked over to his father and gave him a silent curse, but the old man just shrugged, as if he had no idea what was happening.


    "Nero Grant, your father has told me that your girlfriend has taken to hiding from you in the shadows. What kind of behaviour is this? I raised you to respect women, so why is this poor girl going around hiding from you?"


    "No, wait, what? She isn''t hiding from me! No, I mean she''s not my girlfriend, she¡­"


    "Oh, so you have random girls hiding from you? Since when have you be such a beast?"


    "No you don''t understand! This is a misunderstanding!" Nero eximed as he tried to run, but how could a mere Neophyte run from a Mystic.


    "Stand still as I set you straight!" she said as shemanded as she kicked her slipper into the air and caught it in a practised fashion. Nero, despite his desire to run, discovered that his legs wouldn''t move.


    "He''s lying! It''s an enemy of the state! It''s a spy!" Nero tried to quickly exin, but there was no point in reasoning with Marilyn at the moment. Nero cursed his father who threw him under the bus, while Edward praised his son who took the heat off of him.


    The Grant family was back together again, for however brief a time, and the once quiet neighbourhood was again filled with rowdiness.


    Gabriel, who was leading a small group of teenagers towards the Grant house, waspletely unaffected by the screaming, though the rest looked at each other with doubt and concern?


    Did that sound like¡­ Nero? How was that possible? Even the darkest horrors within the depths of Lumina could not make him howl. What could he possibly encounter here that was scarier than that?

 Chapter 237: Service

    Harold was pushing a wheelchair in which Jackal sat, while Wendy and Gabriel walked casually towards the house. Hansel and Maverick Dale, the two brothers were also walking with them, casually chatting amongst themselves.


    They, too, had been drafted during the war, though predictably, they were not sent to the ruins. Instead, they were sent to an incredibly secure facility where they spent all day and night manufacturing their aether cards.


    The two brothers had passive aether absorption, one passively absorbing from the air while the other passively absorbing from objects. The utility of their innate abilities practically made them national treasures, though Nero knew that they wanted something else. They wanted to seebat, and fight on the front lines with honour.


    Unfortunately for them, their destiny was such that the military would never allow that.


    The production of their innate cards could contribute more to the army than any difference their individualbat skills could make.


    Notably, Ss and Vanessa were missing from the group.


    "I can''t believe they just let him go," Maverick said, still wearing a somewhat troubled expression as he recalled the events of thest few days. "When he was used of fratricide, word reached us on base. Everyone was really pissed. They painted Nero in really negative light, making him look like a traitor. If I hadn''t known Nero personally, I would have believed it too."


    "For a few days, everyone hated him, and then when the news of the corrupt judge framing him came out, Nero was made out to be a hero. You can''t trust these newspapers. They flip the story whichever way they''re told to."


    Everyone chatted amongst themselves, but Gabriel said nothing, remaining silent and leading the way. When they reached, he stepped forward and knocked on the door. The yelling from inside the house suddenly stopped, and a few momentster Edward opened the door.


    "Ah look at that. We have war heroes gracing us today. Come in, I''ll make more breakfast," he said, looking at the kids.


    "Thanks, Mr. Ed," said Wendy. "By the way, my dad told me to let you know that he''s got his hands on a special hunting permit if you want to join."


    "I don''t think I''ll be able to join this time, but do send my regards."


    Of everyone, even more than Gabriel, Wendy was familiar with Nero''s home and his family. Not only had they been ss fellows for many years, making it so both the kids had attended each other''s birthdays countless times, they also lived in the same neighbourhood, making it so that their families knew each other well.


    The rest entered one by one, each greeting Edward as they did. Nero, who had informed Gabriel of his return and was expecting a visit, was extremely grateful for the interruption, but his grinning expression froze when heid eyes on Jackal.


    Unlike them, Jackal was not a draftee, but someone who had been retained from the military from birth. Even so, fighting beside one another had built a bond of camaraderie between them which is why Nero was extremely surprised to see him in a wheelchair!


    "Jackal! What happened to you?" he asked very seriously, with deep concern in his voice. He tried to recall Jackal''s condition when he had been left behind in the ruins, but the intensity of the situation as well as his general exhausted and sleep deprived state back then made it hard for him to recall Jackal had been so seriously wounded. He would have remembered if it had been so bad.


    "It was during the evacuation from the ruins," he said, his voice incredibly even, as if he was telling a story of something that happened to someone else. "The truck that I was in was attacked by a curse, and suffered an ident. I was thrown out, as well as the few other patients with me.


    I immediately lost consciousness so I don''t know what happened, but apparently it took quite a while for us to be rescued. I suffered injuries to my spine. I can''t feel anything below the waist, except for an itchy sensation sometimes."


    Nero had no words. Jackal had fought bravely throughout the ruins, and survived against incredible odds, only to be paralyzed due to a car identter.


    "You do not need to feel sorry for me," Jackal said, meeting Nero''s gaze. "The injury is treated as a wartime wound. I''m on a list, and soon enough I''ll be visiting Lorilem to see a Mystic to see if my injuries can be healed. The army''s taking care of it."


    "Good luck," Nero said, nodding to Jackal. Even if the army didn''t take care of it, he knew that Jackal would be fine. After all, he was a military asset nurtured by the Carver family. But since there was no Profession specifically geared towards medicine and healing, dealing with wounds was a tricky situation. His mother was a prime example of that.


    "There''s an ongoing service in school for teachers who passed during the war," Gabriel said, informing Nero. "We were waiting for you toe before we went."


    He handed Nero a list which Nero grabbed and quickly went through. He almost expected to see Footers name on the list, but it wasn''t there. The name he did end up seeing, though, surprised him.


    "Mrs. Aedile," Nero said softly, as he recalled the very serious lunchdy with the scar running down her face. What was a lunchdy doing in a military draft? She was a wounded veteran, as far as he knew. Why would she go back?


    But these questions had no answer. Nero did not know her much outside of the fact that she always treated him well, even though she never liked to show it. For a moment he paused, recalling all the times she changed the school menu just to make something he liked. Now who would look out for him in school?


    Then he remembered that he would no longer be attending school, going for military service instead.


    He continued going through the list, and saw the name of various teachers he had had across the years. The school was going to be understaffed for the next few months.


    But greater than the list of dead teachers¡­ was the list of dead Neophytes who had been taken into the draft.


    "I''ll get changed," he said simply, and rushed up to the room. He put on his old ck suit and ck tie, but discovered that the clothes were tight on him. It wasn''t to the extent that he couldn''t wear them anymore, but they were difficult to move in, and very ufortable. It seemed like he had grown.


    He hesitated, then went into Patricks room and wore his suit instead. Everyone had an identical ck suit. Of course they did. That''s what they all wore to funerals, and growing up, they had gone to a lot of funerals, even though most people were cremated, not buried.


    Patricks suit, which had once been too loose on him, now fit perfectly, as if it was made to order. While putting it on, Nero discovered in the coat''s inner pocket a small chit of paper. When he opened it, he saw a picture of a teddy bear blowing a flying kiss. It was¡­ it was no doubt something Irene had probably given Patrick once.


    He put the chit back in his pocket, and apanied his friends as they walked to the nearby bus station to get picked up for school.


    His parents only telling him that they''d pick him up in the afternoon.


    Nero finally understood why, even though they were on such a tight time limit, Edward had taken out a day for him to head back to school.


    Despite the fact that they were about to go pay respects to the fallen in their school, none of them seemed sombre. That was not because they felt no dark emotions, but because everyone was all too used to death growing up in this world.


    "I didn''t go through the whole list," Nero said as they waited for a bus. "Anyone from our ss? Someone we know?"


    "Malissa," said Hansel, his voice normal, and devoid of any strong emotion. It was as if he was not telling Nero that his girlfriend had died. But considering his usual jovial and energetic self, theck of emotion in his voice was abnormal enough.


    "She wasn''t in the draft, but with the war going on, security in the city was at an all time low. Some insect corpses got cursed and, well, you can guess from there."


    "Also Shelby," said Maverick. "No idea what happened to her. No one knows. Her name is just on the list of the dead. No one has heard from her family either."


    The others took a few more names, evoking memories of kids Nero had grown up with. Most of them were actually quite close to Nero. Now, he would never see them again.


    "What about Ss and Vanessa? I don''t see them around."


    "I heard Ss moved cities, but I don''t know the details. His family is gone, so obviously he had to go with them. Vanessa was a foreign exchange student, so she probably went back. At least I haven''t heard about her dying, so that''s probably a good thing."


    "I hope it is," Nero muttered as he spotted the busing from a distance. His eyes couldn''t help but wander to all the shadows around him.

 Chapter 238: Crossroads

    After the bus dropped them off, the group walked from the nearest station to Mount Aiden Highschool. Jackal did not go to school with them, but that didn''t stop him from apanying them - not like he had anything better to do. All his life, he''d never had any free time. He was either studying or training, preparing for a long military career.


    His spinal injury had paused any training, and unless it was fixed his life trajectory was going to change drastically, which is why he was not exactly in the best state of mind to be studying.


    Apanying Nero and the rest to a memorial service was actually the brightest part of his week so far.


    The service was not actually an event for a specific time. Instead, for ten days they had put up pictures of all the staff and the students who had passed during the war, and people coulde and leave kind words or remarks. At the end of the ten days, all the remarks that were left behind would be collected, and then engraved onto a monument that would be erected in the school grounds.


    It was standard practice. All the schools within Kr would be doing something simr, as well as every other government run institution. That meant orphanages, police stations, some farms and so on. The actual army itself had other ways tomemorate the dead.


    "What''s the news about the war?" Nero asked as the group walked through the rtively empty grounds of the school. It was notpletely empty, but there were only a few people here and there, all of them dressed formally.


    "The real situation? Who knows," Harold said casually. "My Pa says that the war was just a powershow, to make sure no one interferes with the ruin explorations, which is probably true. No one is happy about it, that''s for sure, but no one ising after Kr either."


    "Even if someone wanted toe after us, it wouldn''t be so easy," Wendy said. "I heard that ever since the silver moon appeared, the number of curse appearances have skyrocketed across Neire. There''s also the psychos from Clear Path. I have a cousin who works in the Foreign Office.


    He told me that the Clear Path freaks actually tried to kidnap someone from the Ayubi family, which enraged the old Sage Patriarch of the family. I think they''re angrier about that than the actual war."


    "They got what they deserved," said Maverick. "I''m d they finally know what it feels like to have criminals running around in their country, messing everything up."


    The Ayubi family, the royal family of Dolziya, who had a monopoly on the space element, were known sponsors of all kinds of illegal activities throughout Neire. They''re even rumoured to offer asylum to criminals and crooks, so long as thews they broke were in some other country.


    "Even though the war is over, security on the borders has increased," Gabriel finally spoke. "The papers are also filled with stories of new war heroes. Today, there was even an article on Nero."


    As if to prove his words, Gabriel pulled out a news clipping and showed it to everyone. It was a small article mentioning how Nero single handedly saved the son of Dagon Thomas, Commander of the Eastern Front, though details were scarce because of how confidential the mission was.


    Most of the article was focused on how the corrupt judge, who had now been executed, was actually targeting future Kri talents as if to cripple a generation. The story was more of a political piece than anything else.


    "They''re most probably just trying to distract from the number of dead soldiers," Nero said after he looked through the article. "They''re forging heroes using the blood of thousands."


    "Everyone knows it," Hansel said with a shrug. "I got a letter in the mail. The next two batches in KMA willpletely be made up of those who participated in the draft since they did active service. But all I did was sit in a room and make cards. So did hundreds of others. But many of us will be attending KMA, starting out with honours."


    "I wonder if they''ll let me join with honours after my service is over," Nero mused.


    Their conversation continued until they reached the auditorium, which was filled with countless pictures of all those who had passed. As soon as Nero stepped in, he paused. The very first picture in front of him was of Felipe - one of Nero''s roommates. He had wanted to be a Curse hunter.


    Under his picture it read that the cause of death was being caught in the crossfire of a fight between two Arcanists.


    One by one, Nero went through all the pictures in the room, looking for people he knew. In one situation, he discovered that the picture didn''t match the name of the person who was killed, and pointed it out to a staff member. Whether the person in the picture died, the one whose name was used died, or both did, was a mystery that would have to be solved by the administrative staff.


    There were a lot more pictures than Nero anticipated. At the end of the hall was a small que that read:


    ''In the year 997 V, 302 students of Mount Aiden entered the draft. 121 gave their lives in the line of duty, exploring the Lumina ruins.''


    Considering that not everyone drafted was sent into the ruins, and that many were used for logistical or auxiliary purposes such as Maverick and Hansel, 121 dead students was a very high number.


    Nero stood in front of that que for a long time. The number of the total dead had not been made public yet. Considering he had grown up believing in Kri honour, believing in the saying that ''the death of a Kri is written, and it is on the battlefield,'' he should have looked at that number with pride.


    He should have boldly imed that one day, he too would join among the ranks of those who died a true warrior.


    Nero had heard stories of various religions that believed that unless one died in battle, they would not enter heaven. He did not believe in religion, but that was one that every Kri could get behind.


    But as it was, he just felt empty. It was strange. It wasn''t as if those students had died in some conspiracy - they had literally died so that the country could explore the ruins. Their deaths were more meaningful than many others. Yet for some reason, Nero just couldn''t get behind that notion anymore.


    Who were these people he was dying for? The corrupt, who were taking advantage of the masses? Or the foolish, who were being used and herded like cattle?


    It was a strange thought. Nero had not lost his conviction, but something about that saying just sounded wrong to him. He was a Kri. He was a warrior. His ce was on a battlefield, he knew that much deep in his bones.


    So then what about it did he no longer resonate with? He was not one to fear death, so then what was it that had changed?


    No answer came to him at that time, so he just moved on. Mrs. Aedile had almost no remarks ced in front of her picture. Maybe it was because she always presented herself as strict and stringent, even to her peers, that not many connected with her. But how could Nero not be friends with someone giving him food?


    In the end, he left a small remark, though it was from the heart.


    ''If I had served with you, I would not have let you fall while I drew breath. After all, your pudding was to die for.''


    Nero could not help but recall how, in thest few weeks of school, Mrs. Aedile had repeatedly made him different kinds of pudding. Either she was fond of them personally, or thought that Nero loved them. Either way, he would never have one again without thinking of her first.


    It was a silly thing. Based on his predictions for the future, he did not see himself returning to Aetherpeak any time soon, let alone his highschool. He would always remember his final time in this building, where he had moulded himself into the warrior he wanted to be, and all he would recall is that corny epithet.


    He looked around, searching for something. He hoped to see a teacher, or a friend, or maybe even an enemy. But there was nothing else left for him in that building. Just like he had left his home, months ago, to begin his journey as a card master, he was now leaving school to begin his military career.


    The walk back from the school was oddly silent. It was only once they reached the bus station that everyone discussed their future ns. Some would join KMA. Others would directly enlist in the army. A few would pursue higher education.


    Unknowingly, they had arrived at a crossroads, and their time together hade to an end. Nero felt that it was strange that the diverging of the living felt more bitter than the passing of the now deceased.


    Or maybe they had all just learned long ago not to feel the pain of someones demise.

 Chapter 239 What else

    Chapter 239 What else


    The group all dispersed, each heading towards their own tasks, but Nero didn''t head back home. His parents had told him they''d pick him up, so there was no need to go back. More importantly, he still had some things he needed to do.


    He walked to an old restaurant and grabbed a menu. Most of the items on the menu had been crossed out, with an ''Out of Stock'' sticker in front of it, but fortunately they had the essentials. Since Nero had missed breakfast at home he intended to eat here.


    "Two egg omelette with toast, butter, jam and some milk," Nero told the waitress, feeling generous. Normally he would not spend money on eating out - he barely had any of it. But it was while he was in school that someone told him that they were actually going to get paid for their service in the draft!


    It seemed obvious, yet somehow Nero never expected it. It would take some time to manage everything, but he would eventually get paid. Furthermore, his payment would be deposited in an ount made under his name in the national bank, so he would be able to ess his ie from anywhere.


    He didn''t know how much he''d get, but something was better than nothing. At least, it should be enough to cover a single breakfast, right?


    "That''ll be 33 Krims," the waitress told him, though she didn''t wait for him to pay. She was just letting him know the total - the payment would be at the end of the meal, in case he wanted to add something. After deducting the cost of this meal, Nero would have around 650 Krims left in his total savings. That did not seem like it was a lot, to be honest.


    How did he have a second innate ability, something that was entirely unheard of, and yet he was on the verge of being broke. If his housing and food weren''t consistently taken care of by the army, he''d be homeless in days.


    Then again, he was only fifteen years old. No, wait, was it going to be sixteen soon? What was the date today?


    Nero allowed himself to have random thoughts for a while, till Gabriel soon appeared and sat opposite to him.


    "You could have told me you were going to a restaurant. I was looking for you near the bus stop."


    "I was hungry. You guys arrived before I had breakfast. Hey Gabriel, are you broke?"


    Gabriel looked at him oddly.


    "No. Why?"


    "How much money do you have?"


    "On me right now? I don''t know, a couple thousand Krims. Back in my apartment I have about 20,000 and more in my bank ount. Are you running short on money?"


    Nero clicked his tongue. He shouldn''t discuss money with someone from a famous family.


    "Never mind, let''s focus on the important thing. Give me the full update, and then we''ll discuss our ns for the future." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Gabriel leaned back into his old, clearly heavily used sofa and looked around. Besides them, there was only one other group in the restaurant. Even so, this was not an ideal ce to have such a delicate conversation. But they had limited options and time, so Gabriel searched through his card case and found a card that would iste their conversation.


    "First, I''ll share a few interesting things rted to Lumina, before moving on. The most significant is that Remi disappeared. Back at Lumina, when all the wounded were evacuated, it was discovered that the woman we thought was Remi was actually someone else covered in a disguise. When the woman woke up, she had no idea how Remi was, or why she looked like her.


    "Since then, no one has found any signs of her. In fact, upon digging in deeper, I discovered that Remi was just a cover. That person does not actually exist. No one knows who we served with, where she came from, or where she went. This is a pretty big security w. I''ve already informed major Liam, who is much more rmed about this than we are, trust me."


    "You know, I discovered the ck key because of her, right?" Nero said.


    "We''ll get to that in a moment. Next up is Arter and Maximilian. When you were¡­ imprisoned, from what I understand, the Ferro family made a big push to have you set free. It wasn''t the kind of effort one does to put on a show either. I''ve also heard rumours that Arter is suddenly getting a lot more attention, and has been spotted beside Sage Haiden, Arter''s great grandfather. No matter how poorly you guys got along before, it seems like he hasn''t forgotten to repay you.


    "Maximilians situation is more interesting. You may have already guessed, but his father is Maxim Dawnlight, the owner of Maxim''s Card shop. At first, I thought it was just an ordinary card shop, until I learned that his mother is actually a foreigner - more specifically from Dolziya."


    "He had a space card," Nero suddenly said, recalling that instance where Maxim teleported on his own.


    "His background is¡­ unusual, and his father''s quite peculiar as well. But that''s irrelevant. From what I can tell, he''s been recruited into the armoured division of the Felix corp."


    "Armoured corp? Isn''t that¡­"


    "Yes, that''s Sage Triss'' old division. It''s more or less confirmed that he''s been recruited by Sage Triss. As it happens¡­ I''ve also received a summons from my family''s matriarch, Gabrie Kade. I think¡­ I have no choice but to join up with the Kade family. The Sages¡­ will not let anyone who entered the Vault be free of their influence."


    Nero frowned.


    "As far as I know, I haven''t been contacted by any of the Sages."


    "Therein lies the problem," Gabriel suddenly said. "Through appearances, it seems like you are close to Sage Haiden. You have met the man twice after all. But in Lumina, you were directly under themand major Liam, who is from the Carver family. Now you appear to be connected to two different Sages."


    What Gabriel didn''t know was that his father was surely an active, important member of Whisper Guard. If that was the case, and Whisper Guard was under themand of Sage Triss, then he might be connected to three of the Sages.


    "But appearances can fool others, not the Sages. So the fact that they haven''t made an effort to bring you into their fold is very unusual. Especially considering that, objectively speaking, your performance in the ruins wasmendable."


    This gave him much to think about, but his situation was ambiguous. His father had helped him out a lot, but maybe in exchange, he had made a deal on Nero''s behalf. He''d learn more about that when he spent time with them.


    "What else?"


    Gabriel took in a deep breath, and then got to the news he had been wanting to avoid.


    "You might have heard that Jacob Dom self sentenced to Broceliande, but apparently his performance during the war was pretty good. He got medals for holding up the enemy at the borders, and his influence within the Tera corp seems quite vast. They''re not happy that he ended up in a cursed zone. "You''re not very popr over there these days. More importantly, Baelor Dom made great contributions to the war effort. Apparently, he personally held up three enemy Ascendants and turned the tide of a battle, saving countless lives. The Dom''s family is on the rise, and they know it well. They''re putting on their best behaviour, which has made them quite popr. There are rumours that Baelor is going to get control of another city, this time with massivend holdings. The Dom family seems like it''s on the path to join the ranks of the greatest Great families. Some people are even saying he''s going to be the next Sage."


    Nero simply nodded his head, as if he had heard some simple news. A waitress stopped by, and ced his breakfast on the table. After thanking her, Nero grabbed a piece of toast and began to put apple jam on one half and butter on the other half.


    "What else?" he asked simply. There was nothing he could do about the Dom family. In fact, he understood that he was at their mercy. In terms of actual power, as well as influence, he was nothing in front of them.


    He could not even afford to show discontent at the fact that Jacob was involved in his apparent set up. He was certain that if that family wanted him gone¡­ well, one way or another, he would be gone.


    "Finally, onto the matter of the ck key. After we came out, I began looking into it. At first, I wasn''t expecting much. I was sorely mistaken."


    Gabriel ced a picture on the table and slid it to Nero. The picture was that of an extensively decorated sword, ced within a ss container, upon a pedestal. Among the many intricate engravings and embellishments on the sword, there appeared to be a ck key.


    "That is the ceremonial sword of the Barakus family."

 Chapter 240 Plotting

    Chapter 240 Plotting


    After identifying the ck key, Nero took his time observing the image of the sword. The first thing he noticed was that the sword was toorge to be a typical single-handed sword, but not enough to be a double handed one. It was not easy to estimate through a picture alone, but it seemed like it was approximately 100 cm (39 inches) long, de and handle included.


    The majority of the de was without embellishments, but the base of the sword, where it connected to the handle, there was a great deal of artistry, all around the ck key, but never touching it.


    The decorations were of gold, while the sword and handle themselves were silver, which brought a great deal of attention to the ck key, which was not a good thing for Nero.


    "It gets worse," Gabriel said, and showed him another picture. It was still the same sword, but from the other side, which clearly had an empty slot for the ck key, but no actual ck key.


    "They''re going to want the ck key too," Nero said as he came to a simple realisation. "What''s the story with the sword? Is it special?"


    "It''s special in the sense that it was given to the original General Barakus by emperor Iskunder for his loyalty and service. I don''t think the sword actually does anything. But then again, maybe that''s because it''scking a ck key. Who knows, once another ck key is added, the sword might have some kind of reaction."


    "Depending on how much they want it, the ck key might be used by Kr as leverage in case they ever want to trade something of importance with New Vriya. The key has gained state level significance. The chances of getting our hands on it have diminished greatly."


    "You don''t know the half of it," Gabriel said, bringing out another picture of a small, heavily decorated red chest. It looked like some kind of royal jewellery box or something, though the thing that attracted Nero''s attention was that it had three keyholes, one of which had a ck key inside of it.


    "That is a picture of the jewellery box given by Wanhao Suharto to his wife when they got married."


    "Wanhao Suharto, the dictator of Creta?" Nero asked, surprised.


    "Yes," Gabriel said, nodding.


    Nero frowned as he tried to recall what he knew about Creta and its ruler. About Creta, he knew a significant amount. It was a barren country,cking vegetation and water, because of which it has a tiny poption. Ironically, theck of vegetation didn''t actually spare them from having to face curses, as it was home to one of thergest cursed zones in the world - if not thergest.


    But about its ruler, Nero knew surprisingly little.


    "What''s the significance of giving this to his wife? If he has a key that the Barakus family wants, wouldn''t it be smarter to trade with them? I can imagine they need the help."


    "This is not exactlymon knowledge, but Wanhai married into his wife''s family. Suharto is not his family name, it''s his wifes. Tomoe Suharto is the matriarch of the Suharto family, and the real ruler of Creta. I don''t know what''s so special about the box, but Wanhao made a big show of presenting it to his wife during their marriage, which is the only reason I was even able to find out about this box. The point is, knowledge of these ck keys is not exactlymon, but you can bet that a lot of important people have their eyes on them. They clearly unlock more than just¡­"


    Gabriel didn''tplete his words, but he didn''t need to. It was enough to understand that Nero wasn''t getting his hands on these keys any time soon.


    "Keep an eye out for information on the keys, but don''t worry too much about it. I reckon this is out of our hands at least until we get Professions."


    "No kidding. By the way, I looked into Patrick like you asked. You''re right - someone has erased his records, and they''ve done a good job of it. Even his school records are gone. I even went through old yearbooks given to the senior and graduated students. Even the year books don''t have his picture! Whoever made him disappear did a very good job of it."


    "Did you get any leads on who did it?"


    Gabriel only shook his head, indicating there was no lead.


    "Keep looking, but don''t worry too much about it. We have more urgent matters to focus on."


    "Speaking of, I have some news, though I don''t know how important it is. You remember Vanessa from school?"


    "Of course," he said.


    "Well, it turns out she''s a real big shot back in Nova."


    "I recall Ss'' father made a big deal about herst name, Abel. From what I recall, she was rted to some bigshot artisan."


    "No, not just that," Gabriel said. "She''s not just rted to some big shot, she is a big shot. She''s being groomed as a candidate for future president of Nova. She has family connections to Golden Dawn, thergest political party in the country, family ties to the military, and has ties to thergest research institute in the country. Hering to Kr is not just a foreign exchange program, she''s a part of arger diplomatic envoy. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Honestly, if I hadn''t suddenlye into the limelight within the family, I wouldn''t have had the connections to find out about her. The chances that someone like that would just end up in Aetherpeak, right before the ruins are revealed¡­"


    "Yeah, I get what you''re saying. But I think we have enough things on our te right now, there''s no need to get involved with her too much. At most it can be considered rubbing shoulders with foreign powers. Maybe in a few decades she will serve as an important contact, when we have enough influence as well."


    In truth, Nero very much needed to talk to Vanessa, but he couldn''t let Gabriel know about that. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Gabriel, but some things were better left unsaid. Also, despite the fact that Gabriel was the closest thing to a best friend Nero had, their rtionship was founded on the basis of mutual interest, not friendship. After distancing themselves from Vanessa, he was nning on casually asking if Gabriel knew where she was, when he saw a mischievous smirk on Gabriel''s face.


    "Maybe you''re done with her, but I feel like she''s not done with you. Take a wild guess as to where she is right now."


    Nero was dumbfounded, but then suddenly thought of something.


    "Don''t tell me she''s¡­"


    "Yup, she''s at Fordham base," Gabriel said. "Whatever is happening there is real secret stuff - even I couldn''t find out why your service is there. It''s literally in the middle of nowhere. But I''m willing to bet it was something to do with her."


    Gabriel slipped out a map of Kr, and pointed to Fordham base on it. It was to the west of Jin river, which flowed from the mountains and passed by Lorilem, near a naturalke. On the map, that ce was entirely empty, without even a sign to indicate that there was a base there. It was literally smack dab in the middle of the country, yet it was far away from any kind of settlement, town or strategic resource. Its position was highly unusual.


    "Whatever her goal is, I''ll figure it out. What we need to focus on is whates next for us. Will you be joining KMA?"


    "Not yet. I''ve managed to push it to six months. I''ll join around the same time as you. It''ll also give me some time to ensure our cement in KMA is where we need it to be. It might be tough though - KMA is notorious for not being influenced by external forces."


    "Well, do what you can, but even if you can''t manage anything, don''t worry about it. Focus instead on bing an Initiate. I think I''ll be an Initiate long before my six month service is up."


    The two spent the next hour discussing their future ns. It was impossible to plot out one''s military career, but that didn''t mean they couldn''t aim for specific departments and positions. Unfortunately, which corp and division they would end up in was not something they could easily influence.


    Eventually, though, Gabriel left. Like Nero, he was departing from Aetherpeak, perhaps forever. But Nero didn''t get up from his booth. Instead, he pulled open his card case and took out the Flickering Lantern card.


    Flintlock had given him this card, and if Nero used it, that meant he agreed to join Unity. After putting up a tough front for so long, Nero was forced to give it up, but it couldn''t be helped. If Unity knew anything about Irene, or could help in any way, then he had to join them - even if it meant signing a deal with the devil.

 Chapter 241: Monarch abilities

    Nero studied the Flickeringntern card.


    Name: Flickeringntern


    Image: A white candle, nearly used up entirely, inside a ssntern


    Type: Illusion


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Disperse the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge]


    vour text: "As I sate my greed for knowledge, my power grows," - Iskunder Macedon


    The description of the ability was inanely cryptic, and even when Nero used the card, he did not sense anything happen. For a few moments, he looked around the restaurant, as if expecting Flintlock to appear out of thin air, but nothing like that happened.


    "Is that all honey, or would you like something more?" asked the waitress eventually.


    "I''ll just take the bill, thanks," Nero said as he took out his wallet. He was ready to pay when he looked at his bill and saw an unusual font.


    "I will see you at Fordham - Flintlock."


    As soon as Nero read the words, they disappeared from the bill, as if they had been an illusion all along.


    After paying, Nero crumpled the bill and threw it away. From the looks of it, Fordham base held a lot of surprises for him. Whatever was happening over there must be extremely important for so many forces to focus on it.


    Nero sent a text to his parents, letting them know he was ready to be picked up, and a short whileter they both showed up, once again in the van that picked up Nero from the prison. Except this time, the back of the van was filled with bags.


    "How was the service?" Marilyn asked as she weed Nero in, closing the side door shut behind him as Edward started to drive.


    "It was¡­" Nero thought for a few moments, looking for the right word, but could note up with one. "It just was. There''s no point in focusing on it now. Besides, mom, you''re a Mystic now! We have other things I want to talk about!"


    Marilyn smiled proudly at her son.


    "Well, I suppose we can talk about it a little. You have 7 days to get to Fordham. Just to avoid any problems, we should aim to get there in 6 days. That means we have to go through the countryside, give you your lessons and reach the base in six days. It might sound like its a lot of time, but trust me, it''s not."


    "Wait, we''re going to the base on our own?" Nero asked, surprised. Even though, on paper, all the territory within the border was Kr, in truth the control the army had over itsnds was notplete.


    Unlike Creta, which was just barrennd, thends in Kr were fertile and rich in vegetation of all kinds. It had various terrains and biomes, which also meant that it practically weed new curses to fill it everyday!


    Of course army teams would be deployed to sweep through the country, and regrly clear at least the areas besides the roads and train tracks of curses, all it took was one unattended day for new curses to rece the old ones.


    Traditionally, travel between cities and towns was carried out through caravans or armoured groups to avoid being the victim to curses, and even then, it was not umon for an entire caravan to be wiped out from a curse. That is why it was slightly unbelievable for Nero that they were going to be travelling through the countryside alone!


    "Didn''t you just say I''m a Mystic?" Marilyn asked with a smile. "I''m more than capable of keeping us safe. Don''t worry, this is the kind of thing your father and I do on a regr basis. Besides¡­ the things we have to teach you cannot be taught with people in the vicinity."


    Nero''s body trembled as he struggled to contain his excitement! Yes! He was finally going to get his mother''s heritage. More importantly, outthere, in the wilderness, he would finally have some privacy, so he could finally test out the effects of Virtuous Moonlight.


    So far, he dared not test it out too much for fear that he was being observed. Considering Unity''s visit to him in prison, his precaution might have been worth it. Even now, within the city, he did not feelpletely at ease - as if hidden enemies hid all around him, in in sight.


    In truth, Nero knew that this was a type of psychological trauma. Many first time soldiers reported feeling like they were constantly being watched by enemies hidden in the dark. Most of them ovee such feelings. Others adapt.


    "So, you became a Monarch, right?" Nero asked in a whisper, as if discussing a great secret. "What was that like? How are the active abilities? Do they feel the same as your innate ability?"


    Marilyughed, but instead of exining she just gave Nero a mischievous look.


    Nero felt his muscles tighten, as if he was being eyed by an apex predator. His hands and legs suddenly became stiff, and Nero found it difficult to move.


    "Do not focus on the abilities of the Professions just yet," he heard his mothers voice in his head, though she spoke no words. "The true power of card masterses from their cards. Profession abilities, while powerful, are also well studied and analysed. There are entire courses based on how to counter the abilities of each Profession.


    The true effectiveness of Profession abilitieses from how well you can synergise the Profession ability with your own innate ability and your cards.


    "For example, Monarch is the mostmonly selected Profession in Kr, and we have two Monarch Sages! Yet why is it that only Sage Morphiusmands the Undying Legion, and not Sage Donivan?"


    The Undying Legion was said to be the personal guard of the Sage, raised and trained from birth by the Sage personally, and forged into the ultimate army. It was also said that since the legion had been formed, they had not suffered a single casualty because of how powerful they were.


    In truth, most people knew and understood that it was mostly propaganda. They did not avoid casualties because they were all so strong - they suffered no casualties because Sage Morphius, the strongest Sage in the world, led them.


    "Is it because his innate ability grants immortality?" Nero asked excitedly. Details of the Sage''s innate abilities were secret, and most people didn''t even know their Professions.


    Marilyn snorted.


    "It''s because of the synergy between a Monarch''s abilities, and the Sages. A Mystic Monarch''s active ability is called Monarch Dominion. It creates a zone around the Monarch that strengthens allies and weakens enemies.


    An Ascendant Monarch''s active ability is unique, because all other Professions get a second ability, but a Monarch just gets a more powerful, more aether intensive version of Monarch Dominion called Majestic Resilience. It expands the reach of Monarch Dominion, and also absorbs the vitality from enemies to heal the Monarch.


    "The final ability of a Monarch, unlocked at the Sage realm, is called Royal Decree. Within the range of Monarch Dominion, it allows the Monarch to summon the dead back to life, and have them fight for him or her.


    "Now on appearance, this sounds like Sage Morphius'' Undying Legion - except that the legion doesn''te back to life, they never die! Moreover, once Royal Decree is dismissed, the dead return to being dead, so it cannot be used to bring someone back to life permanently.


    "How exactly the Sage achieves what he does is a secret known only to him, but what I can tell you is that it''s through pairing other abilities with it. So far, Nero, you''ve been using cards that you bought from shops or were given by the army. But the truth is, to be truly powerful, you have to make your own cards."


    Nero frowned just a little.


    "I thought focusing on card manufacturing besides the basics was just a waste of time, and could be relegated to artisans to do."


    "Yes Nero. For the masses, that''s true. For those who will live their lives as an Initiate, or at most an Arcanist, that is true. For those who will never rise above mediocrity, that is true. But what did I say? I said to be truly powerful, you have to design your own cards.


    Your previous way of thinking is suitable for a low level soldier, that''s it."


    Nero looked at his mother, who was somehow speaking directly into his mind, and had a feeling he knew what wasing.


    "What I''m going to teach you now, Nero, is a closely guarded secret. Many know some version of this knowledge, and some may even know more than us, but none spread it widely. What the Soren family mastered was a unique branch of card crafting that focuses on altering spell models, as well as creating signature locked cards.


    I''m sure you can understand what it means to alter a spell model - at least to some extent - so let me show you what it means to create a card with a signature lock."


    Marilyn showed Nero an empty hand, and then waved her fingers to show a card magically appearing in her hands.

 Chapter 242: Quiz

    Marilyn presented Nero with the card she seemingly pulled out of thin air, though Nero knew it was just a simple sleight of hand trick. Almost everyone alive used cards a lot, so it was quite normal for everyone to learn card tricks. Of course, not everyone attempted to learn them as it was up to preference, but as kids few could resist it, which meant most people ended up learning them.


    Nero grabbed the card and read, surprised to find it was both familiar and unfamiliar.


    Name: Snowke Frost


    Image: A single snowke, spreading frost all around it


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 3


    Ability: [A snowke that freezes everything it cuts, bing stronger and sharper the more it freezes things. Can only be used by Marilyn Grant.]


    vour text: "A curse will only kill you, but I can do so much worse" - Marilyn Grant


    There was a lot to unpack in this card, not in the least because it waspletely different from the Innate card Marilyn had given him before! How was that possible? An Innate card couldn''t be changed!


    Although Snowke, which was the original innate card his mother had given him, was used up and thus destroyed, Nero remembered its details well.


    Name: Snowke


    Image: A single snowke falling


    Type: Innate


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [A snowke that grows stronger and sharper as it absorbs heat.]


    vour text: "I have no enemies, just volunteers who help paint my snowkes red" - Marilyn Grant


    He was trying toe up with an exnation for the difference when he recalled that his mother had transcended the Arcanist realm and entered the Mystic realm, which should have upgraded her innate ability. It was unusual for the name to change, but he supposed that it could happen.


    Even then, in the back of his mind, he could not forget that his mother had just told him that her family specialised in altering spell models. Could that mean they could create different versions of an innate ability?


    With the difference in the innate cards exined, for now, Nero focused on the second difference. Snowke Frost could only be used by his mother, and no one else. That was something he had never heard of.


    An Eldrim card was activated when aether was channelled into it, a feat that any card master could do. Sure Neophytes could not use starred cards, but basically everyone other than them should be able to use any card at all. So how was this card explicitly limited to his mother? Could that be what signature locked cards meant?


    Also, this was not relevant to the cards themselves, but wasn''t his mother a little too violent in her quotes? She wasn''t that ruthless in real life - at least to Nero.


    "It can only be used by you," he said, locking onto what she was probably trying to show him. She nodded, and then showed him yet another card. It was another Snowke Frost, but this time it could only be used by Edward Grant.


    "I get it. This way you don''t need to fear someone stealing your cards, so you can create exceptionally powerful cards without fear of them being stolen or used against you."


    "Yes. You''re catching on. But there''s also the fact that neither Snowke nor Snowke Frost are my real innate ability, which is why I need to produce these cards if I want to use them."


    Nero froze, then looked at his mother with disbelief. What did she mean they weren''t her innate cards? But the card type literally stated ''innate''. Was that fake?


    The state of disbelief did notst long though. Nero immediately epted what his mother was telling him, and began to imagine the possibilities. If he could tamper with the effects of his innate ability, couldn''t he create cards more capable of destroying curses?


    Ever since he got his innate ability, the thing that always stood out was how he could easily destroy curses and cursed objects, while almost everyone else was just forced to seal them, or somehow drain them of energy.


    Nero had been more or less waiting for the day that the military tried to get him to sit in a room and just mass produce his own innate cards, but perhaps being a Neophyte was too limiting. They might be waiting till he turned into an Initiate until that happened.


    But if he could change the effect of his innate ability, he could make it even more lethal to curses! More importantly, he could end up hiding the actual effects of his innate ability, giving the army only the parts they were interested in.


    "I have a question," Nero said as his brain thought of the countless possibilities such abilities could bring forth. "Can you only alter spell models, or can you create them entirely? For example, can you recreate a spell model from someone else''s innate ability?"


    Marilyn shook her head.


    "You can only alter spell models, not create them from scratch," she exined.


    "In that case, can you alter the spell model of a card that has already formed?"


    The question stunned Marilyn, for she never considered it. That was the drawback of a formal education. By having a pre-existing foundation, a person is forced to look at a subject through a preexisting lens of knowledge. It bes more difficult to look at a situation with unorthodox perspectives. But in this case¡­


    "No, for a card that is alreadypleted, you cannot change the spell model, however you have touched upon a very high levelled topic. Although you cannot change a spell model for an existing card, you can refresh the durability of a card once it has undergone some use. Of course, it''s far from simple, and requires a very high levelled artisan.


    These things are beyond you for now, but it''s good to remain interested in such things."


    Nero and his mother kept chatting with one another as the van drove through the city, with Edward chiming in from time to time, and eventually exited from the toll. They had brought along snacks - apparently it was a tradition for road trips. With Nero''s limited experience in the field, he could not judge whether it was true, but he happily epted any food thrown his way.


    For the first hour, the drive was smooth as the road was well maintained and the environment was rtively tame. But in the second hour, as they drove further away from the city and the regrly used routes, they encountered their first problem.


    "Normally, when the army hasrge movements, they send a few cars ahead of the main group to take care of such matters. Since we don''t have that luxury, we''ll have to take care of it ourselves," said Marilyn as she looked out the front window. In front of them, the road seemed to disappear into a field of tall grass that was at least three metres (9.8 feet) tall.


    The grass des were practically trees. Clearly they had been cursed, and were spreading across the hills.


    "Mom, when I was using Snowke, they served as fuel for my innate ability, making them stronger. Maybe you could use that now - my innate ability is very good at countering curses."


    Marilyn shook her head.


    "Maybe you can handle curses on the Neophyte level, but for stronger curses, no matter how effective your mes are, they''ll just get smothered out. No, let me handle this. Even if I can''t destroy the curse, I can destroy the body carrying the curse, which is just as good."


    Marilyn was getting ready while Nero moved to the front and sat beside Edward. Nero was not allowed to leave the van under any circumstances, and one of his parents would remain with him at all times.


    "Quiz time," Edward said as he pulled out a protein bar and tore it open. "What do you need to be careful of when facing cursed nts such as this?"


    Nero looked at the grass which was dozens of metres away, and then tried to imagine how the grass could possibly attack. It looked like they could only attackphysically.


    "It''s to maintain a certain distance and stay out of their attack radius?"


    "I suppose, but no. nts have roots, and the roots can extend far greater distances underground than the actual nt above ground. So while it seems like you can estimate the attack range of a nt from a nce, in truth you should always assume you''re within its attack range. Watch."


    Everything seemed to be calm and peaceful outside when Marilyn opened the sidedoor of the van and leaped out into the distance. The moment she touched the ground there was an earthquake, and suddenly the earth erupted from underneath her!


    Nero only saw a cloud of brown smoke, and a few momentster, he saw white roots sticking out from the ground like spikes. Yet Marilyn was nowhere to be seen. Edward ced a hand on Nero''s shoulder, and a warm energy flowed into his body, augmenting him. He suddenly saw the world in slow motion, which finally allowed him to catch sight of his mother doing what she did best - cutting things down.

 Chapter 243: Dimensions

    At first, Nero thought that the reason he hadn''t been able to spot his mother without the help of his dad was because she was moving too fast. But he quickly came to the conclusion that such a thing was impossible.


    Though Mystics were much faster than Neophytes, they should not be at the level where they move so fast that they be invisible. Nero could ept that they might only appear as a blur to his eyes, but it was impossible for them to be invisible solely based on physical ability.


    That''s when he paid greater attention to the other anomalies that became visible as a result of his fathers assistance. The most obvious difference seemed to be that the sky had turned red entirely,pared to its yellow and blue. Thendscape also seemed to be more scarce, with lesser vegetation.


    Upon closer scrutiny, Nero also noticed that there were fewer animals and insects all around.


    It wasn''t like the wilderness was abundant with animals and insects, but it was a fact that many animals had natural aether abilities which helped them survive the tough environments of the wilderness. Heck, there were even birds that werepletely invisible to the senses of cursed beasts, from what Nero had heard.


    Nero watched closely as his mother threw massive snowkes, well up to a metre in diameter, at the des of grass, mowing through them as if they were nothing. But as a cursed nt, the grass was more resilient than normal vegetation.


    The des that were cut down weretched onto other, nearby grass des, which sucked up all the mass in them, turning them into shrivelled husks. Strengthened from feeding on their own, the remaining des of grassshed out towards Marilyn, growing long, ck whips made of cursed energy.


    Even with hundreds of ck whips raining down on her, and spikes made from roots bursting out from the ground beneath her, Marilyn remained untouched as she cut down everything in her path.


    But the battle had only been going on for a scant few seconds. The longer it progressed, the more absurd it became. Filthy, ck rain started to fall from the cloudless sky, burning and corroding the very ground as it fell down.


    Marilyn summoned a protective umbre above her, made from a massive snowke that followed her around, which helped her avoid the ck rain, but everything save the cursed grass suffered tremendously due to the rain.


    But as the putrid ck rainwater collected into small puddles on the ground, it seemed to seep into the soil, turning it into small clumps of cursed y.


    "What the hell?" Nero eximed, as he tried to process what he was seeing. Did he just see the birth of cursed soil? But the situation became even more bizarre when Edward lifted his hand, and once again the world returned to normal.


    The sky was no longer red, there was no longer ck rain falling, and his mother seemed nowhere in sight. In fact, even the ground where he had seen roots erupt from waspletely in and normal, as if nothing had happened.


    "What in the world is going on?" Nero asked.


    "That, kid, was an alternate dimension called Nawia," Edward said nonchntly. "I thought I''d give you a little sneak peak into the depths of this world. On higher levels, it ismon to fight curses there than in the real world. The nature of that dimension makes it easier to harm curses.


    At the same time, fighting in Nawia is a lot more dangerous since wounds suffered there are infinitely harder to heal."


    Nero absorbed the information his father told him, and in theory understood what he meant. It''s easier to fight curses in a special ce called Nawia, but it''s also more dangerous. In reality, though, he was struggling to understand.


    "How did mom get there? How is she fighting the cursed nts there, if the nts are still here right in front of us? What is an alternate dimension?"


    Edward smirked, as if he was satisfied by Nero''s reaction. Normally Nero would be remiss to give in to his fathers habits of farming attention like this, but this was genuinely a blindspot in Nero''s understanding of the world.


    Before Edward could answer, though, the tall des of grass blocking their way suddenly began to wilt rapidly, and turned into what looked like decayed nts right in front of them. Marilyn reappeared in the van, not having broken a single sweat. Heck, there weren''t even any extra creases on her clothes.


    "All clear," she said, and Edward started to drive.


    "I''m sorry to tell you this kid, but I don''t think anyone alive has any understanding of what dimensions truly are. But, in practice, you can just treat dimensions as an alternate reality that oveps the real world. Our knowledge of them is extremely limited.


    What I can tell you, though, is that all the dimensions are linked, and what happens in one dimension can often influence things in other dimensions.


    "Apparition curses, in fact, are not curses that just appear out of thin air. They''re curses that escape from some alternate dimension and enter our reality."


    "Alright, that''s enough showing off for now," Marilyn said. "Find a spot for us to camp. We can''t drive through the night, and need a ce toy low. Nero, you don''t need to trouble yourself with dimensions for now. Only after you get a Profession will you have to concern yourself with them. Instead, you should focus on card crafting.


    Come on, let''s review what you know so far. We''ll begin your lessons tonight officially."


    "How can you just tell me there are other realities that ovep our own and expect me to just forget about it?" Neroined, even as he moved out of the front seat and sat next tohis mother in the back.


    "Don''t think of it as other realities. That evokes a lot of unnecessary imagery. Just think of it as other ces that exist all around us, but can''t normally be entered through traditional means. All dimensions ovep, so the location of this road in reality will always coincide with another specific location in another dimension," exined Edward.


    Before he could continue exining, though, Marilyn threw a snowke at him that seemed to just disappear when it approached him.


    "Stop giving him partial information, it''ll only confuse himter. Nero, forget about dimensions. All you need to know is that you should not go to other dimensions - you won''t be able toe back on your own. Not that you''ll be able to enter other dimensions anyway. This is aplicated subject, but so is card crafting so let''s just focus on that for now."


    "Can someone identally enter another dimension?" Nero asked.


    "No. Now focus. Tell me what you know about card crafting."


    Nero took a deep breath, suppressing his curiosity about dimensions and the huge ramifications their existence presented, though it was hard. How could he not think about the fact that entering an alternate dimension might be an easy way to sneak through security in military bases - or even through the vault door back in Lumina!


    But then again, if it was so easy, then he would have definitely heard of it before.


    "Card crafting is basically how a spell model is ced into a card, using a spell recipe, enabling card masters to be able to use those spells. Innate and Profession abilities are examples of spells, but besides those a card master cannot use any spells without cards.


    That''s because the spell model for those is intrinsically linked to a card master, whereas a card mastercks the ability to form and use different spell models on their own due to thecking aether maniption capability of humans."


    "Where do spell modelse from, and how do you get the associated recipe to contain that spell model?" Marilyn asked.


    "Spell models already exist in nature around us," Nero reiterated what he had been taught, though he himself did not understand what that meantpletely. "Discovering the spell recipe is a delicate andplex process that requires a deep understanding of the affinities, functions, and reactions between each ingredient in the recipe."


    "In an existing card, where is the spell model? Is it in the picture, the text, the name, or somewhere else?"


    "The spell model is within the card itself, and the name, image and text are all just parameters to control how the spell model exhibits the spell once aether is provided."


    "What constitutes an ingredient whening up with a recipe?"


    Marilyn asked Nero seemingly random questions about crafting to get a thorough understanding of Nero''s existing knowledge base regarding card crafting. This was an important step, because some of the knowledge in card crafting that most people were taught was not strictly true, and instead was taught for the sake of convenience.


    While it worked for low level crafters, it would not do for Nero sinceing up with new recipes was something he would frequently do in the future.

 Chapter 244: Spell models

    "If you get two Healing cards, one from a shop and one from the army, and they both provide a simr type of healing, for example healing superficialcerations, does that mean they have the same spell models? What if one performs better than another? In that case, what is the difference between the two?" Marliyn asked.


    Throughout the evening, her questions had not ceased. Even now that they had taken a break for the night, she kept asking him questions.


    Across Kr, wherever there were roads cutting through the wilderness, after every 50 kilometres (30 miles) there was an empty resthouse. The army would regrlye and cleanse the resthouse of all curses, so that any travellers may use it if need be. But that ''regrly'' was only rtively speaking, since they may end up cleansing it once a year.


    Most of the time, the resthouses were maintained by the actual travel groups and caravans using them.


    The resthouse they had stopped at was built atop arge concrete tform, but it clearly hadn''t been used in a while since there were bushes and vines covering the concrete. Fortunately, none of them seemed to be cursed, which is why Nero could participate in the cleaning process of the resthouse.


    The process was simple. Nero was given an incinerator card, and he used it to burn all the vegetation on the concrete tform, leaving the resthouse which was in the centre free from all sides.


    "Since the type of healing is simr, chances are that the spell model might be the same. If the spell model is the same, then the difference in performance can be due to one of the recipes being more effective than the other. Of course, the spell models don''t have to be the same.


    It''s entirely possible that the spell models are different, in which case their performance cannot objectively bepared in terms of recipe."


    Nero paused when something caused a small explosion in front of him. After a few moments, he used Air push to break through the mes and see what exploded. He could not tell what it was, but it looked like a half decayed corpse of some small animal. It was quite strange that it did not be cursed. Then again, there was no rule that said all corpses had to get cursed.


    "Despite the fact that there are countless publicly known recipes, most sessful artisans actually have their own inheritance of recipes which they keep secret. My question is, if everyone keeps their recipes secret, then how can people end up with the same spell models? Shouldn''t they be even more closely held secrets? Even if you don''t know the answer, take a guess."


    "Well, ording to what I''ve been taught, spell models are found in nature. That means spell models are not created by artisans, they''re found. If that''s the case, it''s not impossible for two people to encounter the same spell model."


    "So where do you think they''re found? What do they look like? How are they transferred into the cards?"


    Nero did not respond, and instead just tried to think of an answer. It was not that he hadn''t asked these questions before, but that he''d never been answered. Not all knowledge was given freely. The fact that it had been held back from being provided to him meant that there had to be some reason why it wasn''t so easily disclosed.


    The simplest guess was that once people were told about how to find spell models, they went out into the wilderness to find some, and kept on getting killed.


    "The only spell model I know where to find is the ones everyone unlocks when they synchronise. If I had to base it off that, I''d say all spell modelse from other living beings, whether they be nts, animals, insects. It''s the special abilities that they have unlocked that can be tranted as a spell model."


    It was a reasonable deduction. Since no one gave him a straight answer, he could only guess. The only w in this deduction was that he''d seen a lot of cards which had strange functions he just couldn''t imagine animals having.


    For example, one of the mostmonly sold cards is not abat card, but a utility one. It''s for household cleaning, and simply cleans all the dust and light stains in the target area. What kind of animal would have such a spell model?


    He''d used an Oath card to swear several oaths. What kind of nt or creature would have an ability to swear magical oaths?


    "You are not wrong. That is one source of spell models," Marilyn said with an approving nod. "In fact, I cannot conclusively say that I know all sources of spell models because just like my family has a secret heritage for crafting, others too might have secret knowledge about how to get or maybe even create spell models. But I can tell you the mostmon sources.


    "The first is naturally people. Getting someone to contribute the model for their innate ability is verymon, though most people prefer to create cards with their own innate ability themselves. The second source, as you guessed,es from animals, insects and nts. For example, look at this."


    Marilyn held out a dagger and squatted near some grass, picking up an insect that Nero had missed in the dimming light of the evening. It looked like a worm, it had broken wings and an odd number of legs. It''s carapace, too, looked quite a bit softer than other insects.


    "Look at this insect. You could identally step on it and kill it, that''s how weak it is. And it moves so slow, it has no chance of escape if it gets sighted by some prey animal. Yet, it has not gone extinct under the constant invasion of cursed vegetation.


    In fact, did you know, ording to thetest theories, insects are suspected to be one of the foremost reasons for why cursed vegetation has not just taken over the whole world. Many of them boast unique resistance to cursed energy, and can sometimes even eat drained curses.


    "As a result, insects are often used to find spell models for shields and other generic defences against curses and cursed energies. They''re also used to destroy cursed items that the army collects."


    Nero looked at the insect with newfound interest, just in time to see his mother flick it into the distance.


    "Of course, this is only amon insect. Much like us, insects and animals can absorb aether to grow stronger. Arcanist level insects are such a huge threat to humanity that as soon as they''re spotted, they''re killed regardless of their potential to destroy curses."


    Nero knew about that. He''d heard about an insect tide that once struck Creta, nearly destroying most of the country.


    "You will be, for the most part, working with spell models obtained from such sources. Tonight, I''m going to teach you how to extract those spell models and how to use them. But they''re not the only sources of spell models. There are actually two other, rtivelymon sources of spell models.


    "The first is actually nature itself. Sometimes, the flow of aether in certain areas gives birth to treasure, or perhaps turns mundane items into treasures which contain special spell models. In such cases, those spell models are unique, and most of the time can never be found again. This is one example."


    Marilyn opened a small pouch that she carried, and pulled out a small berry, encased in a ss box.


    "This is a natural urrence. Much like how items can suddenly be cursed, they can also be blessed by aether, and gain magical properties. But in truth, those magical properties are a result of spell models which have formed inside of them.


    This berry can be consumed, which will naturally trigger the spell model within, or it can be used to create a spell, which will also end up consuming the berry.


    "Such treasures are called Aetherials, and cane in any shape and size. But most of the time, Aetherials are found in the form of crystals, gems or jewels. Aether shards or stones are also prone to turning into an Aetherial.


    "Naturally, creating a card from spell models as unique as the ones found in Aetherials is an exceptionally difficult task, and is left to highly skilled and experienced artisans. After all, they usually only have one attempt. If they fail, then the Aetherial goes to waste.


    "The final, and leastmon source of spell models are actually alternate dimensions. Much like how items gain magical properties due to exposure to aether, items in other dimensions suffer the possibility of gaining various magical properties rted to that specific dimension. Such items are called Nexals, mostly because they are most often found at nexus points in various dimensions.


    "Nexals are easier to work with, in the sense that the affinity of the spell model is easy to predict since it''s linked to the dimension it came from. But they are incredibly rare, and not something most people even ever get to see."

 Chapter 245: Crafting I

    Marilyn reached into her pouch once more, and pulled out an ordinary looking pebble. It was oddly shaped and had numerous sharp ends, just like any other pebble one might find on the ground. It was the size of a fingertip.


    "This is a powerful Nexal with the ability to cause severe damage that is not easy to heal. I actually just found it within Nawia today. If I channel aether into it, I can activate it whenever I wish, much like a card. But the problem with this Nexal is that for its ability to work, I have to do damage with the Nexal itself. I''m sure you can see how that would be tough."


    "You could flick it in someone''s eye," Nero said jokingly. It was only with his parents that he could feel so rxed. On his own, his guard was perpetually raised, and he never dared to rx at all, or crack suchme jokes.


    "When my holiday is over, I will go back to base and apply for a high ranked artisan to turn this into a card. Although I myself am an excellent artisan as well, I am nowhere near the level required to use Nexals. This should give you some kind of idea of how difficult it is to use them."


    Nero nodded.


    "Come on, let''s go inside and begin the lesson. Your dad will take care of tonight''s watch."


    With the incineration of all the vegetationplete, they returned to the resthouse. Before following them in, Edward ced a white candle in front of the resthouse door and lit it with a golden me.


    A few moments after Edward left, the golden light from the mes seemed to disappear into the darkness of the approaching night, and the entire resthouse vanished from view, as if it did not exist at all.


    Inside, Marilyn and Nero saw on the floor since the resthouses'' furniture was an in abysmal state. Marilyn opened one of the many bags they had brought along with them on the van, and ced a few items between her and Nero.


    "Hold out your hand," she told Nero, and when he did, she took a dagger and made a small cut on his hand, extracting a single drop of blood onto a small, ss b.


    "I now have a drop of your blood. Do you think I can use this to transfer the spell model of your innate ability into a card?" she asked.


    Nero hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head.


    "Unlikely. There should be none of my aether in it, so even the spell model should becking."


    "Very good. But if I do this¡­" she said, and then drew another drop of blood from him, yet this time he felt somethingtch onto his body and forcefully pull out some of his aether.


    "Do you think this would work?"


    This time Nero did not answer, because he could not specte.


    "The actual answer is that yes, it can work, but it''s not easy. Nevertheless, you should take care never to let anyone get ahold of your blood, hair, or any body part, especially if it contains a trace of your aether. Whether they can recreate your innate card is questionable, but they can definitely create a Cursed card that specifically targets you."


    "Cursed card?" Nero questioned, recalling the brief introduction his teacher had given him.


    "Yes, Cursed cards. They''re taboo and forbidden in Kr, because they use curses as main ingredients. The curse actually reces the spell model. They''re very deadly, and often harm the user as well as the target, not to mention anyone else who might get caught between. They''re not what we''re focusing on today, however."


    Marilyn took out a pinecone she had in the bag, and clearly it was being preserved using some kind of card, because there was a pink aura around it. Then she took out a few more.


    "These are pine cones from a Mystic level tree near Aetherpeak. It is one of the most reliable sources for spell models in the vicinity of the city, and they''re what we''re going to be practising with. Over the next few days, I am going to teach you how to identify spell models, how to harvest them, and how to create cards with them.


    If you can manage to learn all this in six days, then I can begin teaching you how to alter spell models. Otherwise, I can only exin things to you, and you''ll have to try them out on your own.


    "Both your father and I will be very busy in the future, and your own service will keep you busy as well. So we won''t get another chance like this any time soon."


    Nero opened his card case and took out Enhanced learning and used it.


    Name: Enhanced Learning


    Image: A person arduously studying.


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [For a brief period enhance the user''s brain, making studying temporarily easier. Can only be used once every 30 hours.]


    vour text: "The light of civilization has been lit, and it is ours to make it brighter" - Norton Fleming


    Marilyn held out one of the cones to Nero.


    "Take this and channel your aether within it. Try to sense the spell model without activating it. Don''t worry, the spell model for this has to do with nourishing the ground, making it more fertile, so it won''t have any hazardous effects if you identally trigger it."


    Nero closed his eyes and slowly channelled his aether within the pine cone, which was a new and unusual experience. Aether did not flow as easily into the cone as it did cards, and Nero felt a distinct resistance and loss of aether as he pushed it within the cone.


    He was already used to controlling his mes, which was simr to how he controlled aether outside his body, but without a spell his aether was loose and easily dissipated.


    Even so, after a while, he was able to sense that his aether touched something. Nero closed his eyes and tried to determine the shape of what he was touching, as if his aether was an additional limb. He could vaguely make out that whatever he was touching was some kind of roundish shape, but not exactly.


    As he tried to sense it a little more, his aether was identally pushed inside of it. A significant amount of his aether was pushed into it, yet there was no reaction from whatever he was sensing, nor did the pine cone react in any way.


    "I can feel it," Nero said.


    "Good. Now there are two ways to trap a spell model and preserve it until it is added to a card. The first is simr to how I trapped the aether within your blood - it requires the use of another card. The other, more difficult way is to use your own aether to hold onto the spell model and preserve it, while you change the physical form of the object, making it fit to be used as an ingredient."


    Nero opened his eyes and looked at his mother.


    "For 0 star cards, you can simply purchase the spell model as an ingredient. Shops and artisans treat items containing spell models, converting it into a suitable form to be used in card making, and then trap it that way using a card with a preservation effect. The result is good enough, but in higher ranked cards, it reduces the star rating of cards.


    "That is why higher grade artisans prefer to deal with the respective spell models themselves. It drastically increases the production time of cards, and is much harder, but the results are worth it.


    "Now observe as I process the pine cone. I''ll be creating a 0 star card for fertilising a small patch ofnd. You''ll have to learn the recipe and be able to produce this card before we move on."


    Nero paid close attention as his mother prepared countless ingredients.


    "As you already probably know, the first step in card crafting is deciding on the base, or bottom mostyer of the card. You can also purchase premade temtes for the base for moremon recipes, but for what we''re doing today, we won''t be doing something like that."


    Marilyn opened a small case and used a scooper to pick out some dried dirt and sprinkled it inside a rectangr frame till it was filled with dirt. Then, using a simple ruler, she scraped off all excess dirt above the frame, forming a t, rectangr bed of dirt, before lifting the frame as well.


    "This is treated dirt formed from a mixture of regr dirt, crushed mulch made from the leaves of an Initiate level tree, dried manure, ground animal bones, all mixed and baked in an oven overnight. This will act as a base for our card. Nextes theyer that forms the aetherwork in the card. For that, we will be using nt sap saturated with aether dust¡­"

 Chapter 246: Crushing

    "To reiterate, the base is the most important, as the functionality of the card is defined from that. Whether the card is elemental, aetheric or has some other nature, it must reflect in the base. Then a card needs an aethericwork which has to connect the spell model with the variousyers of the card.


    The number ofyers in a card is represented by the recipe, with the minimum number ofyers being three. In that case, theyers are the case, the aethericwork, and theyer that contains the spell model."


    The card they were making at the moment, Earths Boon, required fiveyers, and the fourthyer would be the one that contained the spell model.


    Nero had always just directly bought the ingredients which contained spell models, without ever even realising it contained the spell model rather than being just another part of the recipe. This would be his first time.


    "We''re taught from the beginning that as humans, weck finer control of aether because of which we cannot create our own spell models. While that''s true, such an approach automatically makes one think that they can do nothing else with their aether. That''s incorrect."


    With the previousyersid out, Marilyn brought out the pine cone surrounded in a pink glow, holding it out in front of Nero.


    "In fact, we arepletely capable of at least doing simple and straightforward things - for example, holding and preserving the spell model, among a few other things. What you have to do with this is surround the spell model with your aether as firmly as you can, without pushing your aether into the spell model.


    "This will allow the spell model to tolerate the destabilisation of its existing environment. But if the destabilisation is too great, or if your flow of aether is interrupted, the spell model will copse."


    Marilyn used Fairy Lights on herself, making her aether visible for Nero to see.


    Name: Fairy Lights


    Image: Sparks in the darkness


    Type: Illusion


    Star rank: 2


    Ability: [Makes aether used by target visible in the form of sparks]


    vour text: "Twinkle twinkle little star, show me what you really are," - ???


    Nero observed carefully as sparks appeared in the air in front of him, before epassing the pine cone entirely. Just as he thought he wouldn''t be able to see more, the sparks entered into the pine cone itself, merging with it, creating an illusion as if the pine cone itself was erupting.


    She then ced the shining pine cone inside a small, manually operated contraption, and sprayed with a concentrated aether dust solution, before beginning to squeeze the top, pressing it down upon the cone and crushing it.


    As the pine cone crumbled, Nero saw how the sparks became brighter, and seemed to tremble with greater ferocity, but they remained close together, trapped within the contraption.


    Once the pine cone was thoroughly crushed, the bottom of the device unscrewed, revealing a bed of crushed cones. Yet this would be too much for the card.


    Nero did not ask any questions at the moment, however, and just watched as his mother observed the product of her work.


    "Every step of card crafting has been made easier these days. If you''re in a rush, or are willing to ept a small dip in quality, you can use a card that will preserve the spell model during the processing period. This is an eptable method for you to use in the future, but I still suggest you learn how to preserve the spell model yourself. If nothing else, it will improve your control of aether.


    "Now that the pine cone is crushed, the spell model still exists, but not within all of these pieces. You must pick out the piece in which the spell model exists, and continuously break it down into as small a fragment as you can.


    "With experience, you''ll be able to feel when you''re on the verge of breaking the container too much before the spell model destabilises. The smaller the container, the greater your production quality."


    As if to prove her point, Marilyn picked out a specific piece of the pine cone, and discarded all the rest. Instead of continuing to crush the piece in the previous contraption, Marilyn brought out a file, and began to shave away at the sides, slowly and carefully reducing its size, until at least it took on the shape of an octagon.


    Satisfied, Marilyn moved the piece and ced it on the card she was crafting, before cing the finalyer. Predictably, the fiveyers becamerger than the size of a card, not to mention misshapen due to the octagon in the middle. But if the card was sessfully crafted, it would automatically adjust itself.


    "This is the final question for you," Marilyn said, a very serious expression on her face as she ced a finger on the topyer of the card, and began channelling her aether within.


    "There are other cards and methods you can use in every step of crafting cards, but the final step is always to channel your own aether into the card, activating it, fusing all the pieces together until they form a card.


    "There is no spell model which creates the card on your behalf, nor some innate ability. If the recipe is correct, simply providing a sufficient flow of aether is enough to trigger the card creation process. During all of this, no part of the recipe called for us to describe the image, state the vour text, determine the name, or anything of the sort.


    "So my question is, how exactly does using a correct recipe, and providing a spell mode create the process whereby a card is made? How do the additional details on a card appear? What sort of magic is this? And if using the correct recipe works for creating cards, if we theoretically use a simr process for determining a recipe while forging, can we create equipment with spell models?"


    "That''s not one question," Nero whispered, but that was besides the point. His eyes were glued onto the card which, under the influence of the sparks flowing into it, began to change form.


    From a thick, misshapen stack, it turned into a sleek, high quality card. Marilyn picked it up and handed it to Nero.


    Name: Earth''s Boon


    Image: A small patch of grass growing in a desert


    Type: Augmentation


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Increase the fertility of a small patch ofnd]


    vour text: "Weeds will grow even through the walls," - ?


    He channelled his aether into the card, and found the same spell model he''d found in the cone, yet this time the flow of his aether was smooth and easy. In fact, he didn''t even need much of his aether to activate the card.


    "I don''t know," Nero said inly,cking even any theory about why, without any spell models to guide the aether, it was able to merge a few random ingredients into a card, or how the pertinent information was transferred. "But there should be some way to create items with spell models."


    He couldn''t directly state that he had already used a dagger that would passively strengthen him, since that was supposed to be a secret.


    "Actually, there is a reason why I said forging items instead of creating them," said Marilyn. "They''re not mainstream yet, but Kr has already discovered a way to create items with spell models. They''re working off some information shared by Nova, which means that Nova is probably even more advanced in this. It won''t be long before, besides cards, we can also wield spells through our weapons.


    "As for why the cards are formed¡­ there are actually a lot of theories as to why it happens, which is just another way of saying no one actually knows yet. Even though we''ve been at it for a thousand years, our understanding of Eldrim cards is actually too shallow. Maybe, in the future, we will see even more changes to our understanding of the, and the world. But that''s all forter.


    For now, you must begin practising.


    "There is no need for you to practise the entire recipe for now. Just focus on preserving the spell model as you crush the cone. Once you are sessfully able to preserve the cone, and pick out the piece containing the spell model, you can begin practising the recipe. Once you have mastered this, I can teach you how to alter the spell model.


    If, by thest night, you haven''t mastered it, then I can only verbally tell you how to do it, and you will need to experiment on your own."


    "Got it," Nero said, and grabbed one of the pine cones from his mother and focused on it. He released no sparks, since he had not used Fairy Lights, but his aether moved slowly and gently across the surface of the cone. He was in no rush.


    He wanted to understand this entire process as deeply as possible. Only then could he master this long before the six day deadline his mother set.


    Within the resthouse they all sat silently as Nero practised, taking a temporary refuge from the troubles of the outside world. Right now, for them, the only thing that existed was the sound of pine cones being crushed.


    On the side, Edward collected all the crushed pine cones. They''d make excellent kindling for any bonfires they had. And fireworks.

 Chapter 247: Mastered

    Nero did not even notice as the night passed, so focused on his task was he. Yet, throughout the night, he went through eleven pine cones, unable to grasp hold of the spell model even once. His parents expected as much, so they were not surprised.


    The repeated failures did not wear him down, however. Before and after each attempt he would spend a great amount of time thinking, recalling what he did wrong and focusing on where he needed to improve.


    When they got back in the van, Nero opted to go to sleep instead of continuing his attempts. The sun was at high noon when he woke up, and they had paused once more to clear the path from curses. His father, who did not feel bad at all for making his wife do all the fighting, had his feet hanging out the window and a hat covering his head. He did not seem concerned at all.


    Nero paid him no mind and pulled out a pine cone. A part of him was really worried about Irene. It had already been so long. Who knew how she was faring? Yet there was nothing he could do about it, at least for now.


    Nero closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling slowly. He repeated the same thing a few times until he waspletely calm, and all external thoughts had been driven away.


    Then, with renewed vigour, he began working on the pine cone. His aether flowed out of his fingertips and covered the body of the pine cone, hugging it tightly. If aether were a physical force, he could have held the pine cone up in the air based solely on how tightly he was holding on to it with his aether.


    Slowly and deliberately, Nero then pushed the aether inside, ignoring the massive loss of aether and the resistance the cone itself offered. When his aether finally came into contact with the spell model, Nero wrapped his aether around it effortlessly in a single go, and held onto it as firmly as he could, well aware of the limits that the spell model could tolerate before his aether went inside.


    Then he began to crush the pine cone. Although his movements were slow, there was no hesitation in them. As the pine cone was crushed, Nero felt the turbulence within the cone as if it were his own body being shaken about. He could feel the world breaking around the spell model, and in fact, right through it as well.


    Nero had already realised that he was able to pull and push the spell model if he so wished, so as the pine cone was crushed, he moved the model just enough to keep it with arge enough piece.


    He also felt pressure on his aether, almost prompting him to increase the strength of his aether. But if he did that, everything would copse as his aether would enter into the model, loosening its protection from external factors, causing the entire model to dissipate.


    No, Nero had to protect the model using the exact same concentration of aether, and he did exactly that.


    After a single night of contemtion and consideration, as well as a few trials, he was not at the level of being called a master, but he was at least sufficientlypetent.


    For the first time, Nero seeded in crushing the entire pine cone without letting the spell model break. Theoretically, he could not directly proceed to the next step of card crafting, but since he had a few more days to try, he did not want to give up so easily.


    He easily picked out the piece with the spell mode and brought out the file, and began to shave it. So focused was he on the piece of cone that he missed it when Edward suddenly raised his hat to stare at Nero with surprise.


    Shaving the piece of cone was exceptionally difficult, because he had to be aware of where, physically, the spell model was inside the piece of cone, which was easier said than done. At first it seemed like he was doing just fine, but after a few minutes his file touched the part of the cone containing the spell model, and the model immediately copsed.


    Nero froze for a moment, deep regret welling up inside of him, but it was already done. Since he had failed, he put down the cone piece and file, only to find both his parents staring at him.


    "What?" Nero asked.


    "Nothing. Keep practising at your own pace. I''ll give you two more days at most before we move on. Do what you can in the meantime."


    Nero nodded, and then began once again considering where he went wrong and what he could do better. He could not help but think of how effective Ss'' eyesight would be for the filing process. It was as if Ss was literally born just to craft cards.


    For other people, thatment could have been apliment, but knowing Ss'' father, Nero wouldn''t be shocked if he specifically chose a wife just so that his progeny would be skilled artisans. As for the mother¡­ Nero did not even want to think about what she would be like.


    Taking a deep breath, he pushed out these random thoughts and began to focus on filing the spell model. First, he needed to somehow get a better picture of the spell model''s shape - he didn''t want to just rely on the memory of the shape his mother had carved out. Second, he needed to identify where the spell model was.


    At his current pace, he estimated it would take one more day before he mastered it to a sufficient level.


    *****


    Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop.


    The sound of trotting horses filled the air, the stone road beneath them a sign of a nearing settlement. Unlike Kr, Saint Codale didn''t haverge-scale ess to vehicles, mostly because they were mainly produced in Nova, so most travel urred on horseback - or camelback, or on the back of any sufficientlyrge animal in the vicinity.


    Of course, the technology being decades old had already been stolen and mastered, but no one could quite mass produce like Nova could, so even now the vast majority of the popce was not used to vehicles. The roads, then, were also not of great quality, which is what had slowed down Patrick and Invictus.


    "Do you think they have good food at Evergreen Sect?" Invictus asked, not for the first time. He was an exceptional warrior and soldier, capable of tolerating grevious wounds and fighting through the bitter cold against curses that should have easily devoured someone of his level. He could tolerate all kinds of trials and tribtions, but the man refused to tolerate hunger.


    "It''s a sect," Patrick said, matter of factly. "It should be housing tens of thousands of Adherents. I''m sure not only do they have food, they also probably have good food."


    "Gosh, I hope so. Wild jackrabbit ahead, 300 metres - at least an Initiate level."


    "There you go, jackrabbit. You can cook your lunch yourself."


    "Nah, I''m not in the mood," Invictus said. "I want to eat food someone else made, filled with love."


    "I don''t know about filled with love, but I''ll take it filled with meat," Patrick said as they reached the top of a hill, allowing them a clear view of a sprawling city right in their path.


    "The sect looks¡­ pedestrian. I expected something a little more grand," Patrick said.


    "That''s not the sect, that''s Pineneedle city, whiches under the territory of the sect. You can''t just enter a sect at will - you''ll be killed. The city is considered to be at the foot of the sect, and all trade and official matters are handled here. If we want to go close to the sect without being killed, we''ll need a guide from here.


    Fortunately, we already have a contact in the city who will connect us to the sect. We''ll be posing as middlemen for a ckmarket artisan from Kr, contacting the sect for trade."


    "Quite a convenient cover," Patrick said, slightly distracted. He felt movement from one of his tattoos so he stood still, allowing it to behave as it wished.


    "It''s not a cover. Whisper Guard has maintained actual ck market transactions with multiple forces, just for such an asion. The artisan we are representing is an agent as well, which is why we cannot blow our cover, as it will affect his other contacts as well."


    "Understood," Patrick said as a small ck outline of a pigeon climbed out from his cor, and suddenly took flight.


    "What the hell was that?" Invictus said, shocked. He hadn''t felt any aether fluctuations from it whatsoever!


    "Ever heard of a homing pigeon?" Patrick asked as his gaze lingered over the city. "The pigeon has found its target. We don''t need to enter the sect. The targets are in the city."

 Chapter 248 Misspelled eon

    Chapter 248 Misspelled eon


    Nero stared intently at the perfectly shaped octagon, with razor-sharp edges and perfectly equal length between each corner. If someone saw it, they would be impressed by Nero''s precision, but only if they were unaware that it contained a spell model that was a near perfect fit inside of it. The reason it was near perfect was because Nero discovered that if the container of the spell model is the same size as the model itself, the model will disintegrate. The model can never touch the edge of its container, which means that the container must always be bigger.


    It had taken him an embarrassing two and a half days to achieve this, which went over his mothers deadline, but they didn''t seem to be mad.


    "Great. Now all you need to do is master crafting Earth''s Boon and we can work on altering the spell model," Marilyn said, her voicepletely even. Nero could obviously tell his parents were impressed, but since they didn''t want to mention it, he didn''t either.


    "Can we take a small break first?" Nero asked. "There''s something I want to test out. Evening would be the best time for that, and if we could find a few weak curses, that would be even better. Also, if you could make sure there''s no one nearby, that would be best."


    Marilyn raised a curious eyebrow, while Edward only chuckled to himself, as if he knew exactly what Nero was thinking.


    "You clearly understand how important model alteration is, so if you want to take time away from that, then whatever you want to test out must be important," Marilyn said after a few moments. "You''re an adult now - we''ll respect your choices. If you need anything else, let me know."


    "I''ll tell you if I think of something. In the meantime, I''m going to take a nap and get some rest."


    Neroy down in the van and closed his eyes, though he didn''t immediately try to sleep. Instead, he shifted his innate card, turning it from Cryome to Virtuous Moonlight. He could not maintain both innate abilities at the same time, since despite the addition of Virtuous Moonlight, he only had one innate card inside of himself. At any given time, that innate card could take on one of those forms, but never both at the same time.


    Simultaneously, his absorption of the card itself remained the same, no matter which of the abilities was active. So, even when he switched to Virtuous Moonlight, he was still at 29% though he was nning on asking his parents to help him raise that by finding some wild animals to kill.


    He went over the card one more time in his mind, trying to decipher what the actual ability did.


    Name: Virtuous Moonlight. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Image: A sleek ck silhouette stood out, like a ribbon or some elongated object, its form abstract yet deliberate. Near the base of this figure, there was a small circle, almost like an eye or a focal point.


    Type: Luminari


    Star rank: X


    Ability: [The light of the virtuous Aeon graces the world with its brilliance, a flicker of purifying mercy.]


    vour text: "When the banners of Grimverge fell, when the armies of the the Wardens retreated, when the mysts of Hjorflow spread, all that remained was the memory of a better time," - Karv La Heim


    The ability clearly had something to do with light. That much was obvious from its name, the fact that light was mentioned in the ability, and that it appeared in the form of a pale, silver light. But besides that, he could only guess - so guess he did.


    The light had pushed away the cursed blood that his mes couldn''t even touch without winking out, so one theory was that it could repel cursed energy. The fact that within Lumina, cursed energy was referred to as corruption, and the card''s description mentioned purification also supported this theory.


    Yet without more testing, there was no way to be certain. The object of the light''s purification could just as well be blood instead of cursed energy, or perhaps some other aspect of that daunting curse from back then.


    He also looked into the word aeon, since he was unfamiliar with it, but in the dictionary he looked through, he only discovered that it was another way of writing eon - as in a very long period of time.


    He could possibly see how the ability was referring to a very long period of time where the general theme of things was virtue, but then aeon did not need to be written with a capital ''a''. His current theory was that it was the name, or nickname, of some powerful ancient being.


    Aware that he would have a very busy evening ahead of him, Nero finally allowed his mind to rest, drifting away into a slumber.


    Ordinarily, Nero was a very light sleeper. It was something he''d practised, and had, in fact, been trained to do. But as always, around his parents, he could not help but let down his guard.


    That is why his short nap turned into a full sleep, waking up only a few hourster when the van was parked in the driveway of another resthouse. The sun was already setting, and a partial white moon hung in the sky, in contrast to the dark moon which was always full.


    Nero got out of the van while stretching, limbering up for what would no doubt be a strenuous evening, and possibly even night.


    "Did we find any weak curses?" Nero asked as he walked into the resthouse to find his father seriously looking over some documents.


    "Wait for your mom, she''ll take you to them. I might have to cut my trip short, something urgent hase up."


    "Something urgent came up at the pharmacy where you work?" Nero said questioningly, poking at his fathers weak facade of a front. There was a time in Nero''s life where he was unsure if his father still worked in Whisper Guard, but that time had long since passed.


    Edward gave him an exasperated look, then turned back to his documents.


    "If you must know, there''s a national shortage of vitamin C tablets. It''s affected army rations, and there''s a fear of soldiers developing scurvy if it''s not addressed. It could literally affect any future wars. I''ve recently been promoted to head of procurement, but how can I procure something that doesn''t exist? It''s quite a problem."


    Nero rolled his eyes at the cover story and just walked past him. Even if the documents he actually held had information written on them about the pharmacy, Nero knew well that his father could hide other information there. Who knew what he was actually reading? Luminalink really was the perfect ability for a spy.


    He looked for his mother, and they quickly made their way out of the resthouse and to a teau that was a thirty minute jog away.


    "I''ve already cleared the vicinity, but I''ll stay by just in case," Marilyn said. "There''s a batch of cursed daisies just up ahead. They won''t attack you unless you touch them, so they''re about as safe as curses can be."


    "Thanks," Nero said and drew his dagger before slowly making his way forward. Even if his mother said it was fine, it never hurt to be careful. A single de of cursed grass had sent him to the hospital when he was a kid, so now that he was literally walking through wild growth, he wasn''t about to lower his defences.


    He eventually encountered the field of daisies, and they would have made for a picturesque sight, were it not for the countless dead insects and small animals littered all around them. After making sure there were no other dangers nearby, Nero extended his hand and finally used Virtuous Moonlight.


    Just as the first time he used it, the innate ability consumed an enormous amount of aether, making it so that Nero could not keep using it for a prolonged period of time. The light extended one metre out from his body beforeing to an abrupt end, as if it encountered a wall of some sort.


    Nero was about to shine the light on the daisies, but then noticed something unexpected. The light shone on a few des of grass, longer than the ones surrounding it, and a small amount of smoke emerged from the leaf, as if something inside of it had burned.


    He paused, and then slowly lowered his hand so that the light shone on the rest of the vegetation near him, and just like before, a small amount of smoke would rise from it. But what was odd was that there was no burning smell, nor did the nts look worse off than before.


    For all intents and purposes, the vegetation which had bathed in the silvery light lookedpletely identical to how it had before.


    He made a mental note of it, and then moved the light to the nearest daisy only to watch it bend as if a servant before a king. The daisy kept bending backwards just before the light could touch it, as far away as its stem would allow it, until it waspletely prone on the ground.


    Anticipating the sight of the daisy being crushed, he pushed the light a little further. Yet the cursed flower was not smashed into the ground by the light. Instead, when the virtuous light finally shone upon the body of the cursed flower, something else happened.

 Chapter 249: Streak of white

    From the way that the ocean of blood had behaved, always being pushed away from the light, Nero assumed that the light was physically pushing it away. When he saw the daisy bend, he felt that assumption reconfirmed. Yet when he pressed the light onto the daisy, and finally saw the silver light shine on its body, he was proven wrong.


    The light did not crush the nt. Instead, much like with the nts earlier, smoke started to emerge from the nt. Only, it was not a thin, easily dismissable wisp, but a thick, ck torrent.


    Nero immediately jumped back,pletely unwilling to be touched by the thick ck smoke, though some inevitably touched him regardless. Nothing happened. The smoke was harmless, and disappeared into the wind as if it had never existed to begin with. The nt had also returned to its upright position, and at a nce looked perfectly normal.


    But on a closer look, Nero noticed that the petals looked a shade lighter.


    That was an odd thing to say, considering the petals were white to begin with, but they looked like they were being shone on by a silver light.


    Nero was thoroughly intrigued, and guessed as to what had happened. When the light touched the nt, his aether consumption drastically increased, to the point where he was already slightly nauseous.


    A rough estimate told him that he could, at most, maintain the Virtuous Moonlight touching the flower for a minute. After that, he would likely reach the point of aether consumption that made him too sick to even stand.


    Yet his curiosity was far from sated. He needed to know what the pale moonlight was doing. Was it purifying the cursed energy from the nt? How was that any different from his cryome?


    No, upon some consideration, his mes destroyed curses. This was supposed to be purification. Was there any difference between the two? He would have to find out.


    Bracing himself, he once again shed the light onto the nt, this time at an angle to avoid the smoke that seemed to always rise directly up.


    Just as the torrent of ck smoke flowed from the flower, as if bleeding from it, Nero felt his aether pouring out of his body in a painfully rapid deluge. He had never felt pain from aether flow before, but there was a first time for everything.


    Yet whether it was the oing weakness, or the building pain in his body, neither could distract him from his goal. His eyes were trained onto the flower, observing beneath the veil of flowing ck smoke, and his brain was analysing what was happening.


    At first, Nero assumed that the flower was somehow being purified - that after he was done, it would go back from its cursed state to how it was prior to being cursed. But he quickly realised that for the fantasy that it was.


    It only took twenty seconds, and when the smoke stopped Nero deactivated his ability and nearly fell to his knees from weakness. But he held on. More importantly, his eyes did not move from the white petals of the small daisy, now encased in silver light. Though he could not be sure, he felt instinctively that the flower had been sealed.


    What did it mean that the cursed flower was sealed? He did not know. He was not foolish enough to touch it with his own hands, even if his new ability had sealed it. But this was good to know.


    Now he needed to test the limits of the seal, how long it wouldst, and how easy it was to break. He also had to test if it could seal other items too.


    Although, at a nce, it seemed like his me was stronger than the moonlight, the way that the blood had avoided the light yet ate up his me was a clear indication of the fact that the light was the bigger threat somehow. He just needed to understand the limits of his card.


    His mind went to its description once more.


    Ability: [The light of the virtuous Aeon graces the world with its brilliance, a flicker of purifying mercy.]


    He tried to connect the light with the ability, and saw where it came from. He connected the retreating curse and the emerging ck smoke to its purifying nature. That meant that the silver light sealing the flower was its mercy. Instead ofpletely devouring the curse, orpletely purifying it, it was only sealed, and hence delivered a mercy.


    Since he was analysing it, was the reason that the light was so pale due to the fact that it was just a flicker? Did that mean if he levelled up to Initiate, his card would evolve as well? If that were the case, he was very curious to see what it would be.


    For now¡­ Nero used a sensory card to find a few rodents nearby, and using aether maniption, rushed up and caught them before they could escape.


    He threw one to the one the cursed flowers, and saw how the petals dug into the rodent''s skin, suddenly draining it of blood, leaving it as nothing more than a withered husk, before dropping it. Somehow, the petals remained pure and white through that horrific attack.


    Then he threw another one at the daisy he had sealed. As if it were an ordinary flower, it was trapped beneath the rodent''s weight, and then ripped from the ground as it tried to scurry away.


    Even with its stem ripped up, and separated from its roots, dying, the seal around the flower petals did not break. Then he threw a pebble directly at the seal. The seal itself still did not break, but the petals did, as if they were the soft and fragile petals of the flower they had once been.


    Even then, the individual petals remained sealed. It was only when he used an Eldrim card to throw an aetheric attack on the seal did it break reluctantly, letting loose a sh of silvery light.


    Nero grinned, for whatever touched the silvery light gave off a thin wisp of ck smoke - everything except himself.


    For the next few hours, Nero alternated between recovering his aether, and testing out his card until he understood its limits.


    On curses, it seemed to consistently have a sealing effect, which drained him considerably. On non-cursed things, the light only allowed a small amount of ck smoke to escape, though he did encounter a de of grass that revealed a significant amount of smoke. Nero suspected it would be cursed soon.


    He did not have an opportunity to test it on a cursed beast, but he did test it out on some normal animals he found. They would, each and every one of them, run from the light once it was brought close, but as soon as the light touched them, they would go prone, as if they had lost all courage, and resigned themselves to death.


    But, interestingly enough, besides that the light did nothing more. It did not seal regr animals, or harm them in any way. He was curious to see how a human would react to the light, or evenrger, smarter animals, like dogs.


    But there was no way to test that, unless he tested on his parents - something he wasn''t willing to do. Ultimately, it was alreadyte at night when his mother appeared in front of him again.


    "There''s a strong cursed beast heading in our direction. I have to take you back."


    Without giving him room to respond, she lifted him effortlessly off the ground and sprinted back to the resthouse, taking only a few minutes.


    "Stay with your dad," she said, mming the door shut behind her as she went to face whatever beast wasing their way. Nero was worried, but not too worried.


    "Go wash up, dinner''s ready," Edward yelled from the other room, causing Nero to sigh and head towards the bathroom.


    Edward, still seated in front of his documents, looked towards Nero as if he could see through the wall, a solemn expression on his face.


    Nero, unaware of his father''s odd reaction, walked into the bathroom and used the manual deep well hand pump. It tapped into an underwater reservoir, so any time someone in the resthouse needed water they could easily get it.


    It took only a minute before water started flowing which he used to fill a bucket. Using arge cup, he scooped out water and poured it over his hands one by one before finally using the rest to wash his face.


    He was about to return, bringing the water with him to boil, when his eye caught something and caused him to freeze. There, in front of him, was the bathroom mirror, and in it, his reflection.


    Everything was normal, save his eyes. A streak of white had begun to cut through the blue of his eyes.

 Chapter 250: Birds and the bees

    To be entirely honest, the white streak didn''t look bad. In fact, it looked quite cool. The reason Nero was able to stay so calm despite the sudden change within his eye was because this was something he had already anticipated, although admittedly it had slipped his mind while he focused on testing his new innate abilities'' limits.


    His eyes and hair had turned blue because of the elemental affinity of his cryome, which appeared as a blue me. By that logic, it waspletely reasonable for his eye colour to change to the colour corresponding to his second ability.


    What was interesting, however, was that instead of silver, like the moonlight, the streak in his eye was white.


    Internally, Nero changed his ability back to cryome, and then summoned a tiny me on his finger to see if the white streak disappeared. Unfortunately, the change was not immediate. It would take some time.


    This was something he had to address. At the same time, he was certain that his mother, at the very least, had already seen the change in his eye colour though she hadn''t mentioned it. His father might have noticed it as well, since he was the one who sent Nero to the bathroom.


    That was good, since he wanted them to know that there was something going on, though he dared not share the secret just yet.


    It was less because he didn''t trust them, and more because he wasn''t sure what was possible. There were too many abilities and Eldrim cards out there, and Nero wasn''t sure how they might be able to detect his secret. In that case, it was best to leave it unsaid.


    But since his parents had an idea that he was hiding something important, they could give him good advice and lead him in the right direction.


    He extinguished the me on his finger, and carried the bucket of water to his father.


    "Old man, you''re good with illusions. What''s a good way to keep people from noticing the oddity in my eyes if it crops up? I don''t want people looking at me oddly," Nero said, directly addressing the topic instead of tiptoeing around it.


    While Nero did not even trust Gabriel properly, there was no one he trusted more than his family.


    "What''s wrong with your eye?" Edward finally asked, looking at Nero carefully. "It''s not some curse, is it?"


    "Vitamin C deficiency," Nero answered, and sat down opposite his father and looked down at the food. For once, it was not processed rations. Instead, they were eating food that they had hunted themselves.


    Both his parents had taken the time to show him how to check the meat for any traces of curses, disease, parasites and such, and then prepare it for consumption in case he ever needed it.


    Edward snorted, and thenughed.


    "I remember when Patrick started keeping secrets for the first time. He managed to keep it for a whole two hours before he asked me to meet him outside, and then spilled the beans. He''d kissed a girl for the first time and thought that it made her pregnant. That''s the day¡­"


    "Yes, I remember it clearly, no need to revisit," Nero said in an annoyed tone, getting horrific shbacks to the traumatic day his father had given him and Patrick the talk about the birds and the bees.


    The metaphor was apt, for birds and bees, cursed or not, were some of the most deadly creatures in existence, and encountering them would be a traumatic experience for anyone.


    "I''ll give you a simple illusion card. Since it''s limited to your own body, no one should notice - unless they get close enough for a kiss."


    Edward winked at Nero, but the teenager only groaned.


    "On a serious note, though, I think I''m going to have to leave tonight, so it''s time for a conversation I was hoping to have a few dayster."


    Nero suddenly found himself in the familiar illusionscape of Luminalink, and saw his father''s expression in front of him turn quite serious.


    "Nero, you''ve always been a good kid. Your mother and I are proud of you, and of how much you''ve grown. But unfortunately, kid, you need to grow up much faster now. The situation in Kr is bad, and it''s going to get a whole lot worse."


    "We were just at war with the whole world. How can it get worse?" Nero asked.


    Edward shook his head.


    "Nero, we have ess to Eldrim ruins. Although it appears like the worst is behind us, it''s not. The whole world is going to change, and whether it''s fortunate or unfortunate, we''re going to be caught up in the turmoil caused by that change. You need to quickly get stronger if you want to have any hope of surviving such a drastic change, let alone affect it in any way.


    "But it''s not just that. The danger''s we''re facing now are a lot worse than before. Ever since that silver moon has appeared in the sky, things are slowly heading in a negative direction. It''s not been officially announced yet, but about eight hours ago, near the western arm of the Aether mountain range, a city was overrun by curses.


    Everyone, including the Ascendant incharge of the city, are suspected dead at this time.


    "It''s only going to get more chaotic from here on out. I''m not certain, but from what I was able to find out, the reason you''re being sent to Fordham is because they''re interested in the curse elimination effect of your innate ability. But even I wasn''t able to find out exactly what they intend to use you for. Whatever it is, it''s going to be dangerous."


    Nero nodded, taking his fathers warning very seriously.


    "You''re also going to begin your military career. Actually, you already have, but I wasn''t there at the time to give you any advice, so I''m going to give it to you now. Although you don''t show it, I know you have a bit of a short temper. Try not to offend everyone you meet - making friends is a lot more useful than making enemies."


    Through immense self control, Nero managed to resist blushing. He had shbacks of himself beating up Bael, and then Arter, of speaking down to Maximilian. The shbacks didn''t end there - even during his training, while he was in the draft, as long as anyone irritated him, or got in the way of his objective, Nero was not pleasant to them - to put it mildly.


    "I have more friends than anyone," Nero lied with a straight face. "I only make contacts, not enemies."


    Edward studied Nero for a moment, and then ced his hand on Nero''s shoulder and said, "I''m proud of how good you''ve be at lying. If I wasn''t the one cleaning up your messes, I would have believed you."


    This time, Nero did blush from embarrassment.


    "But on a serious note, make contacts. Make them with your peers, and make them with your seniors. Be a little tolerant of others, though not to the point where they take your tolerance for weakness. But where possible, try not to offend your CO manding officer). They''re going to be mean and harsh, but you''re not a kid anymore. You can''t act out because someone hurt your feelings.


    "Most importantly, Nero, do not for a second start thinking that you''re actually the best, or the strongest. You''ve had some sesses recently, which means that this is the point where your sess goes to your head. Don''t make that mistake. Do not underestimate anyone. It''s fine to say such things on a podium and on a stage - rhetoric is thenguage of the masses.


    "But never actually believe that you are the best, because the moment you start thinking that, you will begin to underestimate your opponents, and that will cause you to lose."


    Nero nodded, and listened to his fathers guidance seriously. Although Edward liked to joke most of the time, he was also the one mainly responsible for Nero''s training and upbringing.


    Any time he was in trouble, Nero referred to the words or guidance of his father, and so far it had not led him astray. Almost immediately, Nero altered the way he talked to himself, no longer deluding himself in thinking that he was the best. He was only very good.


    "Of course, if anyone bullies you, don''t forget that I have your back. But neither I, nor you, nor the Sages can go against the whole world. Even the emperor could not take on the whole world. So pick your battles carefully.


    "There''s also a few more things I wanted to tell you. After ourst chat about Radix Augmentation, we did a little more research. It seems that the stronger versions of the card, which we specifically designed for the Initiate and Arcanist realm, do not have the effect of strengthening the body from killing curses.


    We do not know why, so for now, I''m going to rmend that you stick to Radix even after you reach the next levels, though the efficiency will decrease."


    "If everything goes ording to n, in the next six months I should reach the Initiate level."


    Edward nodded.


    "Good. The stronger you are, the better it is for us. The dangers we face are more than just curses. I got a lead on who was targeting you in Lumina, and then in the courts. The situation has be extremelyplicated."

 Chapter 251: Rhino

    "Aside from the Dom family, the other Great families who want fewerpetitors for Vaults, the Clear Path and the few others I''ve offended, who else is on there? Don''t tell me, it''s a girl I rejected in high school," said Nero with rolling eyes. How much moreplicated could the situation get?


    Edward smiled.


    "As it turns out, for once, the source of all your great troubles is not yourself. Instead, it''s your friend, Gabriel."


    Nero raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. Someone was targeting him because of Gabriel? How did that make sense?


    "While following up on the lead, I looked a little into your friend. I hope you do not mind. His situation is far from normal, by any standard. Both his parents have a terrible reputation within the family, so he has no real support. However, unlike his parents, Gabriel himself proved to be highly talented and highly hardworking, and his innate ability is strong as well.


    That turned him intopetition."


    "What does that have to do with me?" Nero asked. "And are you really telling me that I was targeted by the Anzem family?"


    "The Anzem family, or some other Great family close to them. What it has to do with you is thatpetition in Great families is tough. It''s not just a matter of resources, but also position and power. Without his parents'' support, Gabriel had no real protection so he left his home to get away from thepetitive environment. For a time, it worked.


    But he must have been noticed by someone when his name was entered into the draft.


    "Targeting him would draw a greater inquiry into the matter. However, targeting you was just a way to remind him of his ce, and to send him a message. When the assassination failed, and we forced the case to go to court, they offered some incentives to the Dom family in exchange for taking the fall.


    "On the surface it looks like Jacob has gone and volunteered in a Cursed zone. Him targeting you also seems reasonable since he targeted Patrick before as well. In a year or so, when he exits, his time in the Cursed zone will drastically improve his service history, improving his career trajectory, while whoever is the real mastermind stays hidden."


    "Seems like a lot of trouble for something as insignificant as sending Gabriel a message," Nero said doubtfully.


    "Wee to the dynamics between Great families. Don''t worry, since I found out, I thought it would only be just to respond in kind. I''ve made sure Jacobs'' service is going to be as real as he wanted to im it was going to be, and although I''m not exactly certain who was behind it all, I''ve retaliated by helping that Gabriel kid out.


    Since they were trying to put him down, seeing him rise would only hurt them.


    "But kid, I can interfere this time, but I won''t be able to do it every time. You and your friends need to anticipate it if someone is targeting you, and take care of it beforehand. Try your best to handle things as carefully as possible. But if you can''t¡­ well, don''t be afraid to make a mess of things. Remember, you''re from a Great family too."


    "Old man, you really feel no shame that the Grant family is only Great because mom is a Mystic? I was thinking about it, and considering you have Radix Augmentation as well, shouldn''t you be making progress on bing a Mystic too?"


    Edward smiled as grabbed Nero and put him in a headlock.


    "Don''t forget which one of us is the father, and which one is the kid. Focus on your own things."


    Nero would have tried to fight the stranglehold, but it was pointless. No Neophyte could face an Arcanist in a fight of physical strength.


    After a while, when Edward became bored from Nero''sck of reaction, he let him go.


    "Kid, you interested in joining the Whisper Guard?" he asked.


    "Not really," Nero said. "It''s pretty powerful as far as I can tell, but all the power they wield is in secret. For the things I want to do, I want power and recognition that everyone knows about."


    Edward nodded, as if that was a perfectly eptable answer.


    "For that, I rmend once you get into KMA, do your best to join the Valkon Legion. Each year, they only select one person at most to join, which means they might not even select one."


    Nero frowned.


    "Valkar Legion? I''ve never heard of it. What''s that?"


    Edward hummed for a moment, as he thought of how to answer.


    "It''s not an actual Legion or something like that. Instead, the Valkar Legion is a legion of the best officers that the academy produces. That''s why it''s not amonly known term. I won''t go into too much detail.


    All you need to know is that to be selected, you need to pass academic tests, have excellentbat prowess, demonstrate excellent leadership qualities, have excellent aether aptitude, and pass a psychological profiling test. You also need to get rmended from one of your instructors.


    "In there, Nero, I can''t help you, and your mother can''t help you. The KMA is notorious for resisting external influence, and they''ve even expelled kids from the Sage families without fear of persecution. You have to achieve everything on your own."


    "KMA is still far away. I have six months of service for now. I''ll think about that when I get there. When are you leaving?"


    "It helps to n ahead, but don''t feel too attached to your ns. Be flexible enough to change if circumstances call for it. As for me¡­ I''m already gone."


    The illusionscape disappeared, and Nero discovered that in front of him, instead of his father, there was a white candle that had reached the end of its life.


    The door behind him suddenly opened, and Marilyn walked in, and paused. The sight of the candle was all she needed to see to understand that Edward was gone, and sighed.


    "Nero get in the van, we can''t spend the night here. We need to leave."


    "What''s going on?" Nero asked, jumping to his feet, stuffing some rations in his mouth while he reached for their still packed bags.


    "There''s a cursed tide thirty kilometres (18.6 miles) from here. Although we''re on the border of its range, it''s best to leave as soon as possible."


    Nero didn''t ask any questions and quickly returned everything to their van before getting in. Marliyn got in the driver''s seat and drove off. For once, the car was filled with silence and Nero didn''t dare speak, lest he distract his mother during a critical moment.


    A curse tide was not a literal tide, nor did it consist of a massive horde of cursed beasts attacking. Instead, it was the result of a cursed, airborne virus. It could spread with the wind, was invisible, almost impossible to detect and even harder to defend against.


    Nero couldn''t help but think of how he would be safe if he used Virtuous Moonlight, but not everyone else would be.


    Curse tides were notmon, but whenever they did ur, it required a Sage to eliminate them. It also usually resulted in mass casualties. The minimum level required to survive was the Arcanist level. Anyone weaker than that was very likely to quickly be sick, and then fall victim to the cursed virus.


    But only a few minutes into their drive, they were confronted by the very reason why they normally didn''t travel during the night.


    From the darkness, as if jumping out from another dimension, like a nightmare given flesh, a hulking mass of twisted muscle and shadowed bone. Its hide was cracked and ckened as if burned from the inside, pulsed faintly with a dull crimson light, casting eerie reflections on the cursed ground beneath its feet.


    A massive horn atop its head was jagged and crooked, weeping ck ichor that sizzled in the air, while its eyes glowed a malevolent red, burning with an intelligence as dark as it was ancient. ted obsidian spikes jutted out from its shoulders and legs, and beneath its feet, the very ground withered as if recoiling from the foul energy that oozed from its corrupted form.


    There was a sense of something far more sinister lurking within, a power that bent the air with its presence, and in its terrible gaze, a void that threatened to consume anything it touched.


    In the split second that it appeared, Nero recognised it as a cursed, thoroughly mutted form of the animal known as a rhino.


    But the creature never crashed into the van. Marilyn threw out a massive Snowke, cutting through the windshield and cutting the monstrosity in half, freezing its body and then shattering it all before it could touch the van.


    But the night was young, and the onught had just begun. Yet Marilyn seemed prepared. She pulled out a white candle, and a golden fire appeared on it. The van disappeared.

 Chapter 252: Alteration

    "Aren''t dads illusions a little too powerful?" Nero asked his mother as they drove past countless monsters and cursed beasts. Moving or travelling about at night would attract countless curses. This was a fundamental truth that everyone knew, though in cities the army had somehow managed to reduce the number of curses that would appear. But even that wasn''t foolproof.


    His father would never give a straight answer, if only because he''d like to irritate Nero. His mom, however, might just answer.


    "It wasn''t always like this," Marilyn said, her voice low, as if lost in a memory. "You already know that your dads family weren''t much into fighting. Your grandfather used to work in a forge, and that''s how their family has always been, but your dad wanted to be different. Unfortunately, his innate ability wasn''t that great, and he wasn''t too physically gifted either."


    Marilyn sighed, and paused for a few minutes.


    "Well, some bad things happened, your father got in a fight with a school bully and like always he was losing. Until suddenly, something clicked. He had an idea, used his ability in a different way and, well, nothing has been the same since."


    "Are you seriously telling me that he just, what, used his ability differently and now he''s OP (over powered)?"


    Marilyn shrugged.


    "I don''t know what to tell you. His ability is a golden me that lets him transmit data using light. At first, he just used to use it to send messages to people and stuff, until one day he decided to control all the data being transmitted to the brain. Through light, he can even simte data pertaining to the other senses.


    The freaky thing is, it even works on blind enemies, since he doesn''t need anyone to see, he just needs to use light as a medium to reach the brain."


    "That''s still stupid. You can just wear a blindfold, or close your eyes. The data transmitted through the light into the eyes will never reach the brain if the eyes are closed."


    "You''re right. But remember, that was his ability when he was a Neophyte. Since then, his ability has evolved twice, not to mention he can use cards to produce spell models different from his own. Your dad has thoroughly mastered illusions to a level that''s pretty scary. I''ve never seen anyone be able to detect his illusionspletely - even curses!"


    Nero looked out at the monsters around them through the now broken windshield, and saw now they could not see the van driving right past them, let alone hear them.


    "Just so you know, in case you ever need it, he can also use the golden light to extract data. That little ability of his has made him very famous. Although, honestly, at this point, I don''t even know if he''s using his own ability or if he''s using cards for half the things he does.


    I hate to admit it, but your father has put my family''s heritage to better use than anyone in my family''s recent history. Paired with his penchant for keeping secrets, you can never tell if he''s hiding something. A small tip, if he ever says ''truth be told'' or something like that, he''s about to lie."


    Nero chuckled, but then spent a few more moments thinking about what his mom had said. His dad discovered a new way to use his ability, and that changed everything for him. Could Nero do the same?


    "Why don''t you tell me how to perform model alterations right now? You can show me after we stop. We only have a small amount of time left. Might as well use it as much as we can."


    Marilyn nodded.


    "You already know how to preserve a spell model using your own aether. But what is a spell model? Again, this is one of those questions we do not have a concrete answer for, but the prevalent theory is that a spell model is some kind of 3-D structure formed using aether.


    We have concluded that, other than as free aether, spell models are the stablest form for aether to exist in, allowing them to be transferred from their natural state into spells.


    "You need to know this because when you try to alter a spell model, it will enter into a state of being extremely unstable and fragile. Up and until it returns to its stable state, if you ease your pressure around it, the spell model will immediately copse."


    "Makes sense, kind of."


    "There are actually quite a few ways to alter spell models, but it''s a delicate and precise art, so without knowing what you''re doing, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to figure out how to do it. At the very least, they would have to try it hundreds if not thousands of times, blindly testing it out until they stumble onto sess.


    "The first method, and the one you''re going to be practising, is to fuse an identical spell model with the first one. When two identical spell models sessfully fuse, they experience somewhat of an evolution. It''s simr to what happens when a Neophyte grows to an Initiate. Although it sounds simple, it is anything but.


    To fuse two simr spell models, you have to destabilise both of them, but not enough so that they copse, and then fuse them together and exert enough pressure so that they stabilise.


    "The description is easy, but the process is incredibly hard, which is the reason I bought so many cones. The second way is simr, but even harder. That is to fuse two dissimr spell models together. In the first scenario, as long as the fusion is sessful, it will always form an altered spell model, but there is no guarantee that two different spell models can ever fuse together sessfully.


    "But, over the centuries, the Soren family has written down their sessful recipes, as well as test results to determine which two different spells managed to sessfully fuse. As you''ve noticed, the models appear to be in geometric shapes. There seems to be some kind of corrtion between the shapes of the two spells that can fuse together.


    I''ll hand you some of those books once you''ve mastered the first way to alter a spell model.


    "The third way is, once again, a very difficult way to alter spell models, mostly because of how long it takes. Showering the spell model consistently with aether dust, just enough that it continues to absorb it, will eventually elicit a change from the model. But this way can take hours or even days, during which you have to keep the spell model stable.


    Of course, you can use other methods to keep the spell model stable than your own aether, but that reduces the quality of the product.


    "The fourth way is to expose the spell model to elemental aether. Elemental aether is tough to get your hands on, as you don''tmonly find elemental shards or aether elemental crystals that easily, so for that you have to¡­"


    Throughout the night, as they drove down the lonely road, getting as far away from the curse tide as possible, Marilyn informed Nero about all the ways to possibly alter spell models. After a few hours, Edwards'' candle went out, so Marilyn was forced to attack all the monsters that caught sight of them, but fortunately the strongest of them were in the Arcanist level.


    When Neropared how easy it was to travel with his father, versus what it was like when he was not around, he finally realised why most people never end up travelling long distances, or why they rely on caravans.


    By the time the sun began to rise, they had actually driven so far that Fordham base was visible on the horizon. But instead ofing closer, they stopped at that distance. Nero was not due to arrive just yet, and they still had to practise his spell model alterations. At the same time, his mother began to give him a crash course on all things rted to spell models.


    Predictably, Nero had no sess whatsoever. He was not able to craft Earth''s Boon, and even figured out that the picture, the text, the name was all decided based on his intentions when he fused his aether into the card to craft it.


    But when it came to actual spell model fusion, he had no sess whatsoever. The first obstacle was stabilising two spell models at the same time. To speed things up, Marilyn gave him a card he could use to preserve a spell model for a time, but she encouraged him to practise maintaining two on his own during his free time.


    Yet even with the first hurdle cleared, the second hurdle to making them unstable enough to fuse without dissipating stumped him.


    Minutes turned to hours and then days. The mother and son stayed close to the base, but never approached, always just focusing on the spell model alteration.

 Chapter 253 Reaching Fordham

    Chapter 253 Reaching Fordham


    Nero focused on the decagon shaped, shaved pine cone piece in his hand. Although he himself had been unable to produce an altered spell model even after days of trying, his mother showed him exactly how it was done, which produced this exact piece as a result.


    Or, to be more specific, it produced the ten-sided spell model which was contained within the pine cone. Surprisingly enough, after fusing, the spell model became smaller rather than bigger, though only by a few millimetres Still, it was enough to shave the pinecone into its new shape.


    Nero observed the spell model for a while, before Marilyn took it back from him, and then used it toplete the recipe. It was not exactly the same, but it was simr enough to Earth''s Boon that a majority of the ingredients ovepped.


    Once she was done, Marilyn handed Nero the produced card.


    Name: Earth''s Haven


    Image: A light shining down on a small patch of grass


    Type: Augmentation/Defensive


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Increase the fertility of a small patch ofnd, and grant all nts that sprout there more resilience]


    vour text: "From the earth you shall rise, and from the earth you shall grow strong," -???


    "This is one of the best spell models to learn on," Marilyn said as she picked up all of the bags and put them back in the van. "Although you''re having a tough time now, this is actually one of the easier spell models to alter, and its base resources are avable in abundance. I literally brought hundreds of these cones for you."


    "So how do I use this to alter my innate abilities spell model?" Nero asked.


    He''d already seen how to change spell models that existed in other objects, but there was no way he could do it with the spell model inside his innate card.


    "That''s actually a lot harder, and something you''ll learn muchter down the line," Marilyn said. "You have to do it in one go, and you have to fuse your spell model inside another spell model that you''ve stabilised externally. This way, the new spell model will exist in the object that held the other spell model. But you have to make sure that the element of the object containing the spell model doesn''t sh with that of your innate element, or it''ll never work.


    "I have some books for you on card crafting I want you to read. Of course, reading them with Luminalink will be more effective."


    Her meaning was clear. While on the surface they seemed to be ordinary books, hidden within those pages were lessons from the Soren family heritage.


    Nero nodded as he sat in the van and reviewed everything he had learned. Spell model alteration was no easy task, and it would take practice and persistence. He couldn''t afford to get impatient or hasty.


    But, for now at least, their practice hade to an end. Marilyn started the van and they started to drive towards Fordham base, where for the next six months Nero was supposed to carry out his military service as sentenced by the court.


    That in itself was fine. Actually, it was more than fine since he had reason to believe that something very exciting was going on at Fordham. But the thing that had most of his attention was the fact that Vanessa was there.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if his recruitment to Fordham had something to do with her. If she was a big shot, as Gabriel imed she was, then it would be possible. It would also give them an opportunity to discuss some of the things that were left unsaid during the research facility escape. Much more importantly, Nero was looking forward to seeing if he could spot her when she used her ability.


    In the beginning, whenever he spotted her, he could tell that she was highly trained but had no experience - though technically speaking, back then, Nero himself was quite inexperienced.


    Yet every time he spotted her, she learned from her mistakes, until it got harder and harder to find her. It reached the point till it became a genuine challenge, and that''s when Nero started to enjoy himself.


    She was clearly a very capable person, and whatever her affiliations or intentions were, the frustration she felt at being caught was genuine. He could not understand why he enjoyed teasing her so much - he''d never bothered any other girl like that.


    All he knew was that he was looking forward to seeing her again, or rather, spotting her spying again. This time, it would be a genuine test of his skill.


    "Mom, you got any advice for the service?" Nero asked, filling the silence of their car ride. It would take them about half an hour to reach the base.


    "Yes," Marilyn said in an even voice. "Don''t leave any enemies alive for any reason. If you need to bring anyone in for questioning, kill them after. Always tie up loose ends. It''ll be the one you let get away thates back to haunt you in the end."


    "Got it. Kill enemies, take no prisoner," Nero repeated. If any other teenager had done so, it might have been out of sarcasm. But Nero repeated the words quite seriously, as if learning a mantra. Marilyn, the cold hearted, strong headed woman who cut her way through cursed monsters and enemies alike without a single change in her expression, looked at Nero with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. After a few moments of deliberation, she continued speaking.


    "Also, if you like a woman, you need to make your move and let her know, alright? If she ys hard to get, you have to convince her. But if it''s a hard no, then back off. There''s a difference between ying hard to get, and being disinterested."


    Nero looked at his mother with eyebrows raised.


    "Where did thate from?" he asked in surprise.


    "Well, you know, it''s prettymon for kids to start dating at your age. I already had eyes on your father when I was around your age."


    "Mom, ew, stop. Go back to talking about killing enemies and taking no prisoners. I don''t have time to waste on these things."


    "You can''t me me for trying. I always thought you had a thing for that Wendy girl, but it turns out she has a boyfriend. You''re a good talented boy - it''s not a bad thing for you to think about family. You know most people get married by the age of 20, but for that you need to at least find someone first."


    Nero groaned and looked out the window instead.


    Marilyn, who herself was feeling quite awkward, didn''t continue the conversation. Instead, she started cursing Edward in her mind. He was the one who put it in her head that she should talk to Nero. Now, she just wanted to hide her head under a pillow, or maybe go hunt an entire horde of curses.


    The short drive ended up stretching to eternity, but they eventually arrived at the gates of Fordham and stopped the car when a number of soldiers surrounded their car with spears drawn.


    "Dere yourselves," one of the soldiers yelled, keeping a distance from the van. Marilyn only rolled down the window and showed her person ID as well as Neros. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I''ve brought Nero Grant here for service," she reported, and waited for the soldier to reach out for her card and check it out. Instead of responding, he handed the cards to another soldier and whispered something to him before the second soldier ran off into the base.


    "Turn the van off, unlock the doors, and ce your hands on the wheel in front of you. The boy too - hands on the dashboard."


    Nero and Marilynplied while the soldiers checked the van in great detail, going through all of the bags and boxes before dering it safe. They spent a few minutes in silence before a soldier ran outside from within the base and whispered something into the ear of the guy incharge.


    "Your identities have been confirmed. I''m sorry Mystic Marilyn, but unfortunately you do not have clearance to enter. Private Nero will have to continue on his own."


    Marilyn scrunched her nose, but just nodded.


    "Take care kid, and make me proud," was all Marilyn said before Nero got off.


    "Thanks mom. You too, take care."


    Nero picked out his own bags, as well as the ones which contained pine cones and stepped back from the van as Marilyn drove away. Their farewell was short and sinct, but in public that is all they could do. Being overly affectionate, especially in military settings, was not going to do Nero''s reputation any favours.


    "Private Nero, follow me," said the soldier incharge. "You''re a day early, but that''s fine. I''ll take you to your lodging before taking you to get signed in. Since you''re a day early, you can start your service now."

 Chapter 254: Juggernaut

    The walls of Fordham base were grey, and rose five metres (16 feet) high, with countless watchtowers spread out behind the walls every thirty or fourty metres. In each watchtower, Nero could see three soldiers, keeping an eye out for trouble while entire teams of soldiers patrolled the grounds all around Fordham.


    Past the first gate, which was a part of the metal cage fence 20 metres (65 feet) in front of the walls, the floor was made entirely on concrete, and there wasn''t a single de of grass or leaf in sight.


    Nero observed the soldiers, taking in their synthetic armour and observing their spears. They cut an impressive sight, and looked incredibly intimidating. Nero had to remind himself that their greatest weapon wasn''t their spears, but their cards which were hidden.


    When he approached the thick, metal gates attached to the base''s boundary wall, he was told to ce his bags aside for inspection.


    "Why do you have so many pine cones? They even carry aetheric signatures. Are you aware that they''re highly mmable and can be used for incendiary purposes?" asked a soldier, ring at Nero.


    "They''re for my card crafting lessons," Nero answered truthfully. "My family has a few unique recipes, and I am training my skills to be able to craft them myself since they''re not avable to the public."


    That was a little more information than was necessary, but it couldn''t help.


    "These ingredients will be temporarily confiscated," the soldier informed Nero. "Once you get a signed authorization slip from your CO manding officer) you can present it at the logistics office to get these back."


    Nero could only nod and watch as they took most of his bags away, leaving him only the bag in which he carried his clothes. Then someone came and patted Nero down, which revealed the second problem.


    "In the base you are not allowed to carry weapons or cards until you''ve been fully signed in. Disarm yourself and hand them over. You can get them back in the same condition from the armoury once everything is approved."


    Without protest, Nero unstrapped his knife from his leg and handed it over, as well as his card case. After another patdown, once he was cleared, Nero was finally allowed to enter Fordham base.


    Yet if he thought security was high outside, he was stunned by what he saw as soon as he entered. The base covered arge area, easily enough to be a district in a city, and so there were quite a few buildings inside. But much more than the buildings, Nero was surprised to see how densely packed it was.


    If there were a few patrols outside, then the number of squads patrolling within the base were easily double or triple. Furthermore, the patrols did not seem like they were just routine. Each soldier carried their spears as if they were ready to use them, and their expressions were as if they were in an active warzone.


    In fact, the added security did not ease the atmosphere in the base, but made it seem more tense.


    Nero followed the soldier leading him into a jeep that quickly drove them deeper into the base on their wide and rtively empty double roads. There were boards and banners every now and again, indicating the direction of certain buildings, and there were many monuments as well, making the base look aesthetically pleasing, as well as neat and clean.


    The soldier escorting Nero saw how he observed everything around him and only chuckled.


    "I remember my first day here as well," the soldier said, his tone a little more rxed now that they were on their way. "I kept wondering why the roads were so wide. Back in the town I''m from, all our roads are a lot narrower, and they''re single roads so vehicles travelling both ways use the same road. But here, in the base, with no cars at all, they have massive, double roads.


    It was a grand mystery to me."


    "Did you find out why?" Nero asked. "Is there a good reason?"


    "Haha, it''s still ssified for you, but since you''re in Fordham now you''ll find out sooner orter so I''ll tell you. It''s for thetest weapon we''re testing out that was built in cooperation with Nova. They''re called Juggernauts, and they''re massive. They don''t do well on rough terrain, so the need for roads."


    "Juggernauts? I''ve never heard of them. Are they powerful?"


    "Very," the soldier said with a nod. "They''re about to exit the testing phase, which means they''ll enter into mass production after that. If you''re lucky, you might even see one in action. They''re thetest in anti-curse technology. I''ve heard a direct hit from them can even kill a Mystic, although we haven''t had a chance to test that out."


    "One shot can kill a Mystic?" Nero asked, taken aback.


    The soldier only chuckled upon seeing Nero''s reaction.


    "You haven''t seen anything yet. Juggernaut is just one of the things going on in Fordham. This is a whole other world. Since you''ll be here for the foreseeable future, you''ll get to expand your horizons."


    "Looking forward to it," Nero said, and then saluted the soldier. "I haven''t officially introduced myself. I am Private Nero Grant, here for my military service for the next six months."


    "At ease, soldier. I''m Corporal Lance Burrow. We might not run into each other much, since I''m on perimeter duty, but it''s good to have you here. Now let''s go see your new CO."


    The jeep came to a stop in front of a double story office building with a couple of gs hung outside.


    The first, Nero recognised easily. It was grey with a white outline of a sword and axe crossing each other in front of a shield in the centre, with the outline of a spear on the side vertically going from the bottom to the top. It was the g of Kr.


    The other, however, was ck and white with an unusual symbol drawn in the middle. Nero thought for a moment, but was sure that it wasn''t a g of any of the other countries, but simply shrugged.


    He followed Corporal Lance inside, walking past the surprising number of office workers sitting in booths handling some kind of paperwork, until they reached an office inside.


    "I''m here to report to Lieutenant Earl - he''s expecting me," he said to a tense secretary who was furiously scribbling in a notebook. Upon hearing his words she looked up at the Corporal, and then at Nero and then grinned as if she''d heard the best news of her life.


    "Wait right here!" she eximed as she hopped out of her chair and ran into the office. The secretary was of medium build, and looked like she was in her 20s, yet her voice was incredibly sweet and tiny, as if that of a young child.


    For a brief moment, when she opened the office door to step inside, Nero heard the sound of screaming. But it suddenly vanished when she closed the door.


    Nero could not help but remark that the sound instion was pretty great.


    A momentter, she opened the door and waved at them.


    "You maye in now."


    Mentally preparing himself, Nero followed the Corporal in, making sure that his posture was perfect and marched perfectly. Technically, since he hadn''t been through official training or the academy, it was fine if he had anypse in such matters, but Nero wanted to be at his best.


    When they entered, Neroid his eyes on the surprisingly in office, and more importantly, the man behind the wooden desk.


    The fact that there was an entire desk made of wood more than made up for how in the office was, but the man seemed even more impressive.


    His right arm was in a cast and hung on a sling that went around his neck, but that did not reduce the man''s presence. He had an aged look, a few wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead, but who would even notice that?


    The most eye catching thing was his magnificent, golden beard, woven into three braids. There were two braids on each side, and were smaller, but eventually mixed in with the third brain going down the middle.


    The next most striking thing about the mark were his sharp blue eyes. The fact that his hair and eyes were of different colours meant that his ability was not elemental.


    He was muscr, even though he was not bulky, and even his uniform, on which there were quite a few medals, could not hide the strength packed in his body. He had a couple of small scars in his cheek, and a couple of big ones on his neck, but they onlyplimented the man''s ferocious look.


    Everything came together to give Nero the impression that the Lieutenant was more a warrior than a leader. Or maybe he was also just a good leader, but he was definitely a great warrior, and currently his eyes were trained on Nero as if looking at his next target.


    "Private Nero Grant, I have been informed that your innate ability can eliminate curses. Is that correct?"

 Chapter 255: Death before dishonour

    Whether it was the way the Lieutenant was looking at him, the way he spoke, or the immense intensity around his person, they all told Nero that the Lieutenant had a bad impression of him. There was always a chance that the man just had an intense and cold personality, but Nero was rarely wrong about such things.


    "Yes sir!" Nero responded, being as direct as possible.


    The Lieutenant''s brows rxed just a bit upon hearing the response, but his gaze on Nero was just as intense.


    "We will confirm the veracity of your im in our ownbs. Understand this, private, that I was not in favour of bringing in a criminal with a confirmed fratricide conviction, whatever else anyone says be damned! But as fate would have, circumstances have transpired in a way that you may still earn honour for your country here - honour you do not deserve.


    "We will be keeping a close eye on you. I cannot trust a profligate, self described


    best Neophyte


    with my soldiers and researchers, so if you so much as give me the slightest reason to doubt you, I will impart onto you the opportunity for a Kri''s final duty."


    "Death before dishonour," Nero whispered, suddenly reminded of his ideals from so long ago.


    "Yes," the Lieutenant said, finally nodding with approval. He left a lot unsaid, but it need not be said. Some things were just understood. As a nation of warriors, most met their end of the battlefield. In fact, Nero had been raised with the saying that the death of all Kris is written, and it is on the battlefield. As such, there were many phrases and sayings associated with it. A Kri''s final duty was another way of saying dying honourably on the battlefield.


    The Lieutenant basically was telling him that he would have Nero die on the battlefield if he was dissatisfied with his performance - or at least give him the opportunity to die. The reason why Nero said ''death before dishonour'' was because he understood that the Lieutenant basically expected him to run away or escape if things became dangerous.


    Many thoughts shed through Nero''s mind. He thought of countless ways he could throw the dirty, dishonourable conduct of many on the Lieutenant''s face. He could point out how he was framed, and that someone tried to kill him. He could sum up the true worth of Kri honour in a hundred different ways - but he did not.


    His dad had literally just told him to stop making enemies, top offending his seniors, and try to improve his impression on others. The only way to do that now was to prove his worth through his actions.


    "I will not fail you, sir!" Nero said once more, keeping a straight face.


    The Lieutenant opened a drawer in his table and pulled out a brown envelope, handing it to Nero.


    "Since you''re here now, private, then you will begin your service today. You will report to Corporal Thomas, and will be assigned to work with research team 83. Go get your uniform from the logistics office, get settled into the barracks, and report for duty. Do not give me a reason to personally see you again until you leave, understand?"


    "Yes sir!"


    "Dismissed," the Lieutenant said with a wave of his hand.


    Nero followed Corporal Lance outside the office, and finally looked inside the envelope. It contained an official, signed document stating that he was to perform his service as a security aide in Fordham base, as well as an official Fordham ID card stating his position and rank.


    Nero looked up to see the Corporal giving him an odd look.


    "I killed an assassin and a traitor," Nero said straightforwardly. "No need to look at me like that. I never tried to hide it, and reported it in full once I got the chance."


    Of course, that full report was only given in the courtroom multiple days after it actually happened, but the details hardly mattered. Lance shrugged his shoulders.


    "All outside news is banned in the base - there''s no realmunication so hardly anyone knows what''s going on outside. Even so, I managed to hear about the kid who called himself the ''


    best Neophyte alive


    ''. I just imagined that the person who said it¡­ would be seven years old."


    Nero resisted the urge to facepalm. That little statement was going to follow him around it seemed. At the time, Nero thought that a nation full of warriors would have appreciated the confidence. As it turned out, they all just thought that he was some juvenile kid daydreaming.


    Nero did not address the statement, but fortunately the Corporal was not as uptight as the Lieutenant.


    He escorted Nero to the logistics building, and after showing his new ID, Nero was able to get his uniform and his bags, after which they went to the armoury and retrieved his knife and cards.


    Then he brought Nero to his barracks, which was mostly empty since all the soldiers were on duty. Only those who had night duty were sleeping within their rooms at the time. Nero went ahead and ced all his bags on his bunk, since he didn''t have an independent room, and changed into his uniform when he noticed something unusual.


    A normal private uniform was in, and on his shoulder would be a simple arrow symbol indicating his rank as private. But on the left side of Nero''s shirt, above his heart, a couple of patches were sown on, as well as the mark of a medal.


    For a moment, Nero was dazed. He recognised the patches. The first, simple one was to signify active service during wartime, which would be given to everyone who served in wartime. In fact, it had a separate silver medal as well, not that Nero ever got his. The second patch represented exemry service, which was usually awarded with another silver medal.


    The medal that was sown onto his uniform, however, was the Arcane Valour medal, and seeing it on his own uniform stunned him! It was awarded for demonstrating exceptional bravery, resulting in a favourable oue of a mission, in the face of overwhelming odds. The thing that made the Arcane Valour medal special was that it recognised individuals who basically achieved their merits alone, or at least cut off from reinforcements or aid.


    The actual medal was supposed to be made of Ridiam, a very valuable metal which contained aetheric properties.


    Nero had not received that medal either, nor had anyone informed him that he had received such awards, but seeing how they were sown onto his uniform there could be no mistake. The Arcane Valour medal was a big deal, and he had not expected to get one. Though, upon closer consideration, it made sense that he got it.


    Whatever the army required from the research facility sounded important, and the fact that they had turned off the final securit node, and then returned with news of a Vault, meant that he had made a very valuable achievement.


    Speaking of Vault, Nero recalled that Ascendant Oana had informed him that it had been resealed. Nero certainly had not done so, and there was only one person he could think of who might know how to do that. As it happened, she was supposed to be in this base somewhere.


    Though he had not shown it, Nero had kept a close eye on all the shadows since he hade into the base.


    Eventually, Nero broke out of his reverie and returned outside. He had not been given any weapons to carry, and he had also been warned in the armoury that if he drew his knife without sufficient cause it would be confiscated again.


    As soon as he exited, the Corporal who had been waiting for him, suddenly locked his eyes on the awards sewn onto Nero''s uniform, and whistled.


    "Not bad. Part of the draft?"


    "Yup, served in Lumina."


    "No wonder you were called here to Fordham. I was wondering why you were called here if the Lieutenant clearly doesn''t like you."


    "What''s so special about Fordham?" Nero asked as he got back in the jeep. The Corporal didn''t need to escort Nero everywhere, but Lance wasn''t too eager to return to the boring routine of patrolling the grounds so decided to help out.


    "This base is filled with highly ssified stuff. It''s not easy to get assigned here, especially for such a short service period. They must really require your specific skills."


    There was suddenly a certain level of respect in the way Lance spoke to Nero, even though he was a higher rank, and despite himself, Nero couldn''t help but feel a trace of pride.


    They drove to a generic looking research building which was at least seven or eight stories tall, and Nero followed Lance inside once again. At the reception, Nero showed his ID, and reported that he was supposed to report to Corporal Thomas, and was told to wait.


    He was looking forward to finding out what exactly was going on here, and what they needed from him. If they brought him here to face curses, then he had more than just his mes to deal with them now - not that he was nning on showing off his newest ability easily.

 Chapter 256: Junior officer already

    The army was divided into officers and enlisted, and both were integral to the functioning of the military. The ultimate difference between them was that the officers were put into decision making positions, while the enlisted took care of the actual operations of the army itself.


    That did not mean, however, that the officers never saw action, or that the enlisted never hadmand. Corporals, for example, were enlisted who led small teams of soldiers for specific tasks. The outline of their task was clearly defined, and merely had to focus onpleting their task, without concern for other matters. How best toplete that task was up to the Corporal to decide.


    Having an officer oversee every single team of the army would result in micromanagement, and was actually counterproductive. Such distinctions had been thoroughly studied and researched during the history of Kr, for military research and science was the one research department that received the most funding after Eldrim card research.


    Of course, people who joined the army but didn''t fight, such as cleaning staff, logistics workers, plumbers, repairmen, farmers, doctors,wyers, artisans and such were also divided into enlisted and officers. Generally, if the upation required a higher degree of study or training, such as doctor, engineer or artisan, they were officers, while construction and logistics workers were considered enlisted.


    Nero, who was currently a private, was also considered an enlisted, and was basically at the bottom of the entire army hierarchy. When he would join KMA in six months, he could then be transferred to the rank of cadet, which was basically a student. Somehow, that was simultaneously worse and better than being a private.


    The intricacies of the army ranking were something Nero would have tomentter, because Corporal Thomas, who Nero would be under as per Lieutenant Earl. That meant Nero would be taking orders from Thomas generally, but that did not make Thomas Nero''s CO manding officer). His CO would probably be whoever was ordering Thomas as well.


    Thomas looked quite young himself, probably in his mid orte twenties, but the way he carried himself spoke of experience. There was measured confidence in his gait, and his eyes were calm yet focused.


    From across the room he had already identified Nero, as Nero identified him, and approached.


    "Good morning Private Nero, you are earlier than expected," the man with a surprisingly deep voice said. "I am Corporal Thomas Pike, your team leader for the duration of your service in Fordham. Follow me while I introduce you to what you can expect. Corporal Lance, thank you for bringing the Private over."


    Thomas and Lance had a very formal handover, after which Nero followed Thomas, the man with bright green hair, deeper into the facility. On every single door there was a scanner where Nero had to scan his ID to ensure he was only able to enter where he had the authority to go.


    "We are basically incharge of the personal security of several high value researchers. Ordinarily, a Neophyte would not be allowed to take on such a job, but themendations on your file are quite encouraging, and our situation is quite unique. While in the facility, you will stay with our team, which is one of four that is assigned on protection duty, but on excursions only you will be able to follow. Tell me Nero, do you have any experience in protecting a target?"


    "I did a rescue mission once where I saved my targets from within cursed territory, but besides that, no."


    "In that case, we will have drills at night to get you ustomed. It''ll also help you familiarise yourself with the team. For now, just remember this, our job is to protect the researchers, even if it means putting ourselves in danger. If you have any concerns or questions during active duty, you can ask me, but be mindful to stay out of the way of the researchers. Their work is invaluable."


    Nero nodded, and listened as Thomas continued to exin the finer details of what they were supposed to do.


    The man was meticulous and helpful, a wee surprise after meeting the Lieutenant.


    They took the elevator up to the fourth floor and made their way into arge, openboratory where Nero was surprised to see a few familiar faces.


    He immediately identified Vanessa as soon as the doors opened - her smooth, caramel skin and dark hair stood out to him like a light in the dark. She turned upon hearing the sound of the door opening, but was not surprised when she saw Nero. Instad, she only gave him a soft, knowing smile.


    Nero observed her, as he usually did, but her long white coat made it difficult to determine if she was hiding any weapons.


    After giving her a nod, Nero turned to look towards the next person he recognised, but was not expecting to see here. Bael Thomas, the kid who had bullied Ss, and then ventured into the depths of the Eldrim library with - the very one Nero went to rescue when he got his hands on Virtuous Moonlight.


    Bael also did not seem surprised to see Nero, although he gave Nero a defiant, challenging look that was quite interesting. Bael had seen how powerful Nero had be during the rescue, so what gave him the confidence to show such an expression to Nero?


    The third person, Nero technically did not know in person. Her name was rissa Hunter, and the only reason Nero knew about her was because when Clear Path hade after him during his training in the forest, she was supposed to be the target after him.


    Not only had Nero memorised the name, he even had Gabriel look into her. Her name was very on point, because she came from a family of hunters, and she was very highly regarded. If Nero considered himself the best in his school, then she was the best in hers.


    Nero also noticed that unlike Vanessa and the other researchers in the room who were wearing white coats, Bael, rissa and a number of other Neophytes were there, standing guard.


    Instantly he judged that the situation he was going to encounter was the same, if not simr, to what it was like in Lumina where only Neophytes could enter the fog in the basement. The question now was, what were they here for exactly?


    Thomas led Nero to an old man who had gone bald from the middle of his head, and the remaining few hairs he had were all white. Despite his rtively robust build, the man''s age was apparent. It was genuinely rare to encounter older people, and it was rarer still to meet older people who did not have their physique preserved through their realm.


    Nero assumed that the man


    must


    be an Arcanist, based simply on how old he looked. But if he was an Arcanist, to look


    so


    obviously old, his age must be¡­


    "Nero Grant," the old researcher said, sping Nero''s hands with excitement. "I have heard much about you. It''s rare to find abilities that can directly counter curses. I can''t even begin to imagine the implications if we mass produce your innate card. I mean, just the tests we can conduct¡­"


    "Sir," said a young, blonde woman who stood behind the old man holding a clipboard. The exhausted tone in which she said it indicated that she was used to interrupting him like that.


    "Oh, right, right, sorry Abbey. Nero, my boy, I hope you don''t mind, I get distracted easily at my age. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Colonel James Carter, and I am a scientist, and your ability could prove to be very useful in my current topic of research. Do you mind if we verify the details of your ability?"


    Nero was stunned, and suddenly saluted the old man and eximed, "No sir!"


    A colonel was a higher rank, even a Lieutenant! In fact, Nero would not be surprised if the colonel was the highest rank of anyone in this entire base! Any higher would be Brigadier, and they oversee entire regions of the country, not individual bases!


    This also entered an information blind spot for Nero. He wasn''t sure if the base was being run by Lieutenant Earl or Colonel James. Technically, the Colonel had a higher rank, but he was just a scientist.


    "Very good. You came highly rmended by junior officer Vanessa, so I look forward to seeing what you''re capable of. If you''ll follow me."


    Nero nearly lostposure upon hearing that Vanessa was a junior officer already! How did that happen? She wasn''t even a citizen of Kr! No wait, was it possible that was her rank back on Nova? But that didn''t make sense.


    On top of everything, the extremely friendly attitude of such a high ranking officer was making Nero extremely rmed. He did not buy, for even a second, that a Colonel as old as him did not understand hierarchy or proprietary between soldiers. If anything, Nero felt like the man was using his age to camouge himself, which made him even more alert as he followed the old man.

 Chapter 257 Primeveil

    Chapter 257 Primeveil


    Nero followed the scientist under the eyes of everyone as they walked into an examination chamber which sealed shut after them, Abbey the scientist''s assistant following close behind. A thin mist was sprayed onto them before a small cab door slid open revealing hazmat suits.


    "Put this on, would you?" James said as he grabbed one himself. "Although your mes might be impressive,bs have precautionary protocols that must be followed at all times."


    Following the scientists'' lead, Nero put on the hazmat suit before the next set of doors opened, allowing them to enter a highly secure portion of the sameb.


    "Abbey, would you be a dear and prepare the first sample? Nero, child, step into the testing chamber please. We will first test out the capability of your ability with the weakest curse sample we have avable, and then make them progressively stronger if the test results are positive."


    Nero nodded, and stepped through the door into a square, white chamber. The wait till the cursed sample was brought out gave Nero a chance to reanalyse everything that had recently happened to him.


    It was obvious that he was needed for his innate ability, but apparently Vanessa had actively worked to ensure that he was called. The overly friendly scientist was probably one of the oldest men Nero had ever met, and though he was acting like his age was affecting him, Nero chose not to believe so. How could he be a scientist who was not forced into retirement if his brain had dulled?


    Nero looked down at his hand, though he only saw the yellow gloves of the hazmat suit he was wearing. If Nero assumed that James was putting on a front of being affected by his age, then what would be the reason? The first thing that came to his mind was to lower others'' guard, followed by to not have others question his unusual actions.


    sping onto Nero''s hands could have been a believable habit for him to have, if only his rank was not so much higher than everyone else''s. It was unlikely that unless in an informal setting, anyone shook his hands. So why did he grab Neros?


    He had no real answer, quite aware that this could be mere spection.


    A smallpartment opened in the wall opposite to him, atop a conveyor belt, through which a tray came in with a single leaf encased in ss entered the room.


    "Nero my boy, that ss is a part of a seal we verymonly use to preserve curses while minimising their activity," James'' voice spoke through a speaker in the corner. "I want you to lift the ss and neutralise the cursed nt within. Fret not - if the situation deteriorates then we have aides on standby who can quickly step in to help you."


    Nero picked up the ss, and lit both his hands on fire. Just in case the scientist had done anything to his hands, the mes should take care of it. He then transferred the fire to the leaf, making sure not to touch it. The mes began to sizzle, but only a few secondster the leaf froze, and then shattered.


    "Nero my boy, that ss is a part of a seal we verymonly use to preserve curses while minimising their activity," James'' voice spoke through a speaker in the corner. "I want you to lift the ss and neutralise the cursed nt within. Fret not - if the situation deteriorates then we have aides on standby who can quickly step in to help you."


    Nero picked up the ss, and lit both his hands on fire. Just in case the scientist had done anything to his hands, the mes should take care of it. He then transferred the fire to the leaf, making sure not to touch it. The mes began to sizzle, but only a few secondster the leaf froze, and then shattered.


    After that, one by one, they kept transferring more nts into the room, all of them cursed and all of them well within the capabilities of cryome to handle. That was because while some of theter nts had stronger curses, they were well within the range of the Neophyte level.


    Eventually, the testing had to end because Nero said, "I''m beginning to run low on aether now. I''m around 50%."


    "The ability is aether intensive I see," Jamesmented through the speaker. "But considering its capabilities, it ispletely expected. In just a short while, repeated use of your mes have already dropped the temperature of the room below freezing. Alright, step outside."


    James had been watching everything through a number of cameras in the room, and no doubt he had measured the temperature drop through some other machines that were hidden in the room. Although Nero showed his mes'' ability to fight curses, Nero tried to limit revealing anything else, such as his ability to coat only his weapons des in mes - basically being able to control where the fire started - and anything else he could. By seeming protective while cooperative of his ability, he made it seem like he wanted to hide the details of his ability.


    In truth, he really did want to hide the details of his ability. But much more than that, he wanted to probe the old man''s intentions, so seeing how he would react to Nero''s secretive behaviour would be a clue.


    But while hemented on the temperature drop and aether usage, he did not ask anything else.


    Nero stepped out to the sight of the old man rubbing his hands, even though he too was wearing the hazmat suit. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Nero my boy, you have saved us a great deal of trouble. Come outside, let''s discuss the details of what we''ll be expecting from you."


    They once again entered the decontamination chamber, and while stepping out of the hazmat suit Nero made sure to keep a safe distance from the scientist. Avoiding him if he tried to reach out for Nero would be awkward, especially since he was a senior officer. Instead, it was best to stay out of reach. That way if the scientist leaned over to touch Nero, it would be obvious, and his facade of a friendly old man would fade.


    They left their hazmat suits on the ground since they would be sent to a special decontamination unit, and stepped out. The scientists and researchers had clearly been talking amongst themselves, but everyone hushed up as soon as their group exited.


    "I have great news everyone. With thistest test, I can now confirm that your next excursion will be even safer. All relevant personnel make your way to the briefing room, and I will be there shortly."


    Nero picked up the head nod that Corporal Thomas gave Nero, so he immediately fell in behind him, finally noticing that there were seven others as well, though none of them looked young enough to be a Neophyte.


    They acknowledged Nero with a nod, but that was all. They did not converse, and instead followed the Corporal as he led them to the briefing room. The researchers and other security team arrived as well, though only the reachers took a seat. The guards, instead, spread out across the room, as if even now they were protecting everyone.


    Everyone waited for the Colonel, and the researchers whispered to one another in the meantime. Nero observed every single person in the room, taking note of who they were and who they talked to. He read their bodynguage, memorising their small habitual gestures and taking in anything and everything he could. In thispletely new,pletely foreign environment, he needed to rely on himself more than anyone to survive, and for that having a deeper understanding of everyone would help.


    Twenty minutester, Colonel James finally walked into the room wearing the same warm smile he always had, followed closely by Abbey and a few other senior officers.


    "Alright everyone, I have good news. The Lieutenant has signed off on the mission, and we will officially begin tomorrow at dawn. Some of you may know what I''m talking about, and some of you may not, so let me start from the beginning.


    "Some weeks ago there was a global anomaly which has been titled the Silver Moon incident."


    On a screen behind James a picture of the Silver Moon was put up as he spoke.


    "Since the disappearance of the Silver Moon, the world seems to be undergoing a change. Curses are suddenly a lot more active and a lot more dangerous, making many of our previous precautions useless. Even Cursed Zones have be more active during this time, not to mention the sightings of the Angel of the Fog have increased by arge margin."


    The picture of the moon was reced by pictures of destroyed cities, of curses as well as zoomed out pictures of the Cursed Zones.


    "All of this is, more or less,mon knowledge. What is notmon knowledge is that the effects go far beyond just what we see. Changes have been observed in numerous dimensions, and in fact, we have discovered the existence of entirely new dimensions as well.


    "For those that do not know, not all dimensions can be essed from everywhere, and only in certain ces which are more permeable than others is transfer from one dimension to another possible. Even then, moving from one dimension to another is far from simple. Unless, of course, there is an opening or a portal to another dimension right here in the Primeveil."


    The picture behind him changed once more, but this time it was to a sight Nero did not recognise. It looked like an old, debilitated cabin - a wooden cabin - covered in overgrowth. From the broken windows branches of bushes were falling out, and dirt and stone covered what was once a door. "As it so happens, after the Silver Moon incident, one such opening to a brand new dimension opened up, just 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) away."

 Chapter 258: Perilith

    Nero studied the picture, as well as everyone''s reactions. He was still new to the concept of dimensions, and his dad had recently only promised him that he would not need to worry about dimensions until he was


    at least


    a Mystic, but if appearances were anything to go by, he was dead wrong.


    Due to hisrgelyck of knowledge about dimensions, Nero did not have arge reaction to the appearance of new dimensions, though he was interested to learn that not all dimensions could be essed from everywhere.


    The others, however, were taken aback, as if their very understanding of reliant had been challenged. There were


    some


    who had no reaction at all, as if they already knew - Vanessa being one of them.


    "For those of you who do not know," James said, looking towards the soldiers rather than the researchers, "Primeveil is the name of our dimension - the one that we exist in. It is one of many dimensions, though by far it is the most stable existence. Alternate dimensions are a source of many valuable resources for us, as well as a potent weapon against curses, so you can probably guess that with the appearance of a physical entrance to a new dimension, we at Fordham base moved quickly to explore.


    "Now, I know you all understand that everything I am telling you is all highly confidential. Someone will administer the relevant oaths at ater date. What is important for you to understand is why I am sharing this confidential information with you to begin with. After all, you don''t necessarily need to understand the details of a mission toplete it."


    James'' gaze remained on the standing soldiers, who all put on a solemn expression, while none of the researchers seemed to be surprised at all.


    "I have judged that understanding the mission will motivate you even more. Lieutenant Earl assures me that a chance to earn honour for your country, and contribute to its growth shall never be given up by a warrior of Kr."


    For a brief moment, Nero felt like the scientist looked specifically and specially at him just a little longer than others.


    "We learned a few things about this new dimension we have titled Perilith. The first thing that we learned is that this wooden cabin, which serves as the entrance to Perilith, is dissipating from existence. We estimate that, at most, in a few months, the cabin will disappearpletely.


    "Considering that we have yet to discover another way to enter Perilith, we can consider for the time being that we only have a small window to ess the opportunities that Perilith provides - and its opportunities are extremely plentiful."


    The scientist reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of purple ore, still covered with rock, only small traces of the actual metal within visible.


    "This, my dear fellows, is called Valefor. Are you familiar with it?"


    Nero furrowed his brows as the name sounded too familiar. Where had he heard it before? Nero had only begun to ponder when a soldier suddenly eximed, "The Hammer of Valefor!"


    Everyone in the room was suddenly stunned as they recalled that legendary weapon, wielded by one of Neires heroes!


    "Yes, the Hammer of Valefor. The legendary weapon used by General Astarties - one of Emperor Iskaunders most trusted followers. Actually, this ore is named specifically after his hammer, which he discovered in the Eldrim ruins. No one has ever been able to discover what metal, or alloy the lost weapon was actually made from.


    "Yet upon procuring this sample, and after running a few tests, we discovered that this ore carries the exact same qualities as the hammer, and so we have taken it upon ourselves to name the ore Valefor - since we are the ones to discover it.


    "This ore is but


    one


    of the many treasures that Perilith has to offer, and so I''m sure you can imagine why it is in the army''s interest to explore this new dimension as much as possible and reap all it has to offer. Yet there is a problem. It is not a coincidence that Perilith has been named so.


    "Indeed, this new dimension is one of the most dangerous dimensions we have ever encountered, and we have already lost an Ascendant and several Mystic card masters while exploring it."


    A heavy, solemn silence hung over the room as they all heard James'' revtion. They lost an Ascendant? Had they even lost a single Ascendant in the literal world war they just had? Honestly, they probably had, but the details were kept under wraps. Yet to suddenly lose an Ascendant while exploring a new dimension? It filled them with shock!


    Yet Nero did not react just yet. Instead, he narrowed his eyes. What could they want from a bunch of Neophytes if even Ascendants had died? Unless¡­


    "Yet their sacrifice was not without gain," James continued after a sufficiently long pause to let the weight of the matter set in. "We learned something very important. While the topography of the dimension never changes, same as with its many bounties, the danger within Perilith is not constant. Instead, it is determined by the level of the strongest person to enter.


    "So to say, if a team of Neophytes enters the dimension, the dangers within will be of the ording level, while the rewards stay the same."


    Understanding suddenly dawned on all the soldiers, and the Neophytes in the room were suddenly filled with a sudden resolve. None of the Neophytes here were weaklings.


    Each and every one of them had served in the war, each of them had faced death, and each of them had survived. While the majority of Neophytes who entered Lumina either faced death or severe injury, there were a few who emerged stronger, strengthened in the ancient crucible of despair.


    They were the elite, the ones who did not shy away from a challenge, but rose to the asion. Nero had noticed that while he had his des sewed onto his uniform, he was not alone in that regard.


    Bael, rissa, and all the others had


    at least


    one other badge on their uniforms besides just participating in the war.


    "As we speak, a requisition order has been sent forward to the table of Sage Morphius, and all capable Neophytes across the country - especially the ones who proved themselves during the war - have been requested. But of course, whether that works out or not is not up to us, nor is it any of our concern.


    "With all the pieces in ce, the approval for the mission has arrived and we will set out for Perilith at the break of dawn. While other teams may follow, we only have to focus on our current mission."


    The image on the screen behind James changed once more, and instead of one image, the screen was split between six images which showed various items.


    "These six ingredients are our immediate and highest priority, and retrieving them will be your primary mission. Secondary and tertiary missions include exploring and cataloguing Perilith so that each subsequent excursion into Perilith bes much easier.


    "The details of these six items are ssified. How to handle and store them is also ssified. All of that will be handled by the researchers we will be sending into Perilith with you, who will handle the actual procurement and retrieval. All you only have one mission - to escort and protect the researchers!"


    For a brief moment, James had a very serious expression on his face as he looked at all the soldiers, but soon enough he broke into his characteristic, warm smile.


    "Of course, I still think the result of the mission will be a little better if I share


    something


    with you. So allow me to tell you that these six items¡­ are ingredients that are used in Sage level Eldrim cards."


    The entire room was stunned, the researchers and Nero included, though for very different reasons. The researchers couldn''t believe that such highly confidential information had been so easily revealed! If that kind of information was leaked, they could literally face an invasion from a neighbouring nation, or at least some psychotic organisations such as the rising Clear Path!


    "Now, allow me to borate on some of the threats you will be facing in Perilith. For the most part, while the dangers of the dimension will be fixed ording to your level, staying within the dimension after dark is akin to death. You also have to watch out for the changing weather patterns¡­"


    James, without giving anyone enough time topletely get over his massive revtion, began exining the details of the dimension. Nero, understanding the dire situation he was now in, paid close attention to everything the old man said.


    But instead of being concerned, Nero rxed a bit. As someone extremely attentive, he had noticed that there were some people who had somewhat expected such a revtion. While this more or less confirmed Nero''s theory about the old man being a sly, conniving geezer, at least he wasn''t senile.


    Now he just had to uncover what was


    really


    going on, and make sure to survive it all.

 Chapter 259: A challenge

    The briefing had gone on for hours while James exined what they had in store for them, and what was to be expected. Although, to the scientists extreme dismay, their departure had been dyed by one day.


    It seemed that the Curse tide that he and his mother had escaped the other day had grown vastly more powerful than expected, and had spread farther than anyone anticipated. Two Sages had been called to action to deal with it together, and it was expected that the matter would be handled soon.


    Even so, until the danger was confirmed to be gone, the scientists had express orders not to leave, and without them the soldiers couldn''t leave either. Although, technically, Nero felt like the soldiers could have gone in and scouted the area, it was also good to take their time and prepare more.


    Perilith really was a ce full of peril.


    As the meeting came to a close, Nero followed Corporal Thomas and his team out. They apparently had rotations and the night protective detail within the base belonged to other teams. This would allow them to rest and perform any other duties they had.


    The others exited too - or, well, most of them.


    In a few minutes, only Vanessa and James remained in the room, both lost in thought. Vanessa seemed to be reminiscing, her eyes staring wistfully at the screen which was now portraying a list of gear items each person, scientist or soldier, would be expected to carry into the new dimension. James, on the other hand, had lost his signature smile, and instead seemed to be solving a puzzle that had confounded him.


    For a couple of minutes, they both sat in silence. But as if by some prior agreement, they woke from their reveries at the same time, and locked eyes.


    The scientist''s signature, warm smile returned.


    "Young Vanessa, things are finallying together over here. How are things going on your side?"


    James seemed ever the smiling old man, but as someone who was working closely with him, she knew just how the old man had risen up the ranks. Or at least the rumours of it.


    "Your application for a work visa in Nova has been submitted. If everything goes ording to n, you will get it just as we''re done here. Afterwards, you can even apany me back to Nova with my delegation if you wish."


    "I cannot wait. To think, we humans havee so far that soon, we will be able to craft our own spell models."


    "It''s still far from being able to do it on our own," Vanessamented. "But at least our understanding of spell models has increased enough where we can begin experimenting. Speaking of spell models, I couldn''t help but notice how you treated the newest member of our expedition."


    Vanessa met the scientist''s gaze, a somewhat stern expression on her face. At this moment, she did not at all look like a research assistant facing her superior. Instead, it looked like she was interrogating an employee.


    "Ah, how could I resist? It''s so rare to find a spell model directly able tobat curses, and finding one at the Neophyte level is even harder. I just


    had


    to take a look. And can you believe what I saw? The spell model was an icosagon! A 20 sided spell model at only the Neophyte level? It''s unheard of! That''s the starting range for Initiate level abilities."


    "So what? You''ve heard of the theory of adaptive evolution. It''s practically a fact that by now, after a thousand years of cultivation and card masters, humans are slowly adapting to aether better, and are producing stronger spell models."


    "Yes, but the distinction between Neophyte and Initiate level spell models is still a barrier not so easily crossed. It''s not just about the number of sides. The spell model itself was so wonderfullyplex."


    "I''m sure it is," Vanessa said, her voice even. "But I have to remind you that he is a valuable asset to this mission. It would be a great loss if anything were to happen to him."


    James was suddenly startled, and then beganughing.


    "Miss Vanessa, I don''t know where you think we are, but thews in Kr are not so easily broken - even by me. Besides, you may be unaware of these things, especially since you''ve been so focused on your work and outside news is limited, but that young man is not without a sufficiently impressive background. Although I may be 102 years old, I still wish to live quite a bit longer."


    Vanessa raised an eyebrow, but did notment.


    "We only have a little over three months before the portal to Perilith closes," she said, turning her gaze back to the screen. "If we don''t find that pond, then it might not be so easy for me to guarantee you the work visa, or even ess into New Dawn Research Institute."


    The old man smiled weakly at the little girl. Although he was a Colonel, and an Arcanist, while she was just a research assistant and an honorary junior officer, it looked a lot like


    he


    was taking orders from


    her


    .


    It couldn''t be helped. She was an Abel. Their influence worked even over here.


    *****


    Nero followed Thomas as the Corporal informed him of what wasing next.


    "Since none of the guys know you, and you have no experience in protection before, we''re going to have a joint training session tonight and tomorrow night. It should help familiarise you with everyone else, and we can train you in some defensive tactics, as well as what your role will be in case we face a threat. As the weakest in our team, actualbat should be thest thing on your list of actions."


    The Corporal suddenly paused his speech, and Nero only needed to look forward to find out why.


    Bael, rissa, and the other Neophytes were standing together, as if waiting for them.


    "Nero, do you have a bit of free time?" Bael asked, stepping forward. "I thought that since we are going to be working together, it''ll be best if everyone gets familiarised with each other."


    Nero was pleased to see that Bael was as confident as ever, though his confidence was also the source of his arrogance which Nero strongly disliked, so maybe it wasn''t a good thing. Either way, it seemed like their near death experience in the library hadn''t adversely affected him.


    A single nce was all it took for Nero to understand that while Bael was the one speaking, he was definitely not the leader among the group. He did, however, clearly have their respect and recognition.


    "Sorry, but I have training with-"


    "No, you should go with them," Thomas interrupted. "While building a rapport with us is important, you will be heading into Perilith with them, so your coordination with them is even more important. I suggest you use your time wisely."


    Nero nodded, and turned to Bael.


    "Looks like I''m free, so what did you have in mind?"


    Bael grinned and his body trembled with excitement.


    "I''ve already booked abat hall. I challenge you to a fight!"


    Nero raising a single eyebrow out of curiosity was clearly not the reaction he had been expecting. It was quite an anticlimactic reaction to something he had clearly built up in his head.


    "It''s a good way for everyone to see mybat style, so I suppose it''s a good idea," he said. "But in that case, I think it would be a better idea for me to fight someone I''m unfamiliar with."


    Nero''s gaze couldn''t help but wander to rissa. There was something about the way she stood, the way she moved, the subtle gestures and expressions she made¡­ It made Nero think she was


    incredibly


    strong, at least in a fist fight.


    Yet that was not the response Bael was hoping for.


    "Do not underestimate me, Nero. You were stronger than me when west met, but things are not the same anymore. Whether you can beat me, or even fight me is yet to be seen."


    Nero looked back at Bael, masking his serious doubt with a in expression.


    He knew Bael''s ability. It was self healing. It had been a couple of weeks so maybe he was better at using the ability now, but Nero seriously doubted it would make much of a difference. Nero was


    much


    stronger.


    But he recalled his fathers words. Do not be arrogant, and do not underestimate the enemy. The true strength of a card master is not his body or even his innate ability, but his cards!


    With that thought, he managed to rekindle a hint of interest in fighting Bael.


    "Alright, fine. Although the invitation stands open. If anyone else feels like having a little friendly spar to get to know each other, I wouldn''t object to it at all."


    "I expected nothing less from the


    best Neophyte alive


    ," remarked a Neophyte with blonde hair, which caused some of the others to chuckle.


    Instead of being offended, Nero only grinned.


    "I know, I know," he said, waving a hand. "That was a bit much. I don''t


    actually


    think I''m the best Neophyte alive."


    He paused, a faint smile still on his face as he looked at each of the others faces.


    "But I for sure am a hell of a lot stronger than any of you."

 Chapter 260: Just joking

    While Nero was many things, and wholly self confident was one of those things, he was not blindly arrogant. His father had knocked some sense into him, and he understood what Edward meant when he asked Nero to stop thinking of himself as the best.


    It was not wholly literal. It also meant not to underestimate people, especially if they were being recognised by Kr for being the best avable in their level.


    That is why, when Nero dered himself better than all the others, it had not been ego or arrogance that had driven him to it - far from that. It had been strictly a tactical decision.


    First of all, Nero did not know the background for any of his new teammates, and chances were that some of them were antagonistic towards him due to a host of different reasons. As such, he wanted to skew their understanding of him to something that he was in control of.


    If they thought they knew how he would react, he would be more easily able to read them and their actions. That was because even if they did something they thought might anger or distract him, in truth, he could just observe everything objectively.


    Secondly, with how his reputation had spread, everyone already had developed an image of him in their minds. This was exactly the kind of thing they expected him to do based on their understanding of him.


    By doing this, he was able to take in everyones reactions. Most people instantly became offended, or felt challenged. There were two, however, who showed no changes in expression, as if they didn''t care. Or as if they were hiding their true intentions.


    Sometimes, hiding one''s thoughts was a good indicator that they were thinking something they didn''t want others to detect. Compared to the ones who openly showed him hostility, Nero paid more attention to the others. But first¡­


    He raised his hands and smiled harmlessly.


    "Just kidding guys. But the invitation to spar is genuine, though I suppose that can wait till


    after


    my fight with Bael."


    Bael himself looked less than satisfied at how lightly Nero was taking him. Unlike Nero, ever since leaving Lumina, Bael could not stop thinking about how strong Nero had gotten. While Bael himself was desperately clinging to life, barely holding off a single Berserker, Nero treated them like nothing.


    Althoughter on Bael found out that the army had briefed everyone on how to effectively take them out, that did not change the fact that they were a genuine challenge. Heck, the number of Neophytes who had


    survived


    their encounters with berserkers was shockingly low, let alone those who could fight them back.


    That is why he had trained desperately since then. Sure it had not been so long since then, but Bael was practically a new man. The thing he found most ironic was that his own dreams had been within his reach all along, but his own arrogance and ignorance had gotten in the way of it.


    He''d wanted his fathers Herculean strength, but got passive self healing which sucked. But as it turned out, it really didn''t. Even ignoring the fact that it kept him from bleeding out, and fighting far longer than it should have, and that his stamina never really ran out, or that he was always in peak condition, the ability gave him something far


    greater


    than strength.


    Every time he was injured, and healed from his passive, his body improved. The actual improvement was miniscule, barely noticeable at first. But as it continued to heal, the effects became obvious.


    Not only had his natural strength increased drastically as a result of his workout session that had literallysted days, so too had its durability, its speed, and so much more. The best part was, in a fight he could still continue to actively grow stronger.


    Now that he understood these aspects of his ability, Bael honestly couldn''t imagine himself losing. Even so, he never cked off and continued to train.


    It hurt his ego a little when Nero clearly dismissed him, but Bael would make Nero recognise him. In fact, he would make Nero regret underestimating him.


    Little did he know, Nero


    was not


    underestimating him.


    In fact, due to how seriously Nero took his fathers advice on a fundamental level, he was preparing himself to face a lot more than just bael''s self healing - which was not such a big secret. He was preparing himself to face whatever Eldrim cards Bael was going to use.


    Their group hadn''t been super chipper, which was fine by Nero, and they soon arrived in thebat hall, which was not too far. The actual hall was a part of arger building specifically built forbat, apparently, and came with its own armoury.


    To everyone''s genuine surprise, despite Nero''s cocky attitude earlier, he took the spar very seriously. From the armoury he grabbed the actual synthetic armour they would be wearing in Perilith, and even took a Victus-3 spear - the same spear he had used during training while in the draft. It was a strong, flexible spear with a decent de, so there was no reason for him


    not


    to use it.


    Seeing Nero grabbing armour slightly improved Bael''s mood, and he too grabbed some, as well as a sword and shield. Although he was much stronger, he knew better than anyone that Nero was no weakling.


    "Before we do this, I just want to make sure," said Nero as he stopped outside the changing room. "We


    will


    be using cards during the spar, right?"


    It was an innocent question, but it suddenly caused everyone to be solemn. Compared to a simple fight, using cards greatly increased the danger of a fight.


    The Neophytes exchanged nces with one another, causing a moment of silence.


    "I think we should limit it to innate abilities for now," Bael said finally, much to Nero''s disappointment, though the teenager did not show it. "Booking abat hall requires oversight. If we want to use cards, the level of oversight required will have to be increased, and we''ll have to wait until more observers are sent."


    "Very well," Nero said, and stepped into the changing room. Even though they would not be using cards, Nero still ced six cards into his armour. Three of them were attack cards, simr to air push, which would do damage but were not lethal, and three of them were defensive cards.


    To be entirely honest, some of the books his mother made him read recently gave him a lot of new insight into how various cards can be used to improve the output of one another. It was quite intriguing, and caused him to reconsider his entire way of considering which cards to use.


    Nero was nning on getting himself some new cards anyway, as well as spend even more time practising crafting. That was because his mother had revealed something to him that he had only vaguely known but never thought out about.


    All the cards being sold in shops in public were¡­ kind of mediocre. To get really good cards, there were only three ways.


    First was the army, but the army never handed out its more useful cards, only loaned them.


    Second was through private deals with artisans, using influence or money to get what was normally reserved for themselves or their affiliated groups.


    The third was to make it themselves.


    Considering howmon card shops were, it just never even urred to Nero that the


    good


    cards were actually hard to get one''s hands on. In that regard, the Initiate realm was at the most optimum level, for it was still easy to get your hands on somewhat decent cards in that realm.


    The hall itself wasrger than Nero expected, with a height of about 5 metres (16 feet) with the actual hall being 20 by 25 metres (65 by 82 feet). There was a small border around the main arena itself, where viewers could stand and watch, and where their designated observer was standing as well.


    He looked like a kid, not much older than them, and didn''t speak much so Nero ignored him. Instead, he walked into the centre of the arena and turned to look at Bael, holding his spear beside him with his arm stretched out.


    It was a casual stance, especially with the butt of the spear resting on the ground, but for some reason he was radiating an aura of power. Bael felt pressured, but he did not back down. He had trained for this for quite a while, and he had grown


    much


    stronger. He was different now.


    He walked out in front of Nero wordlessly and got in position, holding his shield and sword out in front of himself. For a few seconds they just looked at one another, and a palpable tension began to fill the room.


    The others watched in rtive silence, a few whispering something to one another. rissa was the only one who spent more time looking at Nero than Bael. Her ability was at work, and what she saw made her hands feel itchy. She should have taken Nero up on his offer to fight.


    Then Bael moved, dashing forward with speed and force he had never shown them before. In fact, he moved so fast that Nero seemed caught off guard, having not moved at all as Bael came close.


    Using his shield as a battering ram, Bael smashed it towards Nero, hoping to catch him off guard. His eyes were locked onto Nero, who had not as much as flinched upon seeing him arrive.


    But it was because he had only eyes for Nero that he missed the back end of the spear as it slid through his defence and pushed down his knee. It was so gentle, so soft that Bael didn''t even understand something had happened. He just felt his leg move oddly, and his sense of bnce suddenly affected.


    On instinct he moved his body to prevent himself from falling, which meant lowering his shield.


    The next thing he knew, his face somehow connected with Nero''s foot, and one whish and a momentary loss of consciousnesster, he was on the floor.


    The room returned to silence.

 Chapter 261: Self proclaimed best

    While Bael did not have a clear view, or even understanding, of what happened, the others watching did. In all honesty, practically all of them had a negative impression of Nero at the moment despite his attempts to act like he was joking earlier. The only exception was rissa who thought quite highly of Nero, though that was entirely for her own reasons.


    To top it all off, none of them had missed how dismissive Nero had been of fighting Bael in the beginning. Although they had only arrived in Fordham just a couple of days prior to Nero, they had developed somewhat of an understanding between themselves, as well aspared notes.


    Bael was not weak. In fact, in terms of physical performance alone, he already surpassed what a Neophyte should be able to do. Only those Neophytes who had abilities which augmented their physical performance could perhaps match or keep up with him.


    To top it all off, his self recovery was actually insanely powerful. Although Bael could not im to be the best of them all, he was definitely the hardest to beat. All of them were expecting an absolute beat down - which is exactly what they saw. Except, the person getting beaten was not who they expected!


    Bael dashed forward, a blur they could barely follow with their eyes, and in the split second that it took for him to reach Nero, he hadn''t even managed to react. The fight was over before it even began. Or so they thought.


    In the most rxed, casual way possible, Nero moved his spear and tripped up Bael. Since he had been rushing forward, and the weight of the shield and sword were in front of him, he almost fell faceforward. But he managed to recover.


    Not only did he recover, he did it so fast that the keen eyed would not even notice that he had lost bnce. Calling the recovery split-second would be inadequate, for it was much faster. Yet in the same amount of time, Nero moved andnded a full roundhouse kick straight into Baels'' face,unching his body to the side.


    The form and execution was so great, it could be taken as the very ideal one would pursue, yet to do it so quickly and with such perfect timing¡­


    Everyone watching, from the Neophytes to the observer there to ensure there were no injuries, suddenly got goosebumps. rissa''s hand started to be even more itchy. She wanted nothing more for Bael to give up so she could try her hand at fighting Nero.


    Unfortunately, as someone who fought Bael the most, she knew the fight was far from over.


    When Bael recovered, he couldn''t make sense of what happened, but he didn''t need to. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Nero towering over him, his expression calm but serious, holding his spear beside him - a living testament to the art of war andbat.


    In the corner of the room, a camera recorded everything, and unbeknownst to them, a figure watched everything on the screen in a dark room.


    Instead of feeling defeated or demotivated, Bael instead felt a sense of relief. After he had figured out how much he could grow if he just trained his body with his innate ability, a part of him feared that Nero would prove an unworthy opponent. That just having superior physical prowess alone would grant him martial superiority. That the goal he was striving towards, struggling to pursue and surpass would be unworthy.


    But this brief exchange reminded him of one simple fact. As it was, he was the one unworthy to judge Nero. He had to first win for that.


    There were no words exchanged, no time wasted. Bael picked himself up off the floor and attacked again, unleashing his full force, but this time with a lot more skill and direction. The opponent he faced was not so weak that pure force would work against him - or else the berserkers would have won.


    This time, Bael was not instantly knocked out. Instead, as he attacked relentlessly, he faced Nero''s masterful spearmanship. Every attack was easily redirected, and every opening was taken advantage of. Bael made full use of everything in his arsenal, from his expert swordsmanship, his perfect defence with the shield, and his immense recovery, since Nero did not shy away from smashing his body with the spear.


    It was an intense battle taking ce faster than most Neophytes could even respond, where victory or defeat could be decided in a single second. Or so Bael thought.


    It was only those who were watching from afar who realised what was genuinely happening. The fight was, very much, taking ce much faster than most of them would be able to respond if they solely relied on their physical bodies. Of course, the fact that innate abilities were allowed in the fight meant that they likely wouldn''t get into a fight like this to begin with - or at least try to avoid it. The fact that Nero could respond, even though they had all confirmed that his innate ability was not physical augmentation but apparently some kind of me, was absurd in itself. The most ridiculous thing was that during the entire fight, Nero didn''t move his legs!


    Spearmanship was just as much about the legs as it was about the hands, as not only do the legs determine the distribution of power, but they dictate the spearman''s bnce. Each and every manoeuvre with a spear required a different stance, yet Nero could not even be bothered to take it.


    The more that they watched, the more they started to get an ominous feeling. What kind of monster was Nero?


    Suddenly, in the middle of the fight, Nero looked over towards them for a single moment before looking back at Bael. Upon seeing their solemn expressions he could not help but smirk. They were all reminded of the moment where he dered himself better than them.


    While they all had their reservations, at least in one aspect they could admit that he was an absolute beast.


    The nce had only been for a second, and while everyone else thought it was just Nero gloating, rissa saw the challenge in his eyes, and she was no longer able to hold herself back.


    She drew the daggers at her hips and dashed forward, startling the other Neophytes as well as the observer. She moved too quickly for anyone to stop her, or for anyone to give Nero a warning as she shed towards his neck.


    She moved silently, like an experienced hunter, and her footsteps made no sound, but that did not mean there was no sound at all. Nero heard the wind blowing against the dagger as it neared him, and on sure instinct moved out of the way. It also finally took his first step back.


    The sight of the dagger shing through where his neck had been didn''t anger him. Instead, Nero grinned, and did something that gave Bael pause. He grabbed the spear with both hands, swinging it with great momentum to cause both of them to retreat.


    Bael, who had up until now thought they were both having an intense fight, was stunned. Had he¡­ had he only been using a single hand to control his spear so far?


    "Hold!"


    "What are you doing?"


    "rissa stop!"


    Voices rang out just a moment toote. They had no idea what had prompted her to interfere, and while none of them were particrly fond of Nero, none of them had any thoughts of bullying him either. Especially after watching his disy. But Nero himself had other intentions.


    "I had a feeling you were strong," Nero remarked with a smirk. "Come on. I want to see if together you can force me to use my ability."


    Nero''s casual remark caused Bael to clench his teeth. Unlike Bael, who had his passive ability set to work at full capacity, and rissa who was using her ability to scan Nero, Nero himself had not used his ability at all.


    There was a moment''s pause as everyone else felt confused about what to do. Then the fight resumed anew, Bael and rissa attacking Nero from two opposite sides, and Nero was finally forced to move, and use his spear to the best of his abilities.


    Admittedly, Bael was quite strong and fast as well. While he looked like he was rxed, Nero could not divert his attention from him for even a moment lest he lose track of him. rissa on the other hand was not abnormally strong


    or


    fast, yet each time she attacked she targeted a weakness in his stance Nero didn''t even know existed.


    Each time she attacked he was forced to retreat or move aside. At the same time, making sure Bael couldn''t smash him with his shield or stab into his body with his sword kept him on his toes.


    Nero finally felt pressure, and quite a great deal of it. Even though, objectively, both of them were weaker than berserkers and dark berserkers, the amount of pressure Nero felt was much greater for their teamwork was absolutely perfect.


    Or rather, rissa worked perfectly around Bael, using each and every movement to find an opening andunch an attack that would put Nero out ofmission if it connected.


    Yet Bael''s attacks nevernded and rissa, despite having the perfect attack and timing, kept failing. Nero used his superior speed and reaction time to react even though she was able to find his w


    every single time


    .


    Everyone watched in solemn silence as two of the strongest, most aplished Neophytes in the country worked together to attack the self proimed strongest Neophyte alive, and failed tond a single hit. Worse still, instead of looking worried or stressed, Nero had the widest grin on his face as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.


    To make matters worse, so far, he was only defending. He hadn''t tried to attack even once even though it was clear that he could. Considering that he was both stronger


    and


    faster than them, how could they keep him pinned if he didn''t want it that way?


    Then, in the midst of the fight, something changed. Somehow, amidst the chaos of battle, Nero found a rhythm. He controlled his openings, dictating how Bael would attack, and was able to predict how rissa would attack, takingplete control of the fight, and then¡­


    Then he looked back towards the other Neophytes, a clear challenge in his eyes.

 Chapter 262: Disappointment

    Upon finding his rhythm Nero could not help but challenge the others once more, hoping someone else would take him up on the offer that rissa took. None of them did.


    Though truthfully speaking, that was probably for the best. Although he was easily able to fend off Bael and rissa, actually winning their spar was another story altogether.


    Early in his fight with Bael, Nero came to an unusual conclusion, but one he had no choice but to believe. Every time Bael recovered from an injury, his body would grow subtly stronger in that area or against that attack.


    Nero did not actually notice that increase in strength himself, but just arrived at that conclusion after fighting for a while. While Bael''s increase in strength was more or less even across his body, the actual sturdiness of his body was not.


    His skin was more resistant in certain areas, and more vulnerable in others. He more easily resisted bruises in certain areas, and was easily bruised in others. Heck, even some of his bones were more resilient than others. Nero was not certain if Bael himself had noticed this yet, but the man''s nose was actually harder to break than any other bone in his body! Probably because it was the one that broke the most often.


    So while Nero fought him off, he had to do so without actually hurting him in any way lest he be stronger. Or he had to defeat him in a single blow. While that in itself was not an issue, Nero seriously doubted rissa would give him the opportunity.


    While it seemed like he was handling her just fine, she was perhaps one of the most, if not


    the


    most gifted hand-to-handbatant he had ever faced. Every single move she made would be absolutely lethal to him if he didn''t use his superior speed and reaction time to respond. Not only did she manage to find the weakness in each and every one of his stances


    every single time


    she attacked, so far she had perfectly dodged all of Nero''s retaliatory attempts.


    Neither his spear nor his body hade into contact with her, not that he allowed her to be able to touch him, either.


    Her prowess was admirable, and the problem was that Nero was fairly certain that if he tried to make any significant movements to attack Bael, she would take advantage of it to attack him. In fact, she was already beginning to get used to his superior physical abilities, and so her attempts at his life were bing more dangerous.


    As much as he wanted to finish this fight without revealing any of his abilities, he would have to show


    something


    .


    So far, he had only fought using his natural abilities. Sure, his natural physical capabilities had seen an upgrade due to him using Radix Augmentation on curses, absorbing


    something


    from them that refined his body, bringing him to a quasi-Initiate level. But if he used his internal aether maniption¡­


    A few seconds passed since Nero made his challenge to the others, and theck of participation made it clear that they were not going to join this absurd fight, so Nero finally made his move.


    He did not attack Bael first. No, he attacked the much greater threat: rissa. She was attacking him once more, this time aiming for his left leg. At a nce, it looked like her aim was to destroy his knee, but Nero''s instincts told him she was aiming for the artery in his leg. After all, every single move she had made, she made to kill.


    Unfortunately for her, what was a weakness in his stance suddenly changed into strength in a way she had never seen before. The sudden change in her eyes made it clear that she saw that


    something


    had changed, yet before she could react to it, Nero put all his weight on his left leg, spun his body with full force and delivered a kick to her face with his right leg.


    The speed he moved at was so fast that the other Neophytes weren''t even able to see what happened. All they saw was a blur, and then rissa''s body was flung into the air, spinning like a ballerina.


    The observer was already moving, and caught her before shended, clearly unconscious.


    "He''s cheating!" someone screamed, but before anyone could respond, Nero and Bael had shed. Much to Nero''s surprise, Bael actually managed to withstand his attack as he skidded back, putting some distance between the two.


    Before the sh could continue, however, the observer arrived between the two.


    "No Eldrim cards were allowed for this sparring session!" he said sternly, looking at Nero.


    "I didn''t use any cards," Nero said, shrugging.


    "Nero Grant, you have been registered as having a me oriented innate ability. Sudden physical augmentation is clearly an application of an Eldrim card."


    Instead of exining, Nero thought it would be better to just show everyone he was not using a card. He dropped his card case on the side and took off the chest piece of his armour, dropping the four cards there - two in his arms and one on his back and chest each.


    Then he removed the cards in his leg as well - this time without removing the armour - and then disyed his enhanced speed by stepping up to the observer at his maximum speed.


    "You can search me for other cards," he said, holding out his arms as if weing a pat down.


    Some in the room stared at Nero in shock, some in anger, some with hesitation, and some with awe. Of course, the ck, massive tribal tattoo on his back also drew a lot of attention, as no one had seen it before.


    It looked impressive, or maybe it was just the fact that the perfectly symmetrical tattoo was painted on a canvas of well toned, well-defined muscle that made it look like that. A trace of doubt filled the observer''s eyes, but he began to pat down Nero nevertheless, even going as far as using a card himself to search for other, hidden cards.


    Yet the result was quite predictable. Nero had no other cards on his person, proving that the speed he had just demonstrated was absolutely his own.


    "You''re card free. Sorry for interrupting your fight. You may resume if you wish," he said, hiding how awkward he felt as he turned around and carried the still unconscious rissa to the side and healed her using a card.


    Nero, still shirtless, picked up his spear from where he had dropped it on the ground and turned to Bael with a questioning look, as if asking whether he wanted to continue.


    Bael did. He wanted nothing more than to continue the fight. The fact that he had survived Nero''s attack already proved that his training had been working. But the fact that he had been using his ability to full effect, while Nero had not demonstrated his at all, told him of the massive gap between them.


    His passive healing not only kept him unhurt, it kept him topped up on stamina and allowed him to never suffer from muscle fatigue, so even though he hadn''t really been hurt in his fight, his ability had been working nonstop.


    "No need," Bael said, for once using hismon sense rather than his own blind desires. Maybe having sense beaten into him was really all he needed to start using his brain, much like his father had been openly proiming for years. "The point of the fight was to get everyone familiar with you. I think it''s fair to say that has been achieved. Unless someone else wants to spar, I think we can sit and have a proper conversation now."


    Bael and Nero both looked towards the others, yet no one spoke up or stepped forward. Everyone was still wrapping their heads around how


    fast


    Nero had moved. What the hell was that?


    At first, every one of them - save Bael - had thought that he was an arrogant egomaniac. Now¡­ now they thought he was strong. The negative emotions they had towards him had suddenly transformed into positive emotions. After all, it had to be remembered, they were all actually allies.


    Who wouldn''t want more powerful andpetent allies out on a dangerous mission?


    "Yes, I think it''s for the best that we be more familiar with each other through our words than our fists now," finally said one of them, a blonde-haired, green-eyed boy who looked a fair bit younger than them all. In fact, if Nero had to guess his age, he''d say the boy was 13.


    His natural hair and conflicting eye colour meant he, too, had a non-elemental innate ability.


    Counting Nero, there were a total of 10 Neophytes there, which wasn''t a lot, but they were supposed to be the best of the best anyway, so it made sense that it was only a few of them.


    Actually, Nero expected to see others here, such as Arter or Maximilian if the


    best


    Neophytes were being called here, but maybe that was limited to the best who were still serving the army. After all, the draft was already over.


    "Sounds great. Let me just put my shirt on."


    Nero couldn''t be certain, but he felt like he heard someone make a moan of disappointment as he said that.

 Chapter 263: Sparks

    Besides Nero, Bael, and the now awakened rissa, there were seven others in the team though Nero gave special attention to two.


    The first was the thirteen-year-old who was introduced as Noman Berkin. Though the kid had not said much about himself besides a simple introduction during their walk from thebat hall to the mess hall, Nero had seen the way everyone else treated him with respect. That, alongside the des stitched into his uniform, let Nero know that was probably some kind of child prodigy. Also, he was probably one of the few who had not been intimidated by Nero''s performance during the spar.


    The second person of note was called Gideon Hither, from the Hither Great family. They had a strong background in weapon manufacturing, and many of the alloys used by the army for their weapons had been discovered or designed by their family.


    The reason Nero took note of him was because Nero considered him highly suspicious. Although Nero would naturally be suspicious of anyone from a Great family considering his recent history, Gideon had given him a few more reasons as well.


    The grey-haired boy had been behaving strangely from the first moment Nero saw him. While it was not obvious, considering that Nero had been on the lookout for any behavioural anomalies, he had seen the odd smirk here and the random frown there. He also had a mild intensity in his eyes when he looked at Nero.


    While just that on its own was not nearly enough to conclude that Gideon had some hidden agenda against Nero, it was enough to put Nero on guard. Discovering people like him was one of the reasons why Nero had been acting so boldly this entire time as well.


    Well else would he smile like a maniac while fighting? It was to make others think Nero was lost in the heat of battle while he secretly observed and analysed everyone else.


    He had noticed a few other oddities in others as well, but for now they could be attributed to individual quirks.


    Besides them, there were three other girls and two guys in their group, all of whom had arrived in the past two days. That meant that in terms of time spent together, they were not that much ahead of Nero.


    "Over the past few days, we''ve gone over a few strategies based on our general strengths and weaknesses," said Gideon, who was acting as the group head despite being the youngest. "Whether it''s now, or in Perilith, our goal will remain the same. Our first priority is to protect the researchers, of which there are four.


    "Even among our group we have one nonbatant - Daisy. Daisys innate ability is a rare generic healing ability, meaning it can heal any kind of wound within reason. Although she herself is quite capable in fighting, we have decided that within our formation, she will act as a nonbatant or long rangebatant at most."


    Nero nced over at the blonde girl with clear surprise in his eyes. Despite how it sounded, generic healing was just a ssification for a specific kind of healing


    that was actually quite rare


    !


    In truth, any healing ability that targeted others was rare, but even within them there were distinctions. For example, some abilities focused on healing surface wounds, while others only healed bone or deep tissue and so on. Generic healing meant that it was not overwhelmingly effective in any specific type of healing, but also that it could basically heal anything.


    "The rest are divided into defenders and attackers. Considering our limited time, everyone chose on their own their positions. For example, I myself am more suited to defending while Bael and rissa are focused on attacking. Of course, our response is also determined by the kind of opponent we face. So, keeping all of that in mind, why don''t you introduce your strengths to us so we can determine how to include you within our formations?"


    Nero smirked, maintaining the persona of a friendly but overconfident person he was building in front of them.


    "I would like to say I''m good at everything, but let''s just stick to a single role for now. I think, primarily, I''d serve best as an attacker. Considering my mes are very strong against those with heat based abilities, andpetent against curses, I can take the lead against such enemies."


    Bael had shbacks of how Nero fought back in the library, and couldn''t help but nod. Considering he did not actually know Nero too well, he could not pick out the differences in Nero''s behaviour at all.


    The group actually spent quite a few hours discussing various formations, but around 10 pm there was a siren across the base, which caused the group to end their meeting.


    "The siren is a reminder for a base wide curfew. Everyone not specifically on duty cannot be outdoors after 11 pm. Everyone has to return to their barracks, or in case they''re working, remain indoors till 7 am," Bael informed Nero as the group left the room.


    Others introduced themselves to Nero as well, and though their impression of him introduced, none of them were toofortable around Nero. In fact, even Bael himself was feeling incredibly awkward with him.


    "Good to know. You can head on ahead without me. I still need to report to a few other departments since its my first day. Considering a curfew ising up, I should really hurry."


    Bael felt an odd sense of relief, and left. Prior to his encounter with Nero, Bael had always been the center of attention within his group, his confidence overflowing in his every action. Since then, he had faced numerous defeats, and not just at Nero''s hands, which had caused his confidence to take a great beating. That was not to say that his confidence had withered.


    It was just that at random moments, he no longer knew how to behave. Previously, he would have at most nodded to Nero as a peer and continued on with whatever he wanted. But now, being around Nero who had defeated him on multiple asion, he suddenly didn''t know how to behave.


    He


    certainly


    wasn''t going to behave submissively like the crowds that used to hang around him in school. But he also hesitated to show the same, unyielding expression he once had.


    The lost and confused boy was too lost in his introspection, figuring out how to live in his new reality, to notice that Nero kept an eye on him as he left. It was only once Bael was far enough that Nero turned and left as well.


    In truth, Nero had nowhere else to go. His n was to return to his barrack, practice his spell model modification for a while, and then sleep since his duty would begin early in the morning. Even if he was meant to be with the other Neophytes, he also wanted to establish a good rtionship with the Corporal above him and his team. It was important to make contacts, as per his father, and one need not only consider people in high positions as contacts. In fact, it was much easier to build a rtionship, while all of them were in rtively unimportant ranks. It was true as much for himself as anyone else.


    But much more importantly, one reason Nero wanted to be alone was because he didn''t know how Unity would contact him. Within his barracks, where there would be others around, was not exactly an ideal location.


    To be fair, he also wasn''t technically alone on his walk back either, since groups of soldiers kept marching by every few minutes. Yet the walk back to his barracks from his current location would easily take twenty or thirty minutes, depending on how leisurely he walked.


    Though each building in this base was spaced out, and there wererge patches where there were no buildings at all, there were roads, paths and smaller check posts everywhere. There were also hundreds of streetlights, each one shining a soft, yellow light onto the base, illuminating it within the darkness of night, yet where Nero walked, hints of blue mixed in with that yellow.


    Where there were so many lights, there were also countless shadows, and at night observing and picking out the subtle details in the countless shadows was practically impossible. In fact, to the untrained eye, telling an anomaly in any shadow at any time of the day was near impossible.


    That was why Edward had rmended that he randomly produce lights and observe how the shadows reacted. He had been walking, Nero had been snapping his fingers, and with each snap he produced blue embers - the remains of a me only partially formed.


    Nero could only keep an eye out, hoping he saw a shadow that didn''t retreat as quickly as it should have, when he encountered just such a thing - though to be fair, the shadow was not exactly hidden.


    The shadow of a streetlight that fell across the path Nero was walking was, and when the sparks flew, the other shadows flickered, but not that one.


    He paused, and a few momentster, from within the shadow, a familiar face emerged.

 Chapter 264: Those eyes

    Vanessa hid. Of course she did - that''s what she''s always been trained to do. No one must know of her true thoughts, and no one must be able to pierce through the veil hiding her intentions.


    For the most part, acting in front of people was what she excelled at. She behaved in a way that would incite people to make assumptions that she wanted them to have. She controlled what others thought of her, controlled what they saw, and what they felt.


    In more ways than one, Vanessa was more adept in hiding while in in view of people than she was in actually hiding, thoughtely she had be incredible at that as well. Arge part of that was because of a certain blue-eyed boy! He waspletely rude and impolite, always pointing out her ws.


    Once she had thought that he was nothing more than a lecherous brat, but it turned out he was not obsessing over her figure, but searching for weapons. Whether she actually looked good or bad seemed never to be a concern for him.


    Moreover, no matter how she tried to lead his attention towards certain things, or try to misdirect him, Nero seemed to be able to see right through it.


    Looking through her facade was just as simple as looking through her ability, which admittedly needed some work in the beginning. But it was


    after


    she upgraded her ability, thereby improving her ability qualitatively and became


    much


    harder to spot, that Vanessa experienced something¡­ something she did not understandpletely.


    Deep inside, Vanessa felt a faint, almost indiscernible fear that her ability had be


    too


    good and that Nero would not be able to spot her anymore. Yet he did. Every time he did, Vanessa was filled with obvious agitation and indignation at her clearly amazing ability being seen through. She also felt a faint amount of relief, as well as satisfaction.


    But each time that fear grew, and so did the corresponding excitement at being seen through.


    The emotions were reaching the point where Vanessa would have noticed them eventually on her own. She was not dense - she just had a lot of things to deal with back in the research facility, and immediately after. But then Nero went and did something thatpletely stumped her, filled her with confusion and tion, and finally made her realise that she was spending more and more time thinking about him than she did her actual objectives.


    It was absurd. In fact, when Nero had noticed she was not who she seemed back in Lumina, figured out her identity, and agreed to keep it a secret without any issue, she was already surprised. Based on her character profile of him - something she created and logged for everyone she met in Kr - he was highly patriotic and sought approval and promotion.


    He was a typical ambitious high performer, something that should have been a result of a lifetime influence of propaganda and brainwashing from the military industrialplex of Kr in order to produce highly dedicated and loyal soldiers.


    As much as she didn''t agree with Mr. Rodney''s assessment of Nero, she had to agree that if there was one thing that Kr was proficient at, it was pumping out one generation of highly motivated soldiers after another. No one did it better than them. To fight for glory and honour was practically their culture. To die inbat was a privilege, not a forced oue.


    So Nero''s deviation from the expected path threw her entire assessment into disarray. It was yet another thing she thought herself proficient in that Nero proved wrong.


    Somehow, that also increased hw intrigued she was in him, so when Nero silently sent Fair Weather her way - a card that could allow ess to the lower levels of Lumina to anyone, not just Neophytes, a card that Kr valued beyond measure and handed over to the Sages alone for use - the mix of emotions she felt was immense.


    Instantly she thought of how such a contribution from her could elevate her position back in Nova even more than it was already, and how it could change the national strategy of how to act towards Kr moving forward. But for some reason, she held back from reporting it.


    Until she talked to Nero, until she figured out what his intentions were, she did not want to act prematurely. That was


    one


    of the reasons she had influenced the scientist to have Nero summoned here. Another was that the anti-curse ability of his mes could genuinely work in their favour, so it was a win-win.


    Yet as their meeting approached closer, Vanessa once again found herself filled with doubt and fear - much more pronounced this time. She feared he might not see through her as he had been doing for so long, and feared that without his many scouting cards he could not see through her ability. That was why, when she hid in the shadows, she hid right in his path.


    Unfortunately, her ability really


    was


    too good, and let alone teenage Neophyte, but even the regr guards on patrol could not spot her hiding in the shadows unless they used shouting cards of their own. In fact, even with scouting cards many were unable to detect her - yet another testament to how incredible it was that Nero always found her.


    Vanessa felt genuine nervousness as she watched him walk up to her, his gait casual and his demeanour rxed, which was very contradictory to how he usually was. He was even snapping. Each step closer he took, Vanessa''s heart beat a little faster. A little more nervousness filled her. Yet she controlled herself, and forced herself to stay calm.


    Just as it seemed like he was about to walk right past her, he paused and looked right at her. Though she was hiding in his path, no one else had seen through her camouge. No one else had detected her. Yet those bright blue eyes saw through the darkness surrounding her. They saw her.


    In an instant, a mix of emotions flooded her, she herself staring back into those eyes as she slowly became visible.


    Vanessa had not had an easy life, despite what many thought. She had not lived a pain free life, nor had she lived a life where everything was handed to her. It was through training till it hurt so much she wanted to cry, it was through putting herself in situations that filled her with fear and dread, it was through going alone behind potential enemy lines alone and without support that she slowly and steadily built herself up.


    Yet throughout her life, she had never encountered a weapon that did to her what those eyes did to her. If an enemy ever managed to stab her, they would never get from her what those eyes got from her.


    She had never felt so utterly defeated, and yet never felt so d of it. Her emotions were contradictory and confusing, but of course nothing of it ever appeared on her face, which looked impassive as she studied him.


    "How did you see through my ability?" she could not help but ask. Every time she asked him this question, and every time he answered, she improved. In response, Nero gave her that familiar, confident smirk she had grown used to seeing.


    He snapped his finger, and a blue spark was produced.


    "It''s not hard. You just have to keep an eye on the shadows retreating from the light. If it doesn''t retreat, then there is obviously something wrong."


    She looked at his fingers, looked at the sparks thatsted for barely a second, and had to admit that she was impressed.


    "You never fail to surprise me," she admitted frankly.


    "I''m also surprised by your changing identity every time we meet, Junior Officer Abel," he remarked and pulled out a card from his case and activated it, causing a blue shield to appear around them.


    "This is not a good ce to talk," she said, shaking her head. "We can talk more in Perilith."


    "Can you tell me what to expect from this trip, at least. After all, your protection is in my hands. The more I know, the better I can perform."


    Vanessa audibly scoffed. As if


    she


    needed protection. Although, she could not help but have a shback to the tentacle monster Nero fought in the basement. Maybe she might need


    a little


    help. Also, calling her by herst name probably meant that he finally got a hint as to her background, though he didn''t seem intimidated so he might not have.


    "All I can say is that do notpare this to any experience you might have had during the draft," she said, with many hidden meanings in those words. "It is


    a lot


    more dangerous than that. It is not casually that this dimension has been called Perilith. You will be sent a file containing some of our findings and understanding of the ce. Study it carefully."

 Chapter 265: Inner circle

    Nero studied Vanessa''s expression and bodynguage to get a peek into her thoughts, or at least intentions, but she had learned to mask them well. By keeping apletely neutral face, and her body in its natural stance, she prevented him from gaining any insight. But just as with the previous team of Neophytes, purposefully maintaining neutrality was all but admitting that they were trying to hide something from him.


    When she asked him how he found her, Nero was tempted to not tell her. It was genuinely getting harder and harder to spot her, and he was not blindly arrogant enough to think he''d always be ahead of her if she kept making progress at this rate. But he told her anyway.


    While she could grow from his guidance, only a real challenge would help him grow. Hesitation and fear would slow down his path, so he just mentally prepared himself to be even more aware of his surroundings than before. In fact, he might invest in a card that augmented his perception.


    Their reunion was going well in Nero''s opinion - he even used a protective card he''d gotten from his mother so that they could have a conversation without being overheard. Contrary to what one might expect, having a private conversation was not illegal, even in an army base - at least not unless they''re discussing military secrets, and both of them had oaths against that so it wouldn''t be a concern.


    Yet Vanessa wasn''tfortable talking there, and instead told him they''d talk in Perilith. Now, so far, Nero had no problem with anything. He didn''t even really mind that Vanessa had influenced his arrival here, and in fact was happy about it since it gave them a chance to talk.


    That did not, however, mean that Nero appreciated being led by the nose, or wasfortable being ordered around. He understood the need for safety and privacy as well, but it had to be made clear that they were cooperating with one another, not one side being ordered by the other.


    While they talked about other things, Nero activated Luminalink since his father had given him a new one, and brought Vanessa into his illusionscape.


    Vanessa, who was in the middle of exining to Nero about the dangers of Perilith suddenly paused when she found her surroundings changed. They were now standing in the very first hall they had their first proper encounter - the one where Nero had thrown a spear past her when she was sneakily watching him train. Or, well, perhaps not as sneakily as she originally thought.


    "This does bring back some memories, doesn''t it?" Nero asked with a smile. "By the way, do not be rmed. We''re just chatting inside an illusion. No one can peek inside."


    Nero had asked his father how safe the Luminalink illusionscape was, and his father gave him a reassuring answer. While Luminalink, when it was being used actively, was not foolproof, as Nero had hoped, it


    was


    impossible to spy on the illusion without disrupting it or causing Nero to notice.


    Messages left using Luminalink were almost impossible to detect, but even if they were, trying to spy on them would result in the destruction of the message. So, long story short, it was safe.


    Nero had to practise a little but eventually was able to craft his illusionscape as he wished, something his father told him was incredible as it usually took others days if not weeks to hone their concentration sufficiently for it to work.


    That was why, when Nero underwent the motion to sit down, a chair suddenly appeared behind him.


    "Have a seat, Vanessa. We have a few things to discuss, and I believe that there will be a curfew soon, so we should be quick."


    "I see you have gained some new tricks since Ist met you," she said eventually, as she sat down in a chair simr to his that just appeared behind her.


    Nero smiled, and said nothing. Technically, he''d had Luminalink all along. He just had not been utilising it to its full potential. Instead of criticising himself for not noticing such an obvious thing, he reminded himself that this probably meant there were countless other areas he could also improve in that he had not yet realised.


    "I have gained many things since west met, some new perspectives not being the least of them. We have many things to discuss, the fair weather these days being one of them," Nero said, hinting to the Fair Weather he had slipped her. "But first, I realise, I don''t really know much about you, outside of the fact that you''re a


    very


    well connected foreign exchange student."


    "Oh that''s easy. My favourite colour is pink, my favourite food is anything with rice, and my favourite Eldrim card is Violet Genesis."


    Violet Genesis was a very well known card. Or calling it a legend would be more urate. In the stories, the Emperor had used the card to change thendscape of what is now called Nova.


    "Howme. Ultimate Smash is the best," Nero said dismissively, referring to another legend of a card that could supposedly increase the effects of gravity in an area. Or rather than a legend¡­ it was a card from a popric about Card Masters.


    "But that''s not what I was referring to, though I have some doubts about that being your favourite colour," Nero said. "Rather than specifics, I''d like to go a little more generic, or perhaps central to your character. What motivates you? What are your goals? Where do you see yourself in ten years? In twenty? In fifty? Are you here because your position back home demands it, or because your position back home can enable it?"


    There was a subtle difference in thest question. Doing something because it was demanded basically insinuated external motivations, while taking advantage of your situation to do something difficult spoke of internal motivations. In this specific scenario, it made no difference, but in the general trend of life, internal or external motivations would slowly begin to show their differences. A person motivated internally will not stop working when they achieve a minor sess, whereas a person with external motivation will stop as soon as that external factor is gone or changes.


    Nero maintained the slightly sarcastic, joking tone as he spoke, though he was very much serious about each and every one of them. Gabriel was one of Nero''s closest friends, and it wasn''t his red hair or his mysterious background that Nero found noteworthy. No, it was his internal drive and motivation to grow and seed. It was his will to do what others could or would not. It was the potential for a true, genuine partner that Nero saw in him, which resulted in their current dynamic.


    He was beginning to trust Vanessa, but much more importantly, he had already taken a massive gamble by giving her the card. He had effectively provided her with a national treasure and given her the proof to effectively destroy his whole life if she so wished. It was a


    huge


    gamble.


    Of course, Nero had his own considerations even before he''d learnt just how influential his father, or maybe Whisper Guard were. He could see within Vanessa a certain drive, a certain desire to grow even if she had to throw herself behind enemy lines all alone, and he could certainly respect that. He was betting that until she understood his actions, she would not do anything on her own.


    There were many ways Nero could go about handling their rtionship, the simplest of them being working out a deal to get the card back from her and just ending things there. But Nero saw potential in her, and so his purpose in interviewing her was to see if he could bring her into his inner circle. It was just an attempt, and did not necessarily need to result in something.


    But Vanessa, keen as ever, instantly picked up that out of all the times they had bantered, this one was different. This time, he was not casually dismissive of her like he usually was. He was not adopting the live and let live stance he had taken with her so far, instead he was really looking at her - trying to understand her.


    But even though that thought lit a fire in her heart, she was not one who would so easily distract herself from her goals.


    "Why Mr. Grant, if I didn''t know better, I''d think you were interested in me," she said with a faux ttered expression.


    Yet before she could continue what she was about to, Nero leaned forward and said, "oh but I am interested in you, Vanessa. You have proven yourself quite capable, and I think you''ll agree that I have merits of my own. I am quite interested in cooperating with you, as I''m sure you can benefit from cooperating with me. But the thing I wish to ascertain is exactly


    how much


    I want to cooperate with you."


    Getting their hands on the ck keys would not be easy, even after they became Mystics or Ascendants. Having strong, well-positioned allies would work well towards making that goal a reality. Even besides that, there were many things they could cooperate on.


    But for that, first they would have to see if they were evenpatible.

 Chapter 266: The name of an era

    Vanessa stopped ying games as she was now convinced that Nero waspletely serious. Perhaps infiltrating Lumina in itself might not have been enough to attract his attention, but unsealing and resealing the Vault, getting out undetected and helping him out in a few things had tipped the scales.


    She narrowed her eyes, and for a moment considered Nero. Admittedly, gaining strong and influential allies was one of the reasons she personally came to Kr, and so far she had been quite sessful.


    Mr. Rodney and his wife were more than willing to build a connection with her, which was even more valuable now that Rodney had reached the Mystic realm. The scientist James was also a good contact, and she had made more than a few friends in various ces.


    Even if all of them weren''t in ces of influence now, it was clear that in the future they would be.


    In all of that, she didn''t know where Nero fit in. He had immense potential, that much was obvious to everyone. But an unfortunate reality of this world was that fighters tended to die a lot more. That simple observation was in stark contrast to her feelings, which told her that he would surely-


    "I can see you overthink things," Nero suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "It seems there is some kind of misunderstanding between us. If you are not interested in long term cooperation, then we can cut right to the chase, and instead focus on our more immediate requirements."


    Vanessa leaned back into her chair and looked at Nero with a raised eyebrow.


    "You''re quite capable, Nero. You''re a good fighter, very observant, and apparently very well connected it seems. But I don''t exactly know the limits of your connections, and while you''re a good fighter, hiring an Arcanist or even a Mystic to fight when I need it is pretty easy. So what is it that you''re exactly offering me? And what exactly do you need?


    "I admit, having you called to Fordham may have been a little forward on my part. But you would have done your service wherever you were called, and I genuinely believe your ability can aid in this particr encounter. That does not mean you will always be the one I want to call in case of trouble."


    Nero almost chuckled. It was cute when she tried to be serious and critical of him. Although her mask hiding her thoughts and emotions was good, it wasn''t


    that


    good.


    "Being practical is good, so I''ll give you the practical answer first. I''m good at fighting, and I understand Kr and Kri customs better than you will ever be able to. Whether it''s Lumina or Perilith or the untamed countryside, they will only hone my skill and serve to make me stronger.


    "Then there''s also my immense talent with aether, as well as the fact that my ability is awesome, and that in the next few months I should be an Initiate, long before a single year is over from my stabilisation.


    "My contacts extend to the Whisper Guard. If you don''t understand what that means, thenter on you should really look into how exactly I was sentenced to military service. Things will make sense to you then. Did I mention my mother works for the MIA? My best friend is in the Anzem family, not to mention I''m pretty sure the Ferro family and a few other Great families have a decent impression of me, not to mention that I''ve had more than one encounter with Sage Haiden, so everyone thinks we''re on good terms.


    "I think, all of that, at the very least, should be enough to convince you that at the very least, in short term goals, our cooperation can be beneficial. That''s if you ignore the fact that our prior corporations havee out well, with you benefitting immensely from my efforts."


    Nero looked at her amused. She was quite the professional, but trying to have him objectively exin why their cooperation might be useful when they had already spent so much time together revealed more to Nero than she could have guessed.


    He was certain she knew him well enough, but the fact that she had questioned him in such a manner despite knowing him meant she was relying on habit or old, familiar patterns to try and gain control, or at least to adjust her own mental state.


    It seemed suddenly being brought into the illusionscape threw her off bnce, and deviated things from her ns.


    In many of his assessments, Nero was right. The only thing he failed to guess was that it was not the illusionscape that suddenly affected Vanessa, but the intensity of his gaze as he looked at her.


    Nero waited a couple of moments to see if she would respond, and when she didn''t, he continued.


    "I see your point though. As of right now, it doesn''t make logical sense to invest in a long term cooperation with me. Chances are I''ll die along the way, and until I reach a sufficient level myself, there are many others who are stronger than me.


    "But Vanessa, you see, when I trusted you back in Lumina, I took a


    huge


    gamble, and the thing is, for the future, you cannot do without gambling a little. You see, it''s not about contacts. It''s not about strength. It''s not about survival. It''s about realising a simple truth."


    "What''s that?" Vanessa couldn''t help but ask. There was something in Nero''s voice, a certain energy, or maybe it was passion.


    "That the world is changing, Vanessa. It took a thousand years after the emperor to ess a second set of ruins, but will reaching the third ruins really take another thousand? The emperor unleashed an era of Eldrim cards, and finally brought aether within our grasp. He changed the fate of humanity, turning us from victims of curses to curse hunters.


    "From the darkness of ignorance I emerged, and to mother nature Imanded, yield, and to destiny I demanded, kneel," Nero quoted the emperor. "After the emperor''s demise we looked back into that darkness, and entered as hunters. We paid in blood, we paid with power, and we paid with the corpses of our brothers and sisters, and conquered all we could of this cursed world. Yet even now, a thousand years after his death, even a thousand years of progresster, who can im that they defined this era


    but


    Iskunder Macedon?"


    Nero looked at Vanessa questioningly yet she could not answer. Instead, she seemed almost mesmerised. This was a new side of Nero she had never seen. For once¡­ for once he was not thepletely in control,pletely calm abnormality of a teenager that was Nero Grant. Instead, he was Nero Grant, the warrior, revealing just a hint of the perfervid fire within his chest.


    "But now the race has begun. The fog has retreated revealing the ruins within, and the first steps have been taken. Monsters unseen for an age have once again seen the light of day. Powers long forgotten have returned. Histories long hidden have been revealed. As the Sages race to reach a new peak of power, as the countries contest for their rights, as the hidden powers of the world reveal themselves, vying for a hint of the right to write history, the question remains Vanessa¡­ who will define this new era?


    "Will this new era be called Kade? Ushered in by an undying demon? Will it be called Barakus, a testament to the powers of old? Will it be Golden Dawn?"


    For a moment Nero paused as he looked at Vanessa, hisst question clearly hinting towards thergest political party in Nova, and one of Vanessa''s backers.


    "Or, a thousand years from now, when people look back on history, will the name they recall be Nero? Or maybe Vanessa? Or maybe someone else we don''t even know? Who will define this new era, Vanessa? I do not know.


    "But what I do know is that without the will to challenge the world, the ambition to take the world in the palm of your hands, without the courage to look at a path marked by ruin and then walk it, no one will reach it.


    "So, earlier on, when I asked to get to know you better, I guess what I was asking was¡­ do you have the courage to take on the whole world? Are your ambitionsrger than the boundaries of Nova? Are you willing to take a risk that could potentially destroy your whole life if it fails¡­ but bring you just a little bit closer to achieving the impossible? Are you the kind of person who canmand mother nature? The kind of person that can demand the unreasonable from destiny itself?


    "If so, then I think, Vanessa, that we can be each other''s allies for a long time. And if not, then there''s no harm no foul. We can at least get through Perilith together."

 Chapter 267: Dont be hysterical! Two innate abilities is impossible

    While Nero was having a conversation with Vanessa, the others on his new team also found numerous things to busy themselves with. With their departure to Perilith imminent, the final preparations were of the utmost importance.


    That was the very reason why Noman, the 13-year-old kid who had been acting as the de facto leader of the group, was in his private room swinging a lightweight, practice spear around, making ''swish'' and ''whoosh'' sounds, alongside the equally important ''bang'' and ''kapow'' whenever he struck his imaginary enemies.


    He was not recreating Nero''s fight in his mind. No, the prodigy that he was, he was imagining an even more perilous fight where he fought off the entire team of Neophytes himself after they had been mind-controlled by an evil curse, with the only way to save them to defeat them inbat.


    Bael, simrly, had returned to his own private room as well - a room devoid of any furniture, containing only various workout equipment, and a simple nket on the floor in case he needed to sleep.


    By minimising his innate ability, he would work out to exhaustion, and then maximise the ability until he healedpletely and recovered in full. This was his shortcut to making gains at an unbelievable pace. He could now do in a single night what would have taken him over a week to do previously.


    His recent defeat at the hands of Nero had only reinforced his will to keep working out. He would, of course, rest as well, but that would onlye before their actual deployment. Since they had another day now, he basically had another day to train.


    rissa returned to her barracks. She did not have a private room, but a shared room with one other private which was actually the norm. Unlike the rest, however, she was incredibly frustrated with her defeat. That was actually the first time she had lost to someone at her own level, as even Bael had not won from her.


    Losing in itself would not be the issue. The issue was the ease with which Nero beat her. It was the first time she had gone from being hunter to prey. Frustration alone would not allow her to be stronger, but before she could make any progress, she needed to contain herself and regain control of her emotions.


    Daisy went to her room and instead of sleeping, started to write in her notebook, listing all of her recent observations and her ideas for her future. She was not resigned to a future where she would hide behind a line of allies protecting her. No, she was a warrior through and through, and she woulde up with a way to be an excellent fighter.


    Prior to this, she had a few different ideas of how she could realise that, but today watching Nero fight had given her a little more insight into what her future might hold.


    The others on the team also upied themselves with various things, but there was one person on Nero''s new team who was a little more agitated by what they had seen than the others.


    This person, upon retreating to their personal room, used a number of cards to ward the room and ensured no one could secretly observe or listen in on what was happening. Due to the various restrictions around the ce, it was impossible to contact someone outside the base, but that did not mean they could not contact someone inside of it.


    The person used another card, allowing a vague, illusory figure to appear before them.


    "We have a very serious problem," the Neophyte said angrily. "This Nero guy is a freaking monster, and I have no confidence in taking him down in a direct confrontation! I''m pretty sure that freak has like two innate abilities or something!"


    "Do not act hysterical," the figure responded calmly. "It is impossible for someone to have two innate abilities. I have already watched a yback of the recordings from the fight, and I can confirm that his physical prowess is not impossible to reach through means besides Eldrim cards.


    "Though most of the time, people don''t have the actual finesse and sufficient control over their aether to use his means properly inbat. In fact, most people who fight like him end up crippling themselves which is why his means are not taught widely. Though I admit, he is a remarkable specimen."


    "That doesn''t change the fact that there is no way I can go on with the n with that monster there on the team. Even when he was fighting, I could


    feel


    him observing me and the others. His attention was practically prickling my skin. I didn''t even dare to breathe heavily lest I catch his attention. He was looking for something - I''m sure of it!"


    "Calm down," the vague figure said, a hint of dissatisfaction leaking into the voice. "I have already looked into Nero. Almost everything in his official file is doctored, but fortunately he was recently in the middle of a very big scandal, so there''s still a lot of information about him I can dig up.


    "Preparations are already being made for any potential fallout from his death. What you need to do now is to find a way to administer a poison that I will have delivered to you. It''s the first part of a two-part poison that will onlye into effect when you administer the second part within Perilith. Don''t worry, we''re making preparations to make it look like Bael was the perpetrator after all this is over. He seems to have a bad history with Nero, after all."


    The Neophyte finally calmed down a bit, though he was still clearly nervous.


    "What about the others?"


    "Tampering with the gear has proven to be more challenging than expected. Instead, cards have been prepared that will help you disable the gas masks yourself. Now let''s go over everything one more time¡­"


    As the night deepened, more than one person was finalising their preparations for the uing excursion. Of course, Nero himself was unaware of all of this.


    He was still in his meeting with Vanessa - which had been promptly discovered as soon as it began. Of course, since they were not doing anything illegal, the soldiers simply observed the obvious barrier around the two kids and made bets amongst themselves about what the two teenagers were doing.


    As long as they finished before the curfew, no one would particrly care about the fact that they chose to have a private conversation out in the open.


    Within the illusionscape, Nero studied Vanessa as she took in everything he had said. While it appeared that Nero had been taken by a moment of passion, revealing his inner thoughts, in reality, all of this was a calcted move on Nero''s behalf.


    After Gabriel had told Nero that Vanessa was from a prestigious background, he tried to imagine what motivations she could possibly have to make her undertake so much danger. For all intents and purposes, her path forward in life was set. She needed to only follow it, and she would eventually be an important political figure, and perhaps even leader of Nova.


    Sure, being sent to Kr could have been a part of that n, but the amount of dedication andmitment required to sneak into Lumina was not something that could be faked. Secret bodyguards and political agreements could protect her in Kr, but within the basement of the research centre she was exposing herself to real and genuine danger. A single ident could im her life.


    But Nero never saw a hint of fear or hesitation in her actions. There were too many exnations for that, but Nero opted to choose the one his instincts told him was correct. That she was a highly driven, highly focused individual and would not hesitate from facing great danger to meet her goals. In fact, the level of drive she showed resonated with Nero, and he had a sneaking suspicion that her motivations might be closer to his than anyone could suspect. After all, Nero had scarcely encountered a motivator as effective as hate and the desire for revenge.


    Regardless, the point was that in her he saw highly motivated and ambitious traits. She did not appear to be someone who could ept mediocrity, or a path picked out for her by someone else. She likely had her own highly unrealistic goals, which required her to undertake massive personal risks.


    So the act that he put on specifically catered to that side of her. That was not to say that anything Nero said was a lie. It just meant that while everyone kept suspecting that as a warrior, the greatest thing he had to offer was hisbat prowess, they constantly overlooked his meticulous mind.


    The silence between them continued, and Nero no longer spoke, and just waited for her to respond. Vanessa, on the other hand, really was going over various considerations in her mind.


    Of all the things he said, one was more true than anything else. Working with him woulde at great risk. But whether it was her objective mind, or less objective personal feelings, they both agreed that Nero had proven himself worth a little risk.


    Vanessa moved her fingers as if casting a spell, and a card appeared within her hand - one that Nero recognised all too well. It was Fair Weather.


    "I''ll admit, you have me intrigued," she said with a smile. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

 Chapter 268: Thats not fair

    "Certain details cannot be revealed for now," Nero said, as he conjured a table in front of him in the illusionscape. It was actually good practice, as bing familiar with the illusionscape would allow him to make better use of illusion cards - something he clearly intended to do. What maniac would give up the obvious advantage of his own father being some kind of illusion prodigy?


    "But I suppose I can reveal the primary goal our long term cooperation would be focused towards. Within Lumina I discovered something of vital importance - perhaps even more than a Vault simr to the one the emperor made known."


    Nero''s eyes shed as he avoided directly mentioning the Vault to Vanessa. Even though she was technically there as well, and so his oath did not apply to her, he did not want to directly talk to her about it. His experience in the courts had given him a deeper appreciation for usible deniability for any and all asions.


    He also couldn''t reveal the vault he discovered, because he and Gabriel had taken an oath so that neither could reveal it without the approval of the other.


    "To reach our grand prize, we need six keys like this," Nero said, and pointed towards the illusion of the ck key that appeared. "As of right now, we know the location of at least three keys, but have ess to none of them."


    "One on the Ceremonial Sword of the Barakus family, one in the Jewelry Box given to Tomoe Suharto, and one in the underground research bunker in the New Dawn Research Institute," Vanessa said, studying the key. "I am familiar with the Ebon Hexkeys. Not many pay attention to such things, especially since so many people try to make sure that people do not learn of them. The fewer who know of it, the lesser thepetition is. Even then, many Sages have failed to get their hands on all three as each country holds them as valuable treasures."


    Nero paused, as he had not heard of the term Ebon Hexkeys before, nor did he know about the one in New Dawn Research Institute.


    "Well, now we know the location of four of them, as I''ve already gotten my hands on one. That''s how I came to learn of these keys to begin with," Nero said, leaving out the fact that he had already lost the ck key since.


    The revtion also startled Vanessa, who looked at Nero with great surprise.


    "Do you mind borating on the history of these keys? I feel like you might know more about them than I do."


    "The Ebon Hexkey is what they were called by the emperor, though if there is a deeper reason behind that is not known at least to me. ording to legend, the emperor got his crown from a treasure chest that was opened using such a key. That heter put the key in the ceremonial sword given to the Barakus family is one of the greatest points of pride for them - at least if you listen to their side of the story. Many believe they stole it after killing the emperor."


    Nero directly dismissed the hint of venom in Vanessa''s tone, as well as herst sentence. The truth surrounding the actual death of the emperor was heavily contested, and many had their own versions taught in their countries. Nova and New Vriya did


    not


    have the best rtionship, as was the trend among neighbours in Neire, though one of the oldest reasons for that animosity is that the leadership of each state imed that the other yed a direct role in the death of the emperor.


    In fact, even in Kr, the official story that was taught is that it is highly likely that the emperor''s death was not natural, the actual truth of it lost to history.


    "So the emperor used one key to unlock his crown. Do you know if legends of the powers of the crown are real?" Nero asked hopefully. The crown was, naturally, not normal - at least ording to stories. It was also the inspiration for the thousand year long effort to craft items which contained powers and abilities - something he now knew for sure was possible due to his time in Lumina.


    "Nobody knows where the crown is. Even if they do, it''s way above my paygrade as I''ve never heard of it."


    "Considering the origin of the crown, and peculiarity surrounding the keys and the various objects that require them, I think it''s in our best interest to assume that it was, because there''s no point in locking something away if there''s nothing special about it."


    "Going by that premise, the number of required keys might then directly correspond with the value of the treasure sealed inside," Vanessa suddenly said, a hint of excitement gleaming in her eyes.


    "It''s a good assumption. You can start looking into this since I have a feeling this might be easier for you. Let''s find out if there are more objects out there with one or two keyholes in them, or if there is only one with each requirement. If that''s the case, the first item has already been taken by the emperor, the item requiring two keys is the ceremonial sword, and the item requiring three keys is the jewellery box. Finally, I know the location of the item requiring six keys."


    Vanessa felt the excitement pulse through her body as she thought of the implications, especially since they might have one key already. But then she forcefully calmed herself down, and looked at Nero.


    "This might be a good long term goal, but it''s


    too


    long term. As in, I don''t see anyone making any progress on this before a couple of decades at least. Do you have anything more imminent in mind?"


    "Something that specifically requires your help? Not at the moment. Even if this goal is too far out in the future, without Fair Weather it will be pointless to us in a few decades unless the mist suddenly decides to disappear. Same as the fact that without the keys, having Fair Weather would be pointless. I''d just like to point out the huge leap of faith I took by handing the card to you to smuggle out."


    Vanessa scoffed, her mood suddenly going back to being non-serious.


    "As if. Without me, you would have had no other way to take it out. You


    needed


    me."


    "Debatable," Nero said, waving his hand dismissively. "But we can discuss a few more immediate ns. I think it''s pretty obvious your interest in Perilith is not normal. If you need any help with something, you can let me in on your goals and I can think of ways to help you."


    Vanessa looked at himmely.


    "It is


    not


    obvious. No one besides James knows anything. How can you just


    assume


    my interest is out of the ordinary? This is a dimension no one has ever heard of before? What interest could I have?


    How could you possibly deduce that I have hidden interests


    ?"


    Nero could practically hear Vanessa grinding her teeth, and it made him chuckle. He was about to answer, but suddenly looked towards his left as he sensed a disturbance.


    Outside the illusion, a soldier walked up to the barrier around Nero and Vanessa and knocked on it.


    "Curfew starts in 20 minutes," the soldier yelled, unsure if his voice would carry through the barrier. "If you''re still here by then, you''ll be detained."


    "Thanks," Nero yelled out with his real body, before turning towards Vanessa in the illusionscape.


    "I don''t need evidence for pure conjecture. I always assume someone has a hidden motive behind any action they take. The real skilles into guessing what that motive actually is. Most of the time I''m right about the hidden motive, even if I can''t always guess what it is correctly all the time. People are inherently selfish. It makes sense for there to be a hidden reason behind what they''re doing."


    "That''s not fair," Vanessained. "You''re not a detective, you''re just a conspiracy nut."


    Nero shrugged.


    "I wouldn''t call it that. I didn''t say the hidden motive had to be bad or something. I just said it makes sense for people to have a selfish motive behind their actions. Now whether that motive is to feel good about helping others, develop a positive reputation because you want to be known as a good person, make contacts with the unsuspecting, none of that is actually bad."


    Vanessa ground her teeth even harder, because while Nero was giving her an example of things that weren''t bad, he was


    simultaneously


    using her of all those things. The knowing grin on his face revealed as much. The thing that irritated her to no end was that he was right!


    "We''ll need to find another time to discuss Perilith in further detail. The curfew is about to start so we should start making our way back."


    "It''s best we avoid making this a habit. Wait till Perilith, I will include you in my ns there."

 Chapter 269: Prodigy

    Nero and Vanessa concluded their conversation there. It felt odd that they had a long and borderline treasonous conversation right in the middle of the street of a secret base, with patrols keeping an eye on them and even reminding them to hurry up lest they stay past curfew.


    Nero was beginning to get a glimpse into why a secret agency might want someone with abilities like his father. Just the ability to secretly transmit data was incredible. He wondered if Unity had ever tried to approach or recruit him.


    Speaking of Unity, Nero was expecting a visit from them but wasn''t sure when it would be. He briefly considered that Bael might act as the contact, but did not say anything to him at all. Flintlock had specifically mentioned that Nero was only useful, so long as


    no one


    knew he was a member.


    Considering the limited remaining time, Nero had to sprint back to his barracks and reached with only a couple of minutes to spare. Upon arrival he was greeted with an unexpected but wee surprise - he had been upgraded from the shared room to a private one, and all his belongings had been moved.


    Nero wasn''t sure why he had been upgraded, but did not question it as he did not exactly prefermunal showers. Upon returning to his room Nero showered, changed and then practised his spell model alteration for an hour.


    The entire time he was waiting for someone to contact him, but with nothing as such happening, he went to sleep. He had only a few hours to sleep before he had to join Corporal Thomas and his team.


    Falling asleep quickly was practically a requirement of military life, and for those cursed with the inability to fall asleep quickly, there were naturally Eldrim cards which did as much. Fortunately, Nero needed such aid, and after only a few moments of resting his head on his pillow, he was out for the night.


    Yet it was not the usual emptiness of sleep that weed him, but a lucid dream. He found himself back in his prison cell, facing the darkness where he sensed something within.


    "Meeting me in my dreams. I genuinely did not expect that one," Nero said to the figure in the darkness.


    "This is actually a bit of a cheat, considering that this card was actually designed for interrogation. The fact that it perfectly facilitates a ndestine meeting is just a bonus," responded Flintlock, not leaving the shadows.


    "If it''s an interrogation card, does it give you insight into my thoughts?" Nero asked guardedly. He had his share of secrets to keep.


    "Not really, but I


    can


    vaguely feel whatever you''re feeling. Why are you so sure you can kill me even in your dreams?" Flintlock asked.


    Instead of responding, Nero looked around the cell as if investigating the dream.


    "How would one break free of such a technique? I expect that if I resist with my aether, or perhaps my innate ability I should be able to resist to some extent."


    Nero tried, and


    felt


    like he could control his aether but something also felt amiss - as if something wascking.


    "No, actually, it''s quite hard to break out of this. This is a 3 star level Arcanist card. While you think you''re controlling your aether, in truth it''s only happening in your mind. In reality, you aren''t controlling your aether at all."


    Nero''s expression became more solemn as he realised how dangerous this card actually was! He had not felt it affect him at all, had no forewarning whatsoever, and saw no way to resist it once he was inside the dream. If any enemy was able to trap him in such a scenario¡­


    "Don''t take this too seriously. Fordham is not a simple ce. It wasn''t easy to get ess to you here. If I hadn''t nned weeks in advance to get you here into this very room, there was no way I could have done this. I suppose you should count yourself lucky that no one wants to put so much forethought and nning into assassinating you."


    "nned weeks in advance?" Nero asked curiously, turning his attention elsewhere. "How could you have possibly known I''de to Fordham


    weeks


    in advance? That would mean you must have expected this mission as soon as events began to unfold."


    Nero could not directly talk about Perilith, but his point remained. How could Flintlock possibly know?


    "Believe it or not, from the moment you were selected as a potential candidate to enter Unity, your mission was always at Fordham. That you got an actual mission here was a happy coincidence."


    "So the reason that Unity brought me here has nothing to do with my current mission?" Nero asked dubiously.


    "Naturally. I expect you''re under oath as it is and can''t reveal the details of your mission. No matter what your mission here would be, that would not change. Your reason to be here never had anything to do with that."


    Now that was unexpected. With the way everything seemed to be converging at Fordham, Nero expected everything was interlinked, but it wasn''t.


    "What''s my mission then?"


    "I believe there is someone on your team called Noman Berkin. Your mission is to get close to him, and without harming him in any way, learn the exact details of his innate ability."


    Nero raised an eyebrow. Now


    that


    was even more unexpected.


    "Why me for such a task, and why Noman?"


    In truth, Nero had already picked up hints and cues from the others on his team that Noman was some kind of talented prodigy. It seemed that extended to his innate ability as well if an organisation as vast as Unity was paying special attention to him.


    "We already have a vague idea of what his innate ability is about. It is a sealing ability, but we have reason to believe that his specific one is a little more unusual than the rest. Remember, your mission is to get


    exact Your next read is on NovelFire|le|mp|yr


    details of his innate ability. It''s best if you can get the actual phrasing on his innate card.


    "I''ll provide you with a file on all the details we have on him. Read them within the dream and memorise them, since I can''t provide you with anything outside. I''ll check in with you once in a while. Do not try to reach out to me yourself, that won''t work here. Also, I''m sure I don''t need to say this, but don''t mention Unity or anything about it to Bael. His memory of his invitation to you has already been wiped."


    Flintlock''sst statement genuinely took Nero by rm, for messing with memories was incredibly dangerous! If they began to mess with his memories¡­


    "Rx! Sheesh, talk about uptight. We did not in any way tamper with Bael''s memories. You think we''d risk antagonising Commander Dagon like that? Instead, it was Bael himself who wiped out all memories of his invitation t o you once the mission wasplete. That was a condition of his mission to begin with."


    "You''re getting shadier by the minute," Nero said with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.


    "Oh well, it is what it is. Once youplete this mission, you''ll be able to join Unity properly as an outer member if you wish, and gain ess to our vast informationwork. By the way, just to motivate you a little, I can share a little something with you. A few days ago, there was a little incident in a city in Saint Codale. The Clear Path terrorists were involved, and they were seen fleeing with wagons full of ves and captives."


    Nero said nothing, and stared towards the darkness. They both knew he wanted more. Nearly a minute of uninterrupted ringter, Flintlock gave in.


    "Sheesh. Do you ever blink? Yes, an Irene Hammel was witnessed on scene, not among the captives in the wagons I might add."


    Nero simply nodded, and turned towards the file that had appeared and picked it up. The file was naturally based on Noman Berkin and his background. To his genuine surprise, his fathers name was Earl Berkin - as in Lieutenant Earl Berkin, the one running Fordham.


    His mother was an artisan, and despite being an Arcanist herself, she was not in the army.


    The only son of two highly talented individuals, Noman proved himself capable from a young age when he synchronised at the age of eight, andpleted his highschool at the age of nine!


    He had excellent performance inbat training and a mastery over aether rarely seen. During the draft, he was also deployed to Lumina, and while the specifics of his deployment are unavable, he received many des for them! In fact, ording to the file in Nero''s hand, many of his des were sealed and his official file made ssified to hide the actual scale of his contribution.


    The thing that he excelled most in was actually sealing curses! In fact, it was suspected that the very first Berserker specimen had been captured live by Noman!

 Chapter 270 Humbled

    Chapter 270 Humbled


    Going through Noman''s file did not take long, nor was there a lot of information avable about him.His service record was ssified, and even when Unity was able to get their hands on some of those records, it did not reveal much.


    Most of that was because, at the end of the day, Noman was a kid. He was a prodigy, yes. Many had great expectations of him, yes. But no matter what, he was still weak, not to mention that he hadn''t had time to gain much experience. Despitepleting highschool and being eligible for KMA, Noman''s father had insisted that the kid not go before he turned fifteen. In the meantime, he was merely meant to do some service in Fordham base, under his fathers supervision, and get some experience for the more mundane parts of being a soldier. The fact that he had forcibly been pulled into the team heading into Perilith was something the Lieutenant was not very happy about.


    That also exined why the Lieutenant had been so critical of Nero''s addition into the team. Any and all unknown or unstable factors increased the danger Noman faced. Considering that he was the Lieutenants only child, it must be quite unnerving for him. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Once Nero had gone through the whole file, he looked up to the darkness, but sensed that Flintlock was no longer there. As soon as he put the file down, the lucid dream ended, and Nero finally got some semnce of rest.


    When his rm went off, Nero felt a trace of mental exhaustion, no doubt an after effect of the visit in his dream, but it was nothing a good, cold shower couldn''t fix. As soon as he was ready, he quickly made his way to Corporal Thomas and his team.


    The day was extremely busy, and at the same time simple and straightforward. The corporal was a good leader, not just to Nero but the others as well, always making sure they got the exact guidance and instructions they needed while proactively helping anyone whocked.


    Since the mission had been dyed, they spent a majority of the day around the researchers, which might have been boring to others but Nero found it very interesting to listen in to what they were talking about.


    All of their research was centred around samples from Perilith, which were all invaluable. The Primeveil, as Nero learned their dimension was called, was the most stable one. But all other dimensions had a strong affinity of some sort. While Nawia was great for hurting others and even curses, Perilith had an extremely high density of aether as well as cursed energy, which meant even the dirt collected from there was akin to a valuable ingredient here.


    Unfortunately, containing and transporting samples from the dimension to this one was not easy, as the lower aether concentration often caused the samples to dissipate in essence and lose value. That''s where Noman''s sealing ability came in quite handy.


    In the afternoon, they were relieved from security detail earlier than usual, but that did not mean they were done. No, the fact that they were a part of the security detail meant that they would then oversee all of the gear and equipment that was to be taken with them, ensuring that it had not been tampered.


    The corporal once again proved himself when he taught Nero how to evaluate the condition of the many pieces of gear he was not familiar with, even if that did slow them down quite a bit.


    In the evening, after a small break, the all gathered for a training session so that Nero could at least have some idea of what his role would be. They were going to be practising against another squad who wanted to train as well.


    In hindsight, Nero might have gone into the training feeling a little full of himself. He was certain that his physical capabilities were more than enough to keep up with the others. He thought he would end up surprising everyone with his ability to keep up. Fortunately he had listened to his fathers advice of not acting arrogantly, for he quickly learned why no one took Neophytes seriously.


    Nero himself had once faced a lone Initiate inbat, and through the clever use of spells and innate abilities, he hade out victorious. But it also had to be kept in mind that the Initiate at that time had been severely limited for a majority of his focus was on remaining undetected.


    When Nero finally witnessed up close how a well coordinated, well directed team of Initiates fought, he finally realised how much of a handicap he was truly under. Neophyte cards were all usually simple and singr in function, but that was not the case for Initiates.


    They were called card masters, but sometimes they were also called mages, for what they were doing was akin to magic. Nero''s physical strength, speed and endurance counted for naught in the face of the overwhelming might of some of the cards he witnessed that day. He was once again reminded of when his father told him that the true strength of card masters was not their body, or even their innate abilities, but it was their cards!


    After being thoroughly humbled, Nero focused on following his role as a support character very well, and it was then that his surprising physical abilities finally shone. To be clear, almost none of the cards Nero could wield would effectively augment, heal or defend one of the Initiates, but in a critical moment even the slightest bit of aid could help.


    Ultimately, most of Nero''s time was spent carrying the dummy, which was supposed to represent a researcher, and dodging attacks.


    After the fight was over, however, Nero still had many hours left till the curfew and he decided to use that by spending some time with his Neophyte teammates. Most of them were busy during the day, but had all gotten free in the evening as well and gathered once more in the same room they had a meeting with Nero in.


    When Nero entered, he saw Noman talking animated to Daisy, with the others not having arrived yet. Despite the good opportunity to make contact, for now, Nero merely greeted them and took a seat.


    One of the reasons Nero had been assigned the Noman mission was because ording to their personality analysis, Noman was friendly with everyone but would not get close to anyone lest they impress him, and impressing a prodigy was far from easy.


    As it happened, though, Nero was extremely suited to the task given his excellentmand overbat, and had unknowingly done so already. Even then, he was not going to rush. Trust was more easily earned on the battlefield, so only after they had faced their first obstacle together would Nero work on befriending Noman. Until then, he just wanted to be more familiar with the whole team.


    One by one, the whole team came in, until eventually Gideon burst into a room holding a tray of cupcakes. If Vanessa were here, Nero could have pointed out to her how his mentality of assuming everyone was inherently selfish worked.


    He believed that Gideon had either poisoned the cupcakes, or just wanted everyone to really like him - possibly with this whole act of bringing cupcakes specifically just targeting Nero. Either way, Nero did not do anything to raise suspicion.


    He smiled, chatted, joked with everyone, and even ''ate'' three of the cupcakes to show he really liked them! Especially since a good dessert wasn''t reallymon. Not like one could go around looking for pudding on an army base.


    In reality, Nero was doing two things to avoid actually eating the cupcakes. Since the first thing he ever learned was manifesting his mes wherever he wanted, he filled his mouth with mes so that as soon as a cupcake entered his mouth it froze and shattered. It would take a few seconds, given, but the act of chewing was a good way to fill up that time.


    The second thing he did was use the illusion card his father had given to make it look like there was no me in his mouth, and even covered some of his teeth with icing. The illusion card was given to him for when his hair or eyes began turning white, but using it to put fake icing on his teeth worked just as well.


    Eventually, everyone went their way to rest for the night. They were set to leave the base at dawn, which meant they had to be ready and with their teams long before then. They would be getting very little sleep that night.


    While Nero returned to his room to sleep, a dark figure returned to his room and once more contacted the blurry figure.


    "I''m pretty sure I seeded in poisoning him, but seeing how freaky he is, I''m not sure if it will work. How about we use one of the contingencies you talked about?"


    The room was filled with silence, and for some reason, the Neophyte felt like the darkness began to weigh on him.


    "Fine."

 Chapter 271: Glorious future

    When Nero stepped out of his barracks early the next morning - long before the horizon started to light up - he carried his bags with him. His deployment was expected to take weeks if not months, and each night they would exit Perilith as it would be too dangerous to stay.


    He didn''t care much for his personal belongings but he seriously needed all the material to practise spell model alteration, so he couldn''t leave those cones behind.


    There was a soft breeze blowing through the base, and it was oddly warm - not something he was used to. Back in Aetherpeak, even as winter receded and summer came, the nearby snow capped mountains always kept the temperature low. Here in Fordham, far away from the mountains, summer was beginning to take hold, which was not good news.


    The end of winter was generally good, for it put an end to longer nights. It was also


    really


    bad, since spring was one of the most deadly seasons of them all. Actually, there was no season that wasn''t dangerous, which is why whichever season would be uing was always referred to as


    one of the most deadly


    .


    The dangers of spring included, but were not limited, increase in pollen, the sprouting of flowers, increased bee and wasp activity, the rousing of hibernating animals and beasts, some of which had no doubt died during the winter and be cursed in the meantime.


    It was also a time where most of the orchards would strengthen their forces, as the slightest bit of weakness could cause catastrophic consequences.


    On the bright side, there would be fruits avable, which would result in numerous military operations. The annual Apple Picking operations were some of the most deadly, but at the same time would provide the country with a source of pride. Each season, the top Orchardists who picked the most apples of the season were hailed as the strongest up anding warriors of the country. It was a right of passage for all Mystic Orchardists.


    Nero quickly joined up with his team, submitted his bags for checking, and fell in with the group. From now on until they reached their destination, all they would do was protect the researchers.


    Within Fordham a massive convoy was being prepared with dozens of trucks and jeeps filled with hundreds of Arcanisists and dozens of Mystics. Nero would be in a jeep that would be right beside the protected van in which the researchers were, his primary job to continuously use a number of scouting cards he had been given.


    From his position, he could not see the front or end of the convoy itself, but he could see a lot of activity, and was surprised to discover that he even saw the Lieutenant joining the convoy in the distance.


    "The Lieutenant will be joining us?" Nero asked, turning towards one of the Initiates in his team.


    "Lieutenant Earl is a protection and suppression expert," the soldier stated. "Considering the nature of our mission, it''s not unusual that he''s joining. Who knows what unexpected dangers we''ll face."


    Nero was about to ask more questions when he caught sight of something, and froze. The beast was a gliding fortress, a monstrous bulk of metal that floated a metre above the ground, almost without sound. Its body was a dense block of shadowed metal, but blue lights pulsing beneath it. It crossed thend with unnatural ease, as if a stealthy, silent predator. But there was nothing stealthy about it, for as it came closer, Nero could


    physically


    feel the immense amount of aether flowing through its body.


    He watched in mute awe as it drifted forward, its sheer weight seeming to bend the very air around it. The hum of its power vibrated through the earth like a distant thunderstorm, even though it technically never touched the earth.


    Atop this metal creature sat a rotating turret - a steel predator that tracked its target with eerie precision, menacing and imbued with terrible power. Much like the pulsing blue lights keeping the monstrosity floating, arcs of blue lightning shed along the length of the turret''s barrel, promising utter devastation in its wake should it fire.


    Nero saw soldiers standing atop the floating, metal vehicle, and from a hatch atop the rotating head another soldier popped out his head. No doubt, even more soldiers filled the centre of the thing - if it had space.


    "I see they''re finally bringing out the Juggernauts," one of the soldiers said, a hint of excitement in his voice.


    "


    That''s


    a Juggernaut?" Nero asked, genuinely amazed and enchanted by the thing. Every single inch of it practically screamed power, and he was all for it!


    "Its official designation is an Aetheric Tank. Juggernaut is just the model name, or rather JR-07. There are a few more models, from what I hear. The floating bit is new. Thest model I saw, the JR-06 probably, had wheels, but the weight of the monster meant that it could never travel without roads."


    At that moment Nero wanted nothing more than to run up to the Juggernaut and climb aboard, but he had the sense not to do so. A total of two Juggernauts joined the convoy, floating on either side of - the ultimate show of deterrence.


    Eventually, the distant sky turned deep blue, and then eventually light blue, with the sun mere moments away from rising. Everything was ready, and so the convoy set off - at a


    much


    slower pace than Nero expected.


    Corporal Thomas was not in the same jeep as Nero, so the other Initiates took on the responsibility of filling him in as they began their journey.


    "The convoys don''t usually travel fast, as they want to avoid running into trouble too quickly.


    Always


    expect trouble, because such a massive group moving through the untamed countryside will


    always


    attract curses. This works in our favour since the Juggernauts can''t move too fast either."


    The destination was not too far, barely twenty kilometres away, but they expected the journey to take up to six hours. The maths on that didn''t make sense to Nero, at least until ten minutes after they left the base.


    Even though Nero was using scouting cards, he wasn''t the first one to detect the enemies. No, it was the Juggernauts that began moving their turrets that alerted the others as they aimed into the open sky. A few secondster, Nero saw curses appear in the air before them.


    "Don''t only focus on the enemy that''s been spotted," the Initiate beside Nero told him, though the man himself seemed rxed. "They cane from anywhere. The air, the ground, from within the convoy itself, nowhere is safe. You don''t need to pay attention to anything other than making sure nothinges close to the van we''re protecting."


    Nero nodded. He knew as much. He wouldn''t make such basic mist-


    The Juggernaut fired, and all thoughts fled Nero''s mind. He had not seen the charge up, as he had been distracted by the Initiate, but he


    felt


    it when the monster fired.


    There was no loud boom or bang. There was a high pitched noise, though, likely from the Juggernaut itself. But the true impact of when the beast fired was felt through the aether.


    It was as if there had been an explosion, and all the aether in the vicinity started flowing chaotically, fleeing from the deep blue beam shooting up into the sky at the curses, while simultaneously being pulled into it.


    It was aser beam of aether so concentrated it became visible, and it warped the world around it. The curses in the sky, monsters of all shapes and sizes, wailed and screamed, rushing into the aether beam as if attracted to the dense aether. Yet instead of draining the aether, they were vaporised.


    After a few seconds of firing, the beam vanished, and hundreds of curses had disappeared. But thousands of curses remained in the sky still, so the rest of the soldiers began their attacks. Monsters rained from the sky, and attacks flew up to meet them as the Juggernauts recharged.


    This time, Nero saw as ever increasing coils of blue lightning danced along the barrel as it prepared to fire. This time, as he was paying attention, Nero could actually


    feel


    the aether within it. It was as if it had its own gravitational pull to all the atmospheric aether around.


    After ten seconds of charging up, the monsters fired again, and the awestruck Nero stared as it wrought destruction, bathed in its blue light.


    The Initiates beside him just snickered to one another as they saw his expression, but did not hassle him. To them, he was just a kid.


    But they did not know what was going through Nero''s mind as he witnessed the fight all around him.


    He saw war. He saw warriors. He saw a fight against the very world itself, and all of it bathed in a shade of blue. More importantly, he saw a glimpse of his future - of a day his fires would paint the world blue, and hordes of curses destroyed with each of his moves.


    Nero grinned. It was a glorious future.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 272 March

    Chapter 272 March


    At the rate that they were killing the appearing curses, Nero thought that the fight would end in a few minutes. He was wrong.


    He finally understood why, even when the curses began to appear, the convoy continued to move forward at their slow pace, and none of the soldiers got out of their jeeps or trucks. In fact, it was only the first timers like Nero who were surprised at the number of curses that attacked the convoy. The rest took it in their stride.


    They did not rx, but they also did not need to stop or take special measures. With the support of the Juggernauts, the countless strong card masters, and an insane amount of coordination, the convoy kept moving, and kept killing curses. The curse, in turn, kept appearing as if there was no end to them. The only redeeming factor in all of this, if it could be called that, was that so far none of the curses had been too strong.


    Nero had questions, but now was not the time to ask them. He also finally understood why, in the heat of such an intense battle, he was kept constantly scouting for more enemies. While all the fighters were focused on the curses up in the air, scouts spread throughout the convoy kept searching for new enemies attacking from other directions - and they came, just as expected.


    Some came with the wind, invisible and with a gentle touch, yetpletely lethal. Others emerged from the ground underneath them, while others still simply appeared right amidst the convoy itself. When such curses appeared, all the scouts would use a specific card given to them that marked the enemies in the senses of all the warriors, and they would take care of the rest.


    The convoy was an efficient yet ruthless killing machine, never stopping, never tiring, always on the search for more prey.


    Even though Nero did not fight himself, he could feel the heat of battle. The aether itself in their vicinity was hot as it was pulled into the Juggernauts, while the jeeps and trucks heated up from all the soldiers'' attacks. The intensity of battle drew sweat from the brows of even those seated. Inparison to the fever that had gripped the soldiers, the light of the summer sun was a gentle caress, any warmth it carried like the fingers of a lover, softly running across their bodies.


    Nero waspletely taken. It was not like he had never faced a fight before. It wasn''t as if he had not risked life and limb, not like he hadn''t risked his neck against formidable foes. But this was different.


    On the road, surrounded by warriors, by machines of metal and aether, by the burning corpses and remains of curses, what he felt was something different. What he felt was the call to arms that slept in the blood of every Kri. What he felt was the embrace of the battlefield. What Nero felt there was the understanding of why the Kri, as an entire nation, could not resist the allure of battle itself.


    Just when Nero thought he finally understood, finally felt what all the soldiers across their nation felt, the rhythm of the fight changed.


    Boom.


    He felt it, deep within his bones. Each and every hair on his body stood on end, his senses heightening as they searched for that one sound. But how could he hear something like that here? The battlefield was filled with sounds. It was-


    Boom.


    The sound prevailed throughout the entire battlefield, its origin distant yet near at the same time. Nero''s heartbeat quicked. He felt silly when he realised what was happening, and felt silly that he had forgotten about it. In his defence, he was too focused on the fight. But now that he knew what was happening, he did not miss out again. He raised his foot just slightly, noticing all the others in his jeep doing the same, and mmed it down at the same time as them.


    Boom.


    Nero was not one to lose control of himself, but for once he had to struggle to control himself as excitement filled his veins. How could he forget? Forget the oldest, ancient most tradition, not just of Kr, but of mankind.


    Boom.


    The sound was getting loud, and the tempo slowly building. Chants. Cadence. War songs. Victory bads. Different people called it by different names, but at the end of the day it was all the same.


    Boom.


    Whether it was to raise morale, to build coordination, to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy, or to build courage in the hearts of the friendlies, when the armies of Kr marched, they did not do so in silence.


    BOOM!


    The convoy was in full form now, fighting for every metre ofnd they covered, killing and ying foes without the blink of an eye. This was not even war for them, no. This was just a random Tuesday.


    BOOM!


    He knew what wasing, and Neromented from the bottom of his heart that he had not learned the war song for Fordham. But he would learn it now, surrounded by his brother-in-arms, in the heat of battle, and he would sing along with them.


    BOOM!


    The beat was established, the tempo set, and now all that was left was for the lead officer of the convoy to sing - to defiantly and provokingly sing a song as they ughtered their way through


    "MARCH!" a voice dered from the very front of the convoy, at the same moment as the next boom, signalling the start of the Fordham war chant. As one, the soldiers joined their voices, just as they joined their strength, and sang without pausing their ughter.


    "March! In the dark of night.


    March! In the light of day.


    March! Through the fogs of grey.


    March! To the end of an age."


    BOOM!


    "March! Though the road is long.


    March! Though your bed is warm.


    March! Though you leave home behind.


    March! Though your end is nigh." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    BOOM!


    "A chest covered in armour,


    A heart full of courage, of honour, of pride,


    A promise to return,


    A waiting lover, a mother, a friend."


    BOOM!


    Nero''s clenched fists trembled as he struggled to contain himself. The past few years, there had been too much disappointment in his life. All his ideals, one by one, were crushed by reality. But right now, he was not surrounded by sinister plots, by evil intentions, or by honourless scum. Right now, he was surrounded by soldiers, one and all.


    "Under the shadow of the Dark Moon,


    Over the mountain of my brothers ashes,


    Across the tide of eternal curses,


    We will march to the beat of our hearts!"


    BOOM!


    "March! Along the armies of Kr!


    March! To the end of the world!


    March! Death is an old lover we love to tease!


    March! While you still have blood left to bleed!"


    BOOM!


    There was a fire in Nero''s heart, and its colour was not blue. Passion, vigour, energy, power - it all coursed through his veins at that time and he wanted nothing more than to rush into the curses and rip them all to shreds. But as the rhythm of the song reached a crescendo, Nero''s trembling hands finally stilled, and the raging feeling in his chest stilled.


    He had done it a few times before, and he chose to do it now again. As if his mes could freeze even his emotions, Nero allowed them to cool his head and bring himself to the peak of self control.


    That did not mean that the feelings left Nero.


    BOOM!


    This did not mean that he was no longer affected by a convoy of soldiers, bravely, audaciously, arrogantly singing in the face of an enemy that could kill them all. Far from it. He embraced it with his entire being, for this was what he had always imagined being a warrior was all about. But that did not mean he could allow apse in self control.


    Nero himself was a warrior, and the first weapon he mastered was not the spear, it was himself.


    BOOM!


    He heard the song. He learned the words. He sang along. But more than ever, he became focused on the task that he had been given. Even though he knew that as a Neophyte, he was never actually meant to discover any enemies. More than anything, it was just to get him ustomed to how a convoy travelled, and what role he might y in the future.


    BOOM!


    His heart beat became stable once more, and Nero reached the very peak of his focus. Whether it was the tempest of emotions, the whirlwind of aether, the heat of battle, or something even more esoteric, in that moment something within Nero moved, and he suddenly had a feeling.


    He had just reached 30% card absorption.


    BOOM!


    "March!" This time, Nero''s voice joined the chorus.

 Chapter 273 Perils of Perilith

    273 Perils of Perilith


    The distance between the opening to Perilith and Fordham wasn''t too far. In fact, it would have been directly visible from the base if the wooden cabin had not appeared in the middle of a nearby forest.


    Reaching the forest itself took nearly three hours, the fight never ceasing for a moment. The intensity of the fight varied throughout the journey, and the Juggernauts literally proved themselves equal if not greater than a hundred men.


    In terms of versatility, they could not equal a true Mystic, but in terms of sheer firepower, they had the Mystics beat. Much more importantly, it could operate for much longer than any one person.


    In the middle of the journey, Nero had witnessed how nearly a dozen soldiers climbed out from within the Juggernaut every hour, promptly to be reced by another team who was waiting on standby. Nero could not presume to know what those dozen soldiers did, but they were all Arcanists, and if he had to venture a guess, he''d say they were powering some core mechanic, or core cards that allowed the amalgamation of mechanical and aetheric sciences. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    All-in-all, the Juggernaut proved itself to be an amazing weapon in the absence of a Mystic, and still a pretty good one even in the presence of one. Considering the fact that going from Arcanist to Mystic, and adopting a Profession, was far from easy or simple, and that a majority of Arcanists never even qualified for it. Of the ones that qualified for it, not all seeded.


    Of course, the impressive machines were only part of the reason they reached the forest without suffering a single loss - although a few injuries were sustained. At one point, a curse had appeared that was noticeably significantly more powerful than the rest.


    Its mere presence was a drain on the soldiers, and Nero felt an instinctual desire to unleash Virtuous Moonlight to protect himself. Fortunately for everyone, it had only just appeared when the Lieutenant made a move against it.


    From the distance, all Nero saw was that it looked like the Lieutenant punched the damn thing using the arm in his cast. A punch was all it took to eliminate the damn curse, so Nero made a mental note to not antagonise the man.


    Yet neither the tanks impressive sts, nor the Lieutenants punches could help them in the second leg of their journey. Once they reached the forest, they had to travel with the entire convoy to the cabin itself.


    Preparations had already been made, trees chopped down, and an uneven dirt road prepared that cut right to the cabin itself, but progress was still slow.


    For reasons Nero did not quite understand, nor did anyone exin to him, once they reached the forest, the endless tide of curses appearing out of thin air actually ended. Instead, they were only left to deal with the preexisting curses that filled their world.


    No, the real obstacle in the forest became the previously impressive Juggernauts. Traversing uneven terrain was definitely not their forte, even with them floating above the ground. Nero was genuinely amused by the fact that ack of infrastructure would be the greatest obstacle to these otherwise impressive machines should they enter mass production. Oh, also their slow movement speed. Compared to vans and jeeps, the Juggernauts had a very poor top speed of 20 kilometres per hour.


    But neither curses, nor forests, nor poor terrain could keep the convoy at bay for long. In exactly the expected six hours, Nero''s van pulled up in the makeshift base that had been built around the cabin, though it did not seem makeshift.


    All the trees within a thousand metres around the wooden cabin had been cleared, the grass incinerated and all vegetation cleared, even including anything that might be a few metres underground.


    That had naturally been followed by making concrete floors, tiling everything off, and creatingrge defensive walls. Only the cabin itself and the ground immediately around it remained untouched, for obvious reasons.


    As soon as his van stopped, Nero jumped out and followed his team as they surrounded the researchers once more. Although the temporary base had been secured, it was nowhere near as safe as Fordham itself. Considering Apparition curses could appear even within Fordham, they could not take any chances.


    Nero had to admit, the journey was exhausting even though he didn''t actually fight himself. That did not mean he could take it easy.


    The researchers - the four that were in the Neophyte realm and the many that weren''t - all gathered in a meeting room nearby and began discussing things that, frankly, went right over Nero''s head.


    What he did understand, though, was that they were immediately going to begin checking the entrance one more time before the official mission began. That would be done by first sending in a team of Arcanists, and once they returned they would send in a team of Initiates. If no anomalies were detected, then the Neophytes would enter for their first ever excursion.


    Afterying out the tentative n, Nero followed the researchers as they made their way to the team of five Arcanists who would be venturing into Perilith. They had already been inside before, so they would know what to expect.


    Nero, on the other hand, observed them closely so he could finally see in person all the gear he would have to soon wear.


    The perils of Perilith were not few, and the most immediate and concerning for any was the fact that there was some, unidentified poisonous gas within the dimension which required them to wear an air filter at all times. There was still oxygen, which is why they could use a filter and didn''t need to carry equipment.


    In fact, there were even cards that could be used to prevent someone from breathing in the poison. In general, since the precautionary measures were already identified, the poison was considered as a low danger threat, though a single inhale of the poison would set someone on the path for their demise in a few hours. If one kept constantly breathing it in, then in twenty minutes they''d begin to lose mobility, and in forty minutes they''d die.


    The second, rtively low risk peril¡­ Nero coughed. The second low risk danger was the sun in Perilith. It worked just like a normal sun, except that long term exposure - meaning a few minutes of uninterrupted exposure - could begin to cause minor sunburns. If the condition were to continue, then within ten minutes the light of the sun alone would burn even an Arcanist all the way to the bone.


    Once again, there were physical and aetheric precautions set in ce for this. The reason this was considered a low risk danger was because the sunlight was not actually hot - at least not to the point that it should burn. Instead, it was an inherent trait of the light from the sun itself.


    The final low risk danger in Perilith was darkness. The reason this was considered low risk was because of how easy it was to avoid. A simple light, of any kind at all, could alleviate the danger. But the absence of light within Perilith was a death sentence.


    Ordinarily, the level of danger within Perilith was equal to the highest level person that entered within. For Nero and his team that would be the Neophyte level. But it was strongly theorised that within the darkness in Perilithy a Sage level threat. That in itself had yet to be confirmed, as it could not be tested, nor were they keen on testing it either. Again, simple precautions could work to avoid the danger, so there was no need to dwell on it.


    Then came the more prevalent, active threats within the alternate dimension, which took the form of cursed hos. They were the mostmon form of cursed entity there, and were a constant danger.


    More dangers included, but were not limited to, travelling quick sand,rge, winged worms, a specific kind of curse they had been unable to eliminate that directly assaulted the mind, poisons, alternating gravity, spontaneous tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail storms, sand storms and basically storms of any and every kind.


    On the bright side, a specific species of flowers had been detected within Perilith that not only gave off light, wading off dangers of the dark, it actively resisted cursed energy, keeping its environment safe and secure.


    Fordham already had samples of the flower, so getting it was not a priority for them. They were already looking into ways of how they could introduce that flower into Niere, since the flower seemed to require the special sunlight of Perilith itself to survive.


    If they could seed, then they could usher forth a new era for mankind. Unfortunately, so far, it seemed like it was impossible for those flowers to exist outside of Perilith itself.


    Once the team of Arcanists were geared up, Nero followed the researchers as they escorted the team to the cabin, and watched as they confidently stepped towards the wooden building.

 Chapter 274 Spartan series

    274 Spartan series


    The day and night cycle within Perilith was not the same as the Primeveil, although it was close enough. Every day at exactly 5:30 am the sun would rise within Perilith, and at exactly 6:30 pm the sun would set, without any deviation whatsoever - at least so far. That provided a solid thirteen hours for the teams to thoroughly explore the alternate dimension.


    There were certain drawbacks to having to return every night, however. Ultimately, there would only be a certain distance they could travel to and return within a 13 hour time frame. At the moment, spending the night within Perilith, even with a night light there to fight away the darkness, had not proven effective.


    Perhaps, over the next few weeks, they would discover an alternative way to circumvent this issue. They surely had to if they were going to achieve the objective of retrieving all of the six Sage level ingredients. Most likely, that would involve bringing in more teams of Neophytes.


    None of that was any of Nero''s concern, however. His one and only objective was to protect the four researchers who would go in with them.


    About two hours after they entered, the team of Arcanists all returned, their protective gear clearly scuffed up, meaning that they had been in a fight. But none of them were poisoned or had massive burns, and all of them had returned, so a few minor scuffs were nothing topare about.


    Nero followed the team of researchers as they went into the interview room where the Arcanists would gather after a quick medical exam for debriefing.


    "Alright Captain, what can you tell me about the situation inside Perilith?" someone asked the leader of the Arcanist team once they arrived.


    "No notable changes to report," the Captain, a particrly tall woman, stated. "During ourtest scouting mission, we conducted a survey of the area surrounding the cabin within Perilith. No new high value nts have regrown, nor have any high value ingredients been found within one kilometre (0.6 miles). Outside of that range, however, Marigold-Clovers and Humming Basil leaves have once again been spotted growing. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "We have brought back soil samples at 100 metre intervals starting from the cabin, clearly marked, and besides a small ident with a clew of newborn winged worms, all signs are consistent with our initial theory. It seems that whatever energy enables the rapid growth of high value materials within Perilith is being leaked, or perhaps used by the cabin to support the connection between dimensions. All other readings and samples remain consistent.


    "Finally, there is one thing I would like to suggest strictly from a strategic point of view. We spotted a new ho hive being formed about seven hundred metres south-west of the cabin, which might be a problem in the future.


    "Exterminating the hive as Arcanists would be time and resource intensive, so instead we have only marked the location. Considering the roughly five hours left of daylight within Perilith, if the Neophyte team prioritises exterminating the hive today, their future excursions might be made simpler."


    The interviewsted only a little while longer, but all-in-all there was nothing extraordinary to report, so the Neophyte team was given the go-ahead to gear up and go. Nero was reminded once more that his first priority during the excursion would be to protect the researchers. However, besides that, the researchers also retained the authority to pass orders to them, especially seeing how Vanessa was an honorary junior officer but they were all privates.


    Nero followed a guide into the armoury, where he was given all the gear and equipment he would be using, as well as the cards he was mandatorily supposed to equip.


    Beneath everything was supposed toe a pale yellow, skintight onesie which would protect him and his skin from sunlight and poison exposure, as well as maintain some pressure on his body so if he got small cuts or wounds, the bleeding would be suppressed.


    Above the onesie came the actual protective gear, consisting of apletely synthetic, aetherically charged pants and chest piece. The aetheric charge meant that certain, aether conducting metals and alloys had been woven into the gear as strings, and would help protect them against some of the harmful and dangerous energies within the other dimension.


    There were gloves, though they were mostly to protect the skin and had no other significant features. The air filter was inserted inside of a ck facemask made of some alloy and shatterproof ss, which they were supposed to wear.


    Once everything was on, Nero discovered that while his mes had granted him a small level of immunity to warm temperatures, and an immense immunity to the cold, putting on so much gear still made him feel warm. Considering that they would be in Perilith for thirteen hours a day everyday, he needed to ensure he stayed hydrated during the time he wasn''t there.


    Once he had everything equipped, Nero checked and confirmed the position of his six cards to ensure he remembered which of them was where.


    There were four mandatory cards, of which he did not need the one rted to illumination, so he could use more of his own. Name: Serene Wind


    Image: A helmet of wind vaguely visible around a person''s head


    Type: Purification


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Surround the user''s head with a barrier of wind which prevents simple poisons and toxins from infiltrating]


    Name: Linen wraps


    Image: A man wrappedpletely in cloth, looking like a mummy


    Type: Defensive


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Wrap the user''s body in a grey material, simr to linen. The area of the body covered is proportional to the amount of aether consumption]


    vour text: "When the purple gue spread, the healers walked thends wrapped in grey," - Shaman Burrow


    Name: Mud Fortress


    Image: A hut made of y from the ground


    Type: Construct/Fabrication


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Use the earth beneath the caster to build a protective cabin]


    vour text: "The stormes unannounced, but it will always find us ready," - Shaman Burrow


    Besides these three, Nero, of course, kept Snowke and Radix Augmentation from his own collection. For the third card, however, he used one of the cards offered by Fordham base


    Name: Keen Insight


    Image: A man looking at subtle footprints in the ground, outlined in yellow


    Type: Augmentation


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Directly increase the users senses]


    vour text: "The ghosts of my past haunt me. No, this is not PTSD, these are real ghosts, and I can finally see them," - Maxim Dawnlight


    Although its description was simple, Nero had been allowed to test the card when he expressed interest. The increase was far more than what the card made it out to be. Not only did all of Nero''s senses increase, it somehow made it so that processing those senses was not mentally overwhelming at all.


    Someone like Nero, who already constantly made use of all his senses to stay on the lookout for anything pertinent, felt incredibly overpowered when he used this card. Yet its one drawback was the immense consumption of aether.


    Almost everything Nero did massively consumed aether. Both his innate abilities, as well as the cards he liked, were all bottomless holes of aether. It seemed fine when he was using them in the sense that they usuallysted him the whole fight. But if he had to be fighting for hours on end, and maintain vignce for half the day, then he had to use his abilities sparingly.


    If he didn''t consciously make an effort to minimise his consumption, then he probably wouldn''t evenst an hour.


    Fortunately, while he was limited to having six cards attached to his body, he could take his card case with him, so he could use restorative cards when needed.


    The reason he didn''t take seven cards like he did back at Lumina was because his gear actually interfered with card use, since it contained aether itself. Besides the six allocated slots, adding a card anywhere else would lead to a severe reduction in performance if he used that card.


    Once he finished checking everything, and did a number of stretches to gain a better understanding of how limiting movement was in full gear, he grabbed a Spartan-II spear. The Spartan series spears all had a cold, deadly edge, narrow and sharp enough to pierce armour, hide or protective shell of cursed monsters.


    Compared to the Victus series, which were more flexible, the Spartan series spears had a rigid yet strong body, with greater emphasis on the de itself.


    Choosing a different series spear also meant that he would use a differentbat style. Compared to how he fought with the Victus series spear, making use of the spears flexibility to spin and swerve it around his body, not only using that as a way to gain momentum, but also to block and parry more easily when he was overwhelmed with numbers, fighting with the Spartan series was more straightforward.


    The tough body of the spear meant that the body itself could serve as a great weapon to hit or smash enemies if needed. More importantly, rather than swirling the spear around as he liked to do, he would be focusing more on quick, precise yet powerful stabs.


    The reason he opted for the change was because of the reports he read on the types of enemies to expect within Perilith. The Spartan series was much better suited to his needs. Plus, it also looked cool as heck, and the Spartan-II especially was much too expensive for him to get his hands on normally.


    Only extremely well funded departments and facilities had them.


    December release schedule

 Chapter 275 Unknown language

    275 Unknownnguage


    With all his gear ready, Nero followed his guide back to the front of the wooden cabin, where the rest of his teammates were also gathering. Each of them was wearing a simr outfit to him, with only a few things different to distinguish them - excluding their distinct body shapes, of course.


    The first and most obvious between them all is that the onesie being worn by the researchers was green near the face, as if marking them as high value targets. Their armour was also light and easier to move in - something which became a necessity since none of them had the same stamina and endurance as soldiers.


    Between the actual guards, there were two distinctions, one more prominent than the other. The first, most easily spotted difference was their weapon of choice. Sword and shield was the mostmon choice, followed by spears, dual swords, sword and dagger and so on.


    Finally, the most direct distinction was the number which had been printed near the base of the arm one the onesies. Each of them had a number, and Nero''s was number 10.


    One more time their group was briefed on their role and themand order - almost as if the army doubted the capacity for a group of teenagers to remember and execute orders properly. A ridiculous notion.


    Nero studied the four researchers they were supposed to protect, and it was immediately obvious which one was Vanessa, and not just because she was the only girl in the group. Compared to the rest of them, she was the only one not reeking of nervousness.


    It was a predictable issue. Even if Kr was a nation of warriors, not everyone was suitable forbat. It went without saying that those who never expected to see a battlefield had not prepared themselves to one day face it. The thought of now suddenly finding themselves in an exceptionally dangerous ce, the fact that they were only nervous, and not actively trying to get out of their duty was already admirable.


    In such a situation, it went without saying that everyone reached a tacit understanding that among the researchers, Vanessa, the only one not losing her cool, would be the one giving orders.


    "Alright team, we have our orders from up above," said Vanessa, looking at her fellow researchers as well as their protective detail. "A ho hive has been detected near our point of entry. To ustomize the soldiers tobat in Perilith, and for us to get used to taking samples in the field, today we will only be taking care of that nest and collecting samples.


    "Do not, however, think that this means that we can take things easy. A new proposal has been brought forward that is being considered by our superiors. Instead of relegating all exploration duty to Neophytes, the new proposal states that Arcanists can scout andy down a path in Perilith, marking any targets for us to eliminate. Considering any foe we might face will certainly be less capable as a Neophyte, our mission objective may just end up bing a search and destroy styled one. The actual result depends on our performance.


    "Nero and rissa, you will take point, while the rest will form a circle around us researchers. Daisy, you will be in the centre with us. I as well as the other researchers will be using our scouting cards to watch out for points of interests and potential enemies, and may direct the team as per our findings, so stay close. If everyone''s clear on their roles, let''s head out."


    Nero nodded towards rissa, who had chosen to equip a short sword and a dagger as her weapons of choice, before solemnly stepping towards the wooden cabin. All around them, other soldiers and researchers watched, excitedly discussing the potential that this mission held.


    Nero was already using Keen insight, so he took in the state of the wooden cabin much better than before. While all the nts and growth around it had been cleared up, no one had touched the cabin at all.


    That meant that its exterior was still covered in all kinds of vines and nts, with all kinds of weed growing everywhere it could find purchase. At least it had been confirmed that none of the nts in the cabin were cursed.


    He stepped onto the porch, fully expecting the old wood to moan or creak, but it made no sound at all. In fact, he found the wood to be incredibly sturdy, as if unbothered by the passage of time.


    That''s when he noticed a couple of things about the cabin. Although it looked old and debilitated, and even the ss had been shattered, none of the wood that made up the building was actually damaged at all. Whereas from afar, he thought that nts had been sprouting from holes in the ground, upon actuallying closer he noticed that most nts were actually attached to something growing outside the cabin, whereas the few nts growing within the cabin were growing from piles of dirtying on the ground around shattered y. They had once been housents!


    The second thing Nero noticed was that there was a que hanging just above the entrance of the cabin, a loose vine hiding it.


    He lifted his spear and moved the vine aside, but to his disappointment, the que was partially broken. The part that remained had only the word "Tavern" left written on it. Nero was about to move forward, simply taking in the que, when he noticed a very significant problem, and looked back towards it.


    He read the word once more, clearly understanding what it said, before he turned to look at the others in his team. It seemed most of them had not noticed the issue.


    "Whatnguage is that?" Nero asked aloud, pointing to the que. "And why can I read it?"


    08:19


    The word written on the que was written using clear lines, making the letters easy to read and distinct, but the problem was, it was not Valen, thenguage spoken in Neire! It was not Old Valen either.


    Whatever it was, it waspletely distinct from anything Nero had ever seen, and yet he could read it easily.


    "No idea, but the anomaly has already been clearly documented so we need not spend our time on it," said Vanessa, as she herself read the que as well. "Let''s move forward. There are more mysteries to uncover."


    Nero nodded, and moved forward, simply making a mental note to himself, referring to the wooden cabin as the tavern from now on. He could not help but wonder what kind ofvish, luxurious tavern it must have been, to have its entire structure made out of wood.


    He entered into some kind of hall, with a long, wooden bar running along the width of the room on the left hand side, leaving plenty of room for tables and chairs for its guests, Nero assumed.


    At the opposite end of the hall was a staircase leading up, which was another anomaly of the tavern as the stairs went directly into a wooden wall. Perhaps there had been an upper floor once upon a time, and had been boarded up. Either way, his destination was not that, but a door beside the staircase.


    Despite the fact that the tavern was confirmed a safe space, Nero walked cautiously to the door before opening it, revealing an identical hall on the other side. The only difference was that outside the door on the opposite end was not the small, temporary base that Fordham had built around the tavern, but rather it was Perilith.


    With slow, yet steady steps Nero exited the wooden structure, andid eyes on the new dimension he had entered.


    The environment outside the cabin, at least, wasn''t mirrored as they found themselves halfway up a hill rather than in the middle of a forest. Yet theck of a forest did not make this pce any safer. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The entire hill seemed to be covered by wild grass that rose up at least a metre high, with countless thick bushes all around, and a few, ancient looking trees.


    The sun had already dipped towards the western horizon, yet it had not painted the sky in a blend of colours. Rather, the sky was a consistent, pale yellow throughout. This was a good sign, ording to what Nero had read. This meant there were no storms on the way.


    The air, even through the filter, smelled like an unsettling mix of something refreshing and something rancid at the same time. It was as if this was a boundless, bountiful world, but had been decayed and corrupted.


    From where he stood, Nero could already see countless animals moving through the tall grass, their figures mostly obscured, but not enough topletely hide them. Yet even if they were hidden it would have made no difference, for even from afar Nero could feel them reeking powerful energies, far beyond anything he should have had to face. Some of them were filled with aether, and some of them were filled with cursed energy. But all of them were limited to Nero''s own realm - one of the peculiarities of this dimension.


    December release schedule

 Chapter 276 First fight I

    276 First fight I


    Nero surveyed his surroundings with Keen insight active, but he wasn''t the only one. rissa stepped right beside him and began to carefully inspect thend, and so did the rest of the team, using their own means.


    Their immediate surroundings seemed safe enough - not just from curses but from other creatures as well. It was as if nothing harmful was willing to get close to the tavern. Yet just a short distance from them, Nero saw a family of rodents run through the grass.


    Whether they had strong aetheric abilities or they were cursed he could not tell at all.


    "Target spotted," rissa suddenly said, attracting everyone''s attention. She was pointing towards one of the ancient trees, its trunk 3 metres (9.8 feet) across and nearly 25 metres (82 feet) tall.


    It was of a species Nero was unfamiliar with, as its body stood up straight like that of a pine tree, but its branches spread far and wide, even going as low as almost touching the ground. It was on one of these low hanging branches that rissa was pointing towards.


    An ugly, ck mass hung onto the branch, causing it to dip even lower due to the weight. The branch itself was already dead, as could be seen from the fact that not a single leaf grew on it, but that did not mean that the branch was empty. Far from it.


    In ce of leaves, decayed carcasses, the hides of various beasts, and strips of rotting meat hung from the end of the branch. Even from a distance, hundreds of hos could be seen feasting on the hanging flesh, while every so often, a swarm of even more hos would arrive from the distance carrying small corpses.


    To call the sight horrifying was an understatement, and left the group in a state of bewilderment. Curses normally care only for aether, and Nero at least had never heard of them harvesting and feasting on meat like this. Then again, he had never seen an entire hive of cursed insects work together with a singr purpose.


    No wait¡­ he had! He was reminded of the berserkers and dark berserkers. Not only did they eat their prey, they were also intelligent in their own way, and all worked under themand of the tentacle monster as far as he could tell. Did that mean these hos were also working underneath them?


    "What''s the n?" Nero asked after a few moments of silence. "Shall we attack them directly? We have enough time to spare if you want to deploy some kind of tactic. I can tell you this much - swords and spears aren''t going to be useful against hos so we''ll have to rely on our abilities."


    "I think, as researchers, it''s best if we leave allbat rted decisions to you," Vanessa said, ncing at the other researchers to see if they had any objections. "At the same time, we can treat this as your first trial. Even if you all may have discussed strategies together, implementing it is far from as simple as having a discussion. Considering the rtively low-risk nature of fighting close to the cabin, this is the best time to work out any kinks in your teamwork."


    Nero nodded, and quickly thought of a couple of things. Among thebat team, although he had formally introduced himself and spent a little time with them, the rest had formed their own tacit understanding.


    Despite being older than him, most of them were more than willing to ept Noman as their nominal leader owing to his prodigy status. The status was not applied without merit. Fully aware that as a thirteen year old, he was not exactly in the best position to fight, he had been focusing onmanding and leading.


    Much like Neor himself, he was a highly focused and ambitious young man. More importantly, he had the support of his father who was a Lieutenant, and did not have to suffer the stigma of fratricide like Nero did. Even though he was proven innocent, he could sense the group''s hesitation towards him despite their attempts to be reticent.


    As such, instead of convincing everyone, Nero directly looked towards Noman.


    "Based on the personal skills, abilities and preferences of our team, I have an idea for the best formation to face a ho hive such as this. If everyone agrees, we can try it out, and take it from there."


    Nero was not lying. Other than everyones self introductions, he had also read up on each and everyone of his teammates in the little time he had. Getting his hand on their files was not tough at all. He just asked Vanessa, and she gave them to him. It was not even a ndestine thing, and was done openly and aboveboard, as there was nothing really wrong with it.


    Bael, ording to Nero''s analysis, was best against one strong foe, or against a team of weak foes. His ability to dish out strong physical attacks, while tanking enemy attacks and healing rapidly made him ideal for such a role. Moreover, there was a note written on his file stating that an analysis of his fights had revealed that he only minimally relied on Eldrim cards, mimicking his father''sbat style from the many cartoons about him.


    In essence, he was good for physical attacks but did not use cards unless necessary. Nero wasn''t going toment on his ws, just take note of how he could best be used.


    Then came rissa. She was an expert inbat, and like Bael did not use cards often. When she did use cards, she favoured offensive cards. The exact nature of her innate ability was not revealed, but it was written that she was very good at spotting and taking advantage of any enemies weaknesses, whether they be human, beast or curse.


    She could best be used as an assassin or as a striking expert. Still, she was best at striking singr targets rather than a hive of smaller targets.


    Then there was Noman. Combat was not his forte, not because he was weak, but because he was young and kept away from such situations. His young age meant his bones were weak and hecked sufficient physical strength. He was very quick, however, had excellent decision making and analysis skills, and his innate ability was incredibly useful against equal or weaker targets. Unfortunately, to seal anyone or anything, he would need to be close to them which reduced his effectiveness considering he was kept away from a fight. On the bright side, he had fit his ability into his fighting style very well, and many looked forward to his performance in the future.


    Daisy was a healer. Despite sufficientbat skill, she was not good at self healing like Bael. Her valuable ability meant she was destined to stay away from fighting as much as possible anyway.


    Gideon was actually considered an extremely formidablebatant, with high lethality in both close and long rangebat. Once again, the exact nature of his ability was not written, but he could basically control 12 small des he kept on his person at all times. They were strong, and could attain immense prative force with very little distance required as a build up. The des could only go up to a certain distance from him, but that did mean he was weak by any standards. Against a ho hive, he would actually be highly effective.


    The only thing written in his file that wasn''t somethingpletely positive, or an overwhelming review of his ability, was a smallment stating that he had a weird personality. Considering that his personality never actually became an issue inpleting missions or obeying orders, it did not matter much.


    Including Nero, that made up six of their teammates, leaving only two girls and two boys behind, all of whom had auxiliary or defensive abilities.


    One of the guys could straight up conjure barriers made up of pure aether that could block both physical, aetheric or cursed attacks! It was extremely impressive, with only real drawback being how aether intensive it was to use.


    Another of the guys was extremely useful, if only to himself. It was a passive danger sense. As long as anything was about to harm him, he would sense it, regardless of the nature of the danger itself. Considering the many unusual threats they would face in Perilith, his contribution would be massive.


    Then there was a girl who could create green aetheric tokens which could be eaten, and would supplement everyone''s aether regeneration. She was like a walking aether bank or battery.


    Thest girl had an incredible ability as well, though the details weren''t provided. Basically, it helped her move short distances really fast. Despite being seemingly limited in application, Nero could see how invaluable it would be in a fight, so he didn''t underestimate it at all.


    Keeping in mind the abilities and specialisations of all the members in his team, Nero came up with the perfect n of attack.


    "What''s your n?" Noman asked, clearly extremely interested in what Nero had to say. Despite his emotions written clearly on his face, he restrained himself and first asked for the details of Nero''s n.


    "It''s quite simple," Nero said, looking towards the hive, his grip on his spear tightening. "I go in alone and destroy the hive, and you guys can support me from the back if you want."


    Okay so, it was not exactly the tactically best n, but strategically, it was a great n because it helped Nero fulfil many of his goals.


    The fact that he was still just pumped up from watching the amazing fight on the way here, and from the incredible war song, had absolutely no influence on his decision. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    December release schedule

 Chapter 277 First fight II

    277 First fight II


    Noman and the others frowned. They had already admitted that Nero was not being arrogant when he proimed his own skill, but to head to battle without them was as if he was indirectly using them of havingckingbat skills. Born in a nation of warriors, selected as the best of their generation, not a single one of them had a weak heart or disposition. How could they tolerate such insult?


    That is why, after a slight pause after introducing his n, Nero continued. Even if he was feeling restless after watching the others fight, he would not do something as foolish as insult his new teammates.


    "The reason I am suggesting I go alone is not because the others can''t fight. Far from it. In fact, ording to my spection Gideon would be especially effective against an entire hive. The problem is that faced with hundreds of small hos, killing them effectively might be tough, but defending from all sides would be even tougher. Compared to me, all of you will have to expend a lot more effort in fighting against them."


    Everyone felt a little better upon hearing that Nero wasn''t looking down on them, and had to admit that protecting themselves from small hos attacking from all sides would be tough and aether intensive. It wasn''t as if it was impossible. It would just require them to use various cards, and end up draining their aether a lot.


    Ultimately, the hos could not be underestimated. If they were easy to kill, the Arcansists would not have left them be.


    "Are you confident in taking the hos by yourself?" Noman asked, once.


    "It won''t be a problem. Besides, like I said, you guys can support me from a distance. If you really want to help, then you can throw a few fireballs my way. The more heat you provide, the stronger I''ll be."


    Noman nodded and turned towards one of the others.


    "Mel, give Nero one of your Recovery tokens. Everyone else, get in the long-range formation with rissa in the lead."


    Mel, the girl with light green hair, generated a token and handed it to Nero, who promptly ate it. Mel''s tokens could passively restore aether in the user''s body, which was especially useful for someone like Nero whose abilities were aether intensive. Taking a token like this would allow him to fight longer and recover frombat quicker.


    Seeing how none of the others resisted his proposal, he nced over to the researchers who only looked at him like he was a mad man. With no objections to bar his path, Nero turned towards the hive and began steadily walking towards it, countless thoughts in his mind.


    He swept the area with his various senses, utilising Keen insight to its utmost, checking for any other living creatures nearby, but there were no animals or insects near the hos hive. He checked to see if there were any other hives in the area, and how far the hos had spread out.


    His pace never increased, but every step he took closer to the hive, Nero seemed to be gaining an invisible momentum. He made ns in his mind about how to face this new obstacle, but honestly, he had no idea how fighting hundreds of flying cursed, evil insects was going to go. It was a little exciting.


    A blue me flickered on the ground where he stepped, and his entire team noticed it. They were finally going to see his innate ability, as well as see Nero in proper action. It was time to judge if he was all he made himself out to be.


    Nero did not immediately epass his whole body in mes. No, the blue mes started out at his feet and slowly made their way up their body, slowly surrounding him.


    The temperature around him began to drop rapidly as he grew the me, and its colour began to deepen. After his previous upgrade to his ability, his mes no longer grewrger or spread as they absorbed more heat, they just became more potent. As such, creating mesrge enough to surround his body ate up quite a bit of aether, but it was definitely worth it.


    When Nero came within 100 metres of the hive, he began picking up speed, his grip on his spear tightening.


    The hive itself was quiterge, covering the entire length of the branch it was hanging from. Each ho was about the size of Nero''s middle finger, which was quite small for a target but quite big for a cursed insect that filled an entire hive. Fighting them with a spear would be impractical, and yet his spear waspletely covered in mes as well.


    By the time he was 50 metres from the hive, the hos seemed to have taken notice of him, and the entire hive itself began to buzz with activity as more and more hos crawled out and began pping their wings as giving a warning to the iing predator.


    Nero smiled. It was so interesting, this was the first time he had seen a collective of curses behave with any kind of intellect. It was probably because the true level of these hos was well above the Mystic level. Now, however, they were restricted to the Neophyte realm.


    Nero could not help but wonder - would these hos be any more helpful when he used Radix Augmentation on them.


    Two massive balls of orange mes shot past Nero from behind him, attempting to strike the hive. The hos, determining the confrontation was inevitable, all took flight and joined their bodies together forming a solid wall in front of the hive, blocking the fireballs.


    The momentum of the fireballs alone killed many hos, and the heat of the mes seared their formerly indestructible bodies as well. But the fireballs had only been the opening gambit.


    Nero summoned two Snowkes and coated them in the deep blue mes that covered his body, andunched them at the hos. The razor sharp snowkes cut through the mes first, with the blue mes absorbing the orange ones, bing only stronger, before they met the ho wall.


    Perhaps if the snowkes had some kind of explosion ability they would have been more deadly. As it was, the snowkes cut right through the hos with ease, and dug into the hive behind them.


    The deep blue mes began to flicker and sizzle as they fought off the cursed energy of the hive, but they did not extinguish.


    The attack did, however, enrage the hos even further. Like a dark cloud they gathered overhead, the buzzing of their wings causing those who heard it to feel lightheaded. Yet that was just a passive effect of their gathering might.


    Once the hos had gathered by at least over a couple thousand, they descended like a cursed judgement.


    Everyone watching from afar suddenly felt immensely grateful that they had listened to Nero and not forward, while at the same time they felt fear grip their hearts as they saw the darkness fall onto Nero. It was almost as if they were watching his death.


    Nero, and perhaps Vanessa, were the only ones who were not actually rmed. Vanessa, because she knew Nero well enough to know he would not do something he wasn''t sure of.


    Indeed, Nero did not just sit around and wait for death. Even if many hos would die from the mes around his body, just the sheer weight of the countless cursed bugs would be enough to crush him.


    Just as the hos were about tond onto him, Nero''s speed picked up and he dashed forward, reaching the hive and escaping the reach of the other bugs.


    His ming spear cut through the entire hive, cutting a massive hole in it covered in flickering blue mes. Yet instead of continuing his attack, he dashed forward once more, using the trunk of the tree to block the line of sight between himself and the others, and quickly transferred the mes on his body onto the tree itself.


    Hundreds of cursed hos chased after him, while the solid block formed of over a thousand hos smashed down towards him once more like a hammer made of pure evil. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But instead of feeling afraid, Nero looked forward to it as he quickly swapped out Cryome for Virtuous Moonlight, and summoned a thinyer of silver light all around his body.


    Even if the ability of the light was seen now, Nero was not afraid. He could exin it by saying he was using a secret card passed down to him by his family. No one would imagine he had a second innate ability, and even if they did they would not have a way of checking.


    In fact, the only reason he even hid behind the tree to begin with was because he didn''t want anyone to notice that he couldn''t control the mes and the light at the same time.


    If anyone else saw the silver light surrounding him and questioned why he hid it, the answer was simple, and frankly a truthful one. He did not want to reveal all his cards in front of everyone.


    The tide of hos finally reached him, much to their regret.


    December release schedule

 Chapter 278 Devil incarnate

    278 Devil incarnate n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The Virtuous Moonlight did not physically push curses and cursed being away, much to Nero''s regret. Instead, it would only cause thick, ck smoke to escape from within the cursed being until it had no more of whatever caused that smoke could be found, and then it would seal the cursed being in a pale, silver light.


    Nero suspected that this type of seal was very different from the kind of seal Noman was able to use. It would not be affected by any physical stimuli at all, as far as Nero found, and would only break upon contact with an aetheric attack. During the sealed state, the cursed being would also be reverted to how it was physically before being cursed.


    At least, that was the result of Nero''s experiments with cursed nts. Now he would see the results with cursed insects.


    Fully expecting that the hammer made of cursed hos wouldn''t be able to stop in time even if they wished to resist the light, Nero also used Mud Fortress to pull up a small wall in front of him as a barrier, yet Nero had underestimated just how much the bugs wanted to avoid the light.


    They forced themselves to a halt just before they touched the light, crushing hundreds of hos all at once. A few still could not stop in time, and flew right into the light, causing a torrent of ck smoke to rush out of their body.


    Nero had never heard insects speak before, but the moment they entered his light he certainly did hear them shriek! Despite their tiny sound, their scream resounded across the entire hill, nearly causing Nero to lose focus from the sheer ferocity of it.


    But that was not all. They immediately fell to the ground. No, falling would still take time. Even as their insides burned, releasing a cloud of darkness, they dove to the ground as quickly as they could manage, in a rush to prostrate on the ground before Nero. The thought of resisting or escaping did not exist for them at all.


    It would have been an interesting experience if Nero''s aether was not draining from his body at breakneck speeds, causing him physical pain! Yet the remarkable thing was that the aether within his body was being replenished at nearly the same speed through the Recovery token he had eaten, forming a bnce.


    His body was a battleground for energies to wreak havoc as they escaped, and then filled it. Introducing a third, potentially vtile element was not the best idea, but Nero knew that his time was limited. He only had a few moments where his team did not have sight on him. They needed to only move a little from their current position to spot him, so he had to make use of this opportunity to test out the effects of Radix Augmentation.


    Having too many overpowered secrets was such a burden, and that burden physically manifested itself when he activated Radix Augmentation and swung his spear, its tip still covered in blue mes, to kill all the hos within his silver light.


    A deluge of warm energy rushed into Nero''s body, causing him to momentarily go limp. But he fought through the pain and steadied himself, a massive grin on his face.


    The effects of Radix Augmentation had dropped drastically back in Lumina, and fighting other Neophyte level curses hardly improved his body at all. Now, though, even the death of a single ho measurably improved his body, even if the experience was a little painful due to how drastic it was.


    He was in pain from the aether leaving him, though that had stopped once he killed the hos within range of the light. He was also in pain from how rapidly the aether in his body was replenished. Suddenly having his body undergo a baptism of warmth, increasing it in every feasible way was also not a pleasant experience when that warmth felt likeva pouring into his body.


    But since when has pain been a relevant factor in Nero''s decision making? The answer was never.


    Nero deactivated Virtuous Moonlight, switched back to Cryome, the action taking a couple of seconds, and attacked the hos once more. He retook control of the mes he had pushed aside, and used them to freeze the hos aside.


    Within that time, more fireballs had struck the tree and the surroundings, creating small patches of orange mes which only served to act as fuel for his blue mes that rapidly decreased the surrounding temperature, and ate at the cursed energy within the hive.


    About a dozen seconds after Nero had switched back to the cryomes, the lingering fear of the silver light had faded from the hos, which attacked him en masse once more. Yet Nero, constantly moving between the trees, bobbing in and out of vision of his group, used the opportunity to once more hide behind a separate tree, switch back to Virtuous Moonlight, and reenact his previous defiant manoeuvre, though this time he didn''t waste aether on constructing a mud wall.


    Directly when the hos were reeling back in fear of his light was also the only time he risked using Radix Augmentation, bringing another wave of burningva.


    The fight felt excruciating, and every second felt like an hour. Even though he maintained his physical peak - mostly due to his body rapidly growing stronger - he began to tire out mentally. Yet he never stopped.


    Nero was insatiable in his desire for growth, and he threw himself among the hos when they tried to fly away.


    From afar, the other Neophytes kept using various cards to do damage to the hive and the hos as well, but the sheer strength and number of the hos filled them with solemnity. They were not cowards, but they were also not lunatics to throw themselves to death in a meaningless way. That is exactly what would have happened if they had tried to approach the hive.


    Yet before their eyes they saw Nero, a devil incarnate, wreathed in blue mes, bringing forth an icy armageddon. Much of thendscape around the hive had already changed, the grass frozen and shattered, with patches of orange and blue mes covering the area.


    Hot and cool air mixed, forming numerous, small tornadoes carrying shards of ice. Such rampant destruction should not have been possible through the power of a mere Neophyte, yet that is exactly what was happening in front of their eyes.


    The most intimidating, or perhaps reassuring thing, was that the longer the fight went on, the faster Nero became. The grin on his face was visible even from afar, as he both chased and lured his prey. The dying wails of the cursed hos, filled with indescribably pain, almost made the group feel sorry for the cursed hos. What a miserable way to die for beings that, in truth, surpassed the Mystic level in power.


    One member of that group, in particr, was filled with deep, revenant trepidation as he looked at that monster. How was he even human? He was literally a walking disaster!


    Vanessa, in particr, took note of every action Nero made, and could not help bute to a single, unbelievable conclusion: he had gotten stronger!


    She was aware that, more than anything else, this was a disy from Nero, not only to gain the trust of the whole team, but for her as well. Since he had decided to invite her as someone in his inner circle, he revealed a bit of his true capabilities.


    The scary thing was, Vanessa was certain that this was still not everything he was capable of. Someone as calcting and sly as Nero would never reveal all his abilities in public.


    Yet just as the fight was reaching its crescendo, the hive nearly frozen and most of the hos dead, Nero mysteriously vanished.


    Well technically he didn''t vanish. While fighting, he moved behind a tree. He had done so countless times throughout the fight, and none were suspicious of him for it. It only made sense that he had to constantly move to avoid being crushed by the hos.


    Yet this time, when he went behind a tree, he did not return in just a few seconds. When the first five seconds passed no one assumed anything, but after ten, everyone noticed something amiss. When fifteen seconds passed they were already moving, assuming the worst and ready for an emergency extraction.


    Then they caught sight of something that caused them to freeze. Nero was picking himself off the ground, almost as if he had tripped. But that is not what gave them pause. What gave them pause was how Nero suddenly waved his spear, which had been embedded into the ground itself, and caused a massive eruption of dirt!


    To be clear, Nero did not first extract the spear then sh it. No, with the tip of the spear still buried in the ground, he waved the spear with unnerving ease, ripping the ground asunder, disying a feat of strength that even physically augmenting innate abilities could not grant!


    Suddenly, they all remembered how he had grinned and told them he was the strongest Neophyte alive. Almost simultaneously, the whole group saw a deeper meaning to that phrase.


    Bael could not help but gulp. Wasn''t Nero even stronger than the Berserkers back in Lumina?

 Chapter 279 Prolonged suffering

    279 Prolonged suffering


    Nero simultaneously felt incredible, and exceptionally crappy. Much like how he had once undergone a metamorphosis from using Radix Augmentation on cursed beasts back in Lumina, he had gone through another one just now.


    The change was sudden, immense and intense. Putrid ck smoke had burst out of his mouth and nose, and not the harmless kind of ck smoke that Virtuous Moonlight caused. No, this ck smoke smelled like death itself, as if there was some kind of decayed meat hiding within Nero''s body.


    But that had only been a part of it. From his entire body he began sweating rapidly, each bead of sweat containing either ck granules or puss. It was made even worse by the fact that he was wearing skintight gear that pressed everything back onto his skin.


    His muscles writhed from within as atmospheric aether flowed into his body, as if reshaping his very being. Even the Recovery token waspletely used up in an instant as every fibre of his being greedily absorbed aether. Oddly enough, none of that aether absorption seemed to do anything for his card absorption percentage.


    For a few seconds, Nero had genuinely lost control of his body. Fortunately, even through that painful, disgusting process, Nero''s mind had not been affected. He quickly switched from Cryome to Virtuous Moonlight so that he may coat himself in protective light so that he would not suffer attacks.


    That''s when Nero discovered another aspect of his second innate ability. When he covered his body in it, all the filth that coated his skin was immediately purified, turned into thick ck smoke that seeped directly through his protective gear and escaped into the air, leaving him clean - or rather, purified.


    This entire experience took only a few seconds, which was fortunate, because the difort was followed by an equally difficult trial: extreme euphoria! Nero was long used to ignoring and resisting pain, but when, without any warning, his body was filled with a wave of pure pleasure, Nero was stunned.


    His body began growing and Nero felt like if his body wasn''t being squeezed tight by his suit, he might have even grown slightly taller. His muscles, his bones, his tendons, and everything else underwent a rapid transformation growing much stronger.


    Yet after a few seconds, that growth suddenly halted, as if it had hit a ceiling, and Nero instinctively knew what happened. His body''s strength had reached the threshold of the Initiate level, but the rules of this dimension forced that growth to stop. He could not enter into the Initiate level of power, and so the remaining warmth in his body started to make his body tougher rather than stronger.


    Yet by then, most of the energy was already spent, and Nero regainedplete control over his body, the overwhelming pleasure finally waning. Nero began to pick himself up, for he could hear the arrival of his teammates from a distance.


    His senses had sharpened, he realised, even without the use of Keen insight. Now, more than ever, he would be able to spot Vanessa''s shadows much more easily. More importantly, Nero also understood that for the rest of his journey within Perilith, he could no longer use Radix Augmentation on cursed beasts. It was too dangerous. If, somehow, he broke the boundary between Neophyte and Initiate, even if only in terms of physical strength, then the boundary for the entire dimension would be raised!


    But while strengthening his body was off limits, increasing his card absorption rate was not. After all, the difficulty to raise the absorption percentage was greater after every single minor threshold. Considering that 30 - 39% was the final threshold for the Neophyte level, it would be the most difficult part.


    Nero fully regained control over his body, switched back to Cryome, and attacked once more just as the others came into view.


    Now, with his stronger, and tougher body, Nero was more confident than ever that he couldpletely dominate this entire dimension. But it was best not to be too arrogant, and not to reveal his entire strength, so he held himself back. Unfortunately, even holding back, Nero was much stronger than any normal Neophyte!


    "Are you alright?" Noman asked Nero from a distance. If he was injured they would havee closer, but seeing as he waspletely unharmed, they did not want to venture too close to the hos. Unlike Nero, the proverbial bulwark, they could not dodge or avoid being attacked once they were swarmed.


    "Yes. Just faced an unexpected obstacle. I''m fine now. Focus on providing me with more mes, let''s end this once and for all!" Nero said, gathering all his blue mes and concentrating them on the edge of his spear.


    The othersplied without dy, and with nine others sending ordinary mes his way, Nero quickly strengthened his blue me more than he ever had. A consequence of such a deep blue me, one that could freeze anything it touched, was a massive strain on Nero''s aether.


    Without the aid of a new Recovery token, Nero sped up this extermination. By now, even though the majority of hos still stuck together forming a solid, flying mass, their numbers had greatly dwindled, decreasing the strength and impact of the mass they formed.


    Nero''s ming spear cut through them easily, slicing a few, freezing some more and burning the cursed energy out of a lot of them. But Nero''s objective hadn''t been the ho. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    No, he just cut through them so he could finally attack the hiver personally.


    A chunk of it had already been frozen by some of Nero''s mes, draining a part of the cursed energy within it. Now, with his strengthened blue mes Nero attacked the hive with every intention of finishing the job.


    The countless corpses that hung on the tree branch had already frozen whole, yet not even the branch itself began to freeze. His spear cut through the cursed hive, facing little resistance. Nero was wholly prepared to face even greater retaliation from the hos, but something unexpected happened.


    The remaining few hos gathered together in the sky, and gazed down on Nero as he destroyed their hive, no longer buzzing in anger, and purely watching with a silent intensity. Nero and the others all realised that this was highly unusual, but as long as the hos stayed far away, they were of no consequence.


    Nero could throw a few snowkes at them, but that would hardly do them much harm. So instead, he resigned himself to just keeping an eye on them.


    Before long, the entire ck hive was frozen solid,pletely devoid of cursed energy, and a mere hollow imitation of what it was. Oddly enough, instead of shattering, the hive froze to be even more solid than metal, bingpletely resistant even to Nero''s shes, bing a permanent feature of the region.


    That did not mean that the hive wasn''t destroyed. Even if one ignores the indestructibleyer of ice that prevented hos from returning inside of it, thepleteck of cursed energy meant that it was no longer a suitable habitat for the hos.


    They hadpleted their mission, yet the feeling of sess and victory escaped them. Up above, the hos continued to watch the scene unfold. The fact that they had stopped resisting was unusual enough, but seeing how they remained to watch was incredibly unnerving, not just for Nero. The whole group observed, but made no moves.


    Nero tried to guess what the hos'' intentions were, but he was unfamiliar with such behaviour. Almost all sses he had taken to curses specially emphasised that no humanspletely understood curses, for they were too unpredictable, and that in itself was one of the greatest sources of danger.


    Without warning, Nero''s body suddenly tensed up, as if it had sensed an immense, overwhelming danger targeting him, but he did not know what to do or how to react.


    The hos in the air all started turning into dust, mixing together in the air, forming a ck cloud and then¡­ the cloud just disappeared.


    No one understood what happened, but Nero''s body became even more tense as if it could sense the approach of certain death!


    Nero had no idea what was happening, but he could take no risks. Without hesitation, even within view of everyone, he dismissed his Cryomes, switched to Virtuous Moonlight, and covered himself in its silver light.


    Thick ck smoke started pouring out of his body and Nero nearly screamed from the pain. It was not even his flesh that was being burned by the light. Instead, it was as if his bones had been dipped in acid, eating them away.


    Nero''s remaining aether reserves dropped drastically, and he knew he would not have enough aether to sustain his own purification. He tried to move, but for once the pain was too great even for him, and all he could do was look towards Mel.


    Yet that was enough. Each and every one of them was an elite, and they had no hesitation. Even running would not have been fast enough, so she threw one of her Recovery tokens towards Nero who barely managed to catch it, and shoved it down his throat.


    Rapidly aether began flowing into his body, allowing him to continue using Virtuous Moonlight. But whether that achieved anything else, it definitely prolonged Nero''s torture.


    "That was a soul curse!" Vanessa whispered to herself when she finally realised what had happened. The only thing more shocking than that realisation¡­ was the fact that Nero was somehow resisting it!


    December release schedule

 Chapter 280 Soul curse I

    280 Soul curse I


    The agony seemed like it would be endless, yet Nero did not allow himself to get lost in the pain. He kept his mind sharp, and studied his pain despite how miserable it made him feel. Despite the burning sensation, he did not feel his body being harmed. In fact, it was as if he was removing a malignant tumour.


    Barely a minute went by, though to Nero it was like an eternity, and the burning sensation within his body suddenly vanished. He felt as good as new, without any lingering sensation of pain at all. It was as if it had all been in his mind.


    He opened his eyes, and discovered that at some point he had fallen to his knees, his body covered in cold sweats. Throughout the excruciating experience, he had resisted screaming, but the severity of his state was obvious to everyone as they observed him from afar.


    "What¡­ the hell¡­ was that?" Dave, the guy with the danger sense innate ability, asked through ttering teeth. He was nearly as pale as Nero, even though he was not the one who had been targeted.


    "It''s a Soul Curse," Vanessa said, walking up to Nero and using a card to check his condition. "They''re not easy to resist below the Arcanist level, although it''s not impossible."


    In truth, Vanessa was underselling how genuinely disastrous Soul curses were. Unlike other curses, which just appeared or infected things with aether, Soul curses were an entirely different type of curses altogether.


    They were curses that required living beings to actively cast them, and required preparation as well as a significant cost. Knowledge about Soul curses was actually taboo because in the early days of man, before Eldrim cards becamemon, Soul curses were verymon.


    To avoid paying the cost of the curses they cast themselves, they would often hold sacrifices, use the souls of others, blood rituals and do many other unsavoury acts. There were many names for such people back in the day. Doomcallers, Blightbringers, Curseweavers and more. But the point was, they could actively inflict a curse upon others, and were extremely dangerous.


    In the modern day, their existence was not tolerated and exterminated by most nations on sight. But the profession of wielding curses was something that was actually copied from other, more powerful curses.


    The weakened hos had to pay the price of their lives to cast a Soul curse on Nero. Although Soul curses took many forms, the one that inflicted Nero seemed to be the most basic. Even so, resisting it at merely the cost of some pain¡­


    Vanessa''s eyes shed as she buried certain thoughts deep within her heart. It was unlikely anyone else realised the severity of Nero''s actions, and even if it was reported outsideter, it would be tough for anyone to judge how serious the attack on him had been.


    "You''re fine," Vanessa finally said after thoroughly scanning Nero, confirming that he had no lingering problems or injuries.


    "This is an unexpected threat," Nero said, trying very hard to not focus on the memory of the excruciating pain he had just suffered. Not even immense discipline could let him just ignore what he had been through, nor would its memory fade so easily.


    "The cursed insects used some kind of suicide attack. We need to report this back and figure out some kind of countermeasure in case this is amon phenomenon. Such an attack in the middle ofbat could very well be fatal."


    "I concur. Gather any ho corpses we can find, as well as any broken pieces of the hive, and anything else of value," Vanessa said. "We''ll take it back and conclude our first expedition into Perilith."


    No one else argued, for the sight of Nero suffering had truly startled them all. He was a monster through and through, and if even he had been brought down to such an extent, then they did not want to test anything else here themselves - at least until they came up with a way to avoid such attacks in the future.


    Fortunately, there was no other danger nearby as this area had previously been thoroughly cleaned out by the hos. The team gathered all the samples they could. An unexpected benefit of freezing everything solid was that the things which weren''t shattered remained perfectly preserved in their frozen state.


    Nero also participated in the clean up, and though he was feeling physically fine, he could not help but feel that he had be mentally exhausted. But that wasn''t urate either, for his mind was still sharp. The situation was unusual, and he was looking forward to returning and getting checked out more thoroughly.


    Fortunately, everyone was in agreement, and after collecting samples, they exited through the tavern even though there was still over an hour''s worth of daylight left.


    Their early return clearly took everyone by surprise, especially since none of them seemed to be harmed, but no one said anything. Instead, a team of doctors rushed towards them, ready to check each of their conditions upon returning from Perilith. This was a standard procedure considering the unknown state of Perilith.


    "Follow me," Vanessa told Nero, dismissing the doctors and quickly leading him towards the field hospital. As if she waspletely familiar with theyout of the building, she led him beyond the emergency room and the admittance ward, and to a very senior looking doctor who apparently recognised her.


    "This is Private Nero," she directly told the doctor. "He just resisted a basic level Soul curse that directly targeted him. Please have him checked out thoroughly."


    The doctor was clearly startled, and then turned to look at Nero with confused eyes. Clearly, the sight of him walking behind Vanessa so calmly didn''t match her expectation of a patient who had survived a Soul curse.


    "Follow me, and do not resist. We will be putting you in an artificially induced sleep while we run out tests, but you do not need to worry, we have many Mystics on duty. You''ll get out of this just fine."


    Nero was beginning to realise that he may have underestimated the seriousness of what he had just experienced, but he did not reveal it. Instead, he just followed the doctor, who instructed him to remove his armour and skintight gear, change into a patient''s robe andy down.


    Oddly enough, the moment Neroy down, he didn''t even need the doctor to induce sleep as he felt it naturally taking hold. Hisst thought was how odd it was that he didn''t feel tired at all, yet could not resist sleep the moment hey down. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Vanessa, who had stepped aside for a short while to change out of her gear as well, returned to Nero in a few minutes and looked towards the doctor.


    "What''s the prognosis?" she asked solemnly. She was mentally ready to hear devastating news. But she was definitely not ready for what she heard.


    "He ispletely healthy," the doctor said. "It''s just that his Spirit was nearly entirely drained. As a Neophyte he can''t recover that on his own, but by morning we should be able to have him as good as new."


    Vanessa did not respond, nor did she show any change of expression. Instead, she kept to herself the extraordinary nature of the feat Nero had aplished. It was best if knowledge of what he had truly done was buried here. After all, she was beginning to take his offer for partnership more seriously.


    On the other side of the base, after undergoing his examination and confirming he was without issue, Dave separated from the group of Neophytes who were going to have dinner together, iming he was too exhausted.


    Yet when he returned to his room, he began pacing nervously. Dave''s innate ability was danger sense, and it allowed him to sense the extent that anything was dangerous to him. Although Nero did not know it, since Dave treated Nero as an enemy, his ability gauged him as well, and judged that he was exceptionally dangerous.


    That was the reason why he had been so nervous back at Fordham. Yet today¡­ today his ability had gone crazy. When he looked at Nero, his ability told him that facing Nero as a foe would spell his certain death.


    The feeling was so unnerving that Dave had acted preemptively and triggered the contingency n they had in case the poison failed, and induced the cursed insects into targeting Nero with a Soul curse.


    It had worked, for a while, but then Nero just shrugged it off and continued to work like nothing was wrong. When Dave had asked what had happened, he wasn''t referring to the curse that had struck Nero, but to how Nero had resisted the curse!


    No, this was really bad. Nero was certainly going to be a problem, he was sure of that, especially considering some kind of rtionship he shared with Vanessa.


    In that case¡­ he had to take even more desperate measures. After all, in the temporary base, he couldn''t even get in contact with him.


    December release schedule

 Chapter 281 Soul curse II

    281 Soul curse II


    "Small animal, moving through the grass on the left!" Invictus roared as he used a spell to summon a de made of purple, and sent it flying at the Armoured Vulture that was swooping down towards him.


    All around himy dead carcasses of various beasts so it was entirely normal that it attracted the attention of scavengers, but the timing could have been better. Invictus himself had lost all his weapons during the fight, and his armour had also been ripped apart, destroying some of the cards he kept tucked in.


    With many of his primary cards destroyed or used up, he was shuffling through cards from his deck right in the midst of battle.


    The grass on his left suddenly parted, revealing a cursed fox, dashing towards him. The hair on its body had already fallen off, with a lot of its meat rotting right off its bones. Yet a vibrant red thread ran through the ck meat on its body, holding everything together, pulsing with cursed energy.


    It was moving fast, and almost reached Invictus, but before it could get close a cartoonish flying whale fell out of the sky and crushed the fox underneath it into a cursed meat-patty! Several other cartoonish creatures flew or ran around them, fighting off the creatures as well.


    "This is not sustainable," Irene said as she casually sat on a chair in the middle of battle, with the two boys fighting around her to keep anything from reaching her.


    Her attention was focused solely on a sketchpad in her hands, where she was using her fingers, each one dripping with a different colour ink, to paint her favourite Terracotta Army! Each and every swipe of her finger consumed a massive amount of aether, but she could tolerate it for now.


    "We don''t have a choice but to fight," Patrick responded evenly as he burned a cursed creature to death.


    Patricks entire body was covered in yellow mes as a result of his passive rapidly absorbing cold to toughen his body up. Compared to the rest, he was the most calm and methodical. Since it was incredibly difficult even for cursed beings to harm his body, he just systematically went about killing them, disregarding everything else.


    "Easy for you to say lover boy!" Invictus said with a hint of irritation in his voice. "You''re not the one bleeding to death here. Or the one being sucked dry of aether."


    Patrick smiled towards Invictus, irritating him even more.


    "You''re just jealous I have a beautiful wife," Patrick said tauntingly, as he used another card to channel the heat around him into bullets, shooting at the grass all around them to burn it up, leaving the attacking animals fewer ces to hide.


    The two of them initially got along well, and with both of them showing skill far beyond what others of their level should be able to disy, they developed a bit of friendship. But when they reached Pine Needle city, guided by the homing pigeon tattooed on Nero''s body, they found the hiding spot of the Clear Path terrorists within a day.


    18:54 n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The two of them initially got along well, and with both of them showing skill far beyond what others of their level should be able to disy, they developed a bit of friendship. But when they reached Pine Needle city, guided by the homing pigeon tattooed on Nero''s body, they found the hiding spot of the Clear Path terrorists within a day.


    After coordinating with their contact, they sprang an ambush. The results of that ambush could be considered to be mixed at best.


    The local sect forces quickly responded to the attack, while the terrorists also fought back relentlessly. Caught in a threeway battle, Patrick and Invictus only seeded in rescuing Irene and quickly escaped.


    The terrorists too, now exposed to the forces of Saint Codale, ran away from the city, unwilling to chase the two.


    The fact that Irene was rescued should have been good news for Patrick, even ignoring the fact that their mission was only partiallyplete. Unfortunately, things did not y out so straightforwardly.


    "Boys, focus," said Irene when a cursed badger almost broke through their defences and reached Irene.


    "One of us will have to reveal our hidden trump card," Patrick said in a matter of fact way, locking eyes with Invictus. Ever since that guy found out Patrick was married, and to such a beautiful girl as well, he had been feeling incredibly bitter. Especially since both of them were Hammel, which meant that they actually knew each other. Technically speaking, Irene was Invictus'' senior sister, and Patrick his brother-inw!


    The sudden change in their dynamic made Invictus feel unresigned, but there was nothing he could do.


    Or well, at least he could tease Patrick. He was about to give him a scathing retort when Irene spoke instead.


    "I''ll do it. You boys keep talking the big talk."


    Her painting wasplete, but just making it drained her of nearly all her aether. Fortunately, she did not need to rely on her own aether to activate her paintings or tattoos, which is what made her innate ability so overpowered and broken.


    She pulled out a fist full of aether shards and dropped them into the painting, as if it was a pool, and watched as the Terracotta Army climbed out of the page. One soldier, two soldiers, three, thirty, all the way until fifty soldiers climbed out did the paintingst. But more impressive than their numbers was the fact that each of them had the physical strength and defence of an Initiate!


    Immediately, they attacked all the cursed and non-cursed creatures around them with wild abandon, uncaring for their own safety. As a result, many of them died quickly, but that hardly mattered to Irene. All it took was a few minutes, and the fight finally came to an end.


    But they would not have long. So long as they remained in the wilderness, without hiding properly, they would continue to be attacked relentlessly.


    Patrick, after finishing off thest beast, took a deep breath in, and suppressed his passive ability, reducing the mes surrounding his body until theypletely vanished. Among their entire group, he was the one who waspletely unhurt, retained thergest aether reserve and killed the most enemies. Well, killed the most if one didn''t count the army that Irene summoned.


    Once he had cooled down, he returned to Irene, who was allowing all her tattoos to shrink and reattach themselves to her body while still seated. Once she was done, Patrick kneeled down and gently picked her up from her chair.


    The Clear Path terrorists took control of others using very cards, binding them to the will of the card owners. Irene circumvented the control of such a card by making the target of it one of her tattoos rather than herself.


    This was not a feat others could replicate, since each of her tattoos counted as actual, individual spells each with their own unique spell model. She just happened to have a tattoo in the form of a mannequin on her body that could be used as the subject for binding oaths and spells, which she used to get around swearing oaths. Who knew she''d one day have to use it to get out of bing a ve?


    But while she escaped a singleyer of Clear Paths precautions, she ultimately fell victim to the more hidden, more insidious means they had secretly used.


    Unbeknownst to Irene, the terrorists from Clear Path had used an extremely vicious Soul curse on all of their victims. Neither Irene, nor Patrick or Invictus could determine the exact details of the Soul curse, but as long as she was far away from the person who cursed her, her body would begin to weaken, her mobility fade, until eventually she would die.


    Since they had discovered this little detail, the three of them had been even more desperate to catch up to the Clear path terrorists. A part of it had to do with the fact that their mission was to rescue all the victims, not just Irene. But finding a way to remove the curse from Irene was just as big a motivator for them.


    Invictus gave Patrick a dirty look as he saw him pick up Irene in his arms, with Irene wrapping her hands around Patricks neck so that it was easier for him to carry her. Even now, despite being in such a perilous situation, the fact that they could act so calm and without any anxiety at all greatly triggered Invictus. It was as if they were trying to show that the power of love could conquer all!


    "We can''t afford to be dyed any longer, or the situation will get truly desperate. Allow me to reveal my trump card, so that we can quickly save my sister," Invictus said pointedly, only causing Patrick to chuckle.


    The Hammel family, despite not being a real family, valued their bonds more than anyone else. Even if Irene had given up her Hammel name due to being deceived by that evil, treacherous snake Patrick, Invictus still treated her like his older sister.


    As such, he did the one thing he never thought he would, and used the card he had always kept hidden in front of people.


    From within his chest emerged a golden card, and when Invictus grabbed it his eyes suddenly turned golden as well.

 Chapter 282 Spirit

    282 Spirit


    Nero woke up feelingpletely refreshed, though the unfamiliar surroundings had him confused for a time.The sight of a doctor put him at ease, however, when he recalled everything that had happened.


    "Looks like you''re up," said a nearby doctor. "Don''t move while we do a final check. Once we''re done, someone wille and exin things to you."


    The doctor pulled out a few cards and began to check up on Nero, while Nero himself checked the condition of his body. Previously, he thought he was absolutely fine, but only now that he had rested for a time did he realise the mistakes he made.


    His body was suddenly much stronger, and a doctor''s evaluation would definitely reveal as much, which wasn''t good. The fact that he hadn''t even thought as much revealed just how mentally drained he had actually been.


    There was also one more, critical piece of information he seemed to have overlooked. Virtuous Moonlight did notpletely eliminate curses, but just put them in a sealed state. Whatever had happened to him was a result of a curse - that much was obvious. He had used that innate ability to save his life, but where did the sealed curse go? Was it inside his body?


    He could not inspect his physical body for signs of abnormality, at least without any cards that did specifically that, but he closed his eyes and checked his internal aether. After months of manipting it, Nero had be extremely familiar with how aether was distributed across his body.


    If there was an abnormality, he should be able to find it.


    Slowly and meticulously, he went over the aether distribution in his body, checking to see if everything was normal. A few times, he even manipted his internal aether to check for anything that might be amiss, and learned two things.


    First, with the newfound strength of his body, manipting his internal aether was not nearly as effective as it used to be. It was as if the technique had an upper limit of power it could achieve, and Nero had naturally crossed that. In a way, that was a good thing. Multiple people had warned him of the dangers of internal aether maniption, which had caused Nero to use it less, but it was still an effective tool for him. Now that he naturally surpassed what aether maniption could do, he could finally stop using it. After a few more tests, of course.


    The second thing he learned was that there was indeed something inside his body - something that disced the aether of the region it upied. The problem was that it was within the base of his spine, and Nero could not move it using his aether.


    If he wanted to get it out, he''d have to find another way. That curse was really not something he wanted to carry around with him. Then again, if he could somehow find a way to ensure the seal on it would not break, it would be a highly lethal weapon for him to use against someone else. But, yet again, that would require him to first remove it from his body, so he was back to square one.


    "Your tests are clear," said the doctor who had seen Nero the day before. She walked in holding a number of tests which she showed Nero, though he could make no sense of them at all. "You were suffering from a Spirit drain - an umon phenomenon among Neophytes. I don''t expect you''re too familiar with the application of Spirit, are you?"


    "Unless you''re talking about team spirit, I''m not sure what you mean," Nero said, confirming her suspicion.


    "Not to worry. You''re not expected to know about it either. I will, however, give you a brief overview on the topic. Spirit is a broad term that epasses a few different meanings, but only because they are all interconnected. In essence, Spirit is a kind of mental energy that you expend to control aether and spells. Everyone has different amounts of Spirit. It hardly bes relevant before the Mystic realm because the amount of Spirit used to control your innate ability or spells before such a level is small enough for the body to recover naturally.


    "Moreover, it is very unusual to suffer a Spirit drain as you did, for most people have enough Spirit that they canfortably go through the first three levels of being a Card Master without issue. At the Mystic level, however, each spell and ability are so strong that they put a significant strain on the user''s Spirit. None of that has anything to do with you for now.


    "What should concern you is why you suffered a Spirit drain so you can avoid it in the future. It would take your body about four days of continuous rest to recover naturally from a Spirit drain, so it''s important to be aware of this. Based on reports, we suspect that your Spirit drain is actually a result of the Soul curse you suffered. However, it is also possible that the strain of whatever spell you used to resist that Soul curse is responsible for your condition.


    "Spirit drain, seemingly, does not seem dangerous, considering you may have felt fine. But the reality of the situation is that the more your Spirit is drained, the poorer your performance index bes and brain fog sets in. It''s like when you get exhausted, your brain doesn''t work as well when you''re fresh. That means that the dangers of Spirit drain, at your level, is indirect death. "Of course, if you ever reach a level of Spirit depletion, meaning youpletely expend your Spirit, then that''s immediate death at your level. So if you ever detect you''re heading towards Spirit drain, then you need to extricate yourself from that situation."


    "Thanks, that''s good to know," Nero said, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. But it was just one more thing to watch out for, and even then, it was not something he was overly concerned about. Instead, there was another topic that had his attention.


    "Can you tell me about the kind of attack that struck me? How can I identify or avoid it?"


    The doctor shook her head, disying her helplessness.


    "I have no idea about that. If someone has reported the situation from yesterday to themand tent, then they have probablye up with a countermeasure. You should check with them."


    Nero thanked the doctor, and jumped off the bed, flexing all his muscles to see how they felt. Naturally, they all felt amazing, and oozing with immense power. Considering Nero''s increased physical strength, he considered shifting from a spear to a halberd, but that would be a bad decision.


    Despite seeming simr to a spear, the way the two weapons were used was significantly different, and Nero had not trained with halberds before. Not to mention, they weren''t all toomon anyway, so the base might not even have one.


    Feeling a little fortunate that no one had questioned him on his sudden increase in strength, Nero left the field hospital and made his way to themand centre, where he discovered Vanessa and the rest of his team undergoing a briefing.


    Upon entering, Nero discovered that they were being briefed on their mission in the following hours. Sunrise would be in less than an hour, but instead of them, the Arcanist team would be deployed for a couple of hours, to scout and clear the path for them.


    The briefing continued for a while, listing possible locations where the desired ingredients might be found, and all the locations they would be checking in short order. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It seemed he had missed the part of the briefing where they discussed Soul curses, but Vanessa filled him in. Basically, it was not something that Neophytes could easily defend themselves from.


    The artisans in the base were working on an incredibly rare 0 star card that would help them defend against such curses, but it was uncertain when it would be produced, so at least for the next excursion they would have to go without it.


    The briefing finally ended and the Neophytes gathered together to go for breakfast. Considering the fact that they would be spending hours and hours in Perilith, getting a good breakfast was exceptionally important.


    "Hey, I''m d you''re doing alright," Daisy said, walking up to Nero. "That was really scary when you started producing ck smoke yesterday."


    "Yeah, I''m d you''re alright man," said Mel. "I''m not saying we can''t hold our own without you, but it feels a hell of a lot safer with you around."


    Nero grinned, yet scratched his head awkwardly as if thepliment was making him feel shy. Vanessa, who knew just how confident Nero really was, rolled her eyes. He was putting up a front for them to see, she could tell. The two girls getting chummy with Nero irritated her, though, for some reason.


    "Yeah, you''re strong," rissa said with a nod. "I''d love to fight you properly once all this is over."


    "Do you think you could give us some fighting tips?" Noman asked.


    This time, as he was surrounded by the whole group who kept focusing on him and asking him questions, Nero''s smile was genuine.


    From the get go, his intention had been to make a good impression, and he had achieved. From experience he knew that everyone gravitated towards the strong, so by proving himself strong, he''d gotten rid of any feeling of alienation that had existed between him and the rest of the group. Now they gathered around him on his own.


    "You guys are pretty good too," Nero said modestly. "If we all train together regrly, our teamwork is bound to improve, which will raise everyone''s strength."


    It would also bring him closer to Noman, who would trust Nero more, but that was not something he said out loud. December release schedule

 Chapter 283 Even the best plan

    Chapter 283 Even the best n


    Back at his school, Mount Aiden, Nero was very well known, and though popr wouldn''t be the word he''d use to describe himself, he was influential among the students and even the teachers. This was because he had proven himself highlypetent in every relevant field, and yet was friendly and approachable, always having an inviting and weing smile on his face.


    His grades were not notch,bat training was his best ss, was extremely driven and always did more than was necessary. In a school environment, especially one where everyone was driven since they knew they''d get military service sooner orter, such behaviour made him popr.


    Drawing from that experience, Nero figured that the best way to ovee the distance created by his reputation was to do the same. He remained friendly and approachable, while at the same time proving himself highlypetent in what was relevant. As guards and defenders, it was hisbat prowess and situational awareness that was most relevant, so by destroying an entire almost nearly unaided, he more than proved himself.


    It worked wonders. Considering that all the Neophytes were close in age and experience, it was easy to get along with one another after that initial hurdle was ovee. While they all ate breakfast together, the topic of conversation once again returned to Perilith, though this time instead of discussing the many dangers it contained, Nero talked about how amazing it felt going there, as if they had entered a fantasy book.


    He talked about thends as if they were a treasurednd, waiting to be conquered by them. He also put a great deal of emphasis on the fact that since everything was brought down to the same level as them, they had nothing to fear as long as they remembered their training. After all, they were trained from birth to be warriors. They feared no enemy in the same realm.


    Just like that, over the course of a single meal, everyone''s perception of Perilith changed from and of terror and death, to a personalised training field. Where else would they find such an abundance of enemies and treasures, side by side, as if they were in a video game? The fact that no enemy was stronger than them in level meant that as long as they were smart, they could get through this easily while gaining a tremendous amount of experience.


    Over the course of a single mea morale was raised, and no one besides Noman seemed to notice that Nero had done it purposefully. As someone who focused on leading andmanding, since his ownbat abilities were not yet up to par, he was even more impressed by Nero. Not only was he a formidable fighter, he was an excellent leader and tactician as well.


    What Noman didn''t know was that alongside raising everyone''s morale, he was also purposefully demonstrating his ability to Noman, to get the kid to admire him even more. Step by step Nero would build his trust, and thenplete his mission.


    After breakfast, they all went together to gear up, as soon it would be time to escort the researchers back into Perilith.


    For the first two hours of daylight they actually did not enter, as the Arcanists team was inside. Once they exited, they quickly passed a few words to their handler, who came and revealed their objective for the day to Vanessa and the rest.


    Then, once again, they entered through the wooden tavern into Perilith. The early morning sun shone the clear sky with resplendent glory, the pink and light blue sky promising bright and positive tidings.


    Of course, none of them actually believed in such forecasts. The moment Nero entered Perilith he was back to beingpletely on guard, straining his senses to the utmost lest anything catch him off guard.


    Now that he had returned here, and was not distracted by a fight for his life or a drained Spirit, Nero began to realise that his increased senses were much greater than he expected. He could feel the flow of aether in the air, as if it was wind, but he could also feel cursed energy much more clearly.


    Unlike in the Primeveil, which had been cleansed by the expedition forces, the surroundings in Perilith had countless spots where cursed energy had gathered in thick clumps, draining all the aether and vibrancy from the world around them. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was peculiar to sense cursed energy like this, and it was also very misleading. If he relied solely on his senses he woulde to believe that cursed energy had gathered in various zones and that if he navigated carefully, he could avoid it. That was far from the truth.


    In fact, what he was sensing was just the aura from a few particrly strong cursed beings, or perhaps cursed items that were constantly leaking cursed energy. This level of sensitivity was not actually unheard of, which is why Nero was not fooled by it.


    "Today we''re going to be heading directly south," Vanessa spoke up, attracting everyone''s attention. "The Arcanist team has already scouted the area and created a rtively safe path for us to traverse, though they could only go so far. Our target is a certain outcrop of a red, unidentified stone that we suspect is of high mineral value. It might also prove to be an important crafting ingredient, not to mention it might give us some hints towards the location of one of our primary targets.


    "The Arcanist team reported signs of multiple wildlife, including but not limited to ferrets, squirrels, and snakes. They did not spot any obvious signs of cursed nts, but it cannot be ruled out. Depending on how quickly we reach our destination andplete sample extraction, we will have more objectives to fulfil."


    Nero turned to look at their target, which was visible from a distance, even above the tall grass that blocked most of their view.


    "Wait here for a moment," he said, then jumped and grabbed the ledge of the tavern wall and climbed above. The safety of the tavern had already been established, and though he was cautious, that did not mean he would waste a good vantage point.


    After climbing onto its roof, he pulled out a card to help him view their path to the destination.


    Name: Etheium Monocr


    Image: A purple, floating pentagram with a circle in the middle, perfectly touching all sides, revealing a far off object as if it was close


    Type: Illusion


    Star rank: 0


    Ability: [Disy a zoomed in image of whatever the spell is pointed towards]


    vour text: "Far off shores and distant horizons, I can see from thefort of my home" - ???


    He used the card, summoning a purple pentagram in front of him, with a circle inside of it, just as shown in the card. Within the circle, a zoomed in image of tall grass appeared, but as Nero moved the pentagram, the image changed.


    The spell would allow Nero to clearly see far off things, which was pretty useful considering that the path the Arcanists had carved out for them didn''t go all the way to the target. A few others climbed up on the tavern and observed the path alongside him, which seemed straightforward except for one ominous stretch of in dirt where no nts grew, and no animals wandered.


    "There''s no way we can reach the outcrop without at least a few fights," Nero said as he pointed to a pack of wild dogs who briefly exited the tall grass to attack another animal before quickly returning to the rtive refuge of the grass. "The trick will be to pick for ourselves which enemies we should fight, and which ones we should avoid."


    "It would be best to avoid any kind of pack," Noman stated as they scouted the way a little longer. Once they were satisfied, they returned to the ground and got in formation before heading out.


    Nero, rissa and Dave took the lead this time, while behind the group surrounded the researchers, with Bael following up at the end. Dave could sense dangers even if they were obscured by the grass, while rissa could spot the weakness in any enemy she faced. Nero was just a in badass.


    With the three of them leading, they had the best chance of reaching their destination unharmed.


    But even the best ns could fall apart with a single unexpected incident. The group followed the dirt path cleared out by the Arcanists, avoiding the tall grass. Near the tavern, there weren''t even any animals of curses so they were rtively safe.


    But around 500 metres (0.3 miles) from the tavern, Nero felt a subtle vibration in the ground. He raised his spear as he looked around for any sign of trouble, just as he got ready to give a warning to the team. But, for once, even Nero was not fast enough.


    Someone behind him screamed as a thin, long insect burst from the ground and hooked its pincers into the foot of the nearest soldier, and then retreated back into the ground. It happened so fast no one was able to see the insect properly let alone react to it.


    By the time they reacted, the person who had been attacked had his entire leg pulled into the ground.

 Chapter 284 Lethal maze

    284 Lethal maze n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The insect, whatever it was, moved too fast. Nero had only just processed that something was about to happen, and the attack had already happened. By the time he turned around, he saw that Liam, the Neophyte who could make barriers with his innate ability, had his entire right foot in the ground, as if he had fallen into a hole.


    "Jump!" Nero roared, sensing more vibrations from the ground. Nero himself did not exactly jump but just lifted himself off the ground, stabbing his spear into the ground and using it as a poke. Simultaneously, he channelled all his Cryome and used it to nket the ground with his me.


    The others jumped just in time, either due to Nero''s warning or their own judgement, just in time to avoid being stabbed by a dozen, skinny insects that burst from the ground.


    Nero recognised what they were. They were called Beach worms, and were quitemon in some areas on the edge of Venturake.


    The worms were extremely agitated upon missing their targets, and became even more frustrated when Nero''s freezing mes began to attack them, while simultaneously freezing the ground, making it harder for them to move.


    Nero began nning his next step when a number of flying des shed through the air, slicing every single worm in half, killing them.


    Just as fast as the battle had begun, it already ended. The worms were dead, the ground was frozen in case more wanted to attack, which didn''t seem to be the case, and they were mostly unharmed.


    The group rushed towards Liam and pulled him out of the ground, which ended up being a lot simpler than expected. When he was pulled out, though he looked incredibly frightened, he ended up beingpletely unharmed.


    Out of habit, the moment he felt threatened, he created a barrier coating his skin using his innate ability, which is why the Beach worm only managed to tear through his shoe, but not his foot. Upon being unable to get what it wanted, the worm eventually let Liam go.


    Just to be sure, Daisy checked up on his leg to make sure he was alright.


    "Well that was scary," said Gideon as he allowed his flying des to return to him.


    "It was a result of oversight," Nero said, studying the ground. "We need to extend our scans into the ground as well. The next foe that pops out of the ground might not be so easily taken care of."


    "I can take care of that," Dave volunteered. "But I should mention that the way I can do that is by extending my innate senses range through some augmentation cards. That means, I''d only be able to sense an enemy that poses a danger to me. Also, it will drain my aether faster."


    Vanessa and the other researchers huddled over one of the corpses of the worms, still writhing but entirely dead.


    "There''s no report of such worms being spotted in Perilith before," one of them mentioned. "These might be a migratory species."


    "That, or leaving an open, dirt road without any grass nearby gave them an easy hunting ground so they concentrated over here," another one mentioned. "Noman, can you preserve this specimen? I''d like to study it more when we return."


    Nero turned to look at Noman, not hiding his interest in his ability. Considering how rare it was, there was no need to pretend that he wasn''t interested in it, not to mention it made sense that he wanted to learn more about his teammates ability.


    At the very least, it started out in quite an interesting way.


    Noman brought his hands together, pinching his forefinger and thumb on both hands and joining them together, as if holding something exceptionally thin. When he pulled his hands apart, a yellow, shimmering string appeared between his hands which he wrapped around the mostplete corpse of the Beach worms he could find. Then, as if pinching the string with his nails, Noman cut the string, and allowed it to fall freely.


    The string began wrapping around the corpse even tighter, until eventually they shone in a sh of bright light. When the light faded, in ce of the worm was a card with a picture of the worm''s corpse instead. Noman picked up the card and handed it to the researcher, who seemed unsurprised by what happened, and just stored the card.


    "That''s quite convenient!" Nero eximed with genuine admiration. "Can you convert anything into a card? That must make transporting goods considerably easier."


    "No, it''s not so simple," Noman said, shaking his head with clear disappointment. "There are significant limitations on what I can seal."


    He did not borate, and Nero did not ask him to either. The others in the group were also clearly impressed by his ability, which no doubt yed a significant role in him achieving the title of prodigy at such a young age.


    After gathering samples of the worms, as well as taking some recordings of the patterns they left behind on the ground after the attack, the group moved on. Liam was clearly startled by his previous encounter, and though the worm itself had not hurt him, he had ended up dislocating his leg and spraining some muscles.


    Fortunately, Daisy''s generic healing quickly took care of both, leaving him as good as new, so the group could continue forward without any hindrance.


    Their formation had changed a bit, though, with Dave falling right behind Nero and rissa, focusing on scouting out any dangers ahead.


    The dirt road carved out by the Arcanists made the initial leg of their journey quite convenient, but that soon ended as they took an early detour to avoid a pack of dogs who were hiding in the tall grass thaty directly ahead of them. Instead, they veered to the side, reaching a thin stream of clear water flowing down the hill.


    It looked clean and fresh, but had already been tested. The water, much like most other things in Perilith, was highly poisonous, and could act from mere exposure to the skin. Nero could not help but dip the tip of his spear in the water, recalling his cooperation with Wendy and her venoms.


    The group could not step through the stream, but they didn''t need to. Instead, they just followed it down for a while, since most things avoided the stream.


    Yet in following the stream, they elected to face a different kind of foe than the dogs. Hundreds of Stoneflyrvae began travelling up and down the stream, gathering near the group, jumping out of the water and leaping at the group as they came close.


    But this was an obstacle they were ready for. Liam summoned arge barrier to their side, blocking all thervae, while the others used their cards to attack from a distance. Nero used Air bullets to attack from a distance since thervae didn''t seem strong.


    He was right, only because their strength had been restricted to the Neophyte level. They shot out tiny water bullets which packed quite a punch and were poisonous as well, but it was pointless. Liam''s barriers were not so easily broken, and with a Recovery token providing him with plenty of aether, he had no worries about how to use it.


    But this was a never ending fight, for as long as they stayed close to the stream, the Stoneflyrvae would keep attacking. Eventually, they made their way away from the stream, walking through a field where the grass was not nearly as tall as other ces.


    The reason for that was the herd of deer roaming about. They were dangerous, for they wielded devastatingly powerful abilities, but at least they would not attack as long as the group stayed away from them.


    Although the distance to their objective was rtively short, reaching it was like navigating a lethal maze where the slightest misstep would cause death - or at the very least an intense fight.


    But the group proved themselves formidable. Nero was no pushover, but the others took this opportunity to disy their own skills, allowing them to not only pass through the wilderness of Perilith, they ensured that none of the researchers were harmed, or even had to fight.


    But the real obstacle proved the very outcrop itself. As soon as they arrived close, they realised the reason why no cursed or uncursed creature came close to it.


    Despite seeming harmless, the red stone gave off a searing heat that stopped the entire team in their tracks long before they could get close.


    "Any thoughts?" Noman asked.


    "I could try using my mes, but that might mess up the samples," Nero said.


    "I can try cutting pieces off from a distance," Gideon offered.


    "Try that first," Vanessa told Gideon. "Using Nero''s mes to get close should be ourst option. It truly mightpromise the samples. Noman, can you seal these stones?"


    "I guess we''ll have to find out," he said, pinching his fingers as Gideon summoned his des.

 Chapter 285 Red rock

    285 Red rock


    The group stood at a distance of 15 metres (49 feet) away from the rocks foring any closer would make the heat unbearable. Considering the immense amount of heat wafting from the rock, it was actually quite strange that it had not turned to magma. But then again, that is probably what made it so special.


    Just because every living thing in this dimension had its level reduced to the Neophyte level did not mean that the materials here were any less valuable. Each and everything here, from the air to the water to the grass, nurtured Mystic level beings and above. Nothing could be taken lightly.


    Gideon summoned his des, which were hidden in pockets around the armour he was wearing, and used one of them to sh at a small protrusion in the rocks, yet the de only produced sparks, not even leaving a scratch on the rocks.


    Gideon frowned, and attacked again, this time aiming for an even smaller piece of rock. This time, when the de hit, there was finally a small scratch on the red rock. Now aware that the rock could be cut there, Gideon sent all twelve of his des, systematically attacking that one spot, one after another.


    Yet as the rock began to cut, so too did Gideons des begin to turn red from the heat. At first Nero was not too concerned about it, till he noticed Gideons expression. He looked extremely stressed, and his face began to pale at a noticeable pace.


    But fortunately, the rock eventually broke before Gideon was forced to give up. Using his des as tongs, Gideon lifted the broken piece and brought it forward to the group. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A quick nce made the piece of broken rock look like it was around 10 cm (3.9 inches), and though it produced enough heat to cause the group to begin sweating, it was still tolerable.


    Noman stepped forward and studied the rock for a while, before turning to Mel.


    "I''m going to need a Recovery token," he said, and she handed one over.


    Though her ability allowed her to create Recovery tokens, it was not as easy as everyone seemed to think. The amount of aether used to create the token was always more than the amount in the actual token itself. This meant that for the tokens she had been giving the group, she had taken hours to recover after making them.


    She could also make Recovery tokens with smaller amounts of aether, but it was hardly convenient or necessary. But what she could do was store any premade tokens with herself so that they don''t lose efficiency.


    Combined with her extreme diligence in constantly producing Recovery tokens in all her free time, it was unknown just how many tokens she had stored within her body at any given time.


    Nero studied Noman as he consumed the Recovery token and began to seal the tiny red rock. The fact that he needed to consume a Recovery token to simply seal such a small sample was both a good thing and a bad thing.


    It was bad, because that meant they wouldn''t be able to bring anyrger samples with them. It was good because that probably meant that the sample was of extremely great value.


    The amount of string that Noman wrapped around the stone was immense, and only after severalyers of strings covered it did he stop, allowing the stone to be converted into a card.


    The heat finally vanished, allowing most of the group to breathe easy. But they were not done just yet.


    "Do you think you can cut another piece?" Vanessa asked Gideon, who was panting on the side.


    "No, the damage to my des is too severe," he said weakly. "I''m going to need to spend some time nurturing them once more before I can use them effectively."


    She only nodded, and turned to Nero.


    "Do you think you can go and break off a sample? Do not let your mes touch the rock, or even absorb too much of their heat. We don''t know what that could do to the sample."


    "Shouldn''t be a problem," Nero said, and turned to the outcrop, looking for where to strike. Eventually he found a protruding corner of the rock, where the rock itself was thin enough for him to potentially break.


    Nero summoned a thinyer of blue mes over his chest, and rushed towards the rock, extinguishing it as he approached close enough to the outcrop.


    Even though Nero was strongly resistant to temperature, he could feel his skin burning as the skintight armour he was wearing heated up to an unbelievable amount. Yet that did not stop him as he thrust his spear forward with all his might, piercing through the rock and breaking off a small chunk.


    Using his spear as a golf stick, Nero hit the broken piece of rock back towards his group as he quickly retreated, once more covering his chest, as well as the rest of his body, with his mes.


    "I was wrong, that was a serious problem," Nero suddenly said, falling to his knees as he returned. By now his mes had cooled him and his suit back down, but his condition was far from great.


    "What''s wrong?" Daisy asked as she rushed to his side, and channelled her ability into his body.


    "That was way too hot. My protective suit began to melt, and I''m pretty sure it burned and fused with my skin as I cooled myself down."


    His voice was clear, but even then it was strained, an indication of the amount of pain Nero was in.The whole group froze, as that did not sound pleasant.


    They all looked towards the red rock Nero had thrown towards them, and took a step back.


    "Can you walk? Will you be able to return without issue?" Vanessa asked, genuine concern in her voice.


    "I think¡­ a couple of minutes of Daisy''s handywork, and I''ll be good to continue with the mission," he said between clenched teeth.


    The group fell silent, and waited for Daisy to heal him, though even healing would do nothing for the suit that had merged with his skin. Only returning back to base and getting proper treatment would fix that.


    But Nero did notin, and true to his words, got back up on his feet with a simple grunt.


    "Can you cool down the rock with your me?" Vanessa asked once he was doing better. "I want to see if it can be transported while cool. "Liam, would you put up a barrier around the rock, just to be safe."


    Liam erected a transparent barrier, so they all could see what was happening, and Nero sent his me towards the red rock. His me greedily absorbed its heat, rapidly turning a deeper shade of blue, and for the first time ever, even reaching a hint of navy.


    But the change happened too suddenly. The rock exploded, and the explosion was not in any way mild or managable. Liam''s barrier barely held on for a moment before giving way, and the shockwave of the explosionunched everyone off their feet, throwing them back.


    Small bits of red rock, still radiating a massive amount of heat, shot out of the explosion like shrapnel.


    Nero, even blown back, barely maintained enough self awareness to block a couple pieces of the flying rock using his spear, yet not everyone was so lucky. Two of the researchers were struck by the rock, which not only tore through their body, it also cauterised the wounds.


    Daisy, Dave, Liam and rissa were also all hit in various parts, suffering various amounts of injuries. Bael was also hurt, but he was already healing at a rapid pace.


    Fortunately, none of them seemed to be mortally wounded, yet Dave''s reaction was severe.


    "We need to get out of here!" he screamed, mostly because his hearing was affected from the st. Even so, the others heard him, and turned to look towards him.


    "There''s something extremely dangerous heading our way. We need to leave now or we''re all dead!"


    No one doubted him, mostly because there was no need to doubt him. The explosion was loud enough to have attracted a lot of attention, and let alone serious dangers, they weren''t even in the condition to fight off normal dangers as they were.


    Nero picked up one of the injured researchers and threw him over his own shoulder.


    "Follow me, we''re rushing out!" Nero eximed as he covered his spear in bright blue mes.


    The others also helped those who couldn''t move on their own, and began their journey back. The issue was that their movement speed was alreadypromised, the journey back was not simple, and more enemies were closing in from all sides.


    This would be the first, true test of their teamwork. Fortunately, none of the others were amateurs. Daisy was already busy healing herself while Mel gave everyone Recovery tokens. The others also got in positions to fight, and Nero noticed that Gideon pulled out three des that hadn''t been harmed by the red rock.


    They would carve their way out, one way or another.


    "Guys, Liam is not waking up," Noman said. "Someone is going to have to carry him."


    December release schedule

 Chapter 286 Cost of a mistake

    286 Cost of a mistake


    Nero paused for a moment. The researcher he was carrying was awake, but wouldn''t be able to move effectively on his own. If Nero set him down, he could grab Liam, but his mission was to prioritise the researchers.


    He did not want to abandon his teammate, but he couldn''tpromise the mission either. It was a tough situation, and ultimately, he made an even tougher decision. He lowered the researcher he was carrying and handed him over to Vanessa.


    "Bael, you grab Liam and carry him with you. Everyone else, move as quickly as you can, and simply focus on moving forward and defending yourself. Leave the rest to me."


    Nero lit his body ame, the blue fire hugging him closely as if it was some kind of ethereal armour. Truthfully speaking, Nero was not in the best condition himself, either. Though he had avoided getting struck by the rock shrapnel, and though Daisy had healed him earlier on, parts of his armour were still attached to his skin, as if it had been welded together.


    It was not just that he was struck by waves of pain every single time he moved, all across his body, since the armour had melted all over, and not in just a few ces. No, it was also the fact that as a result of his skin being stuck to the armour, his movement was severely restricted.


    But Nero did notin, and instead savoured the pain. He reminded himself that this was the consequence of ignoring his fathers advice. Edward had told him not to be arrogant, but after his body underwent an upgrade once more, he truly felt invincible, and his arrogance returned.


    It was a stupid, silly mistake that could have been avoided if he weren''t so full of himself. To ensure that he never made such a mistake ever again, he forced himself to pay attention to the pain. He forced himself to feel the consequence of a poor decision.


    The path he had set himself on was not something that allowed weakness, and it did not allow mistakes. The fact that he was even alive was already good enough. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But to stay alive, he would now have to do something drastic. Since the armour was stuck to his skin, and restricting his movement, there was one simple solution. He had to rip his skin off wherever it was stuck to his armour.


    It was going to be an unpleasant experience, to say the least, but Nero did not allow himself to dwell on such thoughts. Instead, he heightened his focus, and prepared himself to give his best performance yet.


    Everyone''s lives depended on him, to a degree, and he would not fail now.


    "Is everyone ready?" Nero asked, his voice bing emotionless as he nced at them all. Most of them looked extremely miserable, and Dave especially looked very jittery, but besides that, all was good.


    "Good. Then follow me. Vanessa, you and the other researchers stay right behind me."


    While their journey to the red rocks had been a careful, measured journey, their return would be direct and domineering.


    With his grip on his spear tightening, Nero burst forward, heading back towards the tavern in a straight line. The mes on his body were raging, spreading the aura of leaking aether far and wide. Ordinarily, this would attract a lot of attention, and indeed that is exactly what happened now as well.


    But regardless of how dangerous Perilith was, it had developed an equilibrium. Whether it was beasts or cursed beings, they all understood the dangers and benefits of being rampant, and established territories.


    While venturing into their territories would attract trouble, if Nero proved himself strong enough, he could develop a deterrent effect, and cause all living and nonliving things to at least hesitate before attacking him. Considering the fact that they would be running through, hesitation was already enough to provide them with enough time to pass on from their territories.


    That was Nero''s n, based on the fact that he had noticed that even cursed beings behaved in a strategic and calcted manner within Perilith.


    Whether his n would truly seed was yet to be seen.


    The ground quaked as he dashed forward, each of his steps creating a resounding boom as if announcing his passage.


    A snake shot out of the grass, aiming towards Vanessa and the others, right behind Nero. Compared to his domineering presence, the others made for easy, almost wee targets. Yet Nero, with his senses enhanced due to his recent upgrade, and then augmented by Keen insight, detected the snake even before it left the cover of grass.


    A ming Snowke shot through the air, cutting the snake''s face in half, leaving its body covered in blue mes, frost quickly covering its body.


    But following the first attack came an entire wave, as if all animals in the vicinity werepeting to see who could get the prize first.


    Cats, badgers, snakes, and animals of all kinds attacked, but not a single one managed to evade Nero''s Snowke. Even if the animal did not die from the initial Snowke, at least their own attack would fail as it was not easy to fight with a mutted, burning body.


    The others also weren''t vegetarians, and though none of them had the same reaction time as Nero, they all used various cards to attack and protect themselves.


    But so far, these had only been random, disorganised attacks. In front of him, Nero finally saw one of the obstacles that they had wanted to avoid.


    A pack of dogs stuck their head out of the grass, and growled at him threateningly. But Nero could not change directions now. Whether he went straight or retreated, a fight with the dogs was inevitable, so he only strengthened his mes and shot forward even faster. Responding to Nero''s aggression, four dogs ran forward, clearly intending on slowing him down.


    But Nero''s intentions were not to fight. No, his intention was to escape as fast as possible, so for the second time that day, he used his spear for a purpose it was never intended for. Like a bat, he swung his spear and smashed it into the side of a dog that had leaped towards him.


    Through the spear he felt a couple of the dog''s bones snap, but more importantly, with Nero''s immense strength the dog was sent flying into the distance far away. It would take at least twenty seconds or so before it coulde back, if it was in a condition to move. By then, they would have already moved on.


    Yet he could smash one dog away, but not all of them. Transitioning from one stance into another, he seamlessly used the body of the spear to block another dog''s lunge, and then kicked it on the neck.


    Unfortunately, that was not enough to break its neck, but it was injured. Alongside the mes from the spear which had covered its mouth, the dog ran away whimpering as it tried to douse the fire.


    The other dogs attacked together, but it was not so easy to overwhelm Nero with numbers. The length of the spear gave him an advantage, allowing him to easily attack multiple enemies on both sides before they could close in.


    All he needed to do was make contact a single time and his mes would spread from his body or spear on to the enemy, causing them extreme pain and damage. The dogs, overwhelmed by the sense of impending death all began to run, but flying des flew through the sky and cut into their necks, killing them.


    The pack leader, clearly feeling provoked, barked angrily as he ran forward with a dozen other dogs, but Nero had no time to waste on them.


    He threw Snowkes liberally, aiming to main rather than kill which was much easier. When the dogs who managed to avoid the Snowkes closed in, they were met with Nero''s ming wrath. He was like a whirlwind, mowing down anything in his path.


    Although he preferred to be more flexible, the benefits of an unbending spear could not be denied. He used the de more than the body of the spar to attack, leaving a series of deep cuts and gashes in the dog''s body, causing them all to retreat.


    But the alpha, bigger and stronger than his pack, was not so easily cowed. He was angry and aggressive, yet Nero didn''t have time for his nonsense.


    Nero grabbed his spear with both hands, clenched his teeth tightly, and pushed himself forward with his full strength. His movement, which had so far been restricted, suddenly freed up, but not without cost.


    When the armour pulled him back, preventing him from moving freely, he just powered through, causing patches of skin all across his body to rip off.


    The pain was unbearable, and even broke through to his cold, emotionless state of mind. Pain turned to anger, and though Nero would not allow anger to guide his actions, he would let it strengthen him.


    With a loud roar Nero charged at the alpha, who was using some kind of ability to grow his body even stronger. But in the end, the dog was too slow, and Nero too furious.


    The spear skewered through the dog, killing it instantly, but leaving Nero with an issue which was that he now had a considerable burden weighing down his spear.


    So, without hesitation, Nero used Radix Augmentation on the dog, causing its body to turn to ash as he felt a revitalising energy enter his body, and soothe his simmering aether.


    He felt considerable progress being made towards reaching the Initiate level, but he couldn''t focus on that right now.


    He charged into the tall grass, cutting and freezing it as he passed, leaving a narrow trail for his teammates to follow. The fight was far from over.


    December release schedule

 Chapter 287 The stuff legends are made of

    287 The stuff legends are made of


    The shock of the alpha''s death sent the other dogs scurrying, but they were hardly the only obstacles in their path. As Nero ran through the grass, his mes freezing their long stems and shattering them, he was suddenly assaulted by a few strands of seemingly ordinary grass.


    They weren''t even cursed. It was just that these individual des of grass seemed to have the ability to sense prey. Unfortunately for them, their senses failed them today, as Nero''s fires were not forgiving.


    Yet while the grass froze before it even touched him, Nero realised the danger this presented not for him, but for the rest. If they were suddenly attacked by the grass around them, they might not be as protected as him.


    "Watch out for the grass!" he yelled as he began waving his spear like a scythe, cutting out a much wider path for everyone to follow.


    But he had run barely 10 metres when he felt a deep vibration within the ground. He was reminded of the Beach worms, but felt that the vibrations were much greater this time.


    Either way, in this moment, with all his senses heightened and him exerting himself to the utmost, he reacted instantly.


    He turned and flung a ming Snowke, this one muchrger than the ones he normally used, and threw it towards Dave who was limping along behind the group.


    Dave saw the Snowkeing, and his pupils constricted as horror painted his expression, but he was not fast enough. He could not react in time.


    Just as the Snowke wasing close, the ground in front of him burst, and a tree root shot up towards him, aiming to pierce his throat. Yet the root never reached him, for the Snowke cut through it, losing much of its momentum and bing deviated and flying aside.


    The ground underneath everyone trembled, as if something just below the surface was writhing, while the now burning, cut off root quickly retreated into the ground. No one stopped or paused, and in just a few seconds, they left the range of the root, yet new dangers were abound. A number of birds Nero did not recognise began circling overhead, while from a distance he could see something running through the grass towards them. The tavern was still over 4 kilometres (2.4 miles) away, and the time was running short.


    But the more he fought, the more momentum he gained, since the mes coating his body were turning deeper in shade from absorbing all the ambient heat. With the Recovery token steadily supplying him with the aether he used, he could maintain such heavy expenditure all the way. Hopefully.


    The birds overhead cawed, and then dove down on the group, aiming for the very back, away from the ming Nero.


    Yet three flying des met them in the sky, while arrows of fire and ice were shot out by others. Nero Snowkes previously had limited range, since he had to manually throw them by hand, but now with his increased strength that was no longer a concern.


    Snowkes cut through the birds, while Nero fought against more grounded foes himself. It was not actually fighting that troubled Nero, for he would injure and then push away. It was when the enemies attacked his group. For most, a Snowke or two would work, but for some Nero had to run back and fight himself.


    A behemoth, one unlike anything Nero had ever seen or heard of, broke through the grass, chasing the group from behind. It had six legs, four on the back and two front, with two massive, scaled wings on its back. There were four massive horns on its head, and it pointed them towards Bael, who was at the back carrying Liam, as it rushed forward.


    "Bloody hell!" Nero couldn''t help but exim as the visual impact of the creature itself was like a spiritual attack. It caused any who looked at it to be stunned, and even Nero stumbled. But whether it was because of the excruciating pain rocking his body, or his own mental fortitude, he recovered the fastest, and rushed back at his fastest speed.


    "rissa, weakness!" he yelled, though there was not enough time for her to respond. Whatever weakness this monstrosity had, he would have to wait till he stopped it to find out.


    With his grip around the spear tightening, he lunged forward, pointing its de towards the creature''s forehead, travelling through the slightest gap between its massive horns.


    The Spartan-II spear was known for its strength, not just of the spear but of the de as well. The lethality of the spear, when pushed forward with Nero''s greatest strength,bined with the momentum of the monstrosity itself running forward, was unparalleled.


    The de cut through the creature''s scale, and even dug into its skull. But that is the extent of how far it went.


    The severe jolt of the impact broke the spear free of Nero''s grip, and though the creature did not stop moving forward, the sudden pain of having its skull pierced caused it to suddenly fall forward, the momentum of its crash pushing it forward.


    Nero''s eyes widened as he realised that it was unlikely he would be able to beat this creature. Whatever this creature was, its normal level without the suppression surely reached the Sage realm!


    Even when weakened and suppressed, the aether coursing through the creature''s body was tremendous.


    Nero threw a few ming Snowkes at it as he retreated, but it was for now. The earth wrapped itself around the creature as if it was not solid, but a liquid that moved ording to the whims of the creature.


    The Snowkes dug into the earth, and were instantly extinguished as if they were nothing. The grass all around the creature broke into dust and began gathering around the creature, forming an armour of green that looked more solid than steel.


    Nero did not stick around to see what happened. He abandoned the spear, now thoroughly lodged in the creature''s skull, and ran onwards with the group, who themselves were not bereft of troubles.


    A number of lizards the size of a grown dog had surrounded the group and were whittling down their defences. Nero threw Snowkes and withdrew his dagger, using it to stab the lizards as he ran forward.


    But things were going from bad to worse. While escaping the lizards was not a problem, the monstrosity that he had previously knocked down had gotten back up, and gave the group a look so furious it gave everyone chills, even though they only felt the creatures gaze on their backs.


    In fact, the creature''s fury seemed to give them a reprieve from all the attacks, but no one felt safer for it.


    "Keep running, I''ll hold it off!" Nero screamed as he ran back towards the group once more.


    "Nero, I can''t find a weakness of its body," rissa yelled desperately, but there wasn''t much that could be done about it now.


    Nero spread the mes from his body onto the ground, creating a wall of mes between him and the group that continued to run forward. Rapid winds blew through the hill as the chill of the winds began to freeze thend, and the mes grew deeper in colour steadily.


    Yet behind the wall of blue mes, Nero stood firm as he looked at the creature. It had spread its wings now, with a span of 4 metres (13 feet) across, covered in an armour that looked devilish. Even constrained to the Neophyte level, Nero felt from this creature a power so devastating he knew for certain that he would not be able to defeat it.


    The creature extended its forehead, pulled out the spear from its forehead, and brought it to its mouth. With a single bite, the creature snapped the metal spear in two, and then began chewing while maintaining eye contact with Nero.


    The sight was impressive, intimidating, and carried a hint of a spiritual attack in it. But Nero was not one to be cowed. He did not fear death, so why would he fear this creature?


    Instead, freed from the mes on his body, he switched from Cryome to Virtuous Moonlight, and prepared himself for a confrontation.


    The pale, silver moonlight was enough to cause all other creatures to bow. He would now find out if it was still effective against this creature as well.


    "A futile attempt at dying me," a deep, rumbling voice rushed over to Nero, surprising him. The creature could talk?


    But he did present the opportunity for conversation, as with a single p of its wings the creature rushed forward with a blinding speed.


    Nero did not even attempt to use the Virtuous Moonlight. Even if the creature itself stopped, its forward momentum could not be eliminated. Instead, he leaped aside as he grabbed his card case, hoping to quickly find the two cards he was looking for. He wanted to find Words of Wisdom and This is Us, yet he did not have a single moment to look through his cards.


    The creature attacked with such ferocity and speed, that Nero was forced to focus all his attention on dodging. Even then, he barely managed.


    A single misstep would mean certain death, and that filled Nero''s entire being with excitement.


    In another dimension, facing a talking monster much greater than him in strength, capable of killing him with a single blow. This was the stuff legends were made from, and he was living it!


    December release schedule


    N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 288 Dominion

    288 Dominion


    Nero had been dwelling in the great enhancement of his physical strength, but now, before this monstrosity, it felt all too inadequate. They were both Neophytes, yet the disparity between them was a wide chasm not so simply ovee. Even suppressed by Perilith, the grandeur of this creature could not be denied.


    But Nero took this feeling of insufficiency, and marinated in it. His father had told him his greatest reliance should be his cards, for they were more powerful and diverse. Even his own innate ability could be modified if he mastered card crafting.


    Compared to the true power of a Card Master, relishing physical strength seemed like utter foolishness. Despite having this advice, Nero previously felt proud of his strength because he had not yet reached the level of crafting incredible cards. His main reliance was still his innate ability and his strength.


    One more reason for that was besides innate cards, all 0 star cards were pretty simple, straightforward and weak. Only by breaking through to the Initiate level could he truly touch upon the true wonders of the Eldrim cards.


    Though, even in the Neophyte realm, he had already tasted some of the wonders of the cards.


    Finally establishing a bit of a tempo, Nero did not hesitate to use Virtuous Moonlight.


    Enjoying a fight was a good thing, but he had absolutely no hope of fighting this thing that could literally eat through a Spartan-II spear.


    But he hoped to see if the creature could be subdued using his second innate ability. It could only extend 1 metre (3 feet) away from him, which was much too close forfort. Yet in dodging the monster''s attacks, Nero inevitably came close enough, so that he shed the light onto the creature.


    Something unusual happened. No ck smoke emerged from the monster''s body when the light touched it, though the monster did stop its attacks, and looked solemnly at Nero.


    All of a sudden, the fight stopped, and Nero finally discovered that his body was covered in sweat. Or, more likely, blood had leaked from where his skin had been ripped, and now covered his whole body. Hewould need to take off his gear to find out.


    "How unworthy a vessel for the Virtuous Aeons'' grace," the creature grumbled, his voice heavy in the air, causing both the ground and the air to shake. He looked at Nero with disdain, though his demeanour had be more restrained at the very least. He did not look like he wanted to fight Nero anymore, but he also didn''t look like he wanted to kneel in front of Nero.


    Nero wanted to speak, to ask the creature questions, about itself and the Aeon. But, to his great and genuine surprise, he discovered that he was unable to move. Unknowingly, the creature had seeded in attacking Nero spiritually, leaving him a prisoner within his own body, unable to move.


    If the creature had done this before, their fight¡­


    "Be gone mortal. Do not trespass down into mynds again. This is the dominion of the Primal Aeon."


    The creature reached forward and grabbed Nero by the chest, and then flung him back in the direction of the wooden tavern.


    Nero had lost all control over his body, unable to resist at all. He was only grateful that his grip remained tight, so as he flew through the air, facing away from where he had been flung, he saw that both his dagger and his card case were in his hands.


    Then he hit something, and he felt the bones within his body breaking.


    With perfect aim, the monstrosity had thrown him towards the others, so he crashed into Bael, who was then flung forward into the others.


    Like pins to a bowling ball, they were all suddenlyid t.


    During their escape, fighting for their life, such an act was akin to death. Yet oddly, the countless creatures and even curses that were attacking them suddenly stopped. It was as if they sensed from the group a much more terrifying aura, inadvertently achieving the deterrent effect Nero had wanted to create.


    Nero tried to get up, but a blinding pain shooting through his spine convinced him that doing so would be a bad idea. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Is Daisy awake?" he asked, unable to see anyone since he was facing the sky. "I need some healing."


    In response, all he got was a painful groan as the others tried to get their bearings.


    Dave was the first to get up, and quickly approached Nero to help him, yet Bael beat him to it.


    "What the hell happened to you?" he asked in horror. Nero could not see his own condition, but Bael could. All of Nero''s limbs were bent unnaturally, a clear indication of just how brutally they had been broken.


    "That monster could talk," Nero said. "It told us to¡­"


    Before Nero couldplete his sentence, he was hit by a wave of fatigue so intense he could not hold on. The world darkened around him, and thest thing Nero recalled seeing was Bael and Dave''s expressions.


    Yet like theforting darkness of slumber, this did not feel quick and timeless. Instead, it was like he was hanging in the void, his brain slowly working as time passed by, a few random thoughts shing through his mind.


    The creature had called him a vessel for the Virtuous Aeons grace. That sounded so familiar, but he could not recall why. Then it had said that it was in the domain of the Primal Aeon.


    That sounded both foreign, and familiar.


    But Nero''s thoughts could not focus on why. His thoughts felt heavy, as if even thinking was a burden. But he was much too used to constantly thinking.


    When he was young, his mother told him he was an overthinker, which was a curse and a gift. Uncontrolled, his overthinking could ruin him. But if he controlled the direction of his thoughts, made them productive, and turned his mind into a tool, it would be a tremendous gift.


    A gift. Gifts were nice. He liked nice things.


    Nero thoughts began slipping, going from coherent into a babbling mess, slowly bing simpler and infrequent, as if he was finally being weed by the embrace of deep sleep.


    Atst, he thought.


    But, quite rudely, a sharp, cold sensation shot through the darkness, jolting his lethargic mind awake. Nero became cognizant of pain, and with pain came awareness.


    For a brief moment he opened his eyes, alleviating the darkness, and saw unfamiliar, panicked faces.


    They were yelling and screaming something as they worked on his body, but he did know what they were saying.


    The sight gave him a headache, so he closed his eyes and fell back into a slumber. This time, his sleep tookplete hold of his mind, quieting his thoughts.


    Nero had a dream, and within that dream, he was back in his childhood room, looking at his childhood self, ying with a toy spear.


    "You lost," the young Nero said, turning to look at him.


    "I''ve lost before as well. It''s not like I always win," Nero said with a shrug.


    The younger version of him shook his head.


    "This time was different. This time, you almost died. You need to do better, Nero. You still need to avenge your brother."


    With a start, Nero woke up. The unfamiliar surroundings put him in a state of fight or flight, and Nero was obviously a fighter.


    He prepared to surround his body in fire¡­ except he came to a dire realisation! He had forgotten to switch back to Cyrome.


    He did not know if his hair or his eyes had turned white, for he did not know how long he had been unconscious.


    He finally calmed down as he remembered everything that happened, and assessed his surroundings. He was in a hospital room, it looked like. The couple of nurses who were watching him from a distance meant that they had expected him to react violently as he did.


    He looked down and saw that he was in a patient''s robe, though as he flexed his fingers he felt nothing wrong with them.


    He stretched, yet there was no sharp pain in his spine. He moved his toes, and everything seemed to be in working order.


    Feeling relieved, he turned to look at the nurses and gave them an awkward smile.


    "Sorry about that," he said in a jovial tone. "I was a little rmed because I didn''t recognise the ce. Can you tell me what happened?"


    "You''re in the field hospital at the Perilith entrance site," a male nurse said, walking up to him and beginning to check his vitals.


    "You were brought out of the dimension two days ago by your partners in terrible condition. You were on the verge of bleeding out, and your numerous internal injuries made the situation even worse. More than once, the doctors thought you weren''t going to make it. Fortunately, you have a very sturdy body. Though, there are a few anomalous readings we''re concerned about."


    Nero smiled brighter, though he hid his concern deep within. A couple of days. More than enough time for his hair and eyes to change colour. Crap.


    December release schedule

 Chapter 289 Primal Exarch

    Chapter 289 Primal Exarch


    The nurse was still talking, but Nero only half paid attention to him, and instead started to look around the room for some kind of mirror, yet found none. He had a small amount of hope that nothing had happened since all of the abnormalities the nurse was listing sounded like they were the side effects of using Radix to strengthen his body. He had not mentioned the hair colour at all.


    "Can I use the bathroom?" Nero interrupted the nurse, getting off his bed even as he asked. Moving felt slightly awkward, and all his muscles were sore, but it wasn''t really a problem.


    "Oh, yes, please, go ahead. It''s the door on the left. I''ll go call the doctor in the meantime." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With wobbling legs, Nero made his way to the bathroom, also noting the condition of his body.


    Though he felt like he had no injuries, he was far from recovered to his best state. He closed the door behind him, locking it, and then made his way to the mirror, feeling a wave of relief flood through him when he noticed that his hair and eyes were still blue.


    He hadn''t really had time to test it before, but one of his lead theories was that it wasn''t switching his innate ability that triggered the colour change, but actively using the ability. The more he used it, the quicker the colour would change.


    Since he barely used Virtuous Moonlight, the change hadn''t been triggered at all. Nero took the opportunity to observe his body, and lifted the gown to take a look at his condition.


    He had weakened, that much was visible at a nce. He had lost a significant amount of muscle, and there were light scars on his body where his skin had been torn off.


    Scars were not really an issue. There were countless cards avable that could remove scars, not to mention that generic healing also removed scars. But even if they didn''t, who in Kr didn''t walk around with a few scars, boasting of their various aplishments?


    After Nero used the restroom and left, he found that not only had a few doctors arrived, but so had Corporal Thomas, Lieutenant Earl, Colonel James Carter, Vanessa and a dozen other senior officers.


    "Gentlemen, I must insist that this wait until I''ve done a thorough test of the patient''s condition first," the doctor said, looking irritated.


    "Nonsense, he''s fine. Look at him, he''s even been to the bathroom to check out his new scars," said a man in uniform with a hint of a smirk. "But more importantly, it''s been two days and the Private has crucial information we need. You can do your testster."


    Thomas made a hand gesture indicating Nero to follow him, and Nero quickly began to move behind the group, who promptly brought him out of the hospital and to an office nearby. They entered a conference room, and just from looking at how energetically everyone was moving around the camp, he could tell something had happened while he was unconscious.


    "Ah, Nerod, you had us all worried," said James, the old scientist. "You came back in a truly horrendous condition. We thought we had lost you. Fortunately you have a tough body - anyone else would have already passed on."


    "Thank you for your concern, Colonel. I am feeling much better now," Nero said. "You have excellent doctors."


    "Private Nero, do you remember the events leading up to your injury?" Lieutenant Earl asked, cutting through the niceties.


    "I remember clearly," Nero stated. "The team suffered injuries due to an explosion, and we were trying our best to escape when we were attacked by a¡­ by a monster of some kind."


    "A Primal Exarch," Vanessa cut in. "We have records of them back in Nova, from records collected from the ruins. Primal Exarchse in all shapes and forms, but they retain two distinct features. They are devastatingly powerful, and¡­"


    Vanessa let her words linger as she looked at Nero, as if to confirm something he had previously said.


    "The creature spoke to me," Nero said with a nod. "I stayed behind to hold the creature off while the rest made a run for it. Considering our initial sh, in which I managed to injure it a little, I thought I might be able to hold it off, but I was sorely mistaken.


    "The creature had some kind of mental attack that slowed me down and shocked me, but I managed to resist initially - or at least I thought I did. But after fighting me for a bit, the creature decided to take things much more seriously.


    "It used another mental attack, one I wasn''t able to detect or resist, which froze my body still. At that point, it could have easily killed me. Instead, he grabbed me and gave me a message before throwing me towards the others."


    "What did it say?" James asked with a look of pure fanaticism in his eyes as he listened to the story.


    With a solemn expression and sombre tone, Nero repeated the words of the Primal Exarch, "''Be gone mortal. Do not trespass down into mynds again. This is the dominion of the Primal Aeon.''"


    Nero naturally did not share the entire story, for he had his own secrets to protect, but he honestly shared the rest. A part of it was so that the army would be aware of the situation and act ordingly, but also because he was himself quite interested in the meaning of what he said. This was the second time he heard the word Aeon, and both times they seemed to be referring to some being or entity. The first time was the Virtuous Aeon, and now the Primal Aeon. The Primal Aeon even seemed to have underlings, such as the Primal Exarch, so chances were the Virtuous Aeon might as well. Especially since the Exarch recognised the light Nero gave off, and considered Nero an unworthy vessel for it, whatever that meant.


    "That''s it?" Lieutenant Earl asked. "It didn''t say anything else?"


    "That thing bit my Spartan-II spear in half. I don''t know if I would have been able to survive it if it used its mouth anymore than it already did. After saying those words, it flung me towards the rest. I don''t recall much after that."


    "Makes sense," Vanessa said. "Almost every bone in your body was fractured when we found you. It''s a miracle you didn''t die immediately. If it weren''t for the fact that all other creatures stopped attacking us after that, we would not have been able to rescue you."


    Nero frowned. It made sense that the only reason they survived was because they stopped getting attacked, but he didn''t like the implications. That meant that the Exarch hadplete control over the hill, if not all of Perilith.


    "Is there any more information you can provide us with?" Earl asked, his expression just as mean as it usually was, which made it hard to read him. None in the room reacted to hearing news of the Primal Aeon, but Nero didn''t know if that meant they were unfamiliar with it, or if they were just very good at controlling their expressions.


    "There''s nothing else," Nero said, shaking his head. "Has anyone tried going back to Perilith since? What''s the situation?"


    "The southern part of the hill where the rock outcrop was has been covered in some kind of barrier. We can no longer enter," said Vanessa. "But nothing else seems to have changed. We haven''t seen the Exarch since then either."


    Nero merely heard the news and didn''t even have time to ponder over it when the Lieutenant dismissed him.


    "Private Nero, you can return to the hospital and proceed with your medical check up. There will be a few days of rehabilitation for you, where you will be treated and go through some light exercises. You focus on recovering as soon as possible. You have proven yourself an asset to this mission."


    Nero merely saluted and got up to leave, while the rest remained. Corporal Thomas, who was not in the meeting, was waiting outside for Nero.


    "Good to see you made it back in one piece, and that you did your mission well," Thomas said with an approving nod, as he walked back with Nero. "There have already been casualties in the missions that went in without you."


    "What?" Nero asked, taken aback. "They''re already doing more missions? Shouldn''t they wait for everyone to heal first?"


    "More Neophytes havee in since yourst mission. Now there are three Neophyte teams that are deployed for independent missions each day, but the results aren''t good. Even your own team suffered a casualty in their one mission without you."


    "Who was it?" Nero asked somberly. He had already seen Vanessa, and he found it hard to imagine Bael dying so easily, but the rest¡­


    "I don''t know her name, but it was some girl with a movement ability. She could move short distances quickly, which should have helped her avoid trouble. But she died in the most unusual way. An autopsy reported that she died due to asphyxiation."


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